Sony BCG34HH4KN Cycle Energy NiMH Power Charger with Four 2100 mAh AA Battery

• Compact Charger with flip down plug and worldwide voltage allows for charging batteries anywhere
• Automatic charge cut-off timer
• Batteries are ready-to use right out of the package, no initial charge required
• Alkaline battery detection
• Lasts 3x Longer Than Alkaline

The charger in this package (Sony BCG34HH4KN Cycle Energy NiMH Power Charger with Four 2100 mAh AA Battery) looks very similar to the one found in a previous package (Sony Cycle Energy BCG34HLD4KN Power Charger with 4 Pre-Charged 2000 mAh AA Batteries). Both chargers have the same one-piece design with fold-in AC plugs, both accept universal input voltage of 100-240V AC, etc. But there is one important difference: The other charger (BCG34HLD) can charge each battery individually, while this charger (BCG34HH) can only charge in pairs. That is: either two or 4 cells, and you cannot mix AA with AAA cells in a pair.

Naturally, if some of your battery-operated appliances (such as LED flashlights) require odd number of cells, then using a charger which can only charge in pairs is a pain. But even if all your appliances use even number of cells, it is still preferable to choose a charger that can recharge each cell individually. This is because rechargeable cells often start with slightly different capacities, or they may have slightly different self-discharge rates. When you recharge two cells with unequal capacities in a pair, the lower-capacity one inevitably gets over-charged. This can cause its capacity to deteriorate even further. So the situation gets worse with each recharge cycle. Charging individually is the only way to ensure cells are not over-charged.

The batteries in this package, on the other hand, are very good. They are the low-self-discharge type, similar to the better-known Sanyo Eneloop Pre-Charged Rechargeable Batteries. Note that the capacity advertised here says '2100mAh', while the other package says '2000mAh'. But in fact those are identical batteries, because on each cell it actually says: "Typ. 2100mAh, Min. 2000mAh". I have tested those SONY cells using my old La Crosse BC-900 AlphaPower Battery Charger. The measured average capacity is right around 2100mAh, which is the same as that for Sanyo eneloop AA cells. The charge-retention rate of SONY is also similar to that of Sanyo eneloop.

As of this writing, both this package (BCG34HH4KN) and the other one (BCG34HLD4KN) are available at about the same price. So you should definitely choose the charger with individual charging channels. If you are looking for a faster charger with refresh function, then spend a few dollars more and get the Sony BCG34HRE4KN instead.

Here is a charge-time comparison for the three chargers mentioned above:

BCG34HH charges at 200mA. It takes 11-12 hours to fully recharge a pair of 2100mAh AA cells.

BCG34HLD charges at 360mA. Its charge time is about 6-7 hours for AA cells.

BCG34HRE charges at 550mA for 3-4 cells, so its charge time is only about 4 hours. For 1-2 cells, its charge time is reduced by half.

Buy Sony BCG34HH4KN Cycle Energy NiMH Power Charger with Four 2100 mAh AA Battery Now

No, I actually didn't buy this item. Thanks to we-battery-purchasers-all-thank-you-NLee's review, warning about this absurd version [BCG34HH4KN] of the otherwise fantastic line of not-so-expensive-yet-quite-intelligent Sony chargers. Chief among its smart features: being able to charge any combination and number of AAs and AAAs. How does Sony dare to regress to pair-only chargers, and even more so, without any warning, in almost identical packages as the circuit-independent charger [BCG34HLD4KN]? Tss, tss, tss.

To be fair: Just as no one can tell from the package that this is a "non-smart" charger, you can't tell either that the smart charger is so this all points to idiotic marketing from this formerly god of electronics.

Enough said. Stay away. Say no the HH version! Get the HLD version! :)

Actually, a better choice (given the current high price of the HLD) might be the BCG34HL2RN, smart yet less expensive because it only includes 2 AA batteries, even though a paltry 1000mAh. It all really depends on current pricing, but I often buy the 2-batt charger, and for batteries the Eneloops from Sanyo ... Gee, enough said, I said!