OptiMate 7 Select 12V 10A Charger/Maintainer for AGM GEL EFB & Deep-Cycle Lead-Acid 3–240Ah with 13.6V Power Supply Mode

Juggling 10+ 12 volt batteries for 6 vehicles plus caravan, none of which are in daily use requires careful monitoring, charging and occasionally rescuing and restoring to full function. The Optimate 7 is now my “go to” device, worth every penny of its relatively high price. Rejuvenation processing is automatic, forgiving of a low start voltage with a range of target charge current and diagnostics at the end.

works very well on both car and motorbike battery's

I wanted a RELIABLE charger that would last me many years. It needed to be compatible with a wide range of batteries (both AGM and standard) and also provide a "power supply" mode which I could occasionally make use of. Looking at the alternatives I wasn't too impressed with some of the reviews of other devices with issues such as inconsistent charge rates, mode button frequently failing and poorly made with bad life spans. I also wanted a decent named brand rather than one of the many *insert cheap Chinese brand here* names (I don't want it catching fire on me). I already have a Tecmate 1.2A charger which has performed faultlessly for 12 yrs now, so I opted for the 10A Optimate 7 Select. Has the ability to cope with multiple batteries and has a 9 stage charging mode that can even attempt to revive dead batteries. So similar to many other brands, the main difference being proven track record and reliability - if I'm spending this much money on a device I don't want it breaking down on me in a few years (has a 3 year replacement warranty btw). Used on my wife's non-AGM maintainable battery during the recent cold spell with great results, keeping her on the road (she's a key worker like me) when needed. I can also use it on my car which has an AGM battery. Luckily it comes with an SAE lead that you can permanently attach to the battery, the battery in my case being in my boot. This means I never have to lift my bonnet - simply connect the charger directly to the connector in the boot (where there's enough leeway to trail the mains plug lead safely outside meaning you can close the boot lid if it's raining and even lock the car with no issues). Contrary to popular internet claims, No, there's no risk of a spark with this. A spark occurs when there's a tiny gap between conductors (hence spark plugs). Which is why when connecting clamps to the battery terminals for a split second there is a tiny gap so it can spark (which is why some folk say don't jump start from the negative terminal, find a more remote ground to keep risk of any spark away from the battery). However in this case, the terminals are lugged and tightened against the bolt so there is no gap and hence no spark, in the same way there's no spark to anything else connected to the battery (like the ECU, HVAC, lighting, alternator etc etc). Remember to connect the negative lead to the chassis rather than directly to the negative terminal so that the car's battery monitoring system is not bypassed (the positive is attached directly to the positive terminal though). That cable is also safely fused (comes like that) and waterproof. There's more than enough gap between the lining/upholstery that the cable isn't pinched either. I tie-wrapped it to the retaining brace to stop it flopping around. Entirely safe and charges correctly. The only thing I have to remember to do is the charger has a couple of tests (pre and post charge) to determine battery health. If for your car when you lock it, it takes a few min for the 12v lighter sockets (and anything attached to them, like dashcam, aguri, voltmeter etc etc) to power down, then as the charger starts testing during this time, it thinks those small drains are the battery draining due to poor health and goes into "anti-sulphating mode". So what I do is connect it all up (charger in boot where battery is to have accurate temperature measure) but don't turn it on (I've already pre-selected 14.7v AGM mode). After locking the car, I wait 3 minutes, look through the window to check the dashcam is now off and THEN turn the charger on from the mains. I can now safely leave it on overnight and in the morning the car is fully charged. The "Voltage Supply Mode" also allows me to code the car without any worries. Final thing worth mentioning is that if you want an SAE extension lead the ONLY one you can buy is the O23 10A rated one from Optimate (the multiple other Optimate extenders are only 5A rated so won't be suitable for this 10A charger). Overall, brilliant bit of kit. 5 out of 5.

Nice to use