best AA battery chargers

# 1 – BEST UNIVERSAL BATTERY CHARGER ON THE MARKET!

SkyRC MC3000  

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

My 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 are mentioned to be pretty stiff
• The size of the charger is a bit on the large size

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.

#2- BEST BUDGET MULTI-CHEMISTRY CHARGER!

Opus BT C3100/BT C3400

(Multi-Chemistry charger for Lithium-Ion, NiMH, NiCad etc) The second on the list is the Opus BT C3100. Great charger, but I replaced mine with the more expensive SkyRC.
Also sold under different names, like Opus BT-C3400, Powerfocus BT-C3100, Voltcraft IPC-3, and a few other names, like “BT-C3100” without the Opus brand name. For now, I will keep it as the BT C3100.
The 3100 can be had for less than half the price of the SkyRC MC3000, but still has a lot to offer. It can charge Lithium-ion batteries in different sizes, from 16340 up to 20700, as well as AA and AAA rechargeable batteries.

It even has a hidden switch to charge at 4.35V for certain lithium batteries. This is the charger that I am currently using as a backup for the SkyRC mc3000. My Voltcraft charger broke on me, and my Powerex C9000 I gave to my brother. 

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. 

Opus BT-C3100 Pros

• Price
• 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

Opus BT-C3100 Cons

• No Software updates like the SkyRC MC3000
• No PC link to track and plot graphs of the batteries
• It may not be suited for non-tech-savvy people
• The size of the charger is a bit on the large size
• For using Lithium-Ion batteries at full charge rate you might have to upgrade the provided power adapter

Please note that the Pros and Cons mentioned above do not fit all users of course. For a full review see Opus BTC3100 2.1V by HKJ.

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

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

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
• 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.