Malibu solar lights... NiCd or NiMH? Vendor?

[bigfoot]

I've done some searching on CPF and read some threads about solar light battery replacement. I have a bunch of Malibu LED solar walkway lights that take 2xAA rechargeable batteries each (the "LZ1" model). http://www.malibulights.com/index.php?action=subcategory&did=2&cid=5&sid=13&pid=lz1.

After a trip to Wal-Mart I discovered a replacement pack of 4xAA Malibu-branded batteries for $5.99.

It sounds like NiCd is the preferred battery choice over NiMH for these lights due to daily usage, low storage needs, hot/cold weather extremes, etc. Does anyone know a good vendor for buying NiCd (or NiMH) batteries in bulk that doesn't charge an arm and a leg for regular shipping?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Mr Happy]

$5.99 for 4 is a fairly good price, unless you have reason to be concerned about the quality?

Try this link if you are really keen about the lowest price:

http://www.batteryjunction.com/q1ed-gaa1200-.html

 

[metlarules]

Another reason nicad is used is the low mah rating of the battery. Those lights have a solar panel that at best charge at 50 to 60 mah. So most of them never fully charge. It's always a good idea to take them out and charge them on a house charger once a month or so.

 

[worldedit]

NiCd are used because they cant be over charged. At 0.1C you can charge them forever without damage. Thats why they are used in electric toothbrushes.

 

[Turak]

Stick with the low capacity 600mAh - 1000 mAh NiCd's. There are a couple other threads that identify the pros of the Nicd over the NiMh for this particular application.

Also forget about anything higher than 1000mAh, since the solar cell lights WILL NOT be able to fully charge them. The lower capacities actually work better in the long run due to a more complete charge/discharge cycle.

I go through all my solar lights each year and run the batteries through a Refresh/Analyze cycle (BC-900 or MH-C9000) to help make sure they get fully exercised.

Harbor Freight (700mAh) NiCds seem to work as well as any of the cheapies that I have tried.

Looks like they are having a sale on June 6th, 7th, and 8th.

A 4 pack AA's (lot #47440) for 1.99, normally 4.99.

 

[phenwick]

Turaks advise is good. I also exercise them in my Maha 9000 a couple of times a year. My experience has been that the replacement batteries (Malibu, Brinkmann, and Home Depot's Hampton Bay) off the local shelves do not come in anywhere near stated capacity; some failing out of the package. I haven't tried the Harbor Freight, as I like Sanyo Cadnica 700s. You can feel the difference in weight compared to the replacement brands, and they consistently charge to 700 or above every time.

 

[lctorana]

The main reason that NiCad is used is that every night, without fail, the cells will be discharged to the point where the driver cuts out - typically 0.9V.

NiMHs won't stand for that kind of abuse for very long. NiCads don't really like it either, but they do cope much, much better.

As other posters said, we gain nothing from higher capacity cells, as the tiny solar panels have a definite limit to the mAh they will gather in the course of a day.