Ansmann Energy Check Battery Tester

Received this Ansmann tester this morning, and like the look, build and versatility of the unit.Unfortunately though, it seems too eager to say a battery is full when it most definitely is not. It told me every battery I put in it to try was either fully charged - when some of the lithiums and Eneloops I tested most definitely are no longer full of charge - or that a battery was dead. I also tested some standard Duracell batteries that have been in storage for well over two years and the tester told me they were 100% when it is almost certain that they have self-discharged some. No battery I tested seemed to have partial charge, which I found most strange. One 14500 cell from a Zebralight SC52, which has been used for a couple of weeks, received a 100% score when the in-built Zebralight check shows the battery to be at about 50%, which is what I would expect. For the amount of money this tester costs I assumed there would be a little more accuracy.

The good news is that as a battery checker it is first class, it actually puts a load on the battery and gives an apparently accurate indication of the like remaining, BUT it does not have an off switch!So you have to remove the 9 volt battery in between uses or within a month you'll need to change it and the money you thought you were saving on your cheaper batteries is chicken feed compared to having to replace the 9 volter!Needless to say the case is a tight fit around the 9voly battery and is very frustrating to have to keep on fiddling with it to get the battery out.So nearly a good idea, I guess it worked fine in the design studio where it was in constant use and no-one thought about what happens in real life scenarios

This is a handy little gadget which is easy to use and seems to prelude use reliable results over the few months I have had it. It has different scales for alkaline and rechargeables and covers most common battery sizes.

Overall very good and easy to use. It's a bit tricky to position AA and AAA batteries correctly uintil you get the hang of it (hence only 4 *). Apart from that it's simple to use and accurate.

I've had lots of NiMH rechargeables go faulty (high-impedance) after a couple of years in DECT phones and other equipment. These batteries measure fine/fully charged with a voltmeter or cheap 'tester' that doesn't apply a load but are correctly identified as flat with this tester. The LED bar graph indicates the state of charge but note you have to read it differently for rechargeable and non-rechargeable batteries, which isn't really explained well in the instructions and might confuse a novice who doesn't appreciate the lower voltage of rechargeables. However, that's the only minor failing for me

So many battery health gadgets just read a voltage without any load. This gives a proper capacity reading, is extremely easy to use and not badly priced for what it does.

This is the best battery tester I've ever had. I will Highly recommend.

Does not tell state of charge. 100% or nothing. Rubbish. Avoid this product.