Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

[Important Note on May 3, 2015] My review was originally written back in Dec 2010, for "Sony Cycle Energy BCG34HLD4KN Power Charger with 4 Pre-Charged 2000 mAh AA Batteries". That product is now marked as "Discontinued by Manufacturer". For some unknown reasons, Amazon moved my review to the product page for "iPhone 4 / 4S / 5 / 5C / 5S/ 6 / 6 Plus Complete Premium Tool Kit". This has to be a mistake from Amazon side. (Although some times I suspect they do this just to mess up my reviewer ranking) ==== Original Review for Sony Charger follows ===== When it comes to battery chargers, the word 'Value' typically means 'cheaply-made junk'. I have previously examined many so-called value chargers from major battery manufacturers (including Duracell CEF14, Rayovac PS131, Energizer CHVCMWB, Sanyo MQN06, etc.), only to be disappointed by all of them. Those chargers all share a common problem: they can only charge in pairs. That means you are out of luck if you have appliances that require 1 or 3 cells. Charging in pairs may also lead to over-charging, which is bad for battery lifespan. So although those chargrs are cheaper to buy, they end up wasting you more money in the long run. The charger in this package (Sony Cycle Energy BCG34HLD4KN Power Charger with 4 Pre-Charged 2000 mAh AA Batteries), on the other hand, is actually a decent product. It has 4 independent charging channels, which allow you to charge 1-4 AA or AAA cells. During charging, the voltage profile of each cell is monitored. Charging stops as soon as each cell is fully charged - although the indicator light only goes out when ALL cells are done. The average charging current is 360mA for each AA cell (actually 1.44A pulsed at 25% duty cycle), 140mA for AAA cell. That means it takes about 6 hours to fully recharge the included Cycle Energy Pre-Charged AA cells. This may seem slow, but it is actually faster than other 'value' chargers - most of them require 8-12 hours of charge time. Some other reasons I like this Sony value charger: + Compact, one-piece design with fold-down AC plugs - no need for power cords or wall adapters. + Low-profile (just 1.1" thick) so it fits in camera bags easily. + Accepts 100-240V universal voltage. + Bad cell detection (indicator light flashes if you insert an alkaline cell). The included SONY Cycle Energy Pre-Charged AA cells are low-self-discharge NiMH type, similar to SANYO eneloop and Rayovac Hybrid. That means all the good things you heard about eneloop and Hybrid are true for SONY Pre-Charged cells, too. They are advertised to have a capacity of '2100mAh typical, 2000mAh minimum', and a lifespan of '1000 cycles'. The average capacity I measured, using my La Crosse BC-900, is about 2080mAh. If you're looking for a simple charger with high-quality pre-charged cells, then this Sony package is currently the best value. If you like to step up to a better charger, then consider the Sony BCG34HRE4KN package. The BCG34HRE offers faster charge time, individual cell status indicators, and a 'Refresh' function. [Update on Dec 7, 2012] Use caution when you shop from Amazon. Currently this Sony BCG34HLD charger package is priced higher than the more powerful BCG34HRE, so it does not make sense. Fortunately you can get the same charger for less from another package: Sony Cycle Energy BCG34HLD2RN 1000 mAh Power Charger with 2 AA Pre-Charged Batteries [Update on Oct 9, 2016] Instead of old Sony chargers listed in my review above, you may want to consider new Panasonic eneloop chargers: BQ-CC17SBA, or BQ-CC55. Both are Smart chargers with individual charging channels and status indicators.