Say Goodbye to the Lestronic II Charger and Hello to Summit Series II & Quick Charge

Lestronic II and other Lester Electrical Chargers are being discontinued as of December 21st, 2018. Lester Electrical has determined the following battery charger brands will be discontinued: E-Series, X-Series, E-Series II, Lestronic II and Manual Timer chargers. There will probably be plenty around the first half of 2019, but thereafter what are your options?

You have two options: Change to Lester’s newer and smaller Summit Series II switch mode charger or stick with a reliable and familiar transformer-based (and USA made) Quick Charge charger.

Summit Series II Replaces Lestronic II Chargers

The new Summit Series II is smaller and lighter compared to the older Lester models and Lestronic II chargers. There are two Summit Series models available: the 650W and 1050W. There will be a 1425W model introduced by 2020.

The 650W model measures 11.30 x 7.17 x 3.64 inches.

The 1050W model measures 10.97 x 9.25 x 4.00 inches.

Compare that to previous chargers measuring 10.25 x 8.70 x 8.75 (and bigger), the Summit Series II takes up about 60% less space. They weigh up to 75% less at a whopping 8 pounds.

These new chargers are designed with industry-leading charging intelligence and an unparalleled feature set:

The IP66 rating on the enclosure means it can withstand a jet of water from a 12.5mm (1/2 inch) nozzle in any direction. It is NOT cleared for underwater use. For a water submersible charger, you need an IP67 or IP68 rating depending on the anticipated water depth (Read this article on understanding the IP rating and selecting the best marine battery charger).

The Bluetooth and Cloud Connectivity are welcomed features for fleet management. They enable you to monitor charging and battery health from a phone or tablet as well as upload various charge profiles adapted to your specific charging needs.

The multi-voltage input and output makes selecting the correct charger much easier for commercial and industrial outfits. Here is what you can expect output wise from each model:

Quick Charge Chargers

Quick Charge chargers have been a competitor of Lester Electrical for many years. They never went after the OEM market, but instead preferred to provide extremely reliable aftermarket replacements.

Just like Lester, they have multiple series, some of which go head-to-head with the look and feel of the traditional box shape portable chargers akin to the Lestronic  chargers.

But Quick Charge also makes condensed on-board chargers (with a watertight IP65 rating) and replacements for those distinctively designed, hard-to-find OEM chargers found on various lift trucks and commercial utility vehicles.

The most likely candidates for the discontinued Lester models will be their standard portable smart charger or QP Series and the Select-A-Charge Plus SCP series. These two lines cover voltages from 6V to 72V and amperage from 10A to 40A.

The 'OB' Series is perfect for those on board applications. For those industrial customers that require even more power, Quick Charge also has units that produce 24-48V at 60 or 100 amps.

Recommended Replacement Options