Decent battery maintainer for cheap
 

I picked up a Black & Decker Smart Battery Charger today at Wal Mart for $18 out the door. It came recommended to me by some board members who have had nothing but good comments about the charger. Now I know it doesn't have the Porsche name and styling but I don't care since I only use it when the car sits in the garage. The rain has been coming down pretty hard here in Sacramento for a couple of days and there are several more weeks ahead so the car wasn't going to be used for awhile,hence the reason for the small automatic maintainer.

It has it all;

-1(car) or 2(lawn mower) amp charge

-Automatic Float mode(turns off when battery is full and turns on when needed)

-interchangable tips(see picture,it includes the cigarette lighter adapter but I was using it during the time of the photo)

Just food for thought for some of you who have been on the fence about buying a maintainer.

Bump...I know there are some owners who could use a battery maintainer.

Hi,

That one is probably made by Deltran for Black & Decker, it's similar to one of their own brand, good stuff Deltran. It will be OK and work well, especially with those who drive the car infrequently, but don't really store it.

But, for long term storage, it's best to stay under 2 Amps to avoid cooking-off the electrolyte over time. I use the Schumacher Battery Companion at 1.5 Amp - http://store.schumachermart.com/sem-1562a.html
You can usually find this at Wally World for under $25, at least I did. I have two of them, both over 5 yrs. old and they work the business...

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

Couldn't you find one that put out 3 amps instead of buying 2 @1.5 amps? :D

Seriously, I've never heard of Deltran. What else do they make?

I wager the difference between 1.5 and 2 amps
 

is inconsequential given that it only comes on when the battery voltage has dropped and then for a relatively short time. I know my 2 amp has kept my battery charged and working for 5 years with about 2-3 months of use per year. A changer and that difference might matter. But a maintainer, I think not. Consider what the alternator puts out....

I can't wait to see 50 degrees again so I can take it out but the next week calls for snow so it remains snug under its cover with my 2 amp plugged in.

Oh, during the spring and summer, my lawn mower battery is plugged in to the same charger. Original battery after 4 years.

Hi,

Deltran is a major producer of Battery Chargers, Multiple Battery Chargers, Testers, Maintainers, etc. Their Battery Tender, and Battery Tender Plus are industry leading products. Most Racers and Motorcycle people know them well. Check them out at: http://64.187.109.56/default.php?cPath=11&osCsid=62893ae2f6180348fef9a7 ca85ff5496 Hope this helps...

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

Looks like a great device. My 911 will drain the battery in it after a couple weeks if I leave it connected. I've gotten into the habit of disconnecting it. Since that car is a work in progress, and won't be driven much at all, I don't really care if it discharges. I have a charger, so I can throw it on for a few hours and be good to go.

Once the 911 is in better shape, and is more driveable, I will likely get something like this maintainer.

A maintainer like this is probably not critical to have a large charging current, since ideally, you'll connect it when the battery IS NOT drained. It will simply keep it up to charge, which likely will take very little current over time.

Since the Boxster is my daily driver, I don't need to worry about the battery discharging much. You guys that have to put yours up for the winter have my sympathy. ;)

i picked this unit up a couple of months ago and have been pleased with the units. You get multiple means of connections for a very low price. Hard to beat and its working thus far......

Has anyone had any issues with this particular Battery Tender? I was reading reviews of it on Amazon and 6 out of 7 gave horrendous reviews about it not shutting off, etc. Have you guys encountered the same problems?

http://www.amazon.com/Decker-VEC080BD-Automatic-Battery-Charger/dp/B000EJTI7I

The reviews of the B&D on Amazon are kind of troubling. I googled battery chargers with float mode monitoring and ran across this Vector 2 amp smart battery maintainer for about $20 at:

http://shopping.msn.com/specs/shp/?itemId=537094917,amp;fullDesc=1

I'll probably get one when winter moves in and traps my baby inside. (sigh)