ISDTLCD Display Universal Battery Charger N8 8-Slot Speedy Smart Battery Fast Charger for Rechargeable Batteries AA AAA Li-lon LiHv Ni-MH Ni-Cd Nizn LiFePO4

The ISDT "N" series of battery chargers may be the most advanced consumer-grade AA and AAA battery chargers I believe are currently available. The N8 ($66) accommodates 8 AA or AAA batteries, while the N16 ($100) accommodates 16 AA or AAA batteries and, finally, the N24 ($124) accommodates a whopping 24 AA or AAA cells.I purchased my N8 on Amazon for $50. If you specifically type: “ISDT N8 battery charger” into Amazon’s search box, it will show you the $50 item I paid for. It is the N8 that I will be reviewing here, although all three work in a similar way. The N16 and N24 are powered by small, wall-plug power bricks. The N8 is USB-C powered only and comes with a USB-A to USB-C cable. My N8 came nicely packaged with a color photo of the item on the box top. All the ingredients were well-packaged (in a somewhat slightly confusing arrangement) and well-protected.All ISDT N-series chargers have a black, heavy aluminum chassis with some black plastic parts on the top and ends. It is quite hefty with a solid, quality look and feel. Like most everything else these days, the N8 is made in China, but this product is up there on another level. The LCD information panel is like nothing you’ve ever seen on any other charger. It is a full color display with enough resolution to give you a very smooth, detailed graph of what’s happening with your batteries. Watching that real-time color graph while your batteries are either charging or discharging (or both) will make you feel silly that you could get so engrossed in something so mundane as battery charging.The LCD panel also provides tons of other information about your batteries: battery type, charger function, battery mAh and charge/discharge percentage, elapsed time, voltage and current, battery resistance and temperature, battery voltage recording curve (the graph), input voltage and power, and a vertical strip which shows (again, in color) battery slot status (occupied/empty, charge/discharge, finished, etc.). Each function you select (charge, discharge, activation and analysis) has a different color assigned to it, making it easy to know what’s going on at a glance. There are controls for alert (buzzer) volume and LCD panel brightness. There is a self check test with progress bar…the list goes on and on. Like I said, on another level entirely.Because each battery slot is controlled independently, you can mix and match battery sizes (AA, AAA and some similar sized batteries) in any slot you want as well as battery chemistry (NiMH, NiCd or Li-Ion). In some cases, the charger can only charge one chemistry at a time, such as Nickel-Zinc (Ni-Zn). This may also apply to LifePO4 and LiHv batteries (that’s six different chemistries if you’ve lost count—how many chargers do that many?). Current can be adjusted from 0.1A to 1.5A in .1A steps, so you can charge/discharge your batteries slowly or quickly, extending battery life (how many chargers do that?). ISDT has a video on its Amazon page which I urge you to watch for more complete information. The Englishman who recorded this video mentions his use of a “Lolly-stick” to make removing the batteries from the charger easier. I guess he didn’t understand why the charger incorporates scoop gaps to make battery removal easier.Customer service is very good—which you’ll need—as the instruction manual wasn’t as comprehensive as it perhaps should have been. For example, there is no mention at all about the “Activation” mode. I dropped customer service a quick email and it turns out that if a battery has no life left in it (zero volts), Activation mode could bring it back to life! Our Chinese-speaking friends have nothing to fear because the owner’s guide also comes in Chinese (although which dialect remains a mystery).I am so happy with this charger, I can’t express how happy I am! It sits proudly and jewel-like on my desk as if to say, “Hey! Look at me! Aren’t I the best?” I give this little machine five stars and can wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone who needs to recharge a wide variety of AA and AAA batteries.

I've tried to scrimp by for years with cheap chargers. Not that this is all that expensive, but it's all I need with no hassles or poor instructions like my previous chargers.

This thing was so much better for charging mini z batteries

At first I was excited for all the bells and whistles of this charger but after it failed to properly charge my batteries fully I should have sent it back. This theme continued through the 12 month life of the product.The good, charges 8 AA/AAA batteries individually and can charge NiMh and LiOn.The bad, it was inconsistent across all batteries/brands/types/slots. I could charge 10 times and sometimes it would charge 50% and other times 70% all the while telling me they were completely charged. I would chalk it up to the other device discharging at an irregular rate but when I finally became frustrated at the batteries not lasting I busted out my old charger and suddenly the batteries were getting charged completely and lasting like they were supposed to.The final straw was when it would "charge" a completely flat battery in 10 minutes and when you removed the battery it would not release the charging slot. It would show green and fully charged even though there was no battery in that slot. You had to power off to reset. The money spent on this item resulted in a lot of wasted time and frustration. I am not sure I ever got a well charged battery out of this product.The diagnostics are a joke and the information it displays is usually inaccurate and provides very little useful information.

ISDT makes some great charger related products. I own a few versions and their products give you more info and allow you to adjust some parameters, so much better than a charged/charging LED for figuring out if your batteries are in good shape.However, the N8, N16 and N24 say they support Lithium Ion batteries, and they do, but it's a bit misleading. These chargers support the relatively rare Lithium 14500 battery which is nominal 3.7V and the same shape and size as an AA battery, however, these chargers DO NOT support the new 1.5V Lithium AA batteries (for folks like EBL) and can damage those batteries (or more) if you try and use them to charge AA 1.5V Li-ion batteries.Why ISDT haven't made this clear is unclear to me, but their website has one review that states it clearly too, and the documentation (quick user guide) with the chargers is a little more explicit that it works with 3.7V lithium.

Cool looking AA and AAA batteries charger with display

Back in the day i was a big fan of Maha Powerex chargers, they work so well and even though there years outdated they still get used on the charging station. I always planned on downsizing what is being used charger wise. Charging station was getting crowded so instead of getting a newer model Maha Powerex model i ended up getting the ISDT N8. Does what i need in a recharger and more. I especially like the fact that i can change settings on the fly instead of taking the battery out and letting the charger reset and putting batteries back in. Now i wish i had gotten the N16 model, later down the road i guess.

Great charger when it works BUT,....It doesn't work with over half of the batteries I own.For whatever reason, this charger will not acknowledge some of my batteries. It is like it has an attitude and refuses to see the battery on the charger.For the price they are asking for this charger it should work on all new batteries. I am thinking of trashing it and going with the junk stock chargers the batteries come with.I do not recommend and would not buy again.