Customer Reviews

Schumacher SE-1-12S Fully Automatic Onboard Battery Charger - 1.5 Amps

5 star:		(47)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I am fortunate enough to maintain two houses - one in the mid-West for the summer and a second one in the Palm Springs area for the winter. Rather than drive 1500 miles each way I have a couple of cars in each location so each set will sit idle for six months of the year which means I usually have two dead batteries when I arrive for the season. I tried a cheaper brand of trickle charger in the desert last year and it worked but I was afraid that if it burned out I would still return to dead batteries. I really like the quality of the Schumacher products having two of their multifunction battery chargers that have worked well for over 10 years. When I saw that they offered high quality trickle chargers I bought two of them to make the switch to worry free charging. The chargers are well built and heavy for their size and the build quality is typical Schumacher. The chargers are intended to be installed in the engine compartment with battery connections that are permanently connected to the charger and for power a short plug comes out of the side of the unit and is easily connected to a grounded extension cord. I really didn't want to install these under the hood even though they supply the mounting brackets and screws required but I did like the idea of the permanent connection to the battery as opposed to a clamp which could fall off in the middle of the season and leave me with a dead battery. Remembering how the chargers connected in the Power Wheels toys my sons had several years ago, I was able to find polarity keyed plug connectors in the trailer wiring section of the local auto parts store and now have a short pigtail permanently connected to the battery and the ability to plug and unplug it into the charger when I want. Now I have the best of all worlds, the security of a solid connection to the battery and the flexibility of being able to plug and unplug the charger with ease. I like this a lot.

I installed this in one of my SUV's that is not driven for weeks at a time.

The Schumacher unit keeps a perfect charge and does not overheat or dry out the battery. The clock, radio, and GPS settings are all preserved and the charger does not seem to draw much power when the battery is charged. I am very satisfied with the operation of the unit.

The installation was a breeze with the included hardware and the instructions were clear and easy.

I do have two small complaints, however:
(1) The battery lugs were way too big for my vehicle and all other cars that I checked.
(2) The AC plug is too short to run anywhere. I wanted the plug to reach to just outside the vehicle's grill, so that the unit could be plugged in without opening the hood. I had to install an extra extension cord for that purpose.

Works great to keep your battery topped off on cold winter nights, and for days of long storage. Instead of dragging out your conventional charger and cables, then putting everything away when finished! Just mount this small unit under your hood, plug in a small AC extension cord, and close the hood. (not affecting alarm operation). It can charge a dead battery (not recommended) but it can take 24 to 36 hours.

I had a problem. A very bad car accident left me partially disabled. So these days I do very little driving. Just getting to and from the store and that's about it.
The problem I had is that I seldom drove long enough or far enough to fully charge my car battery, and on more than one occasion I'd get in it to go somewhere and the battery would be dead.
I've used a number of trickle chargers in the past. But there's the problem of digging them out and unhooking them when the battery is ready.
This charger, however, has been perfect for me and my situation. It's mounted permanently under the hood so I always know where it is. It charges the battery fully then shuts itself off. I can leave it plugged in for weeks and it shuts itself off automatically. When I'm ready to use the car, I unplug it and go. When I park the car in the garage for what always turns out to be extended periods, I plug it in and on my next trip the battery has a full charge. My days of getting into the car only to discover the battery died are over.
If your situation is similar, or if you own a vehicle that only gets occasional use, like a truck for errands or an RV, this could be the thing for you.

Good product. 4 stars b/c the manual is misleading. There is a table that tells you what the lights mean, but it is hard to understand. I'll translate: If top light is green and bottom if off, the battery is charging. If the top light is green and the bottom light is red, you battery is charged. If the top light is off, then the unit isn't getting power from the wall. Funny how this crucial info is so messed up in the instructions. Happy charging!

Bought 3 units to sustain a car, truck, and a lawn tractor battery over winter storage months.

All 3 units failed within 3 years.

The quality of this product is poor.

I cannot recommend this product.

I bought this to maintain a battery in a "farm truck" and it has worked perfectly for 2 years and still going strong. This is kept under the hood, with the power cable sticking out from the grille and is constantly subjected to moisture, extreme heat and dirt, and keeps on happily charging. Built extremely well.

Would definitely recommend for anyone looking for a cheap, maintenance(READ: Trickle) charger. It's definitely not going to jumpstart a dead battery, but it's not made to do so.

Am going on my second winter using this for my 85 Vette which will discharge a battery after 30 days. Problem solved - just go out and turn the key anytime - instant start (don't forget to unlug the unit as required). It mounted easily under the hood - no problem. Nice to have a product that does what is advertised!

I just installed this unit so don't have any long term experience with it. However, potential purchasers should know that there is no 12 ft. cord. Instead, the cord is closer to 8 inches. Another potential problem: make certain that there is enough room next to your battery for installation. Fortunately, I could squeeze this into the VW Eurovan engine compartment but not without removing the plastic faring over the battery area. I do wish the cord were 18 inches.

I incorporated this charger into a portable PA system that I built out of an old floor speaker, a car amp, and a deep cycle battery. It really does a great job of charging the 17.2 Ah battery overnight and gives me enough juice to blast music nonstop for over 6 hours.

I only have two issues with using the charger for admittedly a purpose that it wasn't specifically designed for:

1. It is hella-loud when it's plugged in. Make sure that if you're using it project where it'll be operating indoors, that you have place to plug it in where it wont disturb anyone sleeping. It will out-humm any refrigerator.

2. The mounting bracket that it comes with is really convenient, but it does have a tendency to rattle a bit, since it's bolted down only on one side of the charger.

Otherwise, does what it should, and does it well. And the indicator light saves you the embarrassment of thinking your batteries are charged when in fact you had a loose contact or something.