Buying a battery tester or charger is a reasonable investment, so we have teamed up with Rotronics to help provide you with some helpful advice, to make sure that you get the best equipment for your workshop and workforce. Rotronics is the UK partner for CTEK and Midtronics battery management technology and is an industry leader in battery maintenance and service solutions
Battery Testers
First things first, make sure that you know exactly what you want the battery tester to do: is it to help with warranty claims, or to act as a sales tool? Be clear about the vehicles you will be testing and if you want to measure the life-cycle performance and parasitic drains.
Not all testers can test all batteries accurately and it is preferable to make sure that your new tester is future proof, because of the increased use of EFB batteries, instead of traditional AGM or flooded products. The Rotronics team would recommend a tester that can be upgraded, to make sure that you can keep in step with any new industry developments.
The printed reports from any tester need to be legible and easy to understand; you might want to have your own personalised details on the printout, with the date and time stamped.
Battery Chargers
Before buying a battery charger, make sure that you know exactly what type of batteries you want to charge eg Flooded, AGM, GEL, EFB and lithium ion technologies – they all have different charging characteristics.
Are you going to use the unit for on- or off-vehicle charging and do you need a battery support capability? You must know what size the power supply function needs to be and how the charger will deal with thermal runaway.
Will you have the very best safety protection offered on the charger? This is a really important area to consider, to ensure that your workforce is protected from any dangers.
Important for Testers and Chargers
What level of warranty will you have and can you get it back to your supplier easily should something go wrong?
We would always favour equipment that can be easily repaired, with replaceable leads. Other components may need to be replaced and the repair process for all testers is not equal. This is important to know because you want to be reassured that the repair turnaround is speedy.
It is good to know how much training you might be able to receive on the equipment. On-going support is also important as you may have a test report that looks confusing – on-hand help can be vital.
You are aiming to gain accurate data from the technology, so it is essential to consider the pedigree of the product and investigate any endorsement from the industry, peers and customers.
This kit you are buying must be robust to withstand the day-to-day use and abuse of a thriving workshop. Often the units at the cheaper end of the market will not stand the test of time.
