Rechargable batteries that OUTLAST alkalines!

[Slyster]

I just have to mention this to the masses... (I have no affiliation with Thomas Distributing nor the battery maker)....

I bought these new 2900mah NiMH batteries.. and no kidding.. they outlast the countless alkalines I've burned through the last month in my new Pro-96.

Rechargeable batteries, evidently, have gone BEYOND alkalines. Here's a link where I bought 8 of them.. and they have chargers too... I bought a 1 hour 4 cell charger that works wonderfully... red LEDS charging... green LEDS done. How simple is that. I bet I get 6 hours of LIGHT ON scanning with my pro-96 with these babies.

http://thomasdistributing.com/shop/...P_id=&osCsid=c55dd8449fe12948ccd8262b509b7683

I figure I'll pay off the charger and batteries in just weeks! Then it's all profit! (To spend on more antennas.....)


EDIT: Here's the charger I bought... very nice.. takes no more than 60-90 minutes to charge these batteries.

http://thomasdistributing.com/shop/...P_id=&osCsid=eb458ee4b9dc895b0e1dd99288211f85

Who knows how far the will get.. seems every month they have higher capacity batteries.. I remember getting my first set of NiMH batteries 2 years ago.. still use them for GPS and kids toys... and they were the TOP OF THE LINE... and they are 2100mah!

 

[wogggieee]

I have their 2700 mAh batteries and charger and have been pretty pleased with them too. Just thought i'd share as well.

 

[Grog]

Good charger, I bought the 204F years ago. I'd still use it if the dog didn't eat it (ok, just chewed it all to heck ). I am debating between one of the 401s, or the 800 series 8 spot chargers. Either way I'll probably get another 204 (maybe the 204GT which is cheaper) just for 12v capabilities.


I rarely use my AAs (except some of the reyovac 15min AAs that were branded for RS) so my issue is self-discharge. I will probably buy the eneloop batteries next time around, and start to stock them in my cashe. I know they are only 2000mah, but I know I can store them without worrying about them being dead when I might need them. I also have some alkys for backup (RACES/ARES type stuff) but most of my actual gear is commercial anyway so I always have charged batteries.

Up until Christmas, I used some panosonic 1600mah AAs, but I retired those by giving them to a Lady I know. She thought I was sweet, and I got rid of something I didn't use, so it was a win-win for me

 

[yorkphotog]

I recently picked up a pair of RadioShack 2600mah NiMH's for no more than about $17.00. They are excellent.. so much better than the ones that came with my 246t - I was recharging those ones twice a day.

 

[KevinTheMule]

Cool. Thanks for the report and the links.

I've been stoked about the Energizer 2500's I got at a flea market for 75 cents per. I've been using them a month with the Energizer charger the guy GAVE me. I get about 8 hours of squelch-lit scanning with them (246). They also work great in my battery-eating ancient digital camera.

-Kev

 

[SCPD]

Maha makes some very good chargers. I have 3 of those 4 battery chargers, one in each car and one for my wife's digital camera. I have their 8 slot AA/AAA charger that can do a reconditioning of the batteries. I've revived some old rechargeable that others wanted to discard and used them for quite awhile.

Rechargeable have one characteristic that alkalines beat them on. Recharge ables lose more energy in storage quicker than alkalines so if you have them in devices you don't use very often such as emergency flashlights and radios, backup batteries in backpacks and emergency kits, or anything else you don't use very often and expect it to perform when you reach for it, equip it with alkalines. With rechargeable you would have to remove them from storage about every 3-6 months minimum and charge them. I have some alkalines that are several years old and still doing quite nicely.

I'm currently experimenting with a Brunton solar recharger for hiking. The only problem I have with it is the bulk and inability to mount it on a backpack while hiking. I'm eventually going to look for a flexible panel that can be rolled out and attached to the exterior of a backpack so you can charge batteries while hiking, charging one set of two per day and using the other set in the radio you have on. The trouble is the varying voltages and types of battery packs used for amateur radios and the AA packs they have require a 1.5 volt battery so the 1.2 recharge ables don't work very well or at all, depending on the radio.

When I worked for the Forest Service recharge ables were not considered reliable enough to use for handhelds in the backcountry. The rechargeable packs were very heavy and bulky anyway. You can fit AA's into lots of nooks and crannies in backpacks, saddle bags, and panniers (carried by mules). We just packed in enough alkalines into remote stations and camps to cover the length of the tour, usually ten days. We had repeaters without commercial power that used solar banks, but they were huge and expensive.

There were some remote stations and lookouts that I would have liked to try have used solar for, it seemed as though the mules carrying the white gas always managed to figure it out and would bump that pannier on a tree as often as they could. Ornery creatures they were! Oh well, we needed the white gas for the Coleman stoves and ovens anyway. Mules would just figure out the next most important item anyway and try to wreck it by running it into trees and boulders.

 

[K9GTJ]

Those 2900 mAh are excellent batteries and I use them often.

 

[Slyster]

Very true.. alkalines have their proper place and are just great. But.. when you burn through 4 batteries EVERY DAY or two like I do these 2900mAh are incredible!

But forget them for uses like flashlights, remote controls, etc!... anything that sits for months or years between batteries... I think alkalines can last SEVEN years holding their charge.. where your NiMH rechargeable will be dead in a month.

 

[Raven95150]

I had been using both Kodak and Energizer 2500s in my 396 and they would last about 10 hours. I recently bought a pack of Duracell 2650s and they seem to be lasting about 14 hours, I am very happy with them. These results are with a cheap Energizer charger from Wal-mart, with a good charger they would probably last a little longer.

 

[unitcharlie]

I had been using both Kodak and Energizer 2500s in my 396 and they would last about 10 hours. I recently bought a pack of Duracell 2650s and they seem to be lasting about 14 hours, I am very happy with them. These results are with a cheap Energizer charger from Wal-mart, with a good charger they would probably last a little longer.

A couple of months ago more than a dozen Duracell 2650 mAh batteries with the same lot number died on me-they would hold a charge for barely two hours while other batteries in service longer were still at 12 hours or so... Following my wife's suggestion (she's good at this) I emailed the folks at Duracell explaining the early death of those batteries... when no response came back in a week I called customer service. I explained the problem and the nice lady at the other end told me that Duracell NiMH batteries should only be charged in a Duracell charger. I explained that I had been using a Maha 204, she said, "...that doesn't work with our batteries." She said the Duracell Power Gauge Charger (Model CEF21N) would work wonders for the bad batteries and keep my others working longer. She made good on the dead batteries and the charger as well.

The charger didn't revive the dead batteries from the bad lot number but it did rejuvenate some that were approaching their end-of-useful-life... This is an amazing charger, it is slow and the batteries don't get overly warm, each battery is charged on its own and the little dummy lights above each port indicate the progress. (It also has a USB port to charge USB devices as well, but won't charge batteries and USB stuff simultaneously.)

My scanners operate on battery power for an entire shift--ten hours or so. I charge the batteries in the scanners and then rotate the back-up batteries through the scanners on a regular basis so all get the charger treatment.

 

[CapStar362]

i have some energizer 2500 and 2700 batteries for my digi cam, and some 2500 radio shack batteries for my scanner, i use a 15 minute quick charger made by energizer and they outlast anything else ive tried.

 

[Slyster]

I saw that there aree 3000mah AA's now... getting bigger all the time!

 

[902]

As a result of this thread and poking around afterward, I bought a Maha MH-C808M charger on eBay.

http://www.digitaldingus.com/reviews/maha/mhc808m/index.php

It's big and high-end. I received it yesterday and have pretty much taken a box of NiCD and NiMH batteries and charged them all in a few hours. It's an expensive charger, but for how the kids go through AA batteries (I have several years worth of rechargeable batteries throughout the house for games, CD players, GPS receivers, scanners and really pretty much everything), and the ability to charge one battery at a time as I find them, and the ability to condition batteries, this thing is sweet.

For all the crap I buy for other people, this one is Daddy's toy!

 

[n2mdk]

The truth of the matter is having a good well made charger ends up paying for itself after not all that long. I'm very happy with my Maha MH-C9000

 

[JPasquini]

Eneloop deal

I will probably buy the eneloop batteries next time around, and start to stock them in my cashe. I know they are only 2000mah, but I know I can store them without worrying about them being dead when I might need them.

Was in Circuit City today and noticed that they're now selling the 8-pack of Eneloop AAs at $14.96. Excellent price!

 

[Grog]

HHgregg is 4/$7.99 so that's even better. Might see if they have them for that price locally, I could use several 8 packs

 

[k9rzz]

i have some energizer 2500 and 2700 batteries for my digi cam, and some 2500 radio shack batteries for my scanner, i use a 15 minute quick charger made by energizer and they outlast anything else ive tried.

Same here. My rechargables greatly outlast all other AA's I've used, in my camera mostly. I find that I can recharge AAA's in the same AA charger by placing three dimes below each battery. It takes up the extra space perfectly.

 

[key2_altfire]

To the guys considering Eneloops: BUY THEM. These are easily the best performing NiMH cells I've used. Their rated capacity is a "so-so" 2000 mAh, but in reality they'll easily outrun even the very high rated cells due to low self-discharge.

I have some Titanium brand 2700 mAh cells, and according to my Maha 9000 they lose about 47% of their capacity within the first 24 hours of being recharged...

 

[JPasquini]

Eneloop charging update

I've completed a full break-in cycle on 4 AA Eneloops using my Maha charger, and I am VERY pleased with the results thus far. Even though the Eneloops are rated at 2000mAh, they're actually weighing in at approximately 2450 +/- as per the Maha. Looks like their 2000mAh rating may be on the conservative side.

Ironically, absolutely NONE of my Energizer 2500mAh AAs have ever produced anything above 2300mAh.

 

[NoRide]

To the guys considering Eneloops: BUY THEM.

Just ordered 2 four packs from Thomas Distributing. $23.30 shipped. Sure I'll like them.