AA Rechargable Batteries

[joneshat11]

What are you guys opinions on the best rechargeable AA batteries and charging system? Looking for something that will last and that is worth the money spent. Thanks for any info.

[bobbymalone]

not so good results with rechargable AA in cold temps.

I do use rechargables in things like the TV remotes and whatnot. A charger is a charger as far as I know and I can't tell a difference between energizer, duracell, etc. I haven't tried going generic - but I get the feeling that most things like that all come from the same chinese factory and just get different brand name stickers rolled on them.

[Reservoir Dawg]

I have used both Everready and Ray-o-vac rechargeables. I either charge them with the cheap wall plug in charger or I have used the quick charger that charges them in about 20 min. I love the rechargeable batteries and encourge every one to use them to cut down on batteries being thrown out.I fish at least three times a week in the winter time and a set of batteries last's at least a season. I have a led lamp that takes three batteries and a headlamp that takes one so it works perfect with a four battery charger.

[Jim Almquist]

What are you guys opinions on the best rechargeable AA batteries and charging system? Looking for something that will last and that is worth the money spent. Thanks for any info.

A photographer recommended Enloops and I have found them to be very good. Once they are charged they hold that charge for a long time and seem to have very decent life while in use.

There is more info here Enloop Review

[Reservoir Dawg]

not so good results with rechargable AA in cold temps.

I've never had a problem and I use them all the time both for fishing and running in the winter.

[broman]

I use rechargeables all the time in my GPS. They are not as good as non-rechargeable. But they work just fine. I just bring along extras. You want to look for batteries that have a high mAh. The higher the mAh, the longer they last. 2000 mAh would last longer than a 800 mAh.

Energizer or Duracell would be my suggestion. Get one that charges 9volt, AAA, AA, C and D sizes. Preferably one that charges at least 4 batteries at a time. I have a one hour charger and a longer time charger. The one hour make the batteries real hot which probably not the best for them.

[croixflats]

I have had very good results with Rayovac HYBRID. I get 18hrs out of them each recharge in my Garmin 76 GPS they hold their charge a long time get more charges out of them. In fact I have had better luck with them than the Duracell and way better than the energizer. The best part they are $1 cheaper.

[DTro]

as croixflats said I would also recommend a "hybrid" type or any newer version that won't discharge if idle (a lot of them do).

Don't expect to get as much run time on the rechargeables either. In fact some electronics with battery meters will only read about half power with them.

Since you can use them over and over again though, you come out ahead.

[BobT]

Satisfaction with rechargeable batteries has a lot to do with application and battery type.

Here's some information I dug up.

Quote:

Nickel metal hydride (NiMH)

Advantages:

-- lighter than NiCad

-- 2-3X capacity to equal size NiCad

-- no "memory effect" or "false bottom effect" if repeatedly shallow cycled

Disadvantages:

-- fewer life cycles compared to NiCad

-- shorter run time

-- performs the worst in cold temperatures, so keep that in mind if you plan to use tools powered by NiMH outdoors in cold weather

-- higher self-discharge level than NiCad

-- voltage drop at near-discharged levels

Nickel cadmium (NiCad)

Advantages:

-- longer life cycles

-- performs in cold temperatures (perform well to 20F)

-- lower self-discharge level than NiMH

-- no voltage drop at near discharged levels

Disadvantages:

-- Heavy, making it harder to use for longer periods of time

-- May suffer from 'Memory Effect' or 'False Bottom Effect' if constantly discharged half-way and then recharged

Lithium ion (Li-Ion)

Advantages:

-- High performance in cold weather - to 0F - great for winter outdoor use

-- Light weight. You can lift tools powered by Lithium Ion over your head all day.

-- Increased life cycles over NiCad and NiMH, so it keeps going past other batteries

-- more rapid charge times that get you back on the job more quickly

Disadvantages:

-- less tested than other battery formats - in early stages of development

-- has a shelf life based on life of battery, not related to charge or charge time

-- can sometimes erupt or explode in high heat - hot cars, direct sunlight, etc, or sometimes after tampering. a more dangerous battery than the others

-- permanent damage to battery if stored at too-low discharge level, so be careful and keep these charged well.

[BobT]

Quote:

In fact some electronics with battery meters will only read about half power with them.

That doesn't have anything to do with battery life though so don't get fooled by it. It's a design issue with the display. For example, my GPS recommends either Alkaline or NiMh rechargeable batteries. There's a battery type selection that I can make in my configuration but all that does is make the display more accurately indicate battery state of charge. It doesn't make the unit use the batteries any differently.

[Gordie]

not so good results with rechargable AA in cold temps.

+1

I have however started to use a battery like whats in my vexilar set up with a cig lighter adapter to plug in things like my GPS, TV. and so on. for instance my GPS its a lowrance epidition and when I turn it on and use the light feature it doesnt time out and shut off. and have yet to run it out of power.

[slipperybob]

The slower chargers will ensure longer battery life. Those fast 30 minute chargers and warm/hot batteries don't have as much battery life over repeated charge cycles.

[joneshat11]

A photographer recommended Enloops and I have found them to be very good. Once they are charged they hold that charge for a long time and seem to have very decent life while in use.

There is more info here Enloop Review

[Iceboy]

The Eneloops work great for everything I own - even in the cold. I use them in my gamecams during the winter and they last forever. The low-discharge batteries work much better than standard NiMH batteries in the cold.

[bigbad401]

A rechargeable battery is only as good as the charger

[Jim Almquist]

Jim, where locally would you pick these up at?

I picked mine up off the internet at Thomas Distributing and I believe I spelled the name wrong. It should be eneloop. You can find them in a lot of spots and I also picked up a smart charger that will also discharge the batteries. If you do a search you can find there HSOforum and they have a lot of interesting facts about the battery. 1500 recharges and after 3 years of storage it will only lose 25% of its charge.

[foulpole18]

I use E-CELL rechargeable batteries in my gps and they work very well. I heard they were bought by another company and I dont know if you can still get them. The do discharge when storing them though. I always have a bunch plugged in and ready to go.

[icekid10]

I use the duracell ones in my gps and camera and they work good. I just have to make sure to charge them when I get home and they warm up. I usually have to charge the gps ones more. It has saved a lot of money for me in batteries since I got them.

[BobT]

I've been using NiMh batteries in my GPS for years. I use my GPS for deer hunting and they last all day without a problem even though I have it hanging on a tree limb where it is exposed to the cold. My GPS is a Garmin Rino120 so it includes two-way radio. Having the radio on adds much more load than the GPS especially if I'm engaged in conversation.