Shite battery chargers (the Bradex thread)

[Wilko220]

I needed an extra battery charger recently so obviously, rather than buy a new one, I hit eBay to get something cheap.
 
One of the first I spotted in the listings was a "Bradex", a name I immediately remembered from my childhood. My dad had a bright red plastic Bradex battery charger which always seemed to be in regular use (and may well still be).
 
On further investigation though, it transpired that this particular model on eBay was not the basic, functional product I remembered - this was the super-stylish "simulated teak finish" edition.
 
I had to have it.
 
What I didn't realise until I won the auction and this thing turned up though was that it was going to be as good as fricking new, complete with all it's packaging, and even boasting the slip the bloke filled in at Argos when he bought it in 1981.
 
Enjoy these HOT PIX
 

 

 

 

 

 
I've tried to find out what became of Bradex - or Bradville Ltd, as the company that made them appears to have been called - but there seems to be not a trace of them online.
 
Anyone know where they went or who swallowed up this Yorkshire institution?
 
And, more importantly, has anyone else got some shite charger action going on in their garage that they want to share evidence of?

[Kiltox]

Old battery chargers FTW - I borrowed one from my FiL 3 years ago which I may still have and it will charge ANYTHING

[Timewaster]

Brilliant. And so much more useful than the current crop of useless Smart chargers that won't charge a battery if it is too flat!

[UltraWomble]

Instant death machine for £9.99

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VAB-Battery-Charger-3-4-Amps-/122238822135?hash=item1c760066f7:g:4yAAAOSwcUBYNWQp

[Joey spud]

 

This was dumped in the metal skip at my local council tip and i managed to smuggle it into the back of my car without the ''guards'' noticing.

 

It works in a vague kind of way,the output is a volt or two higher than the advised 6 or 12v but looks it good on the work shop shelf and it now powers an old battery operated clock radio.

[Eddie Honda]

Top bombing on the fake wood!

 

Here's my granny's old Stellar Components / Selmar GP4 charger which I did have the box (but it was quite thing cardboard and fell apart):

GP4_charger by E Honda, on Flickr

 

A Davenset Senior like my dad's old one in poverty painted metal finish:

Davenset_Senior_Battery_Charger_6V_12V_002.jpg by E Honda, on Flickr

 

And I've a couple of old Selmars like this myself, I think they both had original brown boxes slid into paper sleeves:

 

 

If I can be arsed, I'll dig out my shite battery tester out of the shed for photographing.

[twosmoke300]

I've got an old metal charger at work and it's a beast . None of this smart charge nonsense that won't charge a flat battery . Just chuck 4 amps at it !

[Andychancer]

I have a very very basic bradex charger which my dad bought in the early 90s when we first had a car,he gave me it about 8years ago and it still charges anything to this day.

I bought some dog sh1t effort from Lidl earlier in the year that blew as soon as I pressed start which reminds me I need a refund.

My bradex has made batteries last that bit extra many times over many vehicles.

All this new vandango stuff and that thing still owns them!!

[plasticvandan]

Can we start a club?

Here's mine

 

Was my dads before,and was no doubt a bootsale buy in the 1980s.never gone wrong,and has 6v charging!

[Eddie Honda]

I notice there Dan that the case is the same as the GP4. There's a lot of badged engineering when it comes to chargers.

[Eddie Honda]

Well it wasn't too difficult to reach at the back of the man cave when I went out. Unfortunately I don't have the free wall bracket or instructions and it's stuffed with asbestos (intact), but they styling is ace. Works perfectly.

 

Davenset High Discharge 12V Battery Tester 01 by E Honda, on Flickr

 

Davenset High Discharge 12V Battery Tester 02 by E Honda, on Flickr

 

Davenset High Discharge 12V Battery Tester 03 by E Honda, on Flickr

 

Davenset High Discharge 12V Battery Tester 04 by E Honda, on Flickr

[Wilko220]

^ That is absolute gold!

[Eddie Honda]

This seller seems to think they're made of gold by the looks of it:

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/172420833846

 

Poor condition, missing the other half and cable, no box. Havin' a laugh so he is.

[Wilko220]

Yeah, makes yours worth about 500 quid!

[Vantman]

I bought this Selmar about 30 years ago and it stopped working about a month ago so I had to use my other charger--

[Tamworthbay]

Those Selmars are the exact one my dad had, I had completely forgotten that!

[Justin Case]

Today we went with friends who live in the delightful village of Rolleston on Dove (near Burton) to the advent festival in the church, with trees decorated by local organisations on the theme of 'a Winter's Tale'. To my delight the one from the local transport society included........ yes a Bradex battery charger    At the foot of rather than hanging from the tree, it was a red plastic one and not the hand-carved yew to be expected in such surroundings, but it had the same dial as the wooden effort in the OP.

[Timewaster]

Those Absaar chargers are great. I used to sell them and can't remember ever getting a faulty one back.

[Asimo]

Dad had one of these, it was his third ever charger, the previous two going up in smoke after short and busy lives

https://flic.kr/p/e4Y7zp

I must have repaired it a dozen times: 6/12v switch fell apart, current control fell apart (pointless feature; why would you not select "max"?), fuse holder fell apart and of course, the metal rectifier cooked. Metal rectifiers were what was used before silicon diodes became cheap and when they burn up they really stink, loads of foul yellow smoke. With a 100 amp diode in place of the rectifier, I then used it for about 30 years. I got fed up with the sight of it and binned it a couple of years ago when some sophisticated modern thing (from a generator set I was dismantling) became available at zero cost.

[Kiltox]

The GP4 is what I have - it has a different meter though

[SiC]

 

This was dumped in the metal skip at my local council tip and i managed to smuggle it into the back of my car without the ''guards'' noticing.

 

It works in a vague kind of way,the output is a volt or two higher than the advised 6 or 12v but looks it good on the work shop shelf and it now powers an old battery operated clock radio.

Isn't it supposed to be at 14v or so to be properly charging a lead acid anyway?

[SiC]

Also watch out with connecting some of these directly to car battery that is still connected to the car. Unregulated chargers could end up putting too many volts in or too noisy power and fritz out modern car electrics.

[alf892]

I rescued this from a skip in 1986. On of the wires was broken off but the missing end panel made temporary repair easy.........

 

The other wire broke last year so similar repair carried out. Bloody great little charger........I have given away newer ones.

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

Here's the Bradex's appearance in the 1981 Argos catalogue:

 

 

Packs a punch.

[SiC]

Here's the Bradex's appearance in the 1981 Argos catalogue:

 

bradex.jpg

 

Packs a punch.

Quite amazing that in 35years that the price of battery chargers hasn't actually changed really (despite inflation).

[UltraWomble]

Ha - I used to have number 2 on that Argos page till I melted it using it to jump start a Fiesta.

Didnt help that teh fuse was tin foil.

[sheffcortinacentre]

I've charged a battery last week with that exact same Bradex charger, that my father bought new in the late 70s, still has its box (lid disappeared years ago) & instructions.

[AMC Rebel]

I did have my Dad's old Crypton one for years - it was on about the ninth rectifier, but in the end the transformer gave up.

 

Like this but mine is long gone

 

 

I inherited this about 16 years ago from my then (now ex) wife's Grandad.  It's behaved itself so far.

 

 

 

[mercrocker]

Grr....Lent my Absaar to a neighbour where I used to live.   He passed away but the charger lives on - somewhere.  I never got it back.   

 

Still have this, though, but I have not used it in anger for some while.   You alter the charge rate, input voltage and battery voltage simply by moving the little plugs between different sockets!   Supplied by Marble Arch  Motor Supplies probably in the 1950s.   It belonged to an Uncle who used to charge his Commer Cob from it..... 

 

 

 

 

[AMC Rebel]

Today we went with friends who live in the delightful village of Rolleston on Dove (near Burton) to the advent festival in the church, with trees decorated by local organisations on the theme of 'a Winter's Tale'. To my delight the one from the local transport society included........ yes a Bradex battery charger    At the foot of rather than hanging from the tree, it was a red plastic one and not the hand-carved yew to be expected in such surroundings, but it had the same dial as the wooden effort in the OP.

<Trivia> My uncle and aunt live there - and have done since about 1971 </trivia>