Solar BA5 battery tester

[Danglerb]

Clore is the parent company of Solar, and they seem to know batteries as well as anybody. The BA5 is the basic battery tester with no testing of the charging system. I've been thinking about some kind of tester for some time, battery in my 99 Lincoln Continental cranked slow on me a couple times, so I went on Amazon looking at the BA7, but seems to me the main charging test it does is hold the min voltage during cranking, not worth $20 more.

What sold me was while the BA5 regular price from Amazon was $39, Amazon warehouse outlet (ie returned products) had a new one for $29 so I ordered it. It arrived today about 2 hours after I replaced my old battery, but I am still fooling around with the car and it is dirt easy to use. Next time I am in my friends shop I plan to see how it does on the stash of bad batteries they have waiting for scrap.

Shut off the car, turn off accessories, etc.
Hook up the meter, plus first, then neg.
Meter shows battery voltage,
Press enter and change battery type if you need to, remembers old setting.
Press enter and change test type CCA, Din, etc. if you need to.
Press enter and change value of CCA etc. if you need to.
Press enter and it displays the measured value and shows status with a LED.
press enter to repeat.

Supposed to detect if the battery is too low to test and needs a charge, but a fully charged battery isn't needed, just not dead.
Supposed to detect any dead cells.

Tax in Calif so $33 shipped, seems like a no brainer addition to the toolbox, and its cigarette pack sized, weighs very little etc. My new Duralast Gold Group 65 measures so far between 971 and 980 CCA, the higher value though was from a test where I entered 850 CCA and its 1000 CCA I think, anyway later on different test after so charging used 1000 and got 971.

 

[rmsg0040]

I got one also, picked up from tooltopia, works for me as I am a backyard mechanic

 

[W0rLDWaR4]

Thinking of buying this unit and came across this post. Seems pretty cheap for a weekend wrencher!

 

[Karl_B]

It's a pretty nice little unit. I picked one up used, just to play around with it, and I wind up using it on most cars that come in, just because it's so easy to test them. Unfortunately, the bad batteries have been in vehicles of customers who either have a warranty on the battery or refuse to replace it as long as it functions at all.

It reads the voltage as soon as you hook it up and it has clamps, so it's quicker than a multimeter to check voltage, and a couple more presses of a button will tell you the capacity remaining. I even used it on a riding lawn mower yesterday. Battery rated at 235 CCA had 26. Overall, I've been very happy with it.

 

[xafuel705]

I bought the Solar BA9 and am very pleased with it. I couldnt bring myself to buy a midtronics like we have at work.

 

[kblee27]

Solar BA works, but I wouldn't trust it more than giving you a ballpark figure.
My choice is Midtronics. And I use it everyday.

The difference is that when you use Midtronics to measure a battery, it gives you a consistent and accurate result.
But of cuz, that comes with a higher price.

 

[impactsocket]

xafuel705, Does your Solar BA 9 give you different numbers, if you use it to test the same battery, multiple times?

 

[blkSRT]

I'm getting inconsistent results as well