The 3300 is small, compact and uniquely shaped compared to conventional chargers, and it’s light at 1.1 pounds, making it easy to carry or transport. The unit is fully sealed, making it dustproof, splash-proof and weatherproof. Because it is approved for outdoor use, there’s no need to remove the battery and carry it to an indoor location; simply connect the charger. It has a cold-weather boost mode, which enables faster recharging even in the coldest winter months, and it comes with quick-connect leads, which will allow you to permanently attach its connecting wires to the battery and snap-plug the charger in, which means quick and easy hookup, regardless of how difficult battery locations may be. And best of all, the 3300 is totally flexible; it works with virtually any lead-acid battery (see battery types sidebar), including flooded, maintenance-free, gel and AGM, and it is the recommended battery charger for the Optima RedTop battery. 

There’s also a Multi US 7000 battery charger, which is a powerhouse of sorts in terms of battery chargers, as it is not only designed to recharge any lead-acid battery, but it can also be used as a power source which allows in-place recharging of batteries without losing vehicle power, so none of your vehicle’s memory cells go to waste (security codes, radio stations, clock, convenience settings and so on). The Multi US 7000 is also essentially foolproof to connect, without fear of weather, and its switch-mode technology includes a seven-cycle intel process. In addition to the desulfation mode of waking up an undercharged battery, its soft start tests the battery condition, the bulk charge begins charging at 7 amps, and the absorption mode applies peak charge at 14.4/14.7 volts until fully charged. The recondition mode is applied to the drained battery, and the float mode is a float charge that is applied for the maintenance of maximum battery performance. Finally, the pulse mode sends out current pulses for charge maintenance. That’s a lot for a small charger; heck, that’s a lot for any size charger. 

At a light 1.8 pounds, the charger is fully sealed and approved for outdoor use. It, too, has a cold-weather boost mode and recondition capability, which reconditions deeply discharged batteries. The optional power supply is a float mode that provides 7 amps of power without a battery connected (to save those memory items) and has quick-connect leads for hard-to-reach battery locations. And, of course, the Multi US 7000 works on all lead-acid batteries, including flooded, maintenance-free, gel, AGM, starter and deep-cycle batteries, and it is the recommended charger for Optima YellowTop batteries. 

Then there’s a less conventional, smaller charger, the US 800 battery charger, which is designed for smaller 12-volt lead-acid batteries (for motorcycles, snowmobiles, ATVs, watercraft and so on), making it an economical choice for battery maintenance. It can even be used in the storing of vintage vehicles or super rods that are not in regular use. The US 800 is also virtually foolproof, weighs only 1 pound, and its fully sealed design makes it weatherproof and approved for outdoor use. It comes with quick-connect option leads and battery terminal clamps, and it works with all lead-acid batteries, including flooded, ­maintenance-free, gel and AGM units. 

As we are constantly working on our vehicles in an effort to upgrade and improve them, our learning experience here tells us that these are just the kinds of accessory items that not only come in handy when you need them, but will protect your investment when you don’t notice them. This level of quality in something we might otherwise take for granted serves as a useful preventative maintenance tool that helps eliminate the ongoing headaches of specialty car ownership.