 "Poorly Constructed" | 2008-07-17 |
| - Reviewed By ejerrym |
| This battery charger is much better than a standard manual charger in so much as it properly charges a battery through stages. It will not charge a battery that is "dead" without faulting. Best to give your battery a boost from a manual charger, then switch over to the Smart charger. The battery clamps are very poorly made and will easily break. Replacement parts are not available through the manufacturer. |
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 "Battery conditioning restored my dead battery - Paid for its self." | 2008-06-02 |
| - Reviewed By bajoriap |
I bought this device when I accidentally killed the battery on my SUV. I left the dome light on (for days) and it eventually killed the battery. When I tried to recharge the battery it just didn;t want to take a decent charge. I did some research (I am an engineer by trade) and found out about battery sulphate formation.
This charger has a battery conditioning mode which is basically a desulphate cycle and it works. I charged the battery, ran the conditioning cycle a few times on the battery (it takes up to 24 hours per cycle) and it saved the battery. That was over a year ago at this point.
There are many ways a battery can die and sulphate formation is only one. So I am not saying this will fix ANY battery. However, all lead acid battery sulphate to some degree so now the battery conditioning cycle is something I do once a year on all my batteries.
This charger is also a nice charger. It does 2/10/20/40 amp charging and 100 amp start boosting. The cables all store tidy in the back and the handle is, well, handy.
This charger was well worth the extra over a base charger in by opinion.
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| "My VEC1093 has worked great since April 2004" | 2008-06-01 |
| - Reviewed By lajuene |
| I bought this on April 12, 2004. I've used it a lot for my RV battery bank recharging. I don't know how others are using their chargers but I cannot figure out how they are breaking the clamps. They are heavy plastic and seem tough enough to me. They have been for over 4 years of regular use. I'll definitely get another one if needed but at this rate I don't think I'll need to replace it for quite a while. I do keep it in the original box between uses and I don't throw it around or let it bang around in the back of my truck. Seems like it'll last if you don't beat it up. It does have a processor in it and I don't throw my laptop around either. 8-) |
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 "Get modern technology" | 2008-01-13 |
| - Reviewed By bt@templetons.com |
Compared to earlier generation chargers that used transformers, there is no comparison. Switching power supplies are vastly lighter, cheaper and more powerful. They are what you want.
The main downside of this charger is slightly cheap parts, the noise of the fan, and sometimes being "too smart" for its own good. For example a totally discharged battery will not charge on it, you have to give it a boost with an old charger so that it generates enough voltage for the Vector to accept that it's there. |
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 "Parts NOT available!" | 2007-11-14 |
| - Reviewed By User: AHZAQK29NU30X |
I purchased a model VEC1093 at Sears three years ago and have been very happy with the unit. It performed as advertised until the negative terminal clamp broke a couple of months ago.
I have read other reviews that say that the unit will be repaired if the purchaser pays for shipping. I would like to inform all that that option appears no longer available.
I began by calling Vector at 800.618.5178 they said I could send it to any Black & Decker (Dewalt) service center for repairs. Called the nearest Dewalt service center and they informed me that NO parts are available for my $1 part on my $100+ charger. I spent two days following this vicious circle and finally called Noble Direct. They are the company that currently sells this product on Amazon.
The person I spoke with two days ago said they would attempt to help me. Today I called them back to find that NO parts are available for the Vector charger.
Great product but with NO support it is worthless so I recommend that you avoid this product and all other Black & Decker items!
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| "Smart Worker" | 2007-08-25 |
| - Reviewed By User: A1K7OUOZGT6EG3 |
This battery charger lives up to it's name; it's smart. And if you use it correctly it's very rewarding. I charge an 80A deep cycle outboard battery with it on the 40A setting and it's usually done in an hour.
It's desulfating cycle is highly effective, it can literally bring a car battery back from the dead and save you the cost of a new one. There's only a few things necessary to make this charger work well: make sure the battery is on a level surface, and heed the somewhat non-traditional grounding methods such as using a 6ft extension cable from the neg. terminal if the battery is unmounted and plugging the neg. to the chassis if it is mounted in the car. You also want to follow the error messages as it will tell you what your battery needs, to be restored or the connection adjusted.
One more thing, watch for Amazon to put this one on special; when I bought it less than a year ago on a promotion it was a real deal at 90+. Also the model I have looks different than this one (mine has no yellow colors). But it has the same model# and as far as I can tell is the same charger. |
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| "Excellent performance" | 2007-06-08 |
| - Reviewed By User: A3V8M11T3ONXNZ |
I was first using a charger (for an power inverter) that couldn't charge my batteries. I have 2 bank batteries (4 each), a 3 years old one, and a new one. The ancient one gave me performance that I never thought it could have given me : they are 3 years old !! and they keep working ! I haven't tested the new one performance yet !
It's a smart charger. It gave your batteries the good charge at the needed rate ! and it automatically stops when the batteries are full.
The only problem is that I thought I could charge my batteries at 100 Amp rate ! but I was wrong : this is an engine start system... |
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| "A great charger for the home auto mechanic." | 2006-12-10 |
| - Reviewed By huzyrdaddy |
I tried it through all of the features and it is what they advertise. I am very satisfied.
I do not think it would hold up under the heavy use of a commercial auto business, but if you want a super hi tech, light weight, 40 amp charger that will do an excellent job for the home auto mechanic, this ones for you.
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| "Great Charger" | 2006-12-07 |
| - Reviewed By User: A2HBYAW905J5BO |
I'm an electrical engineer working in power electronics and also an old car buff. I got this about 2 weeks ago after my old charger was damaged by water. At 40 amps it charges faster than many roll-around chargers. I haven't used the 1 minute start feature yet. So far I'm really pleased. I read a couple of reviews complaining of the clamps breaking and I can only say that they seem very heavy duty and work great. Some people probably think it's made cheaply since it is so very light. Older battery chargers had heavy iron core transformers and sheet metal cases so the contrast to this plastic case and aluminum heat sink is very dramatic. Small, light and automatic 40 amp charging.. Hard to complain about that. LED display is hard to see in direct sunlight. Cord and Cable store in the rear compartment so no tangled cords. I got it directly from Northern Tool online for the same price as amazon. I like being able to phone if there's a problem with an order. I like amazon but you CANNOT phone them and talk to a human. You can read the specs at vectors web site called battery-care. Overall...a great charger.
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| "Clamp broke.... plastic junk" | 2006-05-22 |
| - Reviewed By johnny99 |
| Ground clamp broke... only matter of time before the other one breaks as they are both made out of PLASTIC. I plan on replacing both myself and if/when the charging portion does not work as it should, it is going in the garbage and I will never buy another Vector product again. Customer service is horrible. Save your money -- there are better chargers available for same or less $$$. |
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Expedited Available
