This ultra-fast $40 AA/AAA battery charger is my favourite present to provide techies
Over the previous decade, I’ve grown used to charging each digital gadget with USB energy. Whether or not it’s the Micro USB of my keyboard, the USB-A of my charger block, or the USB-C of my vaporizer, it’s USB on a regular basis. So colour me stunned after I turned a dad and found that almost every part kid-related nonetheless makes use of AA and AAA batteries.
And it made me notice what number of fashionable gadgets nonetheless depend on old style rechargeable batteries. Distant controls, flashlights, digital scales, clocks, and even some wi-fi keyboards and mice.
I don’t wish to purchase brand-new disposables each week and I don’t wish to contribute to pointless e-waste. However my dependence on rechargeable AAs and AAAs can be a headache if it weren’t for the super-fast $40 charger I ended up getting—and it’s so helpful that it’s now one in all my favourite techy presents to provide.
Why quick charging issues
The XTAR VX4 is a quick 20W charger that may deal with as much as 4 AA and/or AAA batteries at a time (in addition to the extra area of interest A and AAAA varieties). It may well take each 3.6V Li-ion and 1.2V Ni-MH batteries, and it has a built-in battery tester that doubles as an important child’s toy. My very own two children love checking the standing of batteries for me!
Jon Martindale / Foundry
Nevertheless it’s the velocity of this charger that’s so vital for busy household life. When my son’s white noise machine is lifeless, I can have its batteries absolutely charged in underneath an hour. When the child monitor’s gentle is blinking, I don’t have to attend lengthy earlier than it’s up and working once more. When there’s a brand new toy at Christmas that wants batteries, it’s able to go in a snap.
As easy or complicated as you want
I like how easy this charger is. With its broad help for various dimension batteries, varieties, and capacities, you don’t want to fret about the place you’re plugging them in or whether or not this charger helps a selected battery type issue. Simply seize them, shove them into the spring-loaded cost factors, they usually’ll get juiced up in a jiffy.
Jon Martindale / Foundry
The charger selects the perfect charging mode for the kind of battery you’ve plugged in with no enter from you. And because it’s USB-powered—somewhat than having its personal particular barrel plug or related—you possibly can take it with you and use any previous telephone charger to energy up your batteries.
If you wish to dig into the specifics, this charger shows all the data you can want. The LCD show showcases which slots are occupied, by what sort of battery, what present and voltage its charging at, and what the cost quantity is. It’s all clearly proven and straightforward to learn at a fast look. It’ll even offer you a heads-up if there’s an issue with a battery that must be disposed.
Somewhat expensive however price each penny
For one thing that “solely” costs up your batteries, I wouldn’t blame you for pondering $40 is quite a bit to spend. And also you even have to contemplate the rechargeable batteries themselves for those who don’t have any available. I felt the identical manner earlier than I bit the bullet—however I’m glad I did ultimately.
I’ve gone by two different battery chargers earlier than this one, and now I’m by no means wanting again. The primary one was a $12 cheapie that burned out in six months and will’ve been an actual hearth hazard. The second was $20 and nonetheless works, however it will possibly solely cost batteries in pairs and it takes as much as 4 hours for a single pair of AAA. That’s manner too sluggish for me.
Between the quick charging velocity, broad compatibility with a number of battery varieties, and suppleness to cost any quantity and mixture of batteries at any given time, the XTAR VX4 could be very a lot price it—and I like it a lot that it’s grow to be my go-to present for techies.
The XTAR VX4 is one thing most individuals aren’t prepared to purchase for themselves, one thing they don’t even notice they want. And yeah, it’s not precisely cool. Nevertheless it’s extraordinarily helpful. And also you don’t notice simply how helpful it’s till you’ve been utilizing it some time.
