2017 Review of the Fenceman CP450 and the CP900 electric fencing energiser

At this time of year, we always review all of the electric fence energisers on the market.  We visit the manufacturers, look at the returns we’ve had on energisers we stock and work out which energizers are best!

The CP450 and CP900 are excellent 12v electric fencing energisers, with a mains adapter that can be added, if desired.  We haven’t had a single unit have any problems at all!  We are so impressed with this range that we are also adding the CP1900 to the energisers we stock.

Below, we’ll go into details of each energiser.

Fenceman CP450

The CP450 is a basic model with the addition of a high / low power switch over the out going cp250.
We are pleased that they have kept the (patented) constant power feature – which in layman’s terms means that the energizer has a back-up battery, so your fence should always be operational (no escapee horses, or opportunities for a hungry fox!) .  The ‘back-up battery’ feature is the biggest selling point of the Fenceman CP 450,  and is especially convenient  for when you want to recharge your 12v battery whilst keeping the fence live – a real benefit to naughty pony owners every where.

It comes with a robust earth stake and there are multiple (easy) ways to mount the energiser – either on the earth stake, or on a post or wall.

It’s also easy to add solar power.  We have 10w solar panels that you can simply clip on to your 12v battery and then you can truly have peace of mind that your battery is being charge by the solar panel, and you have back-up batteries for the dark winter months.  The energiser can be turned on and off with a knob.

The CP range of energisers all come with an impressive 3 year warranty.

Specification:
Output energy :

High power 0.34J / Low power 0.17J
Maximum voltage : 9100v
@ 500 ohm 2800v
Power consumption:
12v battery : High Power 28mA / Low power 15mA
Back up batteries : High Power 55mA / Low Power 25mA

3yr Warranty

Fenceman CP900

As with all the Constant Power range, this energiser is designed to go on a 12v battery.  It is designed for multi strand fences of up to about 7km in length (with light vegetation). This is a big leap up from the outgoing cp500 energiser both in power and features.  Again Fenceman have kept the CP , back up battery features but with the addition of high low – fast slow pulse rates – day and night modes this electric fencing energiser is comparable to units at double the price. I have put a description of the features below.

The energiser comes with a 3 year warranty, an earth stake and leads and it can be mounted in multiple ways.  It is very user friendly.  The energiser can be turned on and off with a knob.

Specification:

Features :
High power / low power : Use the high power to establish the fence with new livestock once they stop testing the fence switch to low     power. For longer fences it will be necessary to keep the unit on high power.
Day mode : Full power during the day had half power at night 
Night mode : Full power during the night and half power during the day
Pulse rate: This alters the time between pulses from 1.5 seconds to 2.5 seconds, this is useful to increase battery life 
Three stage battery warning light:  This gives a good indication of the state of charge of the main 12v battery and when this is disconnected the back up batteries are monitored. 
Pulse light : This indicates the unit is functioning additionally this will double flash to indicate low fence voltage and therefore a possible fault on the fence.

12v battery will power up to : 7 KM standard horse fence / 3 x 50m poultry net

Maximum voltage : 8500v
at 500 ohm 3200v

Output energy : High power 0.71J / Low power 0.34J

Power consumption:
12v battery : High Power 40-58mA / Low power 28mA
Back up batteries : High Power 120mA / Low Power 54mA

3yr Warranty

CP1900

This energiser is designed for 12v batteries and can power up to 14km of multi strand electric fencing (tape, rope, twine or steel wire), with light vegetation.

You can set the pulse rate, allowing you to control how much energy is used at any particular time and there is a day and night setting.  The days and night setting allow you to set the energiser so it either turns to the ‘high power’ setting at night (ideal if you have chickens or game birds) or, conversely it can change to the ‘low power’ setting at night, for those how have horses.  The energiser can be turned on and off with a knob.

Features :
High power / low power : Use the high power to establish the fence with new livestock once they stop testing the fence switch to low     power. For longer fences it will be necessary to keep the unit on high power.
Day mode : Full power during the day had half power at night 
Night mode : Full power during the night and half power during the day
Pulse rate: This alters the time between pulses from 1.5 seconds to 2.5 seconds, this is useful to increase battery life 
Three stage battery warning light:  This gives a good indication of the state of charge of the main 12v battery and when this is disconnected the back up batteries are monitored. 
Pulse light : This indicates the unit is functioning additionally this will double flash to indicate low fence voltage and therefore a possible fault on the fence.

12v battery will power up to : 14 KM standard horse fence / 5 x 50m poultry net

Maximum voltage : 8500v
at 500 ohm 4200v

Output energy : High power 1.04J / Low power 1.86J

3yr Warranty

All three energisers come with a three part earth stake , live and earth wires , 4 x d cells and instructions.

These units are replacing the venerable cp250 and cp500 .

I am not a huge fan of earth stakes that come in parts but they have done a good job and provide decent bolts with lock washers and wing nuts, the inclusion of wing nuts is a stroke of genius as it means the earth stake can be assembled with a pair of strong fingers and no extra tools.  The live wire is the usual Fenceman live wire and it provides a good solid connection to both 20mm and 40mm electric fencing tape. The included D cells are fairly average but they will get you started.

One part that does require it own mention is the back-up battery holder. The old cp 250 /cp500 require three sets of hands and a lot of patience . The new system is a simple cassette that can be changed one handed in the blink of an eye , brilliant.

However, if you intend to run this unit from the mains (although the vast majority run it from a 12v battery) then please make sure you remove the D-Cell batteries.  Fortunately, Fenceman have put in a feature that makes it close to impossible to plug it into the mains with the batteries still inside – but if you somehow did manage to plug it into the mains with the batteries inside the batteries will get damaged.

In keeping with the general trend in electric fencing energisers the new models have a much stronger output than the old models

Conclusion :

These are good quality units which are well priced.   In particular the Fenceman CP900 is feature rich with a very respectable output. Well suited to most equestrian applications . These energisers will work well with the addition of a 10 watt solar panel to help keep the 12v battery charged (a solar panel will not charge the internal D cells).  The energisers have all the handy features, like a knob that allows you to turn the energiser off without having to disconnect it from the battery.  The Constant Power gives you peace of mind.  In 2017, Fenceman have finally reduced the price of the mains adapter, to a more acceptable sixteen pounds, so this offers some flexibility should you ever want mains supply of power.

Fenceman CP450  –  Farmcare Uk

Fenceman CP900  –  Farmcare UK