I spent thousands of dollars on a dive trip to a remote location off New Guinea, and then lost some crucial underwater shots because some of the batteries I was using in my digital camera pooped out. I should have had a good battery tester years ago, and for people in my situation this tester's $30 price is a drop in the bucket.
Of course the question then is--which tester? After hours of research I concluded that the tester needed to be a powered one like this. The cheaper unpowered ones aren't accurate enough.
This is compact, appears to be rugged, and is a snap to use. It takes two seconds to run a test. You put the positive end of your battery against the protruding nubbin in the middle of the appropriate location on the tester's face (different ones for rechargeable 1.2V batteries vs. nonrechargeable 1.5V alkaline batteries). The tester has a probe attached to a cord attached to the tester (the whole thing presses into a groove on the perimeter of the tester when not in use). You push a little button on the side of the tester to turn it on (it turns itself off automatically if you don't use it for a while). You press the tip of the probe against the base of the battery being tested (the negative end). Unless the battery is totally dead, the LEDs on the top of the tester all light up sequentially back and forth for two seconds, then stop on the light that corresponds to the amount of charge in the battery (20%, 40%, 60%, 80%, or an unlabeled LED that corresponds to 100% I believe). If the battery is below 20% no LEDs will stay lit.
The batteries can be AAA, AA, C, or D--the procedure is identical in each case. 9V batteries don't use the probe--you stick them over the appropriate 2-nubbin spot on the tester and twist the battery so the nubbins contact each of the contacts on the battery.
I just used this to test hundreds of batteries that had accumulated here, both alkaline and rechargeable of every size it tests.
For alkalines the process is unambiguous. You test, you get a reading, you know whether the battery is useable for critical functions or not, or is useable at all.
For rechargeables, as the enclosed instructions note, readings may vary, and you'll need to test the same battery over and over to get a feel for its rechargeability. I found that fresh rechargeables gave clear readings quickly. For some older batteries, if I tested them, say, six times, I might get readings across the entire spectrum, from 0% to 100%. Ultimately I'd have to guess.
This isn't necessarily a problem with the tester. It simply may not be possible to get a quicker, less ambiguous reading for an older rechargeable battery.
Likewise it isn't necessarily a flaw of the tester that it doesn't say how long a rechargeable battery will hold its charge. I wound up charging every battery, using a wonderful $90 pulse charger (Maha MH-C808M), testing them all, sorting them into groups based on that initial testing, then waiting a day and testing them again to see if any had lost significant charge over the day. That got me my final group.
It was frustrating to have to check a given battery over and over and finally have to guess...but as I said, the good batteries I'd take back to New Guinea with me generally showed up quickly.
You need 4 AAA batteries to power this tester. I recommend using Sanyo Eneloop batteries for this purpose--I now use them for everything where a device will just sit there for months, then need to work. They're not as high-powered as non-low-discharge rechargeable batteries, but that's not needed for this use.
So yes, get this charger. Don't get an unpowered one--they're not accurate enough to give you reliable results. This one's style is a little hokey--reminds me of the equipment in my dad's TV repair shop back in the '50s. But it works. That matters more. ZTS Mini 9R Battery Tester - ZTS MINI-MBT9R
I have this product. Since this tester subjects the battery under a real load, I expect the tester's reading to be more accurate. I understand the need to run the tester more than once, since the battery's chemicals may be "settled" when you first test it. Think of it as doing a lab experiment in chemistry or physics class: you can't rely on the result of one reading.
However, after following the manufacturer's instructions (cleaning the device's and battery's terminals, running several tests, etc.), I have doubts about the product's consistency. I agree with the other reviewers who mentioned that the test results seem to be inconsistent after running many tests. For a given battery (alkaline or NiMH) that I know has some charge left (since it still operates the original device), one test may fail to register any readings (the LCD is blank) while another test may read 20%, 40%, or 60%.
I would have expected the readings to stabilize after repeated tests. I received the most inconsistent readings testing AAA and AA batteries (alkaline or NiMH). I received more consistent readings testing D and 9V alkaline batteries (no NiMH available). The only time the tester is consistent is on fresh, new batteries. Repeated tests on those batteries provide readings in the 100% range. Unfortunately, I use AAA and AA batteries the most, so the inconsistent readings on those battery types is really bad.
The product is built with plastic that feels sturdier than other cheap battery testers. However, the inconsistent reading of the AAA and AA tests has given me doubt about this product. Maybe I bought a badly calibrated unit. Unfortunately, with the unit costing $30, I cannot confidently recommend this product.
I got this to test some batteries i had collected from around the house. I got a blank readings on about half the batteries I checked. That would be fine if it meant the batteries were dead, problem is, I get the same reading if I slip in the middle of the test and lose connection. Some batteries don't register at all. In both these instances,I tried the batteries in my battery charger that has an lcd screen and half the time the batteries gave me a reading in it. My battery charger isn't portable though and only works with AA and AAA's.
Summarization: Doesn't always work. Thinking about sending this tester back. If is was a cheap $5 one, these problems might be acceptable, but this was supposed to be a quality battery tester and I still don't know what kind of charges my batteries have. - Battery - Battery Testers - Battery Checker - It Works'
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