BLACK+DECKER BC15BD Fully Automatic 15 Amp 12V Bench Battery Charger/Maintainer with 40A Engine Start, Alternator Check, Cable Clamps

I recently purchased this charger as a maintainer for our second car that does not get driven very often and which due to some after market accessories installed will slowly discharge its battery as it sits in the carport. During the winters up here at 4000 feet in the Sierra Nevada, that discharge rate can increase dramatically due to the extremely frigid nights. The need for some kind of battery maintainer is a must in a situation like this.The alternative is an often dead or nearly dead battery, which if left in such a situation will eventually succumb to the poor operating environment and fail. The cost of a quality charger like the BC15BD 15 Amp is much less than the cost of a new battery!This charger has been great for keeping that car's battery charged up and ready to start the car when needed. The fact that it is gentle on the battery through its multi-stage charging process helps to preserve the life of any battery in a similar situation.Finally...In Defense of What I Find to be a Quality, Well Designed and Well Made Product...Take the Negative Reviews Here With a Grain of Salt!Before purchasing this charger for myself, I came up here and read through several pages of these reviews. I just read through many of the negative reviews that had originally given me pause... But reading them again after owning the product myself? Basically, I am seeing in many of these negative reviews examples of customers who are simply failing to understand how a typical car battery works, and what a battery charger can and can not do!While some of these reviews are legit and speak to a real issue with that particular unit, sometimes a battery has reached its end of life, is worn out and simply needs to be replaced!As well as this device performs its job at charging and maintaining a "normally functioning" battery, it is not a miracle worker, able to magically resurrect a dead or defective battery that is obviously in need of replacement!No! It can not charge a battery that has fallen below 2 Volts! That kind of battery is called RUINED by neglect, abuse, or simply normal life expectancy reached and exceeded! Car batteries do not last forever, and their life span can be dramatically shortened if they are not taken care of properly!While it is true that the older manual type battery chargers can sometimes power their way through a totally "FLAT" battery and might be able to charge it back up to a useful range temporarily, that doesn't alter the fact that letting a car battery go completely flat damages that battery's internal components, and as a result it is more than likely ruined when it comes to offering a reliable form of power for starting and running your vehicle.Buying and using this charger is a good way to avoid that fate for your own vehicle's battery (s) If this charger fails to charge your battery, then you more than likely need to buy a new battery as well as this charger to make sure your new battery doesn't suffer the same fate! ;)

I LOVE this Charger/Starter.This review is based on a setup I have for my Sprinter van. I am using a Kodiac Generator from Inergy (which I would have included a link to but it does not seem to be available on Amazon right now). I am a 71 year old "gal" who has converted a Sprinter Van into a camper and am traveling the country, finally seeing everything I meant to. I have a Kodiac "solar generator" that I like and 400 watts of solar panels on the roof. But, sometimes the weather and my electric usage doesn't keep the house battery charged enough and I manage to "forget" that I have decided to use the engine battery for some extra juice...resulting in no way to start the engine in the morning. As long as the Kodiac has at least one "green light" (of 4) using this charger has been a piece of cake to get the van started. It even worked once when the Kodiac was in the "brown light" stage. Because, even with virtually no power, the Kodiac seems to have just enough juice to give this batter charger enough 110v through it's inverter to charge my engine battery, just maybe 5 minutes, and it starts, no problems. Done this in below zero weather. Done this many (yes, I am that forgetful) many times first thing in the morning. I have been doing a lot of cold weather camping this season. I do not like to use the gas heater while asleep, so I am using a very low wattage electric blanket (a game changer) which is plugged into the Kodiac. Sometimes, if the Kodiac is not fully charged, I plug the Kodiac into the cigarette lighter to keep the charge up, especially if watching TV, reading, etc. Sometimes I forget and fall asleep; wake up next morning and no engine battery. Within 5 minutes I have the hood up, an extension cord from the Kodiac to this Black and Decker charger, and the charger connected to the engine battery...and five minutes later this item's "battery charge" button shows the available charge for starting at 14. volts and I can start the engine right up. Some very kind people have stopped to help when the see the hood up. And they walk away amazed, mumbling "I've got to get me one of those". It does not hold a charge, that's not how it is designed, but with the least trickle of 110v, in a couple of minutes you're off and running. I love it. I have tried other things, some costing two and three times what this does, they couldn't handle the needs of starting a diesel. This little buddy, as long as you have an inverter and a trickle of 110v, starts it right up. I've done this for myself and others at least 2 dozen times so far (I am not the only forgetful person) and it's been flawless. I have also used it to charge stand-alone batteries before putting them back into seasonal service on lawn mowers, boats, snowmobiles, and off-road vehicles. It works. I am not techy. I have used it very successfully. You are supposed to plug it in before you connect the contacts to the battery. Remember that, otherwise, it may seem "off". Usually, it figures it out but can confuse a non-tech like me. I struggled with converting this van into a camper...had lots of dead battery mornings. This is now two years later and I still have the original engine battery. This little puppy is keeping it in great shape, and me on the road. Of course, not everyone carries their own 110v system. Even so, this is a great unit, even just for bench charging. Enjoy!

Has consistently worked well for over a year - good value and meets my needs

Update:8 months after I bought this, it no longer charges a battery. It still lights up, but just refuses to to do anything - none of the functions are working. The charger had been used maybe 10 times over the first few months, then stored for 4 months, and so I was very surprised when it no longer functioned. Stored in a dry garage in the original box between uses, and treated carefully - not a scratch on it. After reviewing the warranty information, it seems easier to just buy another brand then to box this up and ship to a Warranty Repair Shop at my cost. I need a functioning battery charger right now, not in 3 or 4 months. Updated my review to a one star to reflect my dissatisfaction with all this.Great battery charger (Not anymore, see above) - been using it constantly since I bought it (for a few months now) and everything seems to function well. Charges a battery quickly. Can trickle charge to keep a battery fresh. Has a start feature I have used a few times to give a car a bit of a boost getting the engine running. Everything is easy to use and the unit is nice looking.Has a battery re-conditioner that I tried on an old battery but it never completed. Literature suggests the battery is beyond saving - but unable to verify the battery reconditioning actually works. It appeared to be working (or at least doing something).Only complaint is the back-light goes out while trying to set it up... Without the back light its hard to read and you need a good light source. No idea WHY they don't leave the back-light on a few minutes instead of a few seconds.

Work great