L/Weight Battery or Dont use car much? - CTEK Battery Conditioner REVIEW

[Tfsi_Mike]

Thought I'd write a quick review on one of my recent motoring goodies...

What is it?

CTEK XS 0.8 Battery Charger



Why do I need one?

I purchased mine as I hope to stop having to use the car for the commute.

The model I have bought would be aimed at people with the lightweight battery like the braille and tommika.  There are a wide range of charger / conditioners to suit all applications from lawnmower battery maintanaince to multiple camper caravan battery management.

I have a Braille super lightweight battery which is fine unless the car is left for 3 or 4 days.

The CTEK battery charger / conditioner will stop my battery (and any battery) going flat when unused.

It would also help maintain batteries over the winter months.

Surely a battery charger / conditioner is one of the basic motoring tools we should all have?

How does it work?

The CTEK charging process is;

Step 1 Desulphation
Step 2 Bulk
Step 3 Absorbtion (ready to use /guranteed to start)
Step 4 Analyse
Step 5 Float / FULLY CHARGED
Step 6 Pulse/ Maintenance Charging


Geeky Tech Spec;

CTEK XS 0.8 General Information

Input voltage: 220-240VAC, 50-60Hz
Output voltage: 14.4V
Charging current: 0.8A
Ambient Temperature: -20 deg.C - +50 deg.C
Charger Type: Fully automatic 6-step charger for 12V batteries
Batteries: 12V lead-acid batteries (Wet, MF, AGM, Calcium/Calcium and GEL)
Battery size: 1.2-32Ah
Dimensions (L x W x H): 142x51x36 cm
Insulation : IP 65
Weight: 0.3 kg
Quick coupling - Yes

Sales speel;

The XS 0.8 is CTEK’s smallest 12V charger. It offers state of the art technology and is perfect for charging smaller 12V batteries that can be found in motorcycles, jet skis, ATVs and lawnmowers.

The unique display allows the user to follow the entire charging process. The XS 0.8 is a compact and fully automatic 6-step charger for 12V batteries from 1.2-32Ah. The XS 0.8 is IP 65 classified (splash and dust proof), delivers 0.8A and is designed to protect vehicle electronics. It is non-sparking, reverse polarity protected and short-circuit proof. The XS 0.8 is delivered with 5-year warranty.

Where from and how Much?

I bought mine from ebay from eBay, the seller was batterymegastore.co.uk, they were helpful.  I phoned before buying to check suitability for the little braille, they advised me I didnt need the £45 one I was looking at and sold me the £27 xs 0.8

[ebay] 270742108706[/ebay]

I paid £27.99 Delivered to my door in Germany

My thoughts / Summary

I'm quite pleased with this bit of kit, handy thing to have and the way that it charges in 6 stages will keep the battery in tip top condition and allows safe connect and forget use.

It has LEDs to show the stage of charging and an LED to show if your battery is faulty / unserviceable

I love that it comes with the ringlets that attatch to the terminals permanantly that have a plug with splash / dust boot, this is the method Im using.  It also comes with croc clips that also have the plug so you can choose how you charge.  Or can use the ringlets on your own car and use the crocodile clips if you need to use the charger on any other application.

I have ran an extension out of the house and the charger sits in the engine bay over night pulse charging, keeping it topped up and maintained.  

It comes with very clear instructions and a neat little bag to stow it in.  5 Year Warranty too  

It's very lightweight and compact.

Safety - Does not damage sensitive electronics.  Spark proof.  Short Circuit proof.  reverse polarity protection 



Pic of the plug that will be hidden away in the battery box when not in use...




Well hope thats of use to some one :D

[TT-Turbo]

Nice review there. Something I'm looking into for the winter months and the lack of use of my TT. Didn't realise you can use a connector to permanently attach to the battery, that very useful to know. Cheers.

[Tfsi_Mike]

Nice review there. Something I'm looking into for
the winter months and the lack of use of my TT. Didn't realise you can use a connector to permanently attach to the battery, that very useful to know. Cheers.

Yeah, very simple but trick feature 

[vRSAlex]

I fit loads of these at work and they are a top piece of kit.  Well worth buying. 

[Top Cat]

Nice one Mike i was going to order a charger next week. Looks like this will do the job, my battery is twat to get to, so the one fit attachment is ideal. 

[Tfsi_Mike]

Nice one Mike i was going to order a charger next week. Looks like this will do the job, my battery is twat to get to, so the one fit attachment is ideal. 

I would maybe message or ring them and ask the best model for an OEM battery.  I think they mainly go off the Amp Hour rating 

Glad it was of use 

[Top Cat]

   will do.

[Cupra R]

Great minds eh??

I purchased a CTEK 3600 from Amazon to keep my battery topped up whilst were away.

I like the Quick Clip Feature.

[Tfsi_Mike]

Great minds eh??

I purchased a CTEK 3600 from Amazon to keep my battery topped up whilst were away.

I like the Quick Clip Feature.

I very nearly got the 3600 @ £40.  Has your battery been flat yet? How long from flat did it take to get to stage 3 if so?
 

[Cupra R]

Great minds eh??

I purchased a CTEK 3600 from Amazon to keep my battery topped up whilst were away.

I like the Quick Clip Feature.

I very nearly got the 3600 @ £40.  Has your battery been flat yet? How long from flat did it take to get to stage 3 if so?
 


It has been flat yeah, but I'd recharged it using an ordinary charger I had. But I didn't want to leave the ordinary charger hooked up whilst away on holiday.  Hence I got the Ctek.

[h4rdy]

Used to have a similar charger on my Motorbike and was looking for one for my hardly used ED30.

I clicked the thanks as I will buy one.

Alex@BDM which one for a standard OEM battery mate, will this one do the job?

Thanks again.

[Bernhard30]

Had my CTEK screwed to the garage wall and plugged into my 'Se7en' kitcar for about 4 years now.
The quick connector is useful as that's into the footwell of the passenger seat, so saves the faff of taking off the bonnet.

Not sure which model it is exactly, but recall it was about £45. It's a great product.
I like the idea that it merely tops off the battery when needed so keeping it in peak 'condition'.

I think Aston Martin give these away with their cars, as there were some Aston branded ones on ebay when I was looking, albeit that was a few years back.

[john_o]

nice review Mike thanks 

[Poverty]

Something else to add to the list then it seems! Thanks mike 

[Tfsi_Mike]

Something else to add to the list then it seems! Thanks mike 

Im trying the 3600 model, it's on the post.  My XS0.8 may have been faulty