ansmann energy 8 plus battery charger

A couple of weeks ago, we posted an article about the Ansmann line of rechargeable batteries and chargers as a kind of introduction to the brand here in Australia. While you can get Ansmann products here, they certainly aren’t as easy to find as Sanyo Eneloop, Energizer, and other top brands. The more digging we’ve done into the Ansmann brand, the more we’re liking what we read and hear about them.

There’s no doubt that their line of rechargeable batteries appear to be really solid, and offer performance, quality, and features that are not unlike that of Sanyo Eneloop. But that is for a different article. What we really want to talk about in this article is the  Ansmann Energy 8-Plus battery charger which, from all accounts across the tech media spectrum, is just about the best battery charger you buy on the market today for its price point. Read all about what we — and others — have to say about it.

When we heard from the Ansmann PR representative, he boasted that Ansmann products excel due to “German design expertise in modern battery, charging and power technology.” While German engineering certainly sounds like a good recipe for solid electronics and performance for the Energy 8-Plus battery charger, we looked for some more impartial witnesses to corroborate the claim. This is what we found:

MetaEfficient is a reliable tech blog that tests and reviews a wide range of electronics. In their article, The Best Rechargeable Batteries and Chargers Of 2012, they give the Energy-8 high marks for its features:

Ansmann’s ‘Energy 8′ charger can handle both NiCad and NiMH (Nickel Metal Hydride) rechargeable batteries. When the batteries are inserted into the charger, they are analysed, and batteries needing reconditioning are automatically restored by several cycles of charging and discharging. The charger will also indicate if a battery has been damaged and cannot be charged. This charger has ten charging positions: six for AAA, AA, C or D sized cells, and four for 9V cells. The six top positions can handle two AAA or two AA cells or one each of the larger C or D cells. A LED display shows the state of charging for each cell. This charger can be used worldwide — it accepts 100-240V 50-60Hz AC.

WeGuide Reviews gave a very down-to-earth review and test of the Energy-8, which stood up to the rigours of a father who is constantly having to recharge batteries for his kids’ toys and electronics, in its review entitled, Weguide – I bought it reviews: Ansmann Energy 8 PLUS Battery Charger:

I couldn’t find a charger that did more than just AA rechargables or AAA rechargables. Ansmann also does quite well in tests and then I spotted the Energy 8 plus charger. It does all batteries from AAA to D Cell. It has a fairly easy operation with the charger either refreshing a battery, recharging it, trickle charge (when it gets to full) and error mode. I have been please with the performance of the 5000 mAh D cells which took a few charges and discharges to get good performance, as was expected. The 2700 mAh AA’a are still going on their first charge in various toys, so no complaints there.

There was also this very fair review of the Energy-8 on the Pentax Forums as well: ANSMANN Energy 8 Battery charger reviews – Pentax Camera Accessory Review Database:

The ANSMANN Energy 8 Battery charger can charge up to eight cells in parallel (6 AA/AAA max.). It supports a lot of different cell types (AAA, AA, C, D, and even 9V blocks). It charges both the older Nickel Cadmium and the modern NiMH cells. You cannot set the charge current on the Energy 8 as one can do with some more advanced chargers and there is no LCD readout showing the exact capacity, charging current, etc. for each cell, but the Energy 8 charges each cell individually, thus avoiding overcharging one cell just to complete the cycle for another cell. Cells never get hot in this charger which is testimony to its gentle charging behaviour.

There is a status LED for each cell respectively. When a cell is inserted, the charger shows whether it is still charged, depleted or defective. If the cell isn’t removed, the charger will then begin to discharge any remaining capacity in the cell. After that it will charge the cell. This means that your cells are continuously reconditioned so that they will always retain their maximum capacity. Even cells that have been nearly killed by lesser chargers can be revived this way. When the cell has reached its maximum charge, the charger switches over to “trickle mode” which means that you can allow yourself to forget about the cells. They will never be overcharged and will never be discharged when you finally get them out of the charger.

In summary, the Energy 8 . . .  is a very reliable, smart charger that automatically adapts to different cells and treats them well.

Perhaps one of the most helpful features of the Ansmann Energy-8 is its accessibility. It features a modular design that makes it incredibly easy to just plug in your rechargeable batteries and get them charging. To be sure, the Energy-8 isn’t a super high-end device — but for the money, it offers extremely high quality charging and user-friendliness that simply cannot be beat.

Thanks for reading our article! Be sure to take a look at our Ansmann battery chargers at Electronics Warehouse. As an added bonus, use promo code EWBLOG at checkout for 10% off your order, just for reading this article!

We’re launching a rare, 20% off one-day sale at Electronics Warehouse! On Thursday, April 26th, get 20% off your entire order at electronicswarehouse.com.au, plus fast, FREE shipping Australia-wide!

Because we at Electronics Warehouse pride ourselves on offering our customers some of the most competitive pricing on high-quality rechargeable batteries and chargers in Australia, we rarely offer special one-day sales. But today is the exception.

On Thursday, April 26th, you can get 20% off your entire order at Electronics Warehouse! This includes all rechargeable battery brands, all battery chargers, all digital camera batteries, all cordless phone batteries, all remote controlled batteries, all accessories — nothing is excluded in this sale!

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On the other hand, while premium brands like Sanyo Eneloop offer the highest level of quality and performance, sometimes users are looking for a more value-priced rechargeable battery solution. This is especially true if a user needs to buy a large quantity of rechargeable batteries.

German-based Ansmann rechargeable batteries might offer a good balance between price and quality. Read more about what Ansmann has to offer, and whether or not they might become the right choice for value-priced rechargeable batteries.

You may not have heard about Ansmann before, but actually they have been around for quite a while and are beginning to gain in popularity worldwide. AGerman-based company with manufacturing facilities in Asia, Ansmann has led the German market with high consumer ratings for all of its rechargeable battery products. this strong reputation is beginning to propel them into new markets, including Australia.

The company offers a wide range of rechargeable battery designs that are comparable in capacity and features as other leading premium brand rechargeable batteries. Its line of maxE Plus NiMH rechargeable batteries come pre-charged right out of the package, can be charged up to 1000 times, and feature a very low self discharge rate compared to other battery types.

Ansmann also offers its rechargeable batteries with a broad spectrum of capacity to fit various applications. For example, its AA range of batteries come in low 800 mAh for applications such as solar lamps, 1300 mAh, 2400 mAh, 2100 mAh, 2700 mAh, and professional-grade 2850 mAh capacity as well.

In addition to its high-quality battery designs, EW will also retain Ansmann’s impressive Energy 8 Plus Battery Charger. The Energy 8 Plus features a cool, modern design that is extremely easy to use. It charges up to 6 AAA or AA batteries (at 400 and 1000 mAh), 4 C or D batteries (at 1000 mAh), and 2 9V batteries (at 60 mAh), and offers a switch mode power supply for worldwide use (100-240V), flexible NiMH/NiCd charging, a capacity quick-test of the inserted cells, auto-diagnosis of the inserted cells with automatic start of a refreshing process and/or pre-charging process (if required), microprocessor controlled charging of each individual cell, five-way overcharging protection, LED battery status indicator, and a trickle charge. The charge also offers a three-year manufacturer warranty.

It remains to be seen how far Ansmann will move into the world market for rechargeable batteries and battery chargers, and if they can come to take on brands like Sanyo Eneloop. But for now, we are keeping our eye on them as a possible viable offering for people who are serious about rechargeable batteries.

Thanks for reading our article! If you are in the market for rechargeable batteries or battery chargers, be sure to visit Electronic Warehouse’s website for great deals on a wide range of rechargeable battery products. As an added bonus, be sure to use promo code EWBLOG at checkout for 10% off your order, plus fast FREE shipping Australia-wide, just for reading this article. Take a look!

Rechargeable batteries and their battery chargers are regarded as a bastion of eco awareness and a way to decrease energy consumption. Why are more and more government agencies around the world cracking down on battery chargers?

In a never-ending attempt to whittle down the world’s energy consumption, many energy agencies throughout the world continue to impose strict energy standards on electronic products. Perhaps the most pervasive energy agency in the world today is the United States’ Department Of Energy, which regulates energy consumption and standards for a wide range of power-consumption interests in the U.S.. Most notably, they have the power to impose standards on imported electronics’ power usage, which is turn forces manufacturers in Asia to tweak their electronics’ designs.

We’ve already reported on several recent moves by governing bodies in both Australia and the U.S. to regulate battery chargers. Most recently, the DOE passed a stringent set of new battery charger regulations that could severely affect the cost and design of battery chargers as we know them today. According to the NRDC, an environmental watchdog group, the new regulation will affect “products and gadgets such as cordless phones and cell phones, laptops, power tools, electric toothbrushes etc [that] use rechargeable batteries to support user mobility and convenience, making our lives easier, more productive and fun.”

In spite of strict, new standards, NRDC comes down surprisingly hard on rechargeable batteries and their chargers, saying “As battery chargers have become ubiquitous in our homes, their electricity use has exploded: American consumers today use more than 1 billion devices with rechargeable batteries that use an amount of electricity equivalent to the output of 9 medium-sized 500-MW power plants.” While this statistic may be true, using it to malign rechargeable battery chargers doesn’t seem quite fair, especially when you consider the fact that the NRDC doesn’t reconcile the use of rechargeable batteries in these one billion devices versus what the energy consumption and waste would be if rechargeable batteries didn’t exist.

But the watchdog’s claims get even less believable.

Citing no references, NRDC blogger Pierre Delforge claims the following: “Unfortunately for consumers who pay the electricity bills, many of the battery-powered products on the market today still use inefficient and outdated charging systems that on average waste two thirds of their charge energy as heat. This wasted electricity represents the equivalent output of 6 medium-sized 500-MW power plants, producing unnecessary nitrogen oxides (NOx), mercury and  other harmful air pollutants. These unnecessary NOx emissions alone are equivalent to those emitted by 160,000 vehicles every year.”

However, if this statistic is citing reliable data, is still certainly cannot be accurately representing battery chargers. According to the ultra-reliable Tom’s Guide, the average Sanyo Eneloop AA battery charger daws an incredibly small amount of power: “At 2 watts, the Eneloop charger . . . should cost about 3 cents a year in power if used weekly.”

Other reports I found in forums around the web from battery charging aficianados, such as this one, claim that the Sanyo Eneloop “15mn Fast Charger draws 65-70 Watts,” while the “Normal Charger (6-8 Hrs) draws 4 watts.”

It would seem that environmentalist groups are looking to leverage the statistics of wasted energy caused by leading charging cables plugged into walls as a major part of the above-quotes energy consumption as being “all battery chargers.” But we’ve seen that, even if you were to use a Sanyo Eneloop battery charger weekly, you’re really putting very little pressure on your local electrical grid. And whatever energy use is associated with battery chargers, that usage is defrayed by being able to recycle batteries, as opposed to continuously purchasing alkaline batteries.

One has to wonder if the big disposable battery companies are lobbying behind the scenes to actually make rechargeable batteries and their chargers look anti-green.

Thanks for reading our article! Did you know that Electronics Warehouse has a wide range of battery chargers for NiMH rechargeable batteries? As an added bonus, use promo code EWBLOG at checkout for 10% off your purchase, just for reading this article!

In a bid to capitalise on the green movement, or perhaps just trying to be cool, designers are creating more and more solar powered battery chargers for average consumers. But are these so-called “green” battery chargers serious electronics, or just a gimmick?

Last week, we outlined a new solar powered battery charger that seemed to offer some degree of serious charging for NiMH rechargeable batteries. Even on that model, which comes equipped with premium features tat you would find on a typical electricity-powered smart charger, we questioned its effectiveness. After all, it has been proven that battery chargers that run off of USB power don’t come close to charging as efficiently, evenly, and completely as a battery charger on AC power. If that’s the case, then how could solar power manage to effectively charge a NiMH rechargeable battery?

Well, it would appear that solar technology is slowly becoming a mainstream reality for battery chargers; it isn’t just for the hard core survivalist or outdoorsman.

Enter the odd, Hong Kong-based Nokero single AA solar charger. This solar battery charger would seem to be more a token gimmick than a serious battery charger that could do you any good in a pinch. It charges one (yes, just one_ AA NiMH rechargeable battery at a time, thanks to a mini solar panel on the front. There are no meters, no conditioning, and no controls whatsoever — just a simple tube that the battery slips into for a solar charge.

Gizmodo.com.au did a review of the Nokero solar charger, explaining that “since they recommend direct sunlight for best results (instead of filtered through a window) the Nokero C110 is also weatherproof, so it should be able to shrug off a downpour or flurry. And it even comes with an 800mAh NiMH battery, sweetening the deal.” While the weatherproof feature might seem attractive, the paltry 800mAh included battery is not. What are you, dear reader, going to do with an 800mAh battery? It is incredibly underpowered compared to, say the Sanyo Eneloop, which boasts 2000mAh? Sure, the Nokero might charge its low capacity battery in a few hours, but any serious rechargeable batter aficianado knows that, by the time this charger charges your Sanyo Eneloop outside, it would have already been cooked by the sun.

Another big problem with the design: the Nokera only charges one AA rechargeable battery at a time. What electronic device on earth runs on just one battery? If you fin yourself in an emergency situation in the outback, by the time you’re getting ready to solar charge your second battery, you’re probably nearing death.

The fact is, products like this are a bit scary: they purport to be serious products that people can rely on, but simply cannot deliver the reliability and quality of a real battery charger. As we have said previously — if you’re planning on a trip where you won’t have access to electricity to charge batteries, you’re better off investing in more rechargeable batteries, charging them with a smart charger, and bringing those extras along, instead of trying to finagle a recharge whilst you’re out in the bush. It just isn’t a good idea.

Thanks for reading our article! Be sure to check out Electronics Warehouse’s large selection of battery chargers online. As an added bonus, use promo code EWBLOG at checkout for 10% off your purchase, plus fast, FREE shipping Australia-wide, just for reading this article!

When you’re out in the bush with no access to electricity, having plenty of rechargeable batteries on hand can be a matter of life and death. But a new crop of solar-powered consumer battery chargers are claiming to give campers and outdoorsmen the ability to recharge in the middle of nowhere. read about whether or not solar power can really give your batteries the boost they need.

There’s no doubt that solar power has been making its way into the rechargeable battery market for some time now. In response to the age-old problem of mobile phone batteries going dead at the worst times possible, many mobile phone battery companies have attempted manufacturing replacement batteries with solar panels of their backs, allowing users to leave their phone out in the sun to give it an emergency charge. While the reviews for these batteries are spotty at best, the idea in an of itself remains attractive to consumers, so much so that there have even been rumors that Apple’s iPhone could someday get the technology.

Now, however, we are beginning to see solar-powered battery chargers of consumer-based rechargeable batteries creep into the marketplace. Are these battery chargers any more reliable?

I came across an interesting review of a solar powered battery charger on a survivalist website called Modern Survival Blog. Their focus has nothing to do with being eco-friendly or novel; the notion of a solar battery charger is purely about survival. They explain that “Being able to charge batteries from solar energy for your flashlights, AM/FM/Shortwave radio, your emergency weather-alert radio, or your walkie-talkies or most any other communication device, is ‘insurance’ that you will be a step ahead of the rest during black-out.”

What’s particularly impressive about this solar battery charger is that it is relatively feature-rich as well: “When I came across this small battery charger, I liked the fact that it includes a meter-gauge, whereas the similar units that I currently own do not have a built-in gauge. It is nice reassurance to see the meter-reading of the energy being charged, and helps to optimize that angle facing towards the sun.” In addition to the meter, it also offers users a built-in blocking diode to prevent reverse flow of electricity from charged batteries during storage.

The reviewer does admit that, in spite of the fact that this particular solar powered battery charger works rather well, “All of the other solar battery chargers we tested were unsuitable because their voltage was too low.” Herein lies the problem with solar power.

Granted, Modern Survival Blog does have a work-around for the typically underpowered battery charger: the PowerFilm F15-600 10w Folding Solar Panel Charger, which accounts for unfurling what looks like a shower curtain-sized solar array in order to get a proper charge for your batteries. But in the end, the best approach to surviving a long period of time away from electricity is a good stock of fully charged batteries.

Thanks for reading our article! Electronics Warehouse is a leading online Australian retailer of battery chargers. Take a look at what we have to offer. As an added bonus, use promo code EWBLOG at checkout for 10% off your purchase, plus fast, FREE shipping Australia-wide, just for reading this blog!