Yuasa YUA1201501 Smart Shot Battery Charger

• Fully automatic 5 stage cycle for efficient charging
• 28-day charge recycle re-evaluates battery condition for long-term battery storage
• Up to 16 Volts for recovery of sulfated batteries
• Charges both 6 Volt and 12 Volt batteries
• 3-year limited warranty

I bought this battery charger to replace a Deltran Battery Tender that cooked the motorcycle battery it was hooked up to. The Yuasa unit works as advertised. The "float" function appears to work as it should, i.e., the battery's voltage is maintained without over-charging. And my bike starts up more readily than ever.

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Works as advertised. I use it on my motorcycle and riding lawn tractor. I will be buying a second unit for the winter to use on my lawn tractor since this one will be dedicated to my motorcycle.

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Works as advertised. I use it on my son's ATV and works very well. It has even taken a few big drops and still works perfectly. The 1.5 Amp output is better than other lower end chargers for charging new batteries. This unit also has better technology to handle new gel batteries. Will by a second one for my motorcycle.

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Warning: Although these battery chargers have only a 1.5 ampere output and will not begin charging unless they are connected correctly, you are connecting them to a battery which can provide up to 900 amps of current! Shorting the terminals of an automotive battery can cause a conductor as heavy as a screwdriver to explode! Furthermore, overcharging a battery with a fault not detected by a charger can cause the battery to explode! Sulphuric acid will burn your skin instantly and will blind you if you get it in your eyes! If you don't intend to read the several pages of safety instructions at the beginning of the manuals which come with all of these chargers then also buy the cigar lighter attachment listed on Amazon. All three chargers now use the same quick disconnect; I'm not sure about cigar lighter wiring.

Choosing a battery charger is a matter of personal preference and intended use. A 45 AH battery that has been run dead will take over 30 hours with a 1.5 amp charger at best and more likely twice that to fully charge that battery... if it can be charged at all; for that you will need a big charger. Note: Charging lead acid batteries at high charge rates (over 1.5 amp) is not recommended. This review only addresses small chargers designed to keep a battery from becoming discharged while it is in long term (10 days or more) storage. At least one manual says that a large capacity battery may have its life reduced by charging with the low current these chargers supply; that pertains to all small chargers [Storage Battery Maintenance & Principles, US DOT 1998 pp 3 & 10].

Schumacher 1.5 amp battery `maintainers' will restore a discharged battery (not a completely dead battery) at a relatively high rate (almost as fast as a 5 amp unregulated charger because the charge rate of all high current chargers fall off quickly as the battery voltage rises), hence the name "SpeedCharger". After charging the battery to approximately 14.8 volts the Schumacher turns off and monitors the voltage. (A fully charged battery will measure 12.6 volts after an hour of `rest'; a fully discharged battery (not a completely dead battery) will read 11.4 volts.) Once the Schumacher detects that the battery voltage has fallen below 12.6 volts it reverts to maintenance mode until the battery is fully charged. Note: 12.2 volts is about 50% discharged and 11.4 volts is just about dead (there isn't much difference in the voltage reading between a fully charged and fully discharged battery). Since all lead acid batteries `self-discharge' over time, periodic low current maintenance charging has been an accepted way to maintain storage batteries in optimum condition for 100 years [Witte pp 66 & 287, Filiquarian 2012]. The Schumacher automatically detects whether it is connected to a 6 or 12 volt battery. Our Schumacher restored a battery that only measured 12.2 volts after two days charging with a 10 amp charger to 12.7 volts.

Deltran 1.5 amp (not the .75 amp Jr which we just bought) battery `tenders' will restore discharged batteries in the same length of time as the Schumacher and faster than all trickle chargers (we have all types of chargers in use, some for over 40 years). Deltran (including the Jr) uses Yuasa's philosophy for maintaining the battery after it is fully charged, lowering the charging rate to 10 milliamps (almost nothing). At that low rate the battery will not lose electrolyte [Witte pp 151, Filiquarian 2012]. Deltran lists 3 modes: bulk (charging), absorbtion (probably refers to desulphation) and float (green LED solid). The red LED flashes briefly while it is testing the battery. The Deltran Jr is nice for maintaining batteries in vehicles which are used once a week it is a large power `cube' with a very long DC cord. I used cable ties for both sides of the quick disconnect in case I forget to unplug it... it just pops off as I back out of the garage. I really like the red flashing light when the Deltran Jr. is plugged in but not connected to the car.

The Yuasa 1.5 amp SmartShot has a metal case. A switch selects 6 or 12 volt and, like the other chargers, it will not work if connected backwards or set to the wrong voltage. Note: None of these chargers will work with rechargeable nickel-cadmium batteries; I'm not sure about any other rechargeable batteries. Yuasa (mine says Interstate Batteries) has 5 stage charging technology: testing flashing yellow LED (I like that), charging solid yellow, desulphation stage (I'm guessing), completed/float mode green LED. I guess the 5th stage is if the battery fails the testing stage flashing red. That's where Yuasa gets the name SmartShot. I've used two of these for 8 10 years.

Sulphation is an issue that might come up when buying a small charger. The Deltran, Schumacher and Yuasa 1.5 amp chargers will keep sulphation to a minimum. `Soft' sulphation always occurs normally in automotive batteries. A low current charge rate is known to control normal sulphation [Witte pp 49 & 53, Filiquarian 2012]. Hard sulphation cannot be corrected without extreme measures; trade in the battery.

Wattage of the The Schumacher, Deltran and Yuasa 1.5 amp chargers is less than 20 watts when charging and 3 5 watts connected but not charging. (Don't be confused by the 10 milliamp output of the Deltran device; that is on the DC side not the input.) Connecting a timer with a 6 watt clock motor to turn the charger off and on doesn't make sense; it uses more electricity than an idling chargers.

Trickle Chargers like our 1 amp Goodyear draw 12.5 watts continuously while connected to an old battery; so we usually use that one on a night-light timer. It had been charging a used backhoe battery (to keep it from dying in case the new one fails) for two months and though it wasn't apparently boiling off the electrolyte when the top of the battery was damp I disconnected it. FYI only water evaporates from batteries; sulphuric acid in a fully charged battery is almost all bound to the plates; plus the boiling point is above 600 F. The specific gravity (the only way to know for sure) of that 8 year old battery measures 12.5; so even though the voltage measures 12.6 volts it isn't taking a full charge. (A fully charged lead acid has a specific gravity 12.65 when fully charged.) Don't use trickle chargers on good batteries without daily monitoring.

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As usual, prompt delivery, exactly as ordered.

Easy to assemble, just plug in the proper connectors. It comes with ring lug connectors as well as the big clamps, which aren't all that big.

I bought it to maintain the battery in small two seat convertable that I don't drive as often as I should. Alas, to get to the battery, I have to open the trunk which turns on the trunk light, using up much of the charger's output. Haven't figured out an easy way to keep the light off. So it doesn't charge much, should have bought a bigger unit. My bad. I could charge through the 12 volt accessory outlet (cigarette lighter) except that turns off when the key is removed.

I did contact Yuasa with a question by email, they got right back to me with an answer. If the battery to be charged is very low (mine was) the charger won't do anything. Needed to use a big brute force charger to get the battery up near 12 volts before this unit would activate. Manual doesn't mention that. And the unit gave no indication other than the charge LED being off.

So, not perfect but still useful.