Please reccomend a NIMH charger

[LightWalker]

Can someone reccomend a good NIMH charger? Is this Soshine: http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.4172
a good charger?


Cody,

==============================================
"I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." Jesus Christ

 

[Anders]

Hello Cody.

No that isn't a good charger.

MAHA C-9000 is a good one.



Anders

 

[Argon]

I have one of these, great charger for the money, there is a thread on here about it somewhere do a search and you should be able to find it.

 

[Gizzy]

+1 for the Maha C9000
gives you a lot of peace of mind in the long run instead of playing hopscotch with relatively cheap chargers and always wondering...whats really happening in there
But if its too much info for you most of their other chargers are also well regarded and more affordable

 

[LightWalker]

Thanks for the replys. I actually did look at the C9000 before submitting this post. The C9000 cost a bit more than I want to spend at this time but maybe I will look at some of the lower models from Powerex. I think I may get one of the Eneloop chargers. These seem to be pretty good chargers from what I've read.

Cody,

 

[GarageBoy]

Maha 808 (the 8 bay one)

I keep a 15 min charger around for emergencies

 

[Turak]

Most of the Maha brand chargers would work well. They have them priced all the way from the economical minded to the extravagant. Even their lower priced chargers work EXTREMELY well and are HIGHLY RECOMMENDED over almost any of the other brands out there. They charge just as well as the high end models, but just lack some of the more extravagant options and displays.

I have ALL of the chargers listed below and they all work VERY well.

If your really just interested in charging I would recommend the middle of the road MH401FS. This is my favorite 'simple' charger.

If your into analyzing your batteries in addition to charging them, etc. then either of the high end models (MH-C9000 or the BC900) are great.

Recommended models;

Lower priced
-----------------------
Maha MH-204F - $23
Maha MH-C204W - $28

Middle of the Road
-----------------------
Maha MH401FS - $40


Ferrari's of the Charger World
----------------------------
Maha MH-C9000 - $58

LaCrosse BC-900 - $55


Go take a look at them here;

http://www.thomas-distributing.com/index.htm

Hope this helps.

p.s. Generally speaking STAY AWAY from any chargers that are so-called 'fast' chargers. While they may charge the batteries, they also tend to do shorten the number of cycles you will get out of your batteries in the long run.

 

[NiOOH]

If your really just interested in charging I would recommend the middle of the road MH401FS. This is my favorite 'simple' charger.

If your into analyzing your batteries in addition to charging them, etc. then either of the high end models (MH-C9000 or the BC900) are great.

Unless, Maha has updated their charging algorythms for fast charging, I found that the 401 FS heats the cells too much on fast setting. On slow, it is good, but takes too long.
Overall, for 18 USD more you get much more of a charger/analyzer with the c9000.

 

[GarageBoy]

If you need a high cap charger for doing 8 at once, the Maha 800 is a great charger

 

[LightWalker]

Most of the Maha brand chargers would work well. They have them priced all the way from the economical minded to the extravagant. Even their lower priced chargers work EXTREMELY well and are HIGHLY RECOMMENDED over almost any of the other brands out there. They charge just as well as the high end models, but just lack some of the more extravagant options and displays.

I have ALL of the chargers listed below and they all work VERY well.

If your really just interested in charging I would recommend the middle of the road MH401FS. This is my favorite 'simple' charger.

If your into analyzing your batteries in addition to charging them, etc. then either of the high end models (MH-C9000 or the BC900) are great.

Recommended models;

Lower priced
-----------------------
Maha MH-204F - $23
Maha MH-C204W - $28

Middle of the Road
-----------------------
Maha MH401FS - $40


Ferrari's of the Charger World
----------------------------
Maha MH-C9000 - $58

LaCrosse BC-900 - $55


Go take a look at them here;

http://www.thomas-distributing.com/index.htm

Hope this helps.

p.s. Generally speaking STAY AWAY from any chargers that are so-called 'fast' chargers. While they may charge the batteries, they also tend to do shorten the number of cycles you will get out of your batteries in the long run.

Thanks for all the info. I am just looking for a simple smart charger to charge over night for now. Looks like the MF-204F might fit the bill.

 

[TPA]

Don't forget about the Maha 800 series. The 800S ($52) will charge up to 8 AA/AAAs at simultaneously (handles cells individually, so mixed sizes can be used, mixed capacities, and they can be added/removed at any time). Very simple charger with battery conditioning, fast & slow charge rates, and informative display. It won't tell you all of the details like the Maha C9000 / Lacrosse BC900, but it also is simple (just toss the batteries in) and doesn't require programming charge & discharge rates & battery capacities like the C9000/BC900 do.

It depends how many batteries you use. For me, only being able to charge 4 batteries at a time (unless it's a 15 minute charger) is quite limiting. My Brother P-Touch takes 8 AAs, my digital camera takes 4 AAs, digital recorders take 2 AAAs, MP3 players take 1 AAA each, and that's before I even get to the flashlights & 2-way radios.

You certainly won't go wrong with the 204 or 404 Maha chargers 'though. They've been around for many years and are still used daily by many photographers & other users.

 

[Lightingguy321]

I would try getting a LaCrosse BC-900 from Amondotech.
Their price for the entire kit is $39.50. Which is probably the cheapest available.

 

[auroreboreale]

All: I have been "lurking" here, and have read all of your comments with great interest, as they were very helpful. Using your advice I was able to determine that a relatively simple, inexpensive Maha C204F would meet my needs.

I ended up ordering a pair of the Maha PowerEX C204F, which were ons sale bundled with 4x2700 PowerEx AA, 110V + car adapters, 1 BH-4 battery case from www.paulsfinest.com which was the cheapest and fastest way to get the Maha C204 up here to Canada's North West. Canadian postage and skipping the border GST collection fee ($5) also made a difference versus very good offers from US sources.

I got 2 as my cameraman also wanted one. We need the 12Volt adapters as we often have to work from all-terrain vehicles or even aircraft on shoots!

Thanks again for your help!
enlightenment!

 

[Elliot]

Lightingguy321; Thanks for the heads-up :twothumbs: Amondotech is loading my BC-900 on the truck.

Elliot

 

[jdong]

What is the disadvantage of a "bad charger"? Does it not charge completely, overcharge/damage the cell, or take too long?

 

[SilverFox]

Hello Jdong,

Yes, yes, and yes!

Tom

 

[richdsu]

You can consider getting this charger:

Varta Multi Comfort Charger (57041 096 401)

DescriptionCharger for Ni-MH and Ni -Cd of the storage batteries of the type AA, AAA, C, D and the 9- voltage elements of the nourishmentQuantity of the simultaneously charged batteries4 for the storage batteries of size AA or AAA, 4 for the storage batteries of the size s, 4 for the storage batteries of size D, 2 for storage batteries 9V.IndicatorsDischarging, Charging, Ready for useButtonsButton of discharging the storage batteriesTime of the charging4,8 hour for 1600 mAH the storage batteries of size AA,
3,5 hour for 700 mAH of the storage batteries of size AA, 5,5 it is hour for 2600 mAH
the storage batteries of the size s, to 10.5 hour for 5000 mAH the storage batteries of size D or to 11 it is hour for 150 mAH storage batteries 9VMaximum current strengthAAA: 300 mA
AA: 500 mA
9V-Block: 20 mA
C and D: 700 mA

 

[robk]

Just an observation - your charger is more important than the cells you may buy. Incorrectly charging a NiMH cell ("fast chargers", "timed overnight chargers") will either undercharge/overcharge the cells or destroy them.

My favorite is a Maha C801D for AAs and AAAs. It's a little hard on the cells due to the high current (2A), but it's a pulse charger and heat buildup isn't really a problem. If you want to be a bit gentler on the cells, it has a soft mode that uses 1/2 the current. Also, it has an excellent reputation of detecting full charge in 8 independent bays, eliminating the danger of overcharging / overheating.

Rob

 

[NiOOH]

Just an observation - your charger is more important than the cells you may buy. Incorrectly charging a NiMH cell ("fast chargers", "timed overnight chargers") will either undercharge/overcharge the cells or destroy them.

Rob

To me, both the charger and the cells are important. Remember that even the best charger can have problems with "crap" cells.

IMO it is worth investing a bit more in good quality cells and charger. these things are money savers anyway

 

[paulr]

I wouldn't buy any charger these days that didn't have independent channels. That means among other things that I wouldn't buy the C204F, not sure about the 401CS. I have quite a few 1-cell flashlights and audio devices (1aaa mp3 player and noise cancellation headphone) and even multi-cell devices tend to discharge the cells unevenly sometimes.