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Great deal on a great Battery Tender at Canadian Tire!
Hey Guys,
Last year I bought a CTEK "intelligent" battery tender from Canadian Tire based on rave reviews here on the forum. As far as I can tell it's a great little unit, and has a really nice quick-connect cable system that you can leave on your bike.
In case anyone is interested, they're on sale for 40% off at Canadian Tire right now! Regular $90 but now on for $54. Might as well buy one early and be ready for when winter hits :)
Enjoy!
http://www.canadiantire.ca/AST/brows....jsp?locale=en
http://www.amadirectlink.com/news/20...y/CTEK3300.jpg
http://www.ogracing.com/images/produ...RY-CHARGER.jpg
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Re: Great deal on a great Battery Tender at Canadian Tire!
Thanks Viffer, I might pick one up.
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Re: Great deal on a great Battery Tender at Canadian Tire!
Quote:
Originally Posted by
mxs
Thanks Viffer, I might pick one up.
No problem. I don't think you will find a better deal on this great little unit. They didn't even cheap out on the quality of the rubber coatings . . . it feels expensive :p
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Re: Great deal on a great Battery Tender at Canadian Tire!
I was looking at this in the flyer this morning. Just might have to go pick one up now..
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Re: Great deal on a great Battery Tender at Canadian Tire!
Thanks for posting Viffer...I tried waiting for a sale, but unlike most stuff at CT these days, sales on these don't come along very often, so I paid full pop last fall. :rolleyes:
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Re: Great deal on a great Battery Tender at Canadian Tire!
oh, I do need one now...
$54 not that bad of a deal as well....
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Re: Great deal on a great Battery Tender at Canadian Tire!
Quote:
Originally Posted by
SkinnyPedal
Thanks for posting Viffer...I tried waiting for a sale, but unlike most stuff at CT these days, sales on these don't come along very often, so I paid full pop last fall. :rolleyes:
I paid full cost last year too :(
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Re: Great deal on a great Battery Tender at Canadian Tire!
Is this CTek charger better than a Battery Tender Jr? I think the Battery Tender Jrs go for around $40. They are both supposedly computer controlled.
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Re: Great deal on a great Battery Tender at Canadian Tire!
The Ctek unit has a little more capability. If you just want to top up your bike batttery, the Battery Tender Junior works great. The Ctek unit has the capbility to optimize its charging pattern for the batteries of cars or bikes, and features a winter maintenance mode as well.
I've got one of each, but at the sale price, I may get another Ctek.
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Re: Great deal on a great Battery Tender at Canadian Tire!
For those who use battery tenders, are they actually worth it? I've heard conflicting reports. The one winter I left my bike in storage I didn't put it on a tender, after a drain/recharge in the spring it was fine.
PS. Either way, thanks Viffer for the heads up!
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Re: Great deal on a great Battery Tender at Canadian Tire!
Ya those things are baller. I know the one shop I worked at had those.
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Re: Great deal on a great Battery Tender at Canadian Tire!
I have a little square charger that trickles in and shuts off when full.
How is this different? :confused:
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Re: Great deal on a great Battery Tender at Canadian Tire!
So, if I get one of these things, can I just leave my battery in my bike in the garage and this will take care of it? Or do I still need to bring the battery into the house?
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Re: Great deal on a great Battery Tender at Canadian Tire!
Quote:
Originally Posted by
jotapeh
For those who use battery tenders, are they actually worth it? I've heard conflicting reports. The one winter I left my bike in storage I didn't put it on a tender, after a drain/recharge in the spring it was fine.
PS. Either way, thanks Viffer for the heads up!
I'm pretty sure your battery wasn't fine. If a battery goes dead, chemical processes take place which leave sulfation on the plates. Enough sulfation and your battery is dead.
Your battery survived the winter storage, but very likely ended up with a lesser capacity then when you left it. It still starts the bike and all, but you have hastened its demise.
@blues hurler if you have a good tender, you hook it up to your battery and forget it. No need to take it inside - unless you live somewhere REALLY cold. My unheated garage has several bikes over the winter, they get hooked up to tenders and wait quietly 'till spring.
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Re: Great deal on a great Battery Tender at Canadian Tire!
Note that the CTEK has a de-sulphation process, I've heard reports that it works. It's brought previously dead batteries back to life.
I have an automotive trickle charger, a home made trickle charger, battery tender and Canadian Tire's knock off of the CTEK. Take my word for it, at this price just pick up the CTEK and don't worry about it.
In my research, this is the charger to get, especially at this price!
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Re: Great deal on a great Battery Tender at Canadian Tire!
Thanks for the heads up Viffer. Picked mine up today. Looks like a quality well built unit:thumbleft:
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Re: Great deal on a great Battery Tender at Canadian Tire!
hmm, I've got a $25 gift card that I've been needing to spend on something....
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Re: Great deal on a great Battery Tender at Canadian Tire!
Quote:
Originally Posted by
MacDoc
I have a little square charger that trickles in and shuts off when full.
How is this different? :confused:
I bought one today.
Went into the store to see if it was better then the one I have and it is, this one can also provide a normal charge, not just trickle.
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Re: Great deal on a great Battery Tender at Canadian Tire!
Got one today. Thanks for the info.
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Re: Great deal on a great Battery Tender at Canadian Tire!
got 2 as well..
one for gf and me :)
no need to worry about winter storage yet ....
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Re: Great deal on a great Battery Tender at Canadian Tire!
Yes, but I have also seen it for 46.99 or 47.99 near Xmas.
On a different but totally relevant note...
I think every single person who shops at CTC should make a CONSCIENTIOUS HABIT of informing the manager on duty that they WILL diligently be following up on any ECO fees they are charging and will pursue overcharging claims with a vengeance. I say nip these charge-happy bastards in the bud.
And it might surprise you (or not) that Walmart and other certain joints that are eating the ECO for now, DO track the level of ignorance exhibited by shoppers at their competitors. Don't give them reason to think they can get away with overcharging you later at their own retail outlets.
Don't say no one told ya..
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Re: Great deal on a great Battery Tender at Canadian Tire!
No Eco-tax was charged on my charger.
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Re: Great deal on a great Battery Tender at Canadian Tire!
Bought one today - initial thoughts:
- I haven't done any research on the desulphation and doubt I'll ever find out for myself whether or not its legit or just a gimmick, but I'll do a little GTAM searching and see what others have found, the reviews here already seem good.
-I like the fact I can set it to charge in either motorcycle 12.4v/0.8 a or 12v/3.3 a, I love my Battery Tender Jr, which doesn't give me the option, so it'll be handed down to my girlfriend.
Does anyone know whether or not YUASA and other sealed motorcycle batteries could handle a couple hours at 3.3 A just to speed things up? (charging up a battery a friend has neglected for a few months so he can get his bike started without my needing to leave my charger overnight)
Thanks all :)
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Re: Great deal on a great Battery Tender at Canadian Tire!
Glad to hear that lots of people got in on the deal :)
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Re: Great deal on a great Battery Tender at Canadian Tire!
I was charged two cents ECO tax at the crappytire in Milton!
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Re: Great deal on a great Battery Tender at Canadian Tire!
Ontario Scraps `Eco Fees' on Some Household Products, Globe and Mail Says
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-0...mail-says.html
I heard Canadian Tire did as well yesterday but not sure, look it up.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
adri
Does anyone know whether or not YUASA and other sealed motorcycle batteries could handle a couple hours at 3.3 A just to speed things up? (charging up a battery a friend has neglected for a few months so he can get his bike started without my needing to leave my charger overnight)
Answered my own question: just look at the battery itself. I noticed all my motorcycle batteries seem for for up to 5A while the bigger ones can take 5A for a couple hours, the smaller ones (scooter, CBR-125R) allow the higher A for less time (about 1 hour) - use either mode, just don't go crazy :)
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Re: Great deal on a great Battery Tender at Canadian Tire!
I picked up one of these yesterday too, so thank Viffer!
I have a question about the ring-tongue terminal connector wire. If I hook that up, do I need to disconnect the battery over the winter? Will the pulse charging damage anything on the bike? Or is just a better practice to fully disconnect the battery when leaving it in the bike for a long period of time?
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Re: Great deal on a great Battery Tender at Canadian Tire!
I just picked one of theese up today but i only payed like $12 :D
I had about $48 worth of Canadian Tire money :happy3:
Thanks Viffer for posting about the deal, i skipped right by it when i looked at the flyer myself...
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Re: Great deal on a great Battery Tender at Canadian Tire!
Picked up a couple of them. FYI, they are kept in the glass case, not out on the shelves with the other chargers. Ask a salesperson for assistance.
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Re: Great deal on a great Battery Tender at Canadian Tire!
Quote:
Originally Posted by
RetroGrouch
Picked up a couple of them. FYI, they are kept in the glass case, not out on the shelves with the other chargers. Ask a salesperson for assistance.
mine were just left out...no glass case...
just by the automotive side where the batteries were kept.
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Re: Great deal on a great Battery Tender at Canadian Tire!
omg.... i bought mine for $100 last year
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Re: Great deal on a great Battery Tender at Canadian Tire!
got one too... Oshawa, not behind glass and no EcoFee (bought it last Friday)
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Re: Great deal on a great Battery Tender at Canadian Tire!
I notice in the picture that the wiring harness that can be permanently installed on the battery with eyelets appears to have no fuse. If that is the case, then that is a big no no!
I would recommend putting an inline fuse on the positive side as close to the battery as possible, to prevent any shorts down the road. Otherwise, you have basically installed two wires directly to the battery and if the positive side ever comes in contact with the frame or ground, then you will short out the battery!
Just a thought.......
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Re: Great deal on a great Battery Tender at Canadian Tire!
Quote:
Originally Posted by
HammerDriver
I notice in the picture that the wiring harness that can be permanently installed on the battery with eyelets appears to have no fuse. If that is the case, then that is a big no no!
I would recommend putting an inline fuse on the positive side as close to the battery as possible, to prevent any shorts down the road. Otherwise, you have basically installed two wires directly to the battery and if the positive side ever comes in contact with the frame or ground, then you will short out the battery!
Just a thought.......
Both cables that come with the charger have built-in inline fuses - 15 A I believe.
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Re: Great deal on a great Battery Tender at Canadian Tire!
I picked up one of these chargers this past weekend. I had been looking at another tender, TecMate Optimate 3+, which was competitively priced but the CTC deal was very convenient.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
mroberto
Will the pulse charging damage anything on the bike? Or is just a better practice to fully disconnect the battery when leaving it in the bike for a long period of time?
The charger could potentially damage sensitive electronics, such as an alarm. It is best practice to fully disconnect the battery from the bike when being left for a long time. There are small devices, such as clocks or alarms, that take a trickle current from the battery that can fully discharge the battery over time.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by
mroberto
Both cables that come with the charger have built-in inline fuses - 15 A I believe.
+1. Can't remember what the fuse is off the top of my head but it's there.
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Re: Great deal on a great Battery Tender at Canadian Tire!
will be stopping at Canadian Tire yet 3rd time this week.. lol
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Re: Great deal on a great Battery Tender at Canadian Tire!
From those that have used this one, how does it compare to the Optimate 4
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Re: Great deal on a great Battery Tender at Canadian Tire!
Excuse my noobish ignorance but I honestly have no clue how these work. Do you have to plug them into an outlet over the winter or do they kind of recycle power between it and the battery, sort of like an alternator in a car? (If that makes any sense at all). Also, can you ride with it hooked up like instances where you wanted to take your bike out on a clear winter day?
If these are idiotic questions don't be too harsh with the replies. ;)
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Re: Great deal on a great Battery Tender at Canadian Tire!
Had to go to 3 different Canadian Tires, but found one. Thanks OP.