NiMH Charger questions

[Avatar28]

Couple of questions regarding chargers. My current charger is one of the Duracell Power Gauge chargers that come with that set of seemingly way underrated 1700 mAh AAs. I know it's far from the best charger in the world but it seems to do an okay job and all the channels are independent which is a definite step up from most of the chargers you find at places like Wal-Mart and Target. It seems fairly decent, if not exactly great.

Anyways, I would like to upgrade. I know the Maha 9000 is supposed to be like THE charger to have, but it is also somewhat expensive. What I would like to know, in essence, is what exactly it will do for me. It seems rather complex with a steep learning curve (this coming from a guy who fixes PCs for a living and can usually point you in the right direction to fix something with a fairly brief description, LOL). I don't know that I would necessarily use all of the features it seems to have. Here are the features I THINK I need. Correct me if I don't need one or left out one that I do need and just don't know it.

• Independent channels
• Ability to test a cell and tell me if it is still any good or not. I've got a number of batteries and some of them I think may be dead, killed by a 30 minute Duracell charger we bought back when we first got our digital camera and didn't really know any better. Problem is, those cells have gotten mixed in with our others and I don't even remember for sure which ones they were. I think it was some of the Energizer 2500 mAh cells, but I even have a couple of sets of those and I would prefer not to throw them all out.
• If a cell is bad, the ability to attempt to fix it would be a plus, though at least telling me it is bad would be okay. (Is this the same thing as refreshing it?)
• Able to cram as much of a charge as possible into the cells.
• Able to get at least MOST of the charge into the cell fairly quickly. Say 80% or so of it's capacity within an hour let's say.

Um...Yeah, I think that's it. I'm a pretty simple guy when it comes to the charger. I just want to get it charged quickly and to be able to find out if my battery is good without having to put the battery into something to test it. So is this something that really cries out for the Maha or is there maybe a cheaper one that will meet my needs. Or for that matter is there some other reason to get the Maha. Like I said, I'm open to the idea of it, I just would have to be firmly sold on the idea so I could sell the wife on it too.

 

[Avatar28]

Anyone at all? Should I take the silence to mean that I am probably okay with that Duracell charger? If so, that's fine with me since it will save me some dough and save me from having to sell it to the wife.

 

[SilverFox]

Hello Avatar,

When I read your first post, I could have sworn that you were settled on the C-9000... Go for it.

There is a review of it in the Reviews section that covers most of the functions.

It does have a lot of features, however, to charge a cell simply plug the unit into power and insert the cell. Remove it when it is done and you are ready to go. You should be able to teach your wife how to do this as well...

When you have some extra time, you can read up and then delve into the advanced features.

Tom

 

[Avatar28]

Hello Avatar,

When I read your first post, I could have sworn that you were settled on the C-9000... Go for it.

There is a review of it in the Reviews section that covers most of the functions.

It does have a lot of features, however, to charge a cell simply plug the unit into power and insert the cell. Remove it when it is done and you are ready to go. You should be able to teach your wife how to do this as well...

When you have some extra time, you can read up and then delve into the advanced features.

Tom

No, I was actually looking for someone to help convince me that it's what I needed so I could more easily convince the wife. I was concerned that it might be difficult to charge with all the extra functions. Glad to see it's still plug and play for at least a basic charge.

 

[Mitch470]

Anyways, I would like to upgrade. I know the Maha 9000 is supposed to be like THE charger to have, but it is also somewhat expensive.

I prefer the LaCrosse BC-900 for a variety of Modes with simple input. Today (Oct 24, 20007) at Thomas Distributing the BC-900 goes for $ 49.97 for Version 33 versus the MH-C9000 for $ 57.97.

 

[macdude22]

My BC-900 buttons annoy the heck out of me, I usually have to hit them 2 or 3 times to get them to register. I'll take the C-9000 any-day. Personally for grab and go easy the supports everything and takes good care of the cells my moneys on the 808 series, I have the 808M but if you don't need C and D cells the lower models work fine I'm sure.

A word of caution...................Using the C9000 can become........very addictive.

 

[Northernflame]

Avatar28

Recommend:


Lacrosse BC-900.

Vanson 2299.

 

[TorchBoy]

When I was appraising both I realised pretty quickly that the BC-900 just wouldn't do what I wanted. For the extra money for the MH-C9000 you get a whole lot more charger/tester, and possibly a whole lot less frustration. Looking at your wish list, I note that the MH-C9000 can charge four cells much more quickly than the BC-900.

And like macdude22 said, it can be very addictive.

 

[PJbatman]

When I was appraising both I realised pretty quickly that the BC-900 just wouldn't do what I wanted. For the extra money for the MH-C9000 you get a whole lot more charger/tester, and possibly a whole lot less frustration. Looking at your wish list, I note that the MH-C9000 can charge four cells much more quickly than the BC-900.

And like macdude22 said, it can be very addictive.

I agree 100%!! The MH-C9000 fits all of the requirements in your original post perfectly! I loved it so much I got a 2nd one...

 

[Elliot]

Avatae28 said: My current charger is one of the Duracell Power Gauge chargers that come with that set of seemingly way underrated 1700 mAh AAs.

I have the same charger and batteries. They are very good cells - about 1900+ mAh. Look for the "HR" stamp on the bottom. The charger isn't bad either.

I recently bought the BC-900 charger. Amondotech was running a sale for $35.00. It is easy to use and has a quick/simple interface and display. That being said, now that the difference is only about $10.00, I would go for the MH-C9000. They both fit your "testing" needs. However the MH will charge 4 cells faster.

Elliot

 

[Turak]

You can't go wrong with either the;

LaCrosse BC900 or the Maha MH-C9000.

I have both units (actually 2 BC900's and 1 MH-C9000).

They are both very good units and either one would server you well. I won't go into all the various slight differences as there are many threads. Either one of them will meet all the requirements you listed.

I personally think the BC900 has a slightly better/friendlier interface. I also like the way the data is displayed better (all 4 batteries at once), instead of the MH-C9000s constantly rotating display that only displays one battery at a time.

THe MH-C9000 has the battery forming function that is closer to the IEC standard than any other charger out there.

All the other functions/modes between the two are basically the same.

If you are more of a tech-head, you would probably prefer the MH-C9000, but if you want something that has a bit more user friendly display the BC900 is the choice.

They are a bit more expensive than the cheaper 'idiot light' chargers, but they will definitely serve you MUCH better in the long run.

Oh yeah.....note that the above 2 only do AA and AAA batteries. If you want something that also does C, D, and 9v batteries then you might want to look at the;

AccuPower Accumanager 20

It is a good all around charger, but lacks some of the more sophisticated analysis features found on the above 2 models.

 

[TorchBoy]

I won't go into all the various slight differences as there are many threads. Either one of them will meet all the requirements you listed.

I wouldn't call the differences slight - see Tom's comparison http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showpost.php?p=1891028&postcount=9 and compare for yourself. 3 year vs 1 year warranty, for example.

Also (as people have pointed out) the BC-900 doesn't actually meet the fast charging requirement.

 

[Turak]

Torchboy....

Why nitpick between the BC900 and the MH-C9000, thereby taking the thread off-topic. THey are both fine units.

Avatar28 asked a simple question. Recommend some chargers that would meet his criteria.

If you want to debate the differences.....start a new thread and I'll be happy to chime in. Keep in mind I like them both though, so you can't sway me one way or the other.

As for the differences....I have BOTH units and am EXTREMELY familiar with how BOTH operate. I like them both for various reasons.

In my opinion...the differences are not so big as to give either unit a major edge over the other one. Obviously you favor the MH-C9000 and that is fine.....again I like them both for different reasons.

As for Silverfox's review....I have read it. He seems to favor the MH-C9000 and there is nothing wrong with that.

 

[TorchBoy]

Who's nitpicking? When did I say they're not both fine? There are significant differences between them, and neither does everything.

 

[Avatar28]

Thanks, guys. Sounds like for the $10 difference. C9000 is the way to go over the BC900. Now I just gotta wait and see how much getting my tranny rebuilt ends up costing me and if I get this job I'm going for.