🔌 Power up smarter, last longer — never get stranded again!
The NEXPEAK NC301 is a versatile 20-amp smart battery charger and maintainer designed for 12V and 24V LiFePO4, lead-acid, and lithium batteries. Featuring 7-stage charging with temperature compensation and advanced battery repair functions, it ensures faster charging, extended battery life, and safe operation across diverse climates and battery types. Its large LCD display and plug-and-play design make it an essential tool for professionals and enthusiasts who demand reliable power maintenance for vehicles, boats, and more.
Manufacturer | NEXPEAK |
Brand | NEXPEAK |
Item Weight | 1.91 pounds |
Product Dimensions | 7.48 x 6.69 x 2.54 inches |
Country of Origin | China |
Manufacturer Part Number | NC301 |
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Reliable Charger with Useful Features
This charger is easy to use and works well. The smart charging modes and temperature compensation are great for maintaining battery health, especially in changing weather. It’s compact but feels durable, and the digital display is a helpful touch.
T**R
Great charger
Really nice works well w dry cells battery
D**J
Charging lithium iron phosphate batteries
Only had for short time , however the charger is used every day without fail in 90 plus degree weather garaged . Would like to point out that the previous charger was supposed to be good for lifpo batteries but was not so this one replaced it and works well with the lithium iron phosphate batteries. At this point works as advertised
D**S
Great value, but watch out for the Gotchas
I purchased this Nexpeak 10-Amp 12V / 5-Amp 24V Smart Car Battery Charger for just $23.25 from the manufacturer in April-2023, but Amazon handled fulfillment. Shipping was free via Amazon Prime.This is a great value. My old Craftsman charger from the early 1980s finally died (and I needed a "smart" charger for my Jeep's AGM battery). That old model cost way more and had way less features than this new Nexpeak model.The box and User Guide identified my new charger as model NC201. Mine is all black and you'll see an identical one that is orange and black for sale on Amazon, too. Strangely, the orange/black model is usually priced higher. The black/black model I purchased stated that its price was available only to Amazon Prime members.There are many great features that you can read about on Amazon's product page for this charger. So I'll limit my review to some of the gotchas that may cause trouble. I'm listing them as "Cautions" because they could be deal-breakers for some buyers. Just remember the price -- if you want a better smart charger, you must be prepared to spend much more.Cautions to be aware of with this NC201 smart charger:=============================================================================1 - English is not the native language of Nexpeak and their User Guide has a few typos at key locations that make their instructions and descriptions unintelligible.2 - There is no on/off switch for this charger and this can place the user at grave risk of harm or death. Seriously! Connecting the charger is a two step process. First, connect the charger to your battery. Second, connect the charger to a suitable AC outlet. (Disconnecting is the reverse.) Here's the problem: When you first connect the second battery clamp to the battery terminal, a significant spark will jump between the battery terminal and the clamp. Again, when you connect the charger's AC plug to an AC receptacle (or extension cable), another powerful spark will jump between the plug and receptacle. If there is ANY FLAMMABLE GAS nearby---if your battery is not sealed and is expelling hydrogen gas---it could ruin your day and maybe even your life. So you MUST use this charger in a well ventilated area. The only exception would be if you are using ONLY sealed batteries that are actually sealed.3 - The battery MUST be disconnected from the vehicle if the "Repair" (a.k.a. "Pulse" mode) feature is used or the charger may damage some of the electronics devices in your vehicle. (This is mentioned in the User Guide, but it can be easily overlooked.) Why disconnect? Answer: Because the Repair feature will pulse a higher-than-normal voltage into the battery and, if the battery is still connected to the vehicle, this higher voltage can damage some of the electronics (engine control module, vehicle microprocessors, radio, GPS, clock, etc). And that's not all: If your battery is damaged (for example one or more cells are shorted), the Repair feature may cause your battery to overheat. One user posted a photo of their battery with a huge hole in the top after it exploded while a charger was attached. This means you should not leave the battery unattended during a Repair operation. You'll need to periodically check to make sure it is not getting hot. If you determine that it is getting hot, you should immediately disconnect the charger and replace the battery.4 - The Nexpeak charger I received did not read the voltage accurately. It consistently indicated a voltage value that was 0.2 volts low. For example, when my battery was 12.63 V (measured with an accurate voltmeter), the charger displayed 12.4 V. Again, when my battery was 13.06 V (after being charged -- its an AGM battery), the charger read 12.8 V. This is bad because it can cause you to assume a battery is bad when it may still be good. Worse, it may cause the charger to over-charge in some circumstances.5 - There is a "Mode Selection" switch located to the right of the LCD display. This switch is used to select one of the five provided modes (STD, AGM/GEL, WET, MOTORCYCLE, REPAIR). The Mode Selection switch is only active during the first 25 seconds after the charger is connected to the battery but NOT yet connected to AC. As soon as the charger is connected to AC (which causes charging to begin) or after 25 seconds (if it's connected only to the battery), the Mode Selection switch will be locked and you will not be able to select a different mode. So, you MUST select the desired mode after you connect the charger to the battery but BEFORE you connect to the AC. And you'll have only 25 seconds. If the time expires or charging has begun, the only way to change the mode is to disconnect the charger from BOTH the AC and the battery and start over.6 - The LCD display has a very, very, very narrow viewing angle. You must face it straight on to read it. I would never tolerate this on an expensive model. But for $23.25 its entirely accepted (even if it is undesired).7 - This model has a wonderful temperature compensation feature. If the temperature is 10°C (50°F) or lower, it will use a "winter" mode which prevents the battery from being under-charged. If the temperature is over 28°C (82.4°F), it will use a "summer" mode which prevents the battery from being over-charged. Here's the problem: There appears to be no way to configure the charger to display the temperature in Fahrenheit. It only displays a Centigrade (Celsius) value.8 - When you use the Repair mode the charger will display "PUL" (for "pulse"). After the repair is finished, the charger will automatically begin charging the battery. Once the battery is charged, it will display "FUL" to let you know the battery is now at "full" capacity. But this is not actually true. When "FUL" is displayed what really happens is the charger stops charging at full amperage and switches to trickle charging with a low amperage. It will continue to trickle charge for 2 hours. At the end of the 2 hours it will stop all charging and display "OFF". When "OFF" is displayed is the only time that I was able to disconnect the charger from the AC and the battery without sparks (as described in #2 above). See more about "FUL" in #9 below.9 - The User Guide recommends that you allow the battery to charge for 2 more hours AFTER it displays "FUL". It explains that this is the way to top off the battery to its full voltage. This is true. When I charged a new AGM battery and the charger displayed "FUL" it had only reached 12.63 V (and the charger reported 12.4 V -- see #4 above). However, the "FUL" indication also identifies when the charger has switched to trickle charging and I left the charger connected to my battery for the 2 extra hours to see what it would do. At the end of the 2 hours, it displayed "OFF" and all charging ended. I measured the battery voltage again it was now up to 13.06 V (and the charger reported 12.8 V -- see #4 above). Note: The normal resting voltage for my Jeep's DieHard 34-AGM battery is 13.0 to 13.1 V. If you need to use trickle charging for longer than 2 hours (or exclusively), the User Guide says to use the MOTORCYCLE mode.=============================================================================I hope the above "Cautions" do not give you the impression that I disliked this charger. As I stated above, I believe it is a great value. I was surprised to find so many excellent features at such a low price. This is why I give it 4 stars.Some have criticized this model for its short cables and I disagree. First, because the unit includes an onboard temperature sensor to adjust the charge mode, it must be located very close to the battery so the temperature of the charger matches the environment of the battery. Second, I have never used a charger without an extension cord. Even the ones that had a longer cord, it was never long enough. Some have also criticized the wire gauge of the cables and this is rubbish also. The required wire gauge is solely a function of resistance. If the cable is short, there will be less resistance and a smaller gauge can be used. This is why the charger can safely get away with such "light" cables for connection to both the battery and the AC source.Bottom Line: I recommend this charger if you understand electricity -- you should have no problem using this charger, even with the above cautions. However, if you are a novice with little tech automotive experience (and no electrical experience---for example, you have no idea what "Ohms Law" is) then you should probably buy a more expensive model that's a little more forgiving.
M**Y
Great Battery Charger/Maintainer: A Must have
I bought this battery maintainer/charger for my cars. My Mercedes has an AGM battery; this maintainer has AGM battery charging portions with standard and other battery options built in. I changed my Mercedes battery to 100% today, and now I am charging my Sienna battery. The only complaint I have is that the cord to the wall outlet is too small. It should be 5ft or so. It is very easy to connect. The RED clamp connects to the RED port of the battery, and the Black clamp goes to the earthing port. I give you a percentage for he change where you start, for example, 40%, then flash to 100%, unit battery is 100% change. After full changed, a FULL sign appears and the fan stops and charging stops automatically.Thanks!Manny
L**D
Good value. Works.
As described. Shipped and rec’d on time. Good value (< $21). Works well. Easy to use.
J**O
Amazing Product
Love the digital read outs, easy to use. Instructions are nicely made and easy to understand. Would recommend this product if you are trying to charge 12v ACM batteries and Car batteries.
S**E
WARNING: This will NOT jump start your car!
I have PTSD from the number of times I've gone to start my old car and it wouldn't start... Okay, maybe not PTSD, but it's made it to where I get pretty anxious every time I go to start my car. I have since bought a different car and although it has yet to not start when I go to turn it on, it's still something I'm dreading and something I expect to happen all the time.So, I bought this thinking it was one of those chargers that you turn on, hook up to your battery and start your car and it jump starts your car for you in a matter of a few seconds, if not immediately. I bought this, charged it up and kept it in the trunk of my car for if and when I needed it. A couple weeks ago, I was walking into the grocery store when a guy came up to me holding jumper cables asking if I could pull my car up next to his to jump it and I said "I can do you one better!" t the store and when I came out and was walking to my car, there was a guy in the parking lot with a dead battery who needed a jump. He asked me if I would be willing to drive my car over to give him a jump start and I said "I can do you one better!" I grabbed the charger from my car and was actually really excited to give it a try and see this baby in action. But we get it hooked up and nothing happened. I was disappointed but figured I must have been sent a defective one. When I got home, I told my brother that it wasn't working and asked him to take a look at it. That's when he informed me that the reason it didn't work is because it's a trickle charger. So basically it's a charger that is meant to me plugged into a battery at all times, or at least for an extended period of time. It is not the type of charger that will jump start a dead battery. I am thankful I discovered this the way I did and that it didn't happen when I was stranded alone somewhere with a dead battery. I think that the seller should make this information obvious. I searched for "car battery jump starters" and this is what popped up, so I was under the impression that this is exactly what this was. They should really clarify exactly what this is and what function it serves and make it clear that this will not jump start a dead battery.So yeah, just be advised that if you're looking for a charger to jump start your car, this is not it. Avoid buying anything that is a trickle charger if you're looking for something to jump start a dead battery right away.
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