Need new battery charger

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pandos

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Don't have direct experience, but one has to question why it is one third of the price of the popular alternatives.
 
Hmm. Half the price of the equivalent Victron. Maybe the money has been saved by not using quality components! By the best, buy it once (if you can possibly afford it - buying cheap stuff usually works out more expensive in the long run)
 
I just bought a Sterling Pro Charge 30 Amp charger. It is more expensive (though probably cheaper than the equivalent from Victron) but I feel confident that it is the right choice. Does the cheap charger have settings for battery type, to give the right voltages at all stages?
 
The charger the OP linked to is a very simple, basic charger. It operates at 14.7v or 13.7v, that's about it. It'll probably do the job, but might not last for years, and probably won't be repairable.
 
Norman_E said:
I just bought a Sterling Pro Charge 30 Amp charger. It is more expensive (though probably cheaper than the equivalent from Victron) but I feel confident that it is the right choice.
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I agree. I bought the same charger and am now confident that my batteries are in tip top condition when attached to shore power. The other advantage is that the Sterling Pro manages the shore power, so that when you are connected to the shore power you could turn on all of your 12v equipment and not use any power from the batteries (which remain fully charged)

The best price I could find was here:

http://www.batterycharged.co.uk/shop/battery-chargers/pro-charge-ultra-12v-30amp-3-1152567.html
 
Bawdrons said:
I agree. I bought the same charger and am now confident that my batteries are in tip top condition when attached to shore power. The other advantage is that the Sterling Pro manages the shore power, so that when you are connected to the shore power you could turn on all of your 12v equipment and not use any power from the batteries (which remain fully charged)

The best price I could find was here:

http://www.batterycharged.co.uk/shop/battery-chargers/pro-charge-ultra-12v-30amp-3-1152567.html
Click to expand...

£60 more than the equivalent Victron from Cactus Navigation Just saying like :)
 
Erbas said:
£60 more than the equivalent Victron from Cactus Navigation Just saying like :)
Click to expand...

I saw that one, but it just has screw terminals for the 12 volt leads. As my charger has to be fitted some way from the battery I need to use substantial cables fitted to 6mm stud terminals. For me the equivalent Victron charger was a more expensive model.

The other "good make" appears to be Mastervolt, but also rather expensive.
 
Norman_E said:
I saw that one, but it just has screw terminals for the 12 volt leads. As my charger has to be fitted some way from the battery I need to use substantial cables fitted to 6mm stud terminals. For me the equivalent Victron charger was a more expensive model..
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That's a fair point

Yo'd have to go up to the Centaur model which is a shade under £300

You pays yer money etc.!
 
Not entirely true, yes, Pro Mariner perhaps have a controlling interest in Sterling - but that was only because Sterling could not raise the finance in the UK at the time they wanted to expand and had new exclusive products. Pro Mariner were only too happy to take advantage of the technical developments introduced by Sterling because nothing, at the time, approached their expertise in the US - probably still doesn't if you look at some of the other electrical marine garbage on the US market. I think you will find that Pro Mariner is actually a re-badged Sterling but, because the US market won't (patriotically) buy anything made outside the US if at all possible, it makes economic sense to say "made in the USA", and forget the bit about the designed elsewhere.
 
pmyatt said:
Not entirely true, yes, Pro Mariner perhaps have a controlling interest in Sterling - but that was only because Sterling could not raise the finance in the UK at the time they wanted to expand and had new exclusive products. Pro Mariner were only too happy to take advantage of the technical developments introduced by Sterling because nothing, at the time, approached their expertise in the US - probably still doesn't if you look at some of the other electrical marine garbage on the US market. I think you will find that Pro Mariner is actually a re-badged Sterling but, because the US market won't (patriotically) buy anything made outside the US if at all possible, it makes economic sense to say "made in the USA", and forget the bit about the designed elsewhere.
Click to expand...

I think they're all made in the far east!
 
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