Schumacher Electric Fully Automatic Car Battery Charger & Engine Starter - 6V / 12V Battery Charger & Maintainer - for Standard, AGM, Gel & Deep-Cycle Batteries - Reverse Hook-Up Protection - SC1281

This is so easy to use, My Husband ha a stroke and can't do much anymore, so it is up. to Me, I love this charger ir works great, was easy for me to charge My MDX the size is easy for anyone to pick up and carry and to charge any battery for a long life off charge. All people should have one , You never know when it is needed

The Schumacher 1280 is an automotive battery charger, but it is also much more.First, like most battery chargers in the $50-100 range, it allows you to charge your battery at 2 "speeds": the first, at 3 amp, is intended as a traditional "trickle charger," one that can be used to keep your battery in optimal condition and thereby extend its life and reliability. I live in a cold climate (Minneapolis) and tend to use my car only to get around town, sometimes not using the car at all on some days. This combination means my car doesn't get the sort of highway miles to keep the battery fully charged month after month, and the demands of getting it to crank up on subzero mornings is demanding. Buying this charger is bringing me peace of mind and will be financially rewarding over the long haul.Second, my Schumacher has allowed me to get my recently drained battery up and running in impressively short time. I bought it largely for this purpose--after I drained a 4-year twice this summer, replaced it, and then did the same recently with the new one. In its 15 amp mode, my Schumacher successfully desulfinated my current battery (i.e. a necessary first step to clean up the crap that accumulates inside a battery) and then charged it fully in about 6 hours. I had read that this process might well take 24-48 hrs. if done with a lower-amp charger, or might involve leaving a car overnight at a shop if I'd done it there.Most importantly, though, my Schumacher did this while giving me detailed information that let me follow the process and let me an important bit of information about the state of my battery once it was fully recharged. Its well lit LED display tells you when it begins the desalination process, the % charged as it does its thing, and the final voltage of the battery once it's done. The first two of these eliminate the guessing you'd experience with comparably priced charger. (On others you plug it in. . . and blindly wait). The voltage at the end of the process gives a good assessment of the state of the charged battery. In optimal condition, a battery should have 12.6-12.8 volts (mine was 12.6!); if its losing its abilities as a battery, it will have 12.0 volts or less. In a nutshell it tells you what to expect from your battery going forward.Going forward I'm planning to keep track of how my battery's charge and voltage change over time. For me, I'm hoping the pattern will provide clues whether something beyond my forgetfulness with inside lights has been at play.)The display also tells you if it can't successfully complete the desulfation process, in which case you'll know your battery is a goner; if you improperly hooked up the charging cables; when it's completed charging and successfully shifted to standby mode, thereby assuring you its not overcharged your battery; and more. The whole process more or less proceeds seamlessly. You simply turn the charger on (or wait for it to come on automatically after 30 seconds), choose the amperage (3 amps or 15 amps), and indicate the type of battery you own (most of us own standard wet cell batteries with fill-up ports on the top; this isn't hard to figure out).I should also note that I chose the Schumacher 1280 only after going online and looking at a couple of websites that I knew and trusted (Car and Driver; CNET). Both spoke glowingly about Schumacher's reputation and the advanced-for-its price range features that its 1280 and near sib 1281 offer in their price ranges.

Easy to use and adjust. Works great and does as it should

UPDATE:DO NOT USE AS CONTINUOUS battery "tender" because there is no way to change the default setting it uses when it is initially plugged into the wall.NOT recommended because if you have a power failure in your house, when your electricity comes back on, this thing begins charging at high current, selected for an AGM type of battery. Does not matter if you previously set it to low power/"GelCell," for example, as a trickle-type charger. The risk is that you will cook a smaller battery, or one that is a traditional Sealed Lead Acid like most vehicles run, because this unit defaults to the higher voltage and current of an AGM.Previous review follows.This model has a few problems, starting with a bad cooling fan or a bad thermal sensor that allowed the unit to overheat. The blower failed to come on, and the plastic housing got very warm on the bottom, although the charging took place as normal. I returned it for an exact replacement. On the substitute one, the fan turns on when the inside needs cooling. The fan will shut off unless needed. The date code on the defective fan was 2022, and the replacement is 2023.Next up, I consider the level of automation a problem.I wish it had a "manual" mode that would let the user select and match some specific charging functions. For example, when first turned on, the unit defaults to an "AGM" type of battery at the unit's maximum 15 Amp charging rate. This could be a problem, because it's possible the user intends to charge a small AGM, gel cell, or a small lead-acid battery, for which the high current is not appropriate.The default should be on the safer, lower current setting, or it should be programmable by the user as the "default."The directions do not explain how the automatic "desulfation" function is initialized. The user must assume the automatic charger simply analyzes and "knows" a desulfation is needed. With no indicator to tell the user the function is underway, I don't trust that it is, or is not, being done.A query to the manufacturer was not answered. Earlier, instead of answering my question of how the cooling fan is turned on, I was told it was against the law to open the case. (not true)Design problem is next:The digital display is incomplete while charging. It will show a generic "12V" setting when that voltage of battery is connected, but fails to show the actual voltage measured at the clamps. There does not seem to be a way to have the display alternate between actual voltage and the percentage of charge that has been reached. The unit has the ability to measure the real voltage, and does so when initially powered up. It should be easy to assign the real voltage to the display while charging is underway, instead of a dummy "12V"The older model SC-1200A is much better. I have opened and repaired my 2009 example of the SC-1200A after a noisy fan bearing started acting up every cold winter. A $8.00 replacement fan from Amazon, mounted inside on the circuit board and frame, like the original, and it's back in service. When power is lost to the SC-1200A, it does NOTHING but come on and display the actual voltage at the battery clamps. It waits for you to initiate the charge rate and type of battery by pushing the selected buttons. Very nice & safe.The SC-1200A is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED, if you can find one.

Great product does all that is asked of it

Does its job! I like the heavy duty battery clamps. Better than some chargers.

Wonderful. I love it

I like many others had that 80% stuck issue. I was at 20% and it took a few hours and got to 80%. Left and checked back hour or two later and still said 80. Not knowing what to do, I switched from the rapid charge to the maintenance charge until i could research further. Went back out and turned it off. Then turned it on again and it said 100%. Turned off and on a couple of times more because I wasn't sure which way it was. Then left it on trickle charge and saw the light said charging (amber light) and then it had gone to 96%. Don't know why it should have lost 4% just from me turning it off and on a couple of times. But I'm leaving it on the trickle overnight and will check it again.I'm not sure what to think of it because I've never had one. It does seem to have some issues with showing accurate numbers.