Schumacher ElectricCar Battery Charger and Maintainer SC1280 4-in-1, 15 Amp, Fully Automatic for 6v and12v Automobile Batteries - Ideal for Motorcycles, Cars, Trucks, SUVs, Marine Batteries, and More

This is so easy to use, My Husband ha a stroke and can't do much anymore, so it is up. to Me, I love this charger ir works great, was easy for me to charge My MDX the size is easy for anyone to pick up and carry and to charge any battery for a long life off charge. All people should have one , You never know when it is needed

The Schumacher 1280 is an automotive battery charger, but it is also much more.First, like most battery chargers in the $50-100 range, it allows you to charge your battery at 2 "speeds": the first, at 3 amp, is intended as a traditional "trickle charger," one that can be used to keep your battery in optimal condition and thereby extend its life and reliability. I live in a cold climate (Minneapolis) and tend to use my car only to get around town, sometimes not using the car at all on some days. This combination means my car doesn't get the sort of highway miles to keep the battery fully charged month after month, and the demands of getting it to crank up on subzero mornings is demanding. Buying this charger is bringing me peace of mind and will be financially rewarding over the long haul.Second, my Schumacher has allowed me to get my recently drained battery up and running in impressively short time. I bought it largely for this purpose--after I drained a 4-year twice this summer, replaced it, and then did the same recently with the new one. In its 15 amp mode, my Schumacher successfully desulfinated my current battery (i.e. a necessary first step to clean up the crap that accumulates inside a battery) and then charged it fully in about 6 hours. I had read that this process might well take 24-48 hrs. if done with a lower-amp charger, or might involve leaving a car overnight at a shop if I'd done it there.Most importantly, though, my Schumacher did this while giving me detailed information that let me follow the process and let me an important bit of information about the state of my battery once it was fully recharged. Its well lit LED display tells you when it begins the desalination process, the % charged as it does its thing, and the final voltage of the battery once it's done. The first two of these eliminate the guessing you'd experience with comparably priced charger. (On others you plug it in. . . and blindly wait). The voltage at the end of the process gives a good assessment of the state of the charged battery. In optimal condition, a battery should have 12.6-12.8 volts (mine was 12.6!); if its losing its abilities as a battery, it will have 12.0 volts or less. In a nutshell it tells you what to expect from your battery going forward.Going forward I'm planning to keep track of how my battery's charge and voltage change over time. For me, I'm hoping the pattern will provide clues whether something beyond my forgetfulness with inside lights has been at play.)The display also tells you if it can't successfully complete the desulfation process, in which case you'll know your battery is a goner; if you improperly hooked up the charging cables; when it's completed charging and successfully shifted to standby mode, thereby assuring you its not overcharged your battery; and more. The whole process more or less proceeds seamlessly. You simply turn the charger on (or wait for it to come on automatically after 30 seconds), choose the amperage (3 amps or 15 amps), and indicate the type of battery you own (most of us own standard wet cell batteries with fill-up ports on the top; this isn't hard to figure out).I should also note that I chose the Schumacher 1280 only after going online and looking at a couple of websites that I knew and trusted (Car and Driver; CNET). Both spoke glowingly about Schumacher's reputation and the advanced-for-its price range features that its 1280 and near sib 1281 offer in their price ranges.

I thought that I wanted a commercial charger. This is all that. It checks the type of battery, starts car, and maintains battery.

I like many others had that 80% stuck issue. I was at 20% and it took a few hours and got to 80%. Left and checked back hour or two later and still said 80. Not knowing what to do, I switched from the rapid charge to the maintenance charge until i could research further. Went back out and turned it off. Then turned it on again and it said 100%. Turned off and on a couple of times more because I wasn't sure which way it was. Then left it on trickle charge and saw the light said charging (amber light) and then it had gone to 96%. Don't know why it should have lost 4% just from me turning it off and on a couple of times. But I'm leaving it on the trickle overnight and will check it again.I'm not sure what to think of it because I've never had one. It does seem to have some issues with showing accurate numbers.

This battery charger is good for newer vehicles with 12v systems & older vehicles with 6v systems.

I have found this battery charger, with it's extra fuctions, is a terrific tool for any home shop. It is somewhat pricier that other brands, but for the extra money, it does a number of functions. I am pleased with it and would recommend this battery charger for all the functions it will perform.

I love this charger because it tells you what your battery charge is at & also love the trickle charge ability. I wish it had a quick charge however.