Do you also think that rechargeable batteries are better? In this modern era, we often like to reuse things rather than throw them out after on-time use, if possible. It’s practically more convenient and cost-effective as well.
Rechargeable NiMH batteries have been rapidly replacing the contemporary NiCd batteries for the last few years. For its wide range of advantages, it’s being used in a variety of electronic devices and in other portable applications.
A NiMH battery offers you a service equal to 100 alkaline batteries. That’s insane! However, it’s very sensitive when it comes to charging NiMH batteries. Thus, you must use the best NiMH battery chargers available on the market rather than a normal charger.
This article will outline why NiMH batteries are useful and why they require exclusive chargers to be charged.
Then I’ll show you a couple of high-quality chargers that you may buy with trust. A guideline at the end will help you to select the best product for you at ease. So, let’s get this ball rolling.
Why Do NiMH Batteries Require Special Chargers?
NiMH means “nickel-metal hydride. These rechargeable batteries have almost 40% higher capacity than NiCd batteries. Nowadays, these batteries are widely being used in digital cameras, flashlights, and all other high drain devices.
Rechargeable batteries, in general, need very frequent exercise cycles to last longer. But NiMH batteries require fewer exercise cycles while providing long-time service.
These batteries don’t contain excessive toxins. Thus, they are environment-friendly. It’s even profitable to recycle a dead NiMH battery.
When the recharge cycle is taken into account, you will see the biggest benefit from a NiMH battery. They may usually be discharged and charged 700-1000 times. As a result, purchasing a single battery will provide you with several years of backups.
Ironically, the ability of repeated recharge cycles poses a critical drawback of NiMH batteries. Unfortunately, after around 200-300 cycles of discharge and recharge, the performance of a NiMH battery begins to deteriorate.
However, if the batteries are not discharged deeply enough, you may get around 200 more cycles of higher performance. So, not being able to be deeply discharged repeatedly is another shortcoming of these batteries.
NiMH batteries have quite a high rate of self-discharge. If you leave a fully charged battery, it almost self-discharges around 10-15% of its charge in the very first 24 hours. The battery self-discharges at the same rate each week.
The biggest drawback of NiMH batteries is they are very sensitive to overcharging and overheating. This is why you should not charge these batteries with normal chargers.
The chargers must-have technology that protects the batteries from overcharging. Overcharging protection, high-temperature detection, auto shut down – chargers that have all of these features, if not any “one” of these, are highly recommended for NiMH batteries.
5 Best NiMH Battery Chargers
You can’t just pick up a charger and charge NiMH batteries, as you already know. You must analyze the features offered by the chargers and whether or not they meet the requirements of the NiMH battery.
The following is a list of NiMH battery chargers that are specifically designed for NiMH batteries.
1. Energizer NiMH Battery Charger (Best for Auto Shutdown Technology)
The Energizer NiMH Battery Charger comes with modern auto-shutdown technology. This is one of the newest technologies that electrical devices are adapting nowadays. It turns off the battery when all the batteries are fully charged.
As a result, auto shutdown technology is consistently protecting your batteries from overcharging and overheating. Overcharging often produces excessive heat that literally cuts the lifespan of the batteries a lot.
The overcharge protection is also there in the Energizer NiMH Battery Charger. This facility helps the batteries not to overcharge when they are fully charged. It also saves the batteries’ longevity.
It’s a 100-240V charger. So, traveling with it will not cause any issues at all.
There is a LED indicator in this battery charger. It turns into 3 different colors. Red – when charging starts. Yellow – When it’s 50% charged and charging. Green – When the batteries are completely charged.
Moreover, there is an audible beep feature. It beeps when the batteries start and finish charging. It’s, to some extent, very helpful as it reminds us to unplug the charger when the job is done.
The bad battery indicator is another of this charger’s features that don’t come with other NiMH battery chargers.
Sometimes it’s really hard for us to figure out the battery’s health. And charging a bad battery may cause leakage, which can potentially damage the charger. In this charger, if you insert a bad battery, it will continuously beep so that you can remove it instantly.
This battery charger offers you four channels. But unfortunately, there are no independent channels. That means you can’t charge any single battery. They always have to be in pairs. So, you have to charge either 2 or 4 batteries together.
However, the Energizer NiMH Battery Charger offers an amazing charging time. When 4 NiMH batteries are being charged, it takes only 5-11 hours for them to be fully charged.
Like no other NiMH battery charger, the Energizer charger provides 4 AA NiMH rechargeable batteries. More batteries, more backups.
The charger’s dimension is 9 x 4 x 2.13 inches – which is quite an average size for a four-channel channel charger. And it’s only 0.33 pounds – easy to carry everywhere.
Pros
- The charger has an auto-shutdown feature.
- There is a built-in overcharge protection technology.
- 100-240V universal input voltage
- A three-color LED light indicator
- Bad battery indicator.
- Easy to carry on trips.
Cons
- Battery slots are not independent. Batteries have to be charged in pairs only.
2. EBL B00EB7812C 8-Bay Battery Charger for NiMH Batteries (Best for the Trickle Charging Technology)
The intellectual -∆V method helps the EBL B00EB7812C charger to be turned into a trickle charging method. This method works when the batteries get fully charged. Then the batteries get charged but to their self-discharge rate.
Trickle charging helps to improve the battery life greatly.
Moreover, an auto-shutdown technology is also used in this battery charger, but in a different way. In this charger, this technology only works when there is an improper voltage input or if it detects a defective NiMH battery.
The input voltage of the EBL B00EB7812C 8-Bay Battery Charger for NiMH Batteries is 100-120V. So, you have to use a universal converter for the charger if you want to travel with it around the world.
Advanced fireproof material has been used to build this charger. It protects the charger from all possible short circuits.
The EBL B00EB7812C is an eight-bay NiMH battery charger. Having eight channels helps you to charge more batteries at a time.
Unfortunately, these channels aren’t independent. So, you always have to charge them in pairs. You can charge 2/4/6/8 AA AAA NiMH batteries at a time in this charger.
There are 4LEDs in this charger. They indicate the charging states of the batteries in pairs. When the batteries are fully charged, they turn green.
Though the charging time depends on the battery’s capacity, but on average, this charger takes around 15 hours for all batteries to be fully charged.
Even so, this NiMH battery charger offers eight channels; it doesn’t weigh that much. It’s only 0.33 pounds. The dimensions are 7.09 x 3.03 x 1.1 inches, which is also very compact.
Pros
- Trickle charging increases the batteries’ longevity.
- Auto shutdown technology is featured to protect batteries from overcharging.
- Advanced fireproof materials are used to build the charger.
- There are eight battery slots available for charging.
- 4 LED lights indicate the charging status.
- Compact
Cons
- Battery slots are not independent. Batteries have to be charged in pairs.
- The input voltage is 100-120V.
3. EBL LCD Smart Individual NiMH Battery Charger (Best On-the-Go NiMH Battery Charger)
The EBL LCD Smart Individual NiMH Battery Charger weighs only 0.27 pounds. The dimensions are only 3.66 x 2.4 x 1.3 inches. This is the lightest and smallest four channel NiMH battery charger you can get.
Moreover, the charger offers a worldwide voltage of 100-240V. So, you don’t have to use any travel converter to use it while traveling.
The universal voltage and the charger’s overall size and weight make it the best choice for people who often need to travel around.
The EBL LCD Smart NiMH Battery Charger offers a trickle charging feature. Incorporating this advanced technology into their chargers took a few steps EBL ahead of other brands.
For this trickle charging technology, batteries don’t get overcharged at all. Besides, they don’t get overheated too. As a result, you will get the highest possible backup from the batteries for a long time.
The charger has four channels. And they all are independent. That means you can charge a single battery in this charger without any hassle.
Four separate LED indicators are there. They indicate when it’s charging. They stop flashing when the batteries are fully charged.
Pros
- NiMH battery charger that is the lightest and smallest
- It has an input of 100-240V worldwide voltage.
- Trickle charging technology is used in this charger.
- All four battery slots are independent.
- Separate LED indicators for all individual channels
4. Tenergy TN438 16 Bay NiMH Battery Charger (Best Multiple Channel NiMH Battery Charger)
More slots in NiMH battery chargers are always appreciated. However, the feature loses its attraction if the channels are not independent.
Can you imagine a NiMH battery charger that has a wide number of channels, and all of them are independent?
The Tenergy TN438 NiMH Battery Charger is my ultimate pick for the multiple-channel charger categories. There are 16 bays in this charger, and they aren’t combined at all. You can easily charge all the backup NiMH battery chargers you own at a time without arranging them in pairs.
There are two large LCD panels above the channels in this charger. The charging status of 8 batteries can be seen in each panel. They will indicate the batteries’ charging and discharge status.
The Tenergy TN438 NiMH Battery Charger is 1.5 pounds in weight. Its dimensions are 12 x 4.1 x 1.2. Considering the greater number of channels, and two big LCD panels, the weight, and size of the charger are very decent – can be carried in backpacks easily.
Smart Charge Technology has been used in this charger. This technology protects the batteries from overcharging and overflowing current.
Its reverse-polarity protection technology disables power to the transmitter’s critical electronic circuits if the polarity of the power source is reversed. Thus, it defends your charger from all the possible short circuits.
Usually, NiMH batteries are discharged up to 70.6% at room temperature. Tenergy TN438 NiMH Battery Charger’s optional refresh cycle technology discharges deeply then fully charges the cells of the batteries. As a result, the battery provides better backup than ever.
The charger’s voltage input is 100-240V, which makes it very suitable for traveling.
Pros
- a large number of battery slots (16)
- Battery slots are independent
- Two large LCD panels show the batteries charging status.
- Smart charge technology saves the battery from overcharging.
- Reverse polarity protection protects against short circuits.
- The optional refresh cycle feature helps to fully discharge and charge the battery for better performance.
- Universal voltage input.
Cons
- They are relatively bigger in size and weigh 1.5 pounds.
5. Opus B01852TBOU BT – C3100 V2.2 Digital Intelligent 4 Slots LCD Charger for NiMH batteries (Best Heat Protective Charger)
Electronic devices can be deadly sometimes if they cause short circuits. This is why I always highly recommend a NiMH battery charger having good built-in safety features over others that don’t.
Opus B01852TBOU BT – C3100 is one of the best chargers for NiMH batteries because of its temperature protection technology.
An enhancement safety function constantly monitors the temperature. If overheating is detected, it leads the charger to a thermal shutdown. The feature protects both the batteries and the charger from being hindered by high temperatures.
Moreover, the charger has a built-in minus delta voltage feature. It protects the batteries from overcharging and increases their lifespan.
The charger has a universal voltage input of 100-240V.
The charger comes with four channels. All of them are independent. But there is a catch.
You know that all the NiMH batteries are not the same incapacity. Though the channels are independent, you have to check the battery capacity before placing them in the charger.
200-1000mAh batteries can be charged in all slots. But if the NiMH battery’s capacity is from 1500mAh to 2000mAh, then you must place them either in slot one or slot four.
A big LCD panel can be found in the lower portion of the charger. This LCD not only indicates the charging and fully charged status of the batteries. It also shows how much current is discharged. The battery’s internal resistance is shown in the panel as well.
The Opus B01852TBOU BT – C3100 charger is very portable as it weighs only 0.52 pounds. On the other hand, the size of the charger is 5.67 x 1.54 x 3.86 inches – which is very handy as well.
Pros
- Temperature protection technology saves both the battery and the charger.
- Trickle charging technology protects batteries from overcharging.
- Universal voltage input for travel
- Independent battery channels
- The LCD screen shows the charging and discharging status of the batteries.
- Internal resistance is indicated on the LCD screen.
- The charger is very portable.
Cons
- Battery slots are suitable for selective battery capacities.
How to Select a Perfect Charger for NiMH Batteries?
As you can see, each NiMH battery charger is crammed with unique features and technologies. Therefore, you may find yourself in a scenario where you are unable to pick between the two. Don’t be concerned.
In this section, I’ll go over a few key elements that, when employed, make a NiMH battery charger of exceptional quality.
Battery Channels | The More, the Better
When seeking a charger, I always consider the number of channels. Regardless of the charger’s other features, having more channels is always a bonus.
You always want your backup NiMH batteries to be charged fully. In this case, buying a battery charger that has more bays is a must.
There is another thing that should be considered. All NiMH battery chargers that have multiple channels may not deliver the best efficiency. The bays have to be independent.
Independent bays mean batteries don’t have to be in pairs to be charged. Yes, there are some chargers that only allow you to charge your batteries when they are in pairs.
So, always look for a NiMH battery charger with multiple independent channels.
LED Indicators or LCD Panels for Charging Status
If you buy a NiMH battery charger without an LED indicator in this digital age, you’re surely losing.
LED indicators are not only elegant, but they are also a vital element in chargers. It indicates whether or not a battery is charging. It also displays when the batteries are completely charged.
Some manufacturers use advanced LED indicators that can also detect overcharging and overheating. Basically, your NiMH battery charger must have a LED indicator or LCD panel for the necessary battery information.
Overcharging Resistance for Longer Lifespan
When rechargeable NiMH batteries are overcharged, they become critical. Overcharging any electrical device or battery is hazardous to the product.
It won’t help you if the charger lacks the technology to safeguard the device/battery from overcharging. It’s far more lethal. Overcharging shortens the battery’s life. Furthermore, it causes overheating, may burst, and start a fire.
NiMH battery chargers should be resistant to overcharging. So that, when the batteries are fully charged, it stops charging them. It will undoubtedly extend the battery’s life and protect you from any potential damage.
Heat/Temperature Protection for Overall Safety
As previously said, overcharging is closely connected to overheating; hence, a NiMH battery charger with heat protection technology would undoubtedly be advantageous.
However, even some of the top NiMH battery chargers do not particularly offer this feature. Even still, I would recommend purchasing a charger with this feature if ever possible.
However, as long as the charger is overcharging resistant, the temperature protection feature is optional. Only the Energizer NiMH Battery Charger lacks this feature among the chargers I listed above.
Due to its overcharging protection and other features, the Energizer NiMH Battery Charger will continue to be regarded as one of the finest chargers for NiMH batteries.
Auto Shutdown Technology to Prevent Overcharging
This auto-shutdown feature is one of the latest technologies nowadays being used in battery chargers. Once all the batteries are fully charged, it shuts down the battery charger automatically.
This technology protects batteries from overcharging or overheating. However, the battery chargers that have to overcharge or overheat protection technology don’t necessarily need this feature. But it’s a cherry on the top.
Easy to Carry in Backpacks
Don’t you think battery chargers should be truly portable? Yes, NiMH battery chargers can’t charge the batteries without electricity. But that doesn’t mean you always have to charge them at home. You may need to carry it with you on your travels.
For the chargers’ portability, they should be light in weight. However, the weight can vary depending on the number of channels. The chargers shouldn’t exceed 1 pound unless it has more than ten channels.
The product’s dimension also plays quite an important role in its ability to be portable. The average size of a backpack is around 22 inches. Considering that, a battery charger should not be bigger than 1 foot in length at all to carry comfortably.
Universal Voltage Input for Tours around the world
As I was discussing the portability of NiMH battery chargers, they should also have a universal voltage input. If a battery charger has an input voltage of 100-120V, it can only be used in the United States.
Purchasing a 110-240V charger might be quite beneficial. You will be able to use them without any complications wherever in the world.
However, there are high-quality NiMH battery chargers on the market that offer all of the aforementioned advantages. However, it misses a universal input voltage.
To be honest, I won’t advise you to overlook a quality product just because it lacks universal voltage. Purchasing a travel voltage converter can quickly resolve this issue. It’s also a plus if the charger comes with one converter.
Overall Charging Time
Last but not least, the tip I wanna share with you is to consider the overall charging time of a NiMH battery charger. You may think that is why I haven’t mentioned this at the very beginning. There is a solid reason behind that.
It’s practically not possible to give a number for this. I can’t say go for a charger that can charge your batteries in 3 hours or 5 hours. Because charging time depends on the number of batteries being charged at a time.
It’s so obvious that a charger will take more time to charge 8 batteries at a time than four batteries.
On the other hand, the charging time depends on the battery’s capacity too. NiMH batteries have the capacity of 1200mAh to 2000mAh. So, a charger will definitely take more time to charge a 2000mAh battery than a 1200mAh battery.
For four-channel chargers, it takes 5-7 hours. For eight channels, it takes around 15 hours. And for 16 channels, it takes 30 hours on average. This is the average time when all the battery channels are occupied.
In short, one thing I can promise here is for sure. All the NiMH battery chargers I have picked for you above offer quite a decent charging time on average. They will definitely save your time and provide you with a good experience.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long do NiMH batteries last?
A NiMH battery can be repeatedly recharged 700-1000 times. On the other hand, they also have a high self-discharge rate. Considering a decent amount of use, a NiMH battery can last up to 5 years on average.
Can NiMH battery chargers charge alkaline or lithium batteries too?
NiMH batteries are rechargeable batteries. These can be recharged many times with a charger. On the other hand, alkaline and lithium batteries are non-rechargeable types. You mustn’t try charging them as it may cause a short circuit. It can also damage your charger.
How deeply can I discharge a NiMH battery?
NiMH batteries are not deep cycle types. On average, these batteries can be discharged at one-fifth to one-half of their rated capacity.
Can chargers harm NiMH batteries?
It depends on which charger you’re using to charge the NiMH batteries. If you are using one of the chargers I have recommended above, it won’t do any harm to the batteries. Moreover, it will increase the battery life.
On the other hand, if you’re using a normal charger that doesn’t have any overcharging protection or extreme temperature detection features, it will damage a NiMH battery greatly.
Final Thoughts | Wise Investment for Longer Battery Life
NiMH batteries are around 20% more expensive than other NiCd batteries. But they are worth the extra bucks for sure. They are rechargeable, can be used on a variety of devices, and have a long service life.
NiMH batteries provide better performance. And in the long run, they may become cost-effective if you choose the right chargers for them.
A well-compatible NiMH battery charger protects the batteries from any possible damage. On the other hand, it ultimately increases almost a hundred cycles of battery life.
The best NiMH Battery Chargers I mentioned above themselves are high quality, very durable. Besides, they are portable and can be used universally to charge NiMH batteries.
So, if you are a person who likes to think ahead, investing money in these exclusive chargers can’t go wrong in any way.
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