Finding the best battery maintainer for battery used in your cars, motorcycles, lawn mowers, boats, trucks, ATVs... can be a hard task. This is because there are a lot of different options on the market and the price can range a lot.
Luckily for you we have looked at a lot of different options on the market and have compiled a list of some of the best battery maintainer available.
Continue reading and you will learn which ones these are as well as what makes them good. We will also help you figure out which one is right for you.
Read on to find all the different features that each of these have and their specifications.
Starting off the list we will look at is from Battery Tender, and it is model 021-0123 Junior. This model is an excellent 12-volt charger because it is small and compact. It measures 8 inches x 4 inches x 9 inches and weighs only 1.8 pounds.
This means that you can take it anywhere. You can carry it in your glove box and have it for emergencies whenever you need it. It connects to any battery with the clamps and plugs into any standard outlet.
This model has a microprocessor controlled fully automatic charger and maintainer and is designed to extend the life of any lead acid battery commonly used in automobiles, motorcycles, ATVs, personal watercraft, RVs, boats, airplanes, golf carts, back-up generator systems, etc.
It converts the energy from the wall into a low .75 amp charge. This means it can take some time to charge something but is good because it won’t overcharge anything.
Also, to prevent overcharging it has three modes. An initializing mode, bulk charge mode, and float mode. This means it will charge your battery and keep it charged without overcharging. When the battery voltage drops too far under load, output power will begin again bringing you battery back to a fully charged state.
The cord is twelve feet long making it easy to reach anywhere. It also has a two-color LED so you can know what mode of charging it is applying to your battery.
Users love the easiness to use of this charger. They can plug it in, and it will start charging without any worries. It is spark-proof and reverses polarity protected. It even has a five-year warranty to give you peace of mind that it is a top battery maintainers.
Users also love that this can be used with any lead-acid battery. It doesn’t matter if it is a flooded battery, AGM, or another type. This best battery maintainer will charge it and keep it charged making sure the battery is ready to go when you are.
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The next one is also a product from Battery Tender brand, it is an upgrade to the Battery Tender 021-0123 Junior - the Battery Tender Plus 021-0128. This model is also a small unit at only 2.3 pounds and dimensions of 11 inches x 4 inches x 11 inches. This means that it is easy to take places if you need.
This battery maintainer is designed for 12 volt batteries and has a charging speed of 1.25 amps. The Plus is 50% more power which means a much quicker charge than the Junior.
It is also a smart charger and will switch automatically between full charging power and float charge power.This means that it can be used to charge and then maintain a battery at proper storage voltage which is good because it will not damage the battery it is hooked too.
The way this charger hooks to a battery is thru two wire leads that have alligator clamps. The leads are fairly long making it so you don’t have to remove the battery from a vehicle to charge it in most instances.
The alligator clamps are nice because it helps make sure that the leads will stay connected to the battery and not come off unintended. This battery maintainer is also easy to make sure that it is working.
It has a green and red light indicating that it is on and what kind of charge it is providing. Red is for full charge while green is for float. This is also nice because you can just look at the light to see if your battery is charged all the way.
The 021-0128 is also safe to use. It has reverse-polarity protection to ensure that you don’t shock yourself. This car battery maintainer also has temperature compensation features so it doesn’t get too hot. It does this because it can recognize the ambient temperature.
Also besides the alligator clips it comes with ring clamps too which are nice for things like mower batteries. The only real issue with this is the warranty. It comes with a 10 year warranty, which is great and most people don’t have to use it, but the warranty is a bit deceptive.
If you do have to use it, then you have to pay to ship the unit to them and you have to pay a warranty inspection fee. That generally doesn’t cost a whole lot and most people don’t have problems with their units, but it is something to be aware of.
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The next battery maintainer we will look at is the CTEX 56-158. This unit is even smaller than the first making it really easy to travel with or keep in your glove box. It comes in at a really light 1.5 pounds and measures 6.5 inches x 2 inches x 1.5 inches.
Even though it has small size, it still provides a big punch. It is a 12 volt charger and has a special four stage charging system, which we will explain in a second.
First though, the small case is dust and water resistant which means you can use it pretty much anywhere. This is really nice because it comes back to being able to just keep it in your glove box for an emergency.
The cords are well over seven foot long, so being able to plug them in should not be an issue. It comes with a set of alligator clamps and ring hooks, so you have either connection method that will work best for the battery that you are charging.
Now back to the four stage charging system though. The charger scans the battery and sees how much charge it needs, then it sends a charge to the battery, as it chargers it also uses pulsation technology to help desulfer the battery, after all that when it sees that the battery is charged it switches to a float charge.
Having all this is nice and even better since the charger does it on its own. The charger is also safe to use because it won’t start charging till properly connected, and it has reverse-polarity protection.
Users really love this best battery maintainer and it last a long time for most people. For those that it does die on it has a good five year warranty with good customer support. The unit is durable and shock proof though, so most people don’t have any complaints.
The one thing to be aware of is even though it is a 12 volt charger it sometimes gets up to 14 volts during its charging cycle. This means you should not turn on whatever you are charging while it is connected because you might blow a fuse or light. Outside of this though, the 56-158 is a good battery maintainers.
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Next up we have the Optima Digital 400. It is a battery maintainer at about 2.7 pounds and measurements of 8.2 inches x 3.7 inches x 7.4 inches.
It is a 12 volt charger and has a built in battery health mode so you can see the life of your battery. Like the others this has both type of connector clips and spark free connection to keep you safe.
This charger is nice though because it can revive batteries that are as low as 1.25 volts. This means that some batteries that other chargers can’t charge, this one can. It is also good on all kinds of batteries from cars, to boats, to mowers, and others.
What makes the Optima Digital 400 really unique though is the digital screen. This is nice because you can read the health of the battery, how much charge it has, how much charge that is being sent to the battery, and all kinds of other information on the screen.
This battery maintainer is also very durable and made well. Most users have no issues with theirs not working. If you do have issues it has a good warranty with good customer service, but the warranty does not cover the extra parts.
Also, the screen can become hard to read for some users which is frustrating since that is one of the main features. Outside of these few complaints though the charger does what it is supposed to and is easy to use.
This charger can start charging your battery fast. You just plug it in, hook it up, and use the one touch start mood. This mood scans the battery and starts charging it the way it needs too. Then once it is fully charged it switches to a float charge mood so as not to over charge the battery.
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Here we have another one from Battery Tender and it is a little lighter
at 1.7 pounds and dimensions of 10.7 inches x 10.7 inches x 6.2 inches.
The 022-0165-DL-WH 12-Volt 2-Bank is also really nice because it is a multi-bank charger (multiple battery maintainer). This means you can charge two batteries at once with it. This is really nice if you have a shop or a lot of batteries that need charged. You can get the 022-0148-DL-WH 12-Volt 4-Bank with 4 banks if you feel two banks are not enough.
It charges all the batteries at 12 volts and 1.25 amps. The charging station comes with leads for each one so you don’t have to worry about having enough. Also it has spark protection and reverse-polarity protection to keep you safe.
This charger has four stage charging as well. It has initialization, bulk charge, absorption mode and float mode. This means that it will keep your battery at a proper charge and increase your batteries life without hurting it by over charging.
The cords are long enough that you don’t have to pull the batteries if you don’t want. This is really nice to use if you have more than one car that you don’t drive in the winter and you want to keep the batteries going. Just have them parked by each other and hook them all up. Then just check it on occasion, but you should be good to go.
Users really love this unit and have had good luck with it. It has a 2 year warranty, but has the same issues like the other battery tender from Battery Tender that you have to pay a warranty inspection fee and shipping charges.
This is only an issue though if you stops working and for most people that won’t happen.
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Last we have the NOCO Genius G4, is is both the a normal battery charger and battery maintainer. This is another multiple battery maintainer and has specs of 2.7 pounds and dimensions of 9.3 inches x 9.4 inches x 2.5 inches.
This maintainer is nice though because it can charge at 6 volts or 12 volts. This means that it can be used for even more batteries than the others on this list.
Also, since it is a multi charger with four spirit charging ports it can be used to charge two different types of batteries at once. This unit is 4.4 amps and has no spark features and the features the other ones have.
It can also effectively maintain automotive, marine, RV, powersport, motorcycles, lawn & garden and deep-cycle batteries. It charges 2x faster than ordinary battery chargers, can repair damaged batteries and is designed to use with micro-hybrid start-stop vehicles and CANBUS electrical systems.
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So now that you have read about our list of six which one should you get. If you are needing a multi charger, then the Battery Tender 022-0165-DL-WH (or the 022-0148-DL-WH with 4 banks) is your nice option, you can charge two batteries at once with it. Or if you want a multi tender which can charge two different types of batteries at once, you can get a NOCO Genius G4.
If you just need a single charger though, then the four remaining options for that are all good, Battery Tender 021-0123 Junior, Battery Tender Plus 021-0128, CTEK 56-158 and Optima Digital 400 are good depending on what you need, so if you think one of them would work better for you, then it is safe to go with one of the others.
So as you can see there are a lot of different battery maintainer or also call with name battery maintainers for your cars, motorcycles...on the market and they are all slightly different.
Pretty much all the ones here though are good and while some users have had issue with each one, most of these the issues aren’t too common.
After reading this you should be able to comfortable pick out a best battery maintainer that will serve you well.
At least you have a better idea of what to look for now and also what are common things offered. You should be well on your way to finding the best battery maintainer for you.