Rechargeable batteries: USBCell Review

Rechargeable batteries are a staple of life in my household.  Some people, like my father, prefer to use them in slow draining applications like television remotes.  I prefer to use them in my Wii-motes, which I regularly drain after several hours of intense game play.  It is a situation that perfectly illustrates the benefits of rechargeable batteries.  If I didn’t use rechargeables, I’d be up to my knees in dead batteries which, due to their heavy metal content, are a pain to deal with in an environmentally safe manner.

As it is, I prefer to spare the landfill and spend money by investing in rechargeable batteries.  Currently, popular rechargeable batteries are made with Nickel-metal hydride (NiMH).  These are an improvement over the previous Nickel-Cadmium (NiCd) batteries not only because of the toxicity of Cadmium but because of NiCd batteries’ tendency to suffer from “memory effects” (which prevent full charging).  Nearly all of these batteries require that you own charger that plugs into an outlet.  However, I recently had the joy of testing out a rechargeable AA battery that was a little bit different.

The USBCell battery is also a NiMH battery, but doesn’t require a wall charger.  This is possible because these batteries, as the name implies, can actually be plugged into a USB port.  They take about 5 hours to fully charge and, according to the manufacturers, can be reused hundreds of times.  The batteries are actually shorter than a ‘normal’ AA; the positive end is a plastic cap that conceals the USB connector.  The cap is neatly attached to the body of the battery with a small elastic cord which prevents it from being lost while the battery charges.  When the cap is replaced, it forms a connection between the USB connector and the positive terminal, allowing it to function just like a regular battery.

I charged the USBCell batteries using a laptop for several hours.  One feature of the USBCell is that, while charging, a small green light illuminates the USB end of the battery.  As charging is about to complete, the light blinks and then shuts off as charging is finished.  Once the batteries were charged it was time for the test.  I grabbed a Wii-mote and placed the batteries inside.  The user guide does point out that USBCells should not be used in very tight battery compartment.  I assume because the plastic detachable cap might cause issues if it gets stuck.  But for me there was no problem, the batteries fit and the rest, I’m afraid to say, is rather anti-climactic.

The batteries worked.  In the interests of a thorough test, I played my Wii for a while, and the batteries continued to work.  The test results for the claim of hundreds of reuses are still pending.

The USBCells can also be recharged in approved NiMH chargers, which basically means any normal NiMH chargers that do not include ’super-fast’ chargers with a rating over 600mA.  But why would anyone bother?  The USB ports are so ubiquitous that I can not imagine anyone bothering to use a charger.  So there you have it, USBCells – they charge off your USB port and even more importantly, they work!

The USBCell site is located here but if you are interested in purchasing them in the U.S., you can find them on our site here.  Please note the following:  I was allowed to keep the batteries that I had received for the review.