Customer Reviews

Leapster Recharging System (For ORIGINAL Triangular Version Only)

5 star:		(48)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(11)

 

 

My son has two Leapsters (we "lost" one on a trip, bought a new one, then had the missing one returned to us unexpectedly). He loves them, but they sure do eat up batteries. I'd been waiting for the recharger for quite a while.

I was a little apprehensive after reading the reviews, especially the fit issues. Sure enough, on the first Leapster I tried, I could not get the back plate to reattach - but when attempting the other Leapster, I determined it was the fault of the first Leapster (the "nut" for the screw is slightly recessed on the right side), not the recharger plate. As I only wanted one to be chargeable (batteries are better for the "travel" Leapster), that was fine.

I do wonder a bit about the reviews talking about how they couldn't get the backplate back on - using duct tape and the like. Are they using the *replacement* silvery backplate, or the original blue backplate? The original will not fit (I tried just to see and it is way too thick), but the replacement slid on with no effort at all. Make sure to use the silvery backplate that is packaged with the recharger (if you only read the "quick instruction" leaflet, the wording is confusing - the thick "manual" is clear about using the replacement backplate).

The Leapster Recharging System is a wonderful accessory, but it needs to be improved (and hopefully retrofitted for us current owners!). The contacts on the back of the Leapster don't maintain their connection with the recharging base. The charging light goes off several times before the Leapster is fully charged. The unit needs to be wiggled so it connects again, the light goes on, and it continues charging. We considered vibrations as the culprit, and tried setting it up in uninhabited rooms to no avail. We like the idea of not changing batteries, but we don't like babysitting this thing!!
LeapFrog.......HELP PLEASE!

I've been doing a lot of research on the leapster and the new leapster l-max. This recharger kit is ONLY for the first, original leapster. It's important to note that there are TWO different PINK leapsters. One is triangle(ish) and the other is square(ish)....both are the original versions (NOT the L-max)... but only the triangle(ish) one will work with this charger. If you have the square(ish) pink leapster, you'll have to buy the L-max charger for it. Not even the Leap Frog website is clear on the differences between the all the leapsters/L-max's and their accessories. So just be really sure you're buying the right accessories for the product you have. It's disappointing that Leap Frog can't make their products more streamlined because they are great learning tools. Their product development could use some tweeking.

I bought this to keep from having to change the batteries in my 6 year old's leapster almost weekly. The design is clever, and everything fit together well. The problem is that the contacts are intermittant for the charging base. My daughter puts the leapster in the charger, and all of the contacts are not quite right, and so the charging light doesn't come on consistantly. I tried and experienced the same issue. Even when it is on, bumping the unit or walking through the room causes the contact to break, stopping the recharge. We will continue using this, but it can be annoying.

I do not have this item, but after reading the reviews I thought I'd share my experience. We got fed up with the battery replacement needs of the Leapster rather quickly. I opted for basic rechargeable batteries and a charger which cost less than $15. We have used rechargeable batteries in both of our Leapsters for well over one and one-half years without any problems whatsoever. Personally, the portability of the Leapsters outways any benefit of having an AC adapter tethered to the wall socket. Eventually we did buy two sets of rechargeable batteries which cost about the same as what we would have spent on getting two of these recharging kits. Now we always have a set of batteries for each Leapster should they both "die" at the same time. So, same net cost, but constant charged batteries and always full portability, with absolutely no headaches or difficulty for us or the kids!!!! In case any one is wondering,I find the rechargeable batteries tend to have a slightly longer life use than replaceable batteries and our batteries are Eveready brand, 2100MiAh.

I bought this for my daughter's leapster after spending so much money on batteries and it's definitely worth the money. I didn't have any problems putting the recharging battery pack into the leapster and it closed easily. Now, when she's sleeping, I just put the leapster on the charger and let it charge overnight. Then she can play it as much as she wants and the battery doesn't wear out. It's great and it's must have if your child uses the leapster a lot.

To clarify some of the comments about the different Leapsters.

Use this product ONLY if your Leapster is the triangular version. They are still releasing these as "new" as of Dec/2005. Do NOT buy this product if your Leapster is rectangular shaped like the new L-Max. Use the L-Max charger if yours is rectangular. The triangular Leapsters can be silver & blue, pink & silver and green & silver. I've only seen green & silver rectangular ones.

Triangular Leapster = Triangular recharger (this product)
Rectangular Leapster = use L-Max recharger

Any further questions, call LeapFrog: (800)701-LEAP (5327) or online at www.leapfrog.com/support

We bought this recharger believing that it would be the answer to the toy's insatiable appetite for batteries. It very well may be. If only we could get it to work, we could find out. The rechargable battery goes into the compartment, and then supposably the back cover fits over it. Except that it doesn't (according to instructions, the fit will be very "tight"). After trying it repeatedly we are left with only one option...keeping the back off and duct-taping the battery into place. We have yet to deal with the poor connection problem we're hearing about. All in all a disappointment.

My son loves his leapster, but it eats batteries like crazy. The recharging kit is great. The instructions state it takes 3 hours for the battery to charge and the charge will last 10 hours. However, I've had the charger for several months now and the charge still stays on the battery much longer than 10 hours - most times it's almost double that. To extend the life of the battery and the charge: Always let your battery run all the way down before you recharge it.

This works great. I read the reviews about the battery pack not fitting, I then noticed that the original backing does not fit at all, but the supplied backing fits just great. 10 hours without having to use rechargeable batteries. The best toy in my kids collection.

USE THE INCLUDED BACKING.