I use the cheap harbor freight NiCd's in my outdoor solar lights, but that's it. So far, they are working as well or better than the cheap cells that came with them.
*tip --> Wait for them to go on sale....they do regularly. You will be able to get them for anywhere from $1.99 to $2.99 on sale. As a matter of fact, I think they are having a 1 day sale on Nov. 28th.
I stick with Eneloops or Duracell Precharged LSD cells for almost everything else. I actually doubt if I will ever buy standard NiMh cells again. The LSD cells, in general, perform so much better. I love not having to worry about whether they are going to work after they have been sitting for week or two, or even a month or two.
Hehe...slowly throwing away all my Energizer 2500's as they develop high self discharge rates.
I have 8 Ray-o-Vac 1600 mAh cells that just refuse to die. These cells must be at least 6-8 years old and still going strong. Last time I checked they still running an average of about 1575mAh.