Which is the best 15 minute charger

TheMafioso wrote in post #3553157
Yes, that's what I meant by charger bieng faulty, even the best of components can fail.A corollary to what you're saying would be that 90min chargers are also unsafe, but you can easily verify, its not the case...

Close but no cigar.

The corollary would be that when a 90min charger fails, it kills batteries. When a 15min charger fails, the more than 6 times higher power output may make a heck of a bonfire.

TheMafioso wrote in post #3553157
Hmm, I agree to what you're sayin, but chargers have other mechanisms to detect, the fully charged battery that includes minus delta V, and safety timers. Good chargers automatically put the charge on trickle once it detects battery is fully charged, but it didn't happened in this case, since he forgot and put it overnight accidenltly, and neither did safety timers kick in.....It seems to be a clear case of somethin going wrong with the charger's circuit...
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...or the battery failing with a high internal resistance. But the problem comes is in the 15 min charger case, the currents are so high that the heating occurs so fast, that a problem can easily occur.

I'm telling you what I know as an electrical engineer dealing with the charging circuits from semiconductor manufacturers and their application on a regular basis.

I wouldn't use one because it will, without a doubt, significantly shorten the battery's life and it is a safety issue big time. Any failure of the circuitry has the potential for a big safety problem - it is not fail safe simply because of the currents involved.

The top end battery chargers (like Lacrosse technology) don't offer a 15 minute charge option, they will only go to 1 hour. The charging currents are far lower and much safer.

Do what you want. I'd advise heavily against it.

J

Hmm.....okay guys, i see your point, these things aren't very safe in case of faliure..
Too bad i already ordered one

TheMafioso wrote in post #3553157
See this post and you'll find plenty many in the thread HeadCase650 mentioned, with some people claiming that they're running 15min batteries successfully for 2, 3 even 5 years....So 15min batteries may not seem pretty theoritically but they do work practically...

JohnJ80 wrote in post #3553888
...or the battery failing with a high internal resistance. But the problem comes is in the 15 min charger case, the currents are so high that the heating occurs so fast, that a problem can easily occur.

I'm telling you what I know as an electrical engineer dealing with the charging circuits from semiconductor manufacturers and their application on a regular basis.

I wouldn't use one because it will, without a doubt, significantly shorten the battery's life and it is a safety issue big time. Any failure of the circuitry has the potential for a big safety problem - it is not fail safe simply because of the currents involved.

The top end battery chargers (like Lacrosse technology) don't offer a 15 minute charge option, they will only go to 1 hour. The charging currents are far lower and much safer.

Do what you want. I'd advise heavily against it.

I certainly hope that folks like Mafioso pay attention to the post above.

It's amazing how some folks react more to the posts that support their own feelings/desires, rather than those that tell the documented truth about technical issues.

TheMafioso wrote in post #3553909
Hmm.....okay guys, i see your point, these things aren't very safe in case of faliure..
Too bad i already ordered one

By far, the wisest thing you could do is return it for a refund.

SkipD wrote in post #3553947
I certainly hope that folks like Mafioso pay attention to the post above.

It's amazing how some folks react more to the posts that support their own feelings/desires, rather than those that tell the documented truth about technical issues.

C'mon man, most people are having good experiences w/ thier 15min chargers in thread given by HeadCase650, almost everyone who *actually* used 15 min batteries is supporting them...Agreed it may not very safe as pointed out by pwm and john, but then I'm yet to see someone whose charger has gone boom, i actually have searched for that (having said that, I hope I'm not the first one )

SkipD wrote in post #3553961
By far, the wisest thing you could do is return it for a refund.

Well, here shipping costs more than the product itself, since its international...so no point returing it..

TheMafioso wrote in post #3554081
C'mon man, most people are having good experiences w/ thier 15min chargers in thread given by HeadCase650, almost everyone who *actually* used 15 min batteries is supporting them...Agreed it may not very safe as pointed out by pwm and john, but then I'm yet to see someone whose charger has gone boom, i actually have searched for that (having said that, I hope I'm not the first one )

I have seen a number of consumer-grade chargers ruin batteries. While none of the batteries exploded, all of them leaked quite seriously.

The anecdotal "evidence" that the 15-minute chargers work well is just that. I would suspect that the great majority of the users of this sort of item who report that they work well have no electrical/electronic training and experience to enable them to truly analyse what's going on. For sure, most of them don't have a clue as to the potential hazards.

If you are going to be worrying that much about a battery charger you might as well wrap yourself in bubble wrap and live in a padded room...

Ultimate CC wrote in post #3554278
If you are going to be worrying that much about a battery charger you might as well wrap yourself in bubble wrap and live in a padded room...

I just try to make well-informed decisions. That sometimes means doing a little research.

Slower charging rates have always been better for batteries, regardless of the battery technology - all the way from lead-acid batteries to the most current technologies.

yea im not argueing that but for me the 15min charger meets the demands but yes they aren't for everyone...

But a 15min charager work. Almost always. But it is hard to claim that it can both push the envelope and at the same time have a lower failure rate than slower chargers. The question to ask is if it is worth the risk of a failing unit - and if the potential consequences of a failure has been considered.

A very large majority of all owners of a 15min charger will not see it fail. But then on the other hand, the majority of car owners will never collide, so airbags and safety belts are normally not needed.

A 15min charger can be an excellent investment for panic-charging batteries if that is what it takes to do a job. However, they are not the best choice for an everyday charger because it is just too powerful. Tools that are too powerful are quite good at shooting holes through peoples feet. Hence, they should be handled with a lot of care. A big gun should not be used when a little gun can do the job.

TheMafioso wrote in post #3554081
C'mon man, most people are having good experiences w/ thier 15min chargers in thread given by HeadCase650, almost everyone who *actually* used 15 min batteries is supporting them...Agreed it may not very safe as pointed out by pwm and john, but then I'm yet to see someone whose charger has gone boom, i actually have searched for that (having said that, I hope I'm not the first one )

Well, here shipping costs more than the product itself, since its international...so no point returing it..

You have the facts now. Your call.

I would not use one for safety reasons and for battery longevity reasons.

J

I've been using a Ray O Vac 15 minute charger for 2-3 years. Went to buy another one only to find out that Ray O Vac does not make them any longer. Upon calling ROV I was told they ere discontiuned due to lack of sales. I noticed Wally World has Duracell and Energizer 15 minute chargers. I called Energizer and their tech rep told me all their rechargables would work in the 15 minute charger but the life of the battery would be greatly reduced. I was told to expect no more that 200 cycles while using the 15 minute charger but I could expect 5 times that with a longer charge rate...3 hours or more. Nothing was mentioned about the safety aspect. Again, I've been using the 15 minute battery charger made by Ray O Vac...two photographers...almost every weekend for weddings and lots of location stuff in between with no problems. I consistently get over 500...yes 500 shots with my Canon 580 using these batteries.

Bob Sherwood wrote in post #3555621
I've been using a Ray O Vac 15 minute charger for 2-3 years. Went to buy another one only to find out that Ray O Vac does not make them any longer. Upon calling ROV I was told they ere discontiuned due to lack of sales. I noticed Wally World has Duracell and Energizer 15 minute chargers. I called Energizer and their tech rep told me all their rechargables would work in the 15 minute charger but the life of the battery would be greatly reduced. I was told to expect no more that 200 cycles while using the 15 minute charger but I could expect 5 times that with a longer charge rate...3 hours or more. Nothing was mentioned about the safety aspect. Again, I've been using the 15 minute battery charger made by Ray O Vac...two photographers...almost every weekend for weddings and lots of location stuff in between with no problems. I consistently get over 500...yes 500 shots with my Canon 580 using these batteries.

Yes, its true, however Amazon and eBay are still selling the Rayovac 15min batteries, though they're a little on the higher side....so you can get them if you want..
Funny thing, Energizer told u that...they themselves claim upto 500 cycles, everywhere else......and these batteries do last more than 200 cycles, we have people using it for like 2 yrs on this board only...

No offense to all the safety monitors on the board but to the Op, don't let all the fear tactics keep you from using a 15 minute charger. Your house wont burn down, the batteries wont melt or explode. Some of my batteries are over 2 years old and get charged at least 4 times a month sometimes double that. The batteries do get warm but they do not get "Blistering" or "sizzling" hot like Ive seen mentioned on some other threads. If you like, just leave them in the charger for 25 minutes and the fan would have cooled them down completely.