Battery chargers redux, etc., etc., ad infinitum...

O.K., apologies if this subject has had the Merry Aitch beaten out of it, but, dammit, I’m confused! :~

I now have three chargers for my Eneloop batteries; an old Titanium V1000 that I have had since the NiCad days, which seems to work just fine, a Sanyo charger of some type, which I use as a back-up and one other, which I can’t find.

I would like a charger that will give some better indication of battery condition, but I am not a techy guy. I am looking for a relatively user-friendly (simple) charger, and I have narrowed it down to Battery Junction’s 8 bay Titanium “smart” charger, the Lacrosse BC700, and the IQ 328. Which one comes with the best manual?

Everybody has their favorites, but if there are technologically-challenged people out there (we know who we are) that have recommendations, I’d like to hear them.

Also, are my present chargers “dumb” enough to start a recharge for a battery whose voltage has fallen below “smart” charger levels, or must I buy an el cheapo charger for the worst possible extreme? Any recommendations for one of those, or will any WalMart charger do?

Thanx :slight_smile:

I still have some of these left over from Ni-Cd days. The best is a Uniross Universal charger which can charge AAA/AA/C/D and PP3. It has 4 independent channels (no battery pairing) and charges at 150mA for all sizes and yes, it will charge any rechargeable that has gone low voltage. Still useful for charging older, lower capacity batteries and 0.1C charges.

As for your decision of which main charger to buy, then its either Maha, BC700, IQ328 or whatever people here recommend. Don’t rush to decide - now is the time to savour your choices! :wink:

I have the BC700 and it works great for my needs. I don't do any reconditioning, I just toss the batteries in and select the charge current. Sometimes the batteries won't register so they don't show as being charged, but leave them in there long enough and they will start charging. I don't think you can go wrong with it for the price.

I also have a Nitecore Intellicharger I4 which will automatically detect and charge NiMH, but I only use it for Li-Ions.

I purchased the Lacrosse BC 700, and am really satisfied. I found a post on CPF that explains how to use it better than the factory manual does. :bigsmile: in one page what the Lacrosse manual takes a while to do, without the fog factor. :slight_smile: Thanx for the suggestions.

AND…I found my other “dumb” charger!