I kid you not, I keep getting subtle advisement's that the insane competition "sell it no matter how low the cost" is going to be reined in, in China.
This is a better battery charger than the Harbor Fright 10 amp ever was as far as power and control (weight and size) is concerned.
There will NEVER EVER EVER be another regulated charging device to equal this one as far as price is concerned. IMHO the only issue is heat. The unit has got to be cooled better than it is. The electronics techhies here can elaborate about heat versus service life factorials better than I can. There is no way in hell I can see OEM using a good brushless ball bearing fan. Even before receiving mine which are waiting for me, Plans are to mount TWO quality 90 mm ball bearing fans to be base and another atop the unit.
Also I would be SORELY TEMPTED to place a work limit on this unit, say use a pyrometer then tweak upwards starting at 14.4 volts. Tweak, wait for heat saturatation, measure, tweak and repeat. There should arrive a moment when voltage produces a noticeable jump in heat production. Back off the pot. That's it - endgame. Then from there on up a 300 watt DC to DC converter should be employed. It too needs fan cooling not supplied by OEM. 12 amps max INPUT is a lot of high voltage power, enough to 16.0 volt equalize a 6 cell GC220 arrangement. Something the HF unit could never approach - not even close.
Let's imagine a pair of Cheapskate chargers. Modified with fans. Connected to a pair of 30 dollar DC to DC converters with external pots. Paralleled. I'm afraid the 15 turn pots would be mandatory on the DC to DC converters. Add a couple of volt ammeter digital displays to ensure balance. What have you got? Well you've got a power supply to 60 volts that would have cost as much as a small house back when I was tinkering on the bench for a living. You could fit this into a briefcase. The power supplies of the eighties would have required use of a pickup truck.
I have GOT TO put a caveat in here. These power supplies and chatter about DC to DC converters is not a "Monkey See Monkey Do" area for the novice. it is positively and without question not a plug n play area. An individual has to commit themselves to learning about what is and what is not appropriate for their battery. It's not college grade learning with formulas, it is MONITORING voltage and not being afraid to tweak tiny adjustment screws.
Most RV perverters cannot maintain much of a level of float voltage. Bob Besch owner of Interactor Chargers and I talked about this for hours on end.
Why oh tell me WHY it is necessary to bring a battery out of float just because the load has risen a little? This is STUPID! But RV converters do exactly that as a matter of course. Ten times a day. It's nuts! Bring a battery out of stasis for top charging and if necessary equalization. PERIOD!
This power supply set at float voltage, say 13,2 can support a THIRTY PLUS AMP float voltage. Your RV converter ends up continuing to do what it does best -NOT HAVE TO TRY AND THINK. If a person is ultra lazy like me, connect a SECOND CHEAPSKATE's CHARGER to a seven day or even monthly AC power program timer. Set voltage to 15.0 then let the charger have at the battery bank for an hour.
This is the maintenance protocol a flooded lead acid battery loves. It will throw hugs and kisses by living to a ripe old age. No more psychotic voltage cycling like what a standard RV perverter puts your battery through when you are connected to a power pedestal and using your rig.
Twenty four dollars each free shipping. You think you can afford it?
