Marine Magik - Battery Tenders

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<img align="left" src="http://www.fish-hawk.net/photogallery/a ... tender.gif">
Manufacturer: Marine Magik
Website: http://www.marinemagik.com
Contact: Niko Chorianopoulos
E-mail: niko@marinemagik.com
Phone:

Marine Magik is an Ottawa local based business located in Orleans, Ontario. They provide a number of different products....from Battery Tenders, Accessories, Jump Boxes, Inverters, RV/Boat Fans, Waxes/Cleaners, and H2O Underwater Lights for boats. Your store owners Niko and Sylvia Chorianopoulos pride themselves on best of service and will strive to meet all your needs.

The International Battery Charger switches automatically from charge to long term storage. The #1 Selling Charger in the U.S. Powersports Industry! Widely marketed throughout the U.S. by leading Sports Vehicle Manufacturer's & Distributors, with Carry Bag/Case Included.

International Input Model (Worldwide Usage). Voltage Range 100-240 VAC 50/60 Hz. 12 volts @ 1.25 amps. Switchmode Design- Lightweight & compact (1 lb.) (,45 kg). 4 step fully automatic charging (Initialization, Bulk, Absorption, Float/ Maintenance). Microprocessor Controlled Constant Current Charging! (Never shuts off while monitoring state of charge). Reverse Polarity Protection. Charges as fast as a 3 amp taper charger! Perfect for all AGM (absorbed glass mat) gel, sealed maintenance free and flooded batteries. Complies to all International safety standards UL/CSA/CE.

Fish-Hawk will be reviewing their International Battery Tender in 2010 to see just how well it works.

Overall score based on experience with the product and other comments received for those we send out to be tried out. Examples, where applicable, of areas we are looking at include, but are not limited to...
> Look & Feel
> Versatility
> Portability
> Strength & Durability
> Material Components
> Colors
> Sizes
> Effectivness (End Result)


FishinBuddy Ratings:
> 1 - Not a good product at all
> 2 - Disappointing
> 3 - Not Bad, but requires a few tweaks
> 4 - Fish-Hawk Proven Product
> 5 - Exceeds Expectation

The Review:
I first met Niko at the Ottawa Boat & Sportsmen's show while working at the Laurentian Marine booth. Niko had a small display setup with many different types of Battery Tenders, some marine lights, and restoration creams for our big boy toys. During the downtime, I decided to head over and get some information on these chargers, as I was in the market for a new one. Not only did I get information on the chargers, I also got a lesson in the art of battery charging.

Battery Tenders are more than just chargers....well not really...they are chargers, but the way upon which they do their charging is what is really unique about them. I won't pretend that I remember all of the details surrounding what makes them different, only that the key aspect of the Battery Tender is that charge the battery much more than a regular battery charger does. Normal chargers will automatically turn off once they reach a certain temperature, thinking that the battery is fully charged, however it is not and can take more charge even though other chargers think it's done. The Battery Tender is a self regulated charger that always trickles the charge and shuts off based on some kind of sine wave which it measures that indicates that the full charge is actually done. Again, I'm no expert in this area, so if you want more technical information on exactly how it works, please feel free to drop Niko a line or check out their website.

What I can tell you is that I've never owned a charger that fills that battery up as much as the International Tender that I tried out this past season. Having a full charge, I spent 5 days of intermittent trolling while up North on Lac Seul, and didn't have to re-charge once. I spent 2 days of full on constant trolling on Loughborough Lake this past summer, and the battery performed admirably.

The lighted LED's on the unit tell you just how much the battery is charged and when it's done. It is also very compact, waterproof, and can be mounted in your boat, taking up minimal room and offering an alternative to an inboard charger.

The only thing semi-negative thing I can say about the unit is the time it takes to actually get a battery charged to capacity. From close to dead, I found a full charge to take about 3 days. If you're accustomed to draining your battery, and don't have a spare, you may find yourself out of luck for a fully charged battery on some days of fishing when you need it most. That's easily fixed though by keeping the battery charged at all times and remembering to plug it back in each time you return home. One contributing factor that may have accounted for the lengthy time to charge was that I had to have the unit replaced. For some reason, something went wrong with it and it no longer charged. The service the MarineMagik offers is obviously second to none, with a replacement unit ready almost the next day. These things happen, and I didn't have any more troubles with it after that. I would have given this unit a 5 star rating, however the failure in the unit warrants the removal on 1 star.

MarineMagik Battery Tenders are still fantastic units in my books though and I look forward to using it again in the new season.

> Overall Rating:
<img src="http://www.fish-hawk.net/hawk-pic/produ ... /4hawk.gif">

With a rating of 4 Stars, Marine Magik's International Battery Tender is now a Fish-Hawk "Proven Product".

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Review Completed.