@sc0ttk I've been using an alkaline recharger for several years with no problems. Eventually many of them will leak, but I haven't ruined any electronics yet.
jeez… I already have about 3 or 4 battery chargers from the reusbale battery packs I've bought from Costco over the years. If I really want to recharge batteries, I'm just going to keep getting those. (But thanks anyway, Meh.)
@haydesigner the costco ones aren't the best. I picked up a good one from Amazon. And no neither charge alkaline batteries. I wouldn't want to for the leaks alone.
@Deucel I think I've mentioned before how I feel about violating meaningless rules that needlessly hinder my freedom of expression. If you didn't catch that other post, here ya go: (I mean no substantive personal offense. FWIW, one of my best friends in the world likes to correct my meme usage. I just tell him, "FYP." His name is Paul. I like to think that memes, which are themselves a sort of cliche and codification of everything stale in language--don't get me wrong, they can be useful--very much deserve to be violated. So, you're welcome.)
@mehdaf & @thismyusername I also tried the 'Amazon Basics' versions of Eneloops, which are actually rebranded Sanyo Eneloops and work as good or (IMHO) better than the more expensive Eneloops. I made the conversion to rechargeables last summer and the whole family's been happy using them in all our battery-operated devices. I couldn't believe how many alkaline batteries we had saved for "recycling" over the last 8 years...we had 4 boxes, each weighing 30lbs. SUCH a waste, especially when I'm unsure weather our town truly recycles them properly! Remotes, toothbrushes, gamepads, clocks, etc work just as well with Eneloops/AmazonBasics and they only take a few hours to recharge. I'll never buy disposables again!
@Kerig3 the only thing that gave me issues with the rechargables is a wiimote. I contacted support as it was brand new and didn't work they said are you using rechargables? Try alkaline oh yup our products don't work well with rechargables only use alkaline batteries. Again wouldn't use this charger on the batteries though.
@sohmageek Were you using Eneloops? I myself had nothing but problems with rechargeables until I tested a set of Eneloops, which I tried in all my devices until I was sold on them as being substantialy better than Nimh or NiCad.
@Kerig3 yes I was. The only thing I've been able to get to work with the special edition Zelda gold wiimote is alkaline. The old wiimote stay came with the system work fine with rechargables. It's something with the motion plus that didn't work.
Actually, "Eneloop" is more accurate than "Sanyo". Panasonic has owned Sanyo for serveral years. And Panasonic has eliminated "Sanyo" from the branding, now calling them "Panasonic Eneloops". Great NiMH rechargeable batteries. But you need the latest generation - they hold their charge sitting on the shelf far better.
@kevincoleman@jaredblane They seem to work better than the early generation Eneloops that I bought 2 years ago, which is when they used to come in bright colors only. If you read the reviews on Amazon there is a long, very detailed review by an electrical engineer who explains the different versions. He had also tested each brand and version and concluded that the Amazon Basic versions are no different in performance than the recent version of Eneloops (the version sold about 8 months ago). Is he BSing? I read it and didn't think so and now my own experience tells me that the white-labeled Eneloops and the white-labeled Amazon Basics perform identically. I'm just trying to help others out there. You want to buy alkalines and try recharging them, then go for it. Makes no difference to me. :-P
Well look who the fuck decided to show up again,Twofer Tuesday that dirty filthy temptress. In her absence she apparently learned dark magic and now has the ability to charge batteries that shouldn't be charged. KILL THE WITCH....well shit, better buy some so I can do my own magic, like a mother fucking sorcerer!
@studerc Maybe you can plug it into your brain and recharge your thoughts and come up with a new line every Tuesday morning its getting old ty in advance
@mellowirishgent ive been doing this bit since the first Twofer Tuesday. Its like tradition. I attempt to mix it up for each unique product. Yea, I know, you are embarrassed now at the ass you have made of yourself. I hope in the future you just mellow the fuck out and act a bit more gentlemanly.
@studerc Its a bit? oh i missed that ...lol..come to the same show every week with the same joke its not funny anymore or remotely entertaining , bet it got a a few smiles the first 20 weeks you posted but honest give it break you sound like a fucking moron..
@mellowirishgent imma go ahead and keep doing my thing. In the meantime, you can keep doing your thing, whatever that may be since this is the first time ive even heard of you. Your opinion has been noted. Thanks for playing.
@studerc You have a bad memory like your jokes , the first time i posted on here you posted some nasty shit about my post for no other reason but to be mean and clever that was uncalled for and inspired your lil fan club of 4 to do the same so dont act like you never heard of me thats bullshit and you know it , you reap what you sow brother so get over it ..
@mellowirishgent Honest to goodness, i dont remember you, but im sure your vendetta must come from something. Also, i have a fan club?! There is nothing for me to get over, im gonna keep living my life the same as ever. You are the one who is clearly upset. Its actually getting quite humorous to see this unfold. A secret vendetta slowly eating away at you until a sudden blowout, a cute plot twist.
Not sure if you have even noticed, but you have no one supporting your argument, clearly you are the one that should check themselves before you wreck yourself.
@studerc As far as I can tell from a quick search, you corrected his grammar one time and he lost his shit. He seems to make a habit of flipping out on people and apparently holding grudges. Also, can I be in your fan club? Do we get decoder rings?
@Kerig3@RedOak I think even if I only ever use them for rechargeable batteries it'll be worth it since I don't think my current battery charger likes to charge right if the batteries have varying degrees of juice left. I may not ever get the nerve up to try alkalines though.
@Tikael i'll third it. @tikael I haven't tried the Amazon basics however I only buy when there is a real good sale on. I've also tried sony's version (came with the charger I got which is a smart quick charge) and they seem to be great also.
@sourhead Pick up a MaHa C9000 charger, or the equivalent. It has the break-in function and the refresh function. It will tell you when one of your pair of cells starts going bad (and it can "fix" bad ones - though you will have to replace it soon). Knowing what the capacity is of your cells makes ALL the difference.
@Fej I agree with the leakage. I tried out some equivalent chargers when they first came out in the 90's with special purpose built Alkaline Rechargeable batteries, and the main problem was leakage... the batteries would randomly leak after charging in your device. Aaack!!! Also the alkaline charging works best if the battery was lightly used, charging a fully depleted battery increased the chance of it leaking greatly.
@trisk To elaborate, the "heavy duty" batteries you find at the dollar store are zinc-carbon, not alkaline. Zinc carbon batteries are the cheapest (and crappiest) batteries you can pretty much buy. Although still useful in a pinch.
@rileyper Thanks for this. On the youtube page it notes: UPDATE - I thought I should mentioned that every single battery I recharged started leaking within a few weeks of charging it. So even on the batteries that appeared to take some charge, ultimately it killed the battery.
I had something similar from "Buddy L" back in the day. I think If these ever had a chance of working, it was back when disposable batteries had a higher safety margin of thicker zinc that comprised the can. Now with batteries being made as cheap as possible they might even leak before they get to you. Spend your $12 on rechargeable NiMH and you will be happier, IMHO. I would only buy this if you have a ton of freshly used disposables lying around and you don't use high drain devices, and don't care if they leak in your device.
@mehdaf What you describe are the "heavy duty" type of primary cell, not for use with this or the famed Buddy L. An alkaline cell has a steel can which contains Manganese Dioxide, Zinc slurry, and Potassium Hydroxide electrolyte. Interesting (maybe) is that a heavy duty cell, the container is the negative electrode and in the alkaline, the can is the positive electrode. The heavy duty leak and suck because their reaction eats up the container, the Zinc can. They have extremely low capacity because the Zinc can needs to be wrapped up in shitty cardboard to absorb the inevitable leak. That cardboard uses precious space.
Hey @mehvermore thanks for the clarification! Apparently I was describing a Zinc Carbon battery. I appreciate your detail, I learned something today! I just remember reading something about the Zinc can dissolving at some point in the past. Do you know what the limitation is that only allows recharging alkalines 40 times or so?
@mehdaf Ha! Glad you enjoyed it. I can talk far too much about batteries. The basic primary cell design is the fundamental problem. The surface area where the two compounds meet is relatively small. That's where the chemical reaction takes place on discharge and charge. With each cycle, that interface gets degraded with byproducts of the charge/discharge reactions. That builds a resistive wall between the compounds. Also Zinc is especially good at growing projections called dendrites. Those can cause a different problem where the dendrites pierce the separator and internally short the cell. Cylindrical rechargeable (aka secondary) cells use a "jelly roll" design where you have 3 components in a long sheet, an anode/spearator/cathode sandwich. It gets wrapped up in a roll and stuffed in the can. You gain a huge advantage in the surface area of the reaction so the dis/recharge reaction is distributed and more effective. You get a massive increase isn the discharge rate (for example power tools) However, there is less active material so the capacity is lower (lots more separator and electrolyte), and you lose shelf life (all that extra surface area allows more internal discharge). Flat rechargeables aka "prismatic" can have a flattened jelly roll. Also, some are just a sandwich with no folds. Seems like a good compromise...more surface, lots of active material, lower self discharge. The problem with prismatics is structural integrity of the can...they tend to swell. True for primary and secondary. So why not jelly roll an alkaline? You can but you end up with an expensive process, a lower capacity rechargeable, and the dendrite issue.
I bought rechargeable batteries for the TV remote, they died when I was out of town and someone in the house threw them away! Had only been recharged once!
@Kyser_Soze also happened to me. After that rechargables were relegated to high use devices only, like cameras (remember when they took AA's) and helicopters. I use those Meh Fujitsu batteries for all my remotes...
Purchased for Father's (in-law) Day, and because I've been on a roll with the order numbers. Let's just say that I'm still on a roll, though not necessarily with the in-laws...
As a fire Battalion Chief, not only is this a fire hazard, I doubt it is UL listed. To many Mah into a alkaline battery without temperature control. Buy a $7.00 Chinese smoke detector while you're at it.
@craigcush do you have a link to the fire detectors? Are they by chance ones that work with the 10 year battery in them. And please tell me they don't have carbon monoxide detectors built in...
The capacity of a recharged alkaline battery declines with number of recharges, until it becomes unusable after typically about ten cycles.
Some reactions are readily reversible, some are not. The reactions used in most alkaline batteries fall into the latter category. In particular, the metallic zinc generated by driving a reverse current through the cell will generally not return to its original location in the cell, and may form crystals that damage the separator layer between battery anode and electrolyte.[citation needed]
Related note: I recently learned that you can tell if a battery is dead by dropping it on a hard surface. If it bounces, it's low or dead. I tried it, it really works!
@sligett - Not sure if you're serious. There are many versions of this video available online. If you think this is bogus, and if it matters to you, you can Google it.
From an EE; Primary cells have reversible chemistry, but suffer much from multiple cycles; 10 cycles is generally considered the max, with a decline in performance after each charge. The electrical technique to charge them is different from other battery chemistries; you will more likely cause leakage (multiple safety hazard) with a charger meant for a different battery chemistry; alkalines are recharged much more slowly. These are the main factors contributing to the unpopularity of recharging alkaline cells: Low reusability, slow recharge, increased risk of fizzing, hazardous chemicals leaking out (and if you can believe Amazon reviews, explosions).
This is nothing new. Had this in the 1960s for my plastic roadway electric cars. They would burn through AAAs in five minutes, and my parents wouldn't spend money on batteries. The charger kept them going.
Product idea: battery condoms. These would have metallic ends, so the electricity can get out, and battery chemistry resistant and heat resistant polymer sleeves, so the nasty chemicals stay in.
Two battery condoms are required per battery. Alkaline batteries are most likely to leak from the seal at the negative end. Apply a condom to the negative end first and unroll it completely. Apply the second condom to the positive end and make sure it is unrolled completely. If done correctly, any battery leakage will have to travel nearly the length of the battery to get out of the first condom, and then travel back to the other end of the battery to leak past the second condom.
Carbon zinc batteries are sealed at the positive end, so put the condoms on positive end first.
Only recommended for mature products.
I figure they could be sold for about a dollar each ($2 per battery), and would need to be thrown away each time a battery leaked. Extremely limited practical value, but with the right marketing, they might have a high humor factor.
Who is ready to help make a kickstarter video, design the packaging, and create the T-shirts?
@JonT Until you deign to sell me a meter with proper banana plugs I'll likely never know. When I lived in Corpus Christi, we'd peel our bananas before eating, is that still the custom?
They arrived yesterday. I had 4 aa's in a motion sensor light that was starting to get dim so, I popped them into the charger. It took all night for the last of the 4 to recharge but, the light is a full strength again.
Specs
Condition: New
Warranty: 90 Day Harvest Direct
Estimated Delivery: 6/18 - 6/22
Shipping: $5 or free with VMP
What’s in the Box?
2x Mighty Charger
2x User Manual
Pictures
Retail boxes
Chargers charging
Chargers not charging
Side view
Price Comparison
$34.34 (For 2) at Amazon
Find a relevant price comparison? Please share it in a comment in this thread
Warranty
90 days
This seems like witchcraft....
Seems like it could be dangerous.
@Nexar Agreed. disposable batteries weren't meant to be recharged. Seems very dangerous to try.
@sc0ttk I've been using an alkaline recharger for several years with no problems. Eventually many of them will leak, but I haven't ruined any electronics yet.
@bruno187 Meh, just battery acid. What could go wrong?
jeez… I already have about 3 or 4 battery chargers from the reusbale battery packs I've bought from Costco over the years. If I really want to recharge batteries, I'm just going to keep getting those. (But thanks anyway, Meh.)
@haydesigner But those Costco chargers don't work magic like this one.
@haydesigner the costco ones aren't the best. I picked up a good one from Amazon. And no neither charge alkaline batteries. I wouldn't want to for the leaks alone.
Charging disposable batteries? What's next? Ripping the "do not remote this tag" tag from my mattress? It's chaos.
@lichme
@lichme Didn't they rephrase those tags with "unless by customer," a while back?
How old is that mattres?
@lichme OK...I'll bite. I find my mattress works best if I use it on the bed frame, and not remotely....like some others prefer.
@MechaDucky They always said consumer, the people making the jokes about them didn't find that part funny.
@joelmw Meme police here, you are using Hindsight meme incorrectly! This is your first warning. https://imgflip.com/memegenerator/Captain-Hindsight
@Deucel I think I've mentioned before how I feel about violating meaningless rules that needlessly hinder my freedom of expression. If you didn't catch that other post, here ya go:
(I mean no substantive personal offense. FWIW, one of my best friends in the world likes to correct my meme usage. I just tell him, "FYP." His name is Paul. I like to think that memes, which are themselves a sort of cliche and codification of everything stale in language--don't get me wrong, they can be useful--very much deserve to be violated. So, you're welcome.)
MEH! Eneloop FTW!
I now no longer use or buy disposable batteries.
@Kerig3 eh, call a Sanyo a Sanyo
Ever try Powerex NiMH? They are really good IMHO.
@mehdaf I love my MaHa PowerEx 2700mAh AA's :D (I also love my eneloops)
@mehdaf & @thismyusername I also tried the 'Amazon Basics' versions of Eneloops, which are actually rebranded Sanyo Eneloops and work as good or (IMHO) better than the more expensive Eneloops. I made the conversion to rechargeables last summer and the whole family's been happy using them in all our battery-operated devices. I couldn't believe how many alkaline batteries we had saved for "recycling" over the last 8 years...we had 4 boxes, each weighing 30lbs. SUCH a waste, especially when I'm unsure weather our town truly recycles them properly! Remotes, toothbrushes, gamepads, clocks, etc work just as well with Eneloops/AmazonBasics and they only take a few hours to recharge. I'll never buy disposables again!
@Kerig3 the only thing that gave me issues with the rechargables is a wiimote. I contacted support as it was brand new and didn't work they said are you using rechargables? Try alkaline oh yup our products don't work well with rechargables only use alkaline batteries. Again wouldn't use this charger on the batteries though.
@sohmageek Were you using Eneloops? I myself had nothing but problems with rechargeables until I tested a set of Eneloops, which I tried in all my devices until I was sold on them as being substantialy better than Nimh or NiCad.
@Kerig3 yes I was. The only thing I've been able to get to work with the special edition Zelda gold wiimote is alkaline. The old wiimote stay came with the system work fine with rechargables. It's something with the motion plus that didn't work.
@sohmageek All I use in wiimotes are Eneloops and they work great. I can't imagine there's anything internally different on the gold wiimote. Odd.
@Kerig3 If they're "rebranded eneloops," how could they possibly work better than eneloops?
@mehdaf
" @Kerig3 eh, call a Sanyo a Sanyo..."
Actually, "Eneloop" is more accurate than "Sanyo". Panasonic has owned Sanyo for serveral years. And Panasonic has eliminated "Sanyo" from the branding, now calling them "Panasonic Eneloops". Great NiMH rechargeable batteries. But you need the latest generation - they hold their charge sitting on the shelf far better.
@kevincoleman Logic does not apply to some. Welcome to 'Merica!
@kevincoleman @jaredblane They seem to work better than the early generation Eneloops that I bought 2 years ago, which is when they used to come in bright colors only. If you read the reviews on Amazon there is a long, very detailed review by an electrical engineer who explains the different versions. He had also tested each brand and version and concluded that the Amazon Basic versions are no different in performance than the recent version of Eneloops (the version sold about 8 months ago). Is he BSing? I read it and didn't think so and now my own experience tells me that the white-labeled Eneloops and the white-labeled Amazon Basics perform identically. I'm just trying to help others out there. You want to buy alkalines and try recharging them, then go for it. Makes no difference to me. :-P
I'll wait for this to come around and see how others found it
@WilhelmScreamer or you could read the 8 reviews on amazon. (good as a rechargeable battery charger, don't use disposables.)
@rileyper I read them all also thats not what they say !!!
@WilhelmScreamer They will never find them, they will toss them in a drawer and forget about them.
Well look who the fuck decided to show up again,Twofer Tuesday that dirty filthy temptress. In her absence she apparently learned dark magic and now has the ability to charge batteries that shouldn't be charged. KILL THE WITCH....well shit, better buy some so I can do my own magic, like a mother fucking sorcerer!
@studerc Maybe you can plug it into your brain and recharge your thoughts and come up with a new line every Tuesday morning its getting old ty in advance
@mellowirishgent That's unduly harsh. If that is his/her bit it seems harmless. Not everything is up to knivesandspeakerdocks.com comedy level.
@mellowirishgent You're not quite living up to your mellow and gentlemanly name, sir.
@mellowirishgent ive been doing this bit since the first Twofer Tuesday. Its like tradition. I attempt to mix it up for each unique product. Yea, I know, you are embarrassed now at the ass you have made of yourself. I hope in the future you just mellow the fuck out and act a bit more gentlemanly.
@studerc Its a bit? oh i missed that ...lol..come to the same show every week with the same joke its not funny anymore or remotely entertaining , bet it got a a few smiles the first 20 weeks you posted but honest give it break you sound like a fucking moron..
@mellowirishgent imma go ahead and keep doing my thing. In the meantime, you can keep doing your thing, whatever that may be since this is the first time ive even heard of you. Your opinion has been noted. Thanks for playing.
@studerc Thanks for my first smile each Tuesday. Let's not feed the @mellowirishtroll He gets a bit cranky at times.
@studerc You have a bad memory like your jokes , the first time i posted on here you posted some nasty shit about my post for no other reason but to be mean and clever that was uncalled for and inspired your lil fan club of 4 to do the same so dont act like you never heard of me thats bullshit and you know it , you reap what you sow brother so get over it ..
@mellowirishgent Honest to goodness, i dont remember you, but im sure your vendetta must come from something. Also, i have a fan club?! There is nothing for me to get over, im gonna keep living my life the same as ever. You are the one who is clearly upset. Its actually getting quite humorous to see this unfold. A secret vendetta slowly eating away at you until a sudden blowout, a cute plot twist.
Not sure if you have even noticed, but you have no one supporting your argument, clearly you are the one that should check themselves before you wreck yourself.
@mellowirishgent It is one of the highest rated comments in the thread. It looks like you're in the minority with that opinion.
@studerc As far as I can tell from a quick search, you corrected his grammar one time and he lost his shit. He seems to make a habit of flipping out on people and apparently holding grudges. Also, can I be in your fan club? Do we get decoder rings?
I should of gotten the smaller bucket. Missed the always entertaining/sad internet fight.
Meh, not for me
Hmm, I'm really tempted, I've been looking for a charger that will do individual battery charging for my piles of eneloops.
I'm going to have buyer's remorse in the morning, aren't I?
@PurplePawprints No, not really.
@PurplePawprints Do you use batteries?
@Kerig3 @RedOak I think even if I only ever use them for rechargeable batteries it'll be worth it since I don't think my current battery charger likes to charge right if the batteries have varying degrees of juice left. I may not ever get the nerve up to try alkalines though.
I've found batteries that are intended to be recharged are more trouble than they are worth.
@sourhead Have you tried Eneloops?
@Kerig3 I'll second the Eneloops suggestion. They are fantastic.
@Tikael Or try the 'Amazon Basics' version which are rebranded Sanyo Eneloops at a better price.
@Tikael i'll third it. @tikael I haven't tried the Amazon basics however I only buy when there is a real good sale on. I've also tried sony's version (came with the charger I got which is a smart quick charge) and they seem to be great also.
@sourhead Pick up a MaHa C9000 charger, or the equivalent. It has the break-in function and the refresh function. It will tell you when one of your pair of cells starts going bad (and it can "fix" bad ones - though you will have to replace it soon). Knowing what the capacity is of your cells makes ALL the difference.
@sourhead Thanks for all the responses! I'd love to not have to buy a gross of batteries the next time Meh offers them.
Meh. Apparently these could cause leakage and/or fire. Not worth the risk.
@Fej I agree with the leakage. I tried out some equivalent chargers when they first came out in the 90's with special purpose built Alkaline Rechargeable batteries, and the main problem was leakage... the batteries would randomly leak after charging in your device. Aaack!!! Also the alkaline charging works best if the battery was lightly used, charging a fully depleted battery increased the chance of it leaking greatly.
Will it charge rechargeable batteries?
@Rstoker Yes, in fact that's all I'm going to use this for.
meh, but i'm in for a pair anyway. i hope that next week's two for tuesday involves alchemy.
So has to be alkaline, not those "heavy duty" batteries you get at the dollar store?
@jeraden Any disposable AA or AAA batteries you can find in stores are alkaline
@trisk wrong, they specifically have non-alkaline batteries in dollar stores. they suck.
@trisk To elaborate, the "heavy duty" batteries you find at the dollar store are zinc-carbon, not alkaline. Zinc carbon batteries are the cheapest (and crappiest) batteries you can pretty much buy. Although still useful in a pinch.
@rileyper this was a very informative video
@rileyper thanks, cool video. Sums it up well
@rileyper Thanks for this. On the youtube page it notes: UPDATE - I thought I should mentioned that every single battery I recharged started leaking within a few weeks of charging it. So even on the batteries that appeared to take some charge, ultimately it killed the battery.
I had something similar from "Buddy L" back in the day. I think If these ever had a chance of working, it was back when disposable batteries had a higher safety margin of thicker zinc that comprised the can. Now with batteries being made as cheap as possible they might even leak before they get to you. Spend your $12 on rechargeable NiMH and you will be happier, IMHO. I would only buy this if you have a ton of freshly used disposables lying around and you don't use high drain devices, and don't care if they leak in your device.
@mehdaf What you describe are the "heavy duty" type of primary cell, not for use with this or the famed Buddy L. An alkaline cell has a steel can which contains Manganese Dioxide, Zinc slurry, and Potassium Hydroxide electrolyte. Interesting (maybe) is that a heavy duty cell, the container is the negative electrode and in the alkaline, the can is the positive electrode. The heavy duty leak and suck because their reaction eats up the container, the Zinc can. They have extremely low capacity because the Zinc can needs to be wrapped up in shitty cardboard to absorb the inevitable leak. That cardboard uses precious space.
Hey @mehvermore thanks for the clarification! Apparently I was describing a Zinc Carbon battery. I appreciate your detail, I learned something today! I just remember reading something about the Zinc can dissolving at some point in the past. Do you know what the limitation is that only allows recharging alkalines 40 times or so?
@mehdaf Ha! Glad you enjoyed it. I can talk far too much about batteries. The basic primary cell design is the fundamental problem. The surface area where the two compounds meet is relatively small. That's where the chemical reaction takes place on discharge and charge. With each cycle, that interface gets degraded with byproducts of the charge/discharge reactions. That builds a resistive wall between the compounds. Also Zinc is especially good at growing projections called dendrites. Those can cause a different problem where the dendrites pierce the separator and internally short the cell. Cylindrical rechargeable (aka secondary) cells use a "jelly roll" design where you have 3 components in a long sheet, an anode/spearator/cathode sandwich. It gets wrapped up in a roll and stuffed in the can. You gain a huge advantage in the surface area of the reaction so the dis/recharge reaction is distributed and more effective. You get a massive increase isn the discharge rate (for example power tools) However, there is less active material so the capacity is lower (lots more separator and electrolyte), and you lose shelf life (all that extra surface area allows more internal discharge). Flat rechargeables aka "prismatic" can have a flattened jelly roll. Also, some are just a sandwich with no folds. Seems like a good compromise...more surface, lots of active material, lower self discharge. The problem with prismatics is structural integrity of the can...they tend to swell. True for primary and secondary. So why not jelly roll an alkaline? You can but you end up with an expensive process, a lower capacity rechargeable, and the dendrite issue.
Bath?
I bought rechargeable batteries for the TV remote, they died when I was out of town and someone in the house threw them away! Had only been recharged once!
@Kyser_Soze the lesson is to always take the TV remote with you when you go out of town.
@Kyser_Soze also happened to me. After that rechargables were relegated to high use devices only, like cameras (remember when they took AA's) and helicopters. I use those Meh Fujitsu batteries for all my remotes...
meh, not worth $0. Although these work to some degree, they tend to make the batteries leak. Just use real rechargable batteries.
Just 4 words sum up this offer..."As seen on TV"
well, crap. If I'd known I was going to be seduced into re-upping my VMP, I'd have bought yesterday's hovercraft for pixies.
Purchased for Father's (in-law) Day, and because I've been on a roll with the order numbers. Let's just say that I'm still on a roll, though not necessarily with the in-laws...
laughable-heavy-bun
@elliedan that's a questionable in law gift. They might burn their house down and have to stay with you!
Is it safe?
@PenguinOnTheRox
@PenguinOnTheRox
EBAY 2 FOR$17.98 http://www.ebay.com/itm/MIGHTY-CHARGER-AS-SEEN-ON-TV-FREE-SHIPPING-/231554994754?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item35e9c0d242
@mellowirishgent Shows "open box" and is not less expensive anyway.
@RedOak never said it was "less expensive" but not the deep discount of Amazon comparison either
Dont know if this is such a great buy but i grabbed two just because i havent bought any meh since the radar detectors which came in the mail Monday,
As a fire Battalion Chief, not only is this a fire hazard, I doubt it is UL listed. To many Mah into a alkaline battery without temperature control. Buy a $7.00 Chinese smoke detector while you're at it.
@craigcush do you have a link to the fire detectors? Are they by chance ones that work with the 10 year battery in them. And please tell me they don't have carbon monoxide detectors built in...
@sohmageek I was being sarcastic, they don't work. The CO detectors are even more dangerous. UL listed only thing to buy.
@craigcush I was too. :) I make sure to test the smoke detectors. It's in our lease. But it sets all the testers off in the building. 30 tenants.
no.
Wikipedia has a detailed, though poorly referenced background article on recharging alkaline batteries
Highlights:
minimum-myopic-sparrow
One for me, one for my boss. Is that enough. I hope so.
@shortman Horrifying gif. Ick.
Related note: I recently learned that you can tell if a battery is dead by dropping it on a hard surface. If it bounces, it's low or dead. I tried it, it really works!
@KDemo thx, great tip
@KDemo Did you see at 0:42 where the batteries move? I think they did a swap...
@sligett - Not sure if you're serious. There are many versions of this video available online. If you think this is bogus, and if it matters to you, you can Google it.
@KDemo Cool. I'd never head of it. Thanks. An interesting story about it here http://www.princeton.edu/main/news/archive/S42/72/95S25/index.xml?section=topstories
@sligett That is pretty interesting. I learned some new things today. Thanks for sharing what you found. :-)
@sligett - Interesting. I didn't post this video before because it's longer, but here they saw the batteries open to show the changes inside when they are used up. http://www.geek.com/science/why-do-dead-alkaline-batteries-bounce-1603759/
(Jump to 3:40 to see the insides).
i'll just keep using these Life hacks
@username I needed these life hacks. Reminds me of the App, Stupid Life Hacks lol.
Am I the only one who can't log in on my iPad? Works on laptop and ihphone
@katbyter - I can log in on my iPad, but it never keeps me logged in.
@katbyter @KDemo logged in and seems to always stay logged in for me. (iPad)
I think it is completely wasteful to dispose of a charger after a single recharge! Shame on you meh!
/s
^^^^ LMAO!
this seems like an incredibly dangerous product.
When I first read the name I thought it meant the chargers were disposable...
@Al_Coholic came here to say this.
While the idea of this is cool, I'll pass on the chance of burning down my house to save a few bucks on batteries.
Commercial Time
@Stallion @1:58 Jesus Tapdancing Christ, don't use a recharged battery in your smoke detector!
@PocketBrain if you're going to use a battery that catches fire, it makes sense to use it as close to the detector as possible!
"Minnesota Riviera". giggle
From an EE;
Primary cells have reversible chemistry, but suffer much from multiple cycles; 10 cycles is generally considered the max, with a decline in performance after each charge. The electrical technique to charge them is different from other battery chemistries; you will more likely cause leakage (multiple safety hazard) with a charger meant for a different battery chemistry; alkalines are recharged much more slowly. These are the main factors contributing to the unpopularity of recharging alkaline cells: Low reusability, slow recharge, increased risk of fizzing, hazardous chemicals leaking out (and if you can believe Amazon reviews, explosions).
This is nothing new. Had this in the 1960s for my plastic roadway electric cars. They would burn through AAAs in five minutes, and my parents wouldn't spend money on batteries. The charger kept them going.
If I charge the AAA batteries I bought from Meh I can double my chance of leakage!
@callow That's double it per charge. Just recharging it 4 times will give you a better than 90% chance of leakage.
Product idea: battery condoms. These would have metallic ends, so the electricity can get out, and battery chemistry resistant and heat resistant polymer sleeves, so the nasty chemicals stay in.
Two battery condoms are required per battery. Alkaline batteries are most likely to leak from the seal at the negative end. Apply a condom to the negative end first and unroll it completely. Apply the second condom to the positive end and make sure it is unrolled completely. If done correctly, any battery leakage will have to travel nearly the length of the battery to get out of the first condom, and then travel back to the other end of the battery to leak past the second condom.
Carbon zinc batteries are sealed at the positive end, so put the condoms on positive end first.
Only recommended for mature products.
I figure they could be sold for about a dollar each ($2 per battery), and would need to be thrown away each time a battery leaked. Extremely limited practical value, but with the right marketing, they might have a high humor factor.
Who is ready to help make a kickstarter video, design the packaging, and create the T-shirts?
These can also be used with the Batteriser, another product that is likely to lead to battery leakage. http://www.eevblog.com/2015/06/07/the-batteriser-explained/
There is also a market for battery diapers...
@hamjudo It's still early in the day, but this is my favorite thing on the internet today so far. :-)
Hmm...vivacious-amiable-sandman
This plus leaking Meh batteries= certain death.
I really wanted to buy it, if it was 8$ or 10$ I would've, $12 is just too much.
I just realized that the Mighty Charger hero in the last picture is wearing Meh socks.
@ACraigL how much of a hero are they really though? They don't look too eager to help out that poor blue battery.
@JonT He's a Fuji. Screw 'em.
Can these charge a banana, or would it explode? I might try it, in either case.
@sligett Do your bananas normally need to be charged? Have I been eating bananas wrong this entire time?
@JonT Until you deign to sell me a meter with proper banana plugs I'll likely never know. When I lived in Corpus Christi, we'd peel our bananas before eating, is that still the custom?
i'm definitely using these on the meh AAA batteries from a couple weeks ago. if you don't hear back from me, tell my wife i-
They arrived yesterday. I had 4 aa's in a motion sensor light that was starting to get dim so, I popped them into the charger. It took all night for the last of the 4 to recharge but, the light is a full strength again.
I'm blown away...
For what it's worth, plugged in 3 energizer batteries and all 3 exploded, we'll more like popped. So I'm tossing mine.