15A Car Battery Charger & Maintainer, 6V/12V – SC1280

7/27/28 I needed this as an emergency backup to what I already had in the garage to charge my vehicle batteries. I can say this is a HUGE improvement over what I already owned. What I like most is that beyond the fact of it's charging capabilities, it's: * light weight * Displays the actual percentage of the charge process * displays the voltage * automatically cycles through each of the relevant readings - removing the guess work * the start/stop button - which means you don't have to just unplug to turn off * clamp cords are long, providing greater flexibility in moving the charger This is a model I truly appreciate and just may purchase a second one to have readily available in the other garage. Given the size, it will be easy to store.

Very reliable charging station for boat batteries. Easy to use and charges the batteries in no time.will be purchasing more for the lawnmower and for the bikes we have.

Just got this yesterday and used it for the first time! Well, well worth the money for sure! Automatically knows what kind of battery you have (AGM or others). Turns into maintenance mode when fully charged; has a fan that turns on if it gets too warm.... Highly recommend it!

After writing my review of the SC1308 charger, I decided to return it and try the SC1280 instead. The SC1308 had exhibited some erratic behavior, and I was unsuccessful in contacting Schumacher for an explanation. My thought process in switching to this model was that the higher charging rates of the SC1308, in both the rapid charging mode (30 Amps) and slow charging mode (6 Amps), given its erratic behavior, ran the risk of damaging even a large starting battery in a short amount of time. I felt that with the lower current limits of the SC1280 -- 15 Amps and 3 Amps for rapid charging and slow charging, respectively -- I could likely intervene before serious damage to a battery would occur. Some reviewers of this product reported that this charger "hangs up" when the charger displays 80 percent complete. During my first use of this charger, I also observed this situation. As I recall, this is roughly the point in the process where some chargers will transition from a Constant Current to a Constant Voltage mode. I observed the voltage and current during the 80 percent glitch, using an external voltmeter and ammeter. The charging voltage had been above 15 volts, but the current had been sufficiently low (I don't recall the exact value) that I wasn't terribly concerned about damaging the battery. I ended up disconnecting the charger while it was still hung up at 80 percent. Since then, I've tried the charger a few other times. On these occasions, the charger advanced to 100 percent without hanging up. During most of this time, the charging voltage tended to remain at around 15.5 Volts. As the charger approached 100 percent, current tapered to around 2.5 Amps. I noted that even after the green "charge complete" LED illuminated, the charger continued to charge the battery at around 15.5 volts. In one case, the charger continued charging at a significant rate for 12 hours after illuminating the charge complete LED. This is something I wouldn't have known, if I hadn't had a separate meter clamped onto the battery cable. During the additional 12 hour period, I monitored the battery's case temperature, and didn't observe any significant temperature rise. After the 12 hours, the charger dropped the current to zero, at which time I assume it entered its maintenance mode. After disconnecting the battery, I observed that its voltage stayed above 13 volts for several hours. The following day, with the battery's voltage stabilized at around 12.75 Volts, I ran a test on it with a battery analyzer. The analyzer showed that the battery's state of health (SOH) had actually improved slightly, compared to its SOH before charging. Based on my testing, I believe that the behavior I observed was by design, rather than a defect in the charging algorithm. The batteries I used for the tests have been used mostly for short trips over a number of weeks, and could have had some electrolyte stratification or sulfation that the charger was trying to correct. In any case, the charger should have an additional indicator that informs the operator that it is still charging while the charge complete lamp is illuminated. I will learn more about the charger with continued use, but I've developed confidence in the SC1280 that I didn't have with the SC1308, and consider it unlikely to damage any of my batteries. However, I will not be using it as a maintainer, nor will I leave it charging unattended for long periods of time. Of course, in a perfect world, the Schumacher Company would provide an explanation for some of this charger's behavior. Based on my earlier attempts, I don't think the company's customer support organization is equipped to do this.

Fantastic little charger for my purpose. Works great as a battery management charger for my mower. Plenty sufficient for a car battery as well. It’s light and compact with heavy insulation on the tables and clamps.

It's easy to use. It helped me repair the battery.

Perfect, just what I needed to maintain my marine / deep cycle battery.

Charges batteries like it should with some modern options for different types of batteries. Seems faster than the 30+ year old one it replaced but it’s also all plastic and not as durable.

I need to change this item

Excelente producto, funcionan muy bien, es silencioso y no se calienta, lo use para una batería con bajo voltaje 11V y en solo 3 horas ya estaba cargado 100%, se apaga solo cuando se carga completo y en la pantalla se puede ver el progreso, lo que no me quedo claro es el botón de On/Off no realizo ninguna función pero la carga se realizo automáticamente

The Schumacher car battery charger is compact and easy to use. Since I’m not taking my car out as much and it’s very cold, I just plug it in at night and it’s ready for the morning. My car starts right away. I like it because I can use it myself and don’t have to bother anyone to give me a boost. Very happy with this product.

Very poor instructions Charger trip my home circuit breaker waiting for Amazon to pick up return item Not recommended

Es un excelente cargador de baterías y practico