Midtronics MVT Handheld Battery Tester, MDX-AI Powered, Fast & Accurate Diagnostics for 6V/12V Automotive, Marine, Power Sports, Heavy Duty Batteries, Rechargeable (MVT-100P)

This battery tester immediately impresses with it's high quality look and feel. It's very easy to use and I trust its accuracy more than most battery testers due to the reputation of the manufacturer. Last time I had my truck worked on they used what looked like this tester to generate a printed report of the battery that was attached to my paperwork. Now I can do the same for myself and even keep these printed analyses to see how different batteries perform over time. The size of this battery tester is small enough to easily carry around and attach to batteries while still in the vehicle. It feels like this unit will be durable enough to last for many years and it seems like a solid value for the money.

The form factor, build-quality of the unit, cables, clamps, the WIFI connectivity, and the capability to print (right from the tester) and email detailed results makes this Midtronics battery tester stand out among my other three battery testers. Everything related to build-quality and attention to detail easily distinguishes this rather expensive professional grade battery tester (currently $840) from significantly lower cost units that I suspect most DIYers like myself are utilizing. From a hardware perspective, this is a well-made unit and you can feel that just as soon as you pick it up.The tester, like some other models out there (including the other three testers I own), has the ability to not only test your battery, but it also can test your vehicle’s charging system and cranking voltage. The testing is very straight forward and simple, and sometimes does not even require entering battery details into the tester as it is able to determine those parameters on its own. This is a real convenience if you can’t read the specs on a battery whether they are faded or have worn off, or if the battery is in such a location that is it impossible to read them. The display is easy to read, the steps are simple to follow, and the buttons on the unit are easy enough to manipulate for navigating the menus. Again – great build-quality, plus simple, intuitive software/testing navigation.A few more notable points on the design. The size and shape of the clamps is well thought out. They have something of a low-profile design with no excessive bulky plastic or oversized insulation. As a result, these clamps can easily access and affix to battery terminals that are in tight or difficult to reach locations. For example, I have a few powersport batteries that have somewhat shielded battery posts that larger clamps have difficulty attaching to. That is not a problem with this Midtronics tester. Conversely, it is important to note that the clamps are equally proficient at attaching to full-size battery posts that most of us are accustomed to with automotive batteries. The spring tension on the clamps is just right, and their design is just plain excellent whether you need a careful attachment to smaller, shielded posts, or a big bite on larger battery posts. It’s also worth noting that the clamps are sturdy, and they make excellent electrical connections once attached to posts. Also, the entire cable/clamp portion of the tester is a replaceable item if the need ever occurs. The wires and their insulation feel sturdy, and at the same time, remain flexible (silicone based insulation – good attention to detail) and easy to work with even in cold temperatures.As to testing performance, I think most folks are primarily interested in CCAs to get an idea of how well their battery is performing compared to its specifications from the manufacturer when the battery is new. Based on the testing I have being doing, my personal experience is telling me that the CCA results are indeed accurate. I recognize that is not a scientific assessment, however, I’ve been using some of these batteries for many years, and I’ve become familiar with their performance, and the test results seem to confirm my observations. This would also be a good time to point out another important design of the tester – the unit is a “no spark” design. This is an important safety feature. Based on my testing I have not observed any sparking whatsoever when connecting the clamps to battery terminals. It also has reverse polarity protection, so if you are having a really bad day and reverse the connections, you shouldn’t fry anything.When it comes to the additional functionality of the tester, beyond just providing CCAs, I have experienced a problem. The tester will produce conflicting results when I run a comprehensive test on my truck battery, which includes cranking voltage and ripple. Let me elaborate – as I mentioned in the beginning of this review you can print and email the results after performing a test (an excellent feature I might add). The problem is that the printed and emailed results for the very same test show different figures/results for the cranking voltage as well as the ripple results. Basically, the printed results give you one set of figures, and the emailed results provide different figures. At the same time, the printed results seem to agree with the results on the tester screen itself. So obviously, I’m unsure which data is accurate – is it the results on the tester screen and the printed results, or is it the emailed results? This anomalous scenario does leave me scratching my head, particularly with such a premium testing setup, and it is something of a deal-breaker for me. Having conflicting results, in essence, defeats the purpose of testing. Hypothetically speaking, if I were a customer having a battery/charging system tested, and was then provided with conflicting results via printed and emailed data, I would be asking some questions.As a result of what I just described, I have reached out to the company on multiple occasions since the beginning of December with emails and phone calls, detailing the problem. As of now, some two months later, I have not been provided with any resolution and I continue to await additional information. I’m just guessing here, but I suspect there may need to be a firmware update to the unit, and since it is connected via WIFI, it should be possible to correct the issue. I do keep checking the settings to see if any updates are available, but none thus far.Also, I just wanted to point out that this tester does not provide a result for internal battery resistance. I would note that my other three battery testers all produce a result for this category of testing and I was a bit surprised to find that this unit does not provide that detail. I suspect that the testing algorithms do account for internal resistance, but the unit does not provide a stand-alone result for the user to see. Even so, I still think it would be nice to be able to see that figure as part of a comprehensive test.So ultimately, how would I rate this MVT-100P tester? Well, this is a bit of a tough one for me. On one hand we have a top-notch manufacturer, and a well thought-out, well-built (certainly from a hardware perspective) unit, with onboard printing as well as WIFI connectivity and email capabilities, and in that regard, this unit stands out far above my other testers. And on the other hand, I am faced with the issue of the conflicting results I described, coupled with the fact that this is a very expensive unit (currently $840). As it stands, I’m at three stars on this.

Simple and straightforward, pretty much a "one touch" testing unit. Power it up and off you go. The instrument is quite large so you're probably not taking this out of the shop to bring on the service truck. It advertises being able to perform testing even with system noise present, though I encountered a noise condition that halted testing until the issue was resolved. I appreciate the ability to send an email summary of the test report directly from the device. Oddly the unit doesn't come with a storage case of any kind, unless the cardboard box counts. Obviously not the end of the world but seems like a strange omission for something that's listed for almost $700. It does have notches at the shoulders to park your alligator clips though.

The battery tester worked just right out of the box; the internal battery charged 80%.Little setup needed to configure time, date, language and if desired to connect to the WiFi to look for upgrades and/or to share/save results.Unit is rugged and will resist the use and abuse of a commercial shop, with a price tag north of the $500dlls I'll expect the users to handle with care and white gloves, we know that's not realistic but this unit sure will hold up to that.The user needs to know the type and capacity of the battery to be tested for accurate results, once the data is entered into the very easy menu, the tester can start the measurements. The screen will show accurate and concise information. The option for testing In Vehicle gives a lot of information, enough to make an informed decision to replace battery or to investigate further for started problems or alternator. All this testing in less than 5 minutes.Package came with any possible adapter for the charger, European, Asian, American, etc.This tool is in my opinion faster and better than SnapOn and Associated.

This is a pro grade battery tester that can print a report that can be stapled to a customer invoice.Capable of different battery chemistries and either 6V or 12V. Great for everything from automotive to lawn equipment.No more second guessing or thinking the battery might be starting to fail. With this tester you can prove if a battery is good or bad. Clip it on with the battery still in the vehicle and let it run. Stop wasting time and get an accurate analysis quickly.

The client has to know the sort and limit of the battery to be tried for exact outcomes, when the information is placed into the exceptionally simple menu, the analyzer can begin the estimations. The screen will show precise and succinct data. The choice for testing In Vehicle gives a ton of data, enough to settle on an educated choice to supplant battery or to research further for began issues or alternator.