Ballenxj wrote:
Very informative, and more than I knew before.
Thank you. I was starting to think I was spitting in the wind and wondering if I should continue.
Ballenxj wrote:
I take it according to what I read here, those smart chargers that you push a button on to denote the type of battery being charged are just gimmicks and shorten the battery life?
Actually, no. What I was talking about in my last post was batteries. My ranting in that post was limited to the hype, confusion, and misinformation spread by battery marketers and salespeople.
Some battery distributors are good. They have their own plants and make an honest effort to put out good information. Two of these are Optima and East Penn.
I've researched East Penn, which manufactures and distributes batteries under several brands. East Penn has their own plant, located in the U.S. They use what is very close to completely closed-loop manufacturing. Almost all the material they use for making new batteries comes from old battery cores people turn in when they buy new batteries. The lead, plastic, and acid from the old batteries is purified and recycled, with very little going to waste.
(When I worked at CarQuest, which is one of the brands made by East Penn, I was able to gain access to information on East Penn that wasn't readily available to the general public.)
On the other hand, some distributors don't manufacture their batteries. Instead, they buy their batteries from anywhere in the world that offers the cheapest price. As a result, two batteries with the same brand, sitting side by side on a shelf, could have come from two completely separate places with wildly varying manufacturing practices and quality control. In addition to questionable quality, these batteries could have been made by what amounts to slave labor.
(In those cases, I won't name names because I, as well as this forum, would probably become the targets of angry lawyers.)
I'll get to chargers soon, in a future post. Until then, yes, you DO want a smart charger, as long as it comes from a reliable manufacturer. You want a multistage charger, with at least three stages, and some knowledge as to how to best use it.
There's not much price difference between good and questionable batteries. However, in the case of chargers, you tend to get what you pay for.
For now, I'll let the cat (part way) out of the bag. Motor vehicle charging systems are merely okay for maintaining a battery. To keep your battery in top condition and extend it's life, you also need to use a good quality multistage smart charger and use it properly. (In my case, I currently have two of these chargers and am looking at buying two more.)
