+Shalimarjim Posted January 25, 2004 Posted January 25, 2004 Does anyone have a favorite brand of batteries? Or is there any difference among them? I bought some Walgreen $2.98 for six this week and they last about 2-3 hours in my Sportrak Pro! Quote
+Lone Duck Posted January 25, 2004 Posted January 25, 2004 Rechargables, preferably 2000mah or better. You'll save yourself a bundle. Quote
+jbar Posted January 25, 2004 Posted January 25, 2004 I've been using Toshia Alkiline 9$ for 48 at BJ's Wholesale. They work fine and seem to last. Quote
+Shalimarjim Posted January 25, 2004 Author Posted January 25, 2004 Lone Duck--I'm sure you're right in the long run and Consumers Report had an article a couple of months ago along the same lines. I have an Eveready charger I bought about 6 months ago at Sams but it seems that I can never charge the batteries over 3/4 charge! Quote
+TeamK-9 Posted January 25, 2004 Posted January 25, 2004 Somebody posted a while back about Consumer Reports finding out that the best battery. I think they decided it was Rayovac but I'm not sure... Quote
+bob393 Posted January 25, 2004 Posted January 25, 2004 I have tried several. The cheep Ni-MH from eBay dont last. I love Powerex from Z-Battery. They are 1800 but I can get 12+ hours from my eTrex on them. Quote
+Og's outfit Posted January 25, 2004 Posted January 25, 2004 I've been buying those Duracell Ultras. They seem to last more than twice longer than the regular Duracells, although I haven't done a scientific study on the matter. I have a Sport Trak Pro, too and I leave the WAAS on, so I go through a lot of batteries. I've seen those huge packs of generic batteries and allways wondered if they were a value. Og Quote
Swagger Posted January 25, 2004 Posted January 25, 2004 I got a set of 4 Monster brand (same company that makes wire/cable) NiMH batteries when I bought my digital camera. After I got my GPS, I bought a pack of RayOVac NiMHs so I'd always have enough batteries if either/both the camera and GPS needed them. The Monsters are 1800s and the RayOVacs are 1600s. There is a very significant difference in how long they last - the Monsters last almost twice as long as the RayOVacs and almost as long as alkalines. The bottom line is that you get what you pay for when it comes to rechargables. I've certainly gotten my moneys worth from them, but if I were going to get more, I'd spend the extra $$$ and get some 2000s. Quote
+Lone Duck Posted January 25, 2004 Posted January 25, 2004 Shalimarjim, what you want is NiMh batteries and a faster charger. There's systems out there that will fully charge a set in 15 minutes. I use a one hour charger with "generic" NiMh batteries. The batteries are now two years old and still going (cue the rabbit). Quote
+Sparky-Watts Posted January 25, 2004 Posted January 25, 2004 Somebody posted a while back about Consumer Reports finding out that the best battery. I think they decided it was Rayovac but I'm not sure... Yup. For plain old batteries, Ray-O-Vac is cheapest and lasts longer then Durakills and Neverready's. I think it also said that the Ray-O-Vac rechargables were top of the line, too. I'll never use anything else. I get 25-30 hours out of them in my Legend. Most I ever got with Neverready was about 12 hours. I use Ray-O-Vacs in everything now, digital camera, flashlights, GPSr, weather radio, GMRS radio, weather station, back up in half a dozen or more other power units. Quote
inventorjg Posted January 25, 2004 Posted January 25, 2004 I use the new Rayovac IC3 Rechargeables, I bought 4 for $10, =$2.50 each. Where a regular battery costs .75, You only need to use this one 4 times to get your moneys worth. Plus, they charge in 15 minutes with the right charger. Quote
n0wae Posted January 25, 2004 Posted January 25, 2004 I use Powerex 2200 mAh AA rechargeables with a fast charger. (MH-C777Plus Universal Charger & Analyzer) Money well spent. Quote
+nincehelser Posted January 25, 2004 Posted January 25, 2004 Does anyone have a favorite brand of batteries? Or is there any difference among them? I bought some Walgreen $2.98 for six this week and they last about 2-3 hours in my Sportrak Pro! Your biggest mistake was buying at Walgreens. I've found they are likely to carry old stock in several sections, and some things come off the "grey" market, or were someone else's over-stock. I would hazard a guess the batts you got were old and/or poorly warehoused. In any sense I'd complain to the Walgreens. That's not enough time, and the price is horrible in any case. I can easily get *fresh* big-name batts for 25 cents or less per when they're on sale at the local grocery store. Even the off-brands last at least 8 hours in my eTrex's. George Quote
+KiltCacher Posted January 25, 2004 Posted January 25, 2004 Out of all the batteries I tested, the new Rayovac 15 minute rechargables are by far the best. I bought 2 sets and just rotate in fresh ones when the unit gets low. I can go several days on one set. Plus you can get a free car adapter so you can charge them in your vehicle! I'm never without batteries now. Quote
+The Blind Acorn Posted January 25, 2004 Posted January 25, 2004 Energizer for me... I buy them in bulk packages at Sam's. I haven't tried rechargeables in GPS only in dig camera. Those are Energizer and they seem to work ok. Just a note on charging to 3/4. Becareful that you let the batteries die completely before recharging. Quote
+Lone Duck Posted January 25, 2004 Posted January 25, 2004 Just a note on charging to 3/4. Becareful that you let the batteries die completely before recharging. That's true with NiCads. The NiMh don't require that though, and it makes no difference with them what level of charge is left in them when they are rechared. Quote
+nincehelser Posted January 25, 2004 Posted January 25, 2004 Just a note on charging to 3/4. Becareful that you let the batteries die completely before recharging. That's true with NiCads. The NiMh don't require that though, and it makes no difference with them what level of charge is left in them when they are rechared. You also need to be careful with how deeply you discharge. In some situations, the polarity of the battery will reverse, which can be very bad news. NiMh is included in that group, so it is usually safer to keep topping it off then letting it drain down too low. George Quote
+DeerChaser & Company Posted January 25, 2004 Posted January 25, 2004 I dont use energizers just because of that dadgum rabbit!!! Quote
+Colorado 59'er Posted January 25, 2004 Posted January 25, 2004 Amen to rechargables. I bought some high-capacity ones at Radio Shack two years ago and they still perform well even under heavy usage (I use the same set for my GPS and my photo strobe). Quote
BeadBoy Posted January 26, 2004 Posted January 26, 2004 I buy Kirkland Signature from Costco. They seem to last as long as namebrand and are $9.88 for 48 of them. Quote
+Confucius' Cat Posted January 26, 2004 Posted January 26, 2004 Can't say too much of whats best, but Duracell industrials don't last long for me. (but the price is right) Quote
+Renegade Knight Posted January 26, 2004 Posted January 26, 2004 I buy Kirkland Signature from Costco. They seem to last as long as namebrand and are $9.88 for 48 of them. I can't vouch for how long they last but I also use the Kirklands as a backup, for glovebox flashlights etc. Quote
inventorjg Posted January 26, 2004 Posted January 26, 2004 C'mon, ...can you beat a 15 minute recharge? Quote
+slinger91 Posted January 26, 2004 Posted January 26, 2004 I buy Kirkland Signature from Costco. They seem to last as long as namebrand and are $9.88 for 48 of them. We use The Kirkland Costco brand too. They work great. Quote
+radioscout Posted January 26, 2004 Posted January 26, 2004 I've got much experience with batteries and accumulators (professional and private) and the best brands I know are VARTA (batteries) and Panasonic (accumulators). Quote
+wildearth2001 Posted January 26, 2004 Posted January 26, 2004 RAY-O-VAC Maximum Plus are the only batteries I will buy. I use both the alkaline batteries and the NiMH ones Quote
+geoguyver Posted January 26, 2004 Posted January 26, 2004 Since I recieved a car charger for my GPS for Xmas I have been thinking about using rechargables. Thanks for all the good tips in this thread. Quote
+4dingdongz Posted January 26, 2004 Posted January 26, 2004 I use Powerex 2200 mAh AA rechargeables with a fast charger.(MH-C777Plus Universal Charger & Analyzer) Money well spent. How much is the charger for these batteries? Quote
+timberlane74 & pumpkin Posted January 26, 2004 Posted January 26, 2004 I use Powerex 2200 mAh AA rechargeables with a fast charger.(MH-C777Plus Universal Charger & Analyzer) Money well spent. Ditto Quote
+woody33 Posted January 26, 2004 Posted January 26, 2004 Just steal them from a toyota factory, industrial strength. they work goooooood Quote
+Gazza&Girls Posted January 26, 2004 Posted January 26, 2004 You will also notice a difference with the temperature. Alkaline batteries do not like the cold. I go with lithium in the winter. However, when the lithium batteries show low battery, it is time to change them. Their power will drop like a rock when it gets to the end. Quote
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