Sony BCG-34HRMF4 Battery Charger with LCD Display and 4 AA Ni-MH Rechargeable Batteries

by Sony

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 5.3 x 2 inches ; 14.4 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B0002IOIMQ
• Item model number: BCG-34HRMF4
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (339 customer reviews)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: October 2, 2001

Product Description

Sony's worldwide reputation for creating unique, attractive, high-quality, advanced technology products rests on a long line of innovations embraced by people from all walks of life. With a diverse product lineup serving a variety of lifestyles and industries, Sony continuously strives to introduce new products and technologies to meet changing market needs.PRODUCT FEATURES:Super Quick Refresh Function Charger with LCD Battery Indicator;2700 mAh-High Capacity Battery Charging;LCD Display for Battery Power Indicator;Refresh Function;Automatic Charge Cut-Off Function.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

162 of 164 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nice! Nice!, January 6, 2006

By 

Reviewer - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Sony BCG-34HRMF4 Battery Charger with LCD Display and 4 AA Ni-MH Rechargeable Batteries (Electronics)

I had purchased Energizer rechargeable batteries with a cute "automatic" charger included. The "automatic" part referred to an 8-hour timer built into it. You pop in the batteries, plug it in and whether the batteries wanted it or not they got a full 8-hour charge. The batteries gave outstanding performance compared to the pricey alkalines. But within six months the rechargeables lost probably half of their nominal 2400 mAh capacity.

My NiMH Energizers were advertised to be good for 1000 charging cycles, but that amount was turning more like 100 if not less. I figured that the 8-hour charge can't be too healthy for them so I decided to look for a better charger with automatic detection and adjustment of the charging times for each individual battery.

I considered several good automatic chargers that treat each battery individually. The Sony BCG-34HRMD4 seemed optimal because of the following: (1) very reasonable price with the four great batteries included, (2) universal 110-240 voltage, (3) no-frills individual indication of the charging process, (4) rejuvenate function - very handy even for NiMH batteries, (5) ease of use - it was going to be used by several people with differing degrees of tech expertise.

I didn't want a super-duper split-second blink-your-eye quick charger because I am not in a real hurry to get the batteries charged plus high charging currents heat up the batteries to a boil and shorten their life span. "Normal" was fine for my needs, so I was actually pleased to read in the reviews that the "Super Quick" is false advertisement. Shame on you Sony!

Overall: this is a very good charger, highly recommended. It carries a reputable brand name, so it is likely to last a long time without surprises. And, last but not least, it is cheap - thank to the working men, women and children of China.

===== Edit =====

I noticed that the price has changed. The price is rather crucial for my positive review. I bought this charger and rated it full 5 stars when it was $24.99 apiece with a free shipping.

===== Edit on May 26, 2009 =====

Charger still running strong after 3+ years. It is used extensively by many people, and I replaced all batteries for Eneloops which are performing really great. Nothing broke in the charger except that someone took off the top lid and lost it - no big deal because the batteries get better cooling without it. I also have BC-900 charger but prefer the Sony with single button for "refresh".

Again: a great product. Highly recommended.

150 of 158 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent., October 12, 2004

By 

Phaedrus (Seattle, WA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sony BCG-34HRMF4 Battery Charger with LCD Display and 4 AA Ni-MH Rechargeable Batteries (Electronics)

I've found this to be an excellent charger, as long as you only need to charge AA and AAA batteries. The charge cycle is quite fast, the design is good-looking and functional, and the refresh feature has restored quite a bit of lost capacity to some of my older batteries.

By the way, to answer an issue raised in a previous review, you know that a battery is fully charged when the LCD display stops flashing for that battery.

92 of 95 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very nice, but not "super quick.", May 9, 2006

By 

D. Bennethum (Reading, PA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Sony BCG-34HRMF4 Battery Charger with LCD Display and 4 AA Ni-MH Rechargeable Batteries (Electronics)

Charges fully? Sleek and stylish? Rejuvenates aging NIMHs?
Handy display that shows power remaining and charge status?
YES YES YES and YES!

Super Quick?
HELL NO! (Hey Sony, 15-30mins=SuperQuick, 4 hours=NOT)

"Refreshing" 4 batteries can take 4-6 hours, THEN the charging
starts!! "Charging" then takes another 3-4 hours all on it's own.
(you don't HAVE TO refresh, it is a seperate button on the top)

BUT.......
If you need quality, features, ease, confidence, and bang for
buck (but NOT speed) THIS is the best quality $30 range charger
around hands down. What's also nice is it reads and
reports/charges each battery independently too.

PS: If unit is allowed to get too hot, the LCD distorts. It returns to normal after cooling down. FYI.