MCN's Editor gave this CTEK battery charger five stars - and it's 20% off for Black Friday

The current range topper and fan favourite of the CTEK trickle charger range, the CTEK CS Free, is on sale during Black . It comes with a saving of 20% off – that’s nearly £50 – for a limited time only.  

Pick one up now and it’ll set you back £284.50 rather than it’s usual retail value of £219.99. That’s an absurd deal for one of the best CTEKs and trickle chargers in the business. Keep on reading to find out what we thought of it and how useful it can be for your two-wheeled bundle of joy.  

We’ve also spotted the following battery charger deals, which are just as tempting!

33% off Oxford Oximiser 900 – was £59.99, now £39.99
35% off Oxford Oximiser 3X – was £99.99, now £65.92
40% off Oxford Solariser Optimiser – was £44.99, now £26.97
30% off CTEK MXS 3.8 – was £79.99, now £69.99
23% off CTEK MXS 5.0 – was £94.99, now £72.89
10% off CTEK XS 0.8 – was £49.99, now £44.99

CTEK CS Free review

If you can’t plug your trickle charger into a mains outlet, then a solar version with a power bank could be the answer. The CTEK CS Free is essentially a standalone version of the CS ONE and is a multi-function charger that’s compatible with all types of 12V lead-acid and lithium (12V LiFePO4) batteries. It’s also a power bank with USB-A and USB-C ports, so a plethora of other electronics can be run from it, too. 

The CTEK CS Free was extensively tested by Richard Newland for 4 months, and he gave it 5/5 for quality and 3/5 for value. He said bike batteries are getting smaller and lighter – but more powerful electronics systems and auxiliary add-ons is becoming greater than ever, meaning the stress our bikes is putting on these batteries is also greater. It doesn’t take much to find you’re out of juice when you hit the magic starter button. But if you don’t have a garage or suitable bike storage with electricity from the mains, the solution is to get a trickle charger that’s been designed and developed in the harsh Swedish climate. I.e. one of these.  

Once charged, it’ll hold its power for a year and will recover a dead bike battery enough to start your engine in around 15 minutes. The charge is delivered to your battery progressively, too. That’s a nice reassurance as it reduces the risk of damaging the battery from jump starting it. It really is an ideal unit, and it works amazingly well. It’s a slightly dearer solution to other battery and trickle chargers, but the proof is in black and white. It works brilliantly and is invaluable if you and your bike are living off the grid. 

And if you want to go fully off-grid, you can get the very clever foldaway 60W Solar Charge Kit to keep the unit and your bike’s battery maintained and ready for riding. It’s a pricey extra and rather too bulky to take on tour (on a bike) – but if your remote garage has a window (or you have multiple other power needs, like a camper van), it’s a seriously good solution. And to make the after-purchase life easier, both items have two-year warranties. 

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