Ni-Cad or Nimh? (+ mah ratings)

[Velcro]

With the dark months approaching, I was thinking about getting rechargeable batteries for my Mag-Lite 3D (I think I will be using it often).

I'm a bit puzzled about which type of battery to get, Ni-Cad or Nimh. I like the fact that NiMh's do not have memory effect, but I've read on this board that the new generation Ni-Cad's don't have memory effect anymore. Is this true? Generally, what are the pros and cons of both?

And what are the best brands to go with? Basically the big brands I can choose from are GP, Energizer, Philips, Varta and Panasonic.

Also, I want the highest possible mah without paying too much. 2200 Mah is about the highest I can get over here. How much difference in runtime is there between 2200 mah and 1500 mah? Would 1500 mah also serve my needs?

Any help or advice is greatly appreciated.


Greetings,
Velcro

 

[WarrenI]

To get your questions answered, you will want to race over to "http://thomasdistributing.com/". They will blow you away with information galore. I think they have more offering and specifics on this subject than everyone else put together.

Regarding Ni-Cad or Nimh, I would go with the Nimh and not even consider the Ni-Cad. I think the Nimh has everything going for it, with the exception of a very heavy drain and a very rapid rate of charging. It seems that Nimh cells do not favor the extreme internal heat produced by these cycles. I think it goes something like, if your device discharges and/or charges the batteries in less than 15 minutes, you may want to consider Ni-Cads instead. I can't think of any over the counter electronics having this capability (including the very heavy current draw of digital cameras).

Note that Ni-Cads have a far lower current rating and this could be due to the lack of interest to improve Ni-Cads. Nimhs and Li-ions seem to be the way to go. Also, I was told that Nimh cells are much more environment friendly at the time for disposal (don't know how true this is). Happy shopping...

 

[vcal]

Hello, Mr.Velcro,
-I think Warrenl pretty much has it right on Nimh vs. Nicad. I have been using several brands of NimH -including "Vinnic" with excellent results.

Hosfelt Electronics has some of the best battery buys, but for Int'l. orders the have a $50. minimum.

For example, they offer a 4000mAh "D Nicad @$4.35 U.S or a 7000mAh "D NimH @$8.39

p.s.-IMO, 2200 mAh capacity in a D cell is not considered adequate anymore.

-FWIW,I've also had good dealngs with Thomas Dist.

ciao

 

[lightuser]

Why do the packages for C size NIMH's all say 1.2 volts? Why not 1.5 like all other batteries? I'd get me some but if that's all they push then hey why not stick with alkalines...?

 

[Tater Rocket]

I'd get me some but if that's all they push then hey why not stick with alkalines...?

I think you are missing the point of having rechargables at all. The point is to be able to *gasp* RECHARGE them. If you HAVE to have 1.5 volts, use an alkaline, which does not have a very flat discharge curve, but most things can be made to work with rechargables. The point in getting them is to save money.

 

[Velcro]

Videocal, do you know what the highest available mah rating for "Vinnic" d-cells is? I think I know a store that has them, but I'll have to compare the mah / price ratio first. So far the best deals I've found are GP 2200 mah NiMh's for $14.95 and Panasonic 1500 mah NiMh's for $7.95 (both in packs of two).

Does anyone know what the highest mah ratings for Panasonic and Varta D NiMh's are?


Greetings,
Velcro

 

[JB]

Check out these two:
http://www.thomas-distributing.com/mhp-2d750.htm http://www.thomas-distributing.com/maha-mh-d800.htm

Not cheap though.

 

[vcal]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Velcro:
Videocal, do you know what the highest available mah rating for "Vinnic" d-cells is? I think I know a store that has them, but I'll have to compare the mah / price ratio first. So far the best deals I've found are GP 2200 mah NiMh's for $14.95 and Panasonic 1500 mah NiMh's for $7.95 (both in packs of two).

Does anyone know what the highest mah ratings for Panasonic and Varta D NiMh's are?


Greetings,
Velcro<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

AFAIK-those mAh ratings in my post above are the highest I've heard of in rechareables, and are Vinnic cells.
If you needed some other things and shipping is reasonable, then maybe Hosfelt might be the best way to go.

 

[JB]

Hosfelt sells the Vinnic D-cell (1.2V 4000mAh) for $6.95 ea. See: http://www.hosfelt.com/batteries/battery1.htm

 

[Mr. Blue]

quick digreesion for someone racing to get up to speed: Is it the mechanical design of light itself that prohibits the use of nimh's? ie dont use them in air/watertight lights b/c they will go critical? or is it the electronic side? please respond so I can fully appreciate the debate

 

[vcal]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by JB:
Hosfelt sells the Vinnic D-cell (1.2V 4000mAh) for $6.95 ea. See: http://www.hosfelt.com/batteries/battery1.htm<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

They do list in New catalog 2001-B, the #33-163 4000mAh Vinnic "D" Nicad for $4.35ea. (cat. price is different than what they list on their website). I did order @ that price over the phone.

 

[PeLu]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Velcro:
Videocal, do you know what the highest available mah rating for "Vinnic" d-cells is?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

There are 9Ah NiMH cells available. (have to look where)

 

[PeLu]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by lightuser:
Why do the packages for C size NIMH's all say 1.2 volts? Why not 1.5 like all other batteries?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

The funny is that it got usual to rate primary cells with their initial volatge and secondary cells (rechargeables) with their average.
When loaded with C/5, an alkaline cell will have a lower voltage as a NiXX cell after one third of the capacity or even less. So the average voltage over the whole discharge cycle will be higher with NiXX cells.

 

[Velcro]

Videocal, are you sure Vinnic makes Nimh D-cells? The Vinnic D-cells from Hosfelt are Ni-Cad. Also, I can't find the 7000 mah $8.39 D Nimh's on the Hosfelt website. Is that the price for a pair, or a single battery?

Even if the price is for a single battery, it still is a much better deal then the 7500 mah D Nimh's from www.aspencer1.com ($23.98 for a pair), in terms of mah-per-price. Too bad about the $50 minimum order.

Oh well, I will keep on searching until I find a good deal.


Greetings,
Velcro

 

[cave dave]

If you buy NiMH rechargeables at Wally world or for that matter anywhere make sure you find the capacity somewhere on the package and compare. Sometimes the exact same packaging has different maH ratings, and different brands are different. Today at Wally world the RayOvac AAA have a 550mAh rating but the Energizer have a 700mAh rating. The AA battereies were all over the place. The Ultra NiMH had a lower rating than the regular NiMH from the same manufacturer

I noticed one brand where the 2pack had 1200 mAh ratings and the 4pack had 1600 mAh ratings, yet the 4 pack cost less (per battery), then I noticed that not all the identical 4 packs had the same rating.

I think the manufactures still haven't figured out how to market these things yet, and I'm sure they don't want to educate the public about Amp hour ratings, we might start asking too many questions. They would rather dazzell us with words like Ultra and Titanium and then double their profit.

 

[vcal]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Velcro:
Videocal, are you sure Vinnic makes Nimh D-cells? The Vinnic D-cells from Hosfelt are Ni-Cad. Also, I can't find the 7000 mah $8.39 D Nimh's on the Hosfelt website. Is that the price for a pair, or a single battery?

Even if the price is for a single battery, it still is a much better deal then the 7500 mah D Nimh's from www.aspencer1.com ($23.98 for a pair), in terms of mah-per-price. Too bad about the $50 minimum order.

Oh well, I will keep on searching until I find a good deal.


Greetings,
Velcro<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I think it's best to have their 150 pg. catalog (they've got a heckava lotta nice stuff @ some good prices). -You might call them @ 1-800.264.6464 or fax: 800.524.5414 to request one.
Those Nicads do say "Vinnic" on them as well as the "4000mAh.

Pelu-I hope you can find the source for those 9 mAh cells.

 

[**DONOTDELETE**]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by videocal:
Pelu-I hope you can find the source for those 9 mAh cells.

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>


Try this link. See bottom of page: 5. Large Capacity Batteries
http://www.nexcell-battery.com/product.htm#pro

 

[PeLu]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by videocal:

Pelu-I hope you can find the source for those 9 mAh cells. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Aaah, panic, 9 Ah, not 9 mAh (nice typo .-)
http://www.mrnicd-ehyostco.com/newpage3.htm

look down for AP-9000

 

[vcal]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by PeLu:
Aaah, panic, 9 Ah, not 9 mAh (nice typo .-)
http://www.mrnicd-ehyostco.com/newpage3.htm

look down for AP-9000<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

So busy I didn't even notice any typo

And THANKS for that new link you just supplied. -Awesome new capacities.