Maypole 12A 12/24V Metal Cased Car Battery Charger Lead Acid AGM Car Caravan Motorhome Van

Having struggled with a cheap, light weight plasticy "smart" charger from a well known high street chain that never seemed to do it's job, when I found my car battery flat in cold weather last weekend (due to lack of use) I decided to research a new charger. Came across this one and based on the existing reviews placed an order with first class delivery on Sunday evening. The package arrived Tuesday lunchtime and I was immediately impressed by the weight before I even opened it. Once opened I was very impressed with the build quality - very strong case work, good chuncky switches, quality cables etc. The instuctions were brief, but told me everything I needed to know in plain terms - this is a simple device that anyone should be able to use with confidence. It even included advice on how to top up battery fluid levels which reminded me of my childhood and my Dad's battles to keep the Austin running in the winter! (Most car batteries are maintenance free these days and the instructions make this clear) I put the battery on charge at 7 in the evening and the amp-meter immediately sprung into life. When I checked at 11 it had started to fall (as predicted by the manual) and when I checked it at 7 in the morning it was on trickle charge and when I reconnected the battery the car started first time. This unit is recommended for inside use only, so if you don't have a garage or car port, then you will either have to completely remove the battery from the car (as opposed to simply disconnecting the terminals) or keep a watch on the weather. Overall, this is a simple but very sturdy charger that inspires confidence that it will do what it is meant to do with no fuss and for many years to come. Definitely worth the asking price and I would recommend.

Very good charger, powerful charger yet suitable for my AGM battery. Very good VFM.

I have had three battery chargers and threw the other two away after using this for the first time. It's old-fashioned with '50's filmset sci-fi styling and simple clunky fuses and a pseudo industrial feel but by holy did it re-invigorate the totally exhausted battery in my BMW. I run motorcycles too so don't mind spending a bit more on a charger, and now realise the other two were a waste of money - though they did work after a fashion and for a while, this has a lifetime feel about it. The other charger I had was electronic and a lot smaller and lighter but was sophisticated and just started to play up - this one seems simple and I really like the ammeter - there is something old-fashioned and clunky and heavy yet reliable about lead-acid batteries anyway and an old fashioned and clunky heavy charger seems to marry well with them. Some of my other chargers have been guilty of sitting there all night and aching nothing - not this one! Update 2018 this unit is still gong strong and getting motorcycle batteries going that lesser charges would declare dead. I am very glad I purchased it.

I was considering various chargers and in the end went for the Maypole It is a solid well made item and charges quickly and efficiently The instructions say not to leave it connected after charging so unlike others this wont be a trickle charger that automatically keeps topping the charge up over the Winter etc There is a little bit of buzzing in operation which might be annoying if you have to charge something indoors but it does the job quickly so it might be no problem Mine is used outside in a shed so I don't care much That brings me to the other thing that might be an issue though and that is it is not waterproof in any sense of the word so if you want to disconnect the car battery and charge it up with the bonnet open then you had best be sure there will not be a shower of rain Smart chargers take longer but they are often weatherproof and can sense when to switch on and off trickle charging over long periods even with the battery still connected So it's horses for courses as always and if you intend to remove a battery then charge it somewhere nice and dry then this would be a very good choice If however that dry place is your kitchen or if you want to do the charging outside with the battery in the vehicle, this is probably not the best option

Two general points to make about battery chargers: (a) they are over-priced for their functionality and (b) they never produce the output that they claim. Some of them try to confuse buyers by measuring in rms, which is complete nonsense. (Trading standards should investigate but, of course, this is too complex for them). This model claims to output 12 amps at 12v. Look closely and this actually a 'peak' output claim. I put it on a fully discharged battery and on the 'boost' setting and got just over 7 amps. I would suggest that that is its true output and was about what I was expecting. 7 amps is a reasonably good charge rate. It uses a proper transformer (not electronic) and is therefore fairly heavy. (if you want to know about the quality of an electrical device, weight is a good proxy, but manufacturers rarely include it in their specifications). In use, it became fairly warm, but it has good ventilation slots and I was never worried that it might overheat. My guess is that it will have a fairly long life expectancy.