CTEK MULTI XS 7000 (7A) This brand is the market leader in smart charger and was the pioneers of the technology. The unit pleasing straight out of box – it’s well made and excellent quality. It has a sophisticated 8 stage charging process and is very easy to get up and running, with a simple button selection of mode, and LED’s to show what the charger is doing. Add to this decent leads and clips, plus a power supply mode (to retain vehicle ECU memory) and it’s a great package. The only criticism is the weak instructions – but the website is great with lots of useful information.
CTEK 1. Quality/Durability 2. Usability/Ease of Use 3. Features/functions 4. Price/Performance 5. Unit Test OVERALL
Out of 5 5 4 4 3 5 82.00%
RRP - £144.99 inc. VAT
RING SMARTCHARGE + 8 (8A) This unit surprised me! Ring have a range of smart chargers available, all the way up to 16A; this is the 8 amp model with a 7 step charging process. After plugging it in, I was a bit disappointed that you need to select the charge rate manually, however, I guess this does give a degree of control if you need it. Once done though, the rest is fully automatic. The leads/clips are excellent, and the unit is well thought out with nice extras like a hanging hook, built in torch (in case you’re in a gloomy garage) and excellent digital display readout (Volts, Amps, Charge). The only small downside was the noise – the internal cooling fan is noisy – but I guess in a garage environment, it’s not that big an issue.
RING 1. Quality/Durability 2. Usability/Ease of Use 3. Features/functions 4. Price/Performance 5. Unit Test OVERALL
Out of 5 4 4 4 4 4 80.00%
RRP - £64.99 inc. VAT
24 PRACTICAL TRACTOR
P22-26 Battery Charger Product T24 24
MAY 2011
16/3/11 12:29:32