BLACK+DECKER Fully Automatic Charger

I recently purchased this charger as a maintainer for our second car that does not get driven very often and which due to some after market accessories installed will slowly discharge its battery as it sits in the carport. During the winters up here at 4000 feet in the Sierra Nevada, that discharge rate can increase dramatically due to the extremely frigid nights. The need for some kind of battery maintainer is a must in a situation like this. The alternative is an often dead or nearly dead battery, which if left in such a situation will eventually succumb to the poor operating environment and fail. The cost of a quality charger like the BC15BD 15 Amp is much less than the cost of a new battery! This charger has been great for keeping that car's battery charged up and ready to start the car when needed. The fact that it is gentle on the battery through its multi-stage charging process helps to preserve the life of any battery in a similar situation. Finally... In Defense of What I Find to be a Quality, Well Designed and Well Made Product... Take the Negative Reviews Here With a Grain of Salt! Before purchasing this charger for myself, I came up here and read through several pages of these reviews. I just read through many of the negative reviews that had originally given me pause... But reading them again after owning the product myself? Basically, I am seeing in many of these negative reviews examples of customers who are simply failing to understand how a typical car battery works, and what a battery charger can and can not do! While some of these reviews are legit and speak to a real issue with that particular unit, sometimes a battery has reached its end of life, is worn out and simply needs to be replaced! As well as this device performs its job at charging and maintaining a "normally functioning" battery, it is not a miracle worker, able to magically resurrect a dead or defective battery that is obviously in need of replacement! No! It can not charge a battery that has fallen below 2 Volts! That kind of battery is called RUINED by neglect, abuse, or simply normal life expectancy reached and exceeded! Car batteries do not last forever, and their life span can be dramatically shortened if they are not taken care of properly! While it is true that the older manual type battery chargers can sometimes power their way through a totally "FLAT" battery and might be able to charge it back up to a useful range temporarily, that doesn't alter the fact that letting a car battery go completely flat damages that battery's internal components, and as a result it is more than likely ruined when it comes to offering a reliable form of power for starting and running your vehicle. Buying and using this charger is a good way to avoid that fate for your own vehicle's battery (s) If this charger fails to charge your battery, then you more than likely need to buy a new battery as well as this charger to make sure your new battery doesn't suffer the same fate! ;)