Product Description

For more than 100 years, Energizer - through continuous invention and innovation - has played a vital role in how people live, work and communicate. Energizer powers people's lives around the globe by offering consumers superior value in portable power and lighting products and creating and delivering superior consumer and customer solutions that elevate Energizer as the global portable power leader.PRODUCT FEATURES:LED charge indicators;Reverse polarity protection: protects the charger and batteries against damage from incorrectly installed batteries;Charges multiple combinations of AA, AAA, C, D and 9V NiMH batteries overnight;Charges up to 4 AA or AAA batteries at a time;Includes charge Status Indicator;Charge capability: AA - two or four batteries, AAA - two or four batteries, C/D - two or four batteries, 9V - one or two batteries;Charging current: AA - 200 mA, AAA - 200 mA, C/D - 200 mA, 9V - 16 mA.

Product Details

• Brand: Energizer
• Model: CHFCV
• Dimensions: 13.25" h x 5.50" w x 2.00" l, 1.32 pounds
• Battery type: NiMh

Features

• Charges multiple combinations of AA, AAA, C, D and 9V NiMH batteries
• Automatically detects type of battery to be charged
• Charge status indicator

Customer Reviews

Avoid this timer-based dumb charger
The Energizer Overnight Family Battery Charger (CHFCV) looks very similar to the Rayovac Universal Battery Charger (PS3). Both are capable of charging AAA, AA, C, D-cells and 9V batteries. They are physically about the same size, and even cost about the same. So one would expect the charger with a more famous brand (Energizer) to have a better design, right? WRONG!

The biggest problem with the Energizer CHFCV is that it is a timer-based dumb charger. That means this charger does not detect whether your batteries are empty or fully. It simply charges them at a fixed current (200mA) for a fixed time (16.5 hours) and then turns off. If all you ever need is to recharge AA cells with capacity 2500-2700mAh, then this is not too bad (because 200mA*16.5h = 3300mAh). However, this charger treats all different battery sizes (AA/AAA/C/D) the same way. So if you are charging a pair of 800mAh AAA cells, you better remember to remove them after 4-5 hours, otherwise they will be over-charged by 300%! On the other hand, if you try to use this charger with larger capacity cells (such as a pair of 10,000mAh D-cells), the timer will expire long before the cells are fully charged.

Another problem with this dumb charger is: it can only recharge identical cells in pairs. This is very inconvenient if you have appliances that require odd number (1 or 3) of cells. Now you are left with an empty cell that you cannot recharge. If you try to pair up an empty cell with a full cell in this charger, the latter one will be badly over-charged.

In comparison, the Rayovac PS3 is vastly superior in every aspect. It is a smart charger with 4 independently monitored channels. Charging stops as soon as each cell is full, so there is no danger of over-charging. It is more versatile in that it can detect different battery chemistry (NiCd, NiMH, or alkaline) and adopts different charging methods. It also recharges faster because it uses higher current (up to 480mA).

Energizer also makes a newer version of Family Charger (CHFC) for about the same price. It is a big improvement over this overnight charger (CHFCV). However, I still prefer the Rayovac PS3 because it has the added capability to recharge ordinary alkaline cells.

Must Have
If you have children this item is a MUST. My daughter is now almost a year old and 80% of her toys have batteries. This one was perfect because it charged "D" batteries for her swing and bouncer seat when she was an infant but it also charges all the "AA", "AAA" and even "9V" that are required for almost every gift she receives.
It also handles batteries for my Husbands toys, which include remote controlled vehicles, handheld games and cameras.

Great Product
I have used this charger with the Energizer 9-Volt Rechargeable Battery and i am very pleased with it, yes it takes some time to recharge the battery but 9-Volt batteries take longer to recharge than other batteries and the charge light comes off when the process is complete, so all in all a great product.