Sony Cycle Energy BCG34HLD4KN Power Charger with 4 Pre-Charged 2000 mAh AA Batteries

by Sony

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 8 x 4 x 1.8 inches ; 8.8 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B00166BNI0
• Item model number: BCG34HLD4K
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #236 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: June 17, 2003

Product Description

Sony Power Charger's compact design with flip down plug and worldwide voltage allows for charging batteries anywhere. Can charge up to 4 AA or 4 AAA rechargeable Ni-MH batteries. Includes 4 AA Pre-charged, ready-to-use right out of the package batteries. Lasts 3x longer than Alkaline.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

110 of 112 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally! A value-priced charger that is actually a good value, December 16, 2010

By 

NLee the Engineer (Nashua, NH) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 10 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Sony Cycle Energy BCG34HLD4KN Power Charger with 4 Pre-Charged 2000 mAh AA Batteries (Electronics)

When it comes to battery chargers, the word 'Value' typically means 'cheaply-made junk'. I have previously examined many so-called value chargers from major battery manufacturers (including Duracell CEF14, Rayovac PS131, Energizer CHVCMWB, Sanyo MQN06, GP AR01, etc.), only to be disappointed by all of them. Those chargers all share a common problem: they can only charge in pairs. That means you are out of luck if you have appliances that require 1 or 3 cells. Charging in pairs may also lead to over-charging, which is bad for battery lifespan. So although those chargrs are cheaper to buy, they end up wasting you more money in the long run.

The charger in this package (Sony Cycle Energy BCG34HLD4KN Power Charger with 4 Pre-Charged 2000 mAh AA Batteries), on the other hand, is actually a decent product. It has 4 independent charging channels, which allow you to charge 1-4 AA or AAA cells. During charging, the voltage profile of each cell is monitored. Charging stops as soon as each cell is fully charged - although the indicator light only goes out when ALL cells are done.

The average charging current is 360mA for each AA cell (actually 1.44A pulsed at 25% duty cycle), 140mA for AAA cell. That means it takes about 6 hours to fully recharge the included Cycle Energy Pre-Charged AA cells. This may seem slow, but it is actually faster than other 'value' chargers - most of them require 8-12 hours of charge time.

Some other reasons I like this Sony value charger:
+ Compact, one-piece design with fold-down AC plugs - no need for power cords or wall adapters.
+ Low-profile (just 1.1" thick) so it fits in camera bags easily.
+ Accepts 100-240V universal voltage.
+ Bad cell detection (indicator light flashes if you insert an alkaline cell).

The included SONY Cycle Energy Pre-Charged AA cells are low-self-discharge NiMH type, similar to SANYO eneloop and Rayovac Hybrid. That means all the good things you heard about eneloop and Hybrid are true for SONY Pre-Charged cells, too. They are advertised to have a capacity of '2100mAh typical, 2000mAh minimum', and a lifespan of '1000 cycles'. The average capacity I measured, using my La Crosse BC-900, is about 2080mAh.

If you're looking for a simple charger with high-quality pre-charged cells, then this Sony package is currently the best value. If you like to step up to a better charger, then consider the Sony BCG34HRE4KN package. The BCG34HRE offers faster charge time, individual cell status indicators, and a 'Refresh' function.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Cheapest and smallest charger that can handle mismatched or odd number of batteries, March 7, 2011

By 

Brian Smith (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Sony Cycle Energy BCG34HLD4KN Power Charger with 4 Pre-Charged 2000 mAh AA Batteries (Electronics)

I wanted a small and cheap charger that had 4 independent charging circuits. Almost all of the inexpensive chargers on the market can only charge batteries in matched pairs. If you have an odd number of batteries or a pair that are discharged to a different amount, they will not charge property. But this charger can handle any number batteries in any condition. I verified this myself when the product arrived.

Another positive thing about this charger is that it is very small and light. I can't imagine one getting any smaller. It accepts any sort of wall outlet voltage and the outlet prongs fold down for compact storage. So it is a great travel companion.

The biggest drawback of the charger is that it has only one indicator light. So the charger cannot tell you if some (but not all) of the batteries are charged or if one of the batteries is bad. In practice, the biggest drawback of that is that if you load in a mixed batch of batteries, some mostly charged and some mostly discharged, they all need to stay in until the last battery is done. Some of the bigger and more expensive chargers have four lights or even four little graphs to tell you the state of each battery. That is very nice but probably would have added to the size and cost of the charger, so I can't complain too much.

As to the batteries, I have only had the product for a month so I cannot say much. The batteries all worked out of the box and appear to hold a charge well. Their voltage and charging characteristics are very similar to Sanyo Eneloops I own (my favorite battery). I have seen some people claim the Sony batteries are in fact re-packaged Eneloops. If they are, or at least behave the same over the long-term, that would make this package an amazingly good deal.

The combination of the 4 charging circuits and the low-self-discharge batteries, make this product an almost fail-safe way to get reliable power. These features have been available in other products but I've never seen them at a price anywhere close to this.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Camera/Flash batteries!, September 8, 2010

By 

Lynn May (DEN,CO) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Sony Cycle Energy BCG34HLD4KN Power Charger with 4 Pre-Charged 2000 mAh AA Batteries (Electronics)

Got these and love them. They work when I want them too and don't lose
a charge sitting on a shelf like regular re-charables.
Really great for a flash that you use intermittently, but need it to work
when you're in the field. Theses hold a charge very well in camera as well.