Which Battery tender works best - OptiMate 3 or the Battery Tender Junior?

[megarillia]

OptiMate 3 and the Battery Tender Junior which one works best?

 

[BajaRon]

The OptiMate 3 has a lot more going for it than the Battery Tender Jr. I've been very happy with the Optimate chargers that we are using. Though I've not used the Optimate 3.

 

[racoon]

Google thinks the Optimate chargers can do a lot of things that a Battery Tender Jr won't do.

I use a Battery Tender Jr on my Spyder RT.

 

[Jb74texan]

I'm not sure if this applies, but if you plan on running lithium make sure it can do AGM and Lithium. I recently sacrificed CCA for AH, and my old battery tender branded unit was unable to get the battery above 13.05. not a big deal, just worth noting.

 

[RealWing]

USING the Optimate 3 on my 2022RTL and on my BMW K1600 before that. No issues

 

[JayBros]

The dealer I purchased my Spyder from comped a Battery Tender Jr. with the pigtail connected and I've used it religiously from Day One. I ride year round, got five years and one month out of the original battery and six and a half years out of the second battery so I've never had a need to question the efficiency of the BTJ.

 

[Jb74texan]

The dealer I purchased my Spyder from comped a Battery Tender Jr. with the pigtail connected and I've used it religiously from Day One. I ride year round, got five years and one month out of the original battery and six and a half years out of the second battery so I've never had a need to question the efficiency of the BTJ.

Those are outstanding numbers. My 2024 started to flatten back in May. While replacing I added two more SAE runs from the terminal extender to the frunk and glove box. Never too much!

 

[BajaRon]

The dealer I purchased my Spyder from comped a Battery Tender Jr. with the pigtail connected and I've used it religiously from Day One. I ride year round, got five years and one month out of the original battery and six and a half years out of the second battery so I've never had a need to question the efficiency of the BTJ.

There is nothing wrong with the Battery Tender Jr. It's a good product. But the OP is looking for the best bang for his buck. And for the money, the Optimate 3 is a better choice.

 

[mecsw500]

I've used this one, from Amazon, for quite a few years.

Battery Tender 4 AMP Battery Charger and Maintainer - Automotive Switchable 12V or 6V Smart Automatic for Cars SUVs and Trucks - Lead Acid, AGM, Gel, & Lithium Battery Charger - 022-0209-BT-WH​

Yes, I know it's 4 amps maximum and Yuasa says a 2 amp charger, but in reality AGM batteries will be fine at 4 amps. Mine always have.

The charger seems quite smart and I'm not charging a battery from dead flat day after day, so the 4 amp model will work fine. It has a selection for AGM batteries after all. In reality I've measured it at under 3 amp even on a totally dead AGM battery. I measured the temperature of a dead flat AGM charging with it, and it doesn't get overly warm.

In reality they are only maintaining the battery and it does a remarkably good job of that, pushing milliamps.

I've also used it on any number of large European motorcycles, and it's worked great for them too.

 

[Raven]

Can't say about the Optimate.
But I have used the same Battery Tender Jr. for over twenty years and four bikes and never had a problem.

 

[Albec]

I've been using a Battery Tender Jr on all of my vehicles since 2015. I don't always get a chance to drive each vehicle as much as I'd like to, so I move the tender around between them all. Each gets 7 days on the tender before I move it to the next one.

This has served me well over the years and all of my batteries have lasted longer than they would have.

 

[troop]

I've been using a 1.5A battery tender on my 21Ah Spyder battery and a 750MA tender on my 8Ah Husqvarna 401 battery.

 

[Jackhartjr]

I've been using btj's on my stuff for years in North Carolina when it's cold enough in the winter to kill batteries.
I had two riding mowers and they went for about 4 years. Still going when I traded them. Most lawn mower batteries won't last a couple of years.
I have one one my wife's Harley, still going after over 3 years, not sure how old the battery is.
The only time I had to replace a Spyder battery was the year I didn't have it on a tender!