Savvy Circle Duracell 45 Minuter Battery Charger Review

I'm a a member of +SupersavvymeUK  Super Savvy Me and the Savvy Circle and love the benefits of testing new products for free and being the first to find out about new gadgets and gimmicks.


This campaign was for a +Duracell  45 Minuter Charger. It takes place over the space of 8 weeks and is shared with 500 other members, we all received 1 Duracell charger, 4x AAA batteries and 4x AA batteries. This newly designed charger lays claim to the ability to charge 2 AA batteries in as little as 45 minutes, with batteries boasting that they can retain power for an impressive 6 months when not in use. The charger has a RRP of £29.99, whilst the charger might seem (is very!) expensive it can be easily seen as a lifetime investment. The AA batteries are 1300 mAh and the AAA batteries 750 mAh, perhaps a little low for the high drain capacity of many things but adequate for general purpose (and who really minds 45 minutes for a charge).

These days batteries are an essential part of everyone's lives (a far cry from when the +Duracell Bunny first appeared in advertising in 1973), whether its for gaming, remote's, toys or any of a hundred other gadgets, batteries are an ongoing requirement. Rechargeable's have proven to be cheaper and just as efficient, though there are times when the charger may seem to never be out of use with the sheer volume needed to run our day to day lives.

I would have been sold on the packaging alone; a classy gloss black box, and honest to goodness REAL easy open plastic packaging. Pop open plastic, no need for scissors or knives. Which might mean nothing to you but having suffered many child filled Christmas's, this is awesome! Aesthetically the charger supplied is pretty darn nice with a faux copper half circle decoration, a slim outline and a flip open unit. It sits close to the wall and comes with a European adapter which simple slides on and clicks into place, making it handy for universal distribution and even travelling. The batteries themselves aren't the highest mAh with the AA only boasting a 1300 mAh and the AAA 750mAh. The AA fully charged last approximately 3 days in an Xbox 360 controller, which isn't too bad, but I prefer higher. The AAA last roughly 7 miles of walking, I'm not sure what that equates to for most people but its about 4 CD's worth to me. As for other product usage, think midrange, and have a back up set for urgent requirements.

The charger can only be used in multiples of 2 (i.e. : 2 or 4 batteries at a time) which can be a pest when charging an MP3 player battery, but I assume that's my fault for having a low tech musically challenged phone. The two LED light indicators make it simple to see at a glance the current (no pun intended!) state of the batteries. When the corresponding Led lights up red it's charging, green it's ready for use and when it blinks red the battery is either bad or incorrectly inserted. The batteries automatically stop charging when fully charged and the charger is also fitted with a safety cut out to prevent batteries from over charging. The charging area itself is simplistic in that the AAA batteries sit closest to the back, and the AA sit at the front, meaning no  mix ups or incorrect attachments are possible.

The charger is currently available for £21.99 from stores such as Amazon and Argos which makes the purchase more palatable. In researching the latest prices I also found out that they have a 15 minutes charger available from Amazon for £25.78 and Argos for £39.99.  A heck of a price difference but those 15 minutes are likely to be important to someone's late night gaming session or other emergency battery requirements.

All in all the charger does exactly what it says claims, though the small print does note the 45 minute charge will only charge the battery to between 75% - 80%. In short; enough for a night of console gaming, or a day of picture taking and far too long for any repetitive noisy toy owned by a child under the age of 5! This is definitely a product I would be happy to recommend, especially to the legion of gamers I know! Only time will tell how long term this solution really is but with the Duracell guarantee detailed below I have high hopes!

DURACELL offers a limited 3-year guarantee against defects due to faulty materials or workmanship and guarantees the performance of each DURACELL charger for 3 years from date of purchase. If found to be defective, this guarantee does not apply to damage from misuse or abuse beyond normal usage.