You are right - that Upspex red unit is very competitively priced, and looks like a nice bit of kit. I havent heared of any issues with it.
Yeah, the Ctek are expensive - especially when packaged up by a car manufacturer like Porsche - or when compared to the neat little chargers from Lidl and Aldi for £13 to £15 (which I quite like for their cheapness and reliability, but sadly dont come back on after a power cut - which happens a lot in the sticks.).
Overrated? I sorry - I dont agree. Before you ask - I am an electrical and electronic systems engineer - and have had a lot of experience in battery systems and charging in automotive applications, and have had dealings with most of the major charger manufacturers.
The CTek designer I spoke to was very aware of the requirements of battery charging and how to do so and maintain maximum battery longevity (not just how to ram some charge into it as quickly as possible - which seems to be some manufacturers plan) - and had a very conservative approach to component ratings and loadings - which, as an electronics designer, I appreciate.
Many manufacturers do not have my same views - like the RING series of 16A "heavy duty" chargers that I bought. They failed one after another - I gave up in the end - and they weren't far off the same price as a 15A CTek.
The designer I spoke to was also very frustrated that some manufacturers were banging out the same old fasioned chargers, when there are better ways to maximise battery life now. (The accumate chargers havent changed in 20 years, they were the best available at the time - but they still charge top dollar today).
My experience is that CTek chargers are very reliable indeed, as they have good internal protection systems (which is why I am suprised - this is the first I have heared of that has failed)- and they are very kind to the battery.
I think that this is an area where you get what you pay for.
I've got a lot of vehicles - cars, vans, 4x4's, classic cars and bikes to keep charged (and some 24v military stuff in the past), so have lots of these little chargers and had a number of them fail.
The cheapo £15 ish 3.8A battery charger from Aldi are a really good buy - and do seem pretty reliable - one out of 6 chargers has failed in 4 years. They do have the downside that they need to be switched back on after a power interrupt (which happens a lot in the country, and often without you knowing it) - they also dont come with any form of socket/plug arrangement so you can connect up a short lead to plug the charger into for regular standby charging - so that's something else you have to sort out -I use the "Deitch" type connectors only because I had some from work... I use these chargers in vehicles where they are more accessible to switch back on - and on the battery charging bench, where I am less worried about battery storage and top up long term.
The Ring 4A RSC4 "smart chargers" are £35 best price on Ebay - so are no "cheap option"- do come on after power interrupt, but only on the lower 2A setting - and have proved fairly reliable - one of my four of these has failed in the last 6 years.
I mainly use these in the bike shed and garage where I wont notice thet they have tripped off - or it's a pain to get to them to switch them back on like int eh campervan.
The Ring RSC16 (16 amp charger that is now discontinued, but was about £80 six years ago) was an abject disaster. I had 5 in a row - they all failed, one after another - and very quickly (within 3 months of being first used).
The Accumate chargers for the bikes were all £30-plus each - I bought three and only deliver 0.8A continuous - and two of the original three failed in 10 years - but I have to admit they led a hard life.
The equivalent 3.6A Ctek for about £40 brand new on Ebay (not so overpriced after all!)
I've got three (of the older model) that I've bought a while back - had them for about 10 to 15 years, and all three are working fine - I've driven over them and they still work - they've been out in the rain, and they still work.
I've just bought the 10A version for my van for £90 on Ebay - been using it since christmas - no problems to report yet.
My experience does differ from your opinion I'm afraid.
