LadyPhoenix

Pros and cons?

sbm12

Rechargables are theoretically better for the environment and have better performance for most electronic devices (e.g. AA NiMH batteries in a digital camera). They also cost more up front and require access to a charger to make them work again after they've been drained. And they can lose their charge sitting idle (much) more quickly than a regular alkaline.

MarcWPhoto

What sbm12 said. Modern high-capacity NiMH batteries long outlast disposable batteries, especially in high-drain equipment like digital cameras and flash units.

What I do is use rechargeable NiMH batteries in all my stuff that uses batteries, but I keep a set of Lithium (disposable) batteries in my camera bag for emergencies. The Lithium batteries have a ridiculously long shelf-life so I always have that go-to set if I drain all my NiMH or some dope *ahem* forgets to charge them up.

I also much prefer gear that runs on AA batteries than proprietary batteries because you can buy AA batteries at any 7-11 or out in the boonies in a pinch. I once drained ALL my batteries at Mardi Gras and couldn't charge 'em up: the camera I had at the time just ate batteries. I went into Walgreens, bought one of those twenty-packs of AA's, and just swapped 'em out every hour or so. Lasted me the rest of the night.

I even have an adapter that lets me run my dSLR on AA batteries. That's how nuts I am.

M

SRQ Guy

Rechargeables are better for frequent-use items. They are cehaper in the long run.

I keep a large number of disposables for my hurricane survival kit, though.

KRSW

That used to be the case... There's now low-self-discharge NiMH batteries out there.

I use Sanyo Eneloop rechargeable batteries exclusively now. At this point the last time I bought alkaline batteries was about 2 years ago for my hurricane pack, which is now also being gradually switched over to Eneloops. So far the Eneloops are available in AA & AAA sizes and come pre-charged. I've intentionally bought gear which uses these two sizes exclusively. I even use the Eneloop batteries in my remote controls and wall clocks. Right out of the package (and not being charged by me), the AAs lasted 9+ months in a wireless mouse, which is better than I was getting with alkalines. Battery lifespan of these seems to be on-par or better than the alkalines they've replaced.

Costco has a great price on them as of late. I believe it's 6 AA and 2 AAA batteries for $15. They also have a slightly different package with a crappy charger, C/D cell adapters, 8 AAs and 2 AAAs for $25. Amazon.com sometimes has decent prices (but not always). I also have bought them from Thomas Distributing.

That said, I've also had dreadful experiences with some rechargeable batteries. The Energizer rechargeables are particularly terrible when it comes to self-discharge. Literally, I've had one discharge to 50% in 2 days. It appears that in an effort to have the highest mAh rating, they've made the plates to thin that they disintegrate within the first 5-10 charge cycles. Some of their "2500 mAh" batteries only charge up to 1500 mAh now.

Another important component is having a quality charger. The cheap ones will cook your batteries and won't charge them to 100% either. I have a mixture of chargers that I use. A charger which charges each battery individually is essential. In my laptop/overnight bag is the USB charger, which is slow (USB ports only have 500 milliamps) but gets the job done. For travel, I carry a LaCrosse BC-900, which is small, comes with a nice travel case and has all of the bells & whistles. At home, I have a Maha C800S 8-cell charger and a Maha C9000 4-cell charger/analyzer. All except the USB charger were bought at Thomas-Distributing (5% off with Gift Certificate Code GCNE561).

Admittedly, the C9000 is overkill, but it served its purpose and helped me discover the problem with the Energizer rechargeables and the crappy Nuon alkalines we used to use at my workplace. We've since switched to Eneloops and a Maha C800S charger there as well.

If I only had one charger, it'd probably be the 800S. If I had two, the BC900 + 800S. The C9000 is an excellent charger, but now that I have reliable batteries my need to analyze/recondition the batteries has been eliminated (for now). It's also the most expensive charger I have, which makes the 8-cell 800S look like a bargain.

LadyPhoenix

"Costco has a great price on them as of late. "

I'm a Sam's Club member, so I'll check there...thank you to all for your responses!!!!!

mjpflyer

They may be more expensive (ecologically incorrect), but for traveling, bar none it's lithium AAs (or AAAs). They just last a long time, and when I'm done, I toss them (less weight to travel with in the end).

KRSW

I'll save you a trip -- Sam's doesn't carry them. I have both Costco & Sam's memberships.

cordelli

Single Use - The price is plumeting on them, you can get packs or three or four dozen at the box stores for 25 or 30 cents each.

They last a long time ready to be used.

You just toss them when you are done with them

Cons - they don't last very long, if I'm using them in the camera I expect to burn through a couple sets a day (that's without using the display) where rechargables would last several days

Over time, all those pennies will add up


Recharagable Batteries - Pros - Last much longer for most applications

May cost less over time, I really haven't evaulated that based on the bulk pricing for regular batteries recently

In things like cameras, recharge the flash much faster

On a trip, you don't have to keep buying batteries at a buck a shot or whatever they get for a four pack now (because you will eventually run out of single charge ones), you just plug them in at night when needed

Cons - They require you to carry a charger, and if necessary a plug adapter

They cost more, at least at first

You can't count on them holding their charge for a while, so if you don't use them, you need to charge them before you use them again

The biggest con though was on the last trip to Italy. A charger we had been traveling with for years and years was plugged in and shorted out and started sparking, the plastic started smoldering, etc. Had we not been there, it could have started a fire on the desk. We disconnected it and took care of it before it set off any alarms or anything. That's why some places have those little notes not to leave them unattended I guess.

brp

Also note that single-use batteries are recyclable. Likely not available in too many places...but for those places that do allow, it's a better option than simply throwing them away.

Cheers.

LadyPhoenix

Thanks KRSW

lensman

I'll second KRSW's recommendation of the Sanyo Eneloops. Fully charged right out of the packaging and a self-discharge rate comparable to Alkalines (i.e. measured in years).

I've been pursuing rechargeables my whole life and the Eneloops are the answer to most of my prayers. The only thing they're not good for is applications requiring a full 1.5V cell - like getting full power out of a flashlight. That said, the 1.2V all NiMH batteries puts out is equivalent to the output from an Alkaline halfway through it's life.

As I said, the *only* application I'll use another battery in is my LED flashlights where I can get blinding results from Alkalines. Even then I'll use the Ray-o-vac rechargeable alkalines. Those are ok but only last 20-50 discharge cycles as opposed to the 1000 cycles from a rechargeable NiMH.

LadyPhoenix, I'd just order some batteries from Thomas Distributing like KRSW has recommended. I've been ordering from them for years (since 2002). They're my go-to guys for batteries.

Hey KRSW, what do you think of the non-Sanyo ultra-low discharge batteries like MAHA, Nexcell, Kodak or Uniross?

DeoreDX

Kodak also sells the alternate non-discharging chemistry NiMH, look for the packages of Kodak Rechargeables that say "Precharged".

WilcoRoger

I second you on that - they unify the pro's for both types. To optimize things, I keep using my old rechargables, when they empty, pop in the Eneloop while the "old" ones recharge, once recharged, switch again.

hfly

But....the slow discharge ones are not yet available in the highest energy levels yet.