Cheap ✔️ Digital 400 12V Performance Maintainer And Battery Charger – 150-40000 ????

5 reviews for Cheap ✔️ Digital 400 12V Performance Maintainer And Battery Charger – 150-40000 ????

1. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Phillip G. – November 25, 2013

   I bought this charger in early January 2013 and have had lots of time to put it through its paces. After using it for about two months, the display began to lose scattered segments then the unit would fail to work at all. This was an early production issue that has been apparently settled. Obtaining warranty service was frustrating, as the Optima reps indicated over and over they weren’t receiving my email attachments or my faxes of the receipt needed to honor the warranty. After several frustrating weeks and escalations I finally was shipped a new Optima 1200 with a prepaid return label for the defective unit. The replacement unit has been working fine so far. A few weeks ago the side panel where the USB outlet and maintainer socket fell off, it appears the plastic surrounding the mounting screws is thin and had crumbled. I don’t abuse my equipment, and given the initial history of my Optima charger, I treated it with kid gloves. Rather than going through another warranty ordeal, I decided to repair the unit myself, modifying the mounting means of the side panel by using longer screws, spacers and modifying the internal support that holds a small PCB with the USB power supply, the trickle charger output wiring, jacks and LEDs. This should be a permanent repair, time will tell if I have other issues. Internally, the 1200 is quite robust and technically solid with a rather impressive overall design.As a charger it works very well and is quite versatile with all the various charging modes. The AGM (Optima) modes give the batteries a longer bulk charge mode than do the conventional settings, holding the peak voltage a bit lower to prevent outgassing the cells. AGM batteries, especially deep cycle variants tend to suffer from undercharging in typical cycling usage, this adds up over time resulting in apparently “dead” batteries that are simply undercharged. The charging current from the 1200 peaks out at 12 amps, more than enough to bring a discharged battery back to life safely in about 15 minutes if all you did was leave your lights on and your engine barely turns over. Deeply discharged batteries will need an overnight session with the Optima, the charger can be left connected indefinitely once charging is complete since the charger enters a maintenance mode when finished. Overcharging isn’t possible. There is an internal fan that comes on when charging at higher current levels, the charger can get somewhat warm when working hard.The additional battery maintainer feature included on the 1200 is a nice addition. Compatible with (and supplied with) the usual SAE “onboard” charging pigtails supplied with most maintainers like the Battery Tender, BatteryMINDer, CTEK and other brands. Note the included cord that attaches to the charger had a proprietary female end that mates with the socket on the charger that is not standard, you need the included cable to interface with the charging pigtail. You can connect standard SAE two-pin extensions and accessories to the cable, however. Don’t lose the maintainer cable! The maintainer function has a maximum of 4 amps output, giving the Optima the ability to charge as well as maintain, unlike the 1 amp or less small format maintainers. This is also good for large battery arrays such as those in RVs, boats and diesel trucks where a small maintainer might not hack it.The overall design of the Optima 1200 has lots of compelling extras, the easy-to-decipher charging gauge, the multiple battery types, built-in maintainer using a dedicated cord or the charging clamps, plus the LED light on the positive clamp make for a versatile and easy-to-use charger. The case is very ruggedly constructed, the included storage spot for the cables is a nice touch, and the cabinet profile favoring the Optima six-pack form factor make for an attractive product.Other than the original display issue and the recent accessory panel failure, the charger has worked well for me. My gripe list is short for the most part, the LEDs that show selected functions and operating status are not very bright, other than the blue power indicator and very bright white gauge backlight, the rest of the lights are difficult to see, especially in even moderate sunlight. The main power supply/charger board is mounted very low in the base of the charger, it wouldn’t take much standing water to wick up inside the bottom mounted vent holes and cause potential problems. The air inlet for the fan is actually hidden between the main case and charging cable compartment. Don’t set the charger on a soft surface, otherwise the bottom vents become blocked and the charger gets warmer than usual in use. I doubt this will cause a failure, as the circuitry does appear to contain overtemp protection features. The delay between connecting the charger and making a charging selection to when the charger actually begins to charge seems a bit longer than necessary. The charger does read the initial battery voltage and place some loading on the battery in an effort to see what it’s up against before beginning the charge process, so patience is necessary. The line cord seems to be a bit on the short side, I’ve found a couple extra feet would’ve made the difference between needing and extension cord or not.To sum it up, I had high hopes for the Optima 1200. I have several vehicles, plus outdoor equipment and an RV that need the occasional session with a charger, plus my garage-related work. I’ve also had my issues with recent vintage Optima batteries not living up to the standards I’ve grown accustomed to from the earlier examples, and as such, found some other (Deka, Odyssey) AGM replacements, but I have three Optimas still in use as well. The initial failure, the hassle of the return that was eventually resolved, and the recent falling apart of the side panel soured my initial enthusiasm, especially given the rather high price paid for the Optima. I’ll recommend it, but after a bit more of the growing pains subside.

2. 

   Rated 4 out of 5

   ghraspalt – December 3, 2021

   Had never heard of battery maintainers until my wife came across an article in AARP magazine. Apparently retirees have problems of not driving their vehicles often enough or long enough to keep their batteries fully charged (their car batteries specifically-other batteries who knows). I looked into the subject, found some suggestions online and then went to search Amazon. The Optima seemed, based on reviewer comments, to be a good product so I ordered it. My wife’s car is 20+ years old, has less than 100K miles which means it does not get driven much. A new battery lasts about 2 years (3 sometimes) and then no longer holds a charge due to inactivity. A new battery costs more than the maintainer so if the maintainer avoids a single new battery it has paid for itself. The lack of maintaining charge is worse in Winter but is also a problem year round. I was leery of leaving the maintainer plugged in 24/7 so started by connecting during the day and monitoring how the unit functioned. It would slowly bring the battery up to full charge and then go into maintaining mode. I did this daily or semi-daily for a couple of weeks and then after a month or so I let it go overnight and the car did not explode nor did the battery explode I let the maintainer engaged 24/7. Most recently after a period of 4 weeks without driving the car but with the maintainer engaged the car started with no problem. I know that 4 weeks of inactivity would have resulted in a dead battery. I am satisfied the maintainer works or at least this maintainer works as it is supposed to. I am still somewhat uneasy about letting a battery charging device hooked up to a car battery, but am becoming more comfortable with the device on line in the garage. It does appear to be functioning as it is supposed to function.

3. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Bob – January 30, 2022

   For whatever reason, it seems the category of battery chargers are particularly susceptible to low quality production which can give the appearance that there are no decent quality battery chargers available at any price. Like so many before, you may have had prior experience with battery chargers that simply boil the battery a time or two and then quit working, if it ever worked to begin with. Not so with this Optima charger. I used it on my car battery when I noticed it had lost a step. Hooking the positive clamp to the positive post and negative to the strut tower bolt, I plugged in the unit and selected the auto/marine battery selection. It took about 5 mins to analyze the battery (a rather extended time period I thought) before it moved into the “conditioning” mode and displayed my battery at 25% with 11.5 v and 0a. Not sure how fine of a discriminator is in the unit, but if those numbers were true I shouldn’t have been able to even start the car. Anyway, the unit remained in this conditioning mode for several hrs and the next time I checked it the display showed 100% charged and had moved to maintenance mode. As for the difference in before vs. after, I think I can tell the battery popping with a little more life than before, but doesn’t sound brand new. This is no reflection on the unit as the battery is old and needs changed, but it did what it could and I do see this as a “need to have” vs. “nice to have” item. Could also work balancing battery SOC in a solar battery bank (lead acid/lithium ion).

4. 

   Rated 4 out of 5

   william b – September 22, 2022

   This is what you need to maintain your Optima batteries and keep them going for years to come! I recharge mine about every 10 months and it’s been working great for years! Highly recommend this for anyone who wants to bring an Optima back to life or just maintain yours. For Optima batteries mainly but will charge any battery I think? This thing is easy to use and has worked great for 3 years for me. I love it

5. 

   Rated 4 out of 5

   James Baker – November 30, 2022

   This unit is not east to use. If you want something to plug in and walk away think twice