+Driddy Posted December 1, 2010 Share Posted December 1, 2010 (edited) Does anyone have any experience with what appears to be a new product -- 2700 mAh NiMH AAs by MAHA? See listing at Thomas Distributing. They are more expensive than Eneloops but the additional capacity might be worth the price. Any thoughts on this? Edited December 1, 2010 by Geo Peeps Quote Link to comment
+dfx Posted December 1, 2010 Share Posted December 1, 2010 that's probably not LSD NiMHs, so the question is: do you need the charge now or later? Quote Link to comment
Colorado Bear Posted December 1, 2010 Share Posted December 1, 2010 The MaHa or powerex batteries are not a new product. I have been using the AA 2700 mAh ones for years. I just bought new sets since my old ones are not holding a charge well after 3 years of use in radio scanner, GPS and camera. They lasted well considering they got recharged 1-2 times a day and used hard. Thomas has the best price that I could find. I would reccomend them highly. 73 Jay Got BearSoup N0NIM Quote Link to comment
+embra Posted December 1, 2010 Share Posted December 1, 2010 I've not tried that particular battery, but I've been pleased with MaHa's that I have used in the past. Often times, when I measure actual capacity I find it to be well below the stated rating (sometimes as much as only 70% of the claimed value). MaHa's have consistently been above or within 95% of claimed capacity in my experience. If you're looking for a high-capacity slow-discharge NiMH, take a look at these 2400 mAh Imedions (manufactured by MaHa). The set I got averaged 2305 actual mAh (96% of rating). If you plan on promptly using your freshly-charged batteries, then the 2700 mAh batteries could be a good bet. BTW, I consider any battery within 90% of rating to be acceptable. That's a very subjective conclusion I've come to. Quote Link to comment
+bcblues Posted December 1, 2010 Share Posted December 1, 2010 Maha makes great batteries and chargers. I did get one bad 2700 mah battery in a four pack, but they sent a new one out right away after I contacted them and provided a copy of my invoice. I had it in a couple days. The batteries work fine, but are not LSDs. Quote Link to comment
+Driddy Posted December 1, 2010 Author Share Posted December 1, 2010 Thanks for the info. I was not aware that they are not LSDs. Actually, non-LSDs would be fine for my GPSr as I always switch in fresh batteries before a cache run. On the other hand, some devices, such as my flashlights, get fresh batteries on an infrequent basis. So maybe I will try the 2700s in my GPSr. Quote Link to comment
robertlipe Posted December 2, 2010 Share Posted December 2, 2010 Ive used these (from Thomas) for years. They are great when they are new but after a few years they decay into a state that even the high-end chargers wont heal. Quote Link to comment
+fegan Posted December 2, 2010 Share Posted December 2, 2010 (edited) I bought a set of the Powerex 2700 mAh NiMH batteries and a LaCrosse charger from ThomasDistributing almost 2 years ago. Got well over a year of weekly use out of the Powerex batteries before they wouldn't hold a charge (well worth the investment compared to disposable Alkaline batteries). The LaCrosse charger came with some LaCrosse 2600 mAh NiMH batteries which I've been using over 6 months now and have been very happy with them, too. Since I use my GPS at least weekly, I don't see the benefit to the lower power LSD batteries over these higher power batteries...but the LSD batteries do have their place for those who don't use their GPS as frequently as I use mine. YMMV Edited December 2, 2010 by fegan Quote Link to comment
Grasscatcher Posted December 2, 2010 Share Posted December 2, 2010 Maybe someone can enlighten me......I apparently don't speak "battery problem" language. When Eneloop batteries first came out, I bought (8). After about a year, since those were working so well, I bought 12 more plus a MAHA 9000 charger. I carry a set of regular alkaline batteries for spares in each GPS case. Those spares have not even been installed in ANYTHING .......EVER ..... for more than 30 minutes use, maybe at the end of a day, then get put back into "backup roll". Those 20 Eneloops power (3) GPS (76CSx,550,78S), 2 HAM handheld radios, and (1) handheld Scanner that are in DAILY use. NEVER have I ever been without battery power in the field for even one minute! The spares have been carried around so long that the writing is about worn off the outside, but they still check full charge. I recharge overnight when I accumulate 8 or more "low" units, recondition occasionally as required. When did Eneloops come out? I don't remember......, but it was long enough ago that I've forgotten exactly when, and know that I haven't had to buy other batteries since. Quote Link to comment
+Prime Suspect Posted December 3, 2010 Share Posted December 3, 2010 Maybe someone can enlighten me......I apparently don't speak "battery problem" language. When Eneloop batteries first came out, I bought (8). After about a year, since those were working so well, I bought 12 more plus a MAHA 9000 charger. I carry a set of regular alkaline batteries for spares in each GPS case. Those spares have not even been installed in ANYTHING .......EVER ..... for more than 30 minutes use, maybe at the end of a day, then get put back into "backup roll". Those 20 Eneloops power (3) GPS (76CSx,550,78S), 2 HAM handheld radios, and (1) handheld Scanner that are in DAILY use. NEVER have I ever been without battery power in the field for even one minute! The spares have been carried around so long that the writing is about worn off the outside, but they still check full charge. I recharge overnight when I accumulate 8 or more "low" units, recondition occasionally as required. When did Eneloops come out? I don't remember......, but it was long enough ago that I've forgotten exactly when, and know that I haven't had to buy other batteries since. Um.. ok. You never got around to telling us what the problem was that you needed to be enlightened about. Quote Link to comment
+Chrysalides Posted December 3, 2010 Share Posted December 3, 2010 Um.. ok. You never got around to telling us what the problem was that you needed to be enlightened about. The only question I could find, which seems to be unrelated to "battery problem" language, is: When did Eneloops come out? I don't remember......, but it was long enough ago that I've forgotten exactly when, and know that I haven't had to buy other batteries since. The answer, according to wikipedia: The low self-discharge nickel-metal hydride battery (LSD NiMH) was introduced in November 2005. These batteries were developed by Sanyo,[1] who called them "Eneloop". Quote Link to comment
Grasscatcher Posted December 3, 2010 Share Posted December 3, 2010 The "implied" subject that I needed enlightened on is "Is there really a problem with battery life /quality/etc. or is it just in peoples imagination?" Maybe it's the desire / fixation to use only the absolutely latest and greatest (in perception only). Since my 20 Eneloops have lasted since approximately 2006-2007 in multiple pieces of equipment, my "problem" has been non-existent since then. i.e "If it ain't broke, I can't fix it. What more can a battery do than satisfactorily run a piece of equipment for a user? I'm happy, the equipment is happy....end of story. Quote Link to comment
+Chrysalides Posted December 3, 2010 Share Posted December 3, 2010 The "implied" subject that I needed enlightened on is "Is there really a problem with battery life /quality/etc. or is it just in peoples imagination?"Maybe it's the desire / fixation to use only the absolutely latest and greatest (in perception only). 1. Batteries have a finite lifespan. 2. You can never have too much capacity. 3. Everybody have their own requirements / usage pattern, and it may not be the same as yours. And you're absolutely right. If it works fine for you, there is no need to change anything. Quote Link to comment
+Indotguy Posted December 5, 2010 Share Posted December 5, 2010 The "implied" subject that I needed enlightened on is "Is there really a problem with battery life /quality/etc. or is it just in peoples imagination?" Maybe it's the desire / fixation to use only the absolutely latest and greatest (in perception only). Since my 20 Eneloops have lasted since approximately 2006-2007 in multiple pieces of equipment, my "problem" has been non-existent since then. i.e "If it ain't broke, I can't fix it. What more can a battery do than satisfactorily run a piece of equipment for a user? I'm happy, the equipment is happy....end of story. NiMH batteries with a higher mAh capacity will run longer in a device than those with a lower capacity. Low self-discharge (LSD) Batteries will retain their charge much longer 'on the shelf' than traditional NiMH batteries. (By 'higher mAh capacity' I mean actual capacity and not advertised capacity which is often not reached.) These are verifiable statements, not simply people's imagination, desires, fixations, or perceptions. Quote Link to comment
+baloo&bd Posted December 5, 2010 Share Posted December 5, 2010 Does anyone have any experience with what appears to be a new product -- 2700 mAh NiMH AAs by MAHA? See listing at Thomas Distributing. They are more expensive than Eneloops but the additional capacity might be worth the price. Any thoughts on this? I struggled with the Powerex for almost six months, for both geocaching and ham radio, having bought twelve. They do not hold their charge well much past a day or two very well. Have since switched to the Sanyo Eneloops, using the same Powerex charger, and never looked back. I can now grab batteries out of my bag that were charged a month or two ago and not notice much difference between the ones I charged last night. Quote Link to comment
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