Batteries Reviews

They are, and they aren't, great binocs

What they are: as it says, the lightest and least expensive IS binoculars on the market (right now). The optics themselves are only merely very good, but - HAND HELD - with the IS activated, they allow me to read fine print about 20% closer than with my Leica 8x32 Ultras. On a rest, the Leicas are superior. It's the elimination of the jiggles - the 8x25 Canons don't give an image that's as bright and contrasty as those high dollar Leicas, but the steadier image more than makes up for that.

What they aren't: waterproof or armored. So have a care if you use them in conditions of rain or dust. They're much more complicated than simple binocs, with electric circuits inside, and the matter of reliability does come into consideration - but in the first year, they've survived life in the tote bag ,bouncing along dirt roads without a hiccup. Two more things: besides armoring and ruggedizing, Canon had to compromise _somewhere_ to make them this small. So, while the IS deals well with rapid human shaking. it doesn't seem to correct at all for slow motions. I imagine the engineers were forcd to leave off the sensors for slow motions, to fit everything else in. And, they use CR123 batteries, more expensive and harder to find in a pinch than AA batteries. Of course, if the batteries run dead, all your are left with is a functional set of very good, if a bit bulky, 8x25 binocs. What Canon has created is $300 binoculars that - hand held, with the IS active - outperform my high dollar Leica 8x32 Ultras. And, I imagine, the Nikon SE's, too. No kidding.

Oh, man. I worked eBay, finally got myself a pair of the vaunted Leica 8X32 roofs at a decent price. And splendid binoculars they are. Excellent.

Then Canon comes out with these IS 8X25's. I already had the 12X36 jobs, wonderful and bulky. HAD to have the 8X25's.

Here's the deal. Serious binocular users know "Better view Desired" http://www.betterviewdesired.com/

I used a casual version of his NEED test.

The $300 canon IS 8X25's beat the $500 Leica 8X32's all hollow on any measure of hand-held resolution. HAND-HELD. On a rest, the Leicas showed their precision optics. Hand held, the Canon's were far better.

There ya be, friends. Image stabilization RULES.

RossB

I have to give these binoculars 5 stars, not because they are the finest optics money can buy, but because they give the clearest and steadiest handheld viewing you can get at anywhere near this price. Value for the money is the point, here. But, besides value, they actually are very good quality optics! They feel well made. Although they are mostly plastic, it's good quality material, they don't feel cheesy. No, they are not built like a Leica tank (intended to survive an atomic blast), but the image stabilization is so amazing, I am willing to be a little extra careful with them. You look through them and press that button, and, PRESTO, the view just stops jiggling! It's just fantastic! The I.S. has greatly improved my stargazing pleasure. Maybe I have especially bad hand tremor, but I would bet anybody would notice a big difference. I really love them!!

I was given one of these by work. Too bad I have to return it if I leave. Everyone that has any type of DeWalt tool should have this charger.

I used the 18v tools to build an entire remote cabin where there was no regular electricity. The vehicle charger works great connected to a 12 volt solar power system.

This product is great for anyone that is always on the go and does not have access to an electrical outlet to plug in a battery charger. I use it everyday while performing a/c punchouts. I have owned it for 3 years and the only thing that I have found to be concerned about is overheating the charger and batteries on hot summer days.

Replaced my old charger with this one. Made a big difference with my older batteries that would not take much of a charge. Gave some new life to them. If you are a user of cordless tools, you know that batteries are the big maintenance expense. While my figures are not scientifically valid, my best guess is that this charger will extend the life of the batteries at least 20 percent

I purchased this charger at the same time I bought my 14.4 cordless drill (Firestorm). This charger fully charges your Dewalt or Firestorm batteries in less than an hour (depending on how low they are when placed in the charger). My two batteries are still going strong after more than three years of frequent home use (the tune-up mode definitely helps).

Never use the 6 hr battery killer that comes with your cordless tools. This charger is definitely worth the money, considering I would have spent at least twice as much on new batteries.

I traded up to this charger after one of my old ones quit. The "tune-up" mode really does make a difference. I tried a side by side test with my remaining old non-tune-up charger. I charged two depleted 12v batteries for 10 hours, using the "tune-up" mode on this charger. I then ran them in the same drill, and there was a noticable increase in rpm and torque with the "tuned-up" battery. The "tune-up" mode does take 8 hours, but it is only necessary every 8-10 charges. As DeWalt explains, the cells in the battery are wired in series and the "tune-up" charges the downline cells completely, where fast charging only fills the first few cells. All cordless batteries are a series of 1.5v batteries enclosed in a case. To get a full charge, all the individual batteries need to fill completely.

If you have older batteries, this charger will give them new life. It is a worthwhile upgrade even for new batteries, as it will give them better performance and perhaps, extend their life.

UPDATE: Thanks to "alabamaargiope from Madison, AL USA" for pointing out that it is indeed the charger that's the problem here. The batteries do infact recharge fine if I leave them in my "dumb" recharger for two "sessions", ie for a total of 30hrs. It would have been useful if Lenmar had addressed this problem on their packaging rather than letting us find out afterwards that we should really upgrade our charger to a more "intelligent" unit before buying these batteries.

ORIGINAL REVIEW: These Lenmar NiMH rechargeable AA batteries are rated at 2000mAh, which means a higher current than from most other rechargeables available, which is why I bought them. However, using an Energizer ACCU recharger that automatically times out after 15hrs, these batteries last only half as long as other NiMH batteries I use, even though these other batteries don't look nearly as good on paper as the Lenmar brand (namely Energizer rated 1600mAh, Energizer rated 1850mAh and Kodak rated 1850mAh). So I am not sure if these Lenmar batteries are just no good, or if I should be using a more sophisticated recharger (perhaps one sold by Lenmar), but I'm going to avoid this brand in the future. Why buy batteries that cannot be fully recharged by any NiMH recharger?

This battery is pretty good. It lasts longer than I expected for 10 bucks. To me, I see nothing different between this $10 Lenmar and $25 Kodak.

These are fine batteries that deliver great bang for the buck, which is true of all high-quality NiMH batteries I've tried. The problem a previous reviewer reports with low capacity is indeed with his charger, not the batteries themselves. The charger he mentions delivers a fixed amount of current per hour for fifteen hours and shuts off. It has no "intelligence" about the capacity of the battery in it, about its current charge state, or anything else. Using these batteries in a good, intelligent charger, such as a Maha MH-C401FS or the smart Lenmar charger he mentions, yields great results, as the charger recognizes the capacity of the battery and doesn't stop charging until it reaches it.

Use these batteries with a good charger and they'll please you over and over again.

A little pity that it doesn't have a main dial and an AE lock on it. it gets really hard to use automatica exposure when you are shooting vertical. Otherwise a very nice accessory of ElanII.

If you have this camera and a functional lens for it, then buy this accessory before any other and begin to save money on batteries immediately. By using AA batteries you save enough money to pay for this thing quite soon, and if you use rechargeables, like I do, for nearly everything that uses AA batteries, you pay for it even quicker.
It adds a balance to these cameras which helps you feel comfortable taking photos from angles you would have hesitated from before. As a former full-time journalist I started carrying this type of camera because they were cheap enough to have several alike, you didn't get your heart broken if they got destroyed, and you can find plenty of affordable, useful accessories for them. This is not a luxury item, but a necessity. Buy it!

Can't think of anything bad to say about this little gadget. You'll save money and time by using the AA battery option, and when you attach this to your EOS body, people take notice. This is a very professional working and looking tool.

I love Kodak, and was saddened by the recent financial trouble the company has recently been going through. I hope they survive. But I can't help but wonder why so much for batteries that the popular brand-name competitors charge half the price that Kodak charges for theirs? These have the same power rating and quality as Kodak's.

These batteries are green in color, not red as shown. They are made by Sanyo in Japan & are of excellent quality. They last really long. Get only the Kodak Charger & NOT other brand, i had the bad experience in mixing battery & charger from diff brands.

Now, i got more of these & use them in toys, kitchen electrics etc. etc. Got some Kodak AAA as well & each charge lasts 3 months or so in my wireless mouse.

A quad package of a better environment.
Being able to recharge is vital especially at the very high cost basis.

Shopping here does have a great benefit in cost comparison as well reviews. Thats why I think, we all look in here and shop.

The NiMH batteries do not have a memory so that is another advantage. NiCAD's do.

Kodak I think does charge a premium for its name and private lable on the products. But what do people expect? Getting a quality package of a product but paying for less...

I know I'm not supposed to write more than 1 review on 1 topic but I forgot to comment on sound quality. Such an important topic. Simply put. The megabass is as expected from sony. Not good. I just stick to normal because all bass does it make it muddy. If you get good headphones or earphones, like the sony mdr-888 (too bad it costs a bundle), it will sound great. Bad sound quality is not because of the CD player. More than that is it the speakers. As for the remote it is the same one used on MD's these days. It has bass, enter, pause, display and play mode buttons the the top side. (five) Hold on the bottom and a cool jog wheel on the side that controls both track and volume. The remote itself is a little big but very! functional. Great.

This CD player's size and weight is its best feature. Plus with the G-shock protection, you can take it anywhere. One feature that is especially useful (and present only on higher-end CD players) is the Optical Output. I use it all the time with a fiber-optic cable to copy music from CD to MD digitally. With optical output, the data loss is virtually zero. One downside is that there is little control of the CD player without the joystick. On the unit itself is only play, stop, skip forward and back, and volume control. Also, there is no back-lite on the joystick itself, so in the dark it is impossible to see what's being displayed. The included NC-6WM rechargeable batteries (about a quarter-inch thin!) last a long time, and with an external AA battery pack the battery life is tremendous. The price is steep but well worth it. I get many comments about how small the CD player is.

I cannot say enough good things about this Sony product. I am happy with just about every aspect of this disc player. And I'm afraid that I'm going to have to disagree with the other reviewer on the running thing. I run 5 miles a day, six days a week. I've had the DEJ825 for almost a year now, and I can say that it has only skipped three times in all those months, and each time, it was very close to when the batteries need recharged. I've had it out in extreme cold, extreme heat, humid conditions, windy conditions, all sorts of weather. This thing has been a great companion on my runs.

While the quality of the build of this instrument is top notch, the technology is outdated. Several companies have improved the beam quality, bulb life and electrical reliability of similar products. Solid state technology (LED light) has made the standard D-cell light a dim unreliable unit. The company has rested on it's laurels for too long. Other companies have made brighter smaller longer life units in standard bulb (incandescent) and solid state (LED) formats for a number of years now. See companies like Streamlight, SureFire, Brinkmann and search for "LED Flashlights" for the whole array of new technologies.

Most of my Mag Lights have been retired in favor of LED technology lights with comparable output plus extended battery life and bulbs that last for 50,000 plus hours. Mag faces the risk of becoming the 8-track version of the flashlight in my opinion.

this truly is a work of art! the best flashlite money can buy,its been there for me in many dark places..

This is Maglite - the most robust, simply designed, durable flashlight ever. All except the tiniest maglites share a number of common features: super-bright bulbs, waterproof seals, a twistable head which adjusts the spread of the beam from spot to flood, and a spare bulb in a padded compartment in the base. This is the 2D-cell version, portable but still satisfyingly solid in feel. Larger versions take 3, 4 or even 6 D-cells.

I have owned the F6C120-UNV for about 6 months. I also own a PK Electronics 1000VA and 500VA. The 500VA is now connected to my TV and VCR. PK Electronics has since gone out of business. While the PK's only have a serial port and probably lower quality software, I prefer them over the Belkin. I have not installed any software which comes with my UPS's. My PK 1000VA will switch on immediately when I need it and it makes no noise at all.

Unfortunately, this is not true with my 1200VA Belkin. I always turn my PC off at night. I never leave it on when I go to bed or leave the house. Whenever I need to turn my PC on or off, I must press the tiny bubble switch for 3 seconds which is a real bother. Every single day, sometimes twice a day, I must press and hold the tiny bubble switch for 3 seconds. When I want to use my PC, I want to switch it on immediately. I don't want to stand there with my finger on the switch. I have a fairly convenient layout for my computer room, with the UPS's on a shelf one level above the floor. Can you imagine how other owners must crawl under their desks to turn these things on? Unlike the PK's, the Belkin's switch is not located on the top front of the unit. The bubble switch can be difficult to find in a darkened area, where both UPS's are indeed located. Sometimes I must use my flashlight to locate the switch.

Unlike both my PK's, the Belkin emits a powerful low frequency hum. This hum can be heard when the PC is off. If you have a smaller computer room where you also do your studying, watch TV or movies, you will hear this hum. When I am at my desk, the Belkin is less than 3½ feet from me. Even when I am 4½ feet away watching TV or a movie, I can clearly hear this hum.

Replacing the two batteries for the Belkin F6C120-UNV is not easy. You must take the entire unit apart to remove them. In fact, I could find no information on battery removal in the instructions or Belkin's website. Most other UPS makers will give you instructions on battery replacement. Belkin seems to purposely make it a mystery.

As I mentioned before, I have never installed UPS software. I have read online reviews regarding Belkin's "Bulldog Plus" software. I am sure it is very good. However, I simply don't need it. For completeness, I will mention the other features the Belkin has. The Belkin has 2 RJ11/RJ45 and 2 surge-only outlets, 4 battery backup/surge outlets, and both USB and serial interface ports for use with their software. The Belkin has a 3 year parts and labor warranty. The F6C120-UNV includes a $500K connected equipment warranty and a "data recovery warranty", although I am skeptical they have ever paid out $500K. Finally, as with most other UPS's, the Belkin includes automatic voltage regulation (AVR). Essentially, AVR smooths out the voltage from your house to your PC, maintaining an average of 110-120 volts while eliminating spikes above 120 volts and dropouts below 110 volts. Belkin claims the F6C120-UNV can provide "up to 100 minutes backup time." I'm sure this is true, if you merely connected a 10 watt bulb to it. A more realistic figure would be 10 to 20 minutes for a standard tower system.

If you need an inexpensive, feature-rich UPS, the Belkin F6C120-UNV will suit your needs. However, if you do a lot of studying and are particular about your environment, don't buy this UPS. Moreover, if you want an "instant on" system, this UPS is not for you. I doubt I will buy any more Belkin UPS's. My next UPS will be the APC XS 1500VA. The APC has all the features the Belkin has and more. The APC is an "instant on" UPS and the button is conveniently located at the top front. The APC battery is easy to replace, simply by sliding the bottom front down, unplugging the battery, and pulling it out. The APC is a more expensive UPS than the Belkin so you might want to wait until APC has another rebate program for it. I believe the APC also uses a more expensive battery.

Based on features and price, I give the Belkin F6C120-UNV a marginal pass. However, my next UPS will be an APC XS 1500VA.

Sincerely,
Daniel L. Martinez

I'm not sure why one of the other reviewers would use a UPS to power on/off their desktop. The purpose of a UPS is the regulate electric line input and to provide power during either a power glitch/loss or total blackout.

This UPS does the job perfectly. I run a couple of home linux servers used for httpd, smtp, pop3, imap, mysqld, online game server, etc. In other words, they're always on. My house constantly gets hit by "power glitches"; the power blinks off then rigth back on at least once a week. Of course, this is bad news for any electronic equipment, especially computers. I don't mind resetting my clocks all over the house when this happens, but it's unacceptable for computers (not that I have to reset their clocks :-)).

I had a small APC 350VA before, that was absolutely horrible. It would help for the power glitches that I have, but when the power went out for more than 1 minute, it couldn't even power up one desktop cpu and a 17" CRT. It got to the point where my wife would call it the chinese torture device (no hard feelings), because it was constantly beeping when the power went off and back on. It would not reset itself, and I'd have to turn it off and back on to get it to stop. That really defeats the purpose of the UPS, as I'd have to shutdown the computer connected to it to do this.

Back to the Belkin. I currenlty have 3 desktop computers connected, a 19" lcd and 100 MB switch. I keep the USB connected to my windows desktop. The Bulldog software is very slick. It can show you current input/output stats, as well as a log of activity. Very nice function. I've had a few glitches knock the power off and on, with not one problem in the past month.

Fortunatley, I have not had to test the UPS for it's battery power in minutes. Right now, it will shutdown my windows PC when it detects and outage. I'd like to be able to write a small script that can shutdown my linux machines as well.

Conclusion:
You can't beat this UPS for the money. APCs are way overpriced, and the Belkin stacks up to their performance hands down. I work for a nation wide computer company that uses APCs, and I'd much rather spend my money on the Belkin.

I have two of these in my office and I love them. The only "real" criticism the other review had was he had to hold the power button down for 3 seconds to power the unit off. How lazy can someone be that 3 seconds is too long to press a button? The point was irrelevant considering you should never power your UPS off to make sure the batteries always have adequate power - and once they batteries are 1/2 to 1/25 low I would recommend replacing them.
I've used APC UPS's and after trying the Belkins I will never waste my money on an APC again. The Belkins provide great line conditioning with their AVR and the included software is more than enough to handle blackout situations. The operation of the Belkin units is completely silent unless your power drops below 105 volts, then they beep and produce a slight buzzing noise as they condition the line (as with every UPS that actually works). If you have a power outlet that requires excessive conditioning, I'd either move your equipment to a more stable outlet or call out an electrician to increase the amps on your outlet.
If you want to protect your system from power surges, brown outs, and black outs - I couldn't recommend the F6C120-UNV enough. If you need a UPS with remote management software for an enterprise situation, then you might be better off with an APC unit - otherwise, don't throw your money away, get the Belkin!!

This Battery May be great but there is NO information about what type of battery it is. Either Bosh dropped the ball in their info from manufacturer section or it is NOT a cool new type nickel metal hydride type with NO memory problems and toxicity problems like the old ni-cads or plain ole lead acid gell cells.
should not have to go elsewhere to find more but will have to...

By my calculation, an extra battery goes a long way to save time when using multiple tools in the Bosh cordless tool set. After all isn't the purchase of the family of Bosh cordless tools for the purpose of saving time and thus money? If you are going to use the Bosh saw and the Drill/Driver then having a third battery allows you to have a battery in each machine while the third recharges. By the way, "Home Improvement Enthusiast" is a silly title since anyone purchasing such an expensive professional grade set of tools is most likely to be in the home improvement trade and not a homeowner.

The BAT030 is a NI-Cad battery. This is good because the Ni-Mh have not been as good as promised. They do have the memory effect but not as much but they have been found to not endure as long as Ni-Cad in high current applications such as in 14.4 V power tools and up. They have been found to perform better in low current applications such as laptops and cell phones.

In addition, you can reduce the memory effect by not leaving the battery on the charger after it is fully charged and exercising the battery by running it down to nothing about once a month.