What's wrong with Rayovac (cheap) Charger?

[Marduke]

Ok, this is what I did today.

1. Returned the Rayovac hybrid charger/batteries package.

2. Took a look at the Energizer USB charger at home depot. I didn't buy because it comes with 2 AAA batteries instead of AA batteries which I need.

3. Bought Energizer value charger/2 AA batteries package for $10. With $10 rebate this thing will cost me nothing.

4. Bought Eneloop charger/4 AA batteries package for $20 at WalMart. Might not be the best deal but it's got NC-MQN05U charger, which I suspect might be 4-channel charger. I read the manual the this charger, while it doesn't insist on charging in pair, it doesn't say anywhere it's 4-channel charger either.

Without costco membership, this is the best I can do.

The Eneloop charger looks simple, but it has shown to be a 4-channel charger. Might want to ask around at work and such, see if someone you know has a Costco membership.

 

[Mr Happy]

Ok, Mr. Happy....I just want to make sure you are not mixing up the "mobile charger" and the "power gauge charger". The power gauge charger that I saw is much bigger and not really portable. The mobile charger is quite small and stylish and has a glass cover, this is the mobile charger we are talking about right? I think pavillion has it for sale for $15. I might pick it up.

I happened to be in Target today, and they had both. The Power Gauge charger comes with 4 regular 1700 mAh AA cells and costs $19.99. The Mobile Charger comes with 4 "Pre-charged" AA cells and costs $24.99. Since the cells alone cost $9.99 when sold separately and are truly useful, that makes the Mobile Charger work out at $15.

The Mobile Charger has a flip-up mains plug, comes with a 12 V car lighter cable, and can power USB devices from the mains, from a car, or from a set of 4 cells in the charger, which makes it pretty neat. It also seems to be a 4 independent channel charger with a charging time of about 5 hours (?), so all in all it is a very versatile device.

As to size, I couldn't really tell without getting it out of its packaging. But I own the Power Gauge charger and while it isn't super compact, I don't think it is especially large or unportable. Maybe the Mobile Charger is a little smaller, but it doesn't look much smaller to me.

 

[lakersgo]

Well, I was in Target today, and they had both. The Power Gauge charger comes with 4 regular 1700 mAh AA cells and costs $19.99. The Mobile Charger comes with 4 "Pre-charged" AA cells and costs $24.99. Since the cells alone cost $9.99 when sold separately and are truly useful, that makes the Mobile Charger work out at $15.

The Mobile Charger has a flip-up mains plug, comes with a 12 V car lighter cable, and can power USB devices from the mains, from a car, or from a set of 4 cells in the charger, which makes it pretty neat. It also seems to be a 4 independent channel charger with a charging time of about 5 hours (?), so all in all it is a very versatile device.

As to size, I couldn't really tell without getting it out of its packaging. But I own the Power Gauge charger and while it isn't super compact, I don't think it is especially large or unportable. Maybe the Mobile Charger is a little smaller, but it doesn't look much smaller to me.

Thanks. I think I will settle with the eneloop package that I got from walmart. Btw, if you want that mobile charger with pre-charged batteries for $15, head to Pavillion now.

Update: I just finished charging the 4 AA batteries out of box, took about 1.5 hrs to do so. This is definitely not a timed charger. Confirmed.

One day I am going to test the channel charging feature either to confirm or to disprove the consensus here.

 

[MrAl]

Hi again,

One other thing i thought i would mention is that when buying a charger
it is good to check what the charger current is, or at least how long
it takes to fully charge 4 AA cells. The chargers out there differ by
quite a bit and if the device isnt marked it could very well take as long
as 8 hours or even 24 hours to charge 4 cells. Keep an eye on that
if you dont want to wait all day for your cells to charge. Good luck.