Charger intimidation! How to choose??

[Will91]

Hi all:

I have been reading the posts here over the past few days. I want to purchase a quality charger for some Eneloops (that I still need to buy). Apparently the new Sanyo charger that can be bundled with the Eneloops doesn't sense individual cells but works in pairs - which even I can understand is probably not the best approach. I sent in a web inquiry to Sanyo to find out which charger they are currently bundling with their cells, but have not had a reply in about a week now.

After reading the posts about LaCrosse vs. Maha chargers, I'm not sure either of them is particularly straight forward to use and can be downright confusing! I could just see myself having similar problems, questions and frustrations as expressed by DualMonitors! All I want is something better than the Sanyo charger. My sense is that perhaps the LaCrosse B900 charger is a bit more user friendly to the newbie than the Maha line. Would this be an accurate assessment? Is there another charger I should consider? What are some reputable on-line retailers for chargers, Eneloops and even better, bundled packages. It seems that Thomson seems to be a favorite source here.

 

[flugpop]

Mh-CH9000 is what I got and it does everything I want and need. Very happy with it.

 

[VidPro]

do you need to know the capacity of your cells , at the time.

i explain, you have these rechargable cells, they work great, the charger charges them, the device works, everything is peachy keen, and you quit having to fork over fortunes for throwaways.
a year or more has passed
the batteries mabey do or dont have the runtime in the devices , your frugal enough to not want to throw away what might be good batteries, yet your just not sure of thier present condition. you checked them with a meter, and it all seems good, but what is the actual capacity.

That is where the readout displaying discharge testing chargers came from.
now if you want to SEE that, and use one of these and KNOW a lot about your batteries, then you get buttons, and a manuel and a display, and information you need to interpret a bit, and things you need to know.

so you either do or dont want/need to worry about the present state of them, enough to go through the BS and costs and time of gaining that information.

if you do then get the 9000, its presentally the better of the two in a few realms.
if you dont need to deal with that BS, because nothing is that critical, you can just buy new bats, things change so fast, new something will exist later anyway, the comprehention to you is not worth the information.
then just get some good maha charger that will charge the cells singularly costs about the same, and just works without all the information.

as far as the really cruddy "just get by" chargers, your right back where you started, use them for a while, They dont treat the battery "as well" your then really going to want to know the capacity of them, because the wrong charging will have them not last as long.

so if you ask me, the two choices are a good charger you can ignore, or a good charger you wont be able to ignore

 

[TakeTheActive]

...After reading the posts about LaCrosse vs. Maha chargers, I'm not sure either of them is particularly straight forward to use and can be downright confusing! I could just see myself having similar problems, questions and frustrations as expressed by DualMonitors! All I want is something better than the Sanyo charger. My sense is that perhaps the LaCrosse B900 charger is a bit more user friendly to the newbie than the Maha line. Would this be an accurate assessment?

Buy the Maha MH-C9000 from Thompson Distributing.

I own both. I bought the La Crosse BC-900 in Dec 2006 and the Maha MH-C9000 in Jan 2009. Once you start using them, both are easy to use. But, the BREAK-IN function, unlinked Charge/Discharge Rates and quality give Maha the edge...

 

[malamalama]

Thanks Will91 for starting this thread. I was going to post the same question. I have the Sanyo MQN06 from Costco and after reading another thread, realized that I couldn't use it for my 1xAA lights since the discharges would be different.

Let us know what you decide to pick up.

 

[ALiteZ]

I don't have any rechargables yet, but feel the urge. I recall reading a comparison (can't remember where) of the B900 and the C9000. The reviewer mentioned the number of setup keystrokes required by the C9000 as a downside; possibly putting the novice into brain-overload and thus going with default settings. Does that sound reasonable? I have no experience with charging units and so I'm holding out for more info.

 

[Turbo Guy]

If you can read english and push buttons then the C-9000 is extremely easy to use. Yes it can seem complicated at first but taken one task at a time it is simple. You do not have to learn every function the first day.

I have bothe the LaCross BC900 and the maha C-9000 and they both have their good a not so great feactures but the C-9000 is by fare the best.

One of the many BC900 / C-9000 comparison threads

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=229116

 

[POH]

What about the Maha C800S?

I'm in the same boat looking for a charger though I need to charge up to 8 AA Ni-MH cells at a time (2x 4AA packs). My current chargers are the ones that came with an older Panasonic AA set. The charger is a rapid charger at 550mAh and heats up the cells to the point where they are almost too hot to handle when taking them out of the charger - I'm concerned they may be getting overcharged.

I see that Maha has an 8 cell smart charger - the C800S. Does anyone have any experiences with this?

 

[Black Rose]

Re: What about the Maha C800S?

I see that Maha has an 8 cell smart charger - the C800S. Does anyone have any experiences with this?

Yes, I've had one for the past year to compliment my C9000.

I really like the C800S. In addition to simply charging AA & AAA cells, it can also perform a conditioning cycle (charge, discharge, charge).

I got mine from Pauls Finest (Montreal area).

 

[TakeTheActive]

...I recall reading a comparison (can't remember where) of the B900 and the C9000. The reviewer mentioned the number of setup keystrokes required by the C9000 as a downside; possibly putting the novice into brain-overload and thus going with default settings...

IMO, the one review from 'NLee the Engineer' on Amazon gave the C9000 a bad rap and sadly soured a lot of folks, including me.

Already the owner of a BC-900 since Dec 2006, I couldn't see what the big deal was about the C9000 ESPECIALLY if programming it was such a PITA per NLee. Then, I spent a few months reading the CPF 'Batteries Included' Archives. And I learned some 'Rechargeable Battery Theory'. And the C9000 went ON SALE, so I bought one - Jan 2009. And, it's been running DISCHARGEs / BREAK-INs / REFRESH & ANALYZEs 24x7 since it arrived.

From another perspective, buying and properly utilizing a 'Charger/Analyzer' is a 'lifestyle' NOT suitable for a majority of the 'Rechargeable Battery Community' - label your cells, keep records, match cells, etc... If you're not willing to invest in that extra effort, no worries - buy a less expensive charger now and spend your money on more batteries later!

 

[TakeTheActive]

...One of the many BC900 / C-9000 comparison threads

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=229116

The title of that thread is: Lacrosse BC-9009 versus BC-900: What differences, if any?

In my Sig Line LINKs, I have: SilverFox's Feature-By-Feature Comparison: La Crosse BC-900 vs Maha MH-C9000

 

[TakeTheActive]

Re: What about the Maha C800S?

...My current chargers are the ones that came with an older Panasonic AA set. The charger is a rapid charger at 550mAh and heats up the cells to the point where they are almost too hot to handle when taking them out of the charger - I'm concerned they may be getting overcharged...

Maybe your cells are just worn out and not generating a large enough -DeltaV at 550mA to trigger termination.

...I need to charge up to 8 AA Ni-MH cells at a time (2x 4AA packs)... ...I see that Maha has an 8 cell smart charger - the C800S...

You could also buy one 4-cell 'Charger/Analyzer' and one 4-cell '1-2 Hour Charger': TTA's NiMH/NiCD Battery Charger Specifications Thread

 

[ALiteZ]

IMO, the one review from 'NLee the Engineer' on Amazon gave the C9000 a bad rap and sadly soured a lot of folks, including me.
...
buy a less expensive charger now and spend your money on more batteries later!

That's the one!


Like most have commented over numerous posts, the initial learning curve is negligible compared to the long term benefits.


Convincing the wife shouldn't be too bad. I have young kids, so the toy application alone should seal the deal. (The Hanna Montana/High School Musical video camera has just got to be a battery consumption conspiracy...I know it!)

I just have to work on delivery of the fact that I need a new AA light to go along with it. :naughty: That's the tough cell...I mean sale.

 

[325addict]

Do you know what also - still - works fine? The 1/10th of the capacity "standard-charge"!

Charge the batts for 15 hours on 1/10th of their capacity and they'll be full :green:

I made a charger myself that, for the first four hours, sends a 3/10th of the capacity through the cells, then switches back to 1/10th.
This method lets your cells live FOREVER... I've had my Sanyo NiCd's for soooo long, I don't even remember when I bought them.

Of course, to use the timer-actuated switching between 3/10th and 1/10th, the batteries need to be EMPTY before you charge them!!
for the reason of charging partially discharged ones, I have a simple switch - this way I can bypass the timer and start at 1/10th right away.

Remember, it will not harm NiCd and NiMH batteries if the 1/10th current will sustain longer than 15 hours. This is the "standard charge rate" and may last for a week or longer, no damage then :twothumbs


Timmo.