Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I have been using eneloop batteries since the first-gen was introduced to the US market back in beginning of 2007. Over the past 8 years, I have tested 2nd-gen (1500 cycles), 3rd-gen (1800 cycles) and lately the 4th-gen (2100 cycles) eneloop cells. I have no complaints about the quality of eneloop cells. But I'm always unsatisfied with the charger bundled with most eneloop packages. - The MQN05 (bundled with initial eneloop packages back in early 2007) can recharge individual cells. But it is only rated for 120V AC input. There is just one indicator light, which goes off when all cells are fully charged. - The MQN06 (bundled with most eneloop cells sold between late 2007 and beginning of 2014) can only charge in pairs. I call it 'semi-smart' at best. - The MQR06 (introduced to US market in 2012) is faster, handles individual cells and accepts 100-240V AC input. But it is a lot more expensive. Finally, Panasonic (who purchased Sanyo back in 2009) released the new Panasonic BQ-CC17SBA eneloop Advanced Individual Battery Charger. It offers the following advantages over previous value-priced chargers. - Charges 1-4 cells individually. - Charging status light for each cell (note that those lights are hidden underneath the plastic case. They turn green when charging, and off when done). - Accepts 100-240V AC voltage, good for use world-wide. - One-piece design with folding AC plug (slightly smaller than MQN06). The advertised charging current is 300mA for AA, 150mA for AAA. That means it takes at least 7 hours to recharge a set of 2000mAh eneloop AA cells. (2000mAh/300mA = ~7 hr). I have verified this by charging two eneloop AA cells that are 50% depleted, together with two that are completed depleted. The charger took 3.5-4 hours to finish the first group, and 7-8 hours to finish the second. The actual charging current I measured is pulsed between 0 and 1200mA at 25% duty cycle, which gives an average current of 300mA. This is better than charging with a fixed 300mA DC current, because the -dV/dt (negative delta voltage) detection can be done more reliably at 1200mA peak current. Note that even with a low charging current of 300mA, the batteries do get warm to the touch near the end of charging process. This is completely normal. I have been using the BQ-CC17 for a few months now. The more I use it the more I like it. In many cases some of my batteries were over-discharged to 0V and cannot be charged by advanced chargers such as La Crosse BC1000 (which has problem detecting batteries with terminal voltage below 0.5V). But the BQ-CC17 has no problems recharging those. [Bottom Line] The new Panasonic BQ-CC17 is a real improvement over previous eneloop value chargers. It is inexpensive, smart, and charges all my eneloop and other brands of low-self-discharge batteries to 100% full. Its only minor drawback is relatively long charging time. If you want a charger that is equally inexpensive and smart, but charges twice as fast, consider the AccuPower AccuManager-10. It charges at 600mA, accepts 12V DC from car adapter, and can handle RAM (rechargeable alkaline magnesium) batteries. The down side is that it is very bulky. [Other Notes] - Depending on the difference in prices, it may be a better deal to get the Panasonic K-KJ17MCA4BA, which includes the BQ-CC17 and four 4th-gen eneloop AA cells for a few dollars more - Amazon also sells a 'Pro' package (Panasonic K-KJ17KHCA4A Eneloop Pro Individual Cell Battery Charger with 4 AA Ni-MH Rechargeable Batteries). It contains the same charger except in black. The 'Pro' refers to the 'eneloop Pro' batteries, which are rated 2550mAh instead of 2000mAh. - For additional information on eneloop batteries in general, please refer to my "Sanyo eneloop FAQ': http://www.amazon.com/review/R9VPVQ0UO2MKH [Update on Sep 27, 2016] I have tested the new Panasonic BQ-CC55 charger and like it even better. My review on it can be found here: https://www.amazon.com/review/R217YKQZZRIRTW/