Eneloops: what charger do I need? (info and discussion thead)

[hatman]

I'm surprised that no testers here have reported on Maha's little brother, the Powerex MH-C401FS charger. It's compact and moderately priced.

I've been using one for more than a year with good results and no issues.

It has four independent circuits and can manually switch between 100-minute fast charge and 8 hour gentle charge. I'm in no hurry and use gentle charge on my Eneloops.

It includes AC charger and car charger. Sold at various places, listed on Amazon at $38.99. Recommended.

 

[HKJ]

I'm surprised that no testers here have reported on Maha's little brother, the Powerex MH-C401FS charger. It's compact and moderately priced.

It would be nice with a sticky thread where people could wish for reviews (by me), but I doubt it would be within the rules.

 

[hatman]

I'm surprised that no testers here have reported on Maha's little brother, the Powerex MH-C401FS charger. It's compact and moderately priced.

I've been using one for more than a year with good results and no issues.

It has four independent circuits and can manually switch between 100-minute fast charge and 8 hour gentle charge. I'm in no hurry and use gentle charge on my Eneloops.

It includes AC charger and car charger. Sold at various places, listed on Amazon at $38.99. Recommended.

Addendum: I see that there is also an international version of this compact smart charger (110-240v) at a very attractive price.

 

[Grijon]

I'm surprised that no testers here have reported on Maha's little brother, the Powerex MH-C401FS charger. It's compact and moderately priced.

I've been using one for more than a year with good results and no issues.

It has four independent circuits and can manually switch between 100-minute fast charge and 8 hour gentle charge. I'm in no hurry and use gentle charge on my Eneloops.

It includes AC charger and car charger. Sold at various places, listed on Amazon at $38.99. Recommended.

Thank you for sharing with us - I'd never heard of this charger, but it looks great and is now on my wishlist thanks to you! lovecpf

 

[hatman]

Thank you for sharing with us - I'd never heard of this charger, but it looks great and is now on my wishlist thanks to you! lovecpf

What I like about it is that it is simple and uncomplicated and there's nothing to screw up.

 

[Flashy808]

How does the Xtar VC4 perform charging Eneloops (both standard and pro/XX)?
Has anybody tried?
Thanks for helping a noob out!

Does anybody at all have one or tried? Pls

 

[kreisl]

VC4 Eneloop was tested in Denmark:
http://lygte-info.dk/review/Review Charger Xtar VC4 UK.html

 

[Flashy808]

VC4 Eneloop was tested in Denmark:
http://lygte-info.dk/review/Review Charger Xtar VC4 UK.html

Wow nice Thanks!
I'm thinking about the Nitecore D4 and the VC4 -don't know which one's best...

 

[thedoc007]

Wow nice Thanks!
I'm thinking about the Nitecore D4 and the VC4 -don't know which one's best...

The VC4 will require you to buy a separate USB power supply, unless you already have one. I still have not heard any explanation for why that makes sense, but for me, that was a deal-breaker. HKJ's tests showed it is a good charger otherwise...but the D4 is also, and doesn't have any such issues. The only reason I would consider the Xtar is if I really wanted the capacity readout...personally I don't find it necessary, but it is a feature that the D4 does not have.

 

[Kouryu]

I don't doubt those lower end Maha/PowerEx chargers are good, but the question is... how worth is it to you? I'm saying this because the official chargers from Sanyo or Panasonic could be just as capable (depending on which model and vintage you get) in terms of charge rate and method, plus usually costs a lot less... also, they tend to be the most compact of the many decent smart chargers out there, which is the idea when it comes to getting the lower end Maha/PowerEx chargers due to their compactness/portability


but... that VC4 charger looks pretty nifty and tempting because it has all of those stats in the nice big LCD, plus the fact that it can charge a multitude of cell chemistries and sizes... too bad it doesn't come with a wall wart, but it looks like a pretty straight forward 3rd party solution to it

 

[Flashy808]

The VC4 will require you to buy a separate USB power supply, unless you already have one. I still have not heard any explanation for why that makes sense, but for me, that was a deal-breaker. HKJ's tests showed it is a good charger otherwise...but the D4 is also, and doesn't have any such issues. The only reason I would consider the Xtar is if I really wanted the capacity readout...personally I don't find it necessary, but it is a feature that the D4 does not have.

The capacity read-out might be a good idea for a newbie so I can learn more but then I would have to buy a good quality USB adapter for the VC4.
I have asked HKJ what he thinks about using this: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005CG2ATQ/?tag=cpf0b6-20 but he was too busy to test anymore so have you tried it or What do you use? (I have also considered the recommended Xtar 2.1A Wall Adaptor).

I also found the VC4 on GearBest for $20~ A BARGAIN (they had like 100~ of them) so they both cost about the same...

Thanks Guys!

 

[hatman]

I don't doubt those lower end Maha/PowerEx chargers are good, but the question is... how worth is it to you? I'm saying this because the official chargers from Sanyo or Panasonic could be just as capable (depending on which model and vintage you get) in terms of charge rate and method, plus usually costs a lot less... also, they tend to be the most compact of the many decent smart chargers out there, which is the idea when it comes to getting the lower end Maha/PowerEx chargers due to their compactness/portability

A fair question.

If I were trying Eneloops for the first time, I might be tempted to try a Sanyo or Panasonic charger because of their low cost.

But if I wanted to make sure that my batteries didn't get overcharged, I'd pick the little Maha/Powerex. While the newer Panasonic may make the same claim, my experience is that the Maha really delivers.

I hope this helps.

 

[Kouryu]

Actually, you might be misinformed... not all of the Sanyo and Panasonic chargers can overcharge cells, only the cheap ones bundled in the cheapest kits have that potential. For either brand of charger, it's a matter of choosing the right one out of the dozens they made. The often mentioned/popular ones here, such as the MQH03 and MQR06 are smart charger and have a full set of charge termination techniques (as well as full individual channels) just like all of the premium "boutique" chargers out there. This has been proven by others who have tested these chargers. Search for discussions/reviews of these chargers, and even the new Panasonic BQ-CC16 for good information about this.

They are not considered cheap chargers and were quite a bit more expensive than their cheapest kit/bundle chargers. They still were and are (ie: Panasonic BQ-CC16 or BQ-CC21, both currently in production) cheaper than some of those premium 3rd party chargers though.

In the end, it all comes down to the matter of choice, what you want in features, and how much you want to spend.
IMO, if you want a simple smart charger with the portability that's brain dead simple to use, you really can't go wrong with the better Sanyo or Panasonic chargers. Downside is, having to import them as they never really officially offered them in the US. But even still, with it all said and done, it's still cheaper than than many 3rd party (good) smart chargers!

 

[MidnightDistortions]

Thanks, MidnightDistortions. I am still learning.

Another mistake I made was in purchasing 20 Eneloop Pros all in one swoop. I was planning to replace all the alkaleaks in my house. I chose the Pros thinking that 500 cycles was good enough for me, so long as I got longer runtimes.

After laying out about $90, I read here that—long runtimes notwithstanding—Eneloop Pros are a poor choice in low-draw devices such as clocks, TV remotes, etc. Runtimes are so long in those devices that self-discharge begins to be the limiting factor. Meanwhile, a poster advised me that IR could build up in batteries used for those applications, and that, in most cases, it could be cleared up by refreshing the batteries.

Yeah in that case the refresh might remedy the high IR. Basically since the Eneloop Pros are designed for high drain, the higher mAh may not be the only factor in the reasons those cells work better in battery depleting devices. Run times in low drain applications last so long that i think AAA 800mAh Eneloops would be sufficient enough. I actually plan on ordering some AAA to AA converters for some low drain devices that a brand new AA Eneloop would just almost feel like a waste, the AAA cells are cheaper so using those in tv remotes and clocks would be more ideal when i need them. Also would be great for this Innova multimeter which takes AA cells. Usually i'll assign older high IR cells to these low drain devices but at some point my old NiMH cells will give out.

No problem with that. My concern, and the only thing negative thing I have written about the C9000, is that the word "Done" is displayed at the wrong time. In fact, it appears when charging is only partially completed. And when charging is actually done, no indication is given. I think we both agree that is not ideal.

Why not have the same "gentleness," but with accurate messages? Maha could use something like "Done 1" and "Done 2" if they wanted to report at the midway changeover. "Done 2" would be the message when battery charging is complete.

Usually i can tell by the voltage, the voltage will drop a bit but then after awhile they'll jump back up and then settle at a particular voltage when they are done, though it would be nice if they showed a 'top off' stage and a trickle charge mode with showing the mA that is still put into the battery. With that being said i don't have to worry about pulling out the cells right when the charger is done, i can leave them on without worry of overcharge. My La Crosse charger will fully charge Eneloops but then i have to ensure they are taken off the charger to avoid the trickle charge to overcharge the cells.

 

[kreisl]

i don't know what that is but looks like eneloop chargers from catalog pdf:

http://www.docdroid.net/9Qe71Zq/sanyo-time.pdf.html

 

[Kouryu]

i don't know what that is but looks like eneloop chargers from catalog pdf:

http://www.docdroid.net/9Qe71Zq/sanyo-time.pdf.html

It is.. but they're Japan only Sanyo chargers... most export chargers use different model #s, even if they're the same thing
This post explains better...

 

[recDNA]

Actually, you might be misinformed... not all of the Sanyo and Panasonic chargers can overcharge cells, only the cheap ones bundled in the cheapest kits have that potential. For either brand of charger, it's a matter of choosing the right one out of the dozens they made. The often mentioned/popular ones here, such as the MQH03 and MQR06 are smart charger and have a full set of charge termination techniques (as well as full individual channels) just like all of the premium "boutique" chargers out there. This has been proven by others who have tested these chargers. Search for discussions/reviews of these chargers, and even the new Panasonic BQ-CC16 for good information about this.

They are not considered cheap chargers and were quite a bit more expensive than their cheapest kit/bundle chargers. They still were and are (ie: Panasonic BQ-CC16 or BQ-CC21, both currently in production) cheaper than some of those premium 3rd party chargers though.

In the end, it all comes down to the matter of choice, what you want in features, and how much you want to spend.
IMO, if you want a simple smart charger with the portability that's brain dead simple to use, you really can't go wrong with the better Sanyo or Panasonic chargers. Downside is, having to import them as they never really officially offered them in the US. But even still, with it all said and done, it's still cheaper than than many 3rd party (good) smart chargers!

OK, I want one of these MQH03 or the other one but where can I buy them? This thread is really hard on beginners. Are you saying there are no good chargers available in usa? I mean this in the most respectful way but can someone simply say where we can buy a quality charger that accurately reports when batteries are charged? People seem to love Maha but everyone agrees it reports batteries charged before they are? That's pretty useless.

 

[HKJ]

People seem to love Maha but everyone agrees it reports batteries charged before they are? That's pretty useless.

Depends, you only loose a little bit in capacity.

 

[recDNA]

What about this one?
Panasonic BQ-CC17KSBA eneloop Advanced Individual Battery Charger with 4 LED Charge Indicator Lights, Black

Is this good and safe? It says it charges batteries individually. I'd really like to find a charger that tells me whwn batteries are fully charged but won't over-charge them

 

[KeepingItLight]

I'd really like to find a charger that tells me when batteries are fully charged but won't over-charge them

I made the jump to NiMH last month when I purchased 20 Eneloop Pros. Except for wishing I had bought a mix of regular Eneloops and Pros, I am happy to be dumping alkaleaks.

As far as chargers go, I bought the Opus BT-C700. It got a good review from HKJ, and it terminates correctly. It also is an analyzer that can charge, discharge, cycle, and test batteries. On GearBest, it was priced around $25 US. I have yet to receive the shipment, so the jury is still out my first direct-from-China purchase.

Since I knew I would want to have an analyzer to check my batteries as they age, I decided not to buy a charger today and an analyzer tomorrow.