Batteries -- what is the dif?

[fried1765]

That is a lot of chargers, and a good strategy.

You have had some Tender failures? What about Minder failures? How many years do you get out of each?

I have had four Battery Tender failures.
All were within the 10yr. warranty, but two were only 4 years old (I bought them at COSTCO - makes me wonder).
As I recall, Deltran required that the owner pay shipping both ways in the past.
That turned me off on Battery Tenders.

The shipping payment both ways has apparently changed now.
I now look for the temp compensated Battery Minders on sale.
I have only had Minders for 4 years, with no failures yet.

 

[fried1765]

That is a lot of chargers, and a good strategy.

You have had some Tender failures? What about Minder failures? How many years do you get out of each?

I have had four battery tender failures.
All were in warranty, but two were only 4 years old (I bought them at COSTCO - makes me wonder).
As I recall, Deltran required that the owner pay shipping both ways in the past.

That turned me off on Battery Tenders.
Apparently now, only the return to Deltran shipping cost is paid by the owner.
I now shop for the temp compensated Battery Minders on sale.

 

[oldballs]

I just yesterday bought a lead acid Group 65 Walmart EverStart MAXX for my '99 truck. I put it on the Battery Tender Maintainer about 6-7 hours ago all by itself, before installation.. But it still does not show full charge. It has a 2-20 sticker on it. Shouldn't it be fully charged by now?

Thanks TBN'ers.
Mike

 

[dfkrug]

I just yesterday bought a lead acid Group 65 Walmart EverStart MAXX for my '99 truck. I put it on the Battery Tender Maintainer about 6-7 hours ago all by itself, before installation.. But it still does not show full charge. It has a 2-20 sticker on it. Shouldn't it be fully charged by now?

My smaller Battery Tender puts out less than 1A in charge mode. Their bigger models put out more. If you have a small BT, it may take days to charge a large battery that has been discharged.

I also have something called a "Battery Manager II", made by Griot's Garage. 1.5A, no pulsing.

 

[dragoneggs]

My smaller Battery Tender puts out less than 1A in charge mode. Their bigger models put out more. If you have a small BT, it may take days to charge a large battery that has been discharged.

I also have something called a "Battery Manager II", made by Griot's Garage. 1.5A, no pulsing.

I thought the idea is not to charge up a depleted but to keep them 'topped off'. I have a higher amp charger for that purpose hoping I don't have to use it.

 

[ultrarunner]

Northern just sent me an email 50% off the small battery minder... $30 off with new price $29.99

Out of character for me I ordered several thousands dollars first week of December for Christmas but was disappointed that items promised for Christmas arrived much later... After New Years for the Battery Minder Solar Charger I bought for my brothers place.

At first the staff was most responsive as they provided a new estimated ship date... but then nothing when I emailed saying if you cant deliver Christmas then cancel...

In the 90's I bought a lot from Northern for my property management company... Generator, Cordless Bosch, Pressure Washer, etc... and the same thing happened... so didn't buy anything for 25 years and as luck would have it history did repeat...

I realize they don't make the products so maybe my expectations are unrealistic?

But they sure do fill my inbox!

 

[dragoneggs]

Northern just sent me an email 50% off the small battery minder... $30 off with new price $29.99

Out of character for me I ordered several thousands dollars first week of December for Christmas but was disappointed that items promised for Christmas arrived much later... After New Years for the Battery Minder Solar Charger I bought for my brothers place.

At first the staff was most responsive as they provided a new estimated ship date... but then nothing when I emailed saying if you cant deliver Christmas then cancel...

In the 90's I bought a lot from Northern for my property management company... Generator, Cordless Bosch, Pressure Washer, etc... and the same thing happened... so didn't buy anything for 25 years and as luck would have it history did repeat...

I realize they don't make the products so maybe my expectations are unrealistic?

But they sure do fill my inbox!

Was about to ask you to post your coupon... a little google and wahlaa! Is this the right one to jump on?

https://www.northerntool.com/shop/t...dVNboxD6U0hOMn99E8l0qIrM11LKMvl8aAh2yEALw_wcB

 

[dfkrug]

I thought the idea is not to charge up a depleted but to keep them 'topped off'. I have a higher amp charger for that purpose hoping I don't have to use it.

You mean not to use a low-current maintainer to charge up a large battery from depleted?

A higher-current charger would certainly be faster, but there is nothing wrong with slow-charging a depleted battery. Unless you need it soon. I used my 2A, 4A, and 6A chargers, but never leave them on overnight.

 

[oldballs]

Thanks dfkrug.........The new, off the shelf, truck battery did come up to full charge after about ten hours on the Deltran 1.25 amp maintainer. I guess using a bigger amp charger would have done it quicker and all is well with the new battery.

Thanks again,
Mike

 

[John_Mc]

That is a lot of chargers, and a good strategy.

You have had some Tender failures? What about Minder failures? How many years do you get out of each?

I've got a BatteryMINDer model 12117 that is approaching 20 years old and still going strong. Because it's so old, I keep it on one of my less critical and rarely used batteries. I keep expecting it is going to die any time now, but it keeps on chugging along. It's the bottom end of their line-up and no longer made (they do still make a 12117TC, which adds Temperature compensation to the old model. I believe this one is sold only through Northern Tool).

My full BatteryMinder line-up consists of models 12117, 1500, 12248, 2012 AGM, 128CEC1, and a 244CEC1-AA-S5 (24 volt specialty aviation charger). These range in age from 19 years for the 12117 to about 2 years for the aviation charger. In all my years of ownership, and across all the models, I've only had one fail: my previous 24V aviation charger was damaged by a power surge when a violent storm and high winds cause damaged the airplane hanger in which it was used. The charger was 6 months out of warranty, and the cause of failure was certainly not due to a failure of design or a manufacturing defect. They still gave me a significant discount on their current model. I've given away several of their Model 1500 / 1510 as gifts over the past 5 years or so, and all are still running well.

So yeah, I'm pretty happy with their designs, their longevity, and how they stand behind them.