Taylorfence.net - Which Charger?

Consider This...
Resistance(ohms) & Fence Wire
Joules
Jumpers
Vegetation
Suggested Charger

Power
Power is a very important thing to consider when selecting a fence charger. When we say 'power', we mean the number of joules the fence charger puts out. You want a charger that will power your whole fence, and still sting at the end. And the answer isn't to simply buy the strongest charger either. If a 5 joule charger will power your fence, there is no benefit to be gained by getting a 32 joule charger. Your fence will determine your power needs.
Generally, output power declines the further you get from your charger, the more vegetation, and the more resistant your wire. Therefore, the actual power of your charger will be different at different points on your fence. It will be strongest right at the charger, and weakest at the end of your fence. Each charger is unique. Some hold their power output across a range of resistance (50 ohms - 300 ohms), others start to drop off a few yards from the charger. Feel free to add our competitors to the graph and see how they react.
You always want atleast 1 joule of power at the end of your fence. Use the calculator above to figure which charger best suits your needs. The calculator will suggest two chargers. One that will do the job, then the next size up.
Lightning Protection
Cyclops fence chargers have the best lighting protection in the world. We have spent years developing our chargers so they survive storms. You shouldn't have to service to repair charger after every thunder storm...
Service - Cost and Speed
Lightning strikes, and it can take your fence charger with it via the grounding system. Cyclops Fence Chargers have over 5000 joules of ligthning protection in each unit. That means your charger will stay in operation long after our competitor chargers have fried! This saves you money and keeps your assets fenced. If your charger needs service, we're happy to help. We strive to have a 1 day turn around on charger repairs!
Price
Electric fence chargers are priced across the spectrum, and each charger behaves differently. You want to get the most shock for your dollar. This is exactly why we created the interactive graph above. So you could plot your fence, and compare and contrast different products. You will notice that Cyclops Fence Chargers outperform other brands while keeping our prices low. We make quality chargers that can sustain power at high resistances, and we do our best to keep them affordable.
Price isn't the final conisderation. Just like a car, your charger will require servicing down the road (or YEARS down the road if you buy from us). If the charger is poor quality, you will spend money each year having it serviced.

An ohm is unit of electrical resistance between two conductors. Resistance directly affects the output of the charger. Generally, the relationship is negative. Higher resistance(ohms) means less power output by the charger. The higher the resistance of your fence, the weaker the shock to the animal. This can be plotted on a chart, but we've taken it a step further, and directly plot the output to the animal (the animal has an ohm rating as well).
What effects the resistance of my fence?
Your Electric Fence Wire - There are many different types of wire one can use to wire their electric fence. However, not all wire is created equal. Some types of wire have a higher resistance than other wires, that is they have a higher omhs per mile rating. We suggest using 12 1/2 Gauge or 14 Gauge wire on your electric fence. Consider the difference between 12 1/2 gauge wire resist at 56 ohms/mile, and Gallagher Equifence Conductive Wire which resist at 560 ohms/mile. The gallagher wire is 10 TIMES more resistant to electric currents. Play with the calculator at the top of the page - select a good wire, and then a high resistance wire. Notice the drop in power to the animal!
Length of Your Fence - Remember, fence wire resists a certain number of ohms per mile. The longer your fence, the more that resistance adds up. However, you can still fence large areas successfully if you use a good wire. Example. A 5 mile fence using 12 1/2 gauge wire is only 280 ohms. A 2 mile fence using Gallagher Equifence Conductive Wire resist at 1120 ohms! You would deliver more shock to the cow at the end of the 5 mile fence than the 2 mile fence.
The Animal - Animals (you included) resist an electrical current. This means animals have an ohm rating. For simpliticy sake, we figure a good sized cow at 100 ohms. Larger animals resist electrical current more than smaller animals. Your charger will deliver more power to a smaller animal than a larger one because of this.
Jumpers - umpers are an easy to implement, inexpensive way to drastically lower the resistance on your fence - this will allow your charger to hit harder. Remember, resistance zaps the power from your electric fence charger. Jumpers are used at the corner post of your fence to 'jump' the power from wire to wire. This effect us most pronounced on longer fences, or if poor quality wire is used. Matter of fact, if you have an existing fence with poor quality wire, using jumpers can cheaply and quickly increase the shock to the animal. Be sure to check the option above you will be amazed at the difference this quick fix will make.

A joule is derived unit of energy, heat or work. For your charger, think of it as the output. More joules = more shock.

You have probably seen the terms Output Joules and Stored Joules. Don't get these confused, and be aware of which is advertised on the charger. They are not the same thing! A charger may advertise 30 Joules, but only refer to the stored joules (A fence charger will always store more joules than it outputs). Stored Joules represent the amount of power stored inside your charger. This is ran through an output transformer, which converts the power to a higher voltage. Some of the power is lost during this conversion. Output Joules refer to the actual output of the charger - the power available to shock the animal.

Jumpers are an easy to implement, inexpensive way to drastically lower the resistance on your fence - this will allow your charger to hit harder. Remember, resistance zaps the power from your electric fence charger. Jumpers are used at the corner post of your fence to 'jump' the power from wire to wire. This effect is most pronounced on longer fences, or if poor quality wire is used. Matter of fact, if you have an existing fence with poor quality wire, using jumpers can cheaply and quickly increase the shock to the animal.
Also, the more strands the better if you are putting jumpers on your fence. Check the interactive chart above, then check 'jumpers' and see the difference!

Vegetation on your fence will impact the performance of your charger. You can use the slider on the calculator above to simulate different vegetation levels on your fence. The more vegetation, the higher the load on your fence. Your fence should be kept clean of vegetation. Heavy vegetation will sap power from your charger over the length of your fence. Too much can load your charger down, and cause it to stop working!

Vegetation can be counter intutitive when you consider it's effect on resistance. Generally, higher ohms means more resistance, but the vegetation is parralled across the fence. Only in the case of vegetaion does a lower ohm rating mean degraded performance. A rating of 100 ohms on the slider indicates a loaded fence. Play with the vegetation slider to get a feel for the effects.

Taylor Fence, Inc. - Cyclops Electric Fence Chargers

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