Nov 082012
Black & Decker FSMVC 9.6-Volt to 18-Volt Slide Style Battery Charger
- Charges 9.6, 12.0, 14.4, and 18-volt NiCad battery packs
- Charges batteries in under 90 minutes
- Rough and tough plastic construction
- Weighs 14.7 ounces
- Includes a 2-year warranty
The convenience of using cordless tools can be compromised if you’re always standing around waiting for the batteries to recharge. To get you up and running quicker, with less down time, Black and Decker has developed the FSMVC 9.6-Volt to 18-Volt Fast Charger. This cleverly designed plug-in charger accepts a wide range of nicad batteries, including 9.6, 12, 14.4, and 18-volt packs. And it will recharge a battery in less than 90 minutes, as compared to the average three-hour recharge time of the
List Price: $ 49.60
Price: $ 17.99
Charge time depends on the (18v) battery,
B&D Fast Chargers are great. But to avoid disappointment as expressed by some of the reviewers, it’s important to note the following:
B&D 18v batteries come in (at least) 3 varieties: 1.2, 1.5, and 2.1 ampere/hours. The 1.2 comes with most tools and has 2 terminals. The 1.5 (comes with some kits) and 2.1 “Silver Extreme” (sold as a “high performance” accessory) have 3 terminals – the third terminal apparently detects over charging.
B&D chargers also come in (at least) 3 varieties:
1) “Dumb” chargers that supply a constant charge current/voltage, i.e., like the charger that comes with most B&D products that has the brick that plugs in the wall and a small piece that slips onto the battery; these have 2 terminals.
2) “Semi-intelligent” 2 stage chargers that supply a constant charge current/voltage for charging, but then drop to a “maintenance charge state”. These also have 2 terminals.
3) “Intelligent” fast chargers that charge at a faster rate, can sense overcharging and modify charge current accordingly, and then drop to a “maintenance charge state” once the battery is charged. These chargers have 3 terminals.
The (dumb) charger that comes with most B&D products that has the brick that plugs in the wall and a small piece that slips onto the battery does charge ALL the 18v batteries in about 6 hours – BUT – the manual warns not to leave the battery on the charger or battery life will be diminished (no “maintenance charge state”, just constant contiuous current).
Semi-intelligent chargers charge at twice the rate as the “dumb chargers”, thereby charging ALL 18v batteries in about 3 hours. These are chargers that come with the 3 piece garden set, dual chargers that come with some combo kits, etc. You can leave the batteries on these chargers “indefinitly” according to B&D.
The “intelligent” fast chargers (single & dual) will charge the 2 terminal 1.2 A/H battery in about 3 hours (same as the semi-intelligent chargers) BUT will charge the 1.5 & 2.1 ampere/hour batteries (with 3 terminals) in about 90 minutes. And, you can also leave the batteries on the fast chargers “indefinitly” according to B&D.
Hope this helps
Rod
Was this review helpful to you?
|Misleading product description,
I bought this charger based on the product description that says it will work with all B&D 18V slide style batteries. This is not true. It does not work with the 18V slide style batteries that come with certain B&D tool sets such as the Black & Decker #BDC318R-2 3PC 18V Drill Combo Kit. B&D customer support confirmed this false claim. I have no idea what other B&D tools have batteries that it wil not charge, however it does work with the batteries that come with Black & Decker 18-Volt Cordless Electric 12-Inch Grass Hog String Trimmer/Edger #NST2018.
Was this review helpful to you?
|Not Very Speedy on the large 18 Volt batteries.,
I have several B&D outdoor 18-volt products and the batteries wear out pretty fast. I wanted a charger that would charge one battery as I work with the others. The charge light blinks when it is charging and is steady when the battery if fully charged. The product description states “less than 90 minutes” for a complete charge.
I have charged about a dozen 18V batteries with this charger. The average time from when the battery is first inserted until the blinking charge light goes steady indicating a full charge IS ABOUT 3 HOURS 15 MINUTES.
Since this charger is made for 9.6 volt to 18 volt, I believe the “LESS THAN 90 MINUTES” is referring to the 9.6 volt batteries. The 18 volt batteries take more than twice that long.
The stock black charger than came with the products takes about 6 hours to charge an 18 volt battery, so this charge IS faster — about twice as fast. But the “less than 90 minutes” statement does not apply to the large 18 volt batteries — just so you’re aware.
Whether it’s worth $25 to charge a battery in 3 hours instead of 6, you’ll have to decide. For me, I was a little disappointed that the charging takes more than twice as long as what was advertised.
Was this review helpful to you?
|