Rechargeable battery question.

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Jer
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Rechargeable battery question.

Post by Jer » Sat Apr 06, 2013 5:44 pm

I may be late to the game, but I have questions regarding re-chargeable batteries. I don't want to limit the thread just to the normal batteries and will welcome discussion from folks with experience in all things rechargeable - but my question is more geared towards the normal usage batteries.

Regarding AAA, AA, C, D, 9v, and such - what brand and type of rechargeable is the best?

Please allow me to define the "best" as far as I'm concerned.

For me, the BEST rechargeable battery would be one that:
1) can be used a minimum of 500 full charges and depletion
2) have the highest maH rating across the board
3) have the longest lasting usage from a full charge
4) does not need a proprietary charger
5) maintains at least a 1 year shelf-life after taking a full charge in normal storage conditions

Currently, I have just a small collection of rechargeable batteries (shown below) which isn't nearly adequate for what I need. I want at least a dozen of all "normal" batteries and a couple different chargers.

Image

I have a natural gas powered generator and a gas well on my property, so unless we get vandalized, over-run or the well runs dry, we have electricity. I just need recommendations on the best batteries and chargers for long term use in a PAW.

Thoughts?
Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable.
--John F. Kennedy

williaty
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Joined:Sun Apr 21, 2013 1:46 am

Re: Rechargeable battery question.

Post by williaty » Sun Apr 21, 2013 2:16 am

For AA and AAA sized cells, the Sanyo Eneloops are head and shoulders above the rest right now when you consider the combination of price, capacity, durability, and self-discharge rate. For C and D, it's much more of a mixed bag as it separates out into groups of products that basically either have highest capacity or lowest self-discharge but not both. I've only been interested in the low-self-discharge batteries and in that category, the Tenergy Centura cells seem to have the best balance of cost vs capacity.

Keep in mind also that the charger is as important as the batteries and easily 80% of the chargers out there have major, major flaws.

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Jer
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Re: Rechargeable battery question.

Post by Jer » Sun Apr 21, 2013 8:45 am

Thanks for the info.

Those energizers show 2200mah and that they hold for a year after charging.
The price isn't really a factor for me as I go through A LOT of batteries and am getting ready to go through much much more as we will have a newborn very soon.

Tell me about the chargers you mention. I'm unfamiliar with issues regarding chargers and need to know what to look out for.
Thanks in advance.
Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable.
--John F. Kennedy

williaty
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Joined:Sun Apr 21, 2013 1:46 am

Re: Rechargeable battery question.

Post by williaty » Sun Apr 21, 2013 1:14 pm

Jer wrote:Tell me about the chargers you mention. I'm unfamiliar with issues regarding chargers and need to know what to look out for.
Charging should be simple: Charge at the max current limit until the peak voltage is reached, charge at the peak voltage until the current drops below the target threshold, stop charging. That's the quickest, safest, and also most efficient way to charge a battery. Basically no battery chargers do that. The most common things chargers get wrong is that they don't terminate the charge at the proper point and either under or over charge the batter to a large extent. If you want to know a LOT more about which chargers screw up in which ways, the guys on the Candlepower Forums are serious geeks about this.

In the end, their advice almost always boils down to getting a MAHA MH-C9000 if you want a charger/analyzer at the expense of not being quite the best charger ever or a MH-C808 if you want just the best charger and don't care about analyzing the batteries.

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Jer
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Re: Rechargeable battery question.

Post by Jer » Sun Apr 21, 2013 1:28 pm

Thank you - I'm reading about the MH-C808 now from AMAZON - and it does certainly seem to be the king. Not a terrible price either.

I appreciate it.
Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable.
--John F. Kennedy

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