Best value AA rechargable batteries?

news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com...

This article raises some valid points and is liberally sprinkled with external references;

--
Bob Milutinovic 
Cognicom

Thanks Bob, ended up buying 8 x 2550mAh Panasonic Eneloop Pros through ebay.

I use Eneloop almost exclusively. However I've found that, with a good charger / conditioner most name brand cells last well. I have a Maha MH-C9000 "WizardOne" Charger / Analyser and I haven't had to 'retire' any reasonable brand cells since getting the Maha (and using it correctly). Heck, even el-cheapo no-name cells that came with solar garden LEDs are still going in low-draw devices when charged / conditioned in the Maha.

I use Eneloops in all of my A/V remote controls and they last years between charge/reconditions.

--
. 

"Humans will have advanced a long, long, way when religious belief has a  
cozy little classification in the DSM." 
David Melville (in r.a.s.f1)

Somewhere on teh intarwebs ~misfit~ wrote: [snip]

[snip]

Having now read the comments below that article I see that a lot of folks are recommending the LaCrosse charger. A friend of mine had one of those but, after he came and stayed with me for a while and used my Maha for charging his camera and flashlight batteries he gave his LaCrosse away and bought a MH-C9000.

I used to have the URL of a head-to-head shoot-out between the chargers but can't find it now. :-/

--
. 

"Humans will have advanced a long, long, way when religious belief has a  
cozy little classification in the DSM." 
David Melville (in r.a.s.f1)

"~misfit~"

** Really ?

It must be more economical to use alkalines in low consumption devices like them.

.... Phil

That doesn't make any sense when Alkaline batteries in remote controls typically last for years anyway and you would be better off putting those rechargeables in higher drain devices where it would be more economic to do so.

More economical perhaps. However I'm the son of a proto-tree hugging hippie and was raised to never use a disposable where a reusable can be employed. (After confirming that it's not some really nasty reusable environmentally speaking - I didn't widely adopt Ni-Cads for instance...)

Also I've had *two* remotes ruined by leaking 'fit-and-forget' alkalines, damn expansive to replace too. I've been using Eneloops since 2007 IIRC and I've never seen one start to look like it might leak yet. Anyway the ~36 month recharge cycle is great for a quick eyeball of the cell's integrity...

--
. 

"Humans will have advanced a long, long, way when religious belief has a  
cozy little classification in the DSM." 
David Melville (in r.a.s.f1)

See my reply to Phil. One man's sense is another man's folly.

--
. 

"Humans will have advanced a long, long, way when religious belief has a  
cozy little classification in the DSM." 
David Melville (in r.a.s.f1) 

> when Alkaline batteries in remote controls 
> typically last for years anyway and you would be better off putting 
> those rechargeables in higher drain devices where it would be more 
> economic to do so.

** No bloody likely !!!.

( apologies to GBS)

** You are Shaun the Sheep Shagger - aren't you ?

From * waaaaaay* back in the days of the Electronics Australia readers forum.

** So you employ re-usable condoms too ?? ** I've had none - and alkalines never leak until they are dead flat. ** Remotes cost me about 50 cents a year each to keep happy.

No way NiMHs can match that.

.... Phil

One of my remotes fails after a few months. I decided to change everything to Enerloop XX not because they were better, let alone cheaper, but because I thought it would simplify my life stocking only two different batteries. I even bought some AA to D and C adapters. A big plus was traveling with only 4 spare batteries and the tiny USB charger .

Unfortunately I can't completely change because a Samsung remote and my bathroom scales die after a few months. Both use 4 cells and I assume the problem is because they are fussy about the lower voltage of NiMh batteries.

As for the Maha charger , mine does provide the most entertainment one could get from a battery charger but that does not really cost justify the purchase price.

No. Wrong person. Never read EA or visited their forums.

No. I just make one last for hours and hours. ;)

Because you've had none that doesn't mean it doens't happen.

Also your info is wrong because the last time I had badly leaking alkalines was in a rarely used remote that I used, thought "this doesn't have Eneloops in - I'll change it" and, on opening the battery door was greeted by a sticky, foul mess leaking from one of the cells.

I meant expensive to replace remotes, not ther batteries. I had one that died due to traces lifting on the PCB caused by leaked primary cell juice. (Not sure that they were alkaline, might have been common 'heavy duty' things.)

--
. 

"Humans will have advanced a long, long, way when religious belief has a  
cozy little classification in the DSM." 
David Melville (in r.a.s.f1)

Thanks for that. Hmm... I'm using a rather old battery charger, you have me wondering whether I should look into something a little more contemporary. Mind you, most of my AA and AAA rechargeables are now around the 10 y/o mark, so I guess my old charger cannot be too bad.

True. However when I bought the MH-C9000 quite a few of my older batteries that had been taken out of rotation for high-draw devices were able to be re-conditioned and given a new lease on life.

(I am in no way associated with Maha or any of their dealers - view expressed is my own only gained from experience. I gave away three other chargers that I had sitting around after I got the Maha, one of which was an Eneloop-branded charger. It worked fine but I do like the function that tells you capacity so I can match cells, especially where they're used in series as, if one's more than 10% higher capacity than the other you can inadvertantly 'reverse-charge' the lesser cell, permanently damaging it.)

--
. 

"Humans will have advanced a long, long, way when religious belief has a  
cozy little classification in the DSM." 
David Melville (in r.a.s.f1)

Thanks for the advice misfit, I'll take a closer look at the Maha chargers.

Never had to regret buying these:

I tested them in-circuit with a PIC set-up for capacity and internal resistance with good results. I use AAs mostly in RC radios. AAAs are in my remotes and phones. Using simple Soshine charger or in device low current charging.

Tony

They look good Tony, and the price is right too.

Look to be good value, thanks for that.

Very nearly bought a dozen... until the $15 shipping was added.

:) a bit of a trap, however you have to be aware that HK has also an Australian warehouse (click top left menu). Which would be even better if you were in Sydney, to pick up yourself. The Australia warehouse stocks only the single AA (not 4pack), but shipping for 12 would be $6.33 courier, or $7.91 AusPost. $29 for a dozen is still a good price. If you are in a hurry and happy with second best, the Woollies Essentials I bought were quite good as well for the money (not sure how much they were).

Tony