Fungold Multi Purpose Battery Charger
Manufacturer: Xiamen Nanfu Electronic Technology Co Ltd
Model: HG-1412W
Country of origin: China
Price: £5.00 + 88p postage
Shipped from: China
Condition: New
Description: Multi-type battery charger
Voltage: 110V-240V
Selectable Charging Voltages: 1.3V, 1.5V, 3.6V, 4.2V
Output: 1.5A
Batteries charged: AAA/AA Ni-Mh + 18350/18500/18650 Li-ion
Safety Protected?: Yes
UK Legal?: No
EU Legal?: I doubt it
My latest product from the people's republic comes in the form of a 'all sizes' battery charger.
Presenting the Fungold Multipurpose Charger, A five quid battery charger that promises to recharge any size (and chemistry) of battery you care to throw at it with a few added safety features for good measure.
It all sounds too good to be true and the item certainly doesn't really look up to much but first appearances can often be wrong.....
AA's, AAA's this thing charges the lot!
The HG-1412W is made from a strong plastic. Not ABS style by any means but thick and heavy gage it would appear. The overall construction is actually quite good considering the pocket change price you pay. It feels robust enough to take a few knocks and falls without cracking the outer case. Something I would consider quite important when a live mains current has to flow through it.
Four large stiff battery holders sit side by side along the front of the unit. These are accompanied by four equality stiff springs which act as size adjusters for the batteries.
A (poorly marked) voltage adjustment slide switch nestles in between the Cell holders to taylor the charge voltage being placed into the cells. This is user adjustable and some degree of care is required when setting up each type of cell to be charged.
Each cell holder has a cooresponding red LED light above it to indicate the current charging state. and a green LED sits in the middle to show that power is going to the charger. pretty simple stuff.
The HG-1412W has the ability to charge both Nickel-Metal Hydride and Lithium-Ion cells and in various sizes too.
AA and AAA Ni-Mh sizes and 18350, 18500, 18650, 26650 (?) Lithium cell sizes. A one-stop shop when it comes to charging your shit.
I must admit, I haven't come across a charger quite like this before.
Vaping 18650 lithium cells being charged
Operating the charger is really easy. Just select the voltage you want to charge the cell at, insert either 1,2,3, or 4 cells and plug it on the wall.
The red LED lights will show that the cells are connected correctly and thats it.
When each of the cells has fully charged the red LED lights will switch off.
Some cells may finish charging before others in which case the power is cut to that cell and it sits dormant until all the others have finished charging.
The charger incidentally has polarity protection built in so the cells shouldn't short out if they are inserted the wrong way up.
The HG-1412W is fully automatic and almost idiot proof!
Good Points
- Charges most rechargable Cells
- Ability to charge 1/2/3 or 4 cells independently
- Reasonable build quality
- Compact size
- Cheap!
Bad Points
- Not UK legal
- Some safety concerns
- No instruction manual
- Thin power cable for 230V
Illegal? Really?
Unfortunately the rather fantastic Fungold charger is not legal for sale in the UK (and probably Europe too)
Firstly because it hasn't had any official safety testing in the EU and doesn't feature a CE mark.
Secondly it doesn't have a three pin plug top on it - a requirement of UK law.
Instead it comes with a standard US two pin plug which is workable via the aid of a travel adapter.
Questionable Safety
Consumer safety is not always high in the list of features when a product is designed in China.
And although the HG-1412W does have rudimentary battery and mains protection it does have one major safety issue in my opinion.
No its not the dodgy thin power cable or the quality of the internal electronics, its the voltage setting switch.
Anyone who forgets to set the slide switch correctly could have a bad day if they get it wrong!
You see, if they happen to charge any non lithium-Ion cell like a AA or AAA and leave the slider set to anything over 1.5V then.... well you know whats going to happen!
Voltage selector slide switch
If the charger is solely being used for one type of battery then I dont see there being a problem. Its set for that voltage and left at that voltage.
It just becomes a concern when the charger is being used for multi types.
The device is safe enough for what it has to do, its all done electronically.
Its only when human interaction is needed (like a manual slide switch) that a risk is involved.
NEVER leave the charger unattended when its in use. just dont.
NEVER leave it on charge when you go to bed or pop down to the shops.
NEVER charge different types of battery in the HG-1412W at the same time.
Bring your own UK mains plug
Overall then I'm really happy with this product. It does everything a 15 quid charger does for a third of the price.
Yeah I guess it doesn't have a fancy company name plastered on it or come with a UK legal plug but I can live with that. It just has to charge my vape batteries after all.....nothing else.
Rating: ✅✅✅✅✅4 out of 5
If you are prepared to take a few risks when it comes to safety then this charger is a great value device.
Despite its obvious short comings it works really well and does exactly what it say it will.
Its cheap, Its basic, its no frills and it will charge your vaping 18650's without breaking a sweat.
Just keep your eye on it when its plugged in and you wont go wrong.