It does work but don't believe the hype
I've successfully recharged about 80% of my alkalines, including ones that dipped below 1.0V.  The weakest battery that I was able to recharge had a baseline of 0.86V.  All got "renewed" to about 1.5V or a little more.  The other 20% refused to work.  The only leakages I've experienced came from Rayovac AAA's, even though they had never been charged before.  I have never charged any battery more than twice so I can't say if I can go beyond 5-10x, much less 100x.  But the "renewed" batteries did perform like new alkalines.<br /><br />As for NiMH's, it does charge them but I wouldn't recommend using this charger for them since it only automatically shuts down for alkalines.<br /><br />It's hard to compare this to other alkaline chargers because it seems to use a different method.  Most other alkaline chargers finish in about 16-18 hrs but this takes about 3 days.  And while others recommend charging way before the battery is depleted (> 1.0V), this one doesn't.  You can still charge if the battery is on its last breath.<br /><br />So while I agree that the hype is misleading, it does work -- at least to the extent that I've tested it.  Aside from functionality, I should point out that the door is flimsy.  I need to keep it shut with tape.
Rating: 3 stars