The longer explanation is that these cheap chargers use a very liberal definition of “overcharge”. Unless someone actually measures this one, we won’t know how bad it is, but it is clearly in the class of cheap dumb and abusive to your batteries. (Note post saying it gets hot and makes the batteries hot.)
What you want is a smart charger. One that individually measures each battery during charging. The charger linked on Amazon has a lot of bells & whistles that you may not need. (They’ll maximize life & performance if you learn about battery’s technology and use the features appropriately.) Unfortunately, simple inexpensive smart chargers are hard to find. (Sanyo used to bundle a good one with Eneloops, but a couple years ago changed to a cheap one, similar to this Sunpak model.)
Other models of good chargers you might consider are the Maha Powerex line. (Links to a good store, I’ve dealt with happily, you can search for better deals yourself.)
Maha 401 has the basic features I look for. (Single channel smart charging, auto shut-off.)
Maha 204 sounds like it’d be OK, but it only changes batteries in pair and I don’t have experience or remember reviews. (I list this only to point out a cheaper option that might be OK, I can’t really recommend it.)
The 9000 is Maha’s deluxe NiMH charger. It competes with the LaCrosse recommended up thread. (There seems to be two camps, one for each. Either would do an outstanding job.)
Lastly the Maha 801 which will smart charge 1 to 8 batteries at a time. (Someone up thread ask about bulk charging.)
Edit: change Maha C401FS link to cheaper option. (The battery checker isn’t worth much, but they’re giving you $6 to take it.)
I have been reading all the comments w/ great interest. But I am still lost.
The only experience w/ rechargeables is I got a duracell chargers w/ some of their batteries. They don’t hold a charge worth a darn.
What would be the easiest point to start new w/ a rechargeables system ?
I don’t need a ton of batteries at once.
Use them for camera and remotes and flashlights mostly.
I need something that someone who doesn’t know a volt from an amp can use.
So far the Lacrosse that was linked looks nice. Would that be the best ?
Along w/ these eneloop batteries ?
Will all my devices be ok using these batteries ?
I assume you had old NiMH (or NiCd) batteries that self-discharge. These are low self-discharge and hold their charge on the shelf much better than the old type. (It is possible you had a really bad charger that destroyed your cells. Many manufacturers seem to figure they can save money on the charger and the batteries will still last long enough you won’t raise a stink.)
Eneloops are the gold standard of NiMH rechargeable batteries. (Literally the best at all most all tasks. You won’t fall into any of the niches.) These are not their latest model, but still very very good and this price is outstanding, even when you throw out the crummy charger. The cheapest “good enough” charger I know of is the Maha C401FS I linked to before. (You may want to search Amazon for a better price. Of do a lot of research to find a cheaper model with similar features.)
Its competition is the Maha C9000. I don’t think you can really go wrong with either. Most folks seem to prefer one or the other but it seems to be because of the fancier features. (Based on your self-description, get the 401 and save the money. You don’t sound like you’ll ever bother with the more advanced features.)
I’ve never found a device that didn’t run perfectly with eneloop batteries. (Despite what the owner’s manuals said about using rechargeables. The were reports of some devices not working years ago when these were first introduced, but those seemed to be devices with poorly designed low-battery detection.)
Much better deal if you will use the bells & whistles.
If you want to stick your batteries in and just let them charge, a simpler competent charger might be the better choice.
I don’t see the default charge current for the LaCrosse in the Amazon description. (Not everyone will want to remember & set the mA value for each charge.) If it has a reasonable default value (between 1 & 2 amps for AA) it would still be a better deal for the extra capabilities.
Edit: missed it when I first read the Amazon listing. The LaCrosse defaults to 200mA if you do nothing. That’s a 10+ hour charge for these eneloops, and slower that what’s normally recommended. So basically you (for each “you” purchasing one) need to choose OK easy charges, better charges with effort, plus bells & whistles versus simple easy better charges (and nothing else.)
If you’re going to follow directions, recondition, capacity test, etc. get the $29.19 LaCrosse at Amazon. It’s a great deal
If you want to not think and just jam your batteries in a charger to charge, and never anything else, get the $30 Maha C401FS. You’ll get really really good charges without setting anything.
I’ve got the top-of-the line Maha and almost never use it. (If I was stressing batteries, e.g. electric model airplanes or incredibly high power flashlights, it might be worth it. In more normal flashlights, Wii remotes, keyboards, & mice it just isn’t worth it to me. Also if I used it more, I might not need the instruction book every single time.) Several people posting seem to be in the worth it camp, but several others don’t seem that enthusiastic and since I prefer simpler I think those less enthusiastic might too.
PS- everyone with a thanks, all noted but not worth a full post, you’re welcome. Many years ago I had a lot of fun researching all the options before I realized for my normal uses it didn’t matter to me. Remembering it all has been fun.
Going to take a chance on the Kodak AA’s seeing how they’re cheap and they seem to be the ones most of our goodies use, plus we are pretty much out of that size again.
We’ll see how they work out and even if they aren’t awesome this many should still last us a long time.
We usually buy the big packs at Costco but I think these are still cheaper even with shipping for a lot more.
Your batteries will LAST LONGER on a slower charge. FAST charge will decompose the chemicals faster than slow charge. I’m a video guy with about 60 types of batteries and have been charging for 20 years. I’m also an electronic tech, and have build chargers.
[quote postid=“5524153” u
I don’t see the default charge current for the LaCrosse in the Amazon description. (Not everyone will want to remember & set the mA value for each charge.) If it has a reasonable default value (between 1 & 2 amps for AA) it would still be a better deal for the extra capabilities.
The LaCrosse defaults to 200mA if you do nothing. That’s a 10+ hour charge for these eneloops, and slower that what’s normally recommended. So basically you (for each “you” purchasing one) need to choose OK easy charges, better charges with effort, plus bells & whistles versus simple easy better charges (and nothing else.)[/quote]
Have you/they considered rechargeable batteries? They would be cheaper over time. E.g. the Eneloops here (with a better charger. If not these Eneloops new, CostCo has been a reliable source of Eneloops, though their recent kits also suffer from cheap chargers.)
What I understand from battery engineers is over-charging batteries shortens their life. (As does over-discharging them.) I think the slow charge advice comes from the old dumb timed chargers where the low current caused less damage if you over-charged the batteries. Modern smart chargers use delta-V (and sometimes delta-T) measurements to terminate charging when the battery is full, before damage can occur. I’m told consumer chargers often use only delta-V and can miss end of charge with too low a charge current.
I’m an Eneloop fan, so I know that the Glitters are ‘limited edition’ Eneloops, much like the Disney themes and the ‘Tones, Chocolat’ and command a premium in price to the tune of ~$40 per 8 Glitters.
This is obviously a great deal on a great battery, so even though the charger is a dumb one, that works based on charging time and not capacity, $21 for the set is reasonable. I bought 2 sets for ~$37, in essence getting one set for free.
I’ll keep the chargers as ‘give aways’ if family needs one, or perhaps my neighbors during hurricane season?
Just got a package today, containing only the two chargers… I’m hoping my batteries are on the way, since that’s the only thing I care about. I’m giving Woot the benefit of the doubt here and I’ll wait a bit before filing a real complaint, but I figured I’d post here in case anyone else lands in the same situation.
Is your tracking number working? I get the message “Delivery status information is not available for your item via this web site.” when I click on the tracking number.