This is one of the most intelligently designed products I've ever used.
I also own a Ctek 7002 & a Noco Genius G3500 battery chargers both of which I also like a lot. This one is better. It keeps you apprised of what it is doing. Will tell you if your connection to the battery is bad. And lots of other stuff that you don't have to get out the manual to understand. It has idiot-proof connections for the cords. And even a place for you to wrap the cords around the unit for storage. The wall mount has a place where you can clip on the clamps. Plus, it has well thought-out controls (buttons) on the face of the charger. (For geeks: Great UI design.)
I have a classic car that I installed a brand new Optima Red Top battery in last fall. I forgot to disconnect it for the winter. I did a trickle charge on the old battery and a power surge/interruption killed the Noco G3500 charger. I live in rural Wisconsin. (Noco graciously replaced it since it was only 3 months old.) Anyway, the Optima was completely discharged last week. So flat that neither the Ctek nor the Noco would recognize it or start charging. (The Ctek has a setting for Optima batteries, but that made no difference.) The Noco would quickly flash all the lights and the Ctek would think about it and then go into problem mode.
So I bought this charger thinking that Optima probably knew how to best charge their batteries. I put in on the battery for 24 hrs. Sure enough! It read 100 percent charge the next day. Started the car and it fired right up. Awesome!
It's true! It will charge batteries other chargers won't.
The Digital 400 isn't as powerful as Optima's bigger 1200 charger, so it takes longer to do a complete charge or reconditioning. But after reading the reviews on Amazon, it also doesn't have the problems the 1200 seems to have—and it's half the price.
Downsides: The wires seem a little insubstantial. (A softer plastic insulation may be the reason for that impression.) The clamps could have bigger jaws and I had to spread the clamp wires more apart (a bigger "Y") to attach to the terminal clamp and a safe grounding point in the engine compartment.
It feels substantial. It's seems well made, it's easy to use and it tells you what it's doing. Plus it's a comparable price to the Ctek and Noco chargers. What more can you ask for than that?
I am really, really impressed with this little unit.
| Manufacturer | Optima Batteries |
|---|---|
| Brand | OPTIMA |
| Model | Optima Digital 1200 12V Performance Battery Charger and Maintainer |
| Item Weight | 0.01 ounces |
| Product Dimensions | 7.5 x 6.5 x 10 inches |
| Item model number | 150-33508 |
| Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
| Manufacturer Part Number | 150-33508 |
| OEM Part Number | 150-34178 |
| Amperage | 12 Amps |
| Voltage | 12 Volts |
