good AAA batteries and recharger ?

[daz]

Hi guys, I'm hoping someone can steer me in the right direction here.I need 4 AAA rechargable batteries and a charger. What i'm finding are reviews that are telling of batteries and chargers that either don't last, don't charge up fully, start fires, etc etc. I looked at the big names like duracell and energizer and found some are made in chani and are junk, while others of the same brand are japanese and better. It's a nightmare of issues.

So i was hoping you might know which are good and with what charger. I'd prefer a battery and charger package but if i have to buy seperately thats ok. My #1 concern obviously is safety. I want to be sure i can leave them in the charger and not worry that i will come home one day to find a charred building. Next is that they charge up fully and last reasonably long. Another consideration is whether the charger will work via USB rather then wall, but either is ok tho i prefer USB. So if you can name some good brand of both charger and batteries or tell me what to look for any help would be appreciated. Oh, and i was just laid off my job of almost 20 years and at my age finding another is not going to be easy so cost is another consideration, tho if i must i will pay whatever i have to within reason. Thanks all.

[John_H]

It's a shame that we can't buy rechargeable lithium batteries in that size. When the original GoPro cameras first came out, we bought a few of them for the sprint cars that we were racing at the time. I had fits with batteries, and chargers. Nickel/Cadmium, and NiMH cells cannot handle vibration very well. Whenever we tried to use chassis mounts, the vibration would kill the batteries. With disposable alkaline, and lithium AAA's there wasn't a problem. The best charger I found came from Radio Shack. Did you know that the rechargeable's are only 1.2v?

[daz]

Did you know that the rechargeable's are only 1.2v?

Yes, but....

Dry cells and Alkaline batteries are advertised as 1.5v compared to NiMH / NiCD rechargeable that give an output of 1.2v but you should be able to use most of your devices that are advertised to work with 1.5v batteries should work perfectly fine with rechargeable NiCD / NiMH batteries that give 1.2v because the important thing to note regarding the voltage of a battery is the voltage output a battery provides to your device when it’s under load.

Alkaline battery have a voltage of around 1.5 – 1.6v off the shelf, but alkaline batteries have a sloped discharge curve, their voltage drops over the life time of the battery until the battery is not usable, hence an voltage of a alkaline battery quickly drops to around 1.25v under actual load, and around 1v when its almost discharged, also alkaline batteries suffer from high internal resistance thus they are not ideal for high drain devices, whereas an rechargeable NiMH battery voltage is around 1.35 – 1.38v when its fully charged and under load it starts around 1.25v and then stays around 1.2v and continues to provide 1.2v until the battery is almost fully depleted, normally the voltage provide by an rechargeable NiMH battery is much more constant when you compared it with an voltage output of an alkaline battery.

[daz]

And...

[J M Fahey]

Don't overthink it, no Rocket Science there.

All are made in China today, by the way; just buy from a reputable supplier and not from EBay, period.

FWIW I use Sony Cycle Energy Nimh, or Panasonic Eneloop ,simply because their chemistry makes them have quite longer shelf life.

This is just an example:
http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-K-KJ...067665&sr=1-32


All self discharge to some extent or the other, what's good with these is that someday you need them in a hurry, find a couple in a drawer charged 3 or more Months ago and they are in excellent shape, others might retain 50% of full charge even if unused.

I bet the horror stories come from people who bought from EBay for peanuts or got "special of the Month/2 x 1 / free charger included" etc.

[John_H]

...but you should be able to use most of your devices that are advertised to work with 1.5v batteries...

I mentioned that, because they're not ideal for everything. I mostly wanted to state my experience with the rechargeable's in a high vibration environment.

[daz]

Yeah, the eneloop are what i found in my research for the best rechargeable and thats what i intend to get. But what about chargers? I'd just like to be sure it's one that won't catch fire or kill the battery lifespan.

[tedmich]

The Nitecore Sysmax Intellicharge i4 works very well for me, but I'm on the Li, supposedly NiMH should be removed after a few hours and not left ON.

[daz]

The Nitecore Sysmax Intellicharge i4 works very well for me, but I'm on the Li, supposedly NiMH should be removed after a few hours and not left ON.

I already bought. Got a panasonic eneloop advanced charger with 4 AAA's for $23 shipped. I think it'll be good, and the charger turns off when the charge is full.