Looking for recommendations for a C/D NiMH charger

[RGB_LED]

I had given my Dad a Fenix L2P a couple of years back and was thinking that I would give him another Fenix light just to have as a general purpose light around the house. Well, I discovered a little while ago that, while he still has the L2P on his bedside table (and it's more than sufficient for his needs), he still insists upon having several maglites scattered around his house.

Just so that you all know, he's not a Flashoholic and he's also very frugal so he will not likely give them up until they stop working... So, for Father's Day, I decided to give him a couple of LED drop-ins for his old maglites (2C, 2D, 4D) thinking that it may breathe some new life into those old lights of his. Sadly, he is using really old NiCD batteries and the performance is not very good... So, I've decided to replace those old NiCD batteries of his.

I would like give him a new NiMH charger along with a set of NiMH batteries, including 2-4AA, 2C and 4D batteries (give or take). I was thinking spending less than $100 for the charger plus batteries and and the key here is simplicity - he will not be able to decipher a lot of the charging functions so the simpler the better.

I'm looking for any recommendations that you all may have so please let me know what's out there. Thanks!

 

[Anders]

Hello RGB_LED.

Maha MH-C808M is the charger for your father.
http://www.thomas-distributing.com/maha-mh-c808m-battery-charger.htm

Here is a review from Silverfox.
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=102682&highlight=C808M

Worth the money.$87.97



Anders

 

[RGB_LED]

Hello RGB_LED.

Maha MH-C808M is the charger for your father.
http://www.thomas-distributing.com/maha-mh-c808m-battery-charger.htm

Here is a review from Silverfox.
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=102682&highlight=C808M

Worth the money.$87.97

Anders

Hi Anders, thanks for the tip. :thumbsup: I've been concentrating lately on Li-Ion so rechargeable NiMH's is a whole new world for me. I just looked up the charger and noticed there were several reviews here on CPF - looks like, with the added batteries, it will be a bit more than my budget but it looks like the one to get.

Here's a second set of questions... I was looking at all the low / ultra-low discharge batteries and I see there are now many names to choose from, including Eneloops (AA's only from what I can tell), Maha Imedion (AA's), Accupower / Acculoop (AA's, C's, D's)... Is one better than the others? Are there any other low discharge brands for C's and D's out there?

 

[Anders]

Hello RGB_LED.




I think Maha Imedion AA is the one with most capacity and it is also very good regarding to low self discharge.


Sanyo Eneloop is the one with capability to discharge very high, up to 8A. Imedion is good up to 4A.

As a reference, Fenix L2D CE discharge the cells up to 1,45 A on high.

Many here also use Rayovac hybrid/Varta ready2go which is the same cell. Some claim that Uniross is the same as Eneloop, Ansmann, Kodak and GP seems to be good.

Vapex Instant is bad and probably more unknown brands.

I am not familiar with any else LSD cells in C and D size than ACCUPOWER EVOLUTION C 4500MAH :
http://thomasdistributing.com/shop/...html?SP_id=&osCsid=qe51lohq72v2vl3jllnafv26v0

Here is all LSD cells thomasdistributing sell, D as well:
http://thomasdistributing.com/shop/...22_141.html?osCsid=qe51lohq72v2vl3jllnafv26v0

Accupower LSD C and D cells was reviewed here some days ago, search in this sektion.


Anders

 

[Aluminous]

I was looking at all the low / ultra-low discharge batteries and I see there are now many names to choose from, including Eneloops (AA's only from what I can tell), Maha Imedion (AA's), Accupower / Acculoop (AA's, C's, D's)... Is one better than the others? Are there any other low discharge brands for C's and D's out there?

I am not well-acquainted with those other brands, but Eneloops are generally regarded as some of the best NiMHs around. They have AA and AAA sizes, and they have C and D 'adapters' to convert AAs for use in C/D devices. But I think that solution offers less capacity than the 'true' C/D NiMH batteries.

 

[dkelly]

If simplicity is key, you might consider this charger. It is very simply and seems to do a good job. There are absolutely no settings to worry about and the batteries are easy to get in and out. It has reverse polarity protection so if you insert the batteries backwards, it won't attempt to charge them.

It is not as fast but I don't think that will be a big concern for your dad. It's also cheaper and that never hurts.

 

[Bones]

...
I would like give him a new NiMH charger along with a set of NiMH batteries, including 2-4AA, 2C and 4D batteries (give or take). I was thinking spending less than $100 for the charger plus batteries and and the key here is simplicity - he will not be able to decipher a lot of the charging functions so the simpler the better.

I'm looking for any recommendations that you all may have so please let me know what's out there. Thanks!

If it's possible to run your father's lights on AA cells and adapters, the Eneloop power pack from Costco might be a very good solution:

http://www.costco.com ... prodid=11227048

I think it's reasonable to state that the Eneloops are a proving to be even sturdier than anticipated, and if your father has lots of gadgets, you could even pick up a couple of the packs for him and still be well under budget.

You would also being making a major contribution towards moving him away from alkalines, which he might appreciate most of all. Especially considering the ever-increasing propensity for even the best of them to leak.

 

[rizky_p]

old habit dies hard

MAHA MH-C808D is good as suggested, the simpler the better IMO.

 

[NA8]

+1 Maha MH-C808M, Eneloops, and the Low Self Discharge Accupower Evolution C&D NiMH cells.

Watch out for any specials on the Maha 808M plus NiMH C or D batteries. They can be the older nimh's that aren't the low self discharge type. You want the LSD type for flashlights.

 

[RGB_LED]

Hello RGB_LED.

I think Maha Imedion AA is the one with most capacity and it is also very good regarding to low self discharge.

Sanyo Eneloop is the one with capability to discharge very high, up to 8A. Imedion is good up to 4A.

As a reference, Fenix L2D CE discharge the cells up to 1,45 A on high.

Many here also use Rayovac hybrid/Varta ready2go which is the same cell. Some claim that Uniross is the same as Eneloop, Ansmann, Kodak and GP seems to be good.

Vapex Instant is bad and probably more unknown brands.

I am not familiar with any else LSD cells in C and D size than ACCUPOWER EVOLUTION C 4500MAH :
http://thomasdistributing.com/shop/...html?SP_id=&osCsid=qe51lohq72v2vl3jllnafv26v0

Here is all LSD cells thomasdistributing sell, D as well:
http://thomasdistributing.com/shop/...22_141.html?osCsid=qe51lohq72v2vl3jllnafv26v0

Accupower LSD C and D cells was reviewed here some days ago, search in this sektion.

Anders

Thanks again Anders. Btw, I just found your thread on the Maha Imedion study - fantastic job. :goodjob: I think I'll probably get some eneloops for my dad as they are fairly cheaper.

 

[RGB_LED]

If simplicity is key, you might consider this charger. It is very simply and seems to do a good job. There are absolutely no settings to worry about and the batteries are easy to get in and out. It has reverse polarity protection so if you insert the batteries backwards, it won't attempt to charge them.

It is not as fast but I don't think that will be a big concern for your dad. It's also cheaper and that never hurts.

Thanks dkelly - great find and price is in the range... I just did a search and found the Accumanager 20 had great reviews - I think I'll purchase that one for my dad afterall and the MAHA MH-C808D for myself.

If it's possible to run your father's lights on AA cells and adapters, the Eneloop power pack from Costco might be a very good solution: http://www.costco.com ... prodid=11227048

I think it's reasonable to state that the Eneloops are a proving to be even sturdier than anticipated, and if your father has lots of gadgets, you could even pick up a couple of the packs for him and still be well under budget.

You would also being making a major contribution towards moving him away from alkalines, which he might appreciate most of all. Especially considering the ever-increasing propensity for even the best of them to leak.

Good suggestion - he's using 10+ year-old rechargeable NiCD's (remember the 'frugal' bit) so I've been looking into replacing those outdated batteries with eneloops, especially given all the buzz around here. Also found some the runtime / discharge studies from Anders and others so it's definitely a clear winner.

The sad thing is that, here in Canada, the eneloop package you are referring to is about $60... compared to about $30 in the US.

+1 Maha MH-C808M, Eneloops, and the Low Self Discharge Accupower Evolution C&D NiMH cells.

Watch out for any specials on the Maha 808M plus NiMH C or D batteries. They can be the older nimh's that aren't the low self discharge type. You want the LSD type for flashlights.

Thanks NA8... I've been checking out the more popular battery sites, such as Thomas Distributing, so I'm definitely going to stock up on the LSD batteries. Any other suggestions on sites that sell the Maha / LSD batteries?

Thanks again fellas for all your input! As someone else said in another thread... I love this place! I've learned so much in the last couple of years and it's not only flashlights but LED's, ROP's in Maglites, electrical, soldering, etc... :twothumbs

 

[Bones]

...
The sad thing is that, here in Canada, the eneloop package you are referring to is about $60... compared to about $30 in the US.

Costco.ca does have an alternate Eneloop package for a lot less money which contains more adapters but lacks the AAA cells and the charger:

http://www.costco.ca ... prodid=10309464

 

[RGB_LED]

Hello RGB_LED.

I think Maha Imedion AA is the one with most capacity and it is also very good regarding to low self discharge.

Sanyo Eneloop is the one with capability to discharge very high, up to 8A. Imedion is good up to 4A.

As a reference, Fenix L2D CE discharge the cells up to 1,45 A on high....

Anders

Anders, one more noob question... for a 2C maglite that runs a 3W LED drop-in, what would the discharge rate be? I'm just curious as my initial thought was to get my dad the Accupower Evolution C batteries (4500mAh) so that he could run this dropin... I would think that the larger C batteries should be able to handle the discharge of the LED drop-in quite well.

 

[RGB_LED]

Costco.ca does have an alternate Eneloop package for a lot less money which contains more adapters but lacks the AAA cells and the charger: http://www.costco.ca ... prodid=10309464

Thanks Bones, I saw that listing as well and I may end up doing that since neither my Dad nor I really need the AAA batteries.

 

[Anders]

Hello RGB_Led.

In this thread you see with a 3W LED the discharge rate is 1,320 mA.

I don't think it would be any problem at all if your cells discharge under 1-1,5C which is 4,5-6,75A in your case.

Anders

 

[RGB_LED]

Hello RGB_Led.

In this thread you see with a 3W LED the discharge rate is 1,320 mA.

I don't think it would be any problem at all if your cells discharge under 1-1,5C which is 4,5-6,75A in your case.

Anders

Thanks Anders, great link. Btw, given the cells will discharge between 4.5 - 6.75A, it looks like I could run 2AA eneloops with the C or D adapters but not the Imedions... won't be too much runtime but, then again, I can't see my Dad using his lights for that long and he'll have other eneloops around to swap.

 

[Anders]

Hello RGB_LED.

Maybe I must make some adjustments..

I wrote: " I don't think it would be any problem at all if your cells discharge under 1-1,5C which is 4,5-6,75A in your case."

I thought that you should use your C cells, "Accupower Evolution C batteries (4500mAh)" not AA cells in C or D adapters.

I think it is to much for the AA cells to use them so hard as 4A/2C on regular basis.
Some here maybe do so and are free to give me corrections.

I don't know if you are familiar with the term "C" when talking about batteries?.

For clarification, the rate of current (charge or discharge) that is applied to a battery is often defined in
terms of the rated capacity C of a battery. For example, a battery rated at 1500 mAh that is discharged
at a rate of C/2 (or 0.5C) will have 750 mAh discharged from the battery per hour. Thus, a discharge
rate of C/2 of a 1500 mAh battery is 750 mA, but this does not mean the battery will last for 2 hours!

Anders

 

[RGB_LED]

Hi Anders, I sort of know a bit about discharge current, etc. but thanks for the clarification.

I had the feeling that the eneloops would be pushed hard given the setup but I'm going to take them to my Dad and test it out for him to see how well it works... The reason being is that the cost for the eneloop solution is substantially less than ordering the C's and D's and to have them shipped. I'll test it out and report back as I wait for any further deals to come up on the LSD C / D cells.

Btw, if anyone has tried using the eneloop adapters in a C / D light driving a 3W LED, please post your experiences and observations... I'd be curious to see how well the eneloops work in that application...

 

[Mr Happy]

As a rule of thumb, an AA Eneloop can comfortably handle any load a D alkaline can handle. So if you have LED drop-ins designed for a 2D or 4D Mag, then using Eneloops in D adapters should work fine (except for the shorter run time).