Schumacher SpeedCharge 6500A
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The Schumacher charger works well as both a charger and a starter but also does a great job testing a charging system on a car. I used the charger a few times during the cold spells we have been having on my older vehicle that has a hard time starting during these below zero days.
The charger works as you would expect with a nice indication when you first connect it of how much voltage the battery currently has before pressing any buttons. During the charge it shows it is charging the battery and what voltage the battery is at during charging, not what voltage the charger is putting out.
This is important as some older chargers would show what voltage the charger is putting out as opposed to what voltage the battery is actually at but the microprocessor can determine the actual voltage of the battery during the charging. When viewing the charger it is important to note if the charger is in testing mode or if it’s actually charging the battery which is indicated by a yellow LED on the Status window.
When charging the indicator will be yellow and when it has charged the battery fully the green Charged LED will light and the charging LED will go out. You use the indicators as you would expect and there really are no surprises or tricks to using this charger with its nice LED readout display.
You also have a simple auto start charging function if you connect a battery and just leave it without starting the charge function by pressing any buttons. The charger will start to charge the battery after 15 minutes at the small battery rate and regular 12 volt battery type as long as a battery is connected.
The starter function also is a simple feature to use and one that is very nice in a charger of this size and cost with its safety feature being a great addition. So you do not over use the charger and overheat it during a start you have a five second start time to try to start your car.
If your car starts before the five second time is up the charger simply goes into the testing mode but if it hits five seconds it will start a countdown from 3 minutes, 180 seconds on display, and you have to wait for the charger to cool down. This is great for use as a quick starter and charger but may not work as well for a full autoshop battery charger or starter.
The Schumacher 6500A is the perfect size and functionality for a home and makes a great charger for your small batteries like a motorcycle or even boat battery. The model 6500A has the nice features of a charger and starter as well as being able to tell any problems with the alternator so you can start troubleshooting the cause of your low battery.
The Schumacher SpeedCharge 6500A does a great job of charging a car battery or even starting a car if you need a quick jump at home and have no other vehicle. Although the first time my particular car did not start it was really nice to test out the functionality of the timed cool down and use the many functions of the charger right off the bat.
The charger worked great at both starting the car when it was really cold after a few tries and at charging the battery fully for a fresh start using only the battery. It was also nice to have the tester that functions right when you first plug the battery charger in and have it connected to see if the battery is working well or if you might have to look further at problems with the vehicle.
I found the Schumacher SpeedCharge 6500A the perfect home device for a DIY car maintenance tool and perfect both in price and functionality. I highly recommend the Schumacher SpeedCharge 6500A as the perfect home battery charger and starter at a very reasonable price of about $120.