If you are looking to purchase a battery charger, whether it is for your vehicle battery or for your rechargeable batteries, it is best to go for a smart battery charger.
A smart battery charger is a high-frequency battery charger which makes use of microprocessors to communicate with the battery and control its charging and maintenance processes.
Factors to Consider When Purchasing a Smart Battery Charger
The following are a few things to consider when choosing a smart battery charger:
- Type of battery you need to charge – The most important thing to consider is if the battery charger is designed to charge the type of battery you intend to charge. For example, not all vehicle battery chargers are suitable for GEL type battery.
- Battery size – Divide the amperage of the battery by that of the charger to get an idea about the time it would take to charge your battery fully. Add a bit of extra time for topping off and choose your charger accordingly.
- Other desired features – All chargers come with specific features. Choose one that is suited for your situation. Some features are portability, maintenance vs. fast charging, safety features, etc.
Best Smart Battery Charger 2021 Reviews
Now that we are aware of the major features to look for in a smart battery charger, let us talk about the top 9 best-selling devices.
9. EBL 12 Slot LCD AA AAA 9V Battery Charger
Battery types: Rechargeable batteries – NiMH, NiCad, Li-ion, 9V, AA, AAA
Specific features: LCD screen and LED indicators, automatic battery detection, automatic switching to trickle charge mode when fully recharged, independent charging channels, intelligent control, over-heat protection, over-current protection, short-circuit protection
The EBL-999 Rechargeable Battery charger is a 12-bay charger that can charge at one time:
- 1 to 10 AA/AAA NiMH or NiCad batteries
- 1 to 2 9V NiMH, NiCad, or Li-ion batteries
It boasts of many safety features. It is controlled by MCU and uses -∆V pulse charging. It automatically detects the type of battery and even whether the battery is compatible and not defective. When an AA/AAA battery is fully charged, it changes into trickle charging mode for that battery. It offers short-circuit protection, reverse polarity protection, overheat protection, and protects against overcharging. For AA/AAA batteries, an LCD display will light up when charging and go off when fully charged. For 9V batteries, an LED indicator does the same.
- Good safety features
- Can charge multiple batteries with individual slots
- Can be wall-mounted
- May seem slow
- Will not charge completely drained batteries
8. BMK 12V 5A Smart Battery Charger
Battery types: Sealed Lead Acid, Pb/SLA/VRLA/GEL/AGM lead acid battery tender
Specific Features: 4 stage smart charging by MCU controler to monitor charging process and automatically stop when fully charged, fast battery charging booster, multi-safety protection with battery resecure and recover.
BMK is a smart charger that is designed for charging rechargeable batteries of various types from car, boat, to lawn mower. This smart charger comes with 13.8V/5A DC out put and 100-240V, 1.5A 60/50Hz AC input that boosts battery charging faster. It has 4 stage smart charging modes controlled by MCU to monitor the charging process and discharge after the battery is fully charged. The four stages include:
- Stage 1: Desulfating the battery through 18V pulse
- Stage 2: Charging highest rate current till 80% capacity
- Stage 3: Absorption, till full capacity
- Stage 4: Float, Maintain the battery through pulse charging
A few of its safety features include overcharge and over-discharge protection, overheat protection, short-circuit protection, and reverse polarity protection.
- Great value for money
- Performs well
- Well-built
- Displays 4 stage of smart charging process
- Easy to operate – plug and play
- No meter to read charging progress
- Best suit only for 15-100Ah Batteries
7. Black + Decker BM3B Automatic Battery Charger/Maintainer
Battery types: AGM, GEL, WET – 6V, 12V
Amperage: 1.5A
Special features: easy connection to vehicles, automatic switching from charging mode to maintenance mode, mounting bracket, high-frequency smart-charging technology
The Black + Decker BM3B is an automatic battery charger and maintainer suited for charging 6V and 12V vehicle batteries. It is easy to connect the charger to your vehicle using battery clips, O-rings, or vehicle DC plugs. Connect the charger, select a voltage option (6 or 12 V) and let the charger automatically detect your battery and charge it accordingly. When the battery is fully charged, it switches to a float mode for maintenance.
- Easy charger/maintainer
- Good for new vehicles to top up the battery
- 3 connectors included
- automatic battery detection and reverse polarity protection
- Switch for selecting voltage weak
- Faulty units reported by many
6. CTEK (40-206) Fully Automatic 8 Step Battery Charger
Battery types: Vehicle batteries
Amperage: 4.3A
Specific features: 8 step charging system, automatic battery condition testing, Spark-proof, short-circuit protection, reverse polarity protection, water-resistant, weatherproof and dust-proof, automatic switching to maintenance mode.
The CTEK 40-206 is a fully automatic charger which is easy to use and can charge and maintain all vehicle batteries. The unique 8-step charging system uses a patented pulse-charging process, which maintains batteries when connected for a long time without causing any harm. You can select one of the four modes of charging and leave it to the charger to automatically detect the battery’s health and charge and maintain it accordingly.
Like other chargers from the manufacturer, the charger is weather proof, dust and water resistant and has many safety features like being shock-proof, and protects against reverse-polarity and overheating. Thus, it can be used in any climatic condition and in all vehicles. You can connect the charger and forget about it.
- Regular use can boost battery life for up to 3 times
- High-quality construction
- Can be used in all vehicles
- Safe and easy to use
- Can be used in any climatic condition
- Can be connected and left
- Fully automatic
- Some customers reported it didn’t last very long
Watch CTEK 56-864 Product Training Below
5. EASTSHINE S2 Universal Battery Charger for Rechargeable Batteries
Battery types: Rechargeable batteries – NiMH, NiCad, A/AA/AAA/AAAA/C/SC, Li-ion, LiFePO4, IMR, INR, ICR
Specific features: fast charger, safety complaint standards, intelligent circuits, fire-retardant, worldwide insurance, automatic battery status detection, can select charging modes, power cut off when fully charged, LCD display
The EASTSHINE S2 can charge rechargeable batteries of various types including NiMH, NiCad, Li-ion, IMR and a few others. It can charge 2 batteries at a time, each of which have an individual slot and LCD display. The display shows the charging parameters including the cell’s voltage, type, current, and time. You have the option of choosing a specific type of battery and the charging current using two side buttons. It can automatically detect the status of battery charge and charge at the appropriate voltage and mode. LiFePO4 batteries, however, need a manual selection. It cuts off the power automatically when the batteries are fully charged. Safety features include over-charging protection and overheat protection.
- Individual slots
- Stops charging when fully charged; so, no trickle charge for overheating
- Automatic voltage setting
- Good detailed LCD display
- Detects bad batteries
- Has only 2 slots
- Tight spring, so takes a bit of an effort in putting batteries in and out
4. Nitecore New i4 2016 Intellicharger
Battery types: Rechargeable – Li-ion, IMR, NiMH, NiCad, AA, AAAA, C, D
Specific features: ACD (Active Current Distribution) Technology, 4 batteries, automatic battery power status detection, display of charging status, fire-resistant, flame-resistant
The NiteCore New i4 Intellicharger Smart Battery Charger has been designed for charging rechargeable batteries of different types including Li-ion, IMR, NiMH, and NiCad. It is not for charging primary cells like Lithium, alkaline, zinc- carbon, etc. It can charge four rechargeable batteries of 1.2V, 3.7V, 4.2V, and 4.35V.
The PC material it is made of is fire and flame resistant. It uses ACD or Active Current Discharge technology. It can automatically detect and display the status of the charging battery. It charges batteries according to the type and stops charging when a battery is full.
- Can charge four batteries at a time
- A good battery charge level indicator
- Slow charging
- May not be long lasting according to a few customer experiences
3. La Crosse Technology BC700-CBP Alpha Power Battery Charger
Battery types: rechargeable NiMH, NiCad, AA, AAA
Amperage: 200mA, 500mA, 700mA
Specific features: 4 charging modes, individual compartment and LCD display for each battery, international use, overheat protection
The BC700 can charge four batteries at a time, and can charge AA and AAA batteries at the same time. Each battery has a compartment and LCD display of its own. The LCD shows the capacity of the battery after the charging is done. It can show the voltage, charging current, percentage charged, and cumulative capacity for the compartment at the press of a button. Batteries are charged at 200MA by default, but the setting can be changed to 500mA or 700mA for faster charging.
The La Crosse BC700 has four modes of charging:
- Charge – to charge the batteries
- Discharge – to discharge the batteries before charging them
- Recharge – to discharge and recharge up to 20 times, aiming at reviving old batteries
- Test – to display the capacity of the batteries.
- Refresh button (recharge mode) can revive semi-retired batteries
- Works well for most batteries
- Some units tend to overheat
- Not all batteries respond well
2. NOCO Genius G3500 UltraSafe Battery Charger
Battery types: lead-acid, lithium ion, 6V, 12V, up to 120Ah.
Amperage: 3.5A
Specific features: lightweight, portable, compact, external mounting holes, rubberized non-slip base, UV resistant, water resistant, spark-proof technology, overcharge protection
The NOCO Genius G3500 is an extremely lightweight, compact, and portable smart battery charger that has the capacity to charge 6V and 12V lead acid and lithium ion batteries up to 120Ah. The G3500 can also maintain battery types including marine, RV, automotive, deep-cycle, powersport, and garden batteries.
The G3500, with its useful safety features like reverse polarity and overcharge protection, and spark-proof technology, allows safe use all through the day. It comes with LED indicators that show the charge status and diagnostic information in both charging and maintenance modes. A few other nice features are its UV resistance and water resistance. The rubberized base prevents scratches and slips.
- Nice design
- Fun and easy to use
- Instruction manual helpful
- 5-year limited warranty
- Weak springs
- Terminal connector holes a bit too small for a few batteries
1. Battery Tender Plus 021-0128
Battery types: All kinds of auto batteries – lead-acid, flooded, sealed, including AGM and Gel batteries, 12V
Amperage: 1.25A
Specific features: reverse polarity protection, automatic switching from full charging mode to float charging mode, indicator lights, temperature compensated
The Battery Tender Plus, has consistently occupied the place of one of the best batteries for a reason. The feature packed smart battery charger is capable of charging and maintaining different kinds of car batteries and does so very effectively.
This charger can work very fast, charging faster than a 3A battery charger. When the battery is fully charged, it automatically switches to a float charging mode. The charger executes this step by discharging the battery a tad, allowing to maintain a constant voltage of 12 V. Indicator lights indicate when the battery is charging and fully charged. The charger is easy to use.
It has useful safety features like reverse polarity protection. It also protects itself from the trickle effect by maintaining a voltage of 12V. The quick connect harness helps to use it in hard to reach areas too. It is temperature compensated, so it can be used in any condition.
- Fast charging
- 10-year limited warranty
- Charges all types of batteries
- Very effective
- No proper display
- Old chassis, sometimes tricky to use
Time For a Decision
So, based on the factors to consider discussed above and the features desired, you may go for a good smart battery charger. For example, the Battery Tender Plus is a good choice for vehicle batteries and the La Crosse BC700 is great for AA NiMH batteries.
