La Crosse BC-700 AlphaPower Battery Charger

By Robert • August 24, 2008

La Crosse BC-700 Look familiar? Except for the black color, the BC-700 looks exactly the same as the better-known La Crosse BC-900 AlphaPower Battery Charger. Just like the BC-900, the BC-700 has four user-selectable operating modes: Charge, Test, Refresh, and Discharge. Trickle charge kicks in once the batteries are charged.

What’s the difference? The BC-700 charging current maxes out at 700mA in three steps (200mA, 500mA, and 700mA). The BC-900, on the other hand, can go up to 1000mA for 4 cells, or 1800mA for 2 cells.

Also, the BC-900 charger comes with eight NiMH rechargeable cells (4 AA and 4 AAA), eight C/D cell adapters, and a carrying case. To keep the price down, the BC-700 does not include the batteries or the carrying bag. Both chargers can handle voltage up to 240v for international use.

Which model should you get?

The difference in cost between the BC-700 and the BC-900, at Amazon for example, is about US$7.00. Giving up the ‘freebie’ batteries, is no big deal as they are Mignon batteries made by Ansmann AG. However, the travel case and the 1,000mA charging current are well-worth the extra seven dollars.

If you are in a hurry, fully charging a set of 2700 NiMH batteries with the BC-700 will take nearly 4 hours. With the BC-900, it will take less than 3 hours albeit with more heat generated.

Naming Confusion

Lacrosse uses the name ‘AlphaPower BC-700′ while Amazon calls the charger ‘Alpha Power BC700′. This difference makes searching for product information a bit confusing. We have used the name as the manufacturer has indicated.

The BC-700 has been available in the USA for about a year. However, it has been sold for several years in Europe under the name Technoline BL-700.

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