Ring RSC806, 6 Amp Battery Charger and Maintainer. 6V & 12V Smart Charger, Compatible with Stop Start Cars, Vans, Motorcycles, SUV, Leisure

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Finally, you’ll want to consider the maximum current the charger can support (the higher the current, the faster the charge) and what IP (ingress protection) rating it has. This basically tells you how dust- and waterproof the device and device casing is. For instance, IP68 is a great rating: it’s a completely sealed unit that can tolerate being submerged in up to one metre of water. IP44 can protect against dust particles bigger than 1mm and a light splash of water. Can’t I just replace my car battery? However, they require very different charging characteristics, and as such, you should be careful not to pair the wrong charger with the battery, as this can have a negative effect on the battery and can even be dangerous. Charge the unit, and then take it on tour. Once charged, it'll hold its power for a year and will recover a dead bike battery enough to start your engine in around 15 minutes. The charge is delivered to your battery progressively, too – reducing the risk of jump-start damage. It's absolutely superb and really works. Yes, it's a pricey solution, but it works brilliantly and is invaluable if you're off the grid where your bike lives. These put some load on the battery so that it isn’t simply under constant charge, as this can also, paradoxically, damage the battery and reduce its capacity as well.

There’s a 12-month warranty on parts and labour, though Draper is a brand associated with rigorous professional workshop quality, so you’re unlikely to experience issues with this battery charger. Its portability also makes it great for flat dwellers and other motorists without mains access near to where they park. Tested by Richard Newland for five months across six vehicles. Quality 5/5, Value 3/5. Dead batteries are like flat tyres – utterly infuriating and one of the least glamourous replacement parts in biking. But critical to your riding pleasure. While you can't prevent punctures, you can prevent dead cells with a motorcycle battery charger and conditioner.Car batteries are not power banks, so they don’t store electricity. Without going into the science of it all, they generate the energy needed through lead-acid chemical reactions. When a car is started, a very high current is sent in a very short burst to the crankshaft to get it moving. The alternator then does all the work on the electricity front. From traditional car battery chargers to portable and solar-powered ones, there are options available to suit a range of budgets. However, buying the cheapest doesn’t always mean bagging a bargain. If you’re caught with a flat battery, the very last thing you want to find out is that the tool you’ve invested in to remedy the matter is a dud. This smart charger from Ring does basically all batteries except lithium and features a seven-stage charging process that's supposed to be kinder on your battery. Available with either a UK three-pin plug (part number RSC804) or EU two-pin plug (part number RESC804)

The whole unit is also IP65 rated, which means total protection from dust and low-pressure water from any direction. Safe to say you could leave the unit outside on the wall of your garage without worry. There are several chargers from CTEK in this list, and this CS ONE option is the top dog of the range. It's a smart charger that can repair, maintain, charge and detect bad cells, as well as a host of other features.You can’t damage the charger either as there’s short circuit and reverse polarity detection, just in case. It’s important to note that car battery chargers are not jump starters. A jump starter will offer the engine the short burst needed to get it going, but from that point on, it’s the alternator that recharges the battery. This is why, if you’re ever jumpstarting your car, you’re asked to run it for a good while to replace enough of the battery, so that you don’t require a jump start when you come to drive again immediately afterwards. Which car battery charger is best? FREE UK delivery applies to Zone A, UK Mainland England, Wales and Southern Scotland (Central Belt of Scotland) and Excludes surcharge post codes and areas. Key specs – Size : 16.8 x 6.5 x 3,8cm (LWH); Weight: 0.6kg; Voltage : 12V; Max current: 5A; IP rating: IP65; Crocodile clips: Yes; Eyelet connectors: Yes; Mains or portable: Mains; Battery compliant: Lead-acid/gel/Lithium+; Stop/start compliant: Yes; Maintaining: Yes; Jumpstarting: No; Operating temp: 10-40°C

The O-ring connectors are a little useless for most modern cars, as they’re either too small, or you have nowhere easy to connect the negative too as there’s only a positive terminal. But the crocodile clips are well made and feel of high quality. Now low-power functions, such as the immobiliser, won’t have such a frustrating effect when you do come to start the car (after disconnecting first). What’s more, it switches into maintenance mode to protect the battery once it has been fully charged. It has a 6a output, which gives it a decent amount of punch when it comes to topping up low batteries in a pinch. My bike wouldn't start after a month of autumn inactivity, but a 30-minute top-up from the Ring charger had it firing on the button again. Lesson learned - just leave it plugged in. The RSC806 is literally a plug-and-play sort of deal. All you have to do is connect it and the charger will regulate itself and adjust automatically to a long-term maintenance mode once the battery is full. STOP/START SupportedThe solution, of course, is to leave your bike with its battery on charge when it’s not being used. This is particularly true for bikes that are laid up for winter, and in this case, a battery optimiser/maintainer can be useful, as it not only charges the battery but it carries out a series of conditioning cycles. It’s compatible with lead, gel, calcium, AGM and EFB-type batteries, or, in other words, pretty much all batteries that we use in the UK car market. It has overcharge protection so you don’t have to worry about overfilling and ruining your battery, something which is a major disadvantage of regular chargers. Ok, that's a bit flippant because, in addition to those scant requirements, I also want it to be wall mounted, with a hard connection to my battery, so I don't have to faff about with crocodile clips. The materials used in a battery are susceptible to degradation, and user behaviour (among other factors such as weather and age) can affect the life of the battery’s materials.