Product Description

The La Crosse Technology BC700 Alpha Power Battery Charger has four modes and charges all NiCd and NiMH AA and AAA rechargeable batteries. The four modes include charge, discharge (discharges the batteries and then recharges them), recharge (discharges and recharges up to 20 times to bring old batteries back to life) and test (displays the battery capacity). BC-700 Battery Charger " Features: • All modes automatically default to 200 mA charge on the BC-700 Battery charger • Charge both AA and AAA rechargeable batteries simultaneously and will charge all Low-Discharge batteries. Sanyo Eneloop, Uniross Hybrio, Nexcell EnergyOn, Accupower Acculoop and other future low discharge batteries. • Hhas Four independent channels - Charges 1, 2, 3 , or 4 rechargeable batteries at a time. • Overheat detection to protect over-charging and LCD shows capacity for each battery when charging is complete • Charge Mode - allows a range of user selectable milliamp settings from 200 to 700 for faster charging times. Within 4 seconds after rechargeable batteries are inserted charging automatically begins at 200mA, or you may select 500, or 700mA charge rates for faster charging times. • Discharge Mode - reduces memory effect by discharging rechargeable battery completely before recharging to full capacity. User selectable. • Refresh Mode - discharges and recharges up to 20 cycles or until rechargeable battery is refreshed to full capacity. User Selectable. • Test Mode- First charges the rechargeable battery to full capacity, then discharges completely to measure rechargeable battery capacity for display in mAh or Ah, and then recharges each rechargeable battery to full battery capacity. • UL approved, BC 700 charger also has safeguards that sense rechargeable battery polarity, rechargeable battery temperature and defective rechargeable batteries. • World Voltage capable - Operates on 100~240V AC Input.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #269 in Lawn & Patio
• Brand: La Crosse Technology
• Model: BC700-CBP
• Dimensions: 5.00" h x 3.00" w x 2.00" l, .57 pounds

Features

• Battery charger for NiCad and NiMH AA and AAA rechargeable batteries
• Features 4 modes: charge, discharge, refresh, and test
• Charges both AA & AAA rechargeable batteries simultaneously
• 4 separate LCD displays for simultaneous readouts
• Overheat-detection to prevent over-charging

Amazon.com Product Description
Power up, nurture and revitalize rechargeable AA and AAA batteries with this sophisticated but easy-to-use battery recharging system from La Crosse Technology. The unit charges all NiCad and NiMH "AA" and "AAA" rechargeable batteries simultaneously, if necessary, and features four different modes to help your batteries along. A charge mode powers up batteries the standard way, a discharge mode discharges batteries and then recharges them for optimal efficiency, a recharge mode discharges and recharges up to 20 times to bring old batteries back to life, and a test mode displays battery capacity. Seven easy-to-use function keys and automatically switches to trickle charge when charging is complete to ensure maximum battery capacity. Four separate LCD displays show progress and capacity. And, a handy overheat detection feature prevents over-charging for longer battery life.

Customer Reviews

Handicapped version of BC900
Just in case you were looking for the La Crosse Technology BC-900 AlphaPower Battery Charger: please be advised that ths is NOT the same charger.

Except for the color, the BC700 looks exactly the same as the better-known BC900. However, it is actually a "handicapped" version of the old charger. Its charging current can only go up to 700mA in three steps (200/500/700). The BC900, on the other hand, can go up to 1000mA for 4 cells, or 1800mA for 2 cells. Also the BC900 package includes eight NiMH rechargeable cells (4 AA and 4 AAA), eight C/D cell adaptors, and a carrying case. The BC700 does not come with any bonus items.

This is not to say that the BC700 is a bad product. Quite the contrary, it is better than any other NiMH AA chargers in the market except for BC900 and Maha MH-C9000. If you can find it at a substantial saving (like maybe 30% off from the price of BC900), it is still a good buy. But as it is right now, I recommend getting its older brother instead.

[update on June 13, 2008]
Recently the price of BC700 has settled to a level much lower than that of BC900 (partially because the price of BC900 has gone up), so it is now an excellent buy - especially if you intend to buy some low-self-discharge NiMH cells separately. It seems like my original rating (3 out of 5 stars) was unnecessarily harsh. Too bad I'm not allowed to change the star-rating of my original review.

Best charger I ever owned
I have owned at least 8 chargers in the past, Maha's, Panasonic, etc. It is nice to see that this charger shows you the mAh on the LCD panel as the battery charges up. Most chargers you only see an LED indicator to signal when charging is done.
Compared to the specs of BC-900, BC700 can only go up to 700mAH (the max) which means it is somewhat slower than the BC900. But the faster the battery charges, the hotter it gets. And one of the worst enemy of rechargeable batteries is heat. Less heat means longer life.

Pros:
- 3 adjustable charging speeds
- Will show you the actual capacity in mAh. This is good so you know which battery needs to be refreshed. You always want to use batteries with the same capacities in pair or in a group.
- 4 independent charging stations with individual LED readouts. "AA's" and "AAA's" can be charged in different combinations. Don't you hate those gadgets that only use 3 batteries like portable radios? (walkie-talkies). You end up with 1 un-used battery if you bought a 4-pack. How will you charge it if your charger only charges in pairs?
- Reasonable price for an excellent charger
- Small and light. Better portability
- Multi-volt up to 240v. Very useful if you travel a lot to other countries.

Cons:

Now I have to stop myself doing impulse buying on NiMh's because I enjoy using this charger too much..

Great charger but.......
This is a great charger and when I bought it it was about $15 less than the BC-900. Now the BC-900 is less than this charger. The difference between this charger and the BC-900 is the lack of the faster charging speeds and the accessories. Definitley buy the BC-900 and the accessory package for less money. It seems they are constantly playing games with the pricing on these two chargers. The BC-700 charger does a great job of reconditioning batteries and the charging speed is usually between 2-3 hours for the different capacity batteries that I have. (1800mh - 2650mh). Time is not an issue for me as I have about 10 sets of AA's and can just keep swapping them out. From what i've read the slower charging speed is better for the life span of your battery any way.