Battery Maintainers

Slowly working my way through my list of bits and bobs to buy. I'm now onto the battery maintainer. 
I started by having a chat with the technical team at MOGOC, they correctly pointed out to me I don't want a charger only, but a system that will maintain the battery. But in terms of suggestions they would only suggest the AA Smart Battery Charger Maintainer 1.5A which they sell (fair enough).

While it does look fine, reading some other general threads it seesm CTek are a leader in the space & I'm not sure if the AA variant is just a rebranded special of something generic, so would like to get something quality if it's worth it. 
I rather like the look of the CTEK MXS 3.8 UK mainly for the cold mode which I think would be neat in the winter (car is kept in a garage) & has the desulphation mode. 

Would this be a sound choice, or should I look to get the MXS5 or some other make and model?

I have a CTEK, and being a motorcyclist, and having a penchant for Ducati's, keeping the battery topped up is a must.

I started out with an 'Optimate' charger, which lasted a good 10 years and now have a CTEK charger. They come with hard-wiring cables, so you can put the connector in an easily accessible place. On the bike, it is easy as it is kept in the garage; my MGF is kept outside, but facing the garage, so it is easy to connect the charger.

It would be great to have an easily accessible location on the outside to connect the charger to.

I have a CTEK MXS 3.8. Very good. No complaints. Often takes overnight if I have not used the car for a few weeks.
The desulphation thing is nice to have but hard to prove effective.
I would receommend getting a silicone bumper to avoid knocks on paint or of the unit itself.

Good to hear! Do you have to select a "maintain mode" specifically or does the unit detect what it should be doing?

Also do you attach both clamps to the battery or one to the battery and one a surface on the car?

Saw a few debates on MGOC about people doing one or the other, with one guy attach the negative to an unpainted surface in the front.

Lots or suggestions so just trying to gauge what most people do.

I would advise against using the crocodile clips and use the flying lead with the ring terminals, especially if the car is outside when it is charging. The last thing you want is a cat or similar brushing past and pulling one of the crocodile clips off the battery. The connector is waterproof so it is well protected.

 

 

I've not used either but need something for the old Morris Minor which sits as a garage Princess most of the year, so this article is of use thanks.
The MG is in fairly constant use.
What struck me when I looked up both the CTEK and the AA units, is the difference in cost, the AA can be had for a fraction over £20.00 on Ebay, the CTEK minimum £60.00 ish
I wonder what the advantage is of the CTEK ?
Incidentally, I have had a discussion with the MGOC ref carriage charges too, regardless of the size or weight of the product ordered the same carriage is charged, large items even more so, they ignored my pleas so I check their costs against everyone else and mostly they lose out.
 

I bought a battery charger with maintenance mode once which claimed to be ok to leave permanetly connected which sadly fried a perfectly good battery in my MGB when I believed it's claims. When i opened the garage after a couple of weeks there was a bad smell of sulphur and the battery was scrap. I carried on using the thing as a normal charger for a while but then it (thankfully) died and the one I replaced it with does seem to have a maintenance mode which actually works.
For belt and braces though my trick now is to put the charger on a timer to greatly lessen the chance of overcoooking the battery if the device is left permanently attached.

I've just found that you can get a brand new AA charger from them direct for £26 which is pretty interesting, much cheaper than MGOC, then looking at a CTek MXS3.8 for £65, I'm on the fence right now.

I would also assume the shipping costs are a flat rate they get from their shipping provider and as they don't ship much (compared to a big outfit) they don't get good rates. I can only speak through experience as the company I work for does not get great rates and we get complaints from time to time on intl. orders where ordering a small part costs £40 in shipping.
Took us some work to work out how to reduce it down, factoring in boxe sizes etc

EDIT:
I found a CTek MXS3.8 unit on EBay for £34, only used once by the owner. Seems like a right bargain that!

The CTEK has a cold charge function which I have nver used as I heve never needed to charge outside.
It does not have a special maintenance mode. Just connect it and look at the LEDs. It goes through the same cycle every time.

No idea about the difference between the AA and CTEK.

if you want to spend a lot of cash, you could get one of these , I fitted one in our camper conversion.

Expensive, but very good.