Despite lots of devices these days coming with rechargeable batteries built into them, we still use a lot of devices that require regular good old-fashioned removeable and replaceable batteries. Devices such as wall clocks, remote controls, flashlights (torches) etc. are devices that we don’t want to have to sit and wait for a battery to recharge when we need to use them. How many times have the batteries in the TV remote run out of power just as you wanted to watch the one TV program you enjoy? Or the kids have got a brand new electronic toy or game that didn’t come with batteries, and they want to play it straight away? Not a problem, we all have spare batteries in a battery drawer, don’t we? No, not necessarily. Batteries are one of those things that we all mean to have spares of but forget to replace after we have refilled the remotes. Good batteries can be quite expensive so a battery charger with rechargeable batteries is something to consider.
One way to ensure that you always have batteries in the house and help you to save money is to use good quality rechargeable batteries. I think that it is very worthwhile to invest in a battery charger and some rechargeable batteries, especially for items such as clocks and remotes. It means less waste as you are not having to remember to take them to the supermarket be disposed of properly using their battery boxes (if they have them). You shouldn’t really dispose of batteries in with the household rubbish (yes, I know we all do it), they can be a fire hazard. And in the long run they will also save you a lot of money (and depending on what brand of battery you usually buy and how quickly you get through them, it could be a very significant saving).
When I have used battery chargers in the past, they have generally been a device that plugs directly into the wall socket. And I haven’t used one yet that didn’t require batteries to be charged in pairs, until now. HiQuick’s Battery Charger is different, it is a lightweight USB charger (no power adapter supplied) and allows you to charge batteries individually or in different configurations of 1, 2, 3 or 4 batteries and a mix of AA and AAA. The HiQuick battery charger features 4 independent charging slots.
The HiQuick Battery Charger comes with 4 high capacity 2800mAh AA rechargeable batteries and 4 high capacity 1100mAh AAA rechargeable batteries.
In the box:
- HiQuick 4 Bay Battery Charger
- MicroUSB Cable
- 4x AA 2800mAh High Capacity/High Performance Rechargeable Batteries
- 4x AAA 1100mAh High Capacity/High Performance Rechargeable Batteries
- Manual
The HiQuick Battery Charger is supplied with 4x AAA and 4x AA high capacity batteries which are pre-charged and ready for use straight out of the box.
This is a battery charger that uses a 5v USB connection to charge the batteries. As with most devices these days that use USB charging, it doesn’t come with a wall plug as we all have plenty of these in the house. I prefer this as it reduces waste (I already have a drawer full of them that I don’t use) and helps to bring down the cost of items. You will need to use your own USB plug that has a power output of 5V 2A, or you can plug it into a laptop, power bank or even the USB socket in your car. The charger is connected using a MicroUSB cable (supplied with the charger).
With the HiQuick charger you can charge 1-4 batteries independently and you can mix the AAA with the AA batteries. Just pop the batteries into the charger, plug the charger in and leave them to charge. Simple. What I love about the HiQuick battery charger is that once you power it on, it has a display for each battery compartment. This display shows the condition of the batteries and charging status. I also love that whilst it has four battery slots you don’t have to have them all full or have batteries in pairs to charge them – each slot is individually charged with the status of each slot shown on the display.
Charging time is reasonably fast. It only takes about 3.5 hours to charge the HiQuick AA 2800mAh rechargeable batteries, whether you have put 1 or 4 batteries into the charger and about 2 hours for the AAA 1100mAh batteries. You can also put in AA and AAA batteries at the same time in any slot and they will individually charge, with the display for each slot letting you know when that individual battery is charged.
Despite it doing its job excellently and charging the batteries (what more could you want from a battery charger?), it is also equipped with some excellent intelligent safety features to protect the charger and batteries from damage. If you somehow manage to put the batteries in the wrong way round or use non-rechargeable batteries it will detect the problem and switch off. It also switches to trickle charge when batteries are fully charged to prevent overcharging, overcurrent and overvoltage – helping to keep your batteries in top condition.
Features:
- Reverse Polarity Protection
- Overcharge Protection
- Overcurrent Protection
- Overvoltage Protection
- Overheating Protection
- Short-circuit Protection
The HiQuick rechargeable batteries can be charged over 1200 times, making them vastly cheaper and more cost-effective than regular non-rechargeable batteries. They also feature low self-discharge when not in use, which allows them to maintain over 80% capacity even after not being used for up to 3 years. Perfect for always having batteries with a good charge in them left in the drawer.
Overall, the HiQuick Battery Charger is excellent, as are the high capacity rechargeable batteries. As it is a USB charger, it can be used from a wall socket, laptop or power bank – making it very portable and one that can be used anywhere. The charger is simple to use. The independent charging slots make it much easier to charge single batteries or four batteries easily and in any combination of AA and AAA – no pairing of batteries required. And the handy display shows which battery is still charging and which ones are fully charged.
The batteries are excellent. With a high capacity charge, they are perfect for low powered devices such as remote controls as well as high powered devices such as my old digital camera that doesn’t work with cheap batteries. The battery life is excellent (although this obviously varies depending on what you are using them in). In my X-box game controllers they work very well and last just as long as big brand name alkaline batteries (and it saves me a fortune in not having to buy and replace batteries, even with the cost of recharging them).
With a retail price of £19.99 for the charger and 8 high capacity rechargeable batteries (4x AA, 4x AAA), I think that it is a bargain, and you will soon recover the cost in the savings made in not having to constantly buy batteries. The batteries have a good life and can be charged 1200 times so you will get a good few years out of them.
In a time when we are all trying to be a bit more careful with how we spend our hard-earned money, why waste money buying expensive batteries for your TV remotes, game controllers and all those other power hungry devices when you can just use good quality rechargeable batteries? You really can’t go wrong with the HiQuick Battery Charger and Rechargeable Batteries.
Rating: 5/5
RRP: £19.99
Available to buy from Amazon here.