There's really two kinds of battery chargers: the high-amp type that'll fast-charge or jump-start a car, and low-amp type intended to maximize the life of the battery. For high-amp shop quality chargers consider the American made Associated brand, which are the workhorses of every repair shop. 

For low-amp charging (i.e. where you really CARE about the life of your battery!), consider the CTEK or Pro-Logix low amp chargers. These battery chargers won't jump-start a car. Instead, they're specifically designed to gently charge a lead-acid or Gel battery using intelligent circuitry that tapers-off the charge rate to reduce gassing and sulfation on the plates. Both use pulse technology to gently desulfate the battery and keep it 100% charged.

You can keep any of the latest generation low-amp chargers connected to the battery indefinitely. But the CTEK is weather proof and has mounting flanges for those who want to permently attached it to the car. And, CTEK also provides one set of 'connection leads' so you can permanantly attached them to the battery for a quick disconnect of the CTEK unit (this is for guys who baby their vehicles! Think 1964 XKE Roadster or the original 427 Cobra sitting in a multi-bay garage! Now think of that guy's upstairs maid... never mind!). We carry additional 'connection leads' for those who need them (see below).

The Pro-Logix brand of battery chargers address the need for a faster charge rate and assumes you'll want to carry the unit around. So, the Pro-Logix charger is a little larger, not weather proof, and includes stow-away clamps for convenient portability.

All 'smart' chargers handle lead-acid, deep cycle, and 'sealed' batteries (such as Gel, AGM, MF, and others). We only carry the CTEK & Pro-Logix smart chargers because, in truth, they both produce about as cutting-edge a battery charger as you're gonna find.