Battery Tender Plus - failed - better choice?

[gsmith660]

Do you need a different type of charger for Optima battery types? I was reading that gel cells need a different type of charging cycle.

[foxpaws]

I would be interested in the gel battery question as well - both of my toys have Optimas (I get them cheap - so no hating - OK). Do you really need a different type of charger? The Battery Tender worked fine on them until it died last month.

[1990C4S]

I have had zero problems with my $4.99 Harbor Freight chargers. They are still on sale from Black Friday. I've bought 8 now for myself and friends. No complaints.

Put your fully charged battery on a shelf with the charger on it. Done.

[Geoz1]

I have never had an issue using battery tenders. 7 get used year around on the cars and bikes.

[pwd72s]

Originally Posted by foxpaws

I would be interested in the gel battery question as well - both of my toys have Optimas (I get them cheap - so no hating - OK). Do you really need a different type of charger? The Battery Tender worked fine on them until it died last month.

Damn, did this thread jinx me? My battery tender plus went bad yesterday!

So, I just got off the phone..ordered the "smart" pulse tec one here...the good news is that they are 34% off today only.

http://www.batterystuff.com/battery-restoration/12-volt/XC100-P.html

And yes, they work with the AGM batteries, such as optima.

(edit) Technically, optima batteries are not gel cell, but AGM...Absorbed Glass Mat. But this one is supposed to work well on all battery types. Desulphates through pulse technology as described in an earlier post by Rusty.

[RWebb]

Foxie - Optima wants you to use a float charger of a certain spec. on their batteries - OptimaJim posted here (or in 911 technical) about it a few years ago, and IIRC I saw something on their website too

I am still using a BatteryTender+ on mine...

[pwd72s]

I'm surprised none of the high rollers here bought one of these..."Only" $199.00

OPTIMA® Digital 1200 Charger 12V Performance Charger :: OPTIMA® Batteries

[OptimaJim]

Hello, I noticed your conversation and wanted to offer some assistance. While I would agree with GDNF2ET's inexpensive suggestion of disconnecting the negative cable, I would add that the battery should first be fully-charged, as batteries left sitting in a discharged state below 12.4 volts will sulfate.

gsmith660, you do not need a different type of charger for our batteries. However, we do not recommend charging our batteries on “gel” or even “AGM/gel” settings, because as pwd72s correctly noted, our batteries are not gel batteries. Gel batteries have very specific charging parameters that may not fully-charge non-gel batteries and could damage them over time. AGM-specific, regular, deep-cycle or basically any setting that doesn't mention “gel” should work just fine.

I can provide specific recommended charger settings for those who are really interested, but using a unit that regulates both amperage and voltage will help avoid most of the issues folks run into with cheaper units that don't offer that protection.

The unit pwd72s linked to will work fine on any lead-acid battery, but we will be offering a maintainer (Digital 400) in the first quarter of next year that will retail for about $99 and is ideal for vehicles that only see occasional use. If anyone has any questions about our products, I'l do my best to answer them.

Jim McIlvaine
eCare Manager, OPTIMA Batteries, Inc.
OPTIMA® Batteries (optimabatteries) on Pinterest

[Racerbvd]

Originally Posted by 1990C4S

I have had zero problems with my $4.99 Harbor Freight chargers. They are still on sale from Black Friday. I've bought 8 now for myself and friends. No complaints.

Put your fully charged battery on a shelf with the charger on it. Done.

My B&B partner bought a few of those for our track cars, one of them melted down in the car
\

I would be interested in the gel battery question as well - both of my toys have Optimas (I get them cheap - so no hating - OK). Do you really need a different type of charger? The Battery Tender worked fine on them until it died last month

We have had lousy luck with them and it has been our experiences that the costumer service sucks.
We just pulled the last one (a replacement for a bad one, from optima) as is wouldn't hold a charge
So now we have a few $$$ Red door stops since they FAILED and there is always an excuse why they aren't covered
The only thing that pisses me off more than paying good money for something that is suppose to be a high quality product and it fails, is when the said company doesn't stand behind their product
Interstate at least stands behind their batteries...

[foxpaws]

Thanks everyone - I bit the bullet and Deltran promised to send me a new one, not rebuilt, and if it fails in less than 3 years, I don't have to pay all the 'fees' to get another one.

Hey Racer - I asked you not to 'hate' on the Optimas. I know some people don't like them, but I have had excellent luck with them, and the one time one failed to hold a charge while it was still under warranty, I just took it back to where I got it and got a new one - no hassle at all.

[pwd72s]

Byron...FYI, Optima is owned by Johnson Controls who also owns...Interstate Batteries.

(edit) I almost ordered the $199 optima unit, but their websites says no phone orders. I'm an old curmudgeon who has never given a card number on the net.

The pulse-tec arrived today. Used it on the 8 year old optima red top in my old Dodge 4X4. Seemed to work well...multimeter test has the battery putting out 13.8 V after the pulse tec said it was fully charged.

[OptimaJim]

Byron, if I'm understanding you correctly, you've had bad luck with both our batteries and a battery charger (from another manufacturer) melting down in your car? How old are the RedTops you have right now and what were the circumstances surrounding your issues with them? pwd72s, Jeg's & Summit can both take your order by phone.

Jim McIlvaine
eCare Manager, OPTIMA Batteries, Inc.
OPTIMA® Batteries (optimabatteries) on Pinterest

[pwd72s]

Thanks Jim...alrady got the pulse-tec which seems to be working well. If it fails...off to Jegs or Summit I will go. Wish I'd thought of them before.

$200 isn't a lot if the Optima charger is as good as it seems to be.

[Porschepilot79]

Originally Posted by OptimaJim

Hello, I noticed your conversation and wanted to offer some assistance. While I would agree with GDNF2ET's inexpensive suggestion of disconnecting the negative cable, I would add that the battery should first be fully-charged, as batteries left sitting in a discharged state below 12.4 volts will sulfate.

gsmith660, you do not need a different type of charger for our batteries. However, we do not recommend charging our batteries on “gel” or even “AGM/gel” settings, because as pwd72s correctly noted, our batteries are not gel batteries. Gel batteries have very specific charging parameters that may not fully-charge non-gel batteries and could damage them over time. AGM-specific, regular, deep-cycle or basically any setting that doesn't mention “gel” should work just fine.

I can provide specific recommended charger settings for those who are really interested, but using a unit that regulates both amperage and voltage will help avoid most of the issues folks run into with cheaper units that don't offer that protection.

The unit pwd72s linked to will work fine on any lead-acid battery, but we will be offering a maintainer (Digital 400) in the first quarter of next year that will retail for about $99 and is ideal for vehicles that only see occasional use. If anyone has any questions about our products, I'l do my best to answer them.

Jim McIlvaine
eCare Manager, OPTIMA Batteries, Inc.
OPTIMA® Batteries (optimabatteries) on Pinterest

Hello Jim just want to say how much I love the 1200 Optimizer Charger! I have been playing with it for 2 days now and was able to recover an AGM that was very weak. It would go down to 8v under 100 amp load and now after a few cycles of discharging/charging im getting 10.5 volts under load! I was not able to do this with my Schumacher or Battery Tender Plus! They were not designed for that but the 1200 did a reconditioned which seems to have done the trick. Im going to keep cycling with a pulse desulfator attached to get this sucker to 12v under load.

Im so happy you guys made this charger! It's features are impressive and so helpful and is built very well which was exactly what I was looking for in a charger!

[1990C4S]

Originally Posted by Racerbvd

My B&B partner bought a few of those for our track cars, one of them melted down in the car
\

...

They say very clearly that they are maintainers, not chargers. That's why I stated that it's necessary to fully charge the battery before you store it.

[Racerbvd]

Originally Posted by 1990C4S

They say very clearly that they are maintainers, not chargers. That's why I stated that it's necessary to fully charge the battery before you store it.

The battery was fully charged, we alternate driving the cars and since we have 4 B&B cars on top of my personal cars and I have proper chargers which I use before park em. Plus, we have "Kill" switches in each of the B&B cars and when they are going to sit for any length of time, they are turned off.

Byron, if I'm understanding you correctly, you've had bad luck with both our batteries and a battery charger (from another manufacturer) melting down in your car? How old are the RedTops you have right now and what were the circumstances surrounding your issues with them?

Jim McIlvaine
eCare Manager, OPTIMA Batteries, Inc.
OPTIMA® Batteries (optimabatteries) on Pinterest

Hi Jim,'
Just the batteries, haven't tried your chargers yet.
Basically, the batteries just died, the last one, after being fully charged, would be dead over night (and the car had a kill switch that was off)

This is the last one to die, a replacement one for one that died after less that a year of service, again, this one didn't even last that long


This one died a few years back, it was an exchange for the one I bought it for for my Carrera, that died after not even a year, and this didn't even last that long

There is one more in my Cab, that I have stored at a friend's shop in Daytona, and it was dying right before I parked it.

Funny thing is, the oldest one I have, for my 914-6, works fine

[Joe Bob]

I have an extra Battery Tender Junior.....don't use it as I am down to one vehicle.....probably a year old.

[cstreit]

CTEK. Very good stuff.

[OptimaJim]

Byron, were any of those batteries being maintained by the charger that melted down in your car? From what you mentioned of the Group 35 battery, the first one didn't last a year in service and the replacement (pictured) didn't last even a year? If that is the case, that battery should still be covered under the original three-year, free replacement warranty. Did you attempt to receive warranty service again from your retailer?

Jim McIlvaine
eCare Manager, OPTIMA Batteries, Inc.
OPTIMA® Batteries (optimabatteries) on Pinterest