Customer Reviews

Kodak Photolife K1000 AA Battery Charging Kit

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I called Kodak to inquire about voltage requirements for both the "Kodak Battery Charging Kit" and the "Kodak Photolife K1000 AA Battery Charging Kit." I was told that both work only with 110 volts. While this is fine for use in the U.S. and other 110 volt countries, it won't help you in 220 volt countries unless you carry along a converter.

The Olympus charger, on the other hand, works in 100-240 volt environments. I called Olympus to confirm this, and the unit I purchased states the voltage requirements on the unit itself. Olympus support also told me that they make only one charger, so any potential buyer need not worry about specific Olympus models.

Both Kodak chargers and the Olympus charger are highly rated, but if you plan to use your charger internationally, consider the Olympus product over the Kodak.

If you must buy a digital camera, then a battery charger is an essential, or else your expense on batteries will soon wipe out all the savings that you thought were possible by eliminating films! I have two digital cameras, and have tried both Olympus and Kodak chargers - Kodak charges slightly faster - it takes just under three hours. However sometimes you may be better off by buying a generic charger available at most electronics stores, but then you don't get the Kodak name. Price is the only reason I have given less-than-5 star ratings, otherwise it's a great accessory to have.

We love NiMH batteries. By now you probably know that this is the only technology that is feasible for your digital camera, but since they worked so well in our camera, we loaded up on extra batteries. We use them in everything: the radio controlled car, the portable CD player, the kid's toy flashlight. They have saved us a fortune and they perform exceptionally well.

The charger, on the other hand, is not engineered to last as long as the batteries. The cover is cheap plastic, and broke off at the hinges several months before we bought it. That's annoying.

In a feature-for-feature and appearance comparison, the Kodak K1000 charger/Ni-MH battery set appears to be the same product as the DigiPower DPS-2000, except that the Kodak is black plastic and the DigiPower Solutions is gray. (There's a good chance the Kodak is made by DigiPower and is 'brand-labeled' for Kodak).

The main difference is the price: the Kodak is selling for ... more than the DigiPower.

Either one of them is a very nice product: extremely compact with a folding plug (no cords to mess with); fast charging @ 160 minutes to recharge four 1450 mAH Ni-MH batteries (7 hours for initial charge of new batteries) and probably around 3 hours to recharge 1600 mAH batteries). Take care with the folding plastic cover so it won't get broken off, however.

For more info. on the DigiPower you can simply type "Find DigiPower Solutions" in your browser's Address field (for MSIE users this uses MSN Search).

Caveat: Before purchasing either unit, be sure you know what capacity AA-sized Ni-MH batteries are included. The Kodak appears to come with four 1450 mAh (millamp-hour) batteries, the same as provided in the blister pack with the DigiPower unit I received free with the digital camera I purchased at a Ritz Camera store where I live. My DigiPower also came with four gray plastic AAA battery size adapters that fit into the sockets in the charger for charging this smaller size battery.

Further Info: Four 1600 mAh Ni-MH batteries can be purchased for a street price of ... in either the Energizer "Accu/Rechargable" (NH15BP-4) or the Rayovac equivalent... Most users should opt for a minimum capacity of 1450 mAH.

Finally: Pretty sure the DigiPower must charge AA or AAA batteries in "pairs" of either two or four at a time (i.e. cannot charge just one or three batteries).

Note that this includes a 4-pack of AA batteries, which accounts for half the price (if bought separately).

The included batteries are rated at 1450mAh. This number indicates how much electricity the batteries store; the larger the number the better.

I need a fast, compact charger that could easily fit into my digital camera bag. Other chargers are compact, BUT the electric cord takes up a lot of room. This charger DOES NOT have an electric cord to contend with, Instead, it has a collapsable plug, which folds completely hidden into the unit when not in use, allowing it to be placed neatly into the camera bag pocket.

With the storage issue taken care of, the performance of this unit is above expectations. The recharging process is less than 3 hours. Unlike other models, you can recharge either one, two three or all four batteries at once and still get a full chargeon all batteries. The two battery option is nice for my kids walkie-talkie batteries. The shut down mode when complete is a nice option that is really needed, especially for the time when you forget about the charger until the next morning.

I've tried several other chargers and this is the BEST model that I have worked with. Compact, easy storage, fast charging, auto shutdown, charge less than 4 at a time. ALL the options I need for a battery charger.

I use this to charge my NiMH batteries for my digital camera and GPS. I have several chargers besides this and purchased this one because of its compact size (not much bigger than the four batteries it holds). It turns out that this charger does a better job of putting a consistent full charge on the batteries than my very expensive computerized German charger, I guess because this charger is optimized for AA NiMH batteries. It takes about 3 - 4 hours for a full charge and there are LEDs to indicate the charge is complete. Don't think that faster is necessarily better. If you charge NiMH batteries too fast, they get too hot, which reduces their life span. I would recommend this for someone who uses a lot of AA size batteries. Yes, the lid is a little fragile. You have to be careful not to break the tangs, but it is still a good charger. And, as someone else pointed out, it is only 120v. Mine came with 1450 mah batteries - I think it now includes Kodak's new 1600 mah batteries.

I bought these after getting frusterated with the Radio Shack chargers, and I've been completely satisfied.

The system charges very quickly, and I get a uniform charge across all of the cells (unlike the Radio Shack charger).

The product is very small, only slightly larger than 4 AA cells. This allows you to throw it in your camera bag. The plug pops out from the back, no wires! :)

I bought my charger a couple of years ago after getting a digital camera. This compact unit slips into a corner of my camera bag (it doubles as a battery holder) so I always have a fresh set of batteries available. The electrical plug unfolds from the rear of the charger so there isn't any cord to carry. One suggestion if you're buying this is to get an additional set of NiMH batteries so you always have one set in your camera (or whatever) while you're charging the other set. Someone mentioned that this unit only operates on 120V AC. That's right - you will need a converter if you want to plug it into 240V European sockets. Here's another potential solution - many European hotels have a 120V shaver socket in the bathroom. I used my charger in a European shaver outlet this summer and it worked fine. To me the compact size of the charger is more important than European voltage compatibility.

Sweet compact little charger is powerful, fast and very much worth the money. It shipped with the better quality 1600 battery!

Nicest features are its small size and plug. It neatly fits in one hand, is quite flat (only about a half inch deep), space saving and great for popping into a digital camera bag. NO more bulky cord or power supply to lose or worry about! The plug folds out of the back for plugging directly into a socket then folds back flush when done. Very nice also that it fits into the electrical socket any way you choose to put it as there is no larger prong to worry about!

NOT heavy duty construction. You have a trade-off here. If you want all of the features mentioned, you probably have to handle this charger a bit gently. Plastic construction (like the little door that opens to the battery compartment) looks like it will break off if handled roughly. To me it is well worth the effort for all the advantages. If you are hard on things, this is probably not the charger for you. Another nice feature is that you can charge one battery at a time... or up to four.

I have not had it long enough to comment on the life of the Kodak batteries (hence a 4 star rating instead of 5). Very good price at Amazon (as of this writing) and I highly recommend the product.