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Apple Battery Charger or 3rd Party Battery Charger?

Hellhammer

Hellhammer

Moderator emeritus
Original poster
Dec 10, 2008
22,165
582
Finland
So, I'm pretty much in need of a battery charger. The Apple one looks tempting as it comes with 6 batteries and 29€ isn't too much, plus, as usual, it looks brilliant. I looked at some 3rd party chargers as well ranging from 20€ to 40€. None of them was stunning or special by any means. Cheaper ones usually came with two or four batteries and some came without batteries. I don't really need it for else than Magic Mouse, occasionally for something else too.

Anyone has the Apple charger? Is it good? Better than others? All recommendations are welcome, I'm not tied to the Apple one because it has  logo on it, I just want something good for ~30€
 
Apples is a decent deal. I paid £30 for my 3rd party one, only came with 4 batteries.

At least they're standard AA batteries, this way you can use them in your camera etc too?
 
I think I'm getting the Apple one, mainly because it's easier choice than picking one of the 1000 Sonys there are which all look the same :D It's only a tenner or so, not a big deal. Just emailed some resellers about its availability in here. Thanks for the links GGJstudios, I mroogled but couldn't find anything nice or interesting.
 
Will you want to use it for anything else? Doesn't Apple's only do AA size? I would think most people might at least have use for AAA rechargeables at some point, if not others.

Maha
 
If you go the Apple route with the batteries and charger please post your experience with them here. I'd be interested to know if there is any significant difference between them and the usual AA batteries/chargers.
 
JAT said:
Will you want to use it for anything else? Doesn't Apple's only do AA size? I would think most people might at least have use for AAA rechargeables at some point, if not others.

Maha
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I'm not sure but that's not big issue for me as it will mainly be used for Magic Mouse and wireless KB which I will soon buy.

ValSalva said:
If you go the Apple route with the batteries and charger please post your experience with them here. I'd be interested to know if there is any significant difference between them and the usual AA batteries/chargers.
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I sure will. If the reseller near me has them in stock, I will buy one tomorrow
 
ValSalva said:
If you go the Apple route with the batteries and charger please post your experience with them here. I'd be interested to know if there is any significant difference between them and the usual AA batteries/chargers.
Click to expand...

For one thing Apple batteries are only rated 1900 mAh. Which is low by any rechargeable standard. I don't use anything under 2500.

It amazes me that people are looking at the Apple Charger. It's one of the most stupid things Apple has ever released. Overpriced, underpowered and limited.

There are hundreds of products on the market that have higher capacity batteries, faster chargers and lower prices.
 
ArcaneDevice said:
For one thing Apple batteries are only rated 1900 mAh. Which is low by any rechargeable standard. I don't use anything under 2500.

It amazes me that people are looking at the Apple Charger. It's one of the most stupid things Apple has ever released. Overpriced, underpowered and limited.

There are hundreds of products on the market that have higher capacity batteries, faster chargers and lower prices.
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And what do you get for that 2500 mAh? A crap battery that loses it's charge quickly and will not last long.

My suggestion: Get Sanyo Eneloop batteries. Apple's offering is similar to Sanyo's, but the eneloops are better for the price. Their capacity is 2000 mAh, they hold 85% of their charge after 1 year, 75% after 3 years, and can be recharged 1500 times.
 
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PetitBourgeois said:
And what do you get for that 2500 mAh? A crap battery that loses it's charge quickly and will not last long.

My suggestion: Get Sanyo Eneloop batteries. Apple's offering is similar to Sanyo's, but the eneloops are better for the price. Their capacity is 2000 mAh, they hold 85% of their charge after 1 year, 75% after 3 years, and can be recharged 1500 times.
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Thanks for the suggestion! I found those from a local retailer but sadly they were out of stock so I would have to wait for at least 5 business days. They were only 5€ cheaper and came with four batteries instead of six so I don't know, not a big difference.
 
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Hmph, they said they don't have any yet and it will take about two weeks for them to get them :( I guess I'll wait and see how much batteries the wireless KB will eat
 
Hellhammer said:
Hmph, they said they don't have any yet and it will take about two weeks for them to get them :( I guess I'll wait and see how much batteries the wireless KB will eat
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I have the older 3 battery Apple Wireless Keyboard. I replace the batteries every 4-6 months.
 
PetitBourgeois said:
And what do you get for that 2500 mAh? A crap battery that loses it's charge quickly and will not last long.
Click to expand...

Where did you pull that from? Are you using the same equipment as me? The same batteries? You don't know do you? Have you tested every other battery on the market for comparison to make you an expert?

I can get two months out of a 2500 battery under heavy use and will stay dormant for five or six as they do in my Apple keyboard which is fine longevity. I'm still using batteries I bought in 2005.

And yes, I use Eneloops as well for devices I don't use often or need charging n a hurry.

And apparently so does Apple, which makes their product even more of a joke.
 
ArcaneDevice said:
Where did you pull that from? Are you using the same equipment as me? The same batteries? You don't know do you? Have you tested every other battery on the market for comparison to make you an expert?

I can get two months out of a 2500 battery under heavy use and will stay dormant for five or six as they do in my Apple keyboard which is fine longevity. I'm still using batteries I bought in 2005.

And yes, I use Eneloops as well for devices I don't use often or need charging n a hurry.

And apparently so does Apple, which makes their product even more of a joke.
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I gave a link and concrete facts about the eneloops, would you do the same for this brand you use?

Your dismissal of lower capacity batteries seemed very flippant (and I reacted in turn).
 
Eneloop batteries are very good, I have over 2 dozen and they all range in the 2000, to 2200 mah capacity. Using these batteries for high drain flashlights I can say they are some of the best batteries out there. If you doubt me, just go to candlepowerforums and check out the charts that silverfox made on battery comparison under high drain devices. I don't care to look them up. The low self discharge is a plus for me. If the apple batteries are the same as eneloops then that to me would mean they are top notch batteries too.
 
Recent reports are suggesting that Apple is simply using rebranded Eneloops for its batteries, so anyone who is saying to ditch the Apple Battery Charger for Eneloops is really not right. Most Eneloop packs come with less batteries for the same price. At $29 for 6 batteries and a charger, it's really a steal.
 
vladzaharia said:
Recent reports are suggesting that Apple is simply using rebranded Eneloops for its batteries, so anyone who is saying to ditch the Apple Battery Charger for Eneloops is really not right. Most Eneloop packs come with less batteries for the same price. At $29 for 6 batteries and a charger, it's really a steal.
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Not entirely; for example, look at the link I posted. There are other deals too, that are a better value.

Unlike the link I posted, Apple does not appear to be using the new generation of eneloop cells, as they are rated to only 1000 charges instead of 1500. The charger also can only charge AA batteries (judging from the answers page in the Apple Store).

I don't mean to play up the differences; they aren't that large.
 
PetitBourgeois said:
Not entirely; for example, look at the link I posted. There are other deals too, that are a better value.

Unlike the link I posted, Apple does not appear to be using the new generation of eneloop cells, as they are rated to only 1000 charges instead of 1500. The charger also can only charge AA batteries (judging from the answers page in the Apple Store).

I don't mean to play up the differences; they aren't that large.
Click to expand...

I thought they would use the new generation of eneloops. Apparently not. Yes, that deal is great (I might even get it, tons of batteries included), but, in general, you're not going to see such great deals. The 4-pack AA Eneloops, which you can see in the related items, is 18 bucks, using the same batteries as the ones in the Apple Battery Charger. Non-Eneloops get even more expensive (For some reason, I don't fully understand it, since it is inferior technology).
 
I think the Apple Battery Charger is a very good deal. It comes with 6 of the rebranded Sanyo Eneloops which are well recognized by battery experts as top notch stuff. The charger having such a low power draw compared to any other charger out there is good too if you pay your own electricity bill.
 
Just bought the charger. Doing a quick 5 minute look showed nothing in the price range at radioshack. Plus for a charger and 6 batteries, to me it seems like a good deal.

In the middle of charging them right now. I just got them for my keyboard and mouse.

I can post a review when I start using them.
 
After seeing all the tech blogs and reading about it Eneloop was my choice of battery. Found a set of 4 w/ charger and 4 additional on amazon for $35 shipped. That's 2 more batteries for about the same price as the Apple Batteries.

Honestly your choice of what you want, but they're both the same from what I've read. Just depends if you want to get a little more for your money with Eneloop.
 
If you have a Costco store around, I just purchased their Eneloop package with 8 AA's and 2 AAA's with a charger for $27.00. This last set I purchased from Costco came with the newer "blue" colored Eneloops and I have purchased two other sets from Costco with the older white Eneloops.

The charger that is in the package is OK, but they do not charge independently like the Apple charger does. That means you will need to charge two batteries at a time either on the A or B side of the charger and both batteries will receive the same charge level until both batteries are charged. For purely Mac use, this is not such a big deal. Since both batteries in my Magic Mouse drain about the same rate. I have used these chargers they are fine, but I now use better equipment so these chargers are seldom used by me anymore. Does not make them bad, just not as good as what I currently use.

But since I am also a Flashahollic, I have one light that uses 8 Eneloops at one time and plenty of other lights that use Eneloops. So I use my Maha c-9000 to provide long term care for my Eneloops. I also have an eight bay AA/AAA independent charger from Battery Junction that I purchased for $27.00 that is outstanding for quickly charging Eneloops in quantities of 1 or more, plus it is AC/DC so I can take it camping with me. I have Eneloops that are 3 years old and running very strong.

If you do not need more the 6 or even 8 Eneloops, the charger that Apple is selling is fine. Although, there are better chargers in that price range with more features and independent charging capabilities; don't come with batteries though. The big river has the same packages that Costco sells for around $32.00 dollars when you can find them. Good luck with your choice..
 
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