Not long ago Rayovac released a 15 minute battery charger, raising the bar for NiMH battery chargers. Up until that time rechargers took from 7-24 hours to fully charge AA and AAA NiMH batteries. The only catch was that you had to buy special Rayovac 15 minute batteries to put in the 15 minute charger.
Now Energizer has released a 15 minute charger that works with any brand of NiMH batteries. Previously they had released a 30 minute charger, but perhaps due to comparison with Rayovac they upped their game.
The Energizer charger just came out, and we are aware of only a couple retailers carrying it. The price of the charger is $35 and includes 4 AA batteries.
The Energizer battery charger is available from: Amazon
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{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
The orientation of the batteries is not clear since the positive is located inbetween two battery locations.
I would like confirmations symbols of the negatives, some on the electrodes or in sequence. I’ve charged twice and my batteries did not last a 3 shot day, and the life of those batteries at the most were two months.
Came to web site to see if I could get a pix or more specific info on how to orientate.
I tried the two neg on the end down and positive together on the inside, and the reverse.
Bought new batteries and don’t want to harm them with incorrect orientation. Pls provide a pix or specific info. tx
In response to the question on battery orientation for the Energizer 15 minute charger, all batteries should be inserted in the the same direction, with all positive ends pointing upward. The upper metal contacts on the charger are recessed a bit, so placing them in backwards shouldn’t damage the batteries, but also won’t charge them.
I’ve been using this charger for over a year, and it works great. The primary charge time is around 15 minutes, after which the batteries can optionally be left in longer to top them off at a lower power mode. It’s convenient being able to charge a set of standard NiMH batteries while getting ready to go somewhere.
I purchased one of these 15 min chargers and no where on the directions did I see where you could only charge the 15 min batteries, Whats even worse is that where I purchased the charger they do not sell the 15 min batteries.
Mary jo Spanger
My favorite batteries ever.
I bought this one in 05. I still using the batteries that came with it, in addition to many packs that I’ve bought since. It seems that for every day use (remotes, toys, minor electronics) they’ve lasted just as long as the regular Alkaline batteries they replaced.
For Spanger’s comment, this does not require a special 15-minute battery, just ANY Ni-MH battery will do, but I stick to the Energizer rechargables (green pack) to keep things even.
I have been using rechargable batteries for over 4 years now. Everyday usage to in the digital camera and they work perfectly. Kids toys..ie, game boys, psp, remotes controlled toys and the such work just fine as well. For those having problems with their rechargeable batteries and chargers, maybe reading the directions before placing batteries in backwards and not charging the batteries to the fullest would work better, and don’t use the batteries for an hour and then throw them into the charger, deplete the batteries so the battery will charge to the fullest. Batteries do develope memories.
In response to Allan, NIMH batteries do not develop memory, only Nickel Cadmium.
It’s a great charger, works very well. I like being able to charge them quickly and get back to using them!
Allan please don’t try to stick AA or AAA batteries into that PSP, if you want it to work
Dear Homer Simpson, I believe Allan was commenting about the advantages of RECHARGEABLE batteries in general, not specifically AA or AAA batteries
. He must be one of those people who have only recently discovered the advantages of rechargeable batteries over ordinary dry cells (alkaline or the even cheaper non-rechargeables you use for your TV remote control)
i have been using the 15 min charger with energizer nimh batteries and it has become a pain to charge the batteries…i have like 8 batteries which i need to charge…but almost half of them(different everytime) refuse to get charged. As soon as put it in the charger, the charger starts blinking red and charging for those batteries doesnt start. I have to like remove it and put it 10 times to finally make it work.Now i ahve atleast 2 batteries which the charger just woudnt charge. I haope the charger was little less smart and would just charge whatever i put in it.ANy idea?i guess there might be problems with internal resistance, but 5 out of 10 cells?
@sushant – I can’t confirm it conclusively, but I think the problem you’re having may be an inherent problem with the principle of 15 minute charging. There have been several studies on NiMh rechargeables as well as other types which show that higher levels of heat cause exponentially higher strain on the cell as it is being charged. At higher heat levels, this can cause gradual damage to the cell, resulting in reduced performance from all angles. By charging batteries in 15 minutes, you’re putting a lot of power in a short amount of time, and that creates heat.
I’ve never used this product, but I would assume the batteries get fairly warm while charging. This means that each time you charge them, their overall integrity is reduced slightly. Over time, it may damage the batteries. That being said, perhaps the technology has been evolved in this charger which reduces the heat of the cell, but I doubt that.
If you’re interested, check out my new website at http://www.batteryblaster.com.
Cheers!
Jamie