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Not too much to review here. It works! It charged my marine battery fast from almost dead in less than 30 minutes. Lightweight, easy to carry, nice long leads and easy to read LED.
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I got the BC1509 a few months back for my Odyssey PC1200 (and lower capacity models) and it works great. I primarily use it for non-vehicle use and it is charged with no parasitic drain loading it down. I did not test the alternator-check, pulse-conditioning or jump-start functions. It also is great for my Optimas.I found that it charged my agm up to about 14.75 volts as measured on a Fluke 87V multimeter in absorb at 15.2 amps as indicated on the display. Then current further tapered off and switched to float charge ending at about 3amps per the display at 13.55 volts. This seems to fall inline with Odyssey specifications, although this charger is not on their officially approved list. I'm not sure if it has full-time temperature compensation, although some form of temp-comp may kick in during extremes.
Like most automobile chargers, it will get to about 95% charge, and expect the alternator to do the final finish if necessary. In my case, I switch over to a Stanley BC209 (or the beefier 6a BC6809) charger/maintainer to do the final top-off if I have the time.
UPDATE ON FLOAT: I was finally patient enough to track the float charge, and no longer need the maintainers to finish the job. Many chargers drop to float too soon, and the 3a change to float left me initially a little disappointed. Once it drops into float "FLO" on the display, the fans will eventually spin down and the unit will maintain at 13.55 volts. About every 45 minutes, the fan will come back on for 10 seconds and then spin down again. After about 6 hours, I noticed that the voltage had jumped up to an even 13.60 volts. (on the multimeter, not on the charger display.)
But did it finish the job in float after 6 hours? YES. Using a Battery-Tender Plus that switches from absorb to float when reaching 100 milliamps, I tested it using the battery tender and within two minutes the tender indicated a solid green which means it reached a 100ma absorb and itself dropped into float.
Cable-management is great and the dc clamp cord wraps neatly around the base inside a small channel. The AC cord tucks in the back near the fan. It is one of the few chargers that you can actually put back inside the original box neatly. The clamps are medium duty with anodized aluminum. The copper teeth have different shapes so you can easily grab onto a fat post, or turn it over for a grip on a flat lug etc. While the aluminum is better than plastic, I wouldn't go dragging or throwing the clamps down in an industrial setting. Be nice.
Yes, there is a fan of course but it is not objectionable. Just don't expect bedroom-quiet where you shouldn't be charging anyway. When using the unit, pull the ac cord all the way out so as not to block the fan. The fan speed slows down to near inaudible during the float-charge stage. During use, you'll hear it beep at the start and finish of the charge. A few minutes after the start of the charge, the unit may beep and stop to do a sanity-check, then ramp back up and continue on if the test passes.
Amazingly, the BC1509 is pretty quiet in the radio rf-spectrum. I expected a lot of broad-band hash from 2-30 mhz, and found only small instances of it across the dial, which were very muted and not broad-band at all. An HF ferrite on the AC cord near the charger dropped what little there was down to near nothing. Not perfectly quiet, but not broad-band either.
In all, this is my go-to charger for my pure-lead Odyssey PC2100 and under, and most Optimas. Not only does it follow voltage recommendations for both during bulk and absorb, it also performs well at the end of charge with a few hours of float and gets the current down to a very low level signaling a very high state of charge.
As you can tell, I'm pretty picky about my gear and this unit gets a big thumbs-up for my agm's!
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This is how a charger should work, why should I have to manually select amperage? I know some people say constant low amps charges better, but that doesn't apply to new automatic smart chargers. They step down the amperage automatically as the battery charges. They also keep it from over charging and boiling the battery. With these new chargers you won't get any more charge from a long 2 amp charge then a quick 15 amp multi stage one. I use it for deep cycle batteries. Just hook up the battery and press charge, that's it, no guess work, no selecting charge speed and amperage. It optimizes everything and is completely automatic. It auto detects the type and condition of the battery, even compensating for the ambient temperature so it doesn't effect charging. It also can recondition old sulfated batteries with some pulse mode. The fan seems quiet enough and shuts off automatically in float mode after unit is cooled down from charging. The unit seems very durable. Back lit LCD screen is convenient. It displays current voltage, amps charging, mode, etc... It also has a alternator check I have never used, and a quick charge mode to start a dead car battery I have never used. When I charged my deep cycles on my old charger my trolling motor usually drained my deep cycle battery to almost 50% by the end of the day. With the new charger and the same amount of use it's only drained 30% when I get home. My batteries seem to get a better charge with this charger, and lasting longer. Another review said "wires get warm". I charge batteries on the full 15 amps for hours and don't notice the wires or battery being noticeably warm at all, maybe a little above room temperature at most. Nothing you would even notice unless you were specifically looking for it. Overall, by far the best charger I have ever owned.Honest reviews on Stanley BC1509 15 Amp Automatic Battery Charger
Lightweight and easy to use! This is an excellent little charger for home use. Best one I've had, and I've been through several over the years. I especially like the battery reconditioning cycle. Worth every penny!Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Stanley BC1509 15 Amp Automatic Battery Charger
Pros: This car battery charger has many useful features such as battery voltage monitor and maintenance mode.Cons: It cannot charge a totally dead battery. I would get the higher amperage model that has jump start feature.
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