kmart MVP charger revisited

It would have to be without a doubt cheap crap made in China , triple the $50 and go buy a good one because I would presume your going to be really pi$$ed of about it when it packs it in after a few uses.

Snaptec Australia Pty. Ltd. is a 100% Australian owned company specialized in the design , manufacture and distribution of professional power conversion products this includes DC power supplies , AC power sources , DC/AC inverters, battery chargers , DC backup systems , DC No Break UPS systems, AC UPS systems, DC/DC converters, AC/AC frequency converters and transformers. We are proud to offer one of the most comprehensive range of power conversion products in Australia. Highest quality and prompt service is our goal. Many of our products have a track record of continuous service for more than 12 years.

http://www.snaptec.com.au/batterychargers/batterychargers.htm#SNB

It's a switchmode charger so no heavy transformer inside. I have the 6 amp version which stated 3 stage on the box but it appears to me to be only 2 stage. I use it mainly to occassionaly charge the battery in a solar setup that provides security lighting outside my house. So far after 12 months and a dozen or so uses I've had no problems with it.

I haven't checked the posts you mention but if it's the same one I bought a year or so back (for $100) 2A to 15A then mine is still going strong.

Because it's a constant current charger it does, sometimes, exceed the maximum charging voltage specified for lead acid batteries but this won't normally be a problem because it doesn't do it for long enough to cause excess heat dissipation, the control electronics soon recognise the battery is fully charged and stop charging. $50 is an excellent price. Only use the 10A, 12A and 15A charging on batteries over about 40Ah capacity below that stick to 6A or 2A.

Mike Harding