How to Choose the Best Battery Charger
What do you do when you get a flat battery in your car, or bike or truck? Sure you can call for help and get a jump start, but what if there is nobody around to help? When you want to be self-reliant, and get back on the road, then choose the best battery charger! Now this is something that is important to think about, because you never know when your battery might go flat. Don’t leave it until it is too late, now is the time to buy a battery charger. Being properly prepared is the best way to prevent that nasty felling of a flat battery.
Why do you need the best battery charger?
It happens to everyone, you know when you try to start the car and nothing happens. Maybe someone accidentally left the headlights on, or left the car door ajar by accident. Sometimes all it takes is one moment of distraction, and it can be enough to drain the battery. Sometimes on cold mornings, the car battery can be a little slow. And then you crank the engine over a few too many times, and suddenly, no more battery charge! It is not a nice feeling is it? But you don’t have to worry about getting a flat battery, because you can actually prevent that from happening. When you choose the best battery charger, you can use it every week or month or so to keep your vehicle battery in perfect working condition.
Keep your vehicle battery maintained for longer life
Did you know that you can keep your vehicle battery in good working order, simply by keeping it regularly maintained? When you buy the best battery charger, you can maintain your vehicle battery for longer. A modern battery charger can actually improve the condition and output of a vehicle battery. Just like any other device, a little regular maintenance can certainly add life to your battery. Not only will the best battery charger keep the voltage up the correct level, but it will also recondition the internal battery performance. This helps the battery to maintain full charge for longer, and reduce the internal resistance of the battery.
Where to buy the best battery charger?
We always recommend to buy the best battery charger from Amazon. They have a range of the most impressive options, fast delivery, and excellent return policy. We have prepared a list of the best battery chargers to help you choose which is the best battery charger. There are many options to choose the best battery charger. You need to select the right model for the type of battery, select the correct battery voltage, and meet the correct charge rate.
What functions are there with the best battery charger?
The best battery charger is the one that performs automatic functions. The best battery charger can perform a diagnostic procedure on the battery. The best battery charger will determine whether the battery is 6 volt or 12 volt and charge the battery accordingly. If you want to recondition the battery, then the battery charger can be left connected for a significant length of time with no supervision. If you want to rapidly charge the battery so that you can get back on the road, then you need a high charge rate. Or if you want to recharge the battery overnight, you can choose a trickle charge rate.
How to Choose the Best Battery Charger
What functions do you really need to be able to do with a battery charger? How many batteries do you need to look after? Do you have a mixture of 6 volt and 12 volt batteries? Do you have different sized batteries, different charge requirements, different charge times? Do you want a manual selection, or do you want to buy an automatic battery charger? Don’t be concerned if these seem like difficult questions. There is no reason why we can’t find the best battery charger that can do all of these things.
Best Battery Charger Specifications
Voltage
Most vehicle batteries are 12 volt DC batteries, and come in different sizes according to power output. Some motorcycle batteries come in 6 volt designation, and these can be charged in the same way as a 12 volt battery. So if you have a combination of 6 volt or 12 volt batteries, then you need to choose the best battery charger that can handle both voltages. The best battery charger should be able to automatically detect the voltage setting, and select the correct recharge voltage.
Current
The current level is measured in units of amperes, known as the amperage. The amperage that you need from the best battery charger, depends on what kind of recharge that you need to do. The higher levels of current that can be delivered require a higher power output from the battery charger. The larger the battery capacity, the larger the amperage is required to recharge the battery. The highest current level is known as the peak amperage, and is the overall capacity of the best battery charger.
Jump starter
The ability to jump start a flat battery requires a higher peak amperage than to recharge or recondition the battery. If you need to choose the best battery charger to jump start a flat battery, it is required to have a peak amperage greater than 30 Amps. The best battery charger can meet this very demanding performance output if required to perform as a jump starter. But it is only required for a short duration to get the vehicle started despite the flat battery.
Battery Charge Time
The next most important performance measure for a battery charger is the time to recharge the battery. The battery recharge time can be vary anywhere from 1 hour to 1 day. The faster the battery recharge time, the more expensive the battery charger will be. But the faster and more expensive battery charger will also be a larger machine, which is less portable. So if you don’t mind having a slower battery charge time, then you can choose to buy a smaller and more affordable battery charger. So the size, cost and performance of a battery charger is entirely up to you!
Battery diagnostics
The best battery charger should be able to diagnose if there is anything wrong with the battery. Although this may seem to be a little over scientific, there is not really anything too difficult. For example, the best battery charger can determine what the battery voltage is, and recharge the battery accordingly. The best battery charger can measure the internal resistance of the battery to determine whether the battery is operating properly. If the internal resistance is too high, the best battery charger can determine what is required to restore the battery.
Automatic battery charger
When you choose the best automatic battery charger, you don’t have to monitor the battery. The automatic charger is in control and optimizes the battery recharge to restore or recondition the battery. For example, a manual battery charger may apply excessive charge to the batter, which can cause damage. An automatic battery charger will shut off when the battery reaches full charge. However, if the battery requires internal reconditioning, then the battery charger will continue to cycle on and off in order to restore the internal operation of the battery. Obviously, an automatic battery charger is much easier to operate, and won’t cause a battery overload. You don’t need to monitor an automatic battery charger, which have a continuous recondition and recharge capability. The best battery charger also comes with emergency safety shut off, surge protection and thermal overload protection.
Battery consonance
The battery consonance is another reason why we recommend to buy the best battery charger. If you need to charge a range of different batteries, such as car, motorcycle, SUV or even a marine battery, then it is important that the battery charger tests for battery consonance before applying current. All batteries are different, and not all batteries can be charged by the same charger. But to make your life easier, the best battery charger can determine whether it is safe to apply charge. It is important to check for compatibility of the battery charger before connecting up the battery.
Manual battery charger
If you prefer to save cost or just prefer to use a manual battery charger, it is possible to adjust the settings manually. For example, a manual battery charger will have a switch for selection of charge rate. You can choose whether to charge the battery with a trickle charge, which takes longer, or rapid charge. Generally speaking, the faster the charge rate, the more stress on the battery and the charger, with more generated heat. Over a long period of time, a battery can become damaged by too many rapid recharges.
Safety features of the best battery charger
No matter whether you prefer to choose an automatic or manual battery charger, it is important to consider some of the basic safety features. Whenever dealing with electricity. It is important that you understand how to remain insulated. This means that you should never place yourself in the conductive path of the electricity. When handling the battery terminals and battery clamps, it is important to make sure that the insulation is in place. The clamps should have rubber or plastic shrouding over the metal components, so that your bare hand does not come into contact with the metal conductor. Always ensure that your battery charger comes with insulated clamps and that the insulation is in good condition.
Be careful not to reverse the polarity
The best battery charger comes with a reverse polarity detection system. This means that it provides a warning if the terminals are connected the wrong way. Reversed polarity can damage both the battery and the vehicle, which is not a desirable outcome. If you are in any doubt as to the correct polarity, we recommend the best battery charger with a polarity detection system.
So which is the best battery charger?
The choice of the best battery charger comes down to your own level of confidence and experience. If you need to recharge and recondition many different batteries, then you need a variable charger. If you are confident with using a battery charger, then you could go with a manual battery charger. If you do not have time to monitor a battery charger 24/7, then it is worth spending a little extra money to buy an automatic battery charger.
We always recommend the best battery charger is one that can diagnose problems with your battery, and apply the most appropriate charge cycle to restore the battery to optimal performance.
Click here to read our detailed list of the best car battery charger reviews.
