battery
Race Director
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 11,770
Likes: 175
From: Rolla Missouri
2021 C4 of the Year - Unmodified Finalist
St. Jude Donor '10 thru '25
Battery Tender is a brand name.
Trickle charger is a device.
All battery tenders are "smart" trickle chargers.
But not all trickle chargers are "smart".
As long as the trickle charger your using is "smart", they are good.
Smart means they have the ability to shut down charging and "maintain" battery.
Battery Tender brand isn't the only ones that have this ability though.
But they might be the most well advertised.
Trickle charger is a device.
All battery tenders are "smart" trickle chargers.
But not all trickle chargers are "smart".
As long as the trickle charger your using is "smart", they are good.
Smart means they have the ability to shut down charging and "maintain" battery.
Battery Tender brand isn't the only ones that have this ability though.
But they might be the most well advertised.
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 348
Likes: 27
From: Stony Brook NY
Battery Tender is a brand name.
Trickle charger is a device.
All battery tenders are "smart" trickle chargers.
But not all trickle chargers are "smart".
As long as the trickle charger your using is "smart", they are good.
Smart means they have the ability to shut down charging and "maintain" battery.
Battery Tender brand isn't the only ones that have this ability though.
But they might be the most well advertised.
Trickle charger is a device.
All battery tenders are "smart" trickle chargers.
But not all trickle chargers are "smart".
As long as the trickle charger your using is "smart", they are good.
Smart means they have the ability to shut down charging and "maintain" battery.
Battery Tender brand isn't the only ones that have this ability though.
But they might be the most well advertised.
Drifting
Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 1,796
Likes: 14
From: Nampa Idaho
Here's the battery tender I have used the last 2 years with no issues and the best $39 you can spend in my opinion!
http://batterytender.com/battery-ten...-at-0-75a.html
http://batterytender.com/battery-ten...-at-0-75a.html
Pro
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 600
Likes: 56
From: Elyria, Ohio
Several years ago I bought a few of them for my car, bike and jet ski. They were about $20.00 each at WalMart. At the time they had two different brands for sale. For some reason or other, I didn't like going thru the lighter. Always hooked up to the battery terminals. Paranoid I guess.................
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Le Mans Master
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 7,340
Likes: 2,270
From: Central Maryland
I have rigged up identical chargers with lighter plugs for several friends, and neither they nor I have had any problems whatsoever, over the course of many years of use, and there's no reason they ever should. The fuse that protects the lighter circuit provides an additional margin of safety, as compared to connecting a charger directly to the battery with no fuse in-circuit, and that's one of many reasons I favor this approach.
Live well,
SJW