Portable Car Battery Charger — A Must-Have When You’re Using Lighter Plug-ins
A portable car battery charger will not heat your car. But let's face it--when you've got so many plug-in devices that you need a 3-way adapter in your car's cigarette lighter socket, you run the real risk of running your battery down.
And a portable car battery charger is so much nicer and easier a charge method than flagging down a neighbor and dealing with jumper cables. I own one of these wonderful little emergency devices--and, as a single mom--I have found it to be a lifesaver. Let me explain what a portable car battery charger can do to save your peace of mind and your car battery.
First, how does a portable car battery charger work?
Most car battery chargers plug into a regular electrical outlet (say on the wall of your garage) and then hook up to the battery terminals via two cables. Some slowly charge the battery while others act like an instant jump start. I recommend the instant jump start mode. I have found that when you put one of these devices in "trickle" mode, it can actually drain your battery in the attempt to charge it! I'm not quite sure what the design flaw is here, but do yourself a favor and just use your portable car battery charger when you need an instant charge
My own recommendation is the Schumacher Automatic Speed Battery Charger. Below the Amazon link, I've provided a little review that explains why I think this is the best portable car battery charger value around.
| Schumacher SSC-1000A SpeedCharge Battery Charger and Maintainer with 50-Amp Battery Clips |
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Overall Rating: |
| Retail Price: Varies based on product options |
| Amazon Price: $54.11 |
A Solid Well Built Product
*The Schumacher portable car battery charger is a well engineered product. When I pick it up, it feels solid--and heavy enough to have a decent power supply.
* This product is rated for marine use--and is therefore corrosion-resistant.
* The connector cables and clamps lock securely onto the battery terminal.
Smart Design:
* This product offers simple, one-touch access to most of the features.
* It's a nice case--and it stores the unit and cable perfectly.
* The handle allows you to hang it on your garage wall for easy access.
Features:
* On a nice big readout display, this device will show you the level of charge you've got left on your battery. It shows it not only in volts, but in percentage.
* This portable car battery charger, unlike cheaper options, allows the user to select which charging option is prefereable. You can use 2, 6, or 10-amp charging. Now I don't own a motorcycle or a boat--but if I did, my portable car battery charger would work all right for them too. And my neighbor who owns a motorcycle did ask to borrow it once--and, even though his manual said to use a 1-amp charger, it worked great for him.
* It won't overcharge your battery. The electronics are designed to charge on the selected amp setting only until the battery is fully charged. This is a nice feature, since overcharging once damaged my car battery.
* You know those times when it appears that there is no hope for your car battery? When it's been left in a discharged state for a long time and the battery has become sulfated? Well, guess waht? This charger detects the state of the battery--and, if desulfation is needed, it'll just kick in and do it. Then, once the desulfation process is done, it automatically switches into charge mode. How cool is that?
* A cooling fan is integrated into the Schumacher portable car battery charger.
All in all, this is a great portable car battery charger deal (and one that could be a real lifesaver on that dreaded morning when you put your key in the ignition and you just hear that sickening rrrrr...rrrrr....RRrrrr....sound.
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