Ansmann a reputable German company's Powerline 4 Professional Battery Charger goes neck to neck with a multinational company La Crosse's Technology Alpha Power Battery Charger, BC1000 This review will attempt to make certain similarities and differences so that you can judge which is better.
Both Powerline 4 Professional Battery Charger and Technology Alpha Power Battery Charger, BC1000 are very good NiMH battery chargers, I own BC-900 which I bought in March 2008 from Amazon for $39.99 and I still use it regularly and has been a very good charger for all my NiMH charging needs. When Amazon offered me to review Ansmann's charger the features that attracted me was the ability to use this charger in car as well as the ability to charge USB devices (max up-to 1A)
Due to voltage conversion from 12VDC to required voltages to charge AA NiMH batteries the Ansmann's charger seems to run hotter than La Crosse's charger. The batteries themselves are slightly warmer in comparison during charging when compared to La Crosse's chargers even-though the charging current is seen to be lower than La Crosse's charger's 1A max per battery when used on all 4 batteries simultaneously.
BTW, La Crosse's chargers uses a powerful 3v Power brick @ 4 Amps to charge the batteries and La Crosse's power brick seems very efficient and does not get hot during charging especially when you use 200mA charging current. This gentle default charging current on La Crosse's chargers might actually extend the life of your precious NiMH batteries in the long run.
I personally never charge my NiMH batteries anything more than 500mA for extended periods of time as rapid charging ruins the batteries in the long run. Ansmann's charger defaults to about 600mA for AA NiMH which is gentle enough but faster than default of 200mA from La Crosse's charger which seems like a perfect balance for charging versus time required for charging.
PROS
Both Powerline 4 Professional Battery Charger and Technology Alpha Power Battery Charger, BC1000 are very good NiMH battery chargers, I own BC-900 which I bought in March 2008 from Amazon for $39.99 and I still use it regularly and has been a very good charger for all my NiMH charging needs. When Amazon offered me to review Ansmann's charger the features that attracted me was the ability to use this charger in car as well as the ability to charge USB devices (max up-to 1A)
Due to voltage conversion from 12VDC to required voltages to charge AA NiMH batteries the Ansmann's charger seems to run hotter than La Crosse's charger. The batteries themselves are slightly warmer in comparison during charging when compared to La Crosse's chargers even-though the charging current is seen to be lower than La Crosse's charger's 1A max per battery when used on all 4 batteries simultaneously.
BTW, La Crosse's chargers uses a powerful 3v Power brick @ 4 Amps to charge the batteries and La Crosse's power brick seems very efficient and does not get hot during charging especially when you use 200mA charging current. This gentle default charging current on La Crosse's chargers might actually extend the life of your precious NiMH batteries in the long run.
I personally never charge my NiMH batteries anything more than 500mA for extended periods of time as rapid charging ruins the batteries in the long run. Ansmann's charger defaults to about 600mA for AA NiMH which is gentle enough but faster than default of 200mA from La Crosse's charger which seems like a perfect balance for charging versus time required for charging.
PROS
- Ansmann's charger can be used in home or car to charge AA, AAA and USB devices
- Currently cheaper than La Crosse's BC-1000 (But List prices are same as BC-1000)
CONS
- The LCD display readout is poor because of tiny fonts
- There is more heat generated from Ansmann's charger when compared to La Crosse's
- Cannot charge 4 batteries at 1Amp in a hurry when compared to La Crosse's charger.
- La Crosse's charger comes with tons of goodies and a travel carry bag this has none!
It is difficult to rate this charger with 4 stars due to the observations made. In reality it is about 3 ½ stars worth when compared to near perfect La Crosse's charger. The only reason I would pick Ansmann's charger is because of the ability to charge your NiMH batteries in your car giving you total freedom from wall outlet when you travel plus gives you the ability to charge your cellphone via USB port on the back of the Ansmann's charger.
La Crosse's charger is proven good as it has been in the market since 2006 But Ansmann's charger is new on the market and longevity on the product as well as life of your NiMH batteries is unknown at this point in time.
Bottom-line:
A decent charger (hence my 3 stars) for most scenarios and a serious contender for La Crosse's chargers in this price range & features.
You can get one of this from Amazon by using the link below:
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