The Warning… =========== Long review! Looks like I can only add 20 images per review, so I'll only add the analog testers here. For pictures of digital testers, please go to either of the digital testers mentioned in this review. The blah-blah… =========== Do you really need a Battery Tester? Not when you can buy eight batteries for a dollar, that’s for sure. But what if you don’t use ‘eight-for-a-dollar’ batteries? And even if you do, what if that dollar is hard-earned? What if about 10-15% of batteries (even 20% or more according to some reports) you throw away are actually in good condition and have at least 80% charge left in them? The reason that’s happening is due to the fact that many times out of those 2, 3 or 4 batteries in your device (typically connected in series) there’s a high chance that either one or two or three of them wear faster (sometimes much faster) than the other one(s), rendering your device useless. Other times, for whatever reason one or all cells (or the spring and the contact plate in the device itself) develop a thin, insulating oxide layer (typically at the negative pole) again causing symptoms of dead batteries. So without knowing, the natural tendency is to replace all batteries with fresh ones and discard all the used ones. Also, many times a battery powered device is positively defective. Best thing one can do is to replace batteries and check. But in the process, the old batteries get discarded. After new batteries are installed and the device still does not power up, usually one removes and saves the new batteries, but never goes back to the trash to pick the ones he just threw out. And throwing away good batteries whether knowingly or not is waste, and waste is waste, no matter how you look at it. Therefore, do you think you need a Battery Tester now? If yes, which one!? Read on… Nowadays you can buy a variety of Battery Testers that cost anywhere between $0.99 and $2,200. Until I started to dig more into this topic, I never realized there are so many types out there. And the more I dug, the more I found. Then I made the mistake and looked on eBay. BIG mistake. Oh, and God forbid you search for “vintage”! Lots and lots and lots of models! And almost all looked different. Until I realized that in fact, yes, there are many styles, but many revolve around one or two…or maybe three design concepts that either evolved in time or got copied and replicated by others ad-infinitum. I’m pretty sure that if you’re managing fleets of battery powered equipment and replacing dozens and hundreds of batteries on a daily basis, you know what you are doing and you’re using higher-end professional gear. But if you’re not, then these sub-$50 toys will to the trick. Also, these are not meant to and can’t compete in any way, shape or form with the modern crop of dedicated chargers such as LaCrosse, Opus, Maha or Nitecore that will analyze your NiCd, NiMH or Li rechargeable in more ways than you will ever need but don’t tell you a single thing about your Alkalines. These are cheap tools, but dedicated ones, simple, intuitive and very easy to use by anyone, engineer, geek or not. Moreover, neither a smart charger, nor the fanciest Fluke you might have in your arsenal will show you what these cheap tools do: measure a battery and give you an indication under load conditions. Not as easy and fast, anyways. Yes, you might take a 5 or 10ohm resistor, put it across a AA battery and measure the voltage and/or current. Then, take a 20ohm, and measure a AAA. Then take a 1kohm and measure a 9V…and so on. But that’s like using your screwdriver for a chisel. So before you want to purchase a particular model of battery tester over another, here are a couple of decisions you might have to make: analog vs. digital; new vs. vintage; multi-mode vs. single mode; hand held or desktop; simple or more complex; small vs. large; cheap vs expensive. Just keep in mind that you will not be able to find the cheapest, the smallest, the easiest to use, the most featured, the fastest and the most accurate meter - all in one tool. Go over the rankings and look at Pros and Cons of each model in the review below for a full picture. The Test Notes… ============= I am not affiliated with either of the companies that sell any of the following testers, I have not received any “free samples for my unbiased review” and the only reason I preferred one tester over another is purely technical and based on my own observations. This review is for Battery Testers for generic 1.5V Alkaline, 3V, 6V, 12V photo, button cells, coin cells and primary Lithium batteries, not for 6V and 12V automotive (lead-acid), dedicated watch battery testers or dedicated Lithium pack analyzers. Also, I focused more on the AAA-AA-C-D-9V-Li batteries than on button or coin cells but I did specify in Pros or Cons if each tester does or does not accept such cells. Resistance (loads), currents and voltages measured with Fluke 87-V. Voltage injected with a digital variable power supply. Although I used the variable power supply to gauge the accuracy of the indication (whether analog or digital), I also tested hundreds of batteries of all states of charge with each tester to see their behavior and get a more true-to-real-world result. Review is divided into Analog Testers, Digital Testers and Other Flavors (other units that I looked at, intentionally skipped or missed on eBay). The batteries… =========== Among the couple hundred batteries I went through in one shot, I found the following: As new (as in…1.6V new): - 10pcs AAA - 19pcs AA - 5pcs C - 1pc 9V With 80% or better charge: - 8pcs AAA - 18pcs AA - 4pcs C - 1pc D Total: 66 pcs of perfectly usable batteries. Also: - 11 pcs – misc. types with 60-80% charge and - 12 pcs – misc. types with 40-60% charge. Good for who knows what. They’ll probably work just fine in clocks, remotes, weather stations, mice and keyboards for at least another year or so… - Almost all “no-name” batteries were either leaked or plain dead. No surprise here, but be careful with the things you’re buying out there and have “batteries included”. As soon as you buy anything that comes with batteries, look them up. If they’re no-name, use the device until they’re exhausted (trust me, it won’t be too long) and try to remember to remove them or replace them immediately after they’re dead, otherwise they’ll leak corrosives in your device like a hydrant. - Another curious thing I noticed is that although the proportion of discarded AAA is quite higher than the AA, I found significantly fewer good AAAs than AAs. Don’t have an explanation other than the fact they store significantly less energy and they just deplete much faster overall. - All D types except one were very weak or exhausted. This is likely the opposite situation of AAA. Usually D’s are used in high drain devices, so…they drain. - All 9V except one were either dead or weak, and that’s no wonder since it’s usually a single battery sitting probably for years in remotes, smoke alarms or who knows where, so when they’re gone, they’re gone. The Battery Testers… ================ Analog: ====== A1: Gemoro Watch Battery Tester ($10 to $13) A2: Gardner Bender GBT-500A ($8 - $12) A3: Minwa MW-222 Battery Tester ($6 to $10) A4: Gardner Bender GBT-3502 ($6 - $7) A5: Square Battery Tester ($2 to $8) A6: Amprobe BAT-250 (caliper) (around $8) A7: PT W2987 (caliper) ($1.49 to $7) A8: Generic Analog Multi-Meter with Battery Test ($10 to $15) A9: (Vintage) Maxell Battery Checker ($15 on eBay) Digital: ===== D1: ZTS-Mini MBT ($42) D2: (Vintage) Radio Shack Digital 22-091: (Original $17.99; $15 on eBay) D3: HDE BT-168D: ($5 to $8) D4: Harbor Freight Digital ($5) = Micro Center Performance Tools Digital Battery Tester ($7.99) D5: Tenergy Digital Tester T-333 ($12) The Ranking… =========== The most versatile analog tester: A2: Gardner Bender GBT-500, any analog tan colored meter that looks like the GBT-500 or any Vintage RadioS
