Wii Remote Charge Stations Review

If you play on your Wii a lot, one Wii accessory that you will definitely want to consider buying is a Wii remote charge station. It can be a real pain to replace the AA batteries all the time. If you get a charge station, you can place your remote controllers in the docking station when you are not using them, and the batteries will recharge. Some will even charge while the remotes are in use.

There are several on the market to choose from. The best one for your needs will depend on the number of controllers you have as well as the features you would like to have. At minimum you will want to choose a dock station that has a vertical stand for the Wii's console and holds at least two Wii Nunchucks or remotes. There are also stations that hold four.

Some Wii charge stations also provide extra rechargeable battery packs to go with your remotes. That way you will always have a remote to play with. You may also want to look into a Wii charging station that can recharge the Wii remote's battery without the remote control being attached. The ability to recharge the battery without having to attach the remote means you won't have to worry about the batteries dying on your remotes.

The Wii Charge and Dock Station is a vertical stand with 4 slots for either 4 Wii remotes or 2 Nunchuks and 2 remotes, or 1 Nunchuck and 3 remotes. It comes with two rechargeable battery packs for the Wii remote controllers and a 3 slot colored LED indicator that will alert you when your batteries are fully charged

The Wii Dual Charge Station will charge 2 Nunchucks or 2 Wii remotes as well as the Wii console itself simultaneously. The blue glow is a cool effect on the bottom of the dock. The Dual Charge Station comes with 2 rechargeable battery packs.

The Wii Dual Charge Station and Dual Cooler hold two Wii remotes and the Wii console. Your remotes are recharged and your console cooled down while you are playing. It comes with two rechargeable battery packs. It has a red LED light that lets off a red glow while it is charging and changes to blue once the remotes have finished charging.

The Wii Quad can charge 4 Wii remotes simultaneously. The LED charge indicator alerts you when the remotes are fully charged. It comes with a pass-through cable that enhances the charging. The Quad Dock also comes with 4 rechargeable battery packs.

Have You Ever Had a Battery Leak in a TV-VCR Remote?

A battery leak in a flashlight is not too bad. You simply clean the contacts and all is well, but a battery leak in an electronic device usually spells doom for the device. The fluid that comes out of the battery is corrosive and will normally cause damage to the sensitive circuitry in an electronic device.

There is hope! Did you know that most battery company's actually Guarantee that their battery will not leak and damage your electronic device? The next time you buy a set of batteries, look on the package for a guarantee. If it does not have a guarantee, I would stay away from those batteries.

NOTE: I have only seen this type of guarantee on standard size Alkaline batteries: AAA, AA, C, D, and a few watch batteries. I'm not sure if re-chargeable batteries leak and I'm not sure if they offer this type of guarantee.

When batteries leak, if the item is not that expensive, most people will simply throw the item away and buy a new item, but what about bigger ticket items like a digital camera? Battery leaks are not covered by the camera warranty, and having someone clean the battery leak could void your camera warranty. This is the where battery guarantees come into play.

For example, I had an $80 dive light in which the batteries leaked. I thought this was really strange because I changed the batteries weekly. TIP: Never go night diving with old batteries. I sent the dive light to the battery company and I received a new light (newer model) and new batteries.

Example two, my friend had an old camera winder which was damaged by leaking batteries. We sent the winder to the company and in a few weeks the battery company sent a check to buy a new winder and of course new batteries.

The obvious drawback to the guarantee is you have to pay to ship your item to the company, and you will be without the item for a while (4-6 weeks). Also, it is the company's discretion to repair or replace the item. For me, it's a hassle to send the item to the battery company if a replacement can be purchased for less than $20.

Do's and Don'ts:
1. Do make sure the battery company offers a guarantee on their batteries and read the terms of the guarantee.
1. Don't mix and match batteries? This will increase your chances of experiencing a leak and this will void the guarantee.
2. Don't leave batteries in electronic devices for extended periods of time.
3. Don't expose electronic devices to excessive heat, as heat will cause a leak and possibly worse, an explosion.

Whenever possible, buy rechargeable batteries. They can be used over and over again, but they need to be used, and over time they will begin to lose their ability to hold a charge. Don't expect a rechargeable battery to hold a charge after sitting in your desk drawer for two months. You will be able to recharge the battery, but the charge will not last as long.

Don't throw that thing away just because the batteries leaked in it! Check if the battery company has a guarantee!