Review – Traxxas EZ-Peak NiMH/NiCd 5 Amp AC/DC Charger
THE Traxxas EZ-Peak NiMH/NiCd 5 Amp AC/DC Charger Review
So you just bought a new RTR and it came with a battery and a wall charger. Wall chargers are notoriously slow and you would much rather be out driving than waiting around for the battery to charge. To get you back on track quicker Traxxas has a new charger called the EZ-Peak 5 Amp. How well does it work? Is it worth the cash? Hit the “Read More” button to find out…
From: Traxxas
Direct Link: EZ-Peak 5 amp AC/DC
Review By: Cubby
Pics By: Cubby
Specs-
AC Input: 100-240v
DC Input: 12-18v
Battery Type: Ni-MH and NiCd
Max charge rate: 5 amps (50 watts max)
Charge rates: 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 amps
Cell count: 4-8 cells
Internal Power Supply: Yes
Connectors: Traxxas
USB: 5V/1A
Dimensions: 147x104x40mm
Weight: 340 grams
Street Price: $59
Primary Competition: Duratrax Onyx 210, Dynamite Prophet Plus II, and Radient Origin
What’s In The Box: The Charger, output wire with Traxxas connector, instruction sheet, AC power cable, and DC power cable with clips.
Build Quality: The case is constructed entirely out of plastic but felt well put together. Solder joints on connectors held up well.
Testers: Cubby, Tim, and Iron Mike
Set-up Notes: We charged three different packs with the Traxxas- a 6 cell NiMH Dynamite 1800, a 6 cell MaxAmps 4600 race pack, and a 5 cell 1400 Duratrax receiver pack.
Ease of Use: The Traxxas EZ-Peak is about as easy as it gets, press a button to select the charge rate, then press and hold the start button. Iron Mike is a whiz mechanically, but tends to struggle with anything electronic, yet he had no issues using the EZ-Peak.
Power: Against uber chargers, 5 amps isn’t much, but for an affordable charger 5 amps is decent power.
Broken Parts/Issues: We didn’t have any issues with false peaking, overheating, or anything else. We dropped it a few times and experienced no issues at all. If it “accidentally” falls off your pit table chances are you’ll still be good to go.
Misc Notes:
The EZ-Peak comes soldered up with a Traxxas connector. This is great if that is your connector of choice but means you’ll be buying an adapter or soldering on a new connector if you use Deans/Tamiya/EC3/etc. There are other chargers on the market that come with a plethora of connectors to solve this issue, the Traxxas does not.
The Traxxas can put out its full power even when used off of AC power, that is not the case on many chargers.
This is very important, the EZ-Peak is NiMH/NiCD ONLY, it will not do Lipo. If you attempt to use it on a Lipo battery there will be a fire. If you need a Lipo charger look elsewhere.
The tones while hitting the buttons are pleasant, the tones that alert you that your pack is finished are fairly loud and somewhat annoying. You can definitely hear when a pack is done half way across the track.
The display conveniently shows how close your pack is to being fully charged.
The USB port comes in extremely handy for charging your cell phone while bashing. Every charger needs one of these.
SUMMARY
A = Outstanding/Best in Class, B = Above Average, C = Average, D = Below Average, F = Horrific
Time To Bash: B If you are using Traxxas connectors you are dialed, if not get ready to do some soldering or buy an adapter. The 5 amps gets your RTR ready to go much more quickly than a wall charger.
Car Show Rating: B Clean modern look that was well liked by the bash crew.
Bash-A-Bility: A We put the EZ-Peak through our normal endurance and drop tests with no issues found.
Power: B 5 amps is more than enough to quickly charge most RTR batteries.
Value: C The Traxxas is well done, has a USB output and has as good, or better power than its direct competition. However, the Duratrax Onyx 210 (5A at 40w) offers an LCD readout for slightly less cash, but it lacks USB of the EZ-Peak.
Big Squid Rating: B The Traxxas EZ-Peak 5 Amp (50w) has a whole lot more power than the wall charger that came with your RTR and is very easy to use. It gave our test packs a decent charge and took a good beating. Overall, a solid charger.
