Features:

  • Easy-to-read color-coded display with "Good", "Low" and "Replace/Recharge" indicators
  • Test standard and rechargeable batteries: 9V, AA, AAA, C, D, 1.5V Button Type
  • No batteries required to operate
Great for your battery drawer!

When a remote stops working, it's obvious to think the battery is the issue. This helps you find out exactly what level every battery you own is at. I'd unfortunately kept used batteries near new ones and they got mixed around over time and this helped me sort thru them in no time to get rid of the dead ones. It works for every standard battery type (AA, AAA, C, D, 9V and watch) to quickly assess what state the battery is in. My TV remote wasn't working so rather than just put new ones in, I tested the existing ones and found they were fine. Something was wrong with the remote.

Excellent Product

Ampprobe did their home work when they made this. I work with batteries for a living so I am very familiar with battery voltages, current, etc. Ampprobe made this device to really test a battery because the battery is put under a load when tested. What this means is that the battery is tested under a stress condition, which is the correct way to perform an electrical test. The others testers test a static battery which may test good until it is asked to do work. Good job Ampprobe! By the way, spend a few buck or two and get the 250 model which has a groove that the battery sits in when tested.

tested a couple aa's and a couple 9 volts. ...

tested a couple aa's and a couple 9 volts. This BAT-250 does apply a slight resistive load so you get a more real world measurement. Something to note is this tester's scale is calibrated for voltages from standard disposable batteries. So say you have a standard new aa disposable it's roughly 1.6 volts when new so It's going to "peg" the needle way over in the green range. A aa rechargeable though, fully charged, might be somewhere around 1.3 volts. So checking a fully charged rechargeable will show up on the lower side of green/higher side of yellow. Not a big deal to me but is something you want to be aware of. Otherwise you may test a fully recharged battery and the tester doesn't go way into the green and you think "this tester doesn't even work right!".

Paid for itself already!

We had some old batteries I found in the cabinets with expired fresh dates. They were still in their original packages, but I just forgot about them and started buying rechargeables. I'm not the kind of person who likes throwing things away like batteries so I wanted to use them. Rechargeables are great for things you use a lot(i.e. remotes or kid's toys), but for something like emergency flashlights(see my flashlight reviews here) a good alkaline or lithium is the way to go. Turns out my ancient batteries were still good and I didn't need to buy more. The Amprobe BAT-250 works with all the basic styles(AA, AAA, C, D, and 9v) in both rechargeable and non-rechargeable. It says it works with button styles also, but I couldn't get an old watch battery to balance in the unit. To be fair, this was a very small battery(less than 1/4" diameter). The larger ones should work, however. 5 stars for something that has already saved me money! Just be sure to look for proper disposal sites for batteries in your area when they stop working. Jae

Don't Hesitate if you need a Great little battery tester...This one covers it all and simple to use

Very easy to use and simple in design. I had another tester that has a spring clip you had to open and then be sure the bottom and top contacts were touching the contacts on the tester. Doesn't sound like a big deal but when you are testing several at once it is inconvenient and time-consuming. This little baby has a slot you lay battery in and push the bottom until the battery is automatically touching both contacts. Easy to test 9 volts as well and "coin batteries." I'm getting older and like older people, in general, can't see as well but the Amprobe 250 has a large and easy to read display that is oriented to make results even more simple to read. Obviously, Amprobe has been around the block and should be proud of this unit. Great purchase.

Very Good for a Low Cost Tester

There is a very lengthy and well written review covering a number battery testers that was interesting. My needs are far simpler and I just wanted to get a basic inexpensive tester. I fully understand that it isn't an overly precise instrument, but that is fine for my purposes as I usually buy my batteries in bulk and if it were to give a reading in the low Good range and the battery was actually weaker than that, then I am willing to live with that amount of lack of precision considering I only paid six bucks. I will normally take weaker batteries and cycle them through a lower drain device to extract their remaining power. If I chuck one because of an occasional test error then I can live with that because bulk batteries cost significantly less that the $80 - 100 for an highly accurate tester.

Amprobe BAT-250 Battery Tester

This Amprobe BAT-250 battery tester seems decently made and was reasonably priced here on Amazon. It has worked fine for testing both disposable and rechargeable AA, AAA, 9-Volt, C and D cell batteries as well as a whole range of 1.5 and 3.0-Volt coin/button type batteries. The tester is simple to use and is powered entirely by the battery under test, unlike my other more expensive ZTS-Mini battery tester which requires four AAA batteries to operate. This Amprobe tester is also compact and lightweight so is perfect for carrying in your tool pouch for testing things like smoke alarm batteries while up on a ladder. Overall, I'm very happy with this tester and would definitely buy again when needed.

The BAT-250 easily accommodates all sizes of 1.5V and 9V batteries

Amprobe's inexpensive battery tester tests *only* 1.5V and 9V batteries, the most common types, using a slight load during each test (according to the products' website). The BAT-250 accommodates all standard battery sizes, which use these specific voltages (note: you'll need a 2nd tester for all other battery types/voltages). The BAT-250 fits your hand comfortably, is lightweight and appears well put together, and is easy read and use. I love its old-school analog needle gauge. The grooved v-channel on the left side makes battery loading and testing a breeze. My opinion: any battery that reads in the narrow yellow zone should also be replaced. Now, there's no more guesswork needed about whether to keep or recycle your old batteries (note: low power-use devices will still accommodate somewhat spent batteries, saving you money).

Nice, quality tester that puts a reasonable load on the batteries for an accurate reading.

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)

Works perfectly - great design

This battery tester worked Great - just as promised. Tried out on new batteries and they read at the top of the green range, then tested what I assumed were bad batteries and they read in the red (replace) or yellow range. I really like how the v-shaped side cradle holds the batteries in place during testing. Worked for AA-D cells. 9v batteries are tested using the metal contacts on the top, which are sized just right so you can't make a mistake.

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