EBL sent us their Updated 808U Battery Charger with eight AAA batteries. It has a flexible design that might appeal to photographers.
Note: EBL sent us the Updated 808U Battery Charger. However, this is a completely independent review. All thoughts about this item are our own.
Pros
- A clever design allows you to charge AA or AAA batteries in each bay.
- Each bay uses independent IC control, meaning that you can charge a combination of AA and AAA batteries.
- Has two USB ports for charging other various items…and they have a nice, snug fit.
Cons
- I can’t really think of any.
EBL Updated 808U Battery Charger — Technical Specifications
All of the technical specifications for the EBL Updated 808U Battery Charger are from the EBL website.
Battery charger
- Input: AC100-240V 50/60Hz 15W Max
- Output 1: DC 1.2V 1000mA
- AA: 1000mA Full load single slot charging current: 230~250 mAh
- AAA: 500m A Full load single slot charging current: 125mAh
- USB Output: DC 5V 2A
- Product Dimensions 1.1″D x 3.7″W x 7.2″H
- Item Weight 9.87 Ounces
Battery specifications
- Voltage 1.2V
- Battery Type Ni-MH
- Rechargeable Yes
- Weight of Single AA Battery 24.8g/0.87oz
- Weight of Single AAA Battery 13g/0.46oz
- Dimensions of AA Batteries (50.3±0.3)*(14.3±0.5)mm
- Dimensions of AAA Batteries (44.35±0.3)*(10.35±0.25)mm
What’s included in the review copy (there are numerous options on the page):
- 1 X EBL 808U Battery Charger
- 1 X AC Power Cable
- 1 X User Manual
- 8 x 1100mAh Rechargeable AAA Batteries
EBL Updated 808U Battery Charger — Ergonomics and build quality
Ergonomics
It is easy to place the batteries into the charger. The charger is large enough so that it lays flat. I know that sounds ridiculous, but sometimes if there is a kink in the power cable, accessories such as battery chargers can sometimes flop over.
USB cables fit snugly in both the USB ports. I’ve had numerous devices that don’t offer this. I like to know that my USB cable is less prone to falling out and has a good connection if I am charging my flashlights, camera batteries, phone, and other devices.
Build quality
The Updated 808U Battery Charger seems to be solidly. As mentioned, the USB ports are nice and snug, and there are no seams or ill-fitting pieces anywhere to be found.
The battery bays are also snug. I turned the charger upside down and shook it several times. All of the batteries remained in place.
The batteries
The eight included batteries use what EBL describes as “ProCyco technology”. I Googled this, of course, but it seems to be a proprietary phrase from EBL. EBL says that this technology helps batteries maximize their fullest capacity, enabling them to charge and recycle up to 1200 times, and up to 500 times for deep charging and discharging cycles. The website states that a normal amount is 400 times.
I’ll quote EBL for the batteries’ structure: “Embedded seal structure expand the space of crystal lattice, make more room for hydrogen, so EBL batteries will holds 80% power after 3 years benefit from its concentration to low self-discharge project.” So yes, the batteries are designed to hold their charge longer.
EBL Updated 808U Battery Charger — In the field
I took the charger and batteries on a short night photography trip. The included power cable was reasonably long for the desk area.
Some of my other small, lightweight devices are prone to twisting on their sides if there is a kink in the power cable. Not so with this battery charger, which lays flat.
I found the addition of the two USB ports to be valuable. The EBL charger was able to charge almost all of my devices. You won’t need to hunt around for as many outlets. I plugged in one Pentax battery charger and one USB-chargeable flashlight, and didn’t need more than that.
With the added ability to charge any combination of AA and AAA batteries simultaneously via the independent IC controls, this battery charger quickly became rather useful. AAA batteries are used in a number of photography-related gear, including intervalometers and remote intervalometer devices.
Final thoughts
Here’s where I make my usual comment about chargers. I am red-green colorblind, also known as deuteranopia. Approximately 8% of males have this, so it’s not unusual.
The EBL smart charger uses red and green lights to indicate the status of each battery. While ordinarily, this poses a problem, EBL designs their green lights so they glow considerably brighter. You have no idea how useful this is.
Of course, I do wish that manufacturers of charging devices used different methods to indicate when they were charging, and when they were fully charged. For instance, chargers could have blinking lights to indicate charging, then simply stop blinking. Or they could use red to indicate charging, and blue to indicate that it’s finished.
But how EBL addresses the lights is an effective one, and for that, I am grateful.
