The ZTS Multi-Battery Tester

I have two battery testers from this company the small one that tests cr123, 9 volt and 1.5 alkaline etc. And this larger one. They both work very very well I've had them for years and I've tested literally hundreds of batteries through each one. The small one does require a couple of batteries to make it operate. I actually like the fact that the large one uses the power from the batteries you're testing to utilize the testing process which makes it better for leaving in a garage or a recreational vehicle where you don't really need to worry about the batteries leaking. These testers are second to none... they're extremely convenient. Most people just throw away all the batteries from a device assuming that both, or all four of them are all six of them are bad. I generally find that only one or two of them are low or dead and that's making the whole thing inoperable, whatever device you're looking at. So being able to properly stress each battery individually so that you understand if it's 60 80 or 100% is really very important. I actually keep aside batteries that are only 60 or 80% and group them together so that I can use them and things like remote controls for TVs and other low drain devices that I don't really need brand new batteries every time. In my case I generally pitch the battery if it's 40% or less because there's not much use in holding on to it. But again the big plus here is that you can take a handful of batteries from a device find out exactly which one or two might be bad and replace just those and put them all back in without spending a bunch of money on them. It's well worth the money, I know it's pricey but if you think about how much you pay for batteries over a period of many years this device is well worth it and an extremely good quality. If you use a lot of button batteries, double A or Triple A lithium batteries like I do you're going to need the large one as it's the only one that tests those.

This is the best cell tester I know of on the market. This package does not include the separate fitted soft neoprene case that I recommend to all purchasers to protect their investment in the instrument, which can be found at ZTS SC-MBT1 - Protective Soft Case for MBT-1 Battery Tester . This MBT-1 tester bundled with the soft case is The ZTS Multi-Battery Tester With Case - MBT-1 . I've had an MBT-1 tester for four years and use it quite frequently. Although a knowledgeable technician can replicate this pulse battery test with appropriate resistors and an inexpensive digital multimeter (DMM), the ease of use, speed of use, and unambiguous results make the MBT-1 worthwhile to anyone who works with cells ('batteries') or keeps cells on hand in various states of charge. I use four Energizer lithium cells to power mine, mostly because this type of cell has a reduced change of leaking and damaging the expensive MBT-1. To test, each cell is held by hand with the positive or button end down against the appropriate contact point on the tester, while the attached probe is pressed to the negative end. The scanning LED sweeps visibly back and forth across the face during the scanning, which lasts three seconds, and then clearly stops at the indicated charge level. You can hear the relay clicking inside the unit as it gives your readout, and again afterward as you break the circuit. Testing questionable cells will definitely prevent those with life from heading to the garbage bin. It's not surprising that I've used the MBT-1 to test cells from the battery recycle bin and found new and nearly-new matched sets discarded by others. The ZTS MBT-1 is also extremely useful for verifying that matched sets of cells all retain the same level of charge -- having a weak nonrechargeable cell get charged by other cells in a series frequently leads to alkaline battery leaks. (This is also why single-cell devices like flashlights are useful to use up the remaining life from unmatched single cells.) I've tested AA, AAA, C, D, and 9-volt alkaline cells, AA and AAA 1.5V lithium cells, CR123, CR2032, CR2016, and CR2 3.0V lithium cells in the nonrechargeable (primary) category. In rechargeable (so-called secondary cells) I've tested 3.7V nominal conventional lithium-ion cells, mostly in size 18650. The MBT-1 doesn't test LiFePO4 chemistry, but despite the best efforts of several firms that chemistry remains rare in both cells and chargers The MBT-1 is labeled 'Made in U.S.A.' and serial numbered on the rear. The outer perimeter is a bumper made of stiff rubber-like synthetic, and has a form-fitting groove to hold the probe at the end of its attached wire. It's very solidly constructed and seems like it would last decades with proper care. Now to the downsides. Besides being a fairly large and weighty device for an electronic instrument, there is only one disadvantage: price. Used appropriately, this tester could save its purchase price in a year or two of frequent use. What's unexpected, though, is that the price of this tester seems to rise steadily every year, like vintage champage. It seems unlikely any patent protection remains on basic pulse load-testing of cells, but even so it doesn't seem like anyone has produced a comparable alternative as yet. If ZTS follows the pattern set by other firms, the price will stay high until a competitor appears, then they'll quickly lower the price to match the competitor. Even so, ZTS might want to think about increasing their products' value before they get disrupted by a nimble offshore competitor. For example, ZTS can bundle the optional soft neoprene case without decreasing the price point of the product.

Accurate, simple to operate, and fairly comprehensive in terms of battery coverage. This is slightly expensive but a big step up over most of the battery check meters out there. Batteries that appeared all right based on other meters, which included load testing, missed a number of batteries that were no longer viable. The ZTS identified these.

It is HUGE in size compared to many other battery testers. However, it does a very good job of measuring the voltage. Easy to read LED bar.

Gosh this is an expensive item for what it does. It doesn't feel like its worth anywhere near £115. But yes it works, it works reliably and is very helpful to have. I deliberated on this purchase for many months. If there was another competition out there I would of not given it 5 stars. But the fact is it works all the time every-time. Quality - the back cover feels very cheap and the cable to touch the negative end also feels like its about to fall apart any minute. Practicality - Its big - not exactly the smallest item on the desk when laid out in use. Oh and what really annoys me most about this item is the fact that there is no switch off button. GOSH! This means that every time I have used this measuring device I have to take out the batteries (did I mention the battery case feels like its about to break any second) and put it away as there is no way to ascertain that the batteries will not just deplete itself. A simple switch off button would of done the whole world a favour ZTS!!!!

This is a great product for finding the charge of most batteries. It's easy to use and very accurate.

Das Gerät fühlt sich sehr wertig an. Es hat eine Haptik, die mir sehr gefällt. Kein bisschen China-Feeling. (ist aber auch Made in USA). Die Spannung von Batterien oder Akkus wird über mehrere Sekunden gemessen, während eine Last simuliert wird. Anhand der gemessenen Werte wird angegeben, ob die Zellen noch zu 5, 10, 20, 40, 60, 80 oder 100% voll ist. Einige der Daten kann man, wenn man Erfahrung hat, auch relativ einfach und schnell auch per Voltmeter ermitteln. Mit diesem Gerät is es aber sehr viel einfacher und bei vielen Zellen auch schneller. Vor allem das Messen von Lithium-/Knopfzellen ist ein No-Brainer. Pluspol der Zelle auf den entsprechenden legen und den negativen Pol mit dem im Gerät integrierten Messfühler berühren. Die Messung startet automatisch und knapp 5 Sekunden später weiß man, ob man die Zelle entsorgen kann. Preislich ist das MBT-1 sehr grenzwertig und jenseits so mancher Schmerzgrenze. Da kann die Verarbeitung noch so ausgezeichnet sein. Da der Messfühler integriert ist, würde ein Abbrechen dieses Fühlers einem Totalschaden gleichkommen. Ich kann daher nur Hoffen, dass die Qualität auch langfristig so ist, wie sie sich jetzt auch anfühlt. Sorry - wenn ich so viel über die Haptik schreibe. Aber es ist manchmal wie bei einer Digitalkamera. Wenn die stimmt, hat man sich sofort in das Gerät verliebt. Das Gerät ist praktisch für fast alle Batterien und Akkus auf dem Markt nutzbar - außer für 9V-Block NiMH-Akkus (da 8.4 V nominelle Spannung) und NiZn-Akkus (1.6 V).

It's quite big, but by far the best I've had to test batteries.