SunJack USB Battery Charger for Rechargeable NiMH/NiCd/IMR/Li-ion / LiFePO4 Batteries

I've only had a few days to play around with this so I may have to update this review as the situation dictates, but so far I am very happy with this charger. Quality wise it is not exactly built like a tank, but then for $10 I was not expecting it to be (looking at the price it seems it is NOW $19.95). On the flip side it doesn't feel like it is about to fall apart in my hand either. It neither loses, or gains, a star based on this.Comparing this to the PortaPow, this appears (so far) to be everything that THAT device aims to be. Granted, this cannot be used as a power back to charge other devices. It is strictly a USB charger. However the PortaPow does such a poor job as a power pack that it may as well not even have the feature either. It took me about 6 1/2 hours to charge four AA's that were close to being totally dead (not the 4-5 that description here says it should) but neither did it get "hot" -just a bit warm.What impressed me is that it does indeed seem to be a "smart" charger. There is a little red light above each battery which indicates it is charging and I was pleasantly surprised when over the course of 30 minutes, all four batteries switched from red to green, at different times. From the very little testing I have done in the couple of days I've had it, I've had no problem mixing battery types -it takes AA's and AAA's. At this moment I have a single AAA sitting in the 3rd bay and it is charging away.So far I've only used an Anker 4 port USB charger plugged into an outlet to test it. Shortly I will see how well a couple of solar panels work. I have the Goal Zero 7.5 watt, but also a couple that are rated quite a bit higher, my current favorite being an X-Dragon 20 watt panel with two USB ports using PowersIQ technology.4.13.2015While I have had pretty good luck using a solar panel to operate this by itself, by far the best way to use a panel is to stick a battery between the panel and charger. Any battery that allows simultaneous input and output current should work.

I'm currently using the Tenergy Low Self Discharge AA  Tenergy AA NiMH Rechargeable Battery 2000mAh Low Self Discharge Batteries 24 Pack  and AAA  Tenergy AAA NiMH Rechargeable Battery 800mAh Low Self Discharge Batteries 24 Pack  batteries. With a mix of different devices, tools, it's necessary to charge maybe a single battery or 3 or 4. I have bought two of these as sometimes I need up to 8 batteries charging at a time. My son (and I, sorry I can't lie) have lots of "toys" and we go through batteries very quickly.Good for charging while:-Camping. Using USB Solar Charger (try for 2A or more).-Car Charging. Using 3.1A USB charger.-Wall Socket Charging. (Look for at least 2A. Many current (7/2017) wall sockets with built in USB ports will charge at 2A or more).Not Great for charging:-Using USB off a computer or laptop as sometimes current is limited to 500mA (or less).-Any USB port not capable of safely supporting 1A of current.-Any intermittent sources of power, like solar panels that are not in sunlight for a good amount of continuous exposure. The batteries charge, but can take all day. I made the mistake of trying to charge my batteries while leaving my solar panel in the car where throughout the day we didn't have continuous sunlight. Even with a full day in intermittent sun, I didn't see the green LEDs above my AAs (2000mAh) (though the AAAs (800mAh) were fine).This has been perfect for multiple situations both indoor and outdoors. No excessive heat generated. Easy to use. I originally bought this to run the  SunJack CampLight (TM) USB LED Bulb 340 Lumens - Cool White (for Camping, Hiking, Fishing, Backpacking and other Outdoor Activities, as well as Emergency) , but ended up using it for everything from kids toys to LED headlamps. The battery pack ran that light all night as my son didn't want to sleep in the dark. My only complaint is that the battery cover is sometimes finicky to work one-handed since it's hard to open (maybe a good thing so that the batteries don't fall out), but I often have a handful of batteries in one hand and I'm trying to open the cover with the other. Pilot error obviously, so I'm not deducting a star. Great product. Bought a second one after using one for over 2 years.

So far, this charger is performing light years ahead of "Anything " and everything the electronic community has to offer. Two were purchased recently , and WOW !, they have been impressive ! Sun Jack wasn't kidding about being able to charge just one battery at a time , or any amount up to the four it holds. Those two little chargers have been getting a run through the paces.The observation was made by an earlier reviewer that h the lid hinges were breaking when lifting it. My experience has been, that by using both index finger nails , place them on either side of the front edge and pry gently and the lid will pop right open.Another order was placed a little while ago for two more of these unbelievable devices. The unbelievable fact that they can be powered by so many sources really puts icing on the cake! Like others have written, these CHARGERS are "SPECIAL " and anyone in the need for a "AA " or "AAA " can not go wrong with this device. Think about it ! If you're out of "AC" power , you have the option to plug into a 12v power source, ie. , your automobile power outlet! You can't buy an "ordinary " battery charger (110volt /120volt ) that has power supply options like the Sun Jack charger, especially at the price given! Oh, plus the brain that it has.Good Charging everyone!Slow PokeP.S. I've been charging various types and brands, the Harbour Freight "AA" just got hot. Can't recommend them. The other batteries have been of various capacity rating and charged quite well. Depending on the capacity rating, that is how fast they will charge . The AA 's that come with solar yard lights do very well with the Sun Jack charger.Slow Poke

The device works, and it does run from a USB 2.0 port, however the current is split between the batteries being charged. A USB 2.0 port produces about 0.5A, so if you are charging two batteries they get about 0.25A each. It does work, but the charge rate is very slow. Charging 2x "AA" batteries from flat takes 5+ hours. You would typically use this to charge batteries whilst you sleep, or to leave it on charge during daylight hours so that the batteries are ready for the nighttime.It's one of those things that falls into the catagory of "better to be looking at it than looking for it". It's a good idea to keep one in your car or suitcase. It's pretty small and you just might need it one day. If you're in a particularily sunny country it will probably work with a portable solar panel too.I use rechargable batteries a lot and I would not consider the SunJack USB battery charger as an everyday charger. I use the Ansmann 16+ at home and the XTAR VC4 at work - both of which are excellent. The SunJack USB battery charger is only for convenience, because it's so small and portable.

(My Original Review is below) Despite my original positive review, after 3 months this charger stopped working, the charge LED's just flash on and off even without batteries inserted, and upon inspection I believe it may be as a result of a dry-joint on the large Inductor but not having my soldering iron with me I can't fix. I haven't treated it badly, it broke despite sitting on a shelf with no harsh treatment. Others have said the USB connector is liable to break as well, and I can see that the USB connector is lacking the usual anchor solder points.Originally 4 stars, but as it broke, now revised down to 2 stars- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Exactly what I was looking for. A battery charger that charges AA/AAA batteries individually, with an indicator that tells you when they are charged (which seems to be reliable and not just a timer).Build quality is the only area it is lacking, but saying that I would be happy to accept that appearances can be deceiving. I have been using it for 2months with no issues, the springs on the holding mechanism are a little loose and the power connector does seem delicate and the plastic "door" cover is a little flimsy, but it does exactly what I bought it for and it wasn't expensive at £9.95 with free delivery.Recommended!!Bottom Line: I spent hours looking for exactly this at a reasonable price and reading reviews this was the only one that does what it is supposed to!

It's not had a huge amount of use so far but it seems to work. My initial reason for not giving it more stars is the build quality, I felt when opening the clear plastic that I was going to snap it but I'm sure that will weaken to the point of being easy, perhaps even to the point where its so weak it won't stay closed.But then... I bought it for the electronics and its ability to charge the battery not so that I can enjoy putting the batteries in and out or watching them charge.

Perfect product. It's so cool not having to plug this into the wall and just running it off any computer, TV or games console.I hope it lasts years. Seems simple and well built so it should.It's not super fast but it's fine, I'd rather not burn out my batts and I'm never that desperate.

Haven't used it yet but it looks good & it takes a standard mini USB cable as the 1 that came with it looks a bit short for my liking, yes I think i would recommend this