Review on ⚡️ CTEK MUS 4.3 TEST&CHARGE 12V Fully Automatic Battery Charger and Tester by Mark Harris

This Ctek charger is available in two versions, one with trial features and one without. I regret spending extra money on the test features as they are practically useless as I will explain below. As for the charger, I have no doubt that with regular use, such as long term storage, or if you live in cold latitudes, it will probably perform as well or even better than the old float chargers. I can't prove it, but her story seems logical and sexy. And if I had an expensive car I wouldn't think twice about the price, but for the rest of us who drive every day I don't think there's any voodoo magic to revive dead batteries or extend life . . Can I prove it, no I can't prove that it works or doesn't work, and while I can find arguments for and against, I have yet to find independent tests that speak for or against it. I've read anecdotes on here, but just because you think your battery lasted longer doesn't mean it actually did because of this charger. Again, I'm talking about a battery that will be used constantly, not one that will be stored in a warehouse most of the time. My truck is a perfect example of this. I mostly ride it 1 or 2 days a week and usually short distances. I live in a place where it's over 90 degrees 5 months a year. The battery is only 5 years old, so it has already reached the end of its expected lifespan. I can't open the battery to check, but there must be some sulphation, but since the battery is still working fine (i.e. starts the truck) and I've never seen any sign of a problem, my dilemma is this. Should I replace the battery or wait until it dies completely? Interestingly, since I last bought a battery, prices have skyrocketed and manufacturers have stopped rating batteries. Now they usually offer a 2 or 3 year replacement instead. So if he dies after 3 years + 1 day you are safe. Battery warranty used to be in months (e.g. 36, 48, 72 etc.) and I wouldn't buy anything less than 48 months, but now I find 3 years at most, and all over the internet, everyone advises you to replace the battery every 2 -3 years to switch. I don't drive that much anymore so it's an expensive replacement, especially when it's not clear if you really should ditch the battery without showing any signs that something is wrong with it. I'm not a battery expert but I've been researching this for a while and as far as I know there aren't any battery tests or battery testers that can tell you the lifespan of your battery. Of course, batteries don't hold the same energy over time, but how long a battery lasts depends on many factors, such as: , weather, etc. The first sign may be that the battery is so low that it will not start your car, but in my experience, especially with maintenance free batteries, there is usually never a warning. One day your car starts fine and the next day the battery is dead, doesn't hold a charge and you have to throw it away. I have a 25 year old charger that proves my point. It's almost like new because I've only used it once to make sure the battery doesn't hold a charge and that was maybe half a dozen times. If I had an expensive car and money to burn I wouldn't think twice about buying a new battery every 2 years, but since I don't have one it's important to know battery life. You may be wondering why I bought a different charger. if i never use it. This is because instead of throwing away my 5 year old battery I have decided to buy another battery but for now just leave the new battery in the charger so I have a new one ready when the old one dies. The money I saved by buying the battery on sale made it even more worth it. I don't want to use my old float charger for this because it's notoriously bad at draining batteries. Again, I don't think the Ctek charger is any better, but they tell a good story. I'll never know for sure, but if the battery dies within 3 years I might throw the charger away on ebay, who knows. But, but, but, for a charger that should be this advanced, the testing features are surprisingly stupid. I confess, after watching the videos on YouTube and reading the reviews, I was completely screwed, but once I actually used the charger, I realized that it was all nonsense. First, as far as I can tell, charger tests are based on battery voltage; just tension. All chargers I know of include a voltmeter; There is no advanced technology here. If you have a multimeter, you can do these tests yourself. There is a chart in the owner's manual that you can find online that explains how the charger interprets volts under different conditions. But that doesn't tell you that these tests are pretty much useless. I don't see the point of it other than they add a few bucks to the price. This makes me very suspicious that their other claims regarding the charger are lies as well. battery test. Measuring the battery voltage will tell you if the battery is low or not, but nothing more. First you need to make sure the battery is charged. If it does and you see a wild voltage like 0 or 1, it's time to ditch the battery. It's dead. (Ok, ok, I know there are videos on YouTube about reviving batteries, but that's dead to me.) If it reads 11.6, you need to run some other tests. Because this charger doesn't actually tell you the voltage reading, you don't know if the battery is really bad or not. If you really want to test your battery, do the following tests yourself, or take them to a repair shop, auto parts store, or warehouse and ask for "Inrush Current" and "Holding Capacity". I will explain exactly what I mean. The "Inrush Current" test simulates a load on the battery similar to your starter motor. A certain amperage is required to start your car engine, which varies from car to car and ambient temperature (those who live in North Dakota know what I mean). The "Hold" test charges the battery for a specified time and then checks if the battery is holding a charge. All batteries self-discharge, but a failed battery will discharge much faster. Google a description of what these tests do. Stores usually test your battery for free, but the final test can take up to 2 hours, so you'll have to ask them specifically to do it. Since these places sell batteries and don't test batteries, I prefer to do it myself. There are other tests, but nothing tells you how long your battery should last. After realizing I had been scammed, I bought a real battery tester. It is voltage test, cca test, resistance test and capacitance test in one. My five year old battery performed exactly as I imagined. Far below the nominal cca. 40% performance. Resistance in the upper range, but not higher than the upper and normal voltage. So, the battery in the meat truck, on the way to the ER, but it's not dead yet. The launch test is what really confuses me. Somebody has to explain that to me. Again, the charger simply measures the battery voltage, not the cranking current. If your car won't start you can't test, so what's the point? If your car starts normally, then what's the point? When the car starts, the test should always be on 'green', right? Of course, if your car is slow to start, you need to charge the battery first. If you have a full charge and the battery is fine but the car still won't start then something else is the problem so what's the point of this test? Alternator test - Again, the charger simply measures the voltage of the battery. With fast idling, the voltage should increase. When I tested this with the charger, the result was always "yellow", which according to the manual means that the charging system is defective. I've done the test many times, before and after charging the battery and it's always "yellow". But wait, if there was a malfunction I would have a dead battery all the time because I don't drive this truck that much. Also, I have a 30 year old circuit tester that says the alternator is fine. The charger is wrong. There are no loading errors. I don't think I have a defective charger; the test is wrong. Again, the charger doesn't tell you the voltage. If you have a multimeter, you can measure the voltage yourself. I don't remember the exact test or volts but the voltage should be above 14 if your battery is charging from the alternator. So, in my opinion, tests on this charger are useless, so what about the charger itself? Does he do what he says? I'm a poster child for battery abuse. I live in a hot climate. I drive once or twice a week, do short trips, but my battery is almost 5 years old. If I use this charger, will it add any noticeable utility to this battery? Answer: You can't say that. I have no doubt that it's better than the old float chargers, but if you don't charge your battery often, is this charger really better? Does it charge a fully discharged battery? No, it's not designed for that. If you have a dead battery, you'll need an old charger or one of those Kickstarter gizmos to charge the battery. Will it charge the battery? Yes, as long as the battery is charged, it will likely charge the battery. I think it's fair to say that a charger will charge a battery when it's working properly, but you can't tell how much charge you'll have compared to a new battery, and you can't tell how much capacity in lifespan and condition is left . Battery. My old charger has a dial that shows how charged the battery is, but this new one doesn't. The charger does not show how far the battery is discharging by itself or how much is left in the battery. Will it revive a dead battery or otherwise perform magical voodoo to extend battery life? So far I haven't found any independent tests and results showing that any of these features significantly increase battery life. Some people here say so, but if my batteries die, they're dead. I've never seen a battery of zombies. Words are cheap. Show me independent tests and results. I suspect that ctek made the charger for customers who use chargers regularly (e.g. for long-term storage), but the market for such chargers is so small that they crowd into the mass market with talk of unicorns and goblins had to. BTW, manual sucks. Doesn't explain or help much to understand this charger. They may feel they are not giving too much information, or they may have other questions to answer. The reason for my low rating is that 1) battery testing is bullshit as I have explained, 2) there is no evidence or proof that this charger will extend the life of a typical car battery, 3) I don't like being lied to or cheated on.