AA Battery Shootout

[DaveB]

I started with NiMH AAs in late 1999 (and I still have those batteries!). Some of the devices I've had over the years that I use these in: Uniden UHF CBs (3 cells each), Coolpix 950 (4 cells), Canon 420EX flash (4 cells), CompactDrive PD7X (4 cells), Garmin GPS II+ (4 cells), Garmin eTrex Legend (2 cells). I usually have alkaline cells in the GPS (so that it won't have faded away when I decide to use it) but when travelling (and thus using it a lot) I cycle NiMH cells through it.
Every now and then I've added another 4 NiMH cells to my collection, and it slowly grows. The older 1300 and 1500 mAh cells still work, but they're not as good as the newer cells.

These days I have the CBs, the 420EX, a Canon 580EX flash (4 cells), and a CP-E3 external flash power pack (8 cells). When I'm working, all those units will have batteries in them, and I'll have a spare 8-pack and 4-pack of cells on-hand. That's quite a few cells, some of which I've had for a while, but at least now any new ones I get are treated as business expenses!

[DaveB]

Battery Brand: Powertech
Claimed mAh: 2300
Purchased from: Jaycar Electronics
Number of cells tested: 4
Worst/Best Cell Results: 1667/1763 mAh
Average: 1710 mAh
% of claimed capacity: 74%
Verdict: These cells haven't survived well, although they have had a very hard life.

[DVEous]

... Obsolete ...

[DaveB]

Battery Brand: GP Rechargeable
Claimed mAh: 1500
Purchased from: can't recall
Number of cells tested: 4
Worst/Best Cell Results: 1303/1493 mAh
Average: 1391 mAh
% of claimed capacity: 93%
Verdict: I've had these cells for 5-6 years. They tested better than I thought they would!

That'll do for now. Of course, the tests we've done are measuring the charge held by the batteries almost immediately after they've been charged. I wonder how all these cells would rate if we topped them up and then measured them a day later... Or 2 days later...
The list of things to test is interminable - this'll do me for now!

[Paul]

Dave,
Excellant round up so far, great to see an overall picture of the AA's on the market.
I do have a question, what is the best way to test your batteries for how much charge they are holding?
I assume a simple volt meter would suffice but is there any pit falls to this technique?

[DaveB]

You have to measure the charge by discharging the battery and seeing how much power comes out.

Go to the start of this thread and you will see a reference to the charger that both John and I have. It has test functions which measure the current over time as it discharges, in order to calculate the charge.

[Paul]

Problem is there out of stock

[moz]

A few results from my cells:

Older cells bought over time from Jaycar, the lower capacity ones are a couple of years old and have probably got 200+ cycles on them:
Powertech-2000 1900
Powertech-2000 1810
Powertech-2000 1800
Powertech-2000 1750
Powertech-2000 1700
Powertech-2000 1600
Powertech-2000 1500
Powertech-2000 1300
Powertech-1700 1300
Powertech-1650 1400

These are newer cells bought off eBay that have been used mostly in my flash:
Integrity-2400 2200
Integrity-2400 2100
Integrity-2400 2000
Integrity-2400 1757

(brand-claimed capacity actual)

I have a couple of "GP Rechargeable" cells that are very, very light and only rated at 600mAH even though they're AAs) but I haven't tested them yet.

[Mr Darcy]

Some more for the list:

<TABLE>
<TR>
<TD>Type</TD>
<TD>Brand</TD>
<TD>Nominal</TD>
<TD>SourcedFrom</TD>
<TD>Origin</TD>
<TD>AvgCapacity</TD>
<TD>NumBatteries</TD>
<TD>Deviation</TD>
<TD>Best</TD>
<TD>Worst</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD >AA</TD>
<TD >LaCrosse</TD>
<TD>2400</TD>
<TD >With Charger</TD>
<TD >China</TD>
<TD>2405</TD>
<TD>4</TD>
<TD>0.21%</TD>
<TD>2440</TD>
<TD>2380</TD>
</TR>
<TR VALIGN=TOP>
<TD >AA</TD>
<TD >Duracell</TD>
<TD>2650</TD>
<TD >Kmart</TD>
<TD >Japan</TD>
<TD>2600</TD>
<TD>4</TD>
<TD>-1.89%</TD>
<TD>2640</TD>
<TD>2570</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD >AA</TD>
<TD >Duracell</TD>
<TD>2650</TD>
<TD >Kmart</TD>
<TD >China</TD>
<TD>2600</TD>
<TD>4</TD>
<TD>-1.89%</TD>
<TD>2630</TD>
<TD>2570</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD >AA</TD>
<TD >Duracell</TD>
<TD>2100</TD>
<TD >Kmart</TD>
<TD >China</TD>
<TD>1958.25</TD>
<TD>4</TD>
<TD>-6.75%</TD>
<TD>2010</TD>
<TD>1909</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD >AA NiCad</TD>
<TD >Huanyu</TD>
<TD>600</TD>
<TD >With Garden lights</TD>
<TD >China</TD>
<TD>676</TD>
<TD>8</TD>
<TD>12.67%</TD>
<TD>780</TD>
<TD>343</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD >AAA</TD>
<TD >Varta</TD>
<TD>800</TD>
<TD >Kmart</TD>
<TD >Unknown</TD>
<TD>783</TD>
<TD>2</TD>
<TD>-2.13%</TD>
<TD>800</TD>
<TD>766</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD >AAA</TD>
<TD >Rechargeable</TD>
<TD>600</TD>
<TD >With Mouse</TD>
<TD >China</TD>
<TD>620</TD>
<TD>1</TD>
<TD>3.33%</TD>
<TD>620</TD>
<TD>620</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD >AAA</TD>
<TD >LaCrosse</TD>
<TD>800</TD>
<TD >With Charger</TD>
<TD >China</TD>
<TD>776.75</TD>
<TD>4</TD>
<TD>-2.91%</TD>
<TD>821</TD>
<TD>737</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD >AAA</TD>
<TD >Eveready</TD>
<TD>850</TD>
<TD >Woolworths</TD>
<TD >China</TD>
<TD>828.5</TD>
<TD>2</TD>
<TD>-2.53%</TD>
<TD>837</TD>
<TD>820</TD>
</TR>
</TABLE>


Just a note on the Ni-Cads.
I don't intend to use them in my photo setup, I include them for interest sake only.
They had effectively stopped working in the garden lights. The charger brought them back to useable again, in fac to well over nominal capacity.
THe only exception was the under par one. This registered as Dud on the charger. On a whim, I put it into my 30Min charger for a few minutes. This shocked it back into life a little. The refresh on the LaCrosse then took it up to 300mAh. Far better than the Inoperable condition it started out with.

[Mr Darcy]

Not sure why there is all the blank space. I used a HTML table to format the text a little. Can someone explain what I did wrong.

[Kris]

Guys, any word on how those 2500mha batteries from Enerziger hold charge ie for how long?

Im using the batteries fully charged but they may sit in my backpack for 4-6 weeks without any use, perhaps longer.

I recently tried them in my gf's camera and they were DEAD flat

[Glen]

Kris, Eneloop are the only NiMH battery which hold charge. Most lose 1-3% a day!

[Kris]

FAR OUT!!!! thats shocking... no wonder my batteries are flat

I have this charger, could I use it with enerloop batteries????

http://www.rockrun.com/shop/images/ener ... harger.jpg

[Glen]

Yes. That charger is a bottom of the line charger though and will never be as good as something like a Maha. That applies to any battery you choose to charge with it.

[Kris]

Ok, now i need to pawn off my energizers and the charger and get the Maha.

Cant have batteries in the bag for the Flash and Kels camera if they require charging all the time when not in use!

[digitor]

It's important to use a charger that has independent channels for each cell to get best results - this ensures that each cell receives the optimum level of charge.

Maha makes pretty good chargers - I have had a C801D for a while, and just yesterday received the new C9000 Charger-Analyser. http://www.mahaenergy.com/store/viewItem.asp?idProduct=423

I put a set of cells through a recharge/analyse cycle overnight, and will work through all my cells over the next few weeks to see how well matched they are.

Cheers

[Matt. K]

Eneloops are my battery of choice...despite being only 2000 mAH. I'm over recharging all of my AAs only to find that a couple of weeks later they don't even fire up the ready light on my SB800. The Eneloops also seem to perform well beyond there rated 2000 mAH ratings.
Thank you Mr Sanyo!

[Steffen]

Eneloops are my battery of choice

I'm rather impressed by the Eneloops, too. In addition to holding their charge for pretty much ever they also recycle the flash very quickly. The SB800 flash recycle time with a fresh set of 4 Eneloops is the same as with a fresh set of 5 Energizer Lithiums, from my unscientific testing anyway.

Cheers
Steffen.

[losfp]

Definitely concur with the power of the eneloops

Can anyone recommend any good portable travel chargers though? My battery charger is brilliant, however it is a 10-cell beast with a big heavy wall wart charger

[DaveB]

Check out the Maha C401FS for a good basic charger. Has a small external 12V adapter so you can easily run it off your car or off the wall.

The LaCrosse BC-900 I have is a similar size, although needs its special external 3V adapter.

The new Maha C9000 charger mentioned by digitor is apparently good. I expect to receive one for review soon, but they seem to be selling like hot-cakes already.

[digitor]

I would agree about the C401FS charger - it's available locally from here: http://servaas.com.au/maha-powerex-c401fs-aa2700-batteries-12v-adaptor-p-35.html?osCsid=d0c5cd96e516a0596cd0969b8ecb62c6

Which charger do you currently have losfp - a Jaycar?

Cheers

[losfp]

It is a Powertech 10-cell charger that I got from Mittoni. I think it's probably the same as the jaycar one too Cheap and slow, but hella good IMO.



I DO like the look of the Maha C204W as it doesn't need an extrenal power supply, just an appropriate figure-8 cable... But I can't seem to stay away from the sheer nerdy sexiness of the LaCrosse charger

We shall see!

[digitor]

It is a Powertech 10-cell charger that I got from Mittoni. I think it's probably the same as the jaycar one too Cheap and slow, but hella good IMO.

This is the same charger, it even has the same part number. The trouble with these ones is, because their charge rate is fairly slow, they won't fully charge higher capacity cells, as they terminate on the timer before full charge is reached. You will notice that when doing the discharge/charge cycle on these, all the slots terminate at once - this is the timer kicking in. You might still achieve a full charge though, by switching the charger off and on again, (as long as the slow charge rate gives a good enough end-of-charge -dV).

I DO like the look of the Maha C204W as it doesn't need an extrenal power supply, just an appropriate figure-8 cable... But I can't seem to stay away from the sheer nerdy sexiness of the LaCrosse charger

We shall see!

The C204W charges in pairs - so not ideal - but OK for use with well matched cells.

Cheers

[Mr Darcy]

But I can't seem to stay away from the sheer nerdy sexiness of the LaCrosse charger Smile

I bought one of these & it appears to be good. The refresh works wonders on old batteries.
I have noticed a few issues though.
1. While it has a "universal" power supply, it is a plugback with American style pins. This means thatyou either hope like hell that you don't break a pin when you bend them to AUS/NZ standard, or pay the exorbitant price for an adapter. I went the adapter route ($14.95 at DSE) and it works but is klutzy and prone to knocking out of the outlet.
2. If the power fails, (see 1. or a blackout), it reverts to a basic 200mA charge, even if it was doing a refresh, or hi speed charge before. Can be a real problem if you live in a dodgy area.
3. It is limited to 3000mAh batteries. Now the highest claimed that I am aware of at the moment is 2650mAh, but they keep pushing the envelope.
4. The precision is 4 digits below 2000mAh and 3 above, but there is no easy way to check the accuracy. Not a real problem if you only use the one, but in comparisons like this, how can we know we are comparing apples to apples?
5. It takes anything up to a week to recharge a single set of cells in refresh mode (This will affect ALL refresh chargers)
6. If one cell takes a lot longer to finish than the others, it ties up the whole charger until it has. This may not be a real problem, it may be possible to start new ones off while an old one is still going, but it is not covered in the manual

[DaveB]

1. While it has a "universal" power supply, it is a plugback with American style pins. This means thatyou either hope like hell that you don't break a pin when you bend them to AUS/NZ standard, or pay the exorbitant price for an adapter. I went the adapter route ($14.95 at DSE) and it works but is klutzy and prone to knocking out of the outlet.

You can generally pick up plug adapters for a couple of $ at computer swap meets. I would not recommend bending the pins: I've seen too many plug with broken pins, and they're pretty useless at that point. On the LaCrosse charger you'd have to break open the power supply case and build a new one (which would be larger and uglier than the original with adapter).

6. If one cell takes a lot longer to finish than the others, it ties up the whole charger until it has. This may not be a real problem, it may be possible to start new ones off while an old one is still going, but it is not covered in the manual

One of the things I like about the BC-900 is that when a battery finishes you can pop it out and start a new one going even while the others are still going.
However there are some caveats, to do with the allowed combinations of slots and charge rates. Sometimes it's worth waiting until at least two cells finish so you can start them as a pair. So it's not perfectly flexible, but it's pretty good!

[Vodka]

I bought the Maha C204W charger and some PowerEx 2500mAh batteries from Servaas recently. Processed and shipped on the day I paid/ordered. Very efficient.

The charger is... well.. as exciting as a battery charger can be. Does its job (as mentioned - in pairs - but ok for me because the SB-600 takes 4 AA's). Haven't tested the reconditioning feature on older batteries yet.

Ben