I have been befuddled before but now completely .Chargers now are "smart ". I got one at NAPA for about a $100 and returned it . I am looking for recommendations .NAPA has always been good to me and I am headed back to the city today to shop for one . I have a tractor, diesel pickup,gas pickup and a car ,forecast is minus 30 on Sunday and up to 20 inches of snow over the next few days .Will need a charge for sure .

I hate HATE the new cycling chargers
My smaller 2/10/50 does better for me than my
Big rolling 20/60/100 does

I think Harbor freight still sells the older style manual ones.

Schumacher used to make good ones I haven’t been around their new ones, so I’m not sure if they’re still the same quality or not.

Yeah I bought one a few years ago and I hate it. Just want to throw it against the wall most times I use it. I don't want a battery charger to think or try to make its own decisions. I JUST WANT IT TO CHARGE.

I got one of those little boosters smaller than a kids lunch box, hook it up and start it up. It even has a setting for a completely dead battery. Just don’t forget and shut the vehicle off too soon on those batteries.

I went Harbor Freight after going to NAPA again . Harbor had both kinds and the manager was very clear that they had lots of returns on the manual ones ! And said firmly to get the Smart one ($ 39 ) versus the manual $ 44 . The Smart one I returned at NAPA 2 months ago was about $80 .

So which one did you get?

I can't stand the new ones, I can never get a full charge out of one, they always kick off or fail somehow.
They probably build them lawsuit proof.
Got an old style at HF for about $50.

I agree with both of you 100%

When they work , they are great. The problem is the charger decides it doesn't like something like a totally flat (discharged) battery. They need to make an override switch for say the lowest amperage so you can at least get like 2 volts into the battery and the charger will recognize the charge and allow you apply a full amp charge.

I got the " stupid "smart charger ! I will return it if I stupider or smarter !

Smart chargers are designed for the majority of people who cant understand about overcharging and ruining a battery. They have their place but, as mentioned earlier, generally have crappy components that are subject to fail and wont charge a heavily depleted battery. For anything smaller than a car battery I always use "Battery Tender" chargers and they greatly prolong the life of the batteries and shut off whenever the battery is charged. I still believe everyone needs an old style charger as well, to start the charging process on a dead battery.

I went to a jump box and seldom ever use anything but the trickle charger any more.

https://www.amazon.com/Booster-ES50...3977258863&region_id=674469&th=1

I got this ES5000 from an auto parts , honestly I was stuck 2 miles from the store with a bad battery and hoofed it there a few minutes before closing time bought what he said was a good one and then read upon it when I got home and found he was being honest it really was a good unit

I have put it in place of the battery on the 2000 expedition 5.4v8 and at 20 degrees started it with only the boost pack no other battery

I keep the unit charged and in my truck , my wife has a little smaller one similar story bad battery in a fleet farm parking lot this time , jump pack in the other vehicle at least it wasn't 4 mile walking in the cold that time just run back in the store and buy one. since it is about 30 more than calling a tow truck for a jump and hours faster.

then very handy to keep in the vehicle. take it out every 3 months and check charge

My jump box died a bit ago. Need to get another one but I am looking at the super capacitor type ones. Zero maintenance and very light and compact , just a bit spendy though.
Until then , old school -

This is a professional set of jumper cables , like you would find on a tow truck. I had to special order them.
They are 26 feet long , #2 gauge copper with all copper clamps. They will jump start a Navy battleship.

I recently got a Haisito 12/24v smart battery charger. It does lithium, AGM/lead and LiFePo4 batteries. Works great. Not very expensive either. Real nice display too. Like this one here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rRN-oBXP28 (not my video).

I got one of the jump boxes for $87 at Napa honestly it was worthless but it would jump a riding lawn mower . that same one now is $66 and the clerk said they got lots of them back . The HF smartie is working so far ! When we took the jump box back we got a extra battery for the pickup and used that with jumper cables ,