Best 8 cell AA charger

[MuddyRiver]

I've been reading and searching through the forum trying find info on AA chargers. I think I've found that Powerex c9000, LaCrosse BC100 and AccuPower IQ 328 are all good chargers (there are probably others but those are the ones I found).

But they are all 4 cell chargers and I need at least a 8 cell charger. I was looking at a hitech ic-808ul charger but haven't found any reliable info on it. Is this a good charger? Or should I be looking at another brand or model?

Thanks for your help.

 

[N8N]

What is your criterion for 'best?' All the 8 cell chargers that I have seen are inferior in some way to the top of the line 4 cell units save for the fact that they hold 8 cells. I have thought about buying a Maha 808 just to be able to charge Cs and Ds but don't do it often enough to make it worth it. That might be a good choice for the versatility but it won't do everything a C9000 will. I'd probably just get two of the chargers you mention if you need to charge 8 cells simultaneously and don't need C or D charging capability. Also since I bought by C9000 SkyRC has come out with a similar charger with more features, looks interesting.

Sent from my XT897 using Tapatalk

 

[MuddyRiver]

Thanks for the response. What I meant by "best" was a charger that has about the same performance level of the ones I mentioned above. I want to be able to charge 8 batteries at a time. However, I see from your response that a 8 cell charger might not be the way to go.

That Maha 808 is more money than I want to spend on a charger right now.

To sum it up, it looks like it would be wiser to get two 4 cell chargers rather than an 8 cell. Any recommendations on vendors with good prices? I've checked Amazon and Epray.

 

[N8N]

Check Thomas Distributing as well, they were actually the Amazon seller when I bought my C9000 and when I had an issue with it it was resolved within days.

Sent from my XT897 using Tapatalk

 

[Mr Floppy]

That Maha 808 is more money than I want to spend on a charger right now.

To sum it up, it looks like it would be wiser to get two 4 cell chargers rather than an 8 cell.

I've got the 808M but I wish I had two C9000's. I too have been looking at the SkyRC as a second one though. The bluetooth control from the phone/ipad with lots of data is something I would like of the C9000.

 

[kosPap]

I wonder if a 8AA charger can charge all 8 at less time than what it takes to charge 4AAs twice
If it deosn;t it does not worth the trouble

 

[N8N]

A *good* charger will charge the cells at the same rate - for NiMH that will be 0.5-1C (so for a Eneloop AA - nominal 2000 mAh - that would be 1000-2000 mA)

So charge time will range from a little over two hours to a little over an hour.

Too slow and the charger might miss termination; too fast and the cells get hot.

So, in short, there is an advantage to using a 8 cell smart charger, or two 4 cell chargers, if you're in a situation where you need 8 fresh cells in less than a couple hours. (
If you have about three hours to wait, then yes, I'd just charge four cells at say 0.8C and then another four at 0.8C and call it a day.

Side note: Maha C9000 is known for slightly early termination which is good for cell life but not good if you are trying to eke out every bit of runtime from your devices. It will top up the cells at a low rate for ~2 hours after "DONE" appears on the display if you leave the cells in, so if you *need* that top up that needs to be factored in as well. I don't know if the C808M has similar behavior or not.