Best Battery Charger ?

Ebe_Scrooge

Over recent years I've accumulated an assortment of rechargable batteries, ranging from 1200mah to 2800mah. I've also got a selection of chargers, most of which seem to be rubbish :-) ( either came free with the batteries at various times, or were very cheap ). My batteries don't seem to hold much charge ( even the newer ones ), so I was thinking of treating myself to a half-decent charger. I came across this, what does anyone think ?

http://www.batterylogic.co.uk/technoline/technoline-BL700.asp

Won't necessarily buy it from that store, but reviews seem to be good. Do you think it would be a good investment over time, making the most of my ever-expanding collection of different batteries ? Or have you got any recommendations for other chargers that can handle various powered batteries ( I'm only really bothered about AA sized ) ? I also have a sneaking suspicion that my existing chargers are not up to the job of "filling up" the higher powered batteries, I'm not sure if this is how they work - e.g. is it possible that a charger can only supply, say 2300 mah, so it'll never fully charge the 2800mah batteries ?

espresso

A good charger is essential to get the best from your rechargeable batteries however that one seems rather expensive and slow to charge compared to say this one here.

fwor

Ebe_Scrooge wrote: »

is it possible that a charger can only supply, say 2300 mah, so it'll never fully charge the 2800mah batteries ?

With modern chargers, no. The terminal voltage on a higher capacity battery should not be significantly different than a lower capacity one. Generally an inferior charger will supply less current and so will just take longer for higher capacities - sometimes a ~lot~ longer.

espresso wrote: »

A good charger is essential to get the best from your rechargeable batteries however that one seems rather expensive and slow to charge compared to say this one here.

Seems a reasonable price, but do you know if there's any disadvantage to fast charging? I know for example that the working life of lead-acid batteries can be shortened by industrial fast-chargers. Do you know if there's a similar effect with NiMH?

espresso

fwor wrote: »

Seems a reasonable price, but do you know if there's any disadvantage to fast charging? I know for example that the working life of lead-acid batteries can be shortened by industrial fast-chargers. Do you know if there's a similar effect with NiMH?

The main thing is that the charger should use Delta V controlled charging, so that it stops charging when the cell is fully charged to prevent damage. The one that I linked to isn't particularly fast e.g not a super fast charger one hour charger but it's not a really slow overnight one, which would be useless to me. I have used a similar one from 7dayshop for years with no noticeable problems.

Gillor

Ebe_Scrooge wrote: »

My batteries don't seem to hold much charge ( even the newer ones ), so I was thinking of treating myself to a half-decent charger. I came across this, what does anyone think ?

http://www.batterylogic.co.uk/technoline/technoline-BL700.asp

I have been using the Technoline charger for about two years now and can thoroughly recommend it.

I had also accumulated a mass of cheap chargers and poorly performing rechargeable batteries so took the plunge and decided to buy a quality charger and replace the batteries (gave away on Freecycle) with Hybrio-type multi-purpose rechargeables.

What a difference. I know this is a money saving site but I got so fed up with cr*p and unreliable quality that, for me, I treated it as an investment rather than a cost, although those in the know might be able to recommend similar results at a lower cost.

grizzly1911

I brought this one earlier in the year.

Doubt it is top of the range but IMo it does agood job.

AA & AAA charge pretty quickly 90+mins depending on size.

Tells you if they are "dead" and when fully charged, also c, D and 9v.

They were on offer recently at £10 in Wilkinson I noticed.

Ebe_Scrooge

Thanks all, this is really useful information. I started out with just a couple of sets of rechargeables for my camera, but now I'm buying more and more to keep up with all the kids' toys, games consoles etc. So I think a decent charger that can handle all the different makes and capacities would be a good investment. Thanks again.

grizzly1911

:doh:Would have helped if I had added link.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Energizer-Universal-Battery-Charger-Charging/dp/B0013DEJUK/ref=sr_1_sc_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1322567068&sr=8-3-spell

espresso

grizzly1911 wrote: »

:doh:Would have helped if I had added link.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Energizer-Universal-Battery-Charger-Charging/dp/B0013DEJUK/ref=sr_1_sc_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1322567068&sr=8-3-spell

Slow charge times.

Not Delta V.

Can only charge batteries in pairs.

You may be happy with it but technically or on value for money terms, it does not compare.

sunshinetours

Sorry can't see links above (web filters at present) but bought one from 7 day shop recently for about £20 that charge 8 AA's or AAA's and can do individual ones rather than pairs. Also has discharge function so you can discharge battery first fully which helps fully charge them properly. Also has trickle charge function so stops each individual cell once fully charged. Great piece of kit and well worth investing as I also had several small useless chargers over the years

fwor

sunshinetours wrote: »

Also has discharge function so you can discharge battery first fully which helps fully charge them properly.

For anyone with a charger that has this function: only use it on the (much) older NiCad cells. It's pointless using it on NiMh batteries - they don't need to be fully discharged before charging, and it shortens their overall life if you do.