Sony BCG-34HD4 Quick Charger with 4 AA Nimh Batteries

Rating:
Summary: Charges 2 (not 4) AAA batteries
Review: Amazon's description for the Sony BCG-34HD4 charger is misleading. It can only charge 2 AAA battery (not 4 as described in item's description). It doesn't say it on the charger's package and I only found out about it when I opened the box. Now I can't return it. Please read other reviews before you buy it, don't make the same mistake I did.
Otherwise the charger is OK. It's fast and small and easy to use.

Rating:
Summary: Nice package.
Review: i bought these batteries for a digital camera i had recently bought. with standard batteries i could take about 10 pictures before the batteries were spent but with the 2300 mAh batteries i can take 300 with the flash on. the charger is nice and compact and charges 4 batteries in 4 hours and 2 in about 2.5 hours. its a great package for the price.

Rating:
Summary: Saves money and cuts down on waste.
Review: I got this charger and batteries for a Canon A95 digital camera. I charged the batteries for the first time following the directions that come with the charger (yes, it helps to read directions!). So far, it has been several weeks with many pictures taken, and I have not yet had to recharge the batteries! I haven't figured it using any scientific methods, but I was changing AA's every other day using regular alkaline batteries.

The charger is small, sleek, and did not show any signs of overheating. Yes, it will only charge 2 AAA batteries, not 4 as advertised.

So, five stars from me, so far.

Rating:
Summary: Not the product advertised
Review: I opened the box and found the BCG-34HC4. It does not charges 4 AA and 4 AAA at a time. It can only charge either 1-4 AA or 1-2 AAA at a time. It is neither a smart charger as it has timed charging cycles.

Rating:
Summary: Works well enough, as advertised
Review: It doesn't say so in the product description page here anywhere (and I can't even find this charger on the Sony website), so here you go: it takes about 4.5 hours to fully charge the four 2300mAh batteries that come with the charger. Which I kinda like--I like that it's not a dumb charger (timed charger w/o regard for existing charge or overcharge) like the cheaper Sony charger here on Amazon.com (BCG-34HLD4), nor does it take inordinately long (some others I checked out take as long as 8-12 hours), but it's not a superfast 1-hour charger that super-heats up the batteries during the charge (and potentially reduce the battery service life).

The charger has the outlet plugs built-in, so there is no separate AC adapter. Be sure to keep the charger bay door open during charging to help dissipate the heat.

The batteries are Sanyo-brand ("HR" imprint on them) marketed under the Sony label.

Overall, a nice, compact unit. I recommend it.

Rating:
Summary: sweet charger so far
Review: nice battery life. nice features for a charger. 2300 nimh. good value price. no problems so far. what more can u aks for?

Rating:
Summary: Buy it if you can
Review: Small size makes it very useful when traveling and 2300 mAh batteries are a need these days.

Rating:
Summary: Recommended Charger
Review: This is a very cost effective battery charger. It's a simple flip top design and can charge either four AA or two AAA (You CAN mix them, however you can only charge a maximum of two AAAs at a time). Charge time is generally just over four hours if you charge all four AAs and half that with only two. AAA batteries charge in about an hour and a half by themselves, two hours if paired with AAs.

The charger cuts power to the batteries when they're full. This is a MUST feature as it preserves your battery life extraordinarily. It also is switching (100/240V) meaning you can use it outside the US without hassle (Most of Europe uses 220V). The charger comes bundled with four AA batteries with a 2300mAh capacity which is above standard and last longer. If you have batteries under 2300mAh, this charger can still charge them and cut off the power when necessary (The batteries must be NiMH however).

My only complaint with this would be the fact that the charger just has a flip up/down plug. If you have plugs sitting side by side facing downwards, the charger will occupy three slots. On a standard wall plug (Side by side with the plugs lying horizontal) it only takes up one plug however. You can easily overcome this by using an extension if needed.

All in all, I can 100% recommend this charger. There's another Sony charger slightly cheaper than this one (the BCG-34HLD4). However, pay the extra couple bucks and get this one as the other does not have a power cut off feature. If you need AAA batteries, get the Sony AAA two pack (Model NH-AAA-B2C, Amazon carries them) which are 800mAh.

Rating:
Summary: Rayovac's 15-minute charger is way better
Review: While Sony's "super-quick" charger is a solid product and the price includes 4 high-capacity (2300mAh) NiMH batteries, the charging time is too long, at 4-5 hours. You can find a 1-hour charger at Radio Shack for the same price. Trust me, a lot of times you want to get the batteries charged very quickly, rather than waiting 4 hours.

In fact, I highly recommend Rayovac's 15-minute charger. You do need to get their special 15-minute NiMH batteries, but when you buy the charger it already comes with 2 or 4, depending on the kit. (I believe it's now $25 for the 2-AA kit and $30 or $35 for the 4-AA kit. You can also find them at Radio Shack under the Radio Shack brand, but still made by Rayovac.) When I use my digital cameras (Minolta and the SB-800 flash for my Nikon D70) being able to recharge the batteries in 15 minutes is just awesome. That's 1/16 the time needed on this Sony charger. (Do note that, the Rayovac charger charges regular NiMH batteries in 8 hours.)

BTW, reviwer "H. Yu" is in correct in stating that fast chargers can damage NiMH batteries. Most manufacturers claim that fast charging does not necessarily shortern the battery's life. The speed boost mostly comes in advances in battery chemistry, not some high-voltage forcing charge. Prior to getting the Rayovac 15-minute, I had been usign a RAdio Shack 1-hour charger for years and had charged teh same batteries probably 500 times or more with no depreciation in capacity. I'm a big battery user and NiMH is a godsend that saves money and the environment.

In short, while this Sony charger is a solid NiMH recharger, you may want to spend the same amount of money on a Rayovac 15-minute charger which saves you a lot of time and may come in extermely handy the times when you need your batteries fast. Feel free to write me at hotmail with questions.