best battery recharger?

dllive

hi guys,
In an effort to cut down costs on buying AA batteries, I thought Id look into buying a recharger. I presume buying a recharger is more cost effective?
Has anyone had any experience with rechargers? Which is the best would you say? I really only need one which can handle AA's and AAA's (but mainly just AA's).
Thanks

ColinFishwick

I use Ansmann (German) made

Not cheap but mine gives diagnostics on condition of batteries too

http://ansmannenergy.co.uk/

This is one I have

http://www.tantronics.co.uk/acatalog/Ansmann_Energy_16_Plus.html

I have slightly older version

cajef

I used a cheap one but no way of telling the condition of the batteries, it is worth paying extra for an intelligent charger.

I now use one of these for all my batteries.

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

dllive

Thanks. Silly question: these do work with any make of rechargeables do they? I bought some Duracell rechargeables the other day (they came pre-charged which is why I bought them).

A.Penny.Saved

The PowerEx C9000 is the best AA/AAA charger available. It isn't cheap but IMO it's worth the investment. A quick check and BatteryCity sell them for a lowish price cheaper than Amazon but not as low as it was some time back when I got mine.

For AA rechargeables, the Vapextech AA's are pretty decent for a low price but avoid their AAA's because they are utter crap. Unfortunately I purchased a pile of AAA's and found them to be utterly useless.

Pre-charged rechargeables are the LSD variety and are slow to discharge. Great for low drain applications such as remotes but not so good for high drain usage because the capacity is usually lower. AAA LSD can be got in 2500mAh whereas the regular rechargeables can be purchased up to around 3000mAh.