thumperchick wrote:I wonder how many pictures with a higher quality camera you can take running on these.

Zero. Never use alkalines in a camera.

Digital cameras require higher current, which means the batteries need very low internal resistance, which is a characteristic of the nickel-based chemistries. Use NiMH, and specifically the hybrid (low-self-discharge, aka precharged) NiMH types now available. Eneloop is the well-known brand.

This charger can charge NiMH batteries, but the batteries it comes with are rechargeable alkaline. That's a different chemistry, better suited for things like remote controls, laser pointers and levels, and other low-drain devices. (If you only have to change the batteries a couple times a year, rechargeable alkalines are perfect.)

One thing worth noting is that NiCd and NiMH don't care about being deeply discharged before recharging. Some of 'em actually enjoy it. But rechargeable alkalines should NEVER be deep-discharged, as it puts the internal chemistry into a state where it begins to corrode the cell walls.

Put these in your remote control and recharge 'em every six months whether they "need it" or not, and they'll be with you for a decade. I have some Rayovac Renewal (the original rechargeable alkaline) batteries in my laser pointer, there since 2002. I literally charge 'em once a year, and they've never leaked, never run dead, and never let me down.

RightWingWacko wrote:These are 1.5V Alkaline. NiMH put out 1.2volts when fully charged.

A 2000mah Alkaline is equivilent to a 2500mah NiMH

1.2v * 2500 ma = 3000mw - NiMH
1.5v * 2000 ma = 3000mw - Alkaline

ma is not the same thing as mah

ilta wrote:I'll second the LaCrosse recommendation. You can't get a better charger for maintaining your batteries (as opposed to slowly degrading their performance like cheapo fast-chargers do). But it's important to note that if a battery is completely drained the LC unit wont' know what to do with it, so it's good to have a cheapo to "kick-start" the battery just enough to be recognized by the LC.

You mean "for maintaining your NiMH or NiCd batteries ..."

This recommendation, while very good, doesn't belong in a thread about rechargeable alkalines, since it's dangerous to your batteries and your charger (and maybe even to yourself and your home) to use this charger for rechargeable alkalines.

From the LaCrosse manual:

"The charger is restricted to charging NiCd and NiMH rechargeable batteries only. Never use this charger for other types of batteries such as alkaline, lithium, carbon zinc or other types that are not specified."

mrbarister wrote:Awkward!

That is great...hahahaha

claudicina wrote:I wonder how long it takes them to recharge? I didn't notice it among the description.

A long time. Rechargeable alkalines are trickle-charged, so you should leave them on the charger for a day or so.

You coal to wait until they're dead, however. Rechargeable alkalines should be "topped off" periodically. Use them in low-drain devices, and charge 'em every few months whether they need it or not.

GOOD APPLICATIONS FOR THESE BATTERIES:
Remote controls
Red laser pointers
Motion detectors
Thermometers
Outdoor weather station transmitters

Basically, any application where standard alkaline batteries only need to be changed a few times a year. When using rechargeable alkalines, charge them at least twice that often.

BAD APPLICATIONS FOR THESE BATTERIES:
Digital cameras (Use hybrid NiMH)
High-power flashlights (Use any NIMH)
Green laser pointers (Use NiMH or Lithium)
Smoke detectors (Use Lithium 9v)
GPS receivers (Use Hybrid NiMH)
MintyBoost (Use regular NiMH)

Anything that can kill batteries in a few hours of use, deserves a low-resistance chemistry. If you're using regular alkalines for any of these applications, you're throwing away your money.

BigRedDogATL wrote:These batteries are only 2000 mah rated. That is low for a AA size rechargable. My Panasonic rechargable NiMH are 2300 mah rated. These won't last long before they need recharging, especially in high drain devices.

Don't use them in high-drain devices. Use nickel-based rechargeables for that. Alkalines are for standby service, and should be recharged periodically "whether they need it or not".

Do not under any circumstances buy these. I picked a set of iGo rechargable batteries from another source and they broke and leaked out all over my devices. Three different devices, all batteries from the same batch of batteries. I haven't ever had this same problem with NiMH batteries. I charged them in the correct charger and made sure I didn't abuse them. This was all before they got a second charge. In other words, they were just manufactured poorly and failed immediately. Stay away from this brand.

RightWingWacko wrote:These are 1.5V Alkaline. NiMH put out 1.2volts when fully charged.

A 2000mah Alkaline is equivilent to a 2500mah NiMH

1.2v * 2500 ma = 3000mw - NiMH
1.5v * 2000 ma = 3000mw - Alkaline

You're right, and your math is sound, except for Peukert's effect. You're assuming that both batteries are drained in one hour. Most batteries only achieve their rated capacity if discharged slowly, so that their own internal resistance is a minor factor.

Alkalines have a much higher internal resistance then NiMH, so if you're testing them over the span of a day or two, the numbers above will match up.

But over the span of an hour, the alkalines will get hot, as their internal resistance (generally on the order of an ohm) wastes some good portion of that power. The NiMH's much lower internal resistance (generally on the order of 0.05 ohms) will barely come into play.

Doing such a test would be stupid, though, because deeply discharging any alkaline battery sets it along the chemical road to ruin. The cell begins to degrade around 10% SoC, and if left discharged for long, they will leak. Recharge 'em before they reach that point, and you'll get many years of reliable service.

I bought them for my WII I got for Christmas (as well as other electronics). My battery stash is quickly disappearing so need these badly!!

I meant to order 2 sets of this item. Only ordered one. I sent an email asking if we could bump up the order to 2 and haven't gotten a response yet. Want to make sure that you guys got it, would like to know if you are able to add a unit to my order. Thanks

alipps1 wrote:The C and D adapters are fine for emergencies, but they don't have the "staying power" of C and D rechargeables. From your link:
" The eneloop AA batteries with the spacers are great for use when standard cells are not readily available or for emergency use. The voltage and the capacity remain unchanged from the standard 1500 eneloop AA specification."

As opposed to a D size rechargeable (true D size, no spacer) which has a 10,000 mAh rating (vs. 2,000 mAh for a "D" spacer with an AA battery installed). If you use the D cells on a regular basis, buy D rechargeables (I like these: http://www.bearwobble.com/10-AccuEvolution-D-Rechargeable-Batteries-NIMH-Low-Self-Discharge_p_14.html).

Usually arrives in 1-2 months??? Are you crazY??

evilmicrowizard wrote:Thanks for digging that up.

I used to use the Rayovac rechargeable alkalines, and they did just as described - worked tolerably for a while but slowly began to perish one by one due to leakage, sometimes quite severe. I'll stick to Eneloops and other LSD NiMH for how...

I'm seen people talk about the "eneloops" batteries. We have some of them we bought at Costco with a charger. They didn't work in our camera at all! Put them in fully charged and after about 5-10 pics., they would be dead! Are we doing something wrong? Or are these batteries not suitable for digital cameras, or is it possible that we got a bad batch of batteries?

how do you see the dimensions of the package from FedEx? I see the weight and the delivery date estimate, but no dimensions of the package.

I don't know about rechargeable Alkalines. I think there is a reason why cordless phones and other devices don't use them. I couldn't be happier with my Energizer NiMH AA and AAA batteries. The AAA batteries last for months in my TI calculator and I use my AAs in pocket camcorders daily. I mean energizer, duracell, either I'm sure are good brands for recharge NiMH.

This w00t reminds me of the crappy 'heavy duty' batteries a few weeks ago. I'm not saying these batteries suck, but there must be a reason why manufactures don't use them.

Darn you woot...why couldn't you put these up before my jumbowoot coupon was set to expire??? I applied the coupon to something that cost a lot more and that I probably wouldn't have bought without the discount, and now I have to pay monies for these because I do want them.....wait a minute...that was your plan all along, wasn't it?

Ringo4422 wrote:Alkalines by design aren't rechargeable.

Actually, when alkalines were first marketed (early-mid 1960s), rechargeability was one of the features touted in the advertising. IIRC the first brand was Mallory, later rebadged as Duracell.

And indeed, they WERE rechargeable, without ANY exotic charger technology (I used the classic ur-charger -- a small transformer and a diode).

I don't have any stats on how many times they could be charged, because I used my first set pretty much forever (in my first-generation Norelco cassette recorder). After each charge they were like brand new batteries.

IIRC I paid about 50 cents each (size C) from my uncle's camera store (wholesale price -- I don't remember the retail price back then). It was a premium price, but a bargain, considering their utility.

Somewhere along the line, the marketdroids determined that this feature was not good for the bottom line. Around that time, they started putting warnings on the batteries not to recharge lest they leak -- and lo and behold, the "new technology" ("mercury-free" or some such) DID indeed leak if they were recharged.

"Progress" these days is just another word for (well, I can't use that word in a public forum).

There ARE some chargers that CAN recharge conventional alkalines. They are microprocessor-controlled, carefully monitoring the state of EACH individual cell -- using short pulses to charge them, and pausing periodically to prevent the chemistry from oozing out the (ahem) "seals" on the cell.

I detest this sort of "progress"!

In for one. Have been looking for some good rechargeable batteries for a while now. So tired of constantly buying double As for all my kid's toys.

marbiehof wrote:I'm seen people talk about the "eneloops" batteries. We have some of them we bought at Costco with a charger. They didn't work in our camera at all! Put them in fully charged and after about 5-10 pics., they would be dead! Are we doing something wrong? Or are these batteries not suitable for digital cameras, or is it possible that we got a bad batch of batteries?

Possibly, but more likely your camera has a low battery sensor that wasn't designed to work with NiMH batteries. (Open-circuit alkaline batteries will have a higher voltage than NiMH. Under heavy loads NiMH will actually maintain their voltage and work better, but some older products sense open-circuit voltage and don't consider the different NiMH values.)

skywarrior3 wrote:What makes these more green than other rechargeable batteries? Just curious.

Lack of heavy metals.

I'm in; just ordered two. Go Green!

does anyone know if the light indicates when its fully charged? is it possible to over-charge with this charger, or will it stop charging when full charge is reached?

Castlevania wrote:In for one. Have been looking for some good rechargeable batteries for a while now. So tired of constantly buying double As for all my kid's toys.

I'm in for three. I have a bunch of rechargeables now, but they always seem to be in my devices. I bought a pack of 20 AA's for christmas toys as well, and they are about all used up already. I think this might be good for some of the kids toys that they play with for a short while, then they sit. If I can get two or three charges out of them, I'll be ahead. Wouldn't be putting them in camera's or anything important.

Any one know if they are made in China?
I'm trying to be on a 'made in the USA' only kick, which is much harder than it sounds.

Has anyone seen an answer to the several questions whether the charger operates on 220-240v 50hz for use in Europe?

Havoc737903 wrote:Darn it.
Just a few weeks late Woot.
Just picked up some amazon basic rechargeables, so now I'm all set on batteries for a while.

For me, just in time. I have some Amazon basic rechargeables and the LaCrosse charter literally sitting in my Amazon cart, until I saw this Woot.

kogaku wrote:(blah blah etc...)

Forgot to mention, in for two, mainly for the chargers, to use with my large supply of low-self-discharge AA NiMH cells (mostly Rayovac, which perform like champs, with a few Eneloops and some others, with a VERY few "traditional" (non-LSD) cells.

While "wartish" 4-cell chargers are a dime a dozen, they are largely of the timed-charge type, and worse yet, charge the cells in pairs (i.e., you can charge two batteries, or you can charge four batteries, but you can NOT charge one or three batteries.

These two malfeatures combined pretty much guarantee that you will slowly destroy your cells (due to mismatched charge, unless both cells in each pair are EXACTLY matched in every aspect (including state of initial charge), and each charge session being either too little or too much (due to the session length being based on time rather than the actual NEEDS of each cell).

These chargers, though, have a charge-state LED per-cell, indicating that it's not only monitoring the charge state, but, is doing so on a per-cell basis (pretty much necessary on a charger designed to handle alkalines).

BTW (and StdDsc "YMMV"), I suspect these chargers willl PROBABLY do a decent job recharging "normal" alkaline AA cells. I intend to give 'em a try, CAREFULLY checking (during charge) for leakage, overheating, etc.

One little-known characteristic of alkaline cells is that (with current generation, at least) they can be charged to MUCH higher voltage than the official (nominal?) 1.5V level. If slowly (i.e., micro-trickle) charged, you can get close to 2V per cell -- before they start leaking. Dang, I sure miss the days when they were designed NOT to leak when recharged!

jeffreydurbin wrote:My wife is getting annoyed because our current rechargeables are losing their current (sorry for the pun.) I keep explaining that they don't last forever. She thinks something is wrong with the chargers.

The price is right. Sure, they are slightly on the low side in terms of juice but they will do. It only takes a few uses for them to be cheaper than regular batteries.

Hummmmmmmm .... not even going there!

jeffreydurbin wrote:The price is right. Sure, they are slightly on the low side in terms of juice but they will do. It only takes a few uses for them to be cheaper than regular batteries.

I can usually find "regular" batteries on sale for about 12-13 cents a battery... so for $14.99 I could get about 110 batteries... 110 / 8 ~= 13... so they would need to last more than 13 times to be cheaper than regular batteries... and I'm not factoring in the cost of electricity to charge them up each time. Just saying 13 times is a bit more than "a few" in my book...

What do they charge for shipping?

According to the experts at Wikipedia:

Though rechargeable alkaline batteries are relatively cheap and contain a high charge-capacity, their rechargeable capacity will vary by how much they are discharged:

If they are discharged by less than 25%, they can be recharged for hundreds of cycles to about 1.42V.

If they are discharged by less than 50%, they can be almost-fully recharged for a few dozen cycles, to about 1.32V.

After a "Deep Discharge", they can be brought to their original high-capacity charge only after a few charge-discharge cycles.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rechargeable_alkaline_battery

k1oik wrote:What do they charge for shipping?

$5 per order....whether it's for 1, 2 or 3 orders (the max allowed per account).

ambergreen wrote:I need a charger to hold all 8 of the stupid batteries at once. Actually, only 7 since my son's new RC truck is odd.

If you want the same as here but holds 8 here is the same. But i think if you get the 2 of this deal it would be better. 16 batteries and 2 chargers. Charge as he plays. http://www.ebay.com/itm/iGO-Charger-Rechargeable-4-AA-2000-mAh-4-AA-battery-NON-TOXIC-made-CANADA-/250889302543?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3a6a2af20f

buy two

I was using energizer alkaline rechargables about 10 years ago, and they worked great for the kids gameboys. However, while I was able to recharge them many many times every one of them would eventually start leaking, which eventually ruined the charger. I'll give these alkaline rechargables a try, but I hope they're better by now.

skywarrior3 wrote:What makes these more green than other rechargeable batteries? Just curious.

An advertising department composed of old Solyndra executives.

After much deliberating and much research on the matter......I'M IN FOR 3!!!!

For the price of $ 34.99.....you are getting 3 Chargers and 24 AA Batteries.....

Given that most of my AAs are used in remotes....these batteries are perfect for that application.

I literally will not need to buy batteries probably for the a decade or more.

Has anyone heard of JUICE brand?
$16.99 for 24 Rechargeable Alkaline AA's

http://www.ebay.com/itm/24-Juice-Brand-Rechargeable-AA-Alkaline-Batteries-/110584492124

I need some AA's...but if I can save ~$15 bucks by ditching the charger and getting an off-brand, I'll do it. IF they're quality..

If anybody responds, would ya PM me? heh

ahelwich wrote:I just bought this since my mouse batteries are claiming they're near dead again. If it helps stem the tide of batteries I'm going through with my mouse and camera, I'd say it's worth it for 14.99.

As a note - I had same problem with the mouse that came with my new computer - went thru over 24 batteries in less than 6 weeks. Then I spent less than $20 for a new mouse and haven't changed a single battery (2 months. Might want to try Logitech - they really do conserve battery life.

Anyone know how these compare to the special batteries for cameras?

modularhomes wrote:Anyone know how these compare to the special batteries for cameras?

Cameras should use LSD NiMH or Lithium. Never alkaline of any type. There are some "marketing-engineered" alkalines that claim better performance in cameras. This is hogwash. They may get you ten shots instead of six, but a set of NiMH should get you several hundred.

If you're operating your camera in sub-freezing temperatures, pay extra for Lithium. Otherwise, use NiMH. And get the LaCrosse charger.