CTEK Power inc. www.ctek.com

Move over Battery Tender®, now there's a new kid in town!

CTEK battery chargers, though relatively new to the US, have been around for quite a while and are sold in Europe as factory accessories for some very prestigious manufacturers such as Maybach, Aston Martin, Porsche and Mercedes.

I got hold of one of CTEK's new Multi US 3300 battery chargers to try out. It is the middle sibling of CTEK's lineup of compact chargers. First impression is of a very high quality product. The connectors of the pigtail that connects to the battery are molded onto the ends of the wires, not crimp connectors. The alligator clips are completely insulated on all the exterior surfaces so they cannot short to the frame or any exposed metal while you are trying to get them connected. The connector where the pigtails connect to the unit is a locking connector so it can't pull out or loosen with use. They also have mounting holes so they can be fixed to a wall or worktop.

Features? This thing really has features! First, all these chargers are weatherproof and dustproof sealed units. This one has three charge settings. Small batteries, larger batteries, and a setting that works for batteries in freezing temps that uses a slightly higher charging voltage. This is ideal for keeping snowmobiles, etc. ready to go all winter or keep your motorcycle charged while it hybernates. This also the recommended way of charging AGM and sealed gel batteries. Its low setting puts out 0.8 amps and is ideal for most motorcycle batteries. Its middle setting puts out 3.3 amps and can be used for putting a fast charge on a regular size battery or for keeping larger batteries maintained. CTEK claims it can maintain a battery as large as 90 amps (the largest motorcycle battery I've seen is about 30 amps) so it can also maintain your boat or motor home. Its internal circuitry reads the battery condition so nothing gets overcharged, and when your battery is finished it goes into switched maintenance mode (better than a float charge that continuously supplies a small charge). Everything is fully automatic, it tells you if anything is incorrectly connected, smart circuitry avoids any sparks, it couldn't be any easier. On some other automatic chargers I have noticed that if the battery becomes too discharged, the charger will not recognize it and will not begin charging. The CTEK charger will recognize a battery with voltage as low as 1.5 volts and begin charging. It also has a unique desulfation mode to help recover a sulfated or under-charged battery. CTEK also states “The Multi US 3300 utilizes switch mode technology, a 4-cycle intelligent process for perfect battery maintenance and charging”. See their website for more info www.ctek.com . All of these features for a suggested retail of only $69.95. You can also get the smaller Multi US 800 and its big brother that has even more features, the Multi US 7000.

As I see it, the only real choice is which CTEK charger to get. They all have far more functional and practical features than any other compact charger and the price makes it a bargain when you consider all the quality and technology that has been built in. To find out more (their 4-cycle process is quite interesting) and to find a dealer near you, visit them online at www.ctek.com .