Customer Reviews:
 Cheap production values, nasty design, and very, very expensive October 18, 2008
11 out of 13 found this review helpful
This charger does what it says on the box, and no more. It charges quickly, has some reasonably high capacity batteries included (but not Duracell's best rechargeable batteries), and cuts out when the batteries are full. It will charge AAA batteries as well as AA with the flick of a cheap and nasty switching mechanism, though only AA batteries are included.
Made in China, and it shows. Tacky looking and cheaply built, the mechanism for switching battery types is decidedly suspect and will almost certainly cause trouble over time, but it does the job. The unit will probably last no more than a year of solid use. Clearly more time has been spent designing the packaging than the unit itself.
The eye-watering price is the problem. It is phenomenally expensive for such a simple, cheap-to-make product. Costs have clearly been cut across the board: Chinese-made, plasticky, with a nasty switch, it hardly screams a quality product. So why the huge price tag? Presumably because you are paying for the Duracell brand.
It is cheaper here than elsewhere, but it is still painfully expensive. You would need to get through a lot of regular batteries before you even begin to break even on the price, and remember - rechargeable batteries only last for about a year before they need replacing. People often don't realise that even rechargeables have a limited lifespan.
Had they made the price a little more reasonable, I would have recommended it with some reservation as a poorly-made budget charger. If you eat batteries then it may still be worth your while, but frankly, I'm not convinced. The poor manufacturing quality does little to engender confidence over the long-term.
Still, there is always someone with more money than sense. Or maybe you like collecting cheap Chinese tat. If that's you, knock yourself out!
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