Finding a decent battery charger can be difficult at times. Many will either destroy your batteries in the process, or run so slowly that it takes forever to get a charge. This is why you might want to do yourself a favor and take a good look at the La Crosse Technology BC-900 AlphaPower Battery Charger.
So, what makes this La Crosse BC-900 Batter Charger different from the rest? There are several uniques aspects of this unit, but the one I found to be great was how it will let you pick the charging current fo each different type of battery you have. You can also charge AA and AAA batteries simultaneously, and there is protection to prevent over charging.
Features of the La Crosse BC-900 include:
- Battery charger; charges AA and AAA batteries simultaneously
- 4 separate LCD displays; 4 modes; heat monitor prevents overcharging
- Comes with 4 AA and 4 AAA rechargeable batteries
- Also includes 4 C- and 4 D-size battery adapters and durable travel bag
- Measures 5.1 by 3 by 1.5 inches; Colors May Vary
There’s a lot to like about this unit. This is evidenced by the overwhelming number of user reviews online. Here is just a couple from Amazon:
Battery charging and maintenance done right
“Ni-MH batteries have become ubiquitous over the past decade. Their low cost and ever-increasing capacity make them a great alternative to alkaline batteries. Of course, you need to keep these batteries charged… And that’s where things get complicated.Charging Ni-MH batteries is the result of a compromise. A low current is gentle on the battery and maximizes its lifespan, but a full charge takes hours.
A high current will recharge the battery much faster, but put more strain on it, causing it to wear out prematurely. It also requires careful monitoring of the battery’s electrical characteristics to prevent damage.Most of the chargers you can find on the market today use one or the other of these methods. The fast chargers, especially the cheap ones, excel at one thing: destroying perfectly good batteries, because they lack the monitoring circuitry to control the charge current and detect when the battery is full. The slow chargers are usually better, mainly because it’s harder to design a really bad slow charger. Unfortunately… they’re slow.
The BC-900 is a completely different breed: it lets you pick the charge current for each individual battery, has very sophisticated monitoring circuitry that controls the charging process, and is also capable of “renewing” batteries by running full controlled discharge-recharge cycles.
I was a little skeptical that a fairly inexpensive product would be so thorough, but after reading all the 5-star reviews on Amazon I decided to give it a try. I’m glad I did: it’s all it’s cracked up to be, and more. I ran all my AA and AAA batteries through it; some of them had been destroyed by my previous charger, and it weeded those out right away; some were in pretty bad shape, but a refresh brought them back to life at almost full capacity.
The pleasant surprise was to find out all the freebies that come with the charger: four AA and four AAA batteries to get you started, four C-cell adapters, four D-cell adapters, and a nifty carrying case.
The less pleasant surprise: it can take several days to refresh batteries. I suppose this explains why the box didn’t contain a cigarette lighter car adapter. Also, different batteries will take a different amount of time to complete a similar charging cycle. The charging slots being individually powered and monitored, it’s not a real issue, since you can yank out any cell that’s finished charging and insert the next one that needs recharging as soon as the little LCD screen warns you it’s done.
As far as I know this is the best charger you can buy. It’s reliable, gentle on the batteries, has useful capabilities not found on other models, and comes with a lot of extras. It’s more expensive than your ordinary cheap slow charger, but the increased battery lifespan more than makes up for the price difference.”
The Best!
“This charger is excellent. Powerful features for those who actually want to take care of their batteries, and not waste money on cheap chargers that will ruin your batteries. My only complaint is that the interface usability is more difficult than it should be (you actually have to read the manual to figure out how to use it properly!).”
If you are looking for a battery charger that is not going to ruin your batteries or give out after one or two uses, I can definitely recommend the La Crosse Technology BC-900 AlphaPower Battery Charger. You can find out much more about this charger below.
