Choosing the best battery charger for your needs can be headache especially when there are so many different chargers on the market today. If you are having trouble please read on and hopefully the choice will be much easier to make.

BASIC CHARGERS Vs FAST SMART CHARGERS

Basic chargers tend to either undercharge or overcharge your batteries. They apply a set charge rate and then shut off with a timer. High capacity batteries may not have received a full charge before the timer switches off. Batteries that are only partially discharged will receive the same timed charge and your batteries may overcharge which will cause them to overheat and could damge your batteries which will reduce your batteries life. Basic chargers do not have protection features to prevent overcharge such as temperature and voltage drop sensors. Also if there is a power interuption during charge the timer will start over and result in your batteries being overcharged.

Smart chargers have advanced microprocessor controls called Delta V control which allow you to safely charge your batteries without worrying about overcharging them. Smart chargers will charge your batteries more consistently because they can sense when your batteries have reached full charge by measuring the rise in voltage. They will then switch to trickle charge which will then keep them fully charged until ready for use. The smart chargers also protect your batteries from overcharging and overheating which will prolong the life of your batteries. If the extra cost of these features is within your budget it is well worth the extra expense as it will save you money due longer battery life and more battery cycles.

1 HOUR CHARGERS Vs 4 TO 6 HOUR CHARGERS

The best chargers on the market will balance speed with gentleness and completeness of charge. Speed is an important feature but the faster the charge rate the more internal wear on the battery which will shorten the battery's ultimate life. The ideal battery charger will charge fast but also provide a relative gentle charge rate and a smart Delta V chip to protect the charger from overcharge / overheat damage and at the same time provide a complete charge to maximise run times between chargers.

The maximum number of charge cycles your rechargeable batteries can endure will be somewhat reduced using very fast chargers. Battery manufacturers claim their batteries can attain up to 1000 cycles but this is dependant on several factors including the rate of charging and discharging as well as the depth of discharge between charge cycles. In other words if you want to attain the highest number of charge cycles use a slow overnight charger and begin charging them before they are 50% discharged but this would be very inconvenient in most circumstances. A charger that can charge in about 4 to 6 hours in my opinion is the best trade off between convenience and and not frying your batteries during each charge.

WHICH CHARGERS CAN BE USED OVERSEAS?

Only if the charger's AC adaptor plug is rated to accept 240V. There should be a sticker on the adaptor near the plug listing the power specifications. If it says 100V - 240V 50-60Hz it can accept other countries power as long as you have the applicable adaptor to allow the plug to fit in that outlet. The sticker should also have a tick symbol on it to show that it has been apporved for use in Australia. Many chargers purchased  from overseas do not have any approval for sale or use in Australia and may not meet Australian Safety Standards.

SHOULD BATTERIES GET HOT WHEN BEING CHARGED?

Yes, when charging Ni-Mh and Ni-Cd batteries they do increase in temperature substantially due to internal resistance. The batteries will feel warm to hot when charged. According to speciciations they can heat up to 55 deg C during rapid or fast charging. Allow your batteries a few minutes to cool down before using them. Also it is a good idea to leave the dust cover down when charging to allow air flow and help dissipate the heat.

How long will it take to charge my batteries?

This is like asking how long does it take to drive from Melbourne to Sydney. Unless you know how fast you are going you will have no idea how long it will take. The same is with a battery charger unless you know how fast it will charge it is impossible to guess how long it will take to charge. Our Vapex VTE 700 charger has a charge current of 700mA and will charge 2900mAh batteries in just over 4 hours. As a general rule charge time is calculated by charge current / battery capacity. In this case 700 / 2900 = 4.14 hours.

Thanks for reading this far. So to sum up for most people and for most uses a charger that can charge in 4 to 6 hours and has Delta V microporcessor controls is the best choice for safety, convenience and wear and tear on your batteries and will get the most out of your batteries.