$1 AA Energizer charger at Walgreens

There's a thread over on Fatwallet about an Energizer AA charger with 2 batteries for $1 after coupon and rebate at Walgreens.

There's been some discussion there as to whether the batteries and charger are a POS. The charger is a timed: not good, but may be fine for non-serious users. People have said the batteries, however, simply don't hold a charge, though this sounds like it could be a generalization about Energizer batteries.

I'm posting here in case anyone wants to get in on the deal, and more importantly, test the batteries and charger for a proper analysis.

A $1 POS is still a POS. Some people are buying these chargers as gifts for the holidays, and if it is a POS, it's the kind of thing that can give rechargeable batteries a bad name.

gaiageek said:

A $1 POS is still a POS. Some people are buying these chargers as gifts for the holidays, and if it is a POS, it's the kind of thing that can give rechargeable batteries a bad name.

Click to expand...

Energizer rechargeable batteries already have a bad name, and it will take a lot of time to rehabilitate them. With the exception of the Energizer DUO USB charger, few Energizer chargers are well regarded either.

It is interesting this charger comes with 2000 mAh batteries, rather than the more common 2500 or 2450 cells. The lower capacity could mean they are more robust and will last longer than the other cells that people have disliked so much, or it could just mean they are cheaper and easier to give away as freebies.

I'm afraid it's not likely to be a product that anyone here would be very interested in owning, recommending, or testing.

Mr Happy said:

I'm afraid it's not likely to be a product that anyone here would be very interested in owning, recommending, or testing.

Click to expand...

Understandable, though I suspect someone might be willing to part with a dollar and a bit of their time to demonstrate why a cheap charger and cheap batteries aren't worth it.

However, in case I'm wrong, perhaps it's better to ask a question that I'm sure has been asked here before: what's a good, cheap charger and batteries for casual users?

gaiageek said:

Understandable, though I suspect someone might be willing to part with a dollar and a bit of their time to demonstrate why a cheap charger and cheap batteries aren't worth it.

Click to expand...

It doesn't really need demonstrating, since it is already known from prior experience. The real test of something you obtain is, does it meet reasonable demands you might make of it? If it doesn't, then even if it is free it's not worth keeping.

As far as chargers are concerned, chargers that use a timer will over charge any partially charged batteries that you put in them. They will also over charge any lower capacity batteries than the timer was set up for. Lastly, it is believed that constant charging of NiMH cells at the low currents used by timed chargers reduces their ability to operate at peak efficiency. They need higher charging currents to get the best out of them.

As far as batteries are concerned, the only ones worth getting these days are the low self-discharge variety. Since the batteries in this charger are not of that kind, they are essentially paper weights.

However, in case I'm wrong, perhaps it's better to ask a question that I'm sure has been asked here before: what's a good, cheap charger and batteries for casual users?

Click to expand...

You tend to get what you pay for. The Duracell Mobile Charger comes with LSD batteries, has individual four channel smart charging, and has extra USB and 12 V power options as well. It costs about $25-$30, but I don't think that should be considered expensive considering it costs much more than that to fill up my car with gas these days.