Have been looking at this for a bit. Seems like a good deal based on the reviews I've seen. Regular price $62.48, sales starts 28/3/22. Doesn't seem to come with an AU plug so will require an adapter from US or EU styles. Or, since it accepts a figure 8 input, can source a cable with an AU plug.
Coupon code worked great. Just ordered one for $44.57
Too expensive, just grab the charger in Ikea, only $10
Nah, they screw up your batteries over time because it isn't a smart charger. Will cost you more in the long run due to having to buy new rechargeables. I've participated in many discussions of varying technicality on this website and I landed on the nitecore d4
True. Ikea have sold smart chargers in the past, but lately they sell chargers that claim to be smart when they're actually dumb chargers.
I think the last smart charger sold by Ikea was the "Ladda" charger - same name as the batteries. All of Ikea's claimed "smart" chargers since then aren't actually smart chargers.
I grabbed the Ladda one long time ago. It's pretty good. That's why i recommends to buy that one. I have no idea about new charger in Ikea.
Hi there, interested in Nitecore D4 too.
Just wondering where you bought it and app. cost.
Thanks
Amazon or AliExpress have them
Just checked Ikea website. They no long sell the ladda ones. I bought this one long time ago.
Surely noone is buying this just to charge AA(A) batteries.
I was going to do just that. Why shouldn't I be buying say a D4 to charge AA/A?
That's fine if you only plan to charge AA/AAA, which isn't the intention of this charger. Unlike what @modded says, i believe ikea chargers are fine for general consumer, and impact should be negligible in the long run. I know in my case someone in my household will accidentally chuck out the battery long before it reaches the end of it's life in a tv remote or whatever.
This charger is meant to charge and diagnose a variety of cylindrical cell chemistries. That said though, unless you are looking for quicker multiple cell charging, this charger is on the slightly expensive side.
If you want a cheaper charger, the Lii-500 is about $10 cheaper, just be careful to buy from a seller who includes the mains adaptor in that price. Many sellers supply without the mains adaptor. The Lii-500, for most users, is functionally identical to the Lii-600, but has "ordinary" buttons instead of touch buttons, and a grey LCD instead of yellow.
If Aldi ever sell their NiMh smart charger again, that too is a very good charger, and probably the best value charger around. But you can't use it to tell if your batteries are failing, it doesn't have a numeric read-out of the battery capacity, nor does it have battery test modes. The Lii-500 and Lii-600 do have these features, so you do get something more for the higher cost.
Price-wise, this is a good price for the Lii-600.
Here's a video on Youtube that discusses the differences between the 500, the 500S, and the 600.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwSFxFNCS4M&t=35s
I'm a noob to higher end battery chargers but this seemed to make sense to spend a couple more dollars.
The lii-500 is also a slower charger if that matters to you, but yes otherwise from a quick glance it looks functionality identical. Again, the only thing justifying the price of lii-600 is its high current capability, otherwise there's plenty of lower priced similar functionality chargers.
When i wrote the reply I actually had other brands in mind.
ie. I recently baught the XTAR VC4SL for $33. Similar capabilities and powered via a usb-c port, but at the cost of charging speed especially when using more then 2 banks.
There's a huge variety of smart chargers out now so in the spirit of ozbargain you can save a buck whilst also getting one more tailored to your needs.
The lii-500 is also a slower charger
Only for Li-ion batteries. For NiMh batteries, both chargers have the same 1000mA maximum charge current.
Manufacturer specs here:
Lii-600: http://www.liito-kala.com/page92?product_id=23
Lii-500: http://www.liito-kala.com/page92?product_id=6
There are some differences between them. Neither is definitively better, each one is superior to the other in some way, e.g. number of charging currents, number of test modes.
i always find it is a bit hard to take out the batteries.
Seems expensive, not even AU adaptor
OP, might be worth adding that the included power adaptor has a figure-8 socket for the incoming mains. Much nicer to buy a figure-8 power cable with an Australian mains plug, than to buy a mains adaptor plug and use the included mains cable.
Officeworks sell such a cable for $5.95: https://www.officeworks.com.au/shop/officeworks/p/jackson-fe…
Good call. Have added to the listing. Not sure why they couldn't have given that option from their store though. Seems like a trivial item that could make a lot of Aussies happy!
It does seem weird. It appears Liitokala don't supply AU plugs on any of their chargers, despite Liitokala being a Chinese company, and one of the mains sockets used in China is the same as Australian mains sockets!
The three types of main sockets used in China can be seen here:
https://www.electricalsafetyfirst.org.uk/guidance/advice-for…
Apply coupon code SPRING4 to take US$4 off.