Rechargeable AA and AAA batteries have been much improved for a few years now, with their higher capacity, consistent power flow, and a relatively long lifespan compared to rechargeables from years’ past. Ikea’s rechargeable batteries are among those that exhibit such impressive performance. If space-hogging wall warts and unsightly desk chargers are the reason you haven’t switched to rechargeable batteries yet, maybe the Ikea Tjugo charger can sway you over to the other side.
Designed to look like a book, the charger won’t give off an unappealing aesthetic the way both wall-mounted chargers and traditional desk chargers do. In fact, the darn thing is designed to look like a book while it sits on your desk, shelf, or drawer, so it will make people think you’re a dude who actually reads books, instead of one who only waits for the movie. Yeah… that’s a good thing.
The Ikea Tjugo comes with eight slots that allow you to power up an octet of rechargeable batteries at the same time, with the slots able to accommodate both AA and AAA units alike, so you only need one charger for both sizes. That means, you can charge a reasonably big batch of batteries at a time, allowing you to keep fully-charged batteries on hand to power up controllers, flashlights, and other electronics that don’t have built-in rechargeable modules. And while it’s designed to work with Ikea’s LADDA batteries, it should work with any rechargeable AA and AAA cells, whether it be a Panasonic Eneloop or some of those cheaper batteries you can find all over Amazon.
The main charging tray comes in a rectangular shape with rounded edges, which, we’ll be honest, looks like other tabletop battery chargers, albeit with compact dimensions of 5 x 5 x 1 inches (width x depth x thickness). Except, this one has a wraparound cover that makes it look like a book when closed, making it easier to discreetly integrate into any desk without standing out the way other chargers do.
A closer inspection, of course, will reveal the Ikea Tjugo isn’t exactly a book, since it’s body isn’t made of individual pages, but a single hunk of plastic. There’s also the issue of a power cord sticking out from one side, which tethers it to a nearby power outlet. Still, as far as chargers go, this is as discreet as we’ve probably seen. Plus, the cord is removable, so you can take it out if the batteries are finished charging and you just want to use it as a storage case.
When the batteries in the slots are fully-charged, by the way, the charger automatically switches to standby charging, so you’re not wasting any power or damaging your rechargeable batteries by keeping them there. The charger, by the way, comes in a green-and-off-white color scheme that matches the colors used for the redesigned rechargeable batteries you can buy from Ikea, while looking like one of those hardbound books gathering dust in a corner shelf of your local library.
The Ikea Tjugo is available now, priced at $17.99.