AA battery and charger recomendation

[Crashking]

hello all, I am in need of a set of AA rechargeable batteries and a charger. normally i would do this research myself, but i'm currently tired of researching anything right now(and i usually love researching stuff).... i just bought a new camera and it uses 4 AA batteries for it's power, and i don't want to have to keep spending money to feed it batteries. i need a set of 4 (possibly 8 total so i have spares) aa batteries that will-

fit without needing any modifycations
have a good runtime (2500mah or better)
won't be harmed to badly if not handled properly (that's a tough one i know)

and a charger that will be easy to use(not so much for my part, but just in case my mom kills the batteries and i am not here or she cannot get in touch with me to know how to do it)
and it won't kill the batteries if they are left on the charger for extended periods of time

i'm not trying to pinch pennies here as i live by the motto, do it right the first time... it's usually cheaper in the end to do it this way, but i'm not wanting to spend a ton of money either.

$50-60 is the price range (unless there is possibly a significant reason to spend slightly more

if there are any other need to know facts, just let me know and i will get a requirement as soon as possible

i apologize again for not doing this research myself, and I thank those that will share their knowledge with me

 

[Lobo]

Well, this is really not my area of "expertice" but since no one else answered I'll try to help you out. Sanyo are usually considered as one of the better brands, their 2700mAh might interest you. But you should really considering getting Eneloops or Rayovac Hybrids, these are a new typ of rechargable batteries that wont self discharge at the same rates as normal NiMH batteries does. They have less capacity (Eneloop 2000mAh and 2100mAh for Rayovac I believe). Well worth looking into if youre not going to use and charge your camera all the time.

As for the charger, this is a really good "cheap" charger.
http://www.kaidomain.com/WEBUI/ProductDetail.aspx?TranID=1374
Also discussed here.
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=151066

There is also a thread discussing even less expensive good chargers here.
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=159282

I'm sorry that I cant say if this will fit your budget, since I dont know the price of batteries where youre at. It might be easier to stay in budget if you buy a packet deal(charger and batteries), but my experience is that you wont get the better stuff then.
Someone else feel free to correct my post.
Good luck with your purchase!

 

[Crashking]

Well, this is really not my area of "expertice" but since no one else answered I'll try to help you out. Sanyo are usually considered as one of the better brands, their 2700mAh might interest you. But you should really considering getting Eneloops or Rayovac Hybrids, these are a new typ of rechargable batteries that wont self discharge at the same rates as normal NiMH batteries does. They have less capacity (Eneloop 2000mAh and 2100mAh for Rayovac I believe). Well worth looking into if youre not going to use and charge your camera all the time.

As for the charger, this is a really good "cheap" charger.
http://www.kaidomain.com/WEBUI/ProductDetail.aspx?TranID=1374
Also discussed here.
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=151066

There is also a thread discussing even less expensive good chargers here.
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=159282

I'm sorry that I cant say if this will fit your budget, since I dont know the price of batteries where youre at. It might be easier to stay in budget if you buy a packet deal(charger and batteries), but my experience is that you wont get the better stuff then.
Someone else feel free to correct my post.
Good luck with your purchase!

thanks lobo... i think i might run up to walmart and see if they have the hybrids there... if not i think i might go with the titanium 2700mah

and chargers.... that's a tough decision too

angel eyes is an option (is kaidomain trustworthy?)
also this one- http://www.amondotech.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=727

or even the accumanager 20 if i could find a reliable source for it (from looking at the charger comparison thread it looks to be a good easy to use charger

does anyone know or has anyone ordered from this site before? http://www.nimhbattery.com/index.htm

 

[coppertrail]

As for the charger, this is a really good "cheap" charger.
http://www.kaidomain.com/WEBUI/ProductDetail.aspx?TranID=1374

Do you own, or know anyone who currently uses this charger?

 

[Crashking]

was also looking at this one too so i could charge 8 batteries at once (i think i will be getting 8 cells no matter which type of battery i get )

http://www.amondotech.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=1026


the angel eyes one does look pretty neat though since it shows a lot of information

 

[Lobo]

Do you own, or know anyone who currently uses this charger?

Sorry about that, intended to write "it seems" to be a very good charger. Only one I know owns one is jusko in the other thread.

angel eyes is an option (is kaidomain trustworthy?)

Kaidomain is very trustworthy, a lot of people from CPF do business with them, and so far I havent heard a bad word (that was justified). They review a lot of their own products also, and surprisingly, they are quite frank and honest when they do it. Only thing to look out for is that they are not that fast on shipping.

 

[LuxLuthor]

It's a little more, but after using it for many charges, I would recommend this MaHa C9000 that has been discussed a lot in the other thread.

 

[Crashking]

It's a little more, but after using it for many charges, I would recommend this MaHa C9000 that has been discussed a lot in the other thread.

have you or any(many) other people ordered from that site before? it looks to be a very good and quality product(to bad it isn't designed to do other size cells also) and i might just buy it... though i think i will check around locally at stores that carry the maha brand and see if they have it in store, but please do get back to me if i can trust that site

*edit* i've looked around and it seems that i can trust them,

 

[coppertrail]

I second that on the C9000, it's a fantastic charger, well worth the extra $.

Trust the site? Absolutely, I've ordered from Thomas Distributing numerous times over the past year and a half. They've been along for quite a while. You'll get great products with top notch customer service.

BTW, you won't find Maha chargers at local retailers, mail order only, and I believe TD is the only merchant in the states who carries the C9000.

Bottom line: You can trust and won't be disappointed when ordering from TD. You can call them as well.

 

[cerbie]

A more simple and in-budget option would be the C401FS. Not all the features (just pop in the batteries and go), but close to $25 cheaper, giving close to enough room for batteries.

You can get 2500mAh cheap at most any Walmart. Or get some 2700mAh with the charger (see the kit), or even get Eneloops along with it. Get Eneloops if you think you might leave the camera alone for more than a week or two at a time.

Even that pushes the budget some, but I think you'll be glad later on. I've got the best cheapie I could find, but really wish I'd gone for a little better.

 

[TorchBoy]

... but please do get back to me if i can trust that site

*edit* i've looked around and it seems that i can trust them,

I bought my MH-C9000 from Thomas Distributing as well, and I wouldn't have a problem buying again from them (if the price was right).

 

[clintb]

A more simple and in-budget option would be the C401FS. Not all the features (just pop in the batteries and go), but close to $25 cheaper, giving close to enough room for batteries.

You can get 2500mAh cheap at most any Walmart. Or get some 2700mAh with the charger (see the kit), or even get Eneloops along with it. Get Eneloops if you think you might leave the camera alone for more than a week or two at a time.

Even that pushes the budget some, but I think you'll be glad later on. I've got the best cheapie I could find, but really wish I'd gone for a little better.

The C-401FS is a good option, but as has been stated in tests, it will heat the cells quite a bit on the "Fast" setting. I have one and know this to be true. The "Slow" mode works very well. Honestly, out of all the consumer type chargers available, the C-9000 is the best option for completeness of features.

 

[cerbie]

My charger has no slow and fast settings. It'll always get 'em toasty, if not under a ceiling fan.

As of right now, I know of nowhere other than one camera shop that I could go and get any charger that charges all batteries in parallel (Kodak's is getting hard to find, even). Energizer must be making a mint with all the timered chargers they've got everywhere...anyway, back on topic...

 

[clintb]

My charger has no slow and fast settings. It'll always get 'em toasty, if not under a ceiling fan.

As of right now, I know of nowhere other than one camera shop that I could go and get any charger that charges all batteries in parallel (Kodak's is getting hard to find, even). Energizer must be making a mint with all the timered chargers they've got everywhere...anyway, back on topic...

http://thomas-distributing.com/maha/401FS2.jpg
Look at the left side, right where the two colors of the case meet. That's the switch. If you don't have it, you don't have a C401FS.

 

[cerbie]

I don't have one, hence:

I've got the best cheapie I could find, but really wish I'd gone for a little better.

Now one even as good as mine is practically gone from most stores (a Duracell rapid charger that seemed to be discontinued as soon as it got to stores, probably due to penny-pinching). Lately I've seen nothing but timered chargers B&M; so by the time you count shipping from most online stores, you're almost into the price range of the BC-900 and Maha's chargers.

I guess my point as far as the OP was that if you don't get a good one that you can now, you'll probably want to in six months to a year, so think about stretching your budget .

 

[Brody]

For an inexpensive charger that works well for AA batteries, I like the Lightning Pack 4000N charger from www.ripvan100.com
It charges the batteries either 2 or 4 at a time, and is the best charger I have seen at keeping the temperature low while charging. This can be important because I have damaged many sets of batteries on other chargers because they charge at too high of a temperature.
You can buy the charger alone, or in package deals with Sanyo 2700 batteries (great batteries) on the site. The site also carries eneloop batteries if you only use the batteries once in a while.

 

[TorchBoy]

www.ripvan100.com ... The site also carries eneloop batteries if you only use the batteries once in a while.

Except that they are "UNAVAILABLE".

 

[Crashking]

BTW, you won't find Maha chargers at local retailers, mail order only, and I believe TD is the only merchant in the states who carries the C9000.

even if i stop by a store that Maha/powerex says is a distributor? (there's only a couple of independent stores around where i live that retails for them according to the site)

______

i believe i am going to go with the c9000 and the eneloop or hybrid batteries.... but i will have to put it off for a couple of weeks till i start my new job... i've now spent $300 on the camera ( canon powershot s3 is) and spent another $75 on a extreme 3 2gb sd card for the camera.... so spending yet almost another $100 is currently going to have to wait till i get my job at Audi. need to keep some money on standby just in case somethin happens.


Thanks a lot for all information everyone, the camera will see periods of downtime when nothing is going on, so the new batteries that are coming out will be perfect for me.... and i think i'll get a couple of AAA batteries for my LOD-CE
:thanks::thanks:

 

[Don_Redondo]

eneloops are a good choice. Most of the newer cameras can get two to four hundred shots on a full charge – assuming you take those pictures before the batteries self-discharge. So unless you're planning a major photo shoot chances are the eneloops will actually give you more shots during typical use than some of the higher capacity cells. They can be recharged with any NiMh charger.

For charger recommendations, take a look at the sticky in this forum. I've had very good luck with the Accumanager 20. It will charge AAs, AAA, Cs, Ds, and 9Vs and it is truly a drop it in and forget it type charger. Each channel is completely independent so no problems putting in cells of different sizes, quantities, or even putting in each cell at different times. Nothing to set and yet it reliably charges to higher capacities than some of the "smarter" chargers. Definitely mother friendly . Another good choice is the TG2800 from Amondotech. Great travel charger. If you're concerned about the batteries being low when you need them, and not being able to wait a couple hours, you might want to look into the Energizer 15 minute charger - although in a pinch you could always get by with a set of alkalines or Energizer lithiums on hand.

 

[LuxLuthor]

While that $26 charger might be "penny wise" ...in the long run, it is "pound foolish" because you cannot fully discharge the cells. You cannot condition the cells, and you cannot see what the actual capacity of your cells are....all of which the C9000 does.

If you are an occasional AA/AAA battery user, and subscribe to the "dispose if it doesn't seem to be working well anymore" mentality, then get that charger. If you want to have a better understanding and more control over what is happening with your batteries, then get the C9000. It will likely last your lifetime.