Duracell Value Charger With 2AA Pre Charged Rechargeable NiMH Batteries, CEF14X2
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Customer Reviews of Duracell Value Charger With 2AA Pre Charged Rechargeable NiMH Batteries, CEF14X2
Customer Review: Good Batteries, Bad Charger
Summary: 3 Stars
[Updated Dec 24, 2008]
I was only half-right when I boldly proclaimed that "Duracell Pre Charged AA are rebranded Sanyo eneloop cells" in my original review. It turns out that the first batch of Duracell AA cells I bought from Amazon are made in Japan, and those are identical to eneloop (both mechanically and electrically). But lately I bought some more Duracell AA from a warehouse club. Those are made in China, and they are identical to the Rayovac Hybrid.
[Original review follows]
This package (CEF14X2) includes two new Duracell 'Pre Charged' NiMH AA cells, plus a simple charger. The batteries are similar to the Sanyo eneloop low-self-discharge cells. In fact, based on their identical technical specifications and physical shapes of (+) and (-) terminals, I am convinced that the Duracell Pre Charged AA is actually SANYO eneloop AA underneath a different wrapper. Therefore all the good things you heard about eneloop apply to Duracell 'Pre Charged', too.
The 'value charger' (CEF14) included here, however, is not a good value because:
1. It is a timer-based dumb charger, meaning that it doesn't detect when cells are full charged. It simply charges at 360mA for 6 hours and turns off. You have to wait until your cells are fully exhausted before recharging, otherwise they will be over-charged. With a 'smart' charger, you may choose to top-off your rechargeable cells any time.
2. It can only charge either 2 or 4 AA cells in pairs. This is very inconvenient if you have appliances that require odd number of cells.
3. It can only charge two AAA cells, and you cannot charge any more AA cells at the same time.
My advice is to get the CEF23DX2 package for just a few dollars more (*). It also comes with two Duracell Pre Charged AA cells, but the included smart charger (CEF23) is far superior in every aspect. It even doubles as an USB charger, too.
[Updated Feb 15, 2010]
I have confirmed that the new Duracell 'Value Charger' has several improvements over the old model:
- Works from 100-240V AC (instead of just 120V AC)
- Able to charge 4 AAA at a time (instead of just two)
- Semi-smart charge termination (stops when BOTH cells are fully charged)
The only remaining drawback is thet it charges in pairs only.
(*) [Update on Oct 7, 2010]:
Duracell has discontinued the excellent CEF23 charger (at least in the US) last year. So prices for the remaining inventory have skyrocketed. If you need an inexpensive charger that can handle individual cell, consider the Sanyo eneloop MDR02 2-cell charger.
Customer Review: could get cheaper
Summary: 3 Stars
It is not worth falling for the name Duracell. It is just a charger. Plus, later I saw that you could even buy one at a CVS pharmacy. It is not worth the trouble. I paid 20 bucks with 4 AA batteries, maybe then it barely made the cost. Look around before you buy, not BestBuy though. they are the worst at this kind of small items.Customer Review: Charger poorly designed
Summary: 2 Stars
I bought this to go along with some Duracell AAA batteries that I bought. I should have just stuck with the SANYO eneloop charger I already have. While the Duracell charger will charge up to 4 AA batteries at a time it only charges 2 AAA batteries at a time.
I also don't know how well I trust the charger indicator light. It has come on very quickly after inserting a discharged set of AAA batteries. Even shifting the batteries to ensure that they properly positioned the same occurred. The batteries seem to work just fine.