Panasonic Battery Charger Kit

I like to avoid buying items that use batteries, but when you have kids and all the 'cool' toys are battery operated, it's really hard. I have a bag of dead batteries sitting beside me as I write this, waiting to be taken to a depot to be disposed of. It seems so wasteful and not very environmentally friendly.

So along with buying less battery operated items, I've started to make the switch over to rechargeable batteries. The folks at Panasonic, the ones that made the Quick 360 Multi-directional dry/steam iron I reviewed not too long ago, sent me their new battery charger kit to try out.

The charger is about the size of my iPhone but a little thicker and it comes with four AA rechargeable batteries. The best part, the batteries are charged and ready for use. I like that the wall plug folds into itself for easy storage or transport; no worries about the plug prongs sticking out and getting caught on things or making it a awkward shape to put in a drawer. Another great feature of having a built in plug is there are no long wires for an adaptor, like on other chargers. The Panasonic charger kit has a low profile so when it is plugged into an outlet it doesn't interfere with the neighboring outlet.

The Panasonic charger kit charges each battery individually. It has an LED light under each battery location indicating the charging status of each individual battery (flashing green means charging, solid green means fully charged, red means defective battery). When one battery is ready, charging will stop. This is great if you're charging all four batteries but only need two at the moment. With the individual charging lights you can tell which two batteries are ready for use and keep the other two charging. No more guessing or waiting until all batteries are completely charged. No need to worry about over charging a battery either as charging will stop once a battery is fully charged.

There are some nice safety features with Panasonic's charger kit too, like automatic shut-off and defective battery detection.

You can use other rechargeable batteries in the Panasonic charger kit, but that would void your warranty on the charging unit itself. Obviously Panasonic wants you to use their rechargeable batteries. You can pick-up the Panasonic battery charger kit at Future Shop and Henry's Camera store for about $59.99Cdn. The Panasonic charger I tried comes with four AA batteries, but it can charge two AAA batteries (sold separately); there are recesses in the charger to fit either the four AA or two AAA batteries.

So as long as I have kids and as long as I remain a gadget nut, there will still be battery operated products in our house, but at least with the Panasonic charger kit and rechargeable batteries, I won't have a bag of dead environmentally unfriendly batteries to drop-off at the depot. 

* Product provided for review.

About the Author Managing Partner and Editor-in-Chief at one of the best social networking and lifestyle sites for moms, EverythingMom.com. Trying to balance life at home with my 3 kids (all under 8), while building my business, working at EverythingMom.com and developing my writing. Oh and throw a load of laundry in and a dinner that isn't burnt. Wasn't working from home suppose to be easier? Posted by Carrie Anne in technology reviews on December 26, 2009 More from this author  |  Author Website Follow Carrie Anne on:  |  |  |

Comments  

 

0 # batterie 2010-06-30 04:08

She continues to work with marketing agencies testing online programs and has been working with Today's Parent magazine for the last three years testing toys for their annual toy issue.

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0 # labatterie 2010-06-30 04:08

plans to share her thoughts on products that might be of interest to you and your family.

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