Energizer 15-min battery charger

[SplshMtn99]

End of Sept 2005 I purchased the Energizer 15-min battery charger along with about 12 2500mAh AA batteries. Probably close to $50. (We already owned other rechargeable batteries & the regular SLOW Energizer charger.) My husband was deploying to New Orleans for Hurricane Katrina relief. We had no idea where he would be staying, or if he would have power, other than their generator; or how long he would be gone. It turned out to be just over a month. So, lots of strong batteries & a fast charger seemed like a GREAT idea. He could charge them up fast when given an oppurtunity to be somewhere that had power.

We use lots of batteries between cameras, 2 GPS, & a mouse. Over time, I was hearing talk on the web, on how the fast chargers will weaken the batteries.

Well, fast forward 1 year. I've just tossed out ALL 20 of our rechargeable batteries....along with the 15 min Energizer charger. ($$$$$$$$) The batteries have become totally useless. DH went on a trip last wk. I charged batteries for camera & a spare set the night before he left. By the next day, when he arrived at destination, the set in the camera & the spares were so weak, the camera wouldn't stay on after powering up. That camera is 3 yrs old. I know for a fact, we used to get AWESOME battery life with it.

Also, his GPS usually gets 30 hrs per set of batteries. Not even close now. We are geocachers. I need to KNOW that the batteries in the GPS are going to last until we find our way back to the car. Not die half way thru a hike. Then to find out the spares are dead too.

And I've gone thru 3 sets of batteries in my mouse in the last 2 days.

So, tonight, I just had to buy 12 more NEW batteries. And I've bought a 2nd SLOW Energizer charger...so we'll have 2...since they take so long. (So that's another $38 I spent tonight.)

So, unless you enjoy paying $18+ for 8 batteries that will be useless in 1 yr....be warned. All those warnings you've seen people on the web mentioning.....are true.

ENERGIZER 15-MIN CHARGER = BUYING LOTS OF BATTERIES. hmmmmmm I guess they'll be making lots of $ off people.

Oh & for the record, our batteries prior to switching to the faster charger used to last close to 3 yrs when using just the slow charger.

 

[ukcatfan]

To add to your post, the best chargers will have a seperate indicator for each cell. This means that they each have their own devoted and monitored circuit. Maha is know as one of the best brands. I bought a Duracell charger recently that has individual cell circuits and I am happy so far. With four batteries it was only $17 at Wally World. It sort of brought a few of my dying cells back to life. They are not working as well as they used to, but better than before the new charger.

Kevin

 

[garris3404]

I just got a Energizer NiMH Compact AA/AAA Battery Charger with 4 Rechargeable AA Batteries at Best Buy for $24.99.

 

[ukcatfan]

I just got a Energizer NiMH Compact AA/AAA Battery Charger with 4 Rechargeable AA Batteries at Best Buy for $24.99.

I hope you have better luck than me, but I have had two of that exact one die on me. Energizer did honor the warranty and mailed me a refund check, but that is why I went with Duracell this time around.

Kevin

 

[Philagoofy]

Thanks for the info. We bought 2 of these 15 minute rechargers also. I just recharged about 6-8 batteries a few weeks ago and went to use them this week & they were all dead. I'm sure I recharged them so I went back to the slow recharger.

 

[SplshMtn99]

I just got a Energizer NiMH Compact AA/AAA Battery Charger with 4 Rechargeable AA Batteries at Best Buy for $24.99.

I paid only $20.37 for that same thing last night at Walmart. Sorry. It also happens to be identical to our older slow charger which I hadn't had any problems with in the past.

And another $17.87 for 8 more batteries.

 

[SplshMtn99]

Thanks for the info. We bought 2 of these 15 minute rechargers also. I just recharged about 6-8 batteries a few weeks ago and went to use them this week & they were all dead. I'm sure I recharged them so I went back to the slow recharger.

That's what was happening to me. Every time I would grab a set of batteries, they were dead. I had enough when they wouldn't even hold a charge for 1 day of not being used.

 

[manning]

Here is some info on battery chargers and batteries

http://www.steves-digicams.com/nimh_batteries.html

 

[Mom2Ashli]

I am on my 2nd 15 min. charger. Not sure why I keep trying it.

 

[Amy]

Yep, I had a post on here a while back about battery chargers. I had an Energizer recharger that took 1/2 hour to charge batteries, and after not quite 2 years of using the batteries, they were dying faster than usual. When I went to buy a slow charger, the clerk at Best Buy looked at me like I was crazy when I asked if they had any chargers that took overnight to charge batteries; he said everybody who comes in wants the fastest chargers they can get!

 

[Geoff_M]

My lower limit is the 1 hour chargers. I've been using NiMH's in mine for a couple of years now with no noticable drop in performance.

 

[ukcatfan]

When I went to buy a slow charger, the clerk at Best Buy looked at me like I was crazy when I asked if they had any chargers that took overnight to charge batteries; he said everybody who comes in wants the fastest chargers they can get!

The beauty of marketing at work on the cattle of America. We are the enlightened few Then again if I look in the mirror, I am posting on a site devoted to Disney. But we all know that their marketing and prices are completely fair and honest My kids never ask when we are going again after watching the vacation planning video that Disney is more than happy to send to me for free

Kevin

 

[SplshMtn99]

LOL, well, when you put it like that.....it kinda sounds like Disney is a drug dealer, and the free video is the first hit they give you for free to get you hooked. Never quite looked at it that way before. I guess from that list of visits under my name, I'm addicted & it worked.

Sorry, Energizer, you didn't have such good luck with me getting addicted.

 

[ukcatfan]

LOL, well, when you put it like that.....it kinda sounds like Disney is a drug dealer, and the free video is the first hit they give you for free to get you hooked. Never quite looked at it that way before. I guess from that list of visits under my name, I'm addicted & it worked.

We are headed tomorrow for a quick fix. No parks this time; just hotel decorations, DTD, and Chef Mickey. I can already taste the parmesan mashed potatoes

Kevin

 

[manning]

Heat.... that is what kills a battery.

The quicker you charge them the hotter they get, the shorter they last.

 

[crazelion]

Well what know battires do you recommend for a digital camera. I had going thorugh battieres like crazy.

Should I go back to regualar battires or rechargeable batteries.