Tim Jones Posted January 8 Report Share Posted January 8 Afternoon all - I'm looking to replace my battery conditioner. One of the candidates, which seems well received is CTEK Multi MXS 10 10A 12V 8-Stage Battery Charger Conditioner - anyone using this and can recommend it (or any alternative)? TIA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gold FFM jep Posted January 8 Gold FFM Report Share Posted January 8 CTEK are a brilliant company at marketing. They have become the default choice for many enthusiasts. I have various trickle chargers, from AirFlow (22 years in constant use, still performing), Lidl £12 ones (three, all great over 7 years and counting) and very cheap plug in DC constant feed (all good). There is no need to pay a premium price for a trickle charger. AirFlow are just as fancy as CTEK if you want a 'brand' but a £12 from Lidl will do the job. AA do branded ones, as do Black and Decker amongst others, for a fair price. https://airflow-uk.com/product/car-battery-conditioner/ Justin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyPoll Posted January 8 Report Share Posted January 8 I've had a CTEK for about 15 years on my Excel. Works very well. Recommended. Tony Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gold FFM MJON Posted January 8 Gold FFM Report Share Posted January 8 @Tim Jones Have up to 4 CTEKs in operation indoor and outdoor non failed me yet. Why the 10? Would have thought the MXS 5 more than adequate if just for conditioning. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony D Posted January 8 Report Share Posted January 8 Tim, I've been using a CTEK 5.0 for a couple of years now and very happy with it. It's not plugged in 24 /7, just used every couple of weeks if the cars not been out. Also used it to rejuvenate a couple of batteries with good results. Tony Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Jones Posted January 8 Author Report Share Posted January 8 Cheers guys. Why the 10? Fair question. No reason. I have some Xmas money burning a hole in my pocket, the existing conditioner doesn't seem to cut the mustard (the battery is relatively new) and I thought the 10 might have something the 5 didn't and perhaps it was time to push the boat out. As for why CTEK, again, no coherent response other than I'd tried a cheaper brand and it never did that much for me. If I left the car on the conditioner for a few weeks, it was very sluggish and needed a conventional overnight charge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozza74 Posted January 9 Report Share Posted January 9 I've just bought another charger/conditioner. I got the Oxford Oximiser 3X from Infinity motorcycles as its on a pretty good offer at the moment and had good reviews. I also wanted something that was good on my motorbike as well as cars since these tend to need a lower charge rate. I've been using it for a week or so now and it seems pretty well made. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gold FFM Escape Posted January 9 Gold FFM Report Share Posted January 9 I have been using the CTEK MXS 10 for 6 years now on a semi-professional base, not as a trickle charger but mainly to charge and recondition batteries, often large ones (around 100Ah). It hasn't failed me yet and has brought back many a battery over the years. So well worth the money. Before I had the previous CTEK 8, that also did very well, even after I accidentally ran over it with a Range Rover (though no longer waterproof...). Only reason it was replaced is because it was lost when the Workshop burned down. If it's for personal use, I'd go for a cheaper smaller one though. A 0.8 will do the trickle stuff, but wont help much if a battery does get depleted. I'd chose the 5.0 over the 3.8 because it has the reconditioning mode. While I'm sure a lot of cheap chargers are fine, I've seen several struggle and suspect a few batteries even died prematurely because a cheap charger was left connected and didn't provide a proper maintenance charge. Filip Quote I have made many mistakes in my life. Buying a multiple Lotus is not one of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denis247 Posted January 11 Report Share Posted January 11 Are people using these with the battery still connected to the car?, is there no risk to damaging the voltage regulator in the alternator as with 'normal' chargers? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gold FFM jep Posted January 11 Gold FFM Report Share Posted January 11 Always trickle charge my cars with battery in situ. 340R and Evora come from factory with a port to plug into. Elise I feed via live cigarette port. Justin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gold FFM Escape Posted January 11 Gold FFM Report Share Posted January 11 I also usually leave the batteries connected. Only when really depleted I tend to disconnect while running a reconditioning cycle. I figure the less external connections/loads to battery, the better the chance the reconditioning will work. Quote I have made many mistakes in my life. Buying a multiple Lotus is not one of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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