Which MAHA Charger?
 

I'd like to get a MAHA charger, for general around-the-house
use. I use AA's and AAA's for my DX-399 (3 AA's), Radio Shack
handheld CB (8 AA's), Radio Shack pocket AM/FM radio (2 AAA's), two
Mag lights (2 AA's and 1 AAA), Everready Headband light (3 AAA's),
Portable CD player (2 AA's), and Franklin Electronic Bible (4 AAA's)
all of which are used almost daily. I've been reading the Thomas
Distributing website, but I'm not sure which charger would best fit my
needs. I don't have any rechargable batteries, and would buy them
with the charger. Would the C204W, the C204F, or the C401FS be best
for the above uses?

http://www.thomas-distributing.com

Thanks in advance. And please excuse the on-topic post during
an election year.

On Fri, 3 Sep 2004 00:01:51 -0500, GlennS wrote
(in article .com):


I'd like to get a MAHA charger, for general around-the-house
use. I use AA's and AAA's for my DX-399 (3 AA's),

A 399 and a buncha things like remotes and weather alarms needed one or
three charges rather than two or four and, so, I got me (and the elder
boy) a:

http://ccrane.com/quickcharger-battery-charger.aspx


Radio Shack
handheld CB (8 AA's), Radio Shack pocket AM/FM radio (2 AAA's), two
Mag lights (2 AA's and 1 AAA), Everready Headband light (3 AAA's),
Portable CD player (2 AA's), and Franklin Electronic Bible (4 AAA's)
all of which are used almost daily.

Incidentally, there are 9v metal batteries out now (the CCrane charger
doesn't have a provision for them but the RadioShack recharger I've got
will handle them). My suggestion is to stay clear of them; they just
don't enough "oomph" to mqke it - w're talkimg 160-200 here.

I don't think they're worth the bother. I get my alkaline 9v batteries
from RadioShack or Wal*Mart, because of their high turnover - which
generally means the batteries are safe. If you just /gotta/ work
recharges for 9v, you might try six "c cells" in an exterior battery
holder ("c cells" because they're affordable & reasonably long lasting
unlike "D" cells which cost an arm or leg or kidney).


++ Gray //








I've been reading the Thomas
Distributing website, but I'm not sure which charger would best fit my
needs. I don't have any rechargable batteries, and would buy them
with the charger. Would the C204W, the C204F, or the C401FS be best
for the above uses?

http://www.thomas-distributing.com

Thanks in advance. And please excuse the on-topic post during
an election year.

I've been very happy with the 204F, but then I don't have nearly as many
devices on AAs and AAAs as you seem to. I do find that it can condition and
recharge two (or four) AAAs in about an hour or so, so if that's fast enough
for you and you don't do that many AAs regularly (they take quite a while
longer), you might be fine with the cheaper F. Unless you're a big
world-traveller, I don't see why you'd need the 204W, and the only
difference between the F and the FS is speed, isn't it?

One thing, though: try to get a combo kit from Thomas, especially with the
Powerex batteries, which are very good. And don't hesitate to dicker with
them. I ordered a kit that had something in it I didn't want (I don't
remember what, a tester maybe), and when they took out that item, the kit
price was so low that the batteries themselves cost next to nothing.

And as I've recommended before to people on here who demonstrate any
interest at all in flashlight, you really owe it to yourself to check out
www.candlepowerforums.com. There's a whole world out there beyond Mag
lights. It may be hazardous to your wallet, however.

Now, back to our regularly scheduled political ranting.


"GlennS" wrote in message
news.com...

I'd like to get a MAHA charger, for general around-the-house
use. I use AA's and AAA's for my DX-399 (3 AA's), Radio Shack
handheld CB (8 AA's), Radio Shack pocket AM/FM radio (2 AAA's), two
Mag lights (2 AA's and 1 AAA), Everready Headband light (3 AAA's),
Portable CD player (2 AA's), and Franklin Electronic Bible (4 AAA's)
all of which are used almost daily. I've been reading the Thomas
Distributing website, but I'm not sure which charger would best fit my
needs. I don't have any rechargable batteries, and would buy them
with the charger. Would the C204W, the C204F, or the C401FS be best
for the above uses?

http://www.thomas-distributing.com

Thanks in advance. And please excuse the on-topic post during
an election year.

On Fri, 03 Sep 2004 05:01:51 +0000, GlennS wrote:


I'd like to get a MAHA charger, for general around-the-house
use. I use AA's and AAA's for my DX-399 (3 AA's), Radio Shack
handheld CB (8 AA's), Radio Shack pocket AM/FM radio (2 AAA's), two
Mag lights (2 AA's and 1 AAA), Everready Headband light (3 AAA's),
Portable CD player (2 AA's), and Franklin Electronic Bible (4 AAA's)
all of which are used almost daily. I've been reading the Thomas
Distributing website, but I'm not sure which charger would best fit my
needs. I don't have any rechargable batteries, and would buy them
with the charger. Would the C204W, the C204F, or the C401FS be best
for the above uses?

http://www.thomas-distributing.com

Thanks in advance. And please excuse the on-topic post during
an election year.


I have the 401FS and it's great. You can't go wrong with it or the C204F
really. Get the 401FS, it charges each cell individually which is a plus
because some devices only use 3 batteries. Thomas Dist. is excellent by
the way!

Tom

Tom Randy wrote:

On Fri, 03 Sep 2004 05:01:51 +0000, GlennS wrote:


I'd like to get a MAHA charger, for general around-the-house
use. I use AA's and AAA's for my DX-399 (3 AA's), Radio Shack
handheld CB (8 AA's), Radio Shack pocket AM/FM radio (2 AAA's), two
Mag lights (2 AA's and 1 AAA), Everready Headband light (3 AAA's),
Portable CD player (2 AA's), and Franklin Electronic Bible (4 AAA's)
all of which are used almost daily. I've been reading the Thomas
Distributing website, but I'm not sure which charger would best fit my
needs. I don't have any rechargable batteries, and would buy them
with the charger. Would the C204W, the C204F, or the C401FS be best
for the above uses?

http://www.thomas-distributing.com

Thanks in advance. And please excuse the on-topic post during
an election year.

I have the 401FS and it's great. You can't go wrong with it or the C204F
really. Get the 401FS, it charges each cell individually which is a plus
because some devices only use 3 batteries. Thomas Dist. is excellent by
the way!

Tom

I second the 401FS. The individual charging and slow recharge rate option
are the killers.

With parallel charging, a dirty contact will leave you with uncharged cells,
and series charging won't charge the cells equally.

That said, some of the older chargers are useful occasionally; the CCrane
QuickCharger has a handy digital meter, that's useful to diagnose what's
going on when things are not going perfectly, and sometimes will start to charge
a cell that other chargers refuse to charge, thinking it's dead when it's only
thorougly discharged. It's a parallel charger though, and often leaves you
with uncharged cells.

Get a bottle of DeoxIT brush-on to clean up contacts in the chargers and batteries
when they complain, too.

http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showd...number=341-215

Small bottle but it lasts a long time.
--
Ron Hardin


On the internet, nobody knows you're a jerk.