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- Verified Buyer
The instructions are VERY hard to follow - because they made a lot of assumptions.This is to try and help those who were wondering. You've got 3 things to verify first.1: What KIND of battery are you charging? This is critical and you can only know this by searching the label on Google to figure out if it's AGM, Lithium or other. (For purposes of this writeup I am assuming you got rid of your old clunker years ago and thus your car came with an AGM battery. Most cars sold after 2012-ish are going to have AGM and if it's a hybrid it's almost certainly an AGM. If it's not AGM you'll want to research your specific type.)2: What problem are you trying to solve? Sounds simple but it isn't. There's a difference between a DAMAGED battery, a DRAINED battery (as in there's no charge at all) and a LOW battery. A DAMAGED battery is unlikely if this is the first time you've had an issue. A DRAINED battery is likely if your car (or whatever device) hasn't been driven or even turned on in at least two weeks. A LOW battery may indicate the battery needs to be replaced. This device can help with all three, but it's critical you understand what YOUR situation is. If you don't know, don't just buy this, get it towed to Autozone or whatever; they test batteries for free.3: How urgent is your problem? Meaning, if you're stranded somewhere, you need to be calling a tow truck instead of researching this; it's not going to help UNLESS you're very near a power outlet. If you're at home you're probably fine, but you'll likely need an extension cable depending on how your place is laid out.OK, so after that, here's the run down.1️⃣ connect the charging cables to the device, then attach the charging cables TO THE BATTERY - DON'T PLUG IT INTO THE WALL YET. If you have a hybrid I know they say jump it from under the hood - don't. Just attach straight to the battery (for hybrids it's likely in the trunk behind a side panel). The reason for this is that there could be a defect in the line (thus why your battery's in the state that it's in). There should be one "pole" or post that has a (+) sign, that's positive, or look for it under a red colored rubber cover. Connect positive (red) to this, then connect negative (black) to the other post, BEFORE plugging the device into the wall. Attach to the battery first. If your battery isn't dead, you may get a spark, that's fine. It's a clue that your battery still has at least some juice.2️⃣ plug the device into the wall outlet. The device should get an amber standby light (the power symbol). If you don't get this check if your outlet is one that has a fuse breaker (the two buttons) and see if you can reset it. Also verify this outlet has power; plug something else in; might also be powered by a switch somewhere. In other words CHECK THE OUTLET BEFORE YOU ASSUME THE DEVICE IS DEFECTIVE. If you check all that and still don't get a base amber light, the device MIGHT be defective; but check step 3 first.3️⃣ Tap the MODE button once; it does take a bit of effort to push it in. It should light up 12v. (if nothing happens, it's likely defective). DON'T LEAVE IT ON 12v. Keep tapping until those lights are off (and ideally the amber status light goes back on). This is where you need to know the battery type; it's likely one of these three. HOWEVER...THIS SETTING IS FOR MAINTENANCE AND TRICKLE CHARGE, NOT FROM-ZERO CHARGING. So chances are, if you bought this device, this setting is NOT what you need YET. Proceed to Step 4 (this step was just to test the device to make sure it wasn't DOA).4️⃣ This is a bit tricky - but tap the MODE button once (lights up 12v), then TAP AND HOLD for 3 seconds (literally count alligators in your head), then release (yes, you need to say "alligator" the third time). The light should go down to the second row with 6v on the right. Now, you're back to tapping and the light will cycle to the left.IF YOUR BATTERY IS NOT DAMAGED - and the way you'd know that is whether it holds a charge or not - YOU WANT "12v Supply". This will not give you an obvious indicator level, but if you need to jump this car, this will let you do it. It'll basically give enough juice to the battery to allow it to turn over - use the car's interior lighting as a clue. You may need to leave it on for a half hour or so just to make sure there's enough for the initial draw. (Once you can get the gas engine going the alternator will complete the charge after you drive for about 30 minutes; otherwise see Step 5).So basically treat "12v Supply" like a jump. It'll give you enough to complete the charge; if it doesn't hold, you can then go to "12v Repair" and let it cycle, but that's only if the battery has been dry for a very long time, usually. DO NOT LEAVE THE BATTERY PLUGGED IN ON 12V SUPPLY THINKING YOU'RE DOING GOOD - YOU'RE GOING TO DAMAGE THE BATTERY AND LIKELY CAUSE MORE PROBLEMS. This is because at some point there's going to be feedback going the other way. That's NOT what you want.5️⃣ After it's been on "12v Supply" for about 30 minutes to an hour - just enough to have some base life, you can now tap MODE twice to go back to the maintenance mode I mentioned before, then (and this is critical) TAP UNTIL THE TYPE OF BATTERY YOU HAVE IS LIT. This is so that the charger will provide charge in a way that is healthy to the battery.You will also get the level indicator at the top to start working correctly (this works even if the battery's dry, but from dry, it can't hold enough charge to increase; you'll just see it bounce from one to two and back to one over and over again while lights flicker. That's why you have to do "12v Supply" first to give it enough to hold from regular draw (your car is always drawing from the battery for something or other), THEN do the maintenance setting if you want to go all the way to full and keep it there if you can't (or don't want to) drive it right away.One possible misconception with this device is the assumption it does all of the above automagically. It does NOT. You can leave it on maintenance mode but it'll never charge, I promise you, and you can leave it on 12v Supply but you'll have a problem if it charges for too long. 12v Repair seems to be more about testing the drain, so I suspect it won't "harm" anything, but it likely will shorten the life of the battery if left on too long, especially if you don't actually need it. Put it this way - if you've never had a problem starting your car until that ONE time during the pandemic that you stopped driving for weeks, you likely DON'T need 12v Repair. You likely just need to charge it up a bit, then put it in maintenance mode for however many days until you next drive; I would even suggest not leaving it plugged in but maybe plug it up for maintenance mode once a week or something for a few hours, just so that there's drain-and-charge.6️⃣ Once you get the green indicator the device believes that the battery is full. At this point you can (theoretically) leave it connected in maintenance mode, or just plug it in as needed. To remove the device, remove things in REVERSE ORDER - Tap MODE until it's in standby again, then remove negative (SET IT A VERY GOOD DISTANCE AWAY FROM METAL), then positive (SET IT A VERY GOOD DISTANCE AWAY FROM NEGATIVE AND METAL), uncouple the charging cables, then unplug the device from the wall.You are (or should be) done.One other thing I might suggest to you is to consider a portable AC generator. They go for fairly cheap here on Amazon - that way if you do get stranded somewhere that doesn't have a power outlet, you can use those for that initial jump. Something else to consider for your emergency roadside (self) assistance. I have two emergency type devices - one's a powerbank: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07LBLQ9YY/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1The other is an actual portable generator: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07MYT6SZ5/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 (no longer available, but you can look some of the related similar products) which has other helpers like a light and USB outlets - could be a saver if you're literally in the middle of nowhere when your battery acts up.My car's battery was deader than dead! After not being driven for about 3 months, even the dashboard lights wouldn't turn on. When I tried the key in the ignition, first I heard a "click", then silence! I thought about just replacing the battery, but then I spotted this Noco Genius 10, and read all the reviews. It was then I decided to order it. Delivery was quick, and after watching some UTube Videos, I felt confident enough to install it to the car's battery and turn it on. That was late Saturday afternoon. On Sunday, I checked to see if it was still charging, and it was. Then came Monday morning, when I noticed that the green light was shining. I quickly open the car door, to see the overhead light was on, and when I put the key in the ignition, the dashboard lights lit up, and the engine started up without any hesitation. Miracles can happen, and this was one! I've learned my lesson, and will leave this Noco Genius 10, attached and turned on, whenever I don't plan to drive this car for any extended period of time.If a "Very Senior Citizen Lady" can revitalize a dead battery all by herself, so can you! Noco Genius 10 is the real miracle worker, and well worth every penny! Just buy it!I own 2 vehicles. They are both older but paid for. One had work done that included a new battery. Due to various reasons, that vehicle sat in a garage for about 6 months without being started or driven. I thought I might have to replace the battery. It had no charge at all. I bought the Noco Genius 10 to resolve this problem based on the reviews and advertisied capabilities. It delivered results quickly and safely. I am impressed with the quality of the unit and would highly recommend it to someone needing a trickle charger and not knowing a brand to buy.With infrequent use hopefully this charger can more life out of 12/6v batteries. Do we ever really know how long they will last no, will you just buy a replacement when a battery dies yes. Hoping this charger give a little more life out of some batteries, no complaints simple to use, just match your battery to the proper charge setting and you should be all set. I like to charge up batteries at least 24 hours but it says you can leave this connected and it will go j to trickle charge mode. Noco seems to be one of the leading brands of chargers.I did a lot of research leading up to this purchase and see why some love it some hate it. The unit itself seems well built but the connection for the alligator clips to the unit itself seems questionable. The instructions are really detailed at points but fail to mention major things like do you connect that alligator clip harness to the connector before or after connecting the battery? As someone else said they talk about pressing and holding for different modes but not the default mode. I charged a battery and saw it go green pretty quick but didn’t know if the unit shut off. I really want to like the unit but it doesn't make you feel confident.Because I own property in multiple countries, my vehicle batteries at each location, usual go through a slow discharge, even when fully disconnected. During the Pandemic I was unable to travel due to restrictions. I carried this NOCO Genius10 with me and brought each battery from death to full charge. One battery needed two full days of charge, but was fully restored. I can give this product top ratings....for the intelligent way it restoredI liked the feature for being able to charge multiple battery types (wet cell, AGM, LifePo4). Easy to use, but I personally liked the ability to use this unit as a power supply. Just select - 12 volt supply - The voltage is set at 12.6 volts with 10 amp current capacity. I highly recommend this charger (NOCO Genius 10).Upon release of the latest Noco Genius series this year, I got two Noco Genius2 smart chargers similar to this one but at a lower amperage thinking I could use them for my SUV battery. Well, you can but it will take a very long time (days even). So I sold both and bought this Genius10. The numbers at the end being the amp rating. And because my SUV came with an 80amp/hour rating, this Genius10 would be the best fit.I also have the Noco Boost XL GB50 battery starter and loved the look and ruggedness of that unit. I expected no less from this Genius10.However upon delivery, I was disappointed with the overall build. The plastic build quality is great. I was looking that they could improve further on the looks and features which they took a step backward.WHY?- The power AC cable and battery connector cables are connected direct to the unit. For something that needs to be transported to and from vehicles, garages, etc the cables should be removable and easily replaceable. Cables will twist and degrade over time, the least Noco could do is similar to their Boost units with removable cables. Why connect two cables directly to the Genius without it being user replaceable? Unless Noco wants to ensure they sell more units (or turn off customers in the future from buying their product).This is a big no-no lack of attention to detail from their 2020 release.- Where is the simple cloth bag to organize the unit and cables? Just like the Boost units that come with a simple cloth for easy storage, they didn't provide anything similar for this one. Noco really wants you to destroy the cables sooner than later with the ability to not remove them or keep them organized.- For the top of the line Genius charger, where is the LED readout to advice the current voltage of the battery? That would be a nice, simple feature that's most needed.- A lot of lacking features for 6V and 12V Lithium Ion batteries including the ability to repair and provide steady power for these types of batteries.- They dropped the 24V feature. It's smaller than their older G7200 but they also dropped support for 24V charging.FEATURES:- 6V and 12V battery charging for lead acid batteries.- 12V lithium ion charging- 12V repair- 12V steady power supply- LED lights to advice between 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% charging state.OVERALL:This is your best bet for traditional 12V lead acid batteries including AGM. They include nice-to-have features for both 6V and 12V Lithium Ion batteries for charging but left them out in the cold in terms of repair or providing steady supply.Plus with no storage bag and no removable cables from the unit itself, I question the durability of these latest Noco Genius over time especially at the hands of a shop that needs to transport between batteries or vehicles.It's a shame and at this price point I can't say it's a no brainer. I would still trust the brand, just question their design process at this time in 2020.Positives: Price seemed good. It's really quite small. Easy to hook up and lay inside the engine bay for the recharing/reconditioning battery task. Their customer support folks are top notch (see negatives, below).Negatives: Only one. The instructions aren't accurate. I was trying to figure out how to put the device into battery recovery mode, and ultimately I ended up calling their customer support number because I thought the machine was defective. It wasn't. The printed instructions are wrong. The lady I spoke with in customer support knew her stuff inside out and backwards, and within a minute of the call I was back out in my garage. Got it hooked up and it reconditioned my drained and deteriorated battery to "like new" condition again. I highly recoomend it.In case any of their people are reading this.... you folks need to sell a case to fit it in. Jamming it back into a cardboard box doesn't cut it. Even a drawstring bag, like you provide for the boosters, would be a good option. That should be included in the little cardboard box. :-)I've been using it since Nov 22, 2020If was perfectly charging my 55AH AGM battery and my car battery.Max Current was always around 10AMay 21, 2021 - after 6 monthsWhen charging my AGM or car battery current goes up to 17-22A. The device overheats. Battery boils!!And then it stops charging ( as per my A-meter) and shows constant green while there is still 50% to charge.Update June 7, 2021: I must highlight the exceptional service I received from NOCO warranty team. They've replied promptly to my ask for help and sent a replacement immediately.I did not have to send the old one back, since I am in Canada and in such a way they saved me ton of time and nerve. I just had to cut the cables on the old one and send them the pictures.Leaving 4 stars, since the original device still failed (unfortunately). For warranty service I'd give 6 starts if I could.Thank you NOCO!The kids were watching DVDs in the SUV while I was working in the garage. That drained the battery and it sat for about a week before I was able to borrow a Crappy Tire charger from my brother. His charger saw the battery as totally dead and it would not charge. I was going to get this charger on Black Friday, but I either needed a new battery ($250 for an AGM battery for Canadian winters) or take a chance with this unit. Sure enough, the NOCO restored the battery, h ence the five star review. Now I know at some point this battery will fail completely, but I hope I bought myself a couple extra years of use anyways. Like others noted, there are different charging options depending on how long you push the power button, but a quick youtube search will sort you out. The charger also completed the charge surprisingly fast. I will also try this charger on a forced 12v mode for electrolysis of my spindles, which is how i wrecked my previous cheapo charger and had to borrow my brother's in the first place. The 10amps should make short work of the rust. If i don't update this review with an "OMG THIS POS SUCKS!" review, then assume the electrolysis was successful.This is not a UK version, something that really should be made clear.Still, it was simple (if tedious) enough to fit a UK plug. No earth wire - not sure if that's an issue, but I'm not an electrician.Works just the same as the Genius 5 I already have, charges fairly fast and well, and with no fuss. It tops my fairly big battery up in a few hours.It works, and reliably. My car starts strongly every time, even after a long period of lying then given a top up charge. Enough said.Excellent charger, quicker than the Genius 5 (which still did the job, only slower) but annoying that I had to read the small print to realise I'd been mis-sold a US version.
