Best Battery Charger - NiMh Charger Reviews

How valuable a battery charger is to you depends on how many of your needs it meets. Most often, the type and number of features a NiMH charger has are what determines its price. A solid charger with a high capacity and nice features can cost over $50; a 4-slot charger with enough features to adequately serve its purpose can go for around $18. We want to call your attention as well to the cheap NiMH chargers that promise everything—the only attention you may give these is to ignore them because they tend not to last as long and what’s the use of having to replace the charger if you working to stop replacing batteries?

Disposable batteries are beginning to fade away because it is now apparent that filling our landfills with them is detrimental to our world. Rechargeable batteries are fast taking their place and they need to be recharged. If you’re going with the trend, you’ll surely need battery chargers. In that case, the following are features you might want to consider when making a selection:

• Design
• Capacity
• Compatibility
• Size
• Charge Time

As you read on, you’ll learn how these features affect the performance and benefits of battery chargers.

We’re sure you’re aware that NiMH rechargeable batteries come in different sizes but not all NiMH chargers are made for all battery sizes. Most of them are designed to accommodate the AA and AAA sizes, but you will find some that have slots for the 9V size. You might have also noticed that the C and D sizes are not so popular anymore. While most newer devices don’t use those sizes anymore, you may have some older ones that do – so you will have to make sure that the charger you choose can handle them. Many of these come with C and D-sized spacers that allow you to fit in two or more AA or AAA batteries into those same slots as well.

Most NiMH chargers will work well for Nickel Cadmium (NiCad) batteries too, while a few will also charge Lithium-ion. However, it’s important that you confirm if the NiMH charger you want to buy is compatible with Lithium-ion, as some of them won’t charge that battery type.

If you have lots of batteries and decide to go for a charger with only four slots, you’re sure going to wait a long time to get all your batteries charged; you’ll be better off going for a charger with a higher capacity. Some NiMH chargers have up to 16 slots to accommodate AA or AAA batteries – but the most common are 4 and 8 slots. These chargers come in different weights and sizes, as well; obviously, the higher the capacity of the charger, the bigger it will be.

How fast rechargeable batteries fill up depends on the capacity of the battery and the amount of current flowing into the battery. A 2000mAh battery recharging at 200mA will take a significantly longer time to become full than one with a capacity of 800mAh. On the other hand, a charger that allows a flow of 700mA of current will charge the 2000mAh battery faster than one recharging at 200mA. It’s worthy of note that a charger with a high recharge current output is likely to shorten the lifespan of your battery if indulged too often.

How NiMH chargers are designed is what usually tells them apart. Some sport LCD screens that show you the status of the batteries being charged. Some of these screens will even inform you of the capacity charge so you can know how close it is to getting full. Further, some chargers let you discharge, refresh, and test the status of your battery; all you have to do is switch between these modes.

Most rechargeable battery chargers are fitted with charge detectors that shut off when your battery is full to minimize overcharging. Short-circuit, overheating, over-voltage, etc. are some of the protections certain NiMH chargers are designed to offer. You’ll also find that some chargers have individual slot charge, which lets you charge batteries with different charge statuses at a time—whether it’s just one battery you want to charge, or you want to utilize all the available slots at once.

The chargers with four slots are ideal for travel as they are portable. There’s even some that are fitted with a USB port for charging your smartphone and other devices – talk about getting great bang for your buck! That’s great innovation, as you’ll have two chargers in one. A lot of these 4-port chargers have plugs are retractable, making these chargers even more portable. The larger chargers with higher battery capacities usually have AC cords to connect them to power sources.

By the way, if you’ve been wondering what trickle charging is, here you go. It’s a form of charging that occurs after your battery is supposedly full. It further cramps some more power, by sending low current at a fixed rate, into your battery ensuring it is truly full. Some NiMH chargers are equipped with this feature and your battery will actually get a ‘trickle’ extra power to serve you.

There are chargers that will alert you if you have a defective battery installed, or that won’t even attempt to charge it at all. It’s not rare to find some chargers that are bundled with batteries, sometimes pre-charged, so you can start using them straight away. The number of batteries bundled with the charger will often vary from brand to brand. So, it’s up to you to look out for what suits you best.

Now you have it: sufficient information to help you decide on the features you consider most important in an NiMH battery charger. This will also help you choose the best NiMH charger for your needs.