Simple but effective

Halfords up to 1.8l charger £30 www.halfords.com

THE CLAIM “Suitable for 12V vehicles up to 1.8L. Compatible with lead-acid batteries. LED indicators show when the battery is charging or fully charged. This easy-to-use charger applies a traditional linear charging cycle.”

THE REALITY I bought this battery charger after my Oxford Oximiser said that the battery on my CRF250L was too weak to be recovered. The Halfords charger didn’t worry about any of that and pumped it full of electrons; the battery hasn’t caused any trouble since. It’s basic, doesn’t show voltage or charging times and doesn’t work as a battery tender but, as a simple way of putting charge into small batteries, it does the job. Though rated at 1800cc, it happily charged the flat battery in my 2500cc van as well.