Rechargable Batteries AA - what to look for?

[chrisprendergast]

sanyo eneloops i have 4x 4 packs in my kit very good and hold charge well

[Kym]

never said it was cheap, same price as the maha.

Misunderstood.

Good fast chargers are fine ... IF they have good peak detection including temperature (as does the Maha).

The cheap chargers allow overheating and that is the killer, the excessive heat boils off the electrolyte and your cells degrade!

[Natsky]

Need help with 2 questions please...

1. Purchased a Rezap charger months ago ($109) on the advice of local camera store because the cheap chargers were killing my batteries. I find this sometimes still cooks them or doesn't fully charge the cells. Is the Maha going to be that much better?

2. Which is the better option... the C900 (4 at a time) or the C801D ( 8 at a time)? Would prefer to do 8 at once, but if the C900 gives a better result then that's the way I would go.

Thanks for an informative thread and any advice you can give. Just wish I had been her before I got the Rezap!

[Kym]

I can only speak to the C9000 - the cells get warm but not hot. It works very very well.
It is also a manager meaning is does full discharge recycles etc. measuring capacity as it goes.

Can you vary the rate of the Rezap? Sounds like you are charging at a too high rate.

[bigdazzler]

2. Which is the better option... the C900 (4 at a time) or the C801D ( 8 at a time)? Would prefer to do 8 at once, but if the C900 gives a better result then that's the way I would go.

I have the 801D, and I only use eneloops. It is a fantastic combo, you wont be disappointed mate. Its very handy to be able to charge 8 at once.

[rogklee]

I got the C900 I think and the powerex batts from jeff. Pretty cool stuff. Met Jeff as well and his a good guy, he'll look after you and teach you how to use the batts too.

3 Thumbs up!!!!

[I @ M]

The intelligent chargers seem to be well regarded and I must investigate them.

Four months down the track, the investigation was done quite some time ago and we bought the C9000 and a couple of sets of the maha batteries from Jeff at Servaas Products and couldn't be happier.
The charger keeps both the older and new batteries in good shape and is well worth the $$$.

[Natsky]

Can you vary the rate of the Rezap? Sounds like you are charging at a too high rate.

No manual settings on the Rezap Kym. I suspect it is overcharging at times and yet at others it doesn't give a full charge and I am changing batteries 50 flashes into a wedding...frustrating. Have checked the instructions repeatedly and am definitely using correctly. Been using Energizer 2700 and have cooked/killed about 6 now.

The C9000 seems complex compared to the 801D and the convenience of charging 8 at a time is appealing. I generally take at least a dozen batteries to a wedding so overnight/trickle charging 4 at a time takes a while. Definitely going to purchase one of the chargers, but still not sure which...just want to make the right decision and get on with it.

[Scotty72]

I am about to be the next sevaas customer

Only, I too am wondering about the C900 or the C801D choice.

Is the way the c900 handles batteries that much better than the 8x charger?

Decisions, decisions... any advice?

[jibbonpoint]

once upon a time, it was recommended that re-chargable batteries be completely discharged before recharging. It was a "memory" issue. I still do the same with my K10D; carrying a spare.

Is this still the case?

[etherial]

That was a significant issue with with the old NiCd batteries. It isn't really an issue with the newer NiMh batteries, although giving them a full drain and recharge every now and then is still a good idea.

[bigdazzler]

once upon a time, it was recommended that re-chargable batteries be completely discharged before recharging. It was a "memory" issue. I still do the same with my K10D; carrying a spare.

Is this still the case?

the Maha 801D has a "Deep Conditioning mode". It will run them dead, recondition, and recharge. Takes up to 24 hours so I wouldnt do it when youre in a hurry. I normally deep discharge about once in every 4 or 5 charges. I assume the C900 has this too ?? Dunno.

[Kym]

The C9000 does a deep discharge cycle. Its called 'Break-in' in the manual.

NiCd have a memory problem. NiMH don't. The purpose of deep cycles is to improve or maintain capacity.

[DavidB]

For me, must-haves in chargers include:

• The use of separate charging circuits for each battery. Otherwise a failing cell can cause others to be overcharged, etc.
• Temperature sensing to avoid overheating the cells (ideally individually).
• Control over the charging current (different battery models have different needs). Ideally this is a per-battery control.

Another charger option (one that I use) is the LaCrosse BC-900. Not available from any Aussie retailers though. Otherwise the Maha chargers are good. The MH-C9000 is the bees knees, although at first glance all the options can be a bit daunting.
The BC-900 is smaller than the MH-C9000 (room and weight in my checked bag is always an issue on trips).

As far as batteries go, the Eneloops are great. But as well as Eneloops I use the Powerex Imedions (also available from Servaas). The have essentially the same characteristics, and are rated as 2100 mAh. I also have a bunch of older "2400 mAh" plain NiMH cells, but they're gradually being phased out of my collection. One of my "plain" NiMH cells died during my recent Norwegian trip. The charger showed me it wasn't taking a charge, and didn't damage any of the other cells being charged at the same time.

[coolie21]

I went with the Maha C9000 deal from Servaas the other day before reading this thread, looks like I made a good choice. Came with 4 Powerex 2700 and 4 Imedions. Great deal.

That charger is like nothing I have ever seen before, I've had the powerexes on the 'break in setting' and it is still working through them after 2 days

[Loopy]

Had problems with standard batteries with my Pentax k-x. Switched to Eneloop and they are great. Highly recommended.

[para]

There are lots of independent tests comparing eneloop and powerex in flashes if you search. Nothing I can link to though.


What holder did your eneloops come with? Maybe eneloops used to have a holder, but they don't now. Here is a picture of the packaging that eneloops are being delivered in since last year:

We have been using these on our dive boats with our u/w strobes etc highly recommended

[RamblinR]

I use Sony Eneloops and Sony CycleEnergy. Both are very good and retain their charge.

I also use an Enecharger which holds 8 batteries and charges cells individually.

I carry mine in the following personally designed and made Battery Wallet. It's great as it holds up to 16 batteries or just fill one side for eight. Used batteries get put back in bum up so I know which are charged and which empty.

[peterb666]

I have posted before that I prefer use either Sanyo Eneloop or Varta Ready2Use these days. You can leave these lying around for months and they are still fully charged. I have used quite a few of the older style NiMH batteries in capacities ranging from 1800 to 2800 mA/h rating over a number of years and found the higher the rating the shorter the battery life (in number of recharges). Higher capacity, conventional NiMH batteries also have a quicker self-discharge rate.

As NiMH does not need to be fully discharged and are quite happy with top-up charges; deep conditioning charges just shorten the life of the battery. Deep conditioning should only be used with NiCad batteries which simply are not worth the time of day these days.

[kptn82]

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/...d.php?t=677074

This link might be of interest to you all, I had the same questions and found this test results! Awesome reading actually.