Black & Decker FSMVC 9.6-Volt to 18-Volt Slide Style Battery Charger Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)B&D Fast Chargers are great. But to avoid disappointment as expressed by some of the reviewers, it's important to note the following:

B&D 18v batteries come in (at least) 3 varieties: 1.2, 1.5, and 2.1 ampere/hours. The 1.2 comes with most tools and has 2 terminals. The 1.5 (comes with some kits) and 2.1 "Silver Extreme" (sold as a "high performance" accessory) have 3 terminals - the third terminal apparently detects over charging.

B&D chargers also come in (at least) 3 varieties:
1) "Dumb" chargers that supply a constant charge current/voltage, i.e., like the charger that comes with most B&D products that has the brick that plugs in the wall and a small piece that slips onto the battery; these have 2 terminals.
2) "Semi-intelligent" 2 stage chargers that supply a constant charge current/voltage for charging, but then drop to a "maintenance charge state". These also have 2 terminals.
3) "Intelligent" fast chargers that charge at a faster rate, can sense overcharging and modify charge current accordingly, and then drop to a "maintenance charge state" once the battery is charged. These chargers have 3 terminals.

The (dumb) charger that comes with most B&D products that has the brick that plugs in the wall and a small piece that slips onto the battery does charge ALL the 18v batteries in about 6 hours - BUT - the manual warns not to leave the battery on the charger or battery life will be diminished (no "maintenance charge state", just constant contiuous current).

Semi-intelligent chargers charge at twice the rate as the "dumb chargers", thereby charging ALL 18v batteries in about 3 hours. These are chargers that come with the 3 piece garden set, dual chargers that come with some combo kits, etc. You can leave the batteries on these chargers "indefinitly" according to B&D.

The "intelligent" fast chargers (single & dual) will charge the 2 terminal 1.2 A/H battery in about 3 hours (same as the semi-intelligent chargers) BUT will charge the 1.5 & 2.1 ampere/hour batteries (with 3 terminals) in about 90 minutes. And, you can also leave the batteries on the fast chargers "indefinitly" according to B&D.

Hope this helps
Rod

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Product Description:
The convenience of using cordless tools can be compromised if you're always standing around waiting for the batteries to recharge. To get you up and running quicker, with less down time, Black & Decker has developed the FSMVC 9.6-Volt to 18-Volt Fast Charger. This cleverly designed plug-in charger accepts a wide range of nicad batteries, including 9.6, 12, 14.4, and 18-volt packs. And it will recharge a battery in less than 90 minutes, as compared to the average three-hour recharge time of the chargers that came with the tools. The FSMVC 9.6-Volt to 18-Volt Fast Charger accepts all Black & Decker and Firestorm spring-loaded (slide-in) type batteries.

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