Quick 2021 update. After five years of regular use the Watson Duo chargers is still working good and all the below is still accurate.
The Watson Duo LCD Battery Charger is a great device for reducing the clutter of many battery chargers and charging camera batteries away from home. The charger uses interchangeable and inexpensive plates to swap out different camera batteries. So far, I have used the charger for my Nikon D750, Nikon P7800 GoPro Hero 3, Sony Dslr, Sony Point and Shoot, and Nikon P6000 cameras. Each camera type has its own battery charger or cable at the Watson Duo Charger allows me to go from 5 charges to manage to just one.
The ability to charge two batteries simultaneously is nice, but the other features really make this charger shine. While the charger is not cheap at about $80, the plates are relatively, only about $2 each, so it’s not like Watson got you to buy the charger and then makes you pay ten bucks for each plate.
My favorite part about this charger and why a forked over $80 is for traveling. I typically have three or more different cameras on a road or camping trip, and I can either hope my batteries will have enough power to get the job done or bring a whole spaghetti works of charging cables and hope there is an outlet around. The Watson charger eliminates all the extra cords, but it also plugs into my car’s 12-volt system to re-charge my batteries while heading down the highway. I can now camp for a week and not worry about power supplies. Another nice thing is they include the car adapter with the charger, so it is not yet another accessory to buy.
Of course, not all batteries or devices can be charged using interchangeable plates, so the charger also has a USB port to plug in a phone charger, for example. The USB will still have power while charging the other batteries, so there is no problem with losing the charger’s functionality or your ability to charge your phone.
Purchase Watson Duo Charger on Amazon for:
- Watson Duo LCD Charger with Two EN-EL15 Battery Plates
- Watson Duo LCD Charger for L & M Series Batteries Watson Duo LCD Charger with Two NP-FZ100 Battery Plates
- Watson Duo LCD Charger with 2 DMW-BLC12, BP-DC12, or BP-51 Battery Plates
- Watson Duo LCD Charger with 2 LP-E10 Battery Plates
- Watson Duo LCD Charger with 2 NP-W126 Battery Plates
The other nice feature of the charger is the LCD screen on the front. It tells you how far the battery is charged whether or not the charger is plugged in. You can decide if you really need to bother charging that camera battery that still has 90% of its capacity left or to just leave it. Likewise, if you have several batteries, you can check them all to see what batteries are most in need of charging. This can save you from not charging that battery already at 90% capacity when there is another one at only 10%.
The Watson Duo Charger is saving me time and the headache of dealing with so many cables. Also, it gives me more flexibility on longer road trips without taking up valuable space.
Product Specification from Watson
| Power Input | 100-240 VAC, 50/60 Hz, 12/24 VDC, 2.0 A |
| Power Output | 1.2-8.4 VDC, 2.0 A (max), |
| Additional Output | USB 2.0, 5 VDC, 1 A (max), for charging USB devices |
| Charging Time | 2-6 hours |
| Operating Temperature | 32 to 104°F (0 to 40°C) |
| Storage Temperature | -4 to 140°F (-20 to 60°C) |
| Dimensions | Charger: 4.9 x 4.5 x 1.8″ (12.5 x 11.5 x 4.5 cm) Cord length: 4.7 ft (1.4 m) |
| Weight | .5 lb (218 g) |
