Rechargeable Battery Recommendations

[GuyJean]

I've tried rechargeable AAA batteries before. Sony, and they sucked! Took forever to charge and maybe lasted 4 cycles before dieing. I swore never again. But this was a few years ago, and from what I've been reading, the technology is better.

Any good experiences with rechargeable double and triple-A batteries and a charger?

So far, I'm leaning toward the Sanyo Eneloop. They receive good reviews here, as well as on Kakaku.. But any personal stories are welcome.



GJ

[FG Lurker]

I have a large li-ion Eneloop battery with a USB port on it that I use for my iPhone (or rather I used to, the 3GS has good enough battery life that I don't really need it). It works great and holds its charge forever.

I also have a bunch of Sanyo Eneloop AA NiMH batteries and find they lose charge very quickly. They haven't failed as such, they just don't hold their charge. Maybe I got a bad batch but I'm quite underwhelmed.

[GuyJean]

.. I also have a bunch of Sanyo Eneloop AA NiMH batteries and find they lose charge very quickly. They haven't failed as such, they just don't hold their charge. Maybe I got a bad batch but I'm quite underwhelmed.

Thanks. Good to know.. Maybe I'll hold out a bit longer..

Just out of curiosity, do you use a Sanyo Eneloop charger? I read they perform better with the Sanyo specific charger. The one pictured in my first post.. Not sure if I want to fork out 4,000 yen for charger alone though..

GJ

[FG Lurker]

Thanks. Good to know.. Maybe I'll hold out a bit longer..

Just out of curiosity, do you use a Sanyo Eneloop charger? I read they perform better with the Sanyo specific charger. The one pictured in my first post.. Not sure if I want to fork out 4,000 yen for charger alone though..

Yes, I bought a set of 4 with the Sanyo charger and then bought 6 more separately. I wanted to use them for a digital camera and for a flash unit, both of which work much better with NiMH than alkaline.

You know, having posted above, I noticed that the two I stuck in my wireless mouse seem to hold their charge fine, but some? all? the others aren't. Maybe I'll try a reconditioning charge and see what happens.

[Kuang_Grade]

I don't think the charger makes much difference, and if you don't need to one that does umpteen at one time, you can likely get one that does 4 AAs pretty cheap. I picked up some NImd 2100 mAh ones (Kodak ones actually) last year to use in one of my digitial cameras (not a flash, the camera itself) and they last well enough or so....140-180 flash shots....They typically go half dead (according to the camera battery indicator) fairly fast but they hang on for a while. While this was in the states, I got the charger and 4 AAs for about $17 total. So you might want get a couple and start out small to see if they fit your needs....while they are better than they were in the past, they still don't work as well as disposables in some devices.

[FG Lurker]

Definintely NiCad and NiMH batteries work better in some situations than others.

Alkalines were designed for slow drain constant use. Think "walkman" or "flashlight". They work very well in these situations. However if you try to suck a lot of power out of them in a very short period of time (digicam or flash) they die very quickly.

NiCad and especially NiMH actually work much better in flashes and digicams as they handle the short burst requirements very well. They don't generally last as long in slow drain/constant use scenarios however.

Li-ion is the best of all worlds but costs a lot more due to tricky charging requirements -- overcharge them and they go BOOM.

[Greji]

Any good experiences with rechargeable double and triple-A batteries and a charger?
GJ

Ahh, I haven't had much with any of the so-called rechargeables. But, GJ would I be too forward in asking just what exactly are you using that "Hello Kitty" vibrator for?

[GuyJean]

Good info, guys. Thanks!

.. But, GJ would I be too forward in asking just what exactly are you using that "Hello Kitty" vibrator for?

Greji, it says right on the package. For massage! ].. NiCad and especially NiMH.. handle the short burst requirements very well..[/QUOTE]Perfect for the little Kitty..

No, in all seriousness, thanks. I'm going to pick up 4 double-A Eneloops with a small charger for testing.

GJ

[Coligny]

Eneloop are marketed for long storage without charge loss... so... strange that your batch discharge that fast. By definition they can be used just after purchase and don't need a first charge, charging need a NimH charger, any brand, no black magic involved.

But they don't seems to have the punch of other NiMh (even if they are rated 3amper/hour), I use R14 size in my RC semi, and I'm forced to use a second pack for the radio. While on the fast cars with Sanwa packs all the power come from the engine pack. All my radio TX only use eneloop AA, for month... without any troubles...

LiPo/LiIon batteries... are awfully powerfull, quite fast to charge, don't lose their charge either. But will try to kill you and burn your house down several time a day. They are mandatory for RC helicopters, but I store mine i a blastproof box in the fridge. Google youtube for lipo fire / explosion. You will find a lot of hits showing fires/ explosions and all the related fun. Sony notebook fire: LiPo, Ipod exploding: LiPo
Nissan Leaf... LiPo... and that scares me...