Customer Reviews

Maha Powerex MH-C801D Eight Cell 1-Hr PRO AA/AAA Charger

5 star:		(45)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

Without a doubt, the best thing to happen to my batteries. As a pro photographer, I go through dozens of batteries a month. This charger not only charges my batteries to near original efficiency, it also re-conditions old batteries that were left for dead. Of over 40 old batteries that I had lying around because they could not or would not recharge with the included charger systems, the Maha was able to bring them back to not only useful charge, but in at least one case, better condition than when purchased. With powerex or Eneloops, this thing is indispensible. Other very useful features... the cahrge system allows you to charge a single battery, mixed brands and mixed sizes simultaneously. If you have battery needs for remote controls, camera(s), flashes, etc.... you know how challenging it can be to always have fresh powered batteries WHEN you need them. This is the ticket... top rate ad well built.

The Maha MH-C801D charger is a nice change after I've ruined so many batteries with those 15 minute chargers. I'm using a combination of ENELOOP AA and Energizer 2500mah AA batteries and I am pleased with the results. The battery conditioning made some of my old batteries usable again, and the eight independent charging circuits mean that all the batteries are fully charged.

Best charger out there. Has a soft charge mode (takes about 4-6 hrs) or a normal charge mode (2-4 hrs). Charges both the old NiCd batteries as well as the NiMH. User interface is simple enough. It detects the batteries, does a quick check of how much juice is left in each one of them, and then begins to charge all at the same time. Each independent cell has its own meter and stops charging when done - It doesnt work off a timer like most chargers (it actuallys stops charging when the battery is full).

Update one year later: I dont use the unit all that often, but now the 2 right charging slots no longer show a charging status on the display. I guess the display has gone bad.

WHY WE BOUGHT IT: My wife and I were hesitant to pay what we thought was big $$ for just another 'battery charger.' However we were really getting tired of short battery life (even with AccuEvolution LSD NiMH AA cells) using our existing Wal-Mart charger that sold for only $19 w/4 standard NiMH AA cells! For $19 we got a junk charger that rendered our AccuEvolution AA's nearly useless. SO..we bit the bullet and ordered this unit.

HOW IT WORKS FOR US: We could not be happier after using it the past 4 days. It has made all the difference in the life of our 8 LSD NiMH cells and has thoroughly reconditioned our 8 standard NiMH cells (6 Energizer brand and 2 Kodak brand) back into 100% servicable condition. It is not unusual for us to take 500 snaps a day. Between day-trips, weekend jaunts and being owned by 10 kitty kats there is always something worthy of a snapshot. Now we can leave the house with 16 FULLY CHARGED cells and with our cigarette lighter DC to AC convertor even charge cells as we roll down the road. If you are a heavy battery user -OR- don't want to shorten and/or ruin the life of your costly LSD NiMH cells this Maha charger is a great value and will very much enhance your battery experience. This charger has made a HUGE positive (++++) impact on our photography hobby. Comes with nice carrying pouch that has an extra pocket for AA/AAA cells and 3 8-pack AA plastic cell storage cases.

WHAT WE DON'T LIKE:
Only 1 thing really - the built-in LCD display is small and not illuminated at all. We use a flashlight to be able to read the display. I suppose if under a desk lamp it would be OK as well. Our charging station area is not normally brightly lit. To be fair the display text is large enough (but certainly not jumbo) but it is the lack of illumination that kept us from giving this unit a full 5 stars. IMHO there is no reason a unit that draws AC power should not have a bright contrast / easy reading display. We would pay extra for this feature alone.

OUR CONCLUSION: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

-ps Just relocated the charger to under a desk lamp.. The display is A-OK and easy to read from 18" away.

Being a geek who is willing to spend a little more for something well thought out and well built, I bought this charger. After owning for over a year, I would buy it all over again if I was looking for another charger (which is unlikely to happen considering how well built this thing is). This is by far the best charger ever.

1. individual charge circuits: means it determines how much charging each slot needs, and so you can put batteries at different levels of drainage in, and some finish charging before others.
2. 8 slots for AA or AAA batteries! that's a lot of charging all at once!
3. lots of options: you can soft charge, fast charge, recycle (drain/charge).
4. LCD display: hey, geeks love displays telling you what's going on.

The only possible minus is that it comes with a big AC adapter, so don't plan on taking this with you on vacation.

Aside from that, no, by far the best charger on the market.

I am a professional photographer and I use this charger several times a week. I have a dozen sets (4) of nickel-metal hydride batteries that I need to get ready for wedding shots, etc. If I remember, I start charging on Friday evening, but sometimes I forget and have to start Saturday morning. This charges gets all dozen sets ready to go before I have to leave for the wedding.

It is also great for reconditioning batteries. Four sets of my nickel-metal hydrides are more than 4 years old and this unit keeps them going freat.

I already owned one of these which I purchased from a local camera store I wanted another, but they never seem to have them in stock. Finally I bought two more on here. These are great. We run a photography business specializing in weddings. We will go thru over 60 batteries a night, so I need to be able to charge lateg numbers of batteries, and when in a hurry I need to have a fast charger. These work great for this.

Jeff

The Maha Powerex MH-C801D 8-cell charger is fast, efficient and its "soft charge" capability helps extend the service life of your batteries. It accepts both AA and AAA rechargeable NiMH batteries and can have them fully charged in 1 hour. Each battery is charged and monitored on a separate circuit, independent of the other batteries, ensuring full charging and no overcharging of each. A couple of nits: the green LED pilot light on the AC power adapter is excessively bright (I turn the pack over at night when I'm trying to sleep). The LCD battery monitor display, on the other hand, is rather dim and low-contrast, making it difficult to read in low light. So I use the bright pilot light to illuminate the LCD screen -- viola! I received good, attentive delivery service from Accessory Genie (Amazon's source for the product).

My first Maha purchase was back in 2001. Got some maha batteries and the c-210 charger. After 9 years of almost continous use one bay started to give false charges. It had an awesome lifespan. I purchased a LaCrosse BC 900 charger a few years ago. It has a great display area with informative info such as Mah level, volt level ect and it is a very good charger but it would not charge consistently to a top off charge. it also was known to have reliability problems. Some of their other chargers have a great reputation but when I read about fires and explosions i just couldn't take that chance. I'm not saying don't buy one because you should consider them as an option provided their newer models are proven safe. I have to admit it was a good charger. Now onto the Maha C801D. This charger does not have all the feedback that the LaCrosse has on it's display. And all of the reviews that point out the small, hard to read display are correct. In fact it's almost pathetic but once you learn where the displays are and what they say you won't need to read them anymore. You'll look at the middle which is condition (push the button on the left), Look to the right and thats soft charge (push the button on the right). Rapid charge is the default and all you do is put the batteries in and does it ever rapid charge. Wow. 8 batteries charged in just about an hour. The soft charge takes a little over 2 hours for 8 batteries. Wow. I'm blow away by this charger. It's very easy to operate and get "FULL BATTERIES" not just charged batteries. I'm using the Powerex 2700 batteries in my 580 EX, 550 EX and 430 EX flashes. The refresh rate is incredible. No longer do I have to pause between shots and there is less of a chance of missing a shot. The charger and battery combo is hard to beat.
My only gripe is that it doesn't have the readout like the BC900. The good news is that my batteries are providing faster and more accurate flash's which is a photographers dream.

I use this to charge my flash batteries, and trust me, it CHARGES THEM!!!

It has a battery meter to see which battery is where in relation to charging, and it DOES fully charge them within an hour!!!!

I had a charger that took all night, but this thing is a MONSTER, and IF mine ever dies, I will buy another without blinking!!!

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!