Clore Automotive SOLAR Digital 12V Battery and System Tester

Cost effective and value for money battery and alternator tester for starter batteries.

Great little tester. Have used them for years. Easy to use and works good.

Just as good at the parts store.

I know there are plenty of reviews on Amazon for this product and 1 more isn't going to make a difference but I simply have to say it....."This little tool is the next best thing to sliced bread"! Even if this item failed tomorrow, I would buy another without hesitation. And I have to be completely honest here, I've never said that about any product no matter how much I liked it. I've put this tester through the ringer on 2 batteries and my vehicles charging system to make sure it does what's advertised. I've also used it to retest a battery after a desulfation process. Before using this Solar Tester I knew the exact condition of my charging system and the state of both batteries but wanted to see if this unit would be as accurate as my multimeter and if it would indicate any issues. Well, it performed flawlessly. Alerted me to a low charged battery, indicated actual CCA values, and correctly indicated results on load testing. All my tests were confirmed using my auto-ranging multimeter. At one point during my confirmation test using my multimeter I thought I found a problem with the Solar Tester because my charging system test was WAY-OFF compared to the results on the Solar. I then realized I had incorrectly set my multimeter and was getting bad results....DUH!. Gone are the days of using multiple tools to test our batteries and charging systems. I bow my head to the Solar Gods!UPDATE: 2/1/2016: So wouldn't you know it, less than a month after I got my Solar BA7...it failed!! Lucky for me I was still within the 30 day return period on Amazon. At first I thought there may have been something wrong with a new car battery I purchased but after attempting to use the unit on 2 other vehicles I determined it went BUST. I installed a new battery in my wife's car yesterday and wanted to be sure all was okay so I pulled out my BA7 and I kept getting a battery stabilization error (- - - -) on the screen. I tried using the BA7 on my motorcycle battery and kept getting the same error. I checked all my connections and retested with my trusty old multimeter and my batteries checked out fine. I initiated an exchange on Amazon and will update on how long the new BA7 lasts. Man, I knew it was too good to be true! I had to take away 2 stars for now.UPDATE 11/17/17: I know, I know...."when will this guy stop adding updates!? I have never updated my reviews so many times on any purchased I've ever made but I'm so in love with this tool I wish it would turn into a woman so I could marry it!...Okay, Okay, TMI..... After receiving my replacement unit I've used it weekly to make sure my Car & motorcycle batteries/alternator/stator are in tip-top shape. Just before updating this review I saved my neighbor from being ripped off by a local mechanic who was trying to sell her a new alternator after her battery died a few days ago. I asked her to let me use the BA7 on her car and the unit detected low charging. Just saved her $300 and made a friend for life

good battery tester

Now this is an excellent, must have battery tool! I have 6 cars under my care with adult but not yet independent children. I like caring for the cars. Batteries are always a concern as to reliability. I live in northern Midwest with cold winters. I have every tester known to man, and the knowledge to use them. I know how to maintain batteries with proper fluid levels. However, until this type of tester was developed in recent years, a very important feature of the battery was going untested, and many good batteries were being thrown away, and many bad batteries were being used when they should have been thrown away. My understanding from extensive study is that Clore Automotive developed the Midtronics tester that is the state-of-the-art in the battery industry. It is very expensive, owned primarily by dealerships and battery shops. The Solar BA-5 and BA-7 are less expensive consumer versions of the industrial Midtronics tester. I have used this Solar BA7 for several months, on about a dozen batteries, in warm and cold weather. IT IS OUTSTANING. In short, Solar tester tests conductance through the battery, as well as voltage and CCA. The conductance is the ability of the battery to flow current through the battery, and is a measure of the surface condition of the plates inside the battery. If the plates are corroded with sulfation, they will not flow the electricity as well as they should, and the capacity of the battery is reduced. My experience is that battery that is internally corroded can pass the traditional voltage and load tests, but fail this tester that includes its measure of internal conductivity! And, on the other hand, a good 800 CCA battery can fail a traditional load test with 400 CCA, and still have good internal conductance and capacity, and years of reliable use left in it. In this second example, I have found that checking and correcting the fluid level in the battery by adding distilled water to the fill indicators is usually what is needed for the CCA to go back up to spec on a battery with good internal conductivity. Anyway, this tester considers the voltage, CCA, and conductivity, and gives you a reading, and a green light if the battery is good. It couldn't be better or more accurate. Mechanic reviews say it is as reliable and accurate, (but does not have some features like a paper printer for a diagnostic report), as the more expensive Midtronics by Solar. FInally, the BA5 just tests the battery. The BA7 also tests the starter and the alternator. And it's SO simple. This new technology is amazing, and saves more money that it costs by properly diagnosing a battery the first time it is used!!!

I bought a battery tester last year when my car battery was suspect. I didn’t know at the time that most have a CCA range that starts at 100. Motorcycles and scooters are often much smaller, so you can’t test it. This tester starts at 40 CCA, so is much more versatile and can be used on motorcycles and cars. Very easy to use and confirmed I had a bad motorcycle battery. It costs a little more, but the added capability will save you from buying a second tester like I had to.