CTEK does anyone use one?

[melony]

Hey Guys

Just a question does anyone use a CTEK charging system or something similar.

Whats the pro's & con's

What makes it more special then hooking up the old trusty AC Dalco battery charger. Other then the super duppa MCU unit that is built in.

lets hears the good, bad & ugly

Thanks Tony

[Escape with LG]

Yeah mate i got one....... gets a big thumbs up from me just hook it up plug it in and forget....

They act as a battery management system and have several stages of charging... I figure if your spending big bucks and a deep cycle battery your best bet is to look after it....

No real cons mate....

Cheers

Luke

[finga]

No real cons mate....

Only cons are the price and reliability of the C-Tek.
Have a gander at the Repco multistage chargers as well.
And also do a search for charger or battery charging in the electronics section. There has been a fair bit said about different chargers there.

[Mike Delisser]

Only cons are the price and reliability of the C-Tek.
Have a gander at the Repco multistage chargers as well.
And also do a search for charger or battery charging in the electronics section. There has been a fair bit said about different chargers there.

My chargers are on about 5 days a week and I recon the 15000 multi Ctek is the best charger I've owned, it did sh#t its self after 3 1/2 years but they replaced it with a new unit 6 months out of warranty which I think is prity good service. I believe their warranty is now extended to 5 years on most of their chargers bought from Ctek dealers as well.

I have had a Repco 7 or 8 stager and it was ok for a while, it stuffed up just out of warranty and that's when I switched to the Ctek, but as I said I run them a lot. Gunna buy a 2nd unit soon if I see them on sale, I saw one that also comes with a 2nd smaller unit for charging batteries from 1 to 20amp.

[albey]

Have been useing a couple of them professionally now for a few years.Have nothing but good to say about them,and theyve all been bought on Ebay,saved heaps-risked warranty but havnt needed it anyway.There are better units on the market but you will pay a lot more.
The CTek can stay on 24/7 and not overcharge.
Just decide your requirements-decide if a CTek will fill those requirements or will you need one more complicated and expensive.

[Escape with LG]

Yeah mate mine runs pretty much all week I just rotate it across my batterys. I have the 25amp one it can also act as a dc supply...

Anyway good luck

[NAGG]

so far my 25amp has not missed a beat - very happy

Chris

[stue2]

Got the 25 as well. Can't fault it. Brother in-law runs them professionally and said the same thing.

Cheers Stu

[Live4Fishin]

iv had a CTEK XS7000 for 3 years now and its never missed a beat, fantastic charger...don't bother looking at anything else :)

[Moonlighter]

I have the new Ctek Multi XS 4003 for about a year now, its a small charger but still 7 or 8 stage. It comes with very nifty plugs that connect directly to the CTEK LED battery "comfort indicators" that I have fitted on both batteries, so dont even need to open the battery boxes to connect up. Just plug in and away she goes.

Works great so far for me.

Cheers

ML

[eyeskeenas]

i have the 15000, got it new on ebay from a registered reseller with warranty for about half the price of battery world and it is fantastic. it never gets turned off just gets rotated around all my batteries. dont bother with anything else, it will only leave you second guessing yourself.

[melony]

Hey Guys

Sorry for the late thanks on all the info provided, looks like i will have to save a few more coins (no sp's for a week or 2) to buy a ctek instead of the battery power unit i had seen in Big Clown Fishing.

Thanks again Tony

[TheRealAndy]

I used to design battery chargers and I would not waste my money on a ctek.

[bigjimg]

I used to design battery chargers and I would not waste my money on a ctek.
What would be a half decent unit in your opinion,I have looked at Ctek,Projecter,Xantrex{$$$}.What is it about these Cteks that you don't like?Jim

[melony]

I am with bigjimg.

I would also like to hear your dislike of CTEK as well RealAndy. feedback as I said postive and nagative is what I am after and you appear to have rare negative feedback on the products

[TheRealAndy]

CTEK is a very expensive charger that is attempting to make up for poor battery maintenance. Unfortunately, nothing takes the place if proper care and maintenance of a battery.

[eyeskeenas]

everyone here thinks their great, you say there no good Why? proper care and maintenance is all well and good but it doesnt charge your battery.
if you know of a better charger please tell us all.

[fishfeeder]

I bought on of them "Minn Kota Battery Charger MK 210A" from Bias Boating a few years ago and I don't have to worry about batteries now, just plug the cord in the power point when I get home and forget about it to next trip.

Cheers
Brett

[TheRealAndy]

everyone here thinks their great, you say there no good Why? proper care and maintenance is all well and good but it doesnt charge your battery.
if you know of a better charger please tell us all.

I never said they were no good, I just said I would never buy one. The reason is they are over priced and include bullshit features which do nothing anyway. I use a cheapie that someone here found on ebay, cost something like $50 for 20A charger. It works a treat. Prior to that I was using a 10A super cheap charger that cost me $90, which was just as good. Both have been tested extensively by me and I am happy with the performance.

[Skusto]

I never said they were no good, I just said I would never buy one. The reason is they are over priced and include bullshit features which do nothing anyway. I use a cheapie that someone here found on ebay, cost something like $50 for 20A charger. It works a treat. Prior to that I was using a 10A super cheap charger that cost me $90, which was just as good. Both have been tested extensively by me and I am happy with the performance.

battery chargers are always a good debate i have had 10 amp chargers and 4 amp trickle chargers and the 4 amp trickle charger (arlec) has been great had it for 20 years cost $25 just stick on charge until battery is ful usually overnight to a day .you know when its full by the amount of current it draws.uncharged they draw about 3 amps when full down to about 1 amp

[Mike Delisser]

Andy what do you think of the reconditioning mode on Cteks (and some other chargers)?

[bigjimg]

CTEK is a very expensive charger that is attempting to make up for poor battery maintenance. Unfortunately, nothing takes the place if proper care and maintenance of a battery.
I care for my batteries.They're maintenance free calciums,i wipe them with a sponge after every trip.::)But as they are nearing 3 yrs old i would like to keep them fully charged especially during the cold weather.Not everyone here does enough miles to keep their batteries fully charged that is why they get a battery charger so they can maintain them.Jim

[TheRealAndy]

Andy what do you think of the reconditioning mode on Cteks (and some other chargers)?

For lead acid batteries its a waste of money. If your battery needs "reconditioning", it actually needs replacing.