pkmom's Full Review: Polaroid USB Stick Battery Charger with Batteries ...
What will they think of next?
I was again on the search for rechargeable batteries at my local Wal-Mart store. My Kodak Easyshare gets used a lot. The rechargeable batteries are forever getting lost. Chargers are bulkly and not easy to carry.
The Polariod USB Battery charger caught my eye immediately. Wal-Mart had it priced at $9.97. This was the only USB battery charger that they had on the shelf. It is about two dollars less expensive than the next closest charger but it also comes with fewer batteries.
An additional package of 4 AAA batteries was available for $4.77. Another packagae of 4 AA batteries runs $7.77.
The charger is small and compact. There are 4 parts. One part is a cap to fit over the USB end of the charger. Then there are two batteries plus the charger itself. This handy gadget is thicker but the same lenth as my cell phone. It fits in the palm of my hand, is easy to carry and use and works well. I can get about 200 photos without having to stop for a recharge.
There is a downside to the Polaroid USB Battery Charger.
A limited amount of power is available through the USB port on your computer. The batteries take a long time to charge. A chart comes with the charger that shows you how long different types of Polaroid rechargeable batteries take to fully charge.
According to this chart, the types of batteries that came with the charger take 24-27 hours to fully charge. Other batteries take more or less time to charge depending on the rating.
After using the charger I would have to agree with this. The problem is that I am not normally likely to leave my laptop out for that length of time. This makes a desktop computer the best way to charge the batteries.
However, this too can be a problem. The unit is small but heavy for a computer USB port. The charger is easily knocked out of the port. If you do charge it on the desktop keep an eye on the charger.
There is another issue that I have with the charger. I bought it to carry in my purse with the Kodak Easyshare. Any extra batteries that are stored with the charger fall out and get lost in the bottom of my purse when bumped around.
Lost batteries are what caused me to look for batteries and the charger in the first place. It would be great if Polaroid had a case that this would fit in. Otherwise, a rubber band works well to hold the batteries in place.
I like the convenience of the item. It's nice to carry the charger and batteries without all the extra cords. The time to charge is a pain. I plan to replace them with the AA 1000-1800 Polariod Rechargeable batteries. These are rated to charge in 11-21 hours. This makes them more reasonable to take on a trip.
One thing that does stand out about these batteries is the number of times that they can be charged. According to the manufacturer they can be charged 1000 times. This makes them an excellent investment for the price if you can stand the length of time it takes them to charge.
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