hello there, I am getting some ENELOOP AAA XX BLACK 900mAh rechargeable batteries soon, and I am looking for a good charger for them, might even need to use to charge AA one day - maybe.
i did see some stuff on ebay but some chargers say min 2450mAh???
all I need this charger would be really, AAA and possibly AA, and would be the Pro ones most times.
new or used,
im in the UK.
kind thanks.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/BC-700-Alpha-intelligent-Battery-Charger/dp/B000WILI42 best for the money
Amazon.co.uk good, and will also do li-ion batteries
a note with the nitecore - if you use this one make sure you charge 4 AAAs at once as the current will be 375ma, if you charge 2 batteries at once current will be 750ma which is not reccomended for AAA nimh with a capacity of 900mah (it will work, but it will shorten the lifespan)
Remember, you can charge NiMh AAA’s safely in the intellicharger i4 v2 two at a time with 350mAh each channel so long as you use bays 1&3 or 2&4.
This might be a good choice as you’re sure to move on to Li-Ion eventually 
thanks. i already have a xtar vp1 for the li ions.
is this nitecore a favourite amongst BLF for eneloops?.
any reviews?.
thanks.
This is what i’ve used for years with my AA Black and white eneloops and it hasn’t failed me
http://www.batterylogic.co.uk/technoline/technoline-BL700.asp
I had an i2 and i4 and wouldn’t trust them with my Eneloops ever! The above charger Always!.
thanks, so would this quote apply to this charger you said?
” a note with the nitecore – if you use this one make sure you charge 4 AAAs at once as the current will be 375ma, if you charge 2 batteries at once current will be 750ma which is not reccomended for AAA nimh with a capacity of 900mah (it will work, but it will shorten the lifespan) ”
I have the 2 & 4. They both work excellent on all my batts. Heed the aforementioned warnings on proper charging channel selection. They will heat up quickly if you use wrong channels.
Good part about a charger like the Nitecore is if you already have or upgrade to higher output batteries like some 3.7 volters.
This is a great little charger:
http://www.fasttech.com/products/0/10002741/1311000-soshine-sc-f3-lifepo4-14500-10440-3-6v-ni-mh-aa
I consider it much safer than most as it’s powered from USB port/adapter rather then cheap/sloppy/dangerous AC-DC circuit often found in most of them…
Build quality is also very good.
Mahal C9000 is the best if you are willing to spend that kind of money.
Or the Sanyo chargers that are sold with the eneloop batteries are around $10-15 if you are looking for something cheaper.
From my own research this is the best charger to get, i have a Lacrosse BC700 which is also up there (i didn’t know about the C9000) at the time, but smart chargers are the way to go, but they cost more then dumb chargers
Other smart chargers i am aware of, the ikea charger (it may charge at too a high a current though), sony has a smart charger, and the nitecore ones use an inferior charging algorithm, so it may work ok but its not the top of the line for NiMH (some peopel have problems with it and some it works fine for).
In my research i’ve noticed that combination lithium/NiMH chargers don’t do as well as dedicated NiMH smart chargers.
My understanding is that Hobby chargers seem to be the preferred norm really, a bit more complicated to use and set up.
The simpler forms like the Eneloop chargers, and those already linked in this thread, pretty much in order of preference as I interpret the advice gleaned from various threads is, and in ‘MY’ order of preference,
- Maha C9000. eg
- Accupower IQ328. eg http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B004Z5XXZU/ref=pe_217191_31005151_dp_1
These are the only ones I havent read negatives about, that does not mean there shouldnt be threads or arent threads criticising them. Ive noticed a poor review of the LaCrosse recently (not necessarily the final word, but enough to stop me buying one) that was done by someone respected around these parts. I also read negatives about the Nitecore I4 somewhere. The Maha is the pick, unless you want to spend many hundreds on a better one. From there on, its my understanding of what Ive read from various threads, not all of them here. I have no clue really, so its what I think I understand from people who appear to genuinely understand.
That only applies to crappy chargers which have improper charging algorhitm.
Sanyo themselves recommend charging current of 1C (950 mA), source: http://www.eneloop.info/fileadmin/web_data/Data-Sheets/HR-4UWXB_data_sheet.pdf
i know sanyo recommends a max charge current of 1C but i am not comfortable with going over 0.3C, i would rather have more charges before failure then faster charging.
I would only use those 15 minute chargers if i were truly desperate
so those sanyo ones that you can get with eneloops are not that good?.
they seem to do a good fast job at charging , but maybe the downside is less battery life?.
right?.
thanks everyone.
Going below 0.3C is actually much more dangerous, as it can result in missed termination and massive overcharge, which evaporates electrolyte and causes capacity loss.
I recommend the MAHA C9000 as the best, but if that one you linked to is as good as it sounds. I thank you for posting it.
I have been looking for an affordable charger to give to female friends, that is safe and cheap, yet a good quality charger, and that doesn’t have any complicated operations.
That is a classic argument that has been thrown around many times.
I have never had that problem with eneloops, i have charged at 0.1C, 0.25C and 0.3C, plus it has a temperature sensor, if the battery gets too hot it will stop charging.
Interestingly on rayovacs i get hot batteries at 0.3C and very premature terminations on duracell 2650s, at 500mA it will terminate in 10-30 mins, 700mA in 5-10 mintues (any charge level from empty to full), and only on almost empty batteries can i charge at 200mA and get them to accept the full charge (they terminate fine at an expected value)
Umm, I charge my Eneloops at 1C to 3C, and I didn’t had any problems either, they didn’t got too hot either.
Something might be wrong with your charger… Or batteries… or both. I have never experienced premature terminations at moderate (0.3-0.7C) charge rates with healthy cells, using both LaCrosse BC-700 and Turnigy Accucell-6.
Glad it works for you, but you will get less cycles from your batteries, but if thats not a big deal then no worries
The rayovacs are cheap 1500mAH that were given to me and the duracells are the worst NiMH batteries i have ever used. On eneloops i have never had a problem on 200, 500 or 700mA. It just goes to show how superior eneloops are compared to the competition, and I have the BC700 if i never mentioned that.