The elusive smart charger for Sanyo Eneloop AA/AAA batts

~seagull~

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Please don't tell me to go look it up. I've been searching and reading online until my eyes are bleeding, and I just haven't got it yet. :eek:

I am looking for a 2-cell (4-cell if necessary) charger with independent channels--
doesn't have to charge both sizes at once--
100-240V is a must--
folding plug prongs for travel--

Seems like it should be so simple, but I'm finding about 4-6 choices at a wide range of prices, and am concerned that I don't know enough to choose.

Does a charger have to be closely matched to the Eneloop batts in some way? (eg: listed for 1000 or 1500 mAh, or any other specs?)

There are 4-5 that I am looking at which seem to meet these criteria, but I am new here and not sure whether posting links to amazon are permitted for purpose of descriptions.

I would love some help here. Thanks all.
 

dusty99

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Sony BCG34HRE4KN

Available from Amazon. $30 shipped.
 
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Mr Happy

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Please don't tell me to go look it up. I've been searching and reading online until my eyes are bleeding, and I just haven't got it yet. :eek:

I am looking for a 2-cell (4-cell if necessary) charger with independent channels--
doesn't have to charge both sizes at once--
100-240V is a must--
folding plug prongs for travel--

Seems like it should be so simple, but I'm finding about 4-6 choices at a wide range of prices, and am concerned that I don't know enough to choose.

You don't give your location (vital piece of information!), but maybe you are in the USA?

If so, this is not hard to explain. There is almost no good choice for a smart compact charger for eneloops in the USA. If you asked me (you just did), I couldn't tell you one that meets your specifications and is currently readily available to purchase.

Yes, it should be simple, but it isn't. Unless you live somewhere outside the US, in which case you may have options. Canada, Europe, Japan, the far East, you are golden. USA--forget it. The US market is only interested in cheap, slow, overnight chargers.

If you can relax your requirements a bit, the Maha C401FS would be a close fit, but you'll have to live with a wall wart, and you'll have to give up on the worldwide voltage unless you pay extra for an international version.
 

Mr Happy

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I am looking for a 2-cell (4-cell if necessary) charger with independent channels--
doesn't have to charge both sizes at once--
100-240V is a must--
folding plug prongs for travel--

If you can manage to find one the Panasonic BQ-321 would be an exact fit. But I don't think they make them any more.
 

Aquanaut

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I just did a search on Amazon and they have them. It includes 4 AA Panasonic batteries for ~$31.
 

entercpf

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Please don't tell me to go look it up. I've been searching and reading online until my eyes are bleeding, and I just haven't got it yet. :eek:

I am looking for a 2-cell (4-cell if necessary) charger with independent channels--
doesn't have to charge both sizes at once--
100-240V is a must--
folding plug prongs for travel--

Seems like it should be so simple, but I'm finding about 4-6 choices at a wide range of prices, and am concerned that I don't know enough to choose.

Does a charger have to be closely matched to the Eneloop batts in some way? (eg: listed for 1000 or 1500 mAh, or any other specs?)

There are 4-5 that I am looking at which seem to meet these criteria, but I am new here and not sure whether posting links to amazon are permitted for purpose of descriptions.

I would love some help here. Thanks all.

Sounds like you are looking for Eneloop MQR06. The best combo that Sanyo currently offers.
 

salimoneus

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I too went with the latest Sony BCG-34HRE and highly recommend it, very difficult to to top this unit in terms of features and value.

Nothing elusive about it, it just takes some research and reading reviews. Worked for me.
 
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U235

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I use a la crosse bc9009, has worked great for years. The newer model is bc1000 and can be found on amazon or other retailers for $60.
 

~seagull~

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Thanks to all for your suggestions. I really do need all of the few criteria I listed for traveling. The Panasonic has a curious review which suggests it is dedicated to Panasonic batts only. The Sanyo charger unfortunately requires charging in pairs and has fairly bad & credible review due to this. I do live in the USA. The Sony is a definite possibility at the higher price range I'm considering. I am puzzling over whether I need to spend so much, as there are a couple of other choices:

Globe Trotter Charger for AA/AAA with 4 high capacity truCELL AA Rechargable NIMH 2700 series batteries for HP Photosmart camera...$20
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00460XHYG/ref=ox_sc_act_title_5?ie=UTF8&m=A2QHBM8MEN9W65
Sanyo Eneloop 2-pack AA NIMH charger...$13

So does a charger have to be matched in some way to the brand of these mAh batteries?
 

Mr Happy

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The Panasonic works fine with eneloops. I own it it and have tried it and it charges them nicely. It is now my preferred travel charger.

In its favor is a really solid quality of construction. Some cheaper chargers can seem really flimsy.
 

Scenic

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The Sony Sony BCG34HRD4KN is also good and cheaper than the Sony BCG34HRE4KN. 17.99 on amazon.
 

ecrbattery

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The Panasonic BQ-321 and the BQ-390 would fit all your requirement for a travel charger and work great with Sanyo eneloop batteries.
The BQ-321 really has a very high quality construction of solid and smooth plastic. The only other charger that come close in quality is the Apple AA charger but that only charge 2x AA. They are hard to come by because some collector keep snatching them up ;)

Here is a couple photo of the BQ-321 and what it look like next to the other smart chargers:

e4nao.jpg

BHoRC.jpg

YRSTv.jpg
 

Aquanaut

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Most people are afraid to order from Asia, but I frequently order from eBay using PayPal for payments and have not had any problems after dozens of orders. Just make sure that the seller has over 99% positive feedback. PayPal pretty much reduces your chances of getting stiffed.

The preamble was to propose ordering a Sanyo NC-MQR06 4 channel independent charger for $18.50 including shipping from Asia. See the complete specs of the charger here:

http://www.eneloop.info/products/chargers/sets-with-mqr06.html

I found this deal from a South Korean dealer and I would not hesitate ordering the charger from him if I did not already own half a dozen chargers. This one dealer has 17,513 orders with a 99.4% positive feedback. This is the kind of dealer to place orders. To find him, just search for "Sanyo NC-MQR06" within eBay.

The charger satisfies all of the OP's requirements.
 

~seagull~

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ecrbattery & aquanaut, and to everyone on this forum--you rock! Thanks to both of you for your great recommendations.
 

ecrbattery

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Thanks Kestrel. It make me sad every time I see the chargers collection because most of these smart chargers were widely available at all retailer in the US. We make a major step forward with the LSD batteries but the lack of smart chargers bring us two steps back :(

I just browse Amazon looking for good value smart charger. It does not look good.
The Panasonic DMW-LZACKIT Accessory Kit (with the BQ-321 charger) is no longer available for $7.88
The Sony Cycle Energy BCG34HLD2RN Kit price has more than double from $5.49 to $11.48

There are some promising find:
MQRO6 quick charger with 4 Sanyo eneloop XX for $34.95 (good deal for the smart charger and the 2500mAh eneloop)
Sanyo NC-MQN05U charger for $11.15 (smart but slow and only work with 120V AC power)

I do recommend getting the Sanyo NC-MQR06. Here is my post regarding the NC-MQR06:

NC-MQR06 on the left and the NC-MQN06 on the right.
4YpSN.jpg

The NC-MQN06 is sold along with eneloop pack in the US. It is an inferior charger since it is slower and required you to charge in pair.The NC-MQR06 is not available in the US (unless you import it). It does not have a UL or ETL symbol on the back so Sanyo is probably not going to sell it in the US or Canada. This is the superior charger with independent charging channels and 4 blue LED indicators (hidden under plastic). The NC-MQR06 is also more expensive.

Here is my personal rating for eneloop chargers.From left to right:
NC-MQN06 - BAD
NC-MQN05 - OK
NC-MQR06 - GOOD
MAHA C9000 - EXCELLENT
FUTABA CDR-5000 - OVERKILL:devil:

GWmyx.jpg
 

ecrbattery

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The first one is the Sanyo MDR02 which is very good and have reasonable charge time. I thought Sanyo discontinued this model long time ago but I am glad that it is still available. Very good deal with 2 AA eneloop for just $12.44 :)



The second one didn't list any charging current at all on the label.
 
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