About a year ago or so I purchased the Duracell One Hour NiMH/NiCd Charger Model CEF80NC. It has saved me time having to go out and purchase batteries big bucks in battery spending.

Why We Use It

The reason we use the Duracell One Hour Charger most often is for charging batteries for our digital cameras. We have purposely seek cameras in the $200-$350 price point that use AA batteries. We like the convenience of them and know that we can, when in a bind, find them in most convenience stores. We really don't want to make the purchase so we do take good care of this charger and use it as our primary source for AA and AAA batteries. When on vacation my wife and I take many photos with our cameras. We also do a lot of on the spot editing of images. That uses the batteries much more quickly especially with one of my cheaper models that must be turned on via the lens opening, to switch to the images.

We have used this charger for some of the grand children's AA operated toys but almost always for cameras.

Some Basics

The charger that is 4 3/4"X 3 1/4X 1" is compact and with the 6' power cord wrapped around easily gets packed away for travel. It does detach from the charger. We happen to use our often and it always goes away with us. It cost us about $25 a year or so ago.

This Duracell AA/AAA Charger is made in China, (that burns me) It can charge up to a set of four each of AA or AAA NiMH at one time.

A switch on the face of the charger slides left for NiMH(Nickel-Metal Hydride) and right forNiCd (Nickel-Cadmium)battery charging. Labels are on the batteries indicating which type they are. The batteries are paired (but all four charge at one time) with LED lights above each battery. If "red" the battery is charging, when "green" the battery is fully charged. I found the batteries do get hot after charging but nothing that burns my hands. A lone LED near the top of the unit turns on green when the unit is attached to a power source.

A warning in the back of the unit states that one should Charge only Duracell NiMH/NiCd rechargeable batteries. Do not charge Alkaline, Carbon Zink, Lithium or any other kind of batteries as they may burst causing personal injury or damage. Indoor use only. Dry location use only. Risk of electrical shock. Never disassemble or alter any parts of the charger or batteries. Not recommended for use by children.

The chargers white finish stays clean with a wipe of a damp paper towel or cloth. I strongly suggest disconnecting the power when doing so.

The rechargeable Duracell batteries this uses are easy to find in retail stores. Our original batteries that came with the unit still hold a good charge. We purchased more as we now have a camera that uses four batteries at a time. This does have my wife and I looking to take the four batteries that have been charging but the reality of a one hour charge makes the "battles" unnecessary.

Closing Thoughts

We like the convenience of always having batteries ready for our cameras. The fast one hour charge gives us quick turn around when needed. Though I can't give an exact amount of time the recharged batteries last because of the way we use them, I can say I am not married to the charger. Generally we simply recharge the batteries after a long day of touring and taking images.

I'm especially happy we do not waste money purchasing batteries that once they lose their power and must be replaced. I can't say I am as environmentally savvy as I should be but now I know I am not disposing of batteries improperly. I also like the idea of not wasting time hunting down batteries last minute.

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