Customer Reviews

Energizer Compact Charger With 4 AA NiMH Rechargeable Batteries

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

I bought this particular charger a few years ago when I bought my digital camera (back when rechargeable batteries were between 1200 and 1600 mAh - now they're 2100 mAh.) While this charger worked as specified and was reliable, I've outgrown it, but will retain mine. I upgraded this week to the Engergizer 30-Minute charger (item CH30MN) for $27.00 - less than what this overnight charger is listed for. This 30-min charger was necessary, since I don't use my camera a little at a time - I use it a LOT at a time - so a 30 minute charger was a necessity so I could have 6 sets of batteries charged up for a photo outting without having to remember to start the charging process a week in advance!

Bottom line: it works well, but, like computers, now you can get better for less.

I purchased this compact Energizer AA/AAA charger about 4 years ago to replace my unwieldy Energizer universal charger, which worked with AA, AAA, C, D, and 9V. (Turns out I only use AA and AAA batteries.) This charger is compact and has a sleek design, but the technology now lags far behind the competition. In fact, I am surprised to see that the exact same product I bought in 2005 is still available!

Charger pros:
-Compact
-Sleek design

Charger cons:
-Only charges in pairs
-Charges based on time, not battery charge (a.k.a. "dumb" charger)
-Does not work internationally (120V rather than 100-240V)
-Full charge takes 8.5 hours (must leave in wall overnight)
-Only one light to indicate full charge for all 4 batteries
-Light goes from green to off, not from red to green (confusing)

Battery pros:
-AA 2500mAh rating lasts a long time during a single use (e.g., a full day of photography)
-Included batteries have lasted 4 years without excessive memory loss

Battery cons:
-AA 2500mAh rating cannot be paired with AA 2450mAh, which is the rating for Energizer's standalone battery packs
-Batteries have high drain when not in use, unlike newer low self-discharge designs

If you are going to go with an inexpensive battery charger, consider a 100-240V Duracell, Kodak, or Sanyo charger with better charge time instead. You can purchase these chargers alone or in combination with low self-discharge rechargeable batteries, which are better than those included here. A value pack from Sanyo, for example, costs less than this Energizer pack and includes a "smart" (charge-based, not time-based) charger!

Ultimately, this item is obsolete. Buyer beware.

I got the batteries for my canon powershot and they lasted quite a long time but after recharging them a few times, the battery life got shorter and shorter until now, when even though they've been sitting in the charger until the light indicates it's done, when I put them into my camera it still says "Change the batteries".

Somehow, all the reviews listed for this charger actually talk about the Energizer AA Ni-MH batteries. Something must be messed-up in Amazon's review system (at the time of this writing).

So let's talk about the charger itself:
+: Decent price, really compact, can handle AA and AAA batteries.
+: Runs cool, doesn't cook the batteries, but still gives them a good charge in a manageable amount of time. By the way, it takes 3-4 hours to charge batteries, not 8.
-: Although it has four status lights, one for each battery, this is (intentionally, if you want my opinion) misleading : the charger only has two charging channels, so it charges the batteries in pairs, at a current of 700 mA.
-: Battery charge detection logic seems to be acting-up sometimes, I've seen it declare an almost fully charged set of batteries as defective, and on a couple of occasions I've had it terminate the charge early (I could tell as it declared a known dead set of batteries charged in under an hour, when I was expecting at least a three hour charging cycle), unplugging it and plugging it back in continued the charging process and terminated it three hours later.

I have a 15 minute charger for emergencies, so having a 4-hour charger for normal situations is a good thing. I usually keep an eye on it so I can see if it terminates the charge early (seems to be happening within the first hour) so I can restart it. Other than that, it's a good price for a semi-fast charger and 4 AAs.

These were the first rechargeable batteries I bought. They worked fine for a while, but recently I had a second battery fail so I am now down to two working batteries. I'm using a higher end La Crosse charger, so I can't even blame the failures on the cheap recharger provided w/ the set. I've since gone w/ the Sanyo Eneloops and am having much better luck w/ those.

When buying rechargeable batteries the idea is that you can reuse them over an extended period and these just don't seem to perform. I'd recommend you spend a bit more and get a better quality product.

Bought these for the new camera I got and straight out of the package they charged up within 4 hours. Package says it only takes 3.5 hours, we'll see the next charge. Having the meter is handy so you can tell if the battery is dead or just weak. It is suppose to also let you know when a battery has gone bad. Charging closing up is going to be a big help as my camera bag is small, so it will only take a little room plus it is light weight. Lighter than the one I use at home for "plain" AA's.

This charger is made for Ni-Mh batteries, size AA and AAA. Perhaps it's works slowly but is a good recharger. I recommend it

I like practical things, and this is one of those. This charger works great for me, and charges my batteries in less than one hour what comes to be an advantage at the time of use.

ENERGIZER CHD-CA: I am not sure if it is something that is wrong with the charger, or the batteries, or if it is just normal. But the batteries get super HOT. The light stays on, so I assume it is still charging, but this is probably not the smarter unit that knows how to turn itself off. Still, it serves as a simple backup when others have failed. It is still working after 3 years, unlike my Sanyo NC-MQH01U Super Quick Charger that died on us after 3 years. Oh, and I like how it closes up and makes it compact to pack.

Update: I found a secret flip-out that allows me to charge AAA batteries. So, I would like to change the star-rating to a 4.5. Not a 5, because it does overheat if left in the outlet for too long.

I bought this charger this summer in preparation for a trip to Europe. We recharged batteries several times while overseas (220V/50Hz), and it worked fine. No problems with the batteries so far after several recharges.