CTEK MXS 0.8 Battery Charger Review - Best things come in small packages

Compact, intelligent, affordable 12 volt trickle bike & car battery charger from CTEK. Is it any good?
Let's put it to the best featuring my BMW E92 M3 and a YUASA bike battery.
CTEK XS 0.8
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CTEK Group Comparison ► • CTEK MXS 0.8 vs MXS 5....
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#CTEK #BATTERY #CHARGER

[@davidbarnes241]

I’ve just been using my friends 0.8 and was wondering why it was taking so long. Thanks for the excellent video that explained the process so well. Looks like it’ll be on charge for a couple of days, but now I know, I’m a lot happier in the knowledge that it’s better in the long term for the battery 👍

[@JoeLamOfficial]

You're welcome! Glad to know this video helped you. Overall, yes the 0.8 is a lot slower but if you're not in a hurry, it's better for your battery and save some money too (not having to buy the more expensive models). :)

[@davidbarnes241]

Well it worked a treat. The battery was only a year old and had suffered several total discharges. It hat finally charged this morning and is really strong again. Definitely worth the wait and luckily I didn’t have to go anywhere and interrupt the charging schedule.

[@JoeLamOfficial]

Excellent. Really glad to hear that it managed to revive your battery! Good news!

[@thubelihlezondi5822]

Thanks. Bought one of these a few days ago for my bike that has a new battery, it’s good to know that I got a good product.

[@JoeLamOfficial]

I’ve used mine for so nearly 10 years now. Still running now. Personally I’ve had good experience with it. Thanks for watching and leaving comment 😊

[@BackWoodsWisco]

I've met older people who actually mount these types of chargers (not this brand specifically) in the engine compartment of their vehicle. Stop and go city driving like many older people do is hard on batteries, so they'll mount the thing permanently on the battery and feed the power plug through the grill. Then when it's parked in the garage, especially during a cold season, they'll often plug it in. Decent way to extend the lifespan of a battery.

[@JoeLamOfficial]

I’ve seen people mount it near the battery in the boot for example, but I’ve not seen it in the engine. Wouldn’t the heat be an issue?

[@BackWoodsWisco]

@@JoeLamOfficial could be haha. I haven't done it myself. Only seen other people do it. I suppose it also depends on the charger, some of them are quite rugged

[@JoeLamOfficial]

@@BackWoodsWisco True. Well I would rather fit the quick connect to the battery instead and just plug the charger in that way.

[@kooka111]

Nice to see accurate information, no hype, I have two C Teks small and large.They are a quality product that does what it’s supposed too in a nice small and simple to use format.

[@JoeLamOfficial]

Hi there, thanks for checking out my video. Appreciate the feedback comment. Which 2 do you use? :)

[@ardav951]

Thank you! Your video is so clear and well documented and edited. I went for this model for my 3 bikes.

[@JoeLamOfficial]

Hey. Thanks for leaving me a comment. Hope you have a nice day. :)

[@ArcanePath360]

Exactly the info I needed. Ordering one now. My new job is only 13 minutes away and this doesn't seem long enough to put sufficent charge back into the battery, especially when making stops for petrol or shopping. I need something to plug into the bike when I get home to boost it up a bit in a non-aggressive way until the next day.

[@JoeLamOfficial]

ArcanePath360 for bikes. I think this one is perfect. Size price and performance 👌🏼

[@thors-hammer1]

Thanks Joe and based on your review, I'll be heading to the store to pick up one for my motorcycle!

[@JoeLamOfficial]

Thank you for checking out my video Thors. 🙂 appreciate your feedback. Love to learn how to ride a motorcycle one day.

[@smnlcu]

Very nice, comprehensive and clear review. Thank you! I may add this charger does not have buttons, that reportedly on CTEK are not so reliable over time.

[@JoeLamOfficial]

Glad it was helpful! Personally I've had this for a while now along with my MXS 25, but the longest one I've used to date - which is still being used right now is my MXS 5.0 that I had for nearly 10 years.

[@Paul-pb3vq]

I've had two very new Battery's fail while using these chargers I have had these chargers connected 24/7 over the winter time to my new maxi scooter and my new motorcycle On wanting to use my motorcycle after the winter I disconnected the charger and tried starting the bike and just clicking came from the starter. Same with the scooter. I believe that they actually overcharged the battery's and killed them. And before anyone says yes I checked the battery connections were clean and tight. Never had the same problem with my wife's oxford charger or now my optimate chargers. Plus I contacted CTEK directly by email voicing my concerns about what had happened. Guess what never replied.

[@JoeLamOfficial]

Thanks for sharing your experience with them. That's very unfortunate that it happened. By the way, how old were the batteries? I must say, I have mine connected for long periods of time and haven't experienced any issues.

[@Paul-pb3vq]

@@JoeLamOfficial Both Battery's were less than a year old. That's what annoyed me.

[@olic2581]

Thanks a lot for the video. Nice, clear, concise & super helpful!!!

[@JoeLamOfficial]

Thanks for checking out my video!!

[@harleyupton4221]

Thanks for the info my ATV is charging up, should be done my morning.

[@JoeLamOfficial]

Hey thanks for the feedback. Never been on a ATV before!

[@trueKorvus]

Thanks! This was helpful and informative. Though I find my previous 0.8's have just stopped working after ~6 years of pretty nigh continuous/regular trickle battery maintenance.

[@JoeLamOfficial]

You're welcome, and I'm glad you found the information helpful and informative. I've had mine for a long time plugged in all the time too. Luckily it's still running. How did your 0.8 fail or what are the signs?

[@trueKorvus]

@@JoeLamOfficial Suddenly it won't charge any more. Same thing happened to my last one.

[@JoeLamOfficial]

I've heard cases like that. Fortunately mine still works. Do you plug/unplug them frequently?

[@trueKorvus]

@@JoeLamOfficial I use it for my motorcycle. I find the alarm and mods I have drain the battery so I'll connect it regularly if I'm not using the bike more than a few days otherwise I end up with a flat battery.

[@JoeLamOfficial]

Are you looking to replace it with a same model or something else?

[@stephenbowden4766]

Excellent information and excellent video, thank you very much.

[@JoeLamOfficial]

Hi Stephen. Thanks for the kind words. Hope you have a fantastic day. 😆

[@JDDD33]

good video, but if this charger doesnt have a mode to select AGM, vs wet vs lithium, how does it know what charging profile to use ? i.e. different batteries require different charging profiles. for example the Noco Genius, you can select what type of battery you are charging

[@Late080]

Thanks, this was really helpful😊

[@JoeLamOfficial]

Glad it was helpful! Thanks again.

[@RoyerRogers545]

The MXS 5.0 AGM mode is 14.7v but the MXS 0.8 it’s 14.4v something to consider!

[@JoeLamOfficial]

True. But still works though. I've used the 0.8 on my AGM battery M3 and keeps it topped up and starts fine even in long term storage (over 1.5 years).

[@gordon295]

Very nice review !! Thank you very much ... :)

[@JoeLamOfficial]

Thanks for checking out my video. Appreciate the feedback. 🙏🏼

[@thewholls7176]

The 0.8 is the one to get. I use it for ''maintenance charging'' and especially in cold weather when I lived in Canberra Australia if the car was outside I sometimes ran a cord under the garage door to the driveway and tucked everything up under the bonnet never had a battery fail in cold weather (minus 3 degrees) - I just bought another one of these yesterday on special for 60 bucks Aussie which is 33 GBP - brilliant for cars in long term storage or odd weekend top ups or if you have a boat or motorbike its the way to go......... if you plan to charge from flat - then yes get the 5.0A BUT the 0.8 will do it it will just take 2 or 3 days depending on capacity and that's sometimes not practical - but even then if your not using it over the weekend its still OK..... 60 bucks is not even a tank of fuel my last fill up was 107AUD....!!!!

[@JoeLamOfficial]

Absolutely agree. For long term the 0.8 is enough and doesn't matter that its slower. Once its topped up they all float at the same voltage anyway. 😉 Thanks for watching and sharing your experience all the way from Australia!!

[@JA-em3xk]

Thank you.

[@JoeLamOfficial]

You're welcome! 😉

[@andydauer]

Perfect and Great thanks From germany ✌️👍

[@JoeLamOfficial]

Danke! 😆👊🏼

[@matmiller5256]

Appreciated the input, Have C-TEC MS 0.8 Charger, ideal for mc/s. What is best is safety/reliable charging /owned > 3 yrs/no issues.

[@JoeLamOfficial]

Hi Mat. Thank you for watching my video. Sorry for my dumb question. What’s a MC/S? Motorcycle?

[@matmiller5256]

@@JoeLamOfficial Hello Joe, apologies for my poor clarification. mc/s generally means/relates to MotorCycle/S. Thanks for your upload, Regards. Matthew / UK

[@JoeLamOfficial]

Hi Mat. Thanks for clarifying. There are no modes setting on the CTEK 0.8. It's pretty much just plug and play. It'll sort itself out. It might take up to 6-8 hours depending on your battery voltage level. After that, it will just maintain itself just fine. I've had mine plugged in for many years and still runs fine.

[@matmiller5256]

@@JoeLamOfficial Appreciated for the reply. Take care sir. atb, Regards, Matt

[@JoeLamOfficial]

You are very welcome Matt. Thank you again for checking out my video. Appreciate it. 🙂 all the best!

[@ConciergeMed]

Hi. Are you sure the motorcycle mode on MXS 5 limits it to 0.8A?

[@JoeLamOfficial]

I haven't got the means to measure it myself, but if you set the mode correctly. I think it should be okay?

[@JamesGunn-te5yj]

what is the length of the power supply cable that goes to the battery on the 0.8 citek charger please. Cant find the info anywhere..

[@JoeLamOfficial]

I don’t know exactly but from memory I say it’s roughly 2m?

[@bikesmart5540]

Hi great video, is it normal if when my battery gets to 5 i.e fully charged and I power the charger Off briefly and back on it will then stay at 3 (charging) a fairly long time before going back to fully charged? I’m very ocd so may just be over analysing.

[@JoeLamOfficial]

Depends on size and age of your battery. It is possible to take some time. But again, depends on the battery condition. In theory if you power it off (but then, did you use it while it's not charging? Eg starting or running the car), it can drain quite quickly resulting in the charger having to go through the process again.

[@alhambra792]

What is the difference between CT5 vs MXS 5.0?

[@JoeLamOfficial]

Hi. I haven’t used the CT5 before but I looked at the specs. It’s more in line with the MXS 3.8 as it produces 14.55 V and 3.8 A current. It’s a simplified version without any buttons and not suitable for bikes, only cars as it’s circuit is designed for cars batteries more since it states it’s for battery Ah in the range of 14-150ah. And final interesting and difference is that it claims it’s more suitable for AGM and EFB batteries. EFB batteries are an enhanced version of standard wet-flooded technology. These type of batteries should not be confused with standard flooded or AGM batteries. The primary benefits of EFB technology are improved charge acceptance and greater cyclic durability when operating in a reduced state of charge. So id say this is more like a simpler , enhanced version of the MXS 3.8 for cars only. Rather than the MXS 5.0. Hope this helps. Thanks for watching :)

[@alhambra792]

@@JoeLamOfficial Thanks mate for the clear explanation. And thank you for going further into studying abt it. A big thank you. Would you say the MX5 is a bit more superior than the CT5?

[@JoeLamOfficial]

@@alhambra792 I wouldn't say superior, but it's likely to be quicker at charging if that matters to you and want the option to charge motorcycle batteries. But if you don't need the bike function and as you can see from my comparison chart, the CT5 3.8amp is very similar to the MXS 3.8. If you compare the time between the MXS 5.0 and 3.8 - does the extra charging matter? Those are the biggest difference. :) Personally, I probably just get the 3.8 or the 5.0 over the CT5. Just for the flexibility.

[@robertkenney6002]

I have my bmw 335 parked outside and not driving it for a few weeks. Can I leave this charger on it with no damage?

[@JoeLamOfficial]

I've had mine plugged in for years before (literally). No issue at all. Just make sure the mains powered end is protected from the elements? The charger itself should be waterproof etc.

[@RoelBaardman]

I'm curious if it is safe to use this to charge multiple 9Ah 12V lead-acid batteries that are connected in parallel. I don't mind if it takes longer to charge. Does the Desulphation still work in this case?

[@JoeLamOfficial]

Hi Roel, I'm not an expert in this area regarding charging multiple batteries, but I did see this Q&A that claims it's ok - www.etrailer.com/question-263553.html But I haven't tried and the CTEK manual doesn't mention about this.

[@RoelBaardman]

@@JoeLamOfficial thanks for the response! Much appreciated!

[@JoeLamOfficial]

@@RoelBaardman no problem :)

[@AustinPetDetective]

Turn the gain down on your mic for goodness sake.

[@JoeLamOfficial]

Hi, thanks for the feedback. 🙋🏻‍♂️ I’ll keep an eye out and have since learnt more about audio gain and levels. Thanks for watching again and the feedback.