Unfortunately, there is a major design flaw with this charger: it charges in pairs only. That is, you can only recharge either 2 or 4 cells, and you cannot group AA and AAA in a pair.
Why is charging NiMH cells in pairs a very bad idea? Suppose you have one cell that is only partially discharged, and another one that is fully discharged. When you charge those two as a pair in this charger, the charging process will terminate as soon as the first cell is full (signaled by a negative dV/dt in the combined voltage). But the second cell is still half empty at this point. Naturally, when you use those two cells together in an appliance, the power will run out much sooner.
Then there's always the problem when your appliance requires either one or three cells. Now you are left with one drained cell that you cannot charge. If you try to charge a drained cell in series with a full one, you're end up with the above situation again.
If you always use identical NiMH cells in pairs, and you never mix up cells from different appliances, then the Go Mobile Charger is still worth considering. For the rest of us, however, the may be a better choice. It charges cells individually (but at a lower current of 550mA), has four status indicator lights, and even doubles as an USB power source.
[Update on Oct 8, 2010]:
Duracell has discontinued the excellent CEF23 charger (at least in the US) last year. So prices for the dwindling inventory have skyrocketed.
- If you just need an inexpensive 2-cell charger that can handle individual cell, consider the
- If you need a good 4-cell charger that can operate from 12V cigarette lighter adapter, consider the
- If you need an advanced charger that can operate from 12V CLA, consider the
- If you need a good 4-cell charger that can operate from 12V CLA _and_ can power an USB port using internal batteries... Sorry! Your best hope is to look for an international version of CEF23, such as the I would like to give this charger 5 stars, I really would. It charges both the batteries it came with and the extra pack of NiMh AAA's I bought seperately in record time, between 30-45 mins usually. That is spectacular.
However, it absolutely will not charge any of the batteries I already own and have charged previously with a different charger. Eight of these are Duracell NiMh 1000mAh AAA's and are less than two months old. And they charge fine in my old charger. I also have assorted AA's I tried, some of which are Duracell and are all NiMh and fall within the specs of the charger. No dice, it just flashes red.
So, if you are planning to charge only new Duracell batteries and only in this specific charger, then this may be the charger for you. If your situation is like mine, then you will likely need to have two chargers going. Just remember not to mix up your batteries or all you will have in the end is a charger that constantly flashes red. Nothing wrong with the charger or its design, it really is simple enough to use and relatively inexpensive. However, the charger completely ceased to function after about 2-3 battery charges when used as prescribed. The indicator light shut off in the middle of charging a set of Duracell AA batteries, the charger left the batteries half-charged and refused to work again.Nothing wrong with the charger or its design, it really is simple enough to use and relatively inexpensive. However, the charger completely ceased to function after about 2-3 battery charges when used as prescribed. The indicator light shut off in the middle of charging a set of Duracell AA batteries, the charger left the batteries half-charged and refused to work again.This is my 3rd battery charger. The Powerex and Sanyo chargers that I previously used were good but were much too slow in getting the job done. This Duracell charger works well and fast. It can charge 2 or 4 batteries at a time. The charger looks great. It has a split light that shows charging state (red=charging, green=charged, flashing red=trouble)--one side for each pair of batteries.
So (I learned) batteries have to be charged in pairs. (Strike 1)
Next, I learned how hard it was to get batteried into the charger--especially AAAs (Strike 2)
Next, I discovered that while the unit charged all four batteries fairly quickly, it would not recharge on one side. Even with fully-charged batteries the left side just switched to flashing red after about 30 seconds. (Strike 3)
I returned it. I bought this item for camera batteries because I could use it in Europe (220 50hz)while on vacation. Charge time was usually about one hour and although the batteries got warm the charger would turn off automatically when batteries were fully charged. I would recomend this item for use with digital cameras This is an excellent product!
I am using it in a digital camera, and I never had low batteries. I had clicked more than 400 pictures in a day without any problem. But yet to know what is the limit.
They charge quickly - within an hour. Car charger is very useful. You can afford to forget recharging the batteries in advance :)
the only disadvantage is you have to charge them in pair. If you use a single battery in any appliance, you'll be in trouble. You will have to get the other battery discharged. best workaround is to use them all in the same appliance and charge them together.I bought this after going through many batteries with my family for toys and electronics.I really liked it when I first saw it,it charges batteries pretty quickly-about an hour,sometimes less for a full charge.Purchasing this means you have to be committed to buying many more batteries for it,which can get expensive.We use it for backups,and to have on hand for power outages,which we get alot where we live.As far as using it to replace all our electronics and toys would cost a fortune,and I realized that after buying it.I would only suggest buying it if you are committed to buying alot more of these batteries,which do not come cheap,but for the charger itself,it works great.Plugs in easily,easy to put in and take out the batteries,and they charge quickly.Just be committed if you plan on using this to replace all or most of your electronics.I found this was the best one after doing much research on the different brands.
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