Best AA battery chargers

# 1 – BEST ADVANCED BATTERY CHARGER ON THE MARKET!

SkyRC MC5000  

(Multi-Chemistry charger for Lithium Ion, Li-Po, NiMH, NiCad etc.)

My currently most used charger

The first on the list is the SkyRC MC5000 that is the most advanced charger for round batteries and the best at it! It can handle many kinds of battery chemistries including NiMH, NiCD Lithium-Ion, Lilo (4.35V), LiFePO4, NiZn and more. At the same time this is also the most expensive analyzer of the bunch.  With a maximum of 3A charge current for 4 slots its also the most powerful charger for cylindrical batteries currently available.

SkyRC MC5000 Pros

• A multi-chemistry charger that is a One-fits-all solution
• Smartphone APP with Bluetooth connection to set settings via a graphical user interface
• PC connect: this lets you plot graphs to test batteries
• Firmware and software updates via bluetooth App. If there is ever a new chemistry the updates will let you receive the correct setting to charge the battery.
• Full Manual control: Charge rate, rest time, discharge rate, cut-off voltage, etc
• Accepts longer batteries than the MC3000, with 21700 batteries having no issues at all to fit
• Internal powersupply, so you only have a thin powercord to work with

SkyRC MC5000 Cons

• The price. 
• Not suited for non-tech-savy people
• I prefered the 4 buttons on the MC3000 over the single wheel on the MC5000
• Charger is big

Please note that the Pros and Cons mentioned above do not fit all users.

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# 2 – BEST UNIVERSAL BATTERY CHARGER ON THE MARKET!

SkyRC MC3000  

(Multi-Chemistry charger for Lithium Ion, Li-Po, NiMH, NiCad etc)

My second most used charger!

The first on the list is the SkyRC MC3000 that is the most advanced charger for round batteries and the best at it! It can handle many kinds of battery chemistries including NiMH, NiCD Lithium-Ion, Lilo (4.35V), LiFePO4, NiZn and more. At the same time this is also the most expensive analyzer of the bunch.  With a maximum of 3A charge current for 4 slots its also the most powerful charger for cylindrical batteries currently available. It was officially announced in 2014 but didn`t make it to public availability till about a year later.

SkyRC MC3000 Pros

• A multi-chemistry charger that is a One-fits-all solution
• Smartphone APP with Bluetooth connection to set settings via a graphical user interface
• PC connect: this lets you plot graphs to test batteries
• Firmware and software updates. If there is ever a new chemistry the updates will let you receive the correct setting to charge the battery.
• Full Manual control: Charge rate, rest time, discharge rate, cut-off voltage, etc

SkyRC MC3000 Cons

• The price. 
• Not suited for non-tech-savy people
• No graphical user interface, just simple names, and numbers.
• Battery sliders can be a bit stiff
• The size of the charger is a bit on the large size
• External powersupply

Please note that the Pros and Cons mentioned above do not fit all users. For a full review of the MC3000 refer to HKJ`s test.

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#3- BEST BUDGET MULTI-CHEMISTRY CHARGER!

Vapcell S4 Plus

(Multi-Chemistry charger for Lithium-Ion, NiMH, NiCad etc) The second on the list is the Vapcell S4+.

The S4+ can be had for less than half the price of the SkyRC MC3000 or MC5000, but still has a lot to offer. It can charge Lithium-ion batteries in different sizes, from 16340 up to 21700, as well as AA and AAA rechargeable batteries.

The biggest difference is the lack of bluetooth and a dedicated App. For the rest, it can do most of the things the SkyRC chargers can do, but for less than half the cost.

It has a display that shows the numbers for each bay separately. It also includes a Refresh mode, which is “exercising” NiMH batteries to bring them closer to their full capacity. 

Vapcell S4+ Pros

• Price! Less than half of the best SkyRC chargers
• A multi-chemistry charger that is a One-fits-all solution
• Can Analyze your batteries with capacity readings, which is great for checking battery quality
• Can test internal resistance, but not very accurate
• Manual control: Charge rate, discharge rate
• Gets software updates (need to connect to PC or laptop)

Vapcell S4+ Cons

• It may not be suited for non-tech-savvy people

Please note that the Pros and Cons mentioned above do not fit all users of course.

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BEST NiMH BATTERY CHARGER

SkyRC NC2200  

(Most advanced, dedicated NiMH and NiCD battery charger and analyzer, not for lithium-Ion)

This is basically similar to the SkyRC MC3000 but for Non-lithium users. It focuses on just rechargeable NiMH and NiCD batteries.

The first on this list is the SkyRC NC2200 which is the most advanced NiMH and Nicad charger for round batteries, just like its brother is for all chemistries. With the optional Bluetooth adapter, it can be seen as the father of all NiMH chargers.

SkyRC NC2200 Pros

• The most advanced
• *Optional Smartphone APP with Bluetooth connection to set settings via a graphical user interface
• Firmware and software updates via Bluetooth (with adapter)
• Full Manual control: Charge rate, rest time, discharge rate, cut off voltage etc

SkyRC NC2200 Cons

• Not suited for non-tech-savvy people

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Powerex MH C9000PRO

The successor of the popular Powerex MH C9000

Do not make a mistake, the Powerex MH C9000 PRO looks smaller than its predecessor, but not at the cost of performance. The only feature that this new version is missing is the Cycle mode. This mode isn’t very necessary, because of the Refresh and Break-in modes, which are also available on the PRO version.

It has 4 individual channels with a large display giving you the exact information you are looking for. You can learn more about your batteries with just a few button clicks. Also, the Analyze mode is great to see how much capacity your batteries still have. This is a great charger for NiMH batteries but won’t work with Lithium-ion batteries.

C9000 PRO Pros

• Compact sized
• Can Analyze your batteries with capacity readings
• Can Refresh batteries to reclaim some of their lost capacity
• Manual control: Charge rate, discharge rate, etc
• Quick charge with up to 2A charge rate

Cons

• No Software updates like the SkyRC MC3000
• No PC link or Bluetooth options to track and plot graphs of the batteries
• Doesn’t charge lithium-ion batteries

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BEST BUDGET AA BATTERY CHARGER (NiMH AA and AAA batteries) analyzer

Opus BT C2400

(Advanced charger for NiMH and NiCD batteries alone, not for Lithium-Ion)

The BT C2400 is a sibling of the BT C3100 which can charge many chemistries. This Opus BT C2400 is focused on NiMH and NiCD only. Besides the very moderate price, according to HKJs review (of the little older C2000, it’s a good charger. It has 4 separate bays with individual info on the display. It also includes a Refresh mode besides the usual charge and discharge modes. The Quick Test mode which is checking the internal resistance and the Test mode for the Capacity.

Opus BT C2400 Pros

• Price
• Can Analyze your batteries with capacity readings
• Can Refresh batteries to improve some lost capacity
• Manual control: Charge rate, discharge rate, etc

Opus BT C2400 Cons

• No Software updates like the SkyRC MC3000
• No PC link to track and plot graphs of the batteries
• Doesn’t charge lithium-ion batteries
• It may not suit non-tech-savvy people

The Pros and Cons mentioned above do not fit everybody. For a review see the previous version: Opus BT C2000 test by HKJ.

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