CTEK MXS 7.0 Review

Introducing the CTEK MXS 7.0 Review

So, the MXS 7.0. What’s it all about?

Well, as we said earlier, it’s CTEK’s MXS range of chargers. Why 7.0? Because it provides a 7 Amp charge.

What’s Good?

What were the things we liked about the MXS 7.

The MXS7 Charging Technology Is Excellent

CTEK’s charging technology is comfortably the best in the world. Charging a 12V lead-acid battery isn’t like charging other kinds of batteries, like your phone.

With lead-acid batteries, they can be temperamental and hold a grudge against you, if you 1) don’t use them in the right way 2) don’t charge them in the right way.

What do they want? They want a good, healthy charge of the right voltage and amperage, until full. Then they want to be discharged to 50%, and not a drop over that. Then they want to be instantly charged again, back to full.

Of course, that just ain’t possible! (If you didn’t know car batteries were so temperamental, just consider the fact that the exact same battery can last one user 2 years and another user 8 years… this is why!)

CTEK know this. Their charging process takes account of the fact that we all have different charge-discharge cycles, which leaves our battery in various states of disrepair.

So the MXS 7.0 will start with Desulfation (a pulsing charge, more on that later), then it’ll introduce a lighter charge to start, then when it has detected it’s safe to do so, it’ll introduce a powerful charge for the majority of the process. Then it’ll taper off, and round out the edges of the battery’s charge, and finally introduce a trickle charger.

Each of these steps are highly sensitive, and incredibly well calculated in their timing.

There are other chargers which also have multi-step charging process, but they’re not close to as sophisticated. (Except NOCO’s chargers, like the Genius 5 UK smart charger or the Genius10 charger – they’re highly sophisticated, if still behind CTEK!) 

So this battery charger gives you what your battery needs in terms of charge, and also in terms of reconditioning the battery. Which leads us to…

CTEK’s Reconditioning Processes Make Your Battery Last Longer

The MXS 7.0 has the best reconditioning processes of any charger. Firstly, there’s the Desulfation step we mentioned earlier. Secondly, there’s RECOND Mode.

As the first step, every time you charge a battery, the MXS7 will perform this Desulfation step.

Desulfation

All lead-acid batteries develop lead sulfate on their battery plates. It’s part of the chemical process, from which batteries get their power. It’s not a problem, in and of itself, since the lead sulfate turns back to lead (on the battery plates) and sulfate, part of the Sulphuric acid, that makes up the battery acid (electrolyte).

The problem is that over time some of the lead sulfate turns to crystal. This is worsened when batteries are left in a discharged state. Then, even more the lead sulfate gets solidified and crystallized.

As a result, it doesn’t change back to its original states when you charge the battery. And the means the battery loses 1) its ability to hold charge and 2) its ability to deliver power.

Over time, more and more sulfate develops, until the battery can no longer take on charge. At this point, the battery is effectively dead.

This causes the death of 84% of all batteries. Batteries are actually capable of lasting longer, but sulfation causes them to die early.

But here’s the thing:

Sulfation is reversible.

It can be reversed by desulfation.

And that’s exactly what the MXS 7.0 does. It puts a high-frequency pulse across the battery, which breaks down the hardened lead sulfate crystals, which have developed on the battery plates.

As a result, your battery’s capacity increases – that means it can take on more charge again, and hence deliver more power.

What does that mean for longevity? It means your vehicle battery can last much longer, CTEK say even 2 or 3 times longer.

FYI, we’ve deep-dived into the reconditioning and desulfation of lead-acid batteries.

CTEK RECOND Mode

RECOND mode, by CTEK, is another mode that successfully reconditions lead-acid batteries. It’s this CTEK charger’s solution for acid stratification.

Acid stratification is when the electrolyte becomes layered ie. it’s no longer a proper mixture of sulphuric acid and distilled water. For your battery to hold charge and give power, it needs the electrolyte to be thoroughly mixed. If not, the car battery’s efficiency is significantly reduced.

So MXS 7’s RECOND Mode puts a controlled gassing through the battery, which is highly effective at mixing the electrolyte again. This is called electrolysis.

As a result, the battery is once more better able to convert it’s chemical energy to electrical power. So your battery’s health is significantly improved. And this is another factor that will help it to last longer.

It’s Built To Last (And For Harsh Conditions)

CTEK battery chargers, particularly the MXS range, are of excellent build quality. They’re developed to withstand any weather conditions. They’re IP65, and they’ll work in any temperature from -20°C to +50°C.

We know plenty of people that are still using thir CTEK chargers 10 years after buying them, still working absolutely fine. And we’re sure there’ll be plenty of people with even longer periods of successful use.  

The MXS 7.0 Is Powerful and Fast

With CTEK, 7 Amp charging means 7 Amp charging. There are some chargers on the market that can only deliver their stated amperage in small sections of charging.

This MXS charger will give you a full 7A charge for the entire bulk phase of charging. As mentioned, other amperages are necessary for different phases, to best recondition and charge the battery. 

What does that mean? 

It means: 1) it’s fast. From dead, you’ll get a genuinely full charge in a matter of hours; and 2) it’s really a full charge. The ameprages and voltages used by CTEK really round out the capabilities of the battery to store charge. And the reconditioning modes actually increase the capacity of the battery.

To make that clearer: a battery which has some sulfation and/or acid stratification, may only be able to take on 70% of the charge the battery could when new. After charging, with CTEK’s high-quality reconditioning process, the battery may be able to take on 90-95% of the charge it could when new.

These types of numbers have been seen by the Car Battery Geek team again and again, when desulfation practices are used. 

By the way, using a desulfator (a device that you attach to the battery permanently to remove sulfation) is the best way to really maximise battery life.

Equally as important, this charger knows when to deliver the high charging rate. Doing so from the very start and also at the end would cause damage to the battery plates. But the MXS 7 delivers it only at the times when its right to do so.

If power and speed are particularly important to you, then the CTEK MXS10 is the fastest and most powerful, with 10 Amp charging.

What’s Bad?

Anything we didn’t like about the MXS 7.0…

The Price

It’s quite expensive, and doesn’t come with any nice extras like a carry case.

Bear in mind, though, that the MXS7 will certainly increase the lifespan of your batteries. And since it’s so hard-wearing, it’ll be around to increase the life of your next battery as well. Therefore, it could easily end up more than paying for itself in reduced battery costs. 

And since it improves battery health, costly breakdowns are less likely. Around half of all breakdowns are due to battery issues, did you know?

For a lower cost model, with 5A charging, check out the MXS 5.0.

No Lithium mode

It doesn’t work for Lithium (LiFePO4) batteries. If you have Lithium batteries, you can get CTEK’s Lithium charger, or the CTEK FREE portable battery charger, which does both lead-acid and Lithium (and is a combined charger and jump starter (kind of)!).

Anything else I need to know?

12V Supply Mode 

Should you need to remove your vehicle battery for any reason, the CTEK MXS 7.0 can provide you with a power supply – it’s the best way to protect your vehicle electronics. That’s a full 7A charge, which is plentiful.

Works for all lead-acid batteries

That means traditional flooded (wet) batteries, AGM, Gel, Calcium (Ca-Ca and Silver Calcium), EFB, start stop (which means EFB or AGM batteries).1

AGM battery charging requires a sophisticated a charger as this one. Calcium (Silver Calcium) battery charging, likewise, needs the CTEK-style care.

Concluding the CTEK MXS 7.0 Review

The MXS 7, as you can see, is a very high-quality battery charger.

It certainly has the best charging process in the world, and 7A is a powerful charge that will get your batteries charged fully and well.

Then, consider the reconditioning aspect. Not many other chargers can improve your battery health so well and increase its lifespan.

It’s not low cost, though. You’ll have to decide if the quality of the charging and reconditioning is worth the money for you.

If you reckon it’s for you…

Here’s where to check it out.