CTEK MXS 3.8 Multi Functional 7-stage battery charger 3.8 A

Introducing the CTEK 7 Stage Car Battery Charger—your car’s best friend when your car battery is feeling a bit under the weather. I’ve already got a few of these trusty chargers hanging around for my motorcycles and cars. So, why the latest addition, you ask? Well, my wife's Range Rover decided to have an intermittent overnight battery drain issue—because who doesn’t enjoy a bit of drama in their life? Imagine my surprise when I found myself unable to unlock my car because it was playing dead. Cue the CTEK charger to the rescue! Plugging it in every night became my new routine, like an evening ritual of ensuring my car was getting the pampering it deserved. Until I could drag my car to my best mate (a mechanic who’s practically a wizard with wrenches), the CTEK charger was my go-to hero, keeping my battery in tip-top shape and preventing any more surprises. This charger is like having a dependable butler for your car’s battery—always there when you need it, without any fuss or drama. It’s easy to use and does the job so well that it’s almost too good to be true. For keeping your vehicles happy and healthy over winter or during long-term storage, it’s the reliable sidekick you didn’t know you needed. In short, the CTEK 7 Stage Car Battery Charger is a fantastic addition to any car lover’s arsenal. 10/10—because even when your car decides to play hard to get, this charger ensures you’re always ready for action. Cheers to that!

I don't write many reviews on Amazon but having recently used it in anger I thought I'd add my thoughts on this charger. I've had my CTEK MXS 3.8 for 6 years so this is a long term review. I bought it for my 1961 Hillman Minx, which used to eat batteries as it is laid up every winter, doesn't do a huge amount of mileage in the summer and isn't terribly efficient at charging when its running, so I used regularly to have recourse to an old-school non-smart charger. I was recommended the CTEK by a mechanic I know who specializes in restoring high end classic cars and keeps several himself. Since purchasing the CTEK I leave the car on charge in the garage full time (the eyelet lead allowing a permanently available plug-in connection is great), relying on the charger to keep the battery charged and conditioned. The result is that my old car is always ready to go, and I have only just needed to replace the battery which I'd then had about a year, so it was 7 years old altogether - previously they generally lasted about 3 years before they became incapable of holding a charge. However just this week I've put the charger to another use which prompted this review. My daily driver is a Toyota Prius, and anybody familiar with these cars knows they have a low powered 12V auxiliary battery that is only used for initially booting up the computers and enabling the main traction batteries. Unwisely I left the car unused for a few weeks during Covid lockdown resulting in the 12V battery going flat. Priuses have a lot of sensitive electronics and it's easy to cause problems if you're not careful when charging them but the CTEK did the job without fuss and showed 4 LEDs (ready to start) in just a few hours. I can't speak to the mode switch that some reviewers have complained about as I set it to normal when I first got it and haven't touched it since. I don't have a motorbike and the cold weather setting merely increases the charging voltage from 14.4V to 14.7V according to CTEK. I'm not sure how much benefit there is to that, it certainly seems to function perfectly well when left in normal mode. I can confirm that the charger still works as well now as it did 6 years ago ,having been in almost continuous use, and it has already more than paid me back its purchase price by extending the life of my battery.

C- Tek are well made chargers and work very well. I have now several of them in different locations. Some for long term trickle charge and others more powerful to charge batteries in an emergency. Highly recommended.

When it works, it’s excellent — but my first unit failed completely. Mine went totally dead within an hour of its second use, only four months after purchase. No lights, no power. I checked the plug fuse and let it cool for an hour, but it still wouldn’t power up. I returned it through Amazon and reordered the same model, hoping it was just a one-off faulty circuit. Fingers crossed the replacement holds up better. Charging performance: Depending on the battery’s size and starting charge level, it usually takes anywhere from 20 minutes to around 2–3 hours to get through the initial Bulk Stage 3. If the battery is fully flat or deeply discharged, it can take many hours more (rough guide: Bulk charging time from flat ≈ 0.8 × battery Ah capacity ÷ 3.8 amps). Stage 4, the final absorption phase that brings the battery from roughly 80% to 100%, takes about another 6 hours. The good news is the battery is generally usable for driving once it hits about 80% if you need to get going sooner. Charging behaviour: I verified that this charger safely brings the battery up to about 14.4V — just under the gassing threshold — and then settles to around 13.5V in Float mode for maintenance. The 3.8A output is ideal for regularly topping up a second or occasionally used car (every 2–3 weeks), helping preserve long-term battery health by keeping the maximum charge rate around Ah/12. Overall: A very good compact, light weight charger that works efficiently and safely, delivering the fastest charge you can expect from a 3.8A unit. I just have concerns about reliability based on my first unit’s failure, but the 5-year warranty does offer some reassurance.

Bought as I had to charge a car battery of 34Ah (note 2Ah above the recommendation), as the hybrid car which it was in had stood for nearly six months. The car in question was a hybrid with stop/start technology, which typically use either an AGM (Absorbent Glass Mat) or Gel battery - mine had an AGM. If you read the guides and technical notes on both of these battery types, then these batteries can be charged at higher amperages, BUT as they are sealed the quicker you charge them the more gas-off will occur, and hence the shorter the batteries life. The cars OEM manufacturer didn't have a recommended charger or sell one, but a specialist battery distributor advised to charge "low & slow" to maintain battery life. From dead-flat the MXS 3.4 took 36hrs to fully charge the 34Ah battery. OK, if you need to get to work today, then buy something with more power, but accept that you are severely reducing the life of your battery. I have since used the charger to charge another dead-flat battery, and to trickle charge a battery, and it has done its job successfully each time. Easy to operate (pug and play), it also has an auto wrong-connection feature. Very satisfied!

wonderful little charger, comes with both crocodile attachments & ring attachments with adaptable plug

Needed one of these as I got given a company car so wasn't using my own as much. As I've got a slight battery drain issue, I can't leave the car for more than 7 days before the battery has had it so I got a CTEK to save it. I know it's technically masking the issue but I've not got the time or patience for a main dealer to find what the problem is and charge me an extreme amount of money to fix it. I've left my car plugged in to the CTEK for around 2 weeks with no issues at all, I'm comfortable I could leave it plugged in for months on end, but I didn't by my car to sit there, I bought it to drive so I tend to use it at least once a week where possible. The charger itself is small and light and comes with a good little bag for all the cables. A pair of croc clips is handy for spare batteries where hard wiring in isn't possible. I've got the hard wire kit installed in my car with no issues. It sits neatly out the way when not in use and comes with a rubber bung to stop any water ingress from the weather or washing. From a dead battery to fully charged takes on average 20 hours, maybe more. But I'm really pleased with it and would definitely recommend to anyone who has a second car.

Like many of us due to Lockdown and so on the car had a lot less use and the battery was slowly going flat so I bought this. It really is easy to use and straight out of the box. I would say that the leads supplied could be longer after I consulted the owners manual on where to connect the clamps they only just reached on a medium sized Toyota and I suspect if you have a larger vehicle then they might not be long enough. I didn't feel it was necessary for me to get the higher 7.5A model which is obviously more expensive as this is only for light occasional use. It completely recharged my 6 year old battery in just four hours including going through it's cycles so I can't complain. It's very small, comes with a little bag to keep it in which the instructions fit inside as well so I'll always be able to find them if I need.

Acquistato in sostituzione di un precedente Caricabatterie AEG che aveva presentato un difetto di produzione (rimborsatomi da AMAZON) ho trovato il CTEK conforme alle descrizioni e caratteristica he rappresentate dal Costruttore e dalle recensioni del prodotto. La mia esigenza è limitata a tenere in "carica" la batteria del mio TMAX, in particolare nel periodo di fermo dei mesi invernali. Molto comodi anche gli anelli da lasciare connessi alla batteria con relativo spinotto opzionale alle pinze, che facilitano e stabilizzano il collegamento alla batteria. Di facile utilizzo. Consegna veloce e prodotto ben imballato. Soddisfatto dell'acquisto.

Idéal.

Das Ladegerät ist Klasse sowohl von der Qualität und der Technik sicherlich eines der Besten Geräte . Hatte das Gerät als MXS 5 schon in der Werkstatt meines Vertrauens mir ansehen können. Privat ist der Kleine Bruder MXS 3.8 für meine Situation (Kleine Autobatterie) und Motorradbatterie sogar besser.(Stichwort kleinerer Ladestrom) Soweit volle Empfehlung für Gerät! Was Amazon betrifft scheinbar ein Glücksspiel was für einen Stecker man bekommt. Aufgrund einiger Rezessionen hier habe ich expliziert persönlich nachgefragt (vor Bestellung)und bekam als Antwort (sinngemäß : kann man mir nicht sagen was für ein Stecker am Gerät ist den es wird aus mehreren Lagern versandt und da ist es halt Zufall was für ein Stecker montiert ist) Bestellt daher auf volles Risiko! Wer das nicht möchte sollte den großen Bruder nehmen da gibt es komischer Weise bis jetzt keine Beschwerden wegen Stecker.Zumindest ist mir keine aufgefallen. Fazit: Mit einem falschen Stecker ist es hier in Deutschland schlichtweg unbrauchbar und muss zurückgesandt werden! Warum gibt es also hier überhaupt Geräte mit falschen Stecker? Also ich hatte Glück und wie immer sehr schnelle Lieferung aber die undurchsichtige Firmenpolitik die so überhaupt keinen Sinn macht verdient in diesem Fall einen Stern und der ist noch zu hoch! Das Gerät ist Klasse und hat keine Abwertung verdient, daher und nur daher volle Punktzahl.

Llevo ya mucho tiempo utilizándolo y funciona perfectamente sin problemas. La utilizo habitualmente para cargar una scooter. Detecta el estado y según como esté de carga tarda más o menos.

This is an excellent item , charged up many a flat battery