Recommend a charger

[imaginary_number]

Gonna get another charger soon. Any recommendations? Been reading up but it seems that some have got heat problems. Also heard that some are unable to charge the latest 2100 mAh batteries.

Is the Rayovac PS4 1-Hour NiMH Charger the best one on the market now?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Kevin]

Thot this charger get very hot. Why not getting the Ripvan clone from Eastgear. Quite good as 2 hours charger. If you want only 1 hour charger then Rayovac or MAha.

 

[imaginary_number]

Originally posted by Kevin
Thot this charger get very hot. Why not getting the Ripvan clone from Eastgear. Quite good as 2 hours charger. If you want only 1 hour charger then Rayovac or MAha.

the 1 hr you're referring is the charging time for 2 batteries or 4 batteries?

 

[Acieed]

Rayovac is good. Heat is not a major problem. But its not likely to find one at $49 now, most likely $69 or so.

 

[imaginary_number]

Originally posted by Acieed
Rayovac is good. Heat is not a major problem. But its not likely to find one at $49 now, most likely $69 or so.

Are you using one? Price is not too big an issue if it's really a good charger and worth the money.

The only reason why I've doubts on this charger is b'coz I read abt the overheating issues over at HWZ (http://forums.hardwarezone.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=363899).

 

[sebastiansong]

For the Rayvoc, two complaints and what I feel you can do about it

1)Weight... if you travel a lot, BUY MAHA, period... you cant change the weight of the transformer

2)OVerheating... common problem of 1-hr charger but if you are in an air conditioned room, it should not get too hot. Since my room is ventilated by a fan, I just place the charger in the direction of the fan and it is just warm and not hot as before.

In case you are wondering, I am waiting to get a MAHA as well from W3Cube but their stock seems to be delayed time and time again

 

[Zerstorer]

The Rayovac does heat up batteries rather hot. Best to use it only at night or with a small fan blowing on it.

However, I'm been using it with Sanyo 1850s for abt 6mths without ill-effect(no fan used).

The W3Cube/RipVan charger seems to be a good choice for $35 as it is more portable than the Rayovac.

 

[Kevin]

Originally posted by imaginary_number


the 1 hr you're referring is the charging time for 2 batteries or 4 batteries?

For 4 batteries.

 

[Kevin]

Originally posted by sebastiansong

In case you are wondering, I am waiting to get a MAHA as well from W3Cube but their stock seems to be delayed time and time again

Sebastian, you can get the Maha from Eastgear and he give warranty also. Not sure if it is the same price as W3cute. I bought the Ripvan clone and spoilt within 14 days due to manufacturer fault so he change it 1 to 1 for me.

 

[imaginary_number]

Originally posted by sebastiansong
For the Rayvoc, two complaints and what I feel you can do about it

1)Weight... if you travel a lot, BUY MAHA, period... you cant change the weight of the transformer

2)OVerheating... common problem of 1-hr charger but if you are in an air conditioned room, it should not get too hot. Since my room is ventilated by a fan, I just place the charger in the direction of the fan and it is just warm and not hot as before.

In case you are wondering, I am waiting to get a MAHA as well from W3Cube but their stock seems to be delayed time and time again

Just curious, did you consider W³ Advanced 100 Minutes Portable Charger Kit? Based on the description at the website, it does seem pretty appealing.

 

[imaginary_number]

Originally posted by Zerstorer
The Rayovac does heat up batteries rather hot. Best to use it only at night or with a small fan blowing on it.

However, I'm been using it with Sanyo 1850s for abt 6mths without ill-effect(no fan used).

The W3Cube/RipVan charger seems to be a good choice for $35 as it is more portable than the Rayovac.

Thanks zerstorer :thumbsup:

I just went over to w3cube website to take a look. Seems like a value-for-money charger. Btw, anyone care to point out the cons of this charger?

 

[Acieed]

Originally posted by imaginary_number
Are you using one? Price is not too big an issue if it's really a good charger and worth the money. The only reason why I've doubts on this charger is b'coz I read abt the overheating issues over at HWZ (http://forums.hardwarezone.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=363899).

I've been using it for a few months, no problems so far. Usually charge my batteries in the evening, but day-time charging is fine so far. Heat comes with any rapid charger this fast afaik. Cooler solutions doesn't come close in speed. The w3cube charger looks like a good alternative, slower but great for travelling and much cheaper too. I've been told that EastGear's version of the same charger is smaller without the power cables.

 

[sebastiansong]

Originally posted by imaginary_number


Just curious, did you consider W³ Advanced 100 Minutes Portable Charger Kit? Based on the description at the website, it does seem pretty appealing.

Dear Curious

didnt consider the 100 minutes because I was quite sold on the Maha from the very start

 

[jiaxin]

just bought a Sanyo charger 2100. it seems works fine. but charge a bit long la, about 4 hrs for 4X 2100 battery

 

[togu]

Originally posted by jiaxin
just bought a Sanyo charger 2100. it seems works fine. but charge a bit long la, about 4 hrs for 4X 2100 battery

Time to change....

 

[imaginary_number]

Originally posted by jiaxin
just bought a Sanyo charger 2100. it seems works fine. but charge a bit long la, about 4 hrs for 4X 2100 battery

Yup, 4 hrs is pretty long but if you're not in a hurry it's ok.

Now I'm actually deciding between the Maha and the W3Cube 100 min charger... :dunno:

I just realised for the price of a Maha ($79), I can get two W3Cube 100 min chargers ($32 each). :what:

 

[superio]

Bought a Maha 401FS cool charger from Eastgear and I'm really satisfied with its performance. Can choose fast (1~2 hours charging) when you are in a hurry, or slow (4~5 hours charging) when you're not in a hurry and want to increase the "lifespan" of your batteries.

Also love the fact that you can juz pop in the batteries in disregardless of their states. The smart charger will charge the batteries full without the need of discharging first, and always goes into trickle mode.

Lastly, the power adaptor is pretty light compared to other adaptors I've seen. Same goes for the charger itself.

The only disadvantage is that its pretty expensive. =)

 

[Wai]

Originally posted by superio
want to increase the "lifespan" of your batteries.

i am wondering....if the lifespan of the batteries really important? since a brand new 2100mah battery cost only $3 each, if the battery really spoil, u can esaily replace it with a new one. and by then, may be 3000mah battery will be affordable already.

IMO, no point to get those expensive charger in order to increase the battery lifespan, rather than paying $45++ more for a better charger, i think it is more feasible to use this $$ to get 15 x 2100mah as backup.

those more expensive charger may claims that it can charge the battery until full capacity, but i feel that the different may not be very much. I usually charge my batteries while i am sleeping...so whether it charge 1 hour or 8 hours also doesn't matters to me. it is still more worth it to use the extra $$ to get a few sets of backup batteries.

I will recommend the cheapest intelligent charger out there...

 

[superio]

Agree with Wai. If you have limited budget, go for the cheaper intelligent chargers such as the one W3 is selling or ripvan clone chargers.

Anyway, the 401FS charger comes with 4x powerEX batteries and 1 car adaptor. So strictly speaking, the charger itself costs ~$60.

I exchanged for this charger (with top up of course) because of some manufaturing problems my ripvan charger is having. But think only a few are defective, and even if you get a defective one, you can always get it changed with the dealer.

 

[EastGear]

Originally posted by Wai


i am wondering....if the lifespan of the batteries really important? since a brand new 2100mah battery cost only $3 each, if the battery really spoil, u can esaily replace it with a new one. and by then, may be 3000mah battery will be affordable already.

IMO, no point to get those expensive charger in order to increase the battery lifespan, rather than paying $45++ more for a better charger, i think it is more feasible to use this $$ to get 15 x 2100mah as backup.

those more expensive charger may claims that it can charge the battery until full capacity, but i feel that the different may not be very much. I usually charge my batteries while i am sleeping...so whether it charge 1 hour or 8 hours also doesn't matters to me. it is still more worth it to use the extra $$ to get a few sets of backup batteries.

I will recommend the cheapest intelligent charger out there...

I would just like to point out that with a Maha charger, you can have the fullest confidence that your battery is always kept at its tip top condition for its entire lifetime. You can have a lot of backup batteries, but how are you going to tell if any of the batteries are losing its charge capability? Do you want to have the batteries die on you to find that out? Some of the features found on Maha chargers are unique and cannot be found in combination in other chargers.

Maha MH-C401-FS
=============
1) 4 independant charging channels to charge and monitor each of the 4 batteries individually to ensure optimum charging of every cell.
2) Negative voltage delta detection to accurately determine when the battery is fully charged.
3) Unique negative flex pulse charging which eliminates the cell memory effect just by charging. No need to perform a discharge prior to charging
4) Choice of fast charge or slow (cool) charge to cater to all charging needs

On top of that, all Maha chargers come with 1 year limited warranty and 14 days exchange, so you have the double assurance that both charger and batteries do not fail you.

Why buy a Ferrari if a Hyundai can get you places. There is a reason why Maha chargers are used and recommended by professionals. Imaging-resource.com calls the Maha 401 "a nearly perfect charger". PCPhoto magazine names the Maha 401 as TOP 25 photograhic products of year 2002.

If you want the best for your rechargable battery solutions. It got to be Maha.

Regards,

EastGear