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On average when Im cacheing I have 2 GPS a digital camera and several flashlights along. Btw, the 2nd GPS is my BF's so he's usually using it, while I have mine. So, is there a performance difference when using rechargeable batteries? I've seen the charge kits for AA, AAA batteries, but I've never seen them for C, D cells..

 

What are your thoughts, expierences?

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I like to use the new Rayovac I-C3 rechargeables that can recharge in 15 minutes, with special charger. They are about the same quality as Duracell/Energizer for a cheaper price. I got 4 for $10, thats $2.50 each. If you pay say $5 for 8 energizer, thats 62.5 cents each, when you use your rechargeables 4 times, you start saving money. :D Just make sure the maH value is above 2000 maH.

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I've never thought about rechargeable. I buy a brick of 48 batteries at Costco for $12.

How long do they last? I have noticed a difference between Duracell and Duracell with M3 technology so I would think there was one between that and a cheapie brand. As far as I'm concerned, not having to replace and carry batteries as often has a value, too.

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Some years ago I had an experience that has colored my attitude to re-chargeables. A bright shiny new tape player went PHUT! I took it back to the place I bought it from, they sent it to the manufacturer. The result was - tough luck, it was never designed for use with re-chargeable batteries.

 

The thing is that batteries produce electricity as the result of a chemical reaction. The voltage depends on the chemicals in use. Rechargeables use, generally, different chemicals to throw aways. Now, modern electronics tends to be very much more voltage tolerant but I would still suggest that you see if the hand book for your equipment says DON'T USE rechargables.

 

I read somewhere that, for domestic equipment, using rechargables costs 26 times as much as running from the electricity supply, while chuckaways cost up to 40 times as much. Bearing in mind that most of us don't have an extension chord long enough to reach even the closest caching area to home, I see that as a good argument for rechargables as the cheapest alternative.

 

The starting out cost can be a serious one though. There are many systems available and, like everything else, the more you pay, the better you get.

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I've never thought about rechargeable. I buy a brick of 48 batteries at Costco for $12.

How long do they last? I have noticed a difference between Duracell and Duracell with M3 technology so I would think there was one between that and a cheapie brand. As far as I'm concerned, not having to replace and carry batteries as often has a value, too.

I thought about embellishing my info.

 

Consumer Reports said that all domestic batteries(not foreign) performed so close that they were hard pressed to rate one better than the other.

They did pick one. The Energizer lasted marginally longer relative to it's voltage. The only batteries that fell short were the "heavy duty" batteries. They are made to last longer in the drawer than in use.

 

They also said that most generic batteries are made by the same manufacturers.

 

I have had to pick up name brand batteries while out and about. There is no noticeable improvement in longevity. Definitely not enough to make me pay three times the price.

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I always used to use Rayovac Maximum Plus alkalines, but now I use the Rayovac Nickle Medal Hydrate (NiMH) ones and they work great. I still use (and swere by) the Maximum Plus for everthing that rechargables just won't do for and as spares in my car in the event I run out of charged, rechargables and forgot to bring the car charger

Edited by wildearth2001
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I always used to use Rayovac Maximum Plus alkalines, but now I use the Rayovac Nickle Medal Hydrate (NMH) ones and they work great. I still use (and swere by) the Maximum Plus for everthing that rechargables just won't do for and as spares in my car in the event I run out of charged, rechargables and forgot to bring the car charger

I havn't had to buy batteries for almost six months now and even then I probably didn't need them but I wanted a couple more for the pool. I use exclusivly NiMH Rechargeables.

 

I have a Rayovac charger that can charge them in less than an hour in my truck, so I don't have to worry about ever having dead batteries.

 

I keep one set in each of my Two GPS's, one set in the DigiCam, one set in the Camera Bag for use in either the GPS or Camera should I need a change in the field, and one set in the charger.

 

Really the only reason I keep two sets of spares is that I have so many devices that use them.

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Those Duracell look alikes (ish) from the dollar stores are pretty bad... I actually bought a pack of those (all I could get) in China one time. I got 80 for around one US dollar. On a different tack, I wonder how ANYONE makes any money on that kind of deal. Two of them managed one CD on my portable player before crapping out but, at the price, I guess it was a good deal.

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At the "99Cents Only Store" I find packs of 4 AA Alkalines by Panasonic (made in Japan), Varta (Germany) and Samsung (Korea). These all seem to be top quality, have fresh dates, and work as well as any.

I use NiMH rechargeables, but the Alks are sure convenient, and cheap, at 4/$. They are carried as back up for the GPS, camera, PDA power pack, and handheld radios. I use them in my flashlights because they last so long (especially in the LED and electro-luminescence lights.)

For D cell lights, use the 4AA/D adapter. The nice thing is that you can use from one to 4 AAs in each adapter. Aventrade Its fun to use 3 of these, with one AA in each adapter, in a 3D Mag light, and hand it to someone--its so light they are surprised.

Edited by EScout
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\A bright shiny new tape player went PHUT! I took it back to the place I bought it from, they sent it to the manufacturer. The result was - tough luck, it was never designed for use with re-chargeable batteries.

Are you saying it won't work with rechargeables or are they claiming that using rechargeables broke it? The former is understandable, the latter is unforgivable.

 

You are right, the different chemistry does give a different voltage. Some devices can't work with the lower voltage, but since even good batteries die eventually, I can't understand anyone claiming that use of rechargeables will damage the unit.

 

Still, it doesn't sound like a quality design if it wasn't designed for use with rechargeables.

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Consumer Reports said that all domestic batteries(not foreign) performed so close that they were hard pressed to rate one better than the other.

I'd like to know how they rank in terms of leaking. Nothing like a leaky battery to really mess up your unit. It seems you can nevery fully clean up the battery compartment after that. I've had batteries leak that still supplied power, so it's not a case of forgetting about them for 5 years or something.

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I've been using energizer lithium batteries for a while. They generally last a long time, 2x-3x ordinary AA's. Even when they're dead, I keep a handful around as possible zombies, because they always seem to have about fifteen minutes left, after sitting a while. My question is: Has anyone tried to recharge a lithium battery in a charger built for nicads and alkalines? I'd be interested to know, considering the cheap S.o.G. that I am...

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\A bright shiny new tape player went PHUT!  I took it back to the place I bought it from, they sent it to the manufacturer.  The result was - tough luck, it was never designed for use with re-chargeable batteries.

Are you saying it won't work with rechargeables or are they claiming that using rechargeables broke it? The former is understandable, the latter is unforgivable.

 

You are right, the different chemistry does give a different voltage. Some devices can't work with the lower voltage, but since even good batteries die eventually, I can't understand anyone claiming that use of rechargeables will damage the unit.

 

Still, it doesn't sound like a quality design if it wasn't designed for use with rechargeables.

The incident was a long time ago and if I hadn't been so annoyed about it happening to a new unit I would not have left the rechargables in the player when I took it back. Also, I should have used the 'merchantable quality' laws to get a replacement at the place of purchase instead of allowing the thing to be returned to the manufacturer. By the time I finally got a reply I was way past caring about it so, I just wrote it up to experience. I knew then, and I know now, that the whole thing about re-chargables in this instance was a way to wiggle out of giving me my money back for a shoddy piece of equipment. However, as I said above, it colored my attitude to re-chargables.

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I like to use the new Rayovac I-C3 rechargeables that can recharge in 15 minutes, with special charger. They are about the same quality as Duracell/Energizer for a cheaper price. I got 4 for $10, thats $2.50 each. If you pay say $5 for 8 energizer, thats 62.5 cents each, when you use your rechargeables 4 times, you start saving money. :D Just make sure the maH value is above 2000 maH.

I can second this cahrger and battery setup, they are amazing, I love mine. 15 minute charges and I get about 14 hours from a set in my Sportrack Map.

 

Definitly a money saver if you use batteries like I do, and a time saver compared to standard rechargables.

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I don't think that your tape player was ruined by rechargeable batteries, it sounds like it was a piece of junk to begin with. The chemical composition would not cause your tape player to fail either, unless the chemicals actually leaked out into the tape player.

 

The only noticible difference your tape player would have cared about is a slightly lower voltage, 1.2 volts per battery instead of 1.5 volts per battery. So as far as the tape player is concerned, it would have behaved as if it had regular batteries that have run low.

 

While the voltage is slightly lower (eg. NiMH batteries), they have the ability to produce a steady current until the end of their use before going dead. In a GPS, the battery meter will not show the batteries as fully charged, but they will last as long or longer than alkalines.

 

Since the load (tape player or GPSr) determines the current draw, I find it hard to believe that using a rechargeable would have caused your tape player to break.

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In a GPS, the battery meter will not show the [NiMH] batteries as fully charged, but they will last as long or longer than alkalines.

You really can't make a blanket statement like that about NiMH versus alkalines. The useful service life of an alkaline battery is highly dependant on the discharge rate. This is why you do not see alkaline batteries rated in mAh like you do for NiMH batteries. Depending on the current draw of the specific GPSr, alkalines could last significantly longer, about the same, or significantly less than the same size NiMH.

 

For example, a AAA NiMH battery might give you 30 hours at a discharge rate of ~25mA, while the same size alkaline battery would last for about 60 hours. But at a 70 mA discharge rate, both batteries would give you about 10 hours of service. Higher discharge rates than that and the NiMH wins hands down.

 

Like for most of the questions rasied on the gc.com boards, the answer to the original question is "whatever works for you".

 

-Rick

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Yes, yes, yes. NiMH are the best. (Wait, that rhymes!)

 

FRMS radios, digital camera, GPS, palm pilot device...

 

Just be sure you get an "intelligent" fast-charger which treats the batteries better.

 

Never let them drop below 1.0 volts (recharge before storage, recharge before use).

 

I've been using the same high milliamp rechargables for, yeesh, many, many years.

 

Enjoy,

 

Randy

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I don't think that your tape player was ruined by rechargeable batteries, it sounds like it was a piece of junk to begin with.

No question about it. That was the excuse the company used to avoid giving me the money back - and as I said, they only knew about the re-chargables being used coz I was silly enough to leave them in there when I took the piece of junk back to the store. Now, if I had been in the mood for an argument or a stand up yelling match..... But I wasn't.

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I've never thought about rechargeable. I buy a brick of 48 batteries at Costco for $12.

Cost isn't the issue. Many here are also environment conscious.... Those 48 batteries head right into a landfill when you're done. I can recharge my nmh's over 1000 times.

 

Gutwrench

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I've never thought about rechargeable. I buy a brick of 48 batteries at Costco for $12.

Cost isn't the issue. Many here are also environment conscious.... Those 48 batteries head right into a landfill when you're done. I can recharge my nmh's over 1000 times.

 

Gutwrench

Alkalines have never been considered Toxic waste. You can never send your's to the landfill.

 

blah, blah....

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I've never thought about rechargeable. I buy a brick of 48 batteries at Costco for $12.

Cost isn't the issue. Many here are also environment conscious.... Those 48 batteries head right into a landfill when you're done. I can recharge my nmh's over 1000 times.

 

Gutwrench

Alkalines have never been considered Toxic waste. You can never send your's to the landfill.

 

blah, blah....

Its so refreshing, leatherman, when every once in awhile you are absolutely correct. I commend you.

 

Alakaline Battery Disposal Fact Sheet

 

Your state and local regulations may vary, so its wise to check. Here's the scoop for King Co., WA:

 

King County

 

And from a manufacturer:

 

Duracell

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I forgot to mention in my earlier post--you never want to overcharge or "cook" your batteries (which can happen in trickle chargers or temp-based chargers).

 

If you boil off the chemical designed for such, then you boil off function and end up with limited batteries. This is even more critical with higher milliamp-hour rechargables as they have less tolerance (less of that chemical).

 

Sorry I forgot to mention that previously,

 

Randy

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I get about 12 hours on my rechargeables. I use the Energizer NiMH 1800s. I keep 2 spare Alkalines in my pack, jic. I have not had to use them, however, since I usually do not do 12 hours of caching in a row. The NiMH I have charge in about 2 hours.

 

The only thing is the NiMH do not hold a charge over an extended timeperiod, so if they are not used I will charge them up the night before I go out.

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I used to buy packs and packs of AA's. I got some rechargeables for Christmas and now I wouldn't be without them. I just have to remember to charge them before heading out. However, I try to carry a few regular AA's just in case.

 

Happy caching and stuff! :o

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Oh, another battery thread. I have now moved to NiMH rechargeables as an economizing measure. I used to swear by Lithiums, and I was happy to plunk down $10 for a 4 pack. The lithiums weigh as much as air and they are happy in winter temps. They last for a week's worth of caching-- including being in use for 10 hours on a Saturday-- and when the low battery msg appears, you still have a few minutes to finish caching. When low bat comes on with NiMH-- Run, you have just a minute of juice. Titanium-- doo-doo. Alkaline-- great for grabbing from the convenience store.

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I concur with Renegade, I tried to do the eco-friendly thing, but I always have to carry a set of fresh alkalines with me. I bought the Grandcells over the internet with free charger included. It seemed like a good deal but the usable life of a charge in my e-trex vista isn't very long!

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OK, We Have a Cobra GPS500, <looks around to make sure no one is throwing things at me> Works great BTW. After Christmas (and installing approximately 700 batteries into childrens' toys) I went out and bought a Rayovak AA/AAA Nimh charger and 4 batteries. First day caching with them in the cobra and they worked like a charm. ALL DAY, even left the GPSr on OVERNIGHT (by accident) but the next morning it was still at half charge. Woohoo! Few days later I was hunting a micro, fired up the GPSr and the screen froze. Huh, thats wierd. Turn Off. Turn On. Fine for a few minutes and the screen goes all wacky. Hmmmm, must be a low battery thing. Put in the fresh set of NIMH, same problem. WTF? Put in some Duracell. Works fine. NIMH now reside in my FRS radios. Come to find out Cobra recommends only using Alkaline batteries in the GPS500. All you GAR/Mag people can flame me now. Hmmm, wonder how the 60cs is working out?

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Has anyone ever tried Quest Ni-MH batteries? I bought them two years ago for a digital camera, and have never had to buy batteries again!! It can't get any better that having one set charging and one set in use. Now I use 'em for FRS, GPSr, and digi-cam. And even my Mp3 player. Anyway, these things are awesome....and cheap!!! www.questbatteries.com

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I've been using three sets of NIMH AA's I bought at Radio Shack a few years ago. I think the whole setup with the charger was around 60 bucks. I get about three caching days out of a battery set. This is with a MeriGreen, so definitely no incompatibility there. I haven't has to buy batteries in over 2 years (flashlights, palm, etc.). I also like not throwing out batteries...

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