Jul 032013
Energizer Value Charger with AA Rechargeable NiMH Batteries
- Charges 2 or 4 AA or AAA NiMH rechargeable batteries
- Compact fold-out plug
- Enhanced charging status indicator
- Bad battery LED communication
- 4 AA batteries included
Energizer Value Charger with 4 AA batteries included, charges AA & AAA batteries, with easy fold-out plug. Easy to ready status indicators with over 100 available charges
List Price: $ 14.59
Price: $ 7.45
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Timer-based dumb charger with low-capacity batteries,
This Energizer Value Charger package contains the Energizer CHVCM ‘Value’ charger, and four Energizer 2000mAh rechargeable NiMH AA batteries. It is a very poor value, because:
- The Energizer CHVCM is a timer-based dumb charger. That means it simply charges at a fixed current (300mA for AA, 150mA for AAA) for a fixed time (about 11 hours), regardless of the actual capacity and status of your batteries. When you use it to recharge the included 2000mAh batteries, you have to remember to remove them after 7-8 hours (because 2000mAh/300mA = ~7 hours). If you forgot and left them in there until the timer expires, those batteries will be over-charged by 50%.
- The CHVCM can only charge in pairs. That is, either 2 or 4 AA/AAA cells at once. This is most inconvenient when you have appliances that require odd number of cells. If you charge one empty cell and one full cell as a pair, the later will be badly overcharged. Even if you only use rechargeable cells in pairs, their capacities cannot be exactly the same, so the cell with lower capacity is inevitably over-charged. In the long run, over-charging of batteries leads to reduced capacity and shorter lifespan.
- The included four Energizer AA rechargeable batteries have a relatively low capacity of 2000mAh. Energizer also makes higher capacity versions (2300mAh and 2500mAh). The problem is that all those versions look exactly the same except for the fine prints of their capacity numbers. So if you own more than one type, they can be easily mixed up, and then the lowest-capacity cell in a set will drag down the overall capacity.
My recommendation is to skip this Energizer ‘Value’ Charger package, and get the Sony Cycle Energy BCG34HLD4KN Power Charger with 4 Pre-Charged AA Batteries instead (see *Note* below). The Sony BCG34HLD charger is `smart’, meaning that it charges each cell individually, and stops when each cell is full. This allows you to ‘top-off’ your batteries whenever necessary, instead of having to wait for them to be completely exhausted before charging. In addition, the Sony CyberEnergy cells are Pre-Charged type similar to the original Sanyo eneloop. They offer the advantages of lower self-discharge rate, and longer cycle life compared to ordinary NiMH cells.
[Update on April 9, 2012]
Energizer seems to have changed the value charger, although the package is still called “CHVCMWB-4″. The new charger is White instead of Silver in color, and on the back it says “Shuts of after 8 hours”. That means the new charger is timed for charging 2000mAh batteries. The down-side is that now it cannot fully recharge higher capacity batteries.
[Update on Nov 10, 2012]
Energizer changed the value charger package again. The new charger is black and is still timer-based. The new rechargeable AA batteries included in this package have a lower capacity of just 1300mAh. That make this package an even poorer value than before.
[Update on Jan 2, 2013]
*Note*: Amazon price for the Sony BCG34HLD charger package I recommend above has skyrocketed. Fortunately you can get the same charger for less from another package:
Sony Cycle Energy BCG34HLD2RN 1000 mAh Power Charger with 2 AA Pre-Charged Batteries
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|A good value,
I picked one of these up from Lowe’s and I have easily made my initial investment back.
In continual use for over a year with the same batteries. They get used alot as they are for the wii remotes.
I’m here to pick up my second one.
This is a good buy IMO.
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|Needed in my house,
I originally got this for my daughter’s leapfrog leap pad. She was going through batteries every couple of days, so rather than go broke buying batteries, I got this along with the Energizer NH15BP-4 Rechargeable AA Battery 4 Pack, which gives us a set to put in her leap pad, and a set to keep on the charger charged. It charges well, and is always ready when I need to swap them out. It is definite woth the money, especially if you go through a lot of batteries.
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