Amprobe - 4589825 BAT-250 Battery Tester

I can't compare this battery tester to any other battery tester, but I think this one works great. I quickly and easily went through a bag of typical household size batteries that I had laying around and saw proof that it registers a true range of battery life. Some batteries didn't register at all while others hit the green and yet others landed somewhere in between. The gauge is very easy to read as are the markings on the unit. This tester is SUPER EASY to use! Place the battery in the guide, slide the black holder up with your thumb, and as soon as the battery makes contact with the top, it will register on the gauge. One thing I like about this tester is that it tests small button batteries like hearing aid batteries. There are smaller testers just for the buttons that are easier to use for the little batteries, but this will do in pinch. At first it felt awkward to handle this tester but I got used to it after just a couple tries. For a $7 piece of plastic, I wasn't expecting anything more but it does have a slight indention on the side gripped by your fingers so some thought went into the design. I LOVE the fact that it doesn't need batteries to test batteries - and you can use it straight out of the package. I also like that it's red making it very easy to find on a shelf or in a drawer. The size at just larger than a pack of cards should make it easy to handle for most adult hands. If you're looking for something to test batteries for your remote control or kid's toy, this is perfect!

The battery tester works well with Ni-MH (rechargable) batteries and is able to tell the difference between a dead alkaline battery and a good Ni-MH battery (even though the dead alkaline battery had a higher voltage according to a voltmeter). The description on the product page was a bit vague about this, so I wanted to clarify this point. My Amprobe BAT-250 applies a 5.5 ohm load for AA/AAA/C/D/coin batteries and a 215 ohm load for 9V batteries. This is good, because testing batteries with a load makes it easier to distinguish between good batteries and (almost) dead ones: an almost dead battery may appear to provide enough voltage until it's connected to something that needs power. I was worried about breaking the tester if I accidentally plugged in a battery backwards since there wasn't any mention about reverse-polarity protection in the manual or on the Amazon product page. Luckily for you, curiosity got to me, and I can confirm that "accidentally" inserting a battery backwards (i.e., flip the battery around so that the positive end is where the negative end should be and vice versa) into the tester does NOT break it. The needle in the dial does swing the wrong way, but the meter survived (apparently undamaged)! (Still, this isn't an official feature, so I wouldn't recommend doing it regularly). I've tested this with both a charged AA Ni-MH battery and a new 9V battery. Overall, the Amprobe BAT-250 battery tester appears to be robust and fairly well designed. And although I already have a voltmeter (digital multimeter) that I've previously used to test batteries, this Amprobe battery tester is more convenient and much better suited for the job. A side note: I've seen some of the reviews about problems testing D batteries, but I don't have any D batteries to test. The tester did work with the AA-to-D converters that I have, but they're not exactly the same as actual D batteries.

I'm writing a long review because I think this device is worth buying even though it feels cheaply made.This battery tester works well and the meter is easy to read (it's not too small, imo). I've only used it for a few weeks and it seems fine to me. The batteries you test align into a vertical v-shaped 'holder' which isn't visible in the product's pictures, which helps to keep a battery's + and - poles from slipping away from the contact points. Markers are clear to help you see how to place the batteries in the correct orientation. Though this is very light weight and feels cheaply made, I think it will hold up to light and careful use; I don't think it could hold up to rough handling or if it falls to a hard floor. I feel the price is right for a device that I won't need to use very often, and it doesn't 'feel' like it could fail to work too soon. I took off 1 star because it feels and is cheaply made, but then what should one expect for a $6.46 plastic-built device like this? It's okay so I like it. The size of the device isn't too large or too small to fit in one hand while you use your other hand to position the battery. I think it is probably easier to hold for someone who is left-handed, but it's not too hard to handle correctly for us right-handed folks. HTH

Works great, simple to use. Well made. Clear indicator. Fits all my size batteries. Already save me a few batteries I thought were dead.

Nice tester! feels solid and works well. This tester will load the batteries/cells to give a better indication of in-use life. Very nice for the price. Just a note, if you use a DMM to try to confirm the function of this tester you will find batteries that show a 'good' voltage on the DMM but low or replace on this tester. The tester should be considered accurate, the only way to properly test a battery is with a load, a DMM has very high impedance and thus not enough load. Another thing is sometimes you will have batteries that will test good but will not work in a very high drain device like a camera, this is because the tester puts less of a load on the battery than the device, those batteries could still work well in lower drain devices like a remote. Some details from the package that might be useful: Battery: 1.5V Nominal load: 4 Ohms Good / Low: 1.0V Low / Replace: 0.9V I Max at F.S.D. 375mA (The current through 4 Ohms at 1.5V) Battery: 9V Nominal load: 215 Ohms Good / Low: 6.5V Low / Replace: 5.3V I Max at F.S.D: 40mA (The current through 215 Ohms at 9V)

I needed a compact battery tester for my desk. I have a fancy one from GB instruments (GB-500A) but it takes up too much room for my desk and has electrode probes that require wrapping up to put it away each time. The fancy one has a big meter, lot of settings and is great if you need the most accurate readings for all batteries such as Ni-Cads or 22.5 V, but most of the time a simple tester is all you need. Besides, the usual issue is "dead or alive?". The Amprobe Bat-250 tests all the common ones: D, C, AA, AAA and button. it never disagrees with it's big brother I keep in the battery closet. The legend on the side says "AA/C" and "D" but the manual states that it tests AAA's too. The meter seems reliable and the needle is not influenced by the position of the tester in relationship to gravity to view it. So it does a good job and does so compactly. The only caveat is this, and it may be nitpicking: The battery is placed in a cradle and a slider is manually slid toward the negative side to make electrical contact. The slider that contacts the negative pole of the battery is not spring-loaded, so it has to be held in place. The tester cradle is recessed to keep the battery in place but if you haven't already placed firm manual pressure on the slider, an AA or AAA battery can easily fall out unless you keep the battery cradle facing up. Even if you do so, you have to be careful not to drop the battery when you release the slider. Of course, I only started using it this week. Some of it comes down to practice and manual dexterity of which you may have more than I. Overall, it does the job simply and reliably. Also, Amprobe is a well-respected name, so it is probably indestructible too..

I have a collection of old portable radios. Most use C or D batteries. I often remove the batteries from my radios and store them until I am ready to put them in another radio. This tester makes it easy to test battery strength. It's easy to use.

great battery tester. Loads the battery during test. No 3V battery test. Hasn't lied to me yet. Battery falls out if you don't have it clamped before looking at the meter. Clamp the battery, then look at the meter, and the battery wont fall out.

The listing stated it is new, but I received one that was dirty and scuffed, the package very damaged and dirty. It looks like it's been in a dirty workshop and returned. Then sold on again... Very poor experience.

Probador de baterías muy practico y pequeño para todo tipo de baterías de uso común en el hogar o la oficina ya que se acostumbra uno a la medición de la aguja ya no se necesita un multimetro, la única desventaja que veo es que la aguja se mueve mucho mientras se prueban las pilas,

Works as expected. Build quality is quite good. Most of the batteries I tested showed result as expected. Very handy product to check batteries lying around the house. Bit expensive but worth it.

2.5 years later and still works perfect.

Very good product