Rechargeable Batteries Suck.

[JohnnyGalaga]

I've really gotten to dislike rechargeable batteries. They only give you 1.2 volts and their shelf life sucks. This makes for some very dim flashlights, especially flashlights that use mutliple cells. Being .3 volts short per battery means that a 4-D cell MagLite will be 1.2 volts low even on fresh batteries. Bummer.

And what is the deal with shelf life ? I would like to be able to charge up some NiCD's and then store them in case of a power outtage, but after 1-2 months, they die out. It seems like plunking down the big bucks for alkalines is the only way to go for backup/emergency lighting.

Are there any rechargeable batteries that put out the full 1.5 volts and have the awesome shelf life of alkalines ?

 

[cheesehead]

Alkalines have no current output, NiCD have little storage capacity. Use lithium for long term storage and alkaline if you are not afraid of them leaking all over the light. Rechargeable cells are made to be used. Disposable cells are made for storage.

For the 4D mag, stuff in a bulb rated for 3D. But some may argue that the mag will be dim regardless.

cheese

 

[Empath]

Johnny, a primary cell is manufactured as a means of producing electricity. Rechargeable cells are manufactured as a means of storing electricity. While I'd be the first to advocate a better method of storing electricity, unfortunately, chemical storage is the state of the art. Capacitance storage, has even greater and quicker loss of charge. What method do you advocate for storage.

 

[JohnnyGalaga]

[ QUOTE ]
cheesehead said:
Alkalines have no current output, NiCD have little storage capacity. Use lithium for long term storage and alkaline if you are not afraid of them leaking all over the light. Rechargeable cells are made to be used. Disposable cells are made for storage.

For the 4D mag, stuff in a bulb rated for 3D. But some may argue that the mag will be dim regardless.

cheese


[/ QUOTE ]

Wouldn't that blow out the bulb ?

The Energizer alkalines say they're good until like 2010. I've found alkaline leaks to be very rare.

 

[GarminGPSMap]

They are rare that they leak but do happen. In the past 10 years I've had a few incidents of Alkaline leak. Rare but costly, pretty much ruining whatever they are in.

I use alkaline and rechargeables in frequently used things, Lithium for long term storage (over a couple months).

Johnny,
"Rechargeable Batteries Suck" is a relative statement. Its probably not good for your application. If you try the Pila 168S with a Surefire L4 I doubt you'll say it "sucks". Or a Magcharger with Powerstream NiMH 1/2Ds and Welch Allyn bulb kicking out 500 lumens. If your dropping in NiCDs in a Maglite, yes they do suck!

 

[NeonLights]

[ QUOTE ]
JohnnyGalaga said:
[ QUOTE ]
cheesehead said:
For the 4D mag, stuff in a bulb rated for 3D. But some may argue that the mag will be dim regardless.

cheese


[/ QUOTE ]

Wouldn't that blow out the bulb ?

The Energizer alkalines say they're good until like 2010. I've found alkaline leaks to be very rare.

[/ QUOTE ]

The bulb should be fine, especially with 1.2V NiCD or NiMH batteries. A 3D bulb is "supposed" to see 4.5V, with four 1.2V batts, it will see 4.8 volts. Should be brighter, with little (if any) reduction in bulb life. I'm currently running a 5D (7.5V) Maglite bulb on 9V, much brighter, and no blown bulbs.

I've had few alkaline battery leaks in the last 5-10 years. Seems like manufacturers (even the budget batts) are improving quality. IIRC, alkalines lose a couple percent per year, most rechargeables lose a couple percent per week or month, depending on type.

-Keith

 

[LightScene]

[ QUOTE ]
I've really gotten to dislike rechargeable batteries. They only give you 1.2 volts

[/ QUOTE ]

My rechargeables produce 1.4 volts, and they supply more current than alkalines.

 

[JohnnyGalaga]

[ QUOTE ]
NeonLights said:
The bulb should be fine, especially with 1.2V NiCD or NiMH batteries. A 3D bulb is "supposed" to see 4.5V, with four 1.2V batts, it will see 4.8 volts. Should be brighter, with little (if any) reduction in bulb life. I'm currently running a 5D (7.5V) Maglite bulb on 9V, much brighter, and no blown bulbs.


-Keith

[/ QUOTE ]


Ahh, now I gotchya. That's an excellent suggestion, thanks.

 

[GarminGPSMap]

Yup, voltage is lower but they provide more power. NiMH 2000 mAHs work much better in my 2 watt radios. They actually transmit over 2 watts fresh off the charger. With alkalines I only get around 1.75-2 watt output.

 

[Negeltu]

I use my lights frequently so I run them all on nicads and nimhs. I have some lights that are used for emergencies. In those lights I use alkalines. I check them often for leakage. If they do leak in those lights...it won't matter much to me.. as they aren't that expensive.

 

[raggie33]

hell i love rechargable in my digital camera alkilines last like no time the recahrbles last way way way longer

 

[NickA]

I love how rechargeables don't make so much landfill

 

[PlayboyJoeShmoe]

When I carry a 2AA light (MM+Madmax+Ram) I carry it with NimH cells. It is brighter longer than with Alkaline, and I swap out cells for fresh ones perhaps bi-weekly.

I generally carry a 2L light however.

And anything that is for emergency use gets Alkalines (Rayovac or Energizer).

 

[JSWrightOC]

I have had several alkalines leak on me over the past years, most causing severe damage to the device. Heck, I just opened a brand new pack of alkaline AAAs and two were leaking! Duracells that expire in 2008, and they never saw any excessively hot conditions, and the leaking batts still had 1.5V on them.

I've never had a rechargeable cell perform short of expectations, and I've never had one leak that wasn't electrically abused.

As for the 1.2V vs 1.5V thing. An alkaline cell has a much higher internal resistance, so under heavy loads its voltage will actually be *lower* than a NiCd or NiMH cell. NiMH cells will last much longer in a digital camera or high-powered flashlight than alkalines.

Before you decide to use a certain battery in a specific application, first determine how suitable it is for the application. For example, using a NiCd or NiMH cell in an emergency light that doesn't have a trickle charger is a bad idea. Using a NiCd or a NiMH cell in a frequently-used or power-hungry light is a good idea. In an Arc LS with a 2AA pack you will often get better runtime with a charged NiMH cell than with a fresh Alkaline cell, this is due to the lower internal resistance. However, if your light doesn't get used but once a month, put a primary cell in it.

Most NiCd/NiMH smart chargers incorporate a trickle charge mode that operates when the main charge cycle is complete. Your best bet is to leave a spare set in the charger until you need them--and remember, you don't have to wait until they are "dead" to replace them! Another benefit of rechargeable cells. As for the hotly-debated "memory" of NiCd cells, the weakeaning of them is more a result of overcharging than anything else (for example, putting the cordless phone back in the charger whenever it's not in use, or using a timer charger when the cells aren't depleted - both will lead to premature cell failure).

 

[asdalton]

[ QUOTE ]
JohnnyGalaga said:
The Energizer alkalines say they're good until like 2010.

[/ QUOTE ]

"Good" is a vague word. The truth is that alkaline batteries begin to steadily degrade as soon as they leave the factory, and so it's best to buy batteries that are as fresh as possible.

I believe that Energizer rates its "expiration" dates based on seven years after the battery was made. This means that any batteries made this year will have "2011" written on them. Beware that stores often sell batteries that have been sitting on the shelf for a long time. If you come across batteries marked with "2009", that means that the batteries were manufactured two years ago.

 

[batterystation]

I have found that with NiMH cells, I just leave them in the smart charger and they just float charge. They stay there until I use them. Or I will rotate the AA's in my Arc once a week so they are always pretty fresh.

 

[JerryM]

Can rechargeable AAA be used in the Arc and Sonic lights. How about the Ultra?

I find that rechargeables work better in handi talkie radios, as alkalines do not have the same current capability. But the alkalines will last much longer. I am not sure what a lights such as the Arc or Sonic need or if it can harm some of them. I have used them in my C cell Mag lights for years.

Jerry

 

[JSWrightOC]

Substituting a rechargeable cell in place of an alkaline in any commercial flashlight should not hurt it; however, using them in some direct drive LED mods could prove fatal to the LED. Arc and Sonic AA and AAA products will have less initial output than when using an alkaline, but you should see steady output and reasonable runtime with a NiMH cell.

To directly answer your question, NiCd or NiMH AAAs will not hurt the Arc and Sonic lights.

As for your radios, using a high-capacity NiMH battery may result in longer continuous transmit time than when using an Alkaline battery. However, continuous receive operation and shelf life between charges would be less than with Alkaline.

 

[JohnnyGalaga]

How can rechargeables be brighter and last longer than alkalines? The math just doesn't make sense to me. Energizer has excellent technical info on their website. Their alkaline batteries are shown to have higher voltage and milliamperehourage: http://data.energizer.com/batteryinfo/product_offerings/alkaline/energizer/alkaline_consumeroem.htm than their equivolent NiMH's: http://data.energizer.com/batteryinfo/product_offerings/rechargeable_consumer/rechargeable_consumer_nimh.htm .

How come the NiMH C cells have the same capacity as the D cells? I figured the D cells would have a greater capacity since they are larger. The AA's have almost 3 times the milliamperehourage as the AAA's, but they are certainly not 3 times the size of the AAA's. Shouldn't the size of the battery be more proprtionate to it's capacity??

So which is better, Duracell or Energizer ?

 

[raggie33]

i dont understand batteris at all i always though since with alkilines you have more volts the light will be brighter.the more volts the more ablity you have to push more mah was what i thought.