Sony BCG-34HRMF4 Battery Charger with LCD Display and 4 AA Ni-MH Rechargeable Batteries
by Sony
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Our Price: $73.99 Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: CE See more product details |
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Customers in the UK,
Buy this product at amazon.co.uk
for British Pounds
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Sony BCG-34HRMF4 Battery Charger with LCD Display and 4 AA Ni-MH Rechargeable Batteries
Customer Review: Best charger I have tried
Summary: 5 Stars
I manage rechargeable batteries for a company of 45+ people, and this charger is the best I've used -- and we've been through four vendors at this point. This charger allows for a "refresh" cycle (in other words, discharge any remaining bit of charge, then recharge from scratch) which I use all the time. This feature that isn't available on many other chargers, including others from Sony (see below for more on this topic). Almost as important, it has four INDEPENDENT charging circuits, which means that you can put in any crazy combination of AA and AAA batteries you like. (In practice, this means I can top off one AA/AAA battery to match a set of two or three other charged batteries that I may have...very handy, and impossible with units that require charging in pairs!)
Previously, my office used a charging unit from Emerging Power, also purchased on Amazon. That was an okay charger, but lacked the refresh cycle and required batteries to be paired for charging. Also, the lack of a real user interface (the UI consisted of single LED's per channel that were either on, blinking, or off) made it hard to tell what was going on. This Sony charger has an LED graph that shows you a rough percentage of battery charge, which makes it much easier to judge how much time remains. Finally, the Emerging Power charger had big springs (versus metal tabs) that held the batteries in place...guess what, one the springs went wonky after a few dozen charges, making it a dicey proposition to try charging four batteries at once. This Sony charger uses better-designed tabs to hold the batteries in place -- much better!
In an office with 45+ users, this charger is used by many people in my office every day. It's dead simple to use -- just pop in some batteries and off you go. If you want a "refresh" cycle (discharge before the recharge), just hit that button after inserting the battery (or batteries). Very easy and user-friendly, and built for tons of charge cycles...unlike some other units that have big springs that can break or go limp after a lot of use.
The only restriction is that this charger only handles AA and AAA batteries. In our office that's okay -- we use those batteries for wireless keyboards, mice, and pagers. But if you need 9V or other battery sizes you might consider a different system.
All told, I'm very pleased with this unit. It's worth the extra cost compared to the "BCG-34HE4" charger -- I have that unit at home, and the lack of LED, refresh cycle, and independent charging channels makes THIS unit much, much better. (In fact, I'm going to buy this unit for home too, and eBay the BCG-34HE4 -- which is an okay charger, but not worth the extra hassle.)
UPDATE: roughly two years later, I'm still using this charger and it's still awesome. Get it! For what it's worth, I'm using it primarily with Sanyo Eneloop batteries at this point, though I do still use a few Sony batteries as well. It works just fine with the Eneloops as well, including the "Refresh" feature.
Customer Review: Nice! Nice!
Summary: 5 Stars
I had purchased Energizer rechargeable batteries with a cute "automatic" charger included. The "automatic" part referred to an 8-hour timer built into it. You pop in the batteries, plug it in and whether the batteries wanted it or not they got a full 8-hour charge. The batteries gave outstanding performance compared to the pricey alkalines. But within six months the rechargeables lost probably half of their nominal 2400 mAh capacity.
My NiMH Energizers were advertised to be good for 1000 charging cycles, but that amount was turning more like 100 if not less. I figured that the 8-hour charge can't be too healthy for them so I decided to look for a better charger with automatic detection and adjustment of the charging times for each individual battery.
I considered several good automatic chargers that treat each battery individually. The Sony BCG-34HRMD4 seemed optimal because of the following: (1) very reasonable price with the four great batteries included, (2) universal 110-240 voltage, (3) no-frills individual indication of the charging process, (4) rejuvenate function - very handy even for NiMH batteries, (5) ease of use - it was going to be used by several people with differing degrees of tech expertise.
I didn't want a super-duper split-second blink-your-eye quick charger because I am not in a real hurry to get the batteries charged plus high charging currents heat up the batteries to a boil and shorten their life span. "Normal" was fine for my needs, so I was actually pleased to read in the reviews that the "Super Quick" is false advertisement. Shame on you Sony!
Overall: this is a very good charger, highly recommended. It carries a reputable brand name, so it is likely to last a long time without surprises. And, last but not least, it is cheap - thank to the working men, women and children of China.
===== Edit =====
I noticed that the price has changed. The price is rather crucial for my positive review. I bought this charger and rated it full 5 stars when it was $24.99 apiece with a free shipping.
===== Edit on May 26, 2009 =====
Charger still running strong after 3+ years. It is used extensively by many people, and I replaced all batteries for Eneloops which are performing really great. Nothing broke in the charger except that someone took off the top lid and lost it - no big deal because the batteries get better cooling without it. I also have BC-900 charger but prefer the Sony with single button for "refresh".
Again: a great product. Highly recommended.
Customer Review: A great Practical charger that looks Smart !!!
Summary: 5 Stars
A great charging unit with high capacity batteries. The reasons I give it 5 stars are as follows:
The batteries supplied are 2700 mAH, which is probably the highest rating (haven't seen any higher rated AA batteries) - this means longer life per charge.
The Memory Refresh function is an absolute must. Why? ...suppose your batteries still have 25% juice left when you decide to recharge them (as you want full strength batteries before you start a new photo shoot day tomorrow). The fully recharged batteries will run dry on a 75% drain (25% is lost due to the memory effect). The memory function allows you to drain the balance 25% before a full 100% charge, giving you 100% capacity utilization. This will enable batteries to last longer requiring less frequent charging and increased life.
The 100V-240V AC input range means you can use it in US/Asia/Europe - any where in the world. But mind you, you will need to purchase an adaptor (only plug but not converter - which is cheap)so that you can plug into the European/Asian power sockets (which are shaped differently).
The LCD adds life to the charger. You can see it charge. It's similar to how a great graphics display on your music player adds life to music player. You can see the music too!
The looks are great and there is no heating of the batteries that you would witness in most high speed chargers, which may reduce battery life.
This one is not super quick. It takes about 5 hrs to charge and an additional 3-4hrs to erase memory (drain to zero and begin charging)- both depend on the battery capacity, if the capacity is lower say 2000 mAH then lesser time taken. If you are not in a great hurry and can plan your charging to the previous night - there is no doubt this one is for you. And believe me 2700 mAH makes a positive difference.
This one isn't bulky at all and does not weigh much.
Further, IT'S A SONY.
In a nut shell, if you are not always in a hurry trying to charge in a jiffy, a world traveler (believe me, the odd overseas trip too will mean you don't need a new charger that works on 240V) and would want the highest rated/capacity Sony batteries then you don't have too many other options.
Hope this will help you decide (and yes - I am NO Sony agent, just a fan)
Customer Review: Battery bonus!!
Summary: 5 Stars
When I write a review, I hope to add some information of value that may not have appeared in another review. I hope I have succeeded with this.
The bonus is what Amazon doesn't tell you: Yes, these are 2,700 mA. Yes, the batteries are made in Japan (although the charger is made in China).
Amazon didn't tell you that these are Sony Cycle Energy rechargeable batteries and do not require initial charging and have a very low self discharge rate. They maintain 85 percent of their charge after one year and can be recharged up to 1,000 times. This new technology offers consumers the convenience of a ready-to-use rechargeable battery that is longer lasting and environmentally friendly.
Amazon sells the batteries, alone, for $15.
If you buy rechargeable batteries for, say, a portable radio and recharge them every few weeks or so, almost any rechargeable battery will do. But if you need batteries for an emergency radio or a camera that may not be used for months from now, these are the batteries to get, and they are included with this charger.
What this means is that you are getting the charger, by itself, for only "around" say, $15. (It's "around" $15 because Amazon is forever playing games with the price, a few dollars either side of $30 for the package.)
In this price range, the charger is exceptional. My favorite features:
(1) Refresh, which fully discharges the batteries before the charge cycle begins, to condition the batteries. (Refresh is optional: you don't have to use it if you don't want to.)
(2) The visual display, showing the amount of charge.
(3) Four independent recharging circuits, one for each battery.
(4) Power supply built into the charger, no "wall wart."
(5) The light on the charging panel goes off when the charging is done.
The charger appears to be well-made, although I would have preferred a more substantial lid ( a minor detail).
Get it.
Customer Review: Highly portable - ideal for worldwide travel
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought this charger because I wanted a smart charger that would switch off when batteries are fully charged (I only had a "dumb" charger before).
Not only is this charger smart, it also treats every battery separately (my old one needed pairs of batteries). It is also quite fast (refreshed and charged 4x2000mAh batteries in 6 hours whereas I had to charge them for 20 hours with my old "dumb" charger), and can refresh batteries.
However, one of the biggest advantages, in my view, is the charger's small size and light weight, suitable for carrying it in a pocket, and universal worldwide voltage. It is not a "plug-in" charger, it comes with a standard 2-wire cord like the ones you have for stereos and small appliances (e.g. Universal AC Power Cord WITH Two Prong [Misc.]). Basically, this means that you can take this charger around the world with you without the need to get adaptors - you can just take a cord from a local stereo or desk lamp, or buy a cheap cable locally). I'm using this charger in my home country (we have 220V power network) with a cord from my stereo :)
EDIT:
The batteries are useless, as many others have pointed out. Charging/discharging several times didn't help. Thus, these batteries, when fully charged, don't let me take more than one picture on my digital camera and hold less than 1 day in my wireless mouse, when 1500mAh batteries hold for a week. Wish I could take away a star.
Also, it may be a coincidence, but one of my other brand batteries died after refreshing and charging with this device (the charger indicates that the battery may have reached the end of its lifespan). Just seems a weird coincidence to see this message after using this charger for the first time.