Be charged and ready to go with La Crosse Technology's BC500 portable battery charger. Optimum simultaneous charging of AA & AAA batteries with separate cell display. Charges at a rate of 500mA and won't overcharge as the LCD displays voltage charging current charging percentage and cumulative capacity for each cell compartment with simple one button operation. Also detects a defective battery from charging and works with all NiCd & NiMH AA and AAA rechargeable batteries. With a maximum performance it also includes 2 AA rechargeable batteries AC/DC adapter and car adapter for when you're on the go.
- Portable charger for all NiCd and NiMH rechargeable AA and AAA batteries
- Simultaneous recharge; different current for each channel; can charge discharge or test
- Overheat detection to prevent over-charging; detects defective batteries
- Comes with 2 AA batteries AC/DC power adapter and car adapter
- Measures 2 by 3 by 5 inches; 1-year warranty included
Handicapped version of BC900
Just in case you were looking for the La Crosse Technology BC-900 AlphaPower Battery Charger: please be advised that ths is NOT the same charger.
Except for the color the BC700 looks exactly the same as the better-known BC900. However it is actually a "handicapped" version of the old charger. Its charging current can only go up to 700mA in three steps (200/500/700). The BC900 on the other hand can go up to 1000mA for 4 cells or 1800mA for 2 cells. Also the BC900 package includes eight NiMH rechargeable cells (4 AA and 4 AAA) eight C/D cell adaptors and a carrying case. The BC700 does not come with any bonus items.
This is not to say that the BC700 is a bad product. Quite the contrary it is better than any other NiMH AA chargers in the market except for BC900 and Maha MH-C9000. If you can find it at a substantial saving (like maybe 30% off from the price of BC900) it is still a good buy. But as it is right now I recommend getting its older brother instead.
[update on June 13 2008]
Recently the price of BC700 has settled to a level much lower than that of BC900 (partially because the price of BC900 has gone up) so it is now an excellent buy - especially if you intend to buy some low-self-discharge NiMH cells separately. In light of this the criticism in my original review now seems unnecessarily harsh. Too bad I'm not allowed to change the star-rating for this product.
[Update on April 7 2010]
I hope my overly critical review above did not discourage anyone from buying the BC-700. As of this moment it is the best value if you are looking for an advanced battery charger/analyzer. This is because:
- The BC-9009 has been recalled recently due to excessive overheating/meltdown incidents.
- The Powerex WizardOne Battery Charger-Analyzer is more powerful but costs twice as much as the BC-700.
- The newest La Crosse BC500 has severely limited functions compared to the BC-700 (see my review for details) yet it costs more.
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