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Best Rechargeable Batteries for Oregon 450


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If I only knew what LSD batteries were...haha

 

Thanks for the link to the manual. I will start reading up on it until it is delivered. :)

LSD batteries do not produce hallucinogenic effects :)

 

LSD = low self discharge. The Eneloops you bought are LSD batteries. They retain their charge very well for months, and remain usable for up to 3 years according to Sanyo. Of course, if your batteries are sitting around unused for 3 years, you probably don't need to buy them to begin with :)

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Having just recently bought a MH-C9000 as well, I was testing all the various batteries I have. I was disappointed to see that the Duracell NiMHs, which should have a capacity of 2450 mAh and are just over a year old, only come out as around 2000 mAh batteries. And they aren't LSD. One of them is even down to as low as 1900 mAh. The Eneloops on the other hand still seem to be going strong, even though they're much older. It prompted me to get a fresh pack of Eneloops to replace those Duracell losers with. (I also have some Duracell LSD batteries around, those are relatively new and still looking good.)

Edited by dfx
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Having just recently bought a MH-C9000 as well, I was testing all the various batteries I have. I was disappointed to see that the Duracell NiMHs, which should have a capacity of 2450 mAh and are just over a year old, only come out as around 2000 mAh batteries. And they aren't LSD. One of them is even down to as low as 1900 mAh. The Eneloops on the other hand still seem to be going strong, even though they're much older. It prompted me to get a fresh pack of Eneloops to replace those Duracell losers with. (I also have some Duracell LSD batteries around, those are relatively new and still looking good.)

 

The 9000 outright condemned a whole bunch of my PowerX batteries I've been using for years......I noticed they weren't cutting the mustard but the 401FS and also my MAHA 8 cell charger kept charging them but shortly after lunch they were history.

No matter, the Eneloops are the way to go. According to my Meridian battery gauge ( way better than the newer Garmin battery gauge)my Eneloops are at their best using my Maha 8 cell charger after an overnight charge.....that was using the default 1000 mah rate on the 9000.

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...my Eneloops are at their best using my Maha 8 cell charger after an overnight charge.....that was using the default 1000 mah rate on the 9000.

Sorry... can you elaborate? And which 8 cell charger do you use? Thanks.

 

The MH-C801D....I've only used the default modes of quick charge or soft charge......I always soft-charge overnight ( unless an emergency) and install the batteries in the morning before we go caching. On the Meridian the MH-C801D will push the charge gauge bar just a tad higher than the 9000 after an overnight charge ....I'm guessing the GPS charge gauge is an indicator of voltage ( I'll do a test with my Fluke dig. meter )There could be other dynamics involved other than pure voltage......a car battery can read perfect voltage and be bad. I haven't begun to totally understand the abilities of the 9000 but find my self still using the 801....probably because I start the day off with 4 in my units and 4 spare although I don't charge the spares every time like I used to because they are low discharge.

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The MH-C801D....I've only used the default modes of quick charge or soft charge......I always soft-charge overnight ( unless an emergency) and install the batteries in the morning before we go caching. On the Meridian the MH-C801D will push the charge gauge bar just a tad higher than the 9000 after an overnight charge ....I'm guessing the GPS charge gauge is an indicator of voltage ( I'll do a test with my Fluke dig. meter )There could be other dynamics involved other than pure voltage......a car battery can read perfect voltage and be bad. I haven't begun to totally understand the abilities of the 9000 but find my self still using the 801....probably because I start the day off with 4 in my units and 4 spare although I don't charge the spares every time like I used to because they are low discharge.

Thanks for the clarification! I believe battery capacity is measured by voltage under a fixed load. Maybe connect a 10 ohm resistor across your battery and measure the voltage across the resistor? That should draw a bit more than 100 mA from the battery.

Edited by Chrysalides
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Okay just got my Eneloop 1500's in the mail and the charger. Since the batteries are pre-charged should I use them first before chargeing them? Or charge them first? Which is better for the battery?

I don't think there's any measurable difference either way. I'd top them up before using them.

thank you!!!

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Nobody's really mentioned this, but what is your real-word battery life like in a Garmin Oregon unit with Eneloop 2000mAh batteries? Obviously it depends on how you use your unit, but I'm curious how well these hold up compared to other batteries. I rarely use my backlight, keep the battery save turned on and the backlight to turn off after 30 seconds, so when I was using lithium batteries, I got 14-16 hours out of them. However, I just took my Eneloops out for a test and got 9 hours out of them. Is this normal? Should I expect a longer life? Should I give the XX a try, or go back to lithiums when I'm on extended backpacking trips?

Edited by mineral2
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Here's some real world data on my OR 450 with 2000 mAH Eneloops. The GPS beeped low battery a few hundred yards from my vehicle after a 3-day backpack. Temps were mid-30s to low 60s. I have the battery save option on, so I have to touch the display to wake the map after 30-sec. From 2011 if that matters.

 

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I run Eneloop 2000s in my O550 and get 7-9 hours, screen bright on for a minute. Have never tried the battery save mode as I always carry a spare set of white Eneloops. It is my opinion (never accurately measured) that the black Eneloops last 2-3 hours longer than the white ones.

 

As an aside, I run EVERY AA or AAA powered remote, camera, flashlight, you name it, with white eneloops - should have bought shares...

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OK, this is somewhat good news. At least my battery life isn't lower than the average, but I'm a bit disappointed I'm not getting 16 hours. If I hike 8-10 hours a day, I'll need a full set for each day. On the other hand, I was going through batteries between hiking and geocaching, I had to go the rechargeable route to save some money. I was thinking about getting a set of 4 XX for backpacking with.

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OK, this is somewhat good news. At least my battery life isn't lower than the average, but I'm a bit disappointed I'm not getting 16 hours. If I hike 8-10 hours a day, I'll need a full set for each day. On the other hand, I was going through batteries between hiking and geocaching, I had to go the rechargeable route to save some money. I was thinking about getting a set of 4 XX for backpacking with.

 

Few things to note:

 

1. The standard (2000mAh) Eneloops have 1800 charging recycles while the XX (2550mAh) only have 500 charging recycles.

 

2. After 1 year of storage, the standard Eneloops maintain 90% charge. The XX retain 75%.

 

3. Both models come pre-charged and can be used right out of the box, obviously depending on how long they have been on the shelf will impact more one one model than the other.

 

3. NEVER USE A "FAST" CHARGER, Eneloop or not. Always use a slower charge as some as mentioned previously. The faster chargers cause the batteries to heat up and heat is what kills batteries and shortens their lives significantly.

 

4. Rechargeable drop quickly. In other words, when they get low it happens fast without the warning you get with the Alkalines. This effect does appear to be less with the Eneloops, however still significantly more than the Alkaline.

 

4. A 10 pack of Eneloop AA go for about $18 (Costco).

 

My experience using them in the Garmin Montana, which is a battery hog, has been about 8 to 9 hours of almost continuous caching. One of the people I cache with who uses a Oregon and thinks recharging is too expensive, changes out his Alkalines at least once a couple hours before me.

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