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Slightly cheaper if you purchase in USD and have a credit card that doesn't charge conversion fees, currently Google says US$22.99 equals A$30.32. Always use Paypal for your purchases.
You may see this charger cheaper on Ebay - but those deals don't include a power adapter.
One of the best chargers for looking after your collection of eneloops or other NiMh batteries. This is a smart charger, it won't overcharge your batteries like dumb chargers do.
The charger defaults to 500mA charging current when a NiMh battery is inserted, but can be set to 300mA, 500mA, 700mA or 1000mA. Different slots can be set to different charging currents, so you can charge AA and AAA batteries at the same time.
Also has two modes to test batteries:
- Fast Mode discharges the battery, then charges it, counting how much current was used to charge the battery. Charge mAh is shown on the display.
- NOR Mode is more accurate than fast mode, but slower. It charges the battery, then discharges it while counting the current, then charges the battery again. Discharge mAh is shown on the display.
I recommend charging AA batteries at 1000mA, and AAA batteries at 300mA. This charger will happily charge four batteries at 1000mA at the same time, which makes it better than most other chargers.
This charger can also charge Li-ion batteries such as 18650 batteries, at up to 1000mA. Largest battery it can charge is 26650 size.
Note this isn't the Lii-500S, the newest edition of this charger. That one has a nicer display and touch buttons, but is more expensive, and doesn't appear to be on special anywhere.
Note also that this charger comes with an EU power adapter, so you'll need a plug adaptor to plug it into an Australian power point. Also comes with a cigarette-lighter cord, so you can charge batteries while you're in the car.
I just tested my Lii-500's "smart charger" capability. I charged an 800mAh AAA battery, then took it out for 30 minutes, then tried charging it again at the lowest charge current (300mA). The charger stopped charging after 21 minutes, and the battery was barely warm.
Here is an excellent review of the Lii-500: https://lygte-info.dk/review/Review%20Charger%20LiitoKala%20…
Officeworks have a good plug adapter for $5:
https://www.officeworks.com.au/shop/officeworks/p/j-burrows-…
This one has safety shutters, so it's much safer to use if you have kids in the house. Cheapo ones have huge holes you could push a car key into!
I've also seen similar ones at stores that sell travel goods like suitcases, for about the same price.