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I have finally decided to switch over to Eneloop batteries and needing some help on trying to figure out the difference in chargers. I have quickly figured out after having a baby all those little toys take a lot of batteries
On Panasonic’s website there are three models:
BQ-CC16 Smart and Fast Charger
BQ-CC17 Advanced Charger for Frequent Users
BQ-CC18 Basic Charger for Occasional users
I guess I am trying to figure out what the pro’s and con’s of each of these chargers are? The BQ-CC16 seems like the obvious choice based on charge time, but does it make the batteries have a shorter overall life span ( Recharge Cycles).
Also, is the BQ-CC16 available in the U.S. ? All the sites I see it on seem to be outside the U.S.I am mostly looking for any info anyone could give me on Eneloop chargers and batteries or any advice anyone could give on getting started with the Eneloops.
Octane, I don’t know which one I have. It doesn’t say. It is the four bay charger that came in the combo packs several years ago. It a good six or seven hours to fully charge AAs. I also have a Thrunite MCC-4 which I sometimes use that will fully charge AAs in about 2-3 hours.
I have quite a few envelops, all more than three years old. Some older. I can’t tell you how many cycles they’ve been through, but I have a pretty large flashlight collection and my wife and kids have access to the lights and EDC lights- plus the Wii remotes, etc.- so I’d say they have been used more than most normal households. I’ve only had one cell off gas and fail for whoknowswhy.
I guess the bottom line for me is that I continue to use and recommend Eneloops to people.
Sorry I couldn’t be of more help with the chargers specifically. BTWm my Eneloops charger model number is MC-MQN06U. You can see a picture of it if you search it.
Octane, I don’t know which one I have. It doesn’t say. It is the four bay charger that came in the combo packs several years ago. It a good six or seven hours to fully charge AAs. I also have a Thrunite MCC-4 which I sometimes use that will fully charge AAs in about 2-3 hours.
I have quite a few envelops, all more than three years old. Some older. I can’t tell you how many cycles they’ve been through, but I have a pretty large flashlight collection and my wife and kids have access to the lights and EDC lights- plus the Wii remotes, etc.- so I’d say they have been used more than most normal households. I’ve only had one cell off gas and fail for whoknowswhy.
I guess the bottom line for me is that I continue to use and recommend Eneloops to people.
Sorry I couldn’t be of more help with the chargers specifically. BTWm my Eneloops charger model number is MC-MQN06U. You can see a picture of it if you search it.
Click to expand…Thanks Cone!
I am one of those strange people that research everything. It drives Mrs. Octane crazy sometimes ( Well Most of the time) :bounce:
It just seems like there are those different charger options and not really much explanation of the differences other than the charge time. Maybe that is the only difference between the three. Thanks for your help
LOL, that’s why we are all here and we all do the same thing.
My understanding is that the Ni-MH cells are very forgiving in terms of how they are charged. I think that is what makes them so appealing.
If you want to go with a Panasonic Charger, select one of the first two. They have much quicker charging methods, as opposed to the last one which is just a long, slow trickle charge on a simple timer.
From what I have gleaned off of CPF and some threads here, the best chargers for Ni-MH cells are the Maha MH-C9000 and La Crosse BC-***. They are “hobby” chargers which fully drain, test, condition, and recharge the cells. If you were using the Eneloops daily, such as in radios, one of these chargers would probably be worth the investment. If you’re like me and your Eneloops get recharged every month or two, pretty much any charger should work fine.
I personally use the NiteCore/Jetbeam Intellicharger i4, which also does Ni-Cad and Li-Ion.
The charger does not need to be just for Eneloops. Take a look at the Intellicharger i4 like jag-engr has suggested. Can be had for $20 and handle lithium as well. Will treat your batteries right.
Also, the Duracell “Staycharged” line of NiMH AA/AAA cells (white tops) are rebranded Eneloops. Sometimes you can find them cheaper, but they are just as good a battery.
Newer Eneloops are rated for 1500 charges. I assume that means a long-time trickle charge. A fast charge will reduce this number to, oh, 1300 maybe? So, if you charge the cells once a week, you’ll only be able to use them for 25 years (rather than 29…)
Most modern chargers will flash charge to 90%, then trickle charge to the top. This is almost as good as trickle charging from zero. I use some big old Energizer-branded 8 cell charger at home. I zorched a 9v NiCd with it once, but it’s been great with eneloops and other NiMH cells.
I hqve the maha mh-c9000 and i love it. I run 3 sets of 8 eneloops for the vertical grip in my Nikon and and several sets of four for 4 flashes (really have only been using 1 for the past couple of years) and just bought a new blister pack of 10AA`s to retire the oldest sets to kids toys. They are still charging like new, i run the refesh/analyze everytime. Love this charger, coming up on 8 years of extensive use.
I took a look at the Nitecore i4 charger and it looks to be a great charger for the price. I was looking on Nitecore’s website and it looks like they have come out with the D4 ( Digital Readout Monitoring ) which seems to compare very well with the La Crosse BC-1000. There may be a small difference that I am missing since I am a battery novice.
The Nitecore D4 can be had on Amazon for $29 which is a lot less than the La Crosse.
Eagle Scout said: ↑
Also, the Duracell “Staycharged” line of NiMH AA/AAA cells (white tops) are rebranded Eneloops. Sometimes you can find them cheaper, but they are just as good a battery.
I picked some of these up a few years back and they got me hooked on Ni-MH cells.You can identify the rebadged Eneloops two ways: 1) there will be white material visible beneath the copper top wrap around the positive nipple, and 2) they are labeled “Made in Japan”. Some of the cells have black material under the wrapper, are made in China, and are not on par with Eneloops.
Also, does anyone have any experience with the Amazon Basics rechargeable batteries. I have read on several other boards that they are just a relabeled Eneloop. Does anyone know how true this is or have any experience with them? There are even a few reviews where people have done testing and pictures stating the same thing.
I was curious if anyone had any thoughts on them
I’ve been very pleased with my Fujicell SCH808F controller charger (I don’t see it listed on Amazon any longer) which was suggested by a member on the ETS forum… will charge my Eneloops in less than 1hr… works on 120vac, 12vdc, and 5vUSB… works with my Goal Zero 7w panel with the 12vdc cigarette receptacle…pic is with my deep discharge battery with dedicated 12v cigarette receptacle… works with 1-4 cells
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#13Regarding the Amazon Basics, I’ve heard good things, too.
Frankly, I wouldn’t worry so much about whether they actually are rebadged Eneloops as to whether they perform on par with Eneloops, which they seem to do.
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