Rechargeable Batteries & Chargers

Hi5 · Post by **Hi5** » Wed Jul 15, 2009 9:58 am

In the AA format, what is the state of the art rechargeable battery? What is the best type of charger? Where's the best place to get them?

I KNOW there are some folks here who know a lot about this kind of stuff. I could spend a whole lot of time researching, but if you are willing to share your knowledge, I'd appreciate it!

gad · Post by **gad** » Wed Jul 15, 2009 10:17 am

I always get the batteries and chargers that I need from

www.lighthound.com

I use the energizer rechargeable ones, for walkie talkies, led lights, etc.

Works very well.

gad · Post by **gad** » Wed Jul 15, 2009 10:30 am

bstout wrote:I have loads of stuff that run on double AA's and I've experimented with a large number of NiMH and nickel cadmiums both the high priced and the discount variety. I use strictly NiMH these days for many reasons and I don't buy the high dollar variety any more. I've found that the no name brands hold up equally well as long as they don't get hard charged.

I have an Ansmann microprocessor controlled battery charger that pampers the batteries while charging them. As I recall I paid around $130.00 for this charger but it's been worth every penny. I'd buy one again in a heartbeat.

My take on the topic...there aren't many "bad" batteries but many bad battery chargers that'll eat batteries hand over fist.

The battery gets wrongly blamed for an early death when the real culprit is the charger or lack of it.

Oh, yes, forgot to add to my previows post, NIMH AA´s are much better ones than NICAD ones (nicad tends to develop "memory" effect, loosing charge capacity over time).

Bob, could you be more specific on wich charger do you got (model, etc).

Are one of those:

http://www.warehouseexpress.com/categor ... 56&brand=8

?

edited: once I read on the candlepowerforums.com (lots of good information right there) that you should measure the final voltage of your NIMH´s right after the charger process. If it got at 1.44V or below, its ok. If your charger make your batteries goes past that, they are overcharging the cells and shortening their life expectancy.

Pydpiper · Post by **Pydpiper** » Wed Jul 15, 2009 12:13 pm

You can buy lithium ion AA's now, significantly better, lighter and less prone to crap out on you in the cold.
Energizers don't exactly get great reviews, they use the same cell in all their rechargeable units.

Here is one of the most comprehensive collections of info on that topic, the guy that designed Energizers cells is also active on this board.

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/for ... ay.php?f=9

The lighthound link above is also a outstanding dealer.

crazyfarmer · Post by **crazyfarmer** » Wed Jul 15, 2009 2:17 pm

ive been using the rayovac 15min charger and batteries for 4 years now LOL..

so far they have done very well for me

GaryL · Post by **GaryL** » Wed Jul 15, 2009 4:54 pm

Yup the charger is the main thing.... I have a couple that cost well over the 100+ mark, however as bstout states... right charge discharge means the life you will get from your batteries fer sure.

Micro controll, discharge cycles many, charge cycles many, super slow to super fast (fast) if ya want short battery life..

Don't go cheap on your charger!!

GaryL ....

lscha · Post by **lscha** » Wed Jul 15, 2009 5:02 pm

It figures that this thread comes out RIGHT after I bought the Energizer MiMH battery charger along with every size battery to go with it. Sunk alot of money in all. Too late to take anything back. Hope it works out OK.

GaryL · Post by **GaryL** » Wed Jul 15, 2009 7:00 pm

lscha wrote:It figures that this thread comes out RIGHT after I bought the Energizer NiMH battery charger along with every size battery to go with it. Sunk alot of money in all. Too late to take anything back. Hope it works out OK.

Sure it will Ischa, for average use the standard charger and batteries last a good while...

Keep your eyes open for a slow charger to use when ya are not needing batteries fast. Most chargers that are on the KMart, wally mart, Drug stores are nom for a fast charge like 4 Hrs or less.. Heats up the batteries too much and they don't like heat like they don't like REAL COLD!!

GaryL ....

frisky · Post by **frisky** » Wed Jul 15, 2009 9:30 pm

I am a fan of the ENELOOP battery
http://www.eneloop.info/
They have a very low self-discharge rate

I have them in my camera and computer mouse.
My camera got about 25 pictures with alkaline and
100+ with the Eneloops. Bought at WALMART.

GaryL · Post by **GaryL** » Thu Jul 16, 2009 6:36 am

frisky wrote:I am a fan of the ENELOOP battery
http://www.eneloop.info/
They have a very low self-discharge rate
I have them in my camera and computer mouse.
My camera got about 25 pictures with alkaline and
100+ with the Eneloops. Bought at WALMART.

Yes a good battery

fer what you are using them for!!

Great Hunting

GaryL....

wabi · Post by **wabi** » Thu Jul 16, 2009 8:48 am

Does this sound like a good charger????
LaCrosse 9009

Pydpiper · Post by **Pydpiper** » Thu Jul 16, 2009 9:09 am

wabi wrote:Does this sound like a good charger????
LaCrosse 9009

That is rated as one of the best right now Mike.

wabi · Post by **wabi** » Thu Jul 16, 2009 4:00 pm

I ordered the LaCrosse from Amazon today.
I have quite an assortment of NiMH batteries in AA & AAA so I might as well get a charger that will do the job. Had one cheap charger do a "melt down" not too long ago. It got the batteries so hot the adhesive holding the labels melted! Those batteries still work, but it will be interesting to see what the charger says their condition is.

wabi · Post by **wabi** » Tue Jul 21, 2009 7:07 pm

Got the new charger today and it's impressive. A lot of features (haven't even tried to figure out all the options yet) that should keep batteries at peak performance.
I tried the "test" feature on a couple old batteries (one AA one AAA) and was not surprised to find they only had about 1/3 of their rated capacity.
I'm charging the new batteries that came with the charger, then I plan to try the "refresh" mode on the 2 batteries I tested. It says the refresh mode can take a few days to perform, so it may be a while before I can report on the outcome.
Also found some interesting reading in the manual that came with the charger. It says new batteries must be cycled several times to reach their full potential. It also says NiMH batteries should be charged every 30 days.

I'm re-thinking some of my hunting equipment (lights) strategy after reading up on the NiMH batteries. I always carried a spare set in my pack, but have often been guilty of taking the light to the house when batteries get weak, then charging and re-installing that same set in the light. From now on the spares go in the light and the discharged batteries get re-charged and carried as spares.
I may also buy and carry an extra set of alkalines as backups!

A dead flashlight is not much use in blood trailing a deer at night!

Pydpiper · Post by **Pydpiper** » Wed Jul 22, 2009 11:07 am

Lithium-Ion has taken over in the rechargeable battery department, it is lighter, less memory retention, very resistant to the cold, delivers significantly higher currents when necessary, and Lithium has a 10 year shelf life.
Last year there were AA's available, but I can not seem to find them anymore, likely just me though.

Even as a "back up" for primary AA's I would chose Lithium, they are a bit more costly but you never have to worry about self discharge or cold weather use. The cold weather thing is the big seller for me, alkaline/Ni-Cad and Nimh all diminish rapidly in the cold, especially under load.
Lithium is also lighter, important for those who have to pack things in and out of situations.