FallenAnjel wrote:2,000 mah? not worth it. Mine are 2650. CVS brand. work great.

If you are talking about NiMH, then more MAh is not necessarily better. 2650Mah AA's pretty much guarantees that they are not LSD(low-self-discharge). So unless you use them up within a couple of days of charging up, you are not getting 2650Mah out of them. With the LSD NiMH (like the Eneloops) even though they might be 2000Mah, you will get much closer to that capacity within a few weeks or even months.

sdc100 wrote:RECHARGEABLE ALKALINES IS ONE OF THE WORST IDEAS IN BATTERY TECHNOLOGY IN THE LAST 30 YEARS.

While iGo would like to market it as new technology that the big battery makers don't have, that's far from true. Rechargeable alkalines have been around for over a decade, and is actually a failed technology. The major player was Rayovac, with their Renewal™ batteries, but they abandoned them long ago.

The biggest drawback of rechargeable alklines -- AND IT'S A BIG ONE -- is that you have to recharge them when they're about 25%-50% discharged. If you wait until they become depleted or near depleted, you've damaged the cell, although some may be saved through several deep discharge/recharge cycles. In other words, rechargeable alkalines are high maintenance. That's especially ironic because most people buy normal alklaines because they need so little maintenance, i.e. a long time between changes.

Here are some data from Wikipedia, keeping in mind that alkaline's full charge is actually 1.5V:
"If they are discharged by less than 25%, they can be recharged for hundreds of cycles to about 1.42 V. If they are discharged by less than 50%, they can be almost fully recharged for a few dozen cycles, to about 1.32 V."

The battery becomes so damaged that it can only be charged for a few dozen more cycles if you let them discharge to about 50%??? Keep in mind that NiMH batteries can be recharged for 500-1000 cycles. In other words, if you want your batteries to be rechargeable for several hundred cycles, you need to recharge them BEFORE they are 25% depleted!

To see why this is a major problem, consider how few battery-operated devices actually have an accurate battery meter. Flashlights, smoke detectors, remotes, etc don't have them so how would one know when they're 25% depleted or 50% depleted? Even the meters in cameras are very approximate. And if you have to recharge them before they're 25% depleted, then they last no longer than ordinary zinc carbon batteries in actual use. So the whole selling point of alkalines is eliminated.

I can't see any device where these would be advantageous.

Despite the fact that you clearly consider yourself an expert, xbox controllers start flashing when the batteries are at an approximate 50% depletion level, thus making this type of battery perfect for this particular application.

after reading all the comments so far and reviewing what i want to use these batteries for, i decided that i'm in for 1, primarily for the charger...

IF the batteries falter, then i'll buy more robust sets (like enloops)...then i won't have to pay for a more expensive charger/battery deal...

Bought these last time. They work great but make sure to let everyone know that these do not go on the regular recharger. My wife woke up to them sizzling on the energizer charger after she decided to charge them. I thought I told her to only charge them on the included charger but I know better then to pick that fight.

Caffeineismydrug wrote:Read As:
3 of "Battery Charger with 8 batteries"

They (Woot) are usually better about details like that, but the item description folks and the order processing software guys aren't on the same page.

Woot, do you need a software guy to review/revise your functional specifications?

Thanks for clearing that up.

I just bought 3 more -- I had gotten three the last time they were on Woot. I'm using them in radios. I find it interesting that nobody in either this discussion or the one from the last time they were sold (as a regular daily Woot) ever mentioned "radios" as a usage. Do "radios" qualify as a recommended "low-drain device" or are they a non-recommended "high-drain device"?

Will

chefbooyadee wrote:
Whoa whoa whoa, it does not charge alkalines - it only charges rechargeable alkalines. I don't think you want people reading that and thinking they can shove in their standard batteries to charge them because bad things will happen.

Shush!

Not so loud, eh? I wouldn't want my "standard" alkalines to hear that and decide to go on strike!

I bought two of these the first time they listed them for sale, and have been using them with a random mix of brands (big name, no-name, etc.) of "standard" alkalines with no problems (caveat - I accidentally tried charging one that had been leaking from earlier use, from before I bought these chargers. Naturally, it didn't fare well.)

I just bought two more of these kits, so that I can rig up some chargers for C and D sized alkalines, which some of my flashlights use. It pains me to toss them after one use, knowing that with a proper charger, they could be re-used several times.

In any case, do NOT try charging ANY alkalines in a charger that is not specifically enginered for use with alkaline batteries. If you do, you will quickly find your rig oozing with caustic goop.

wgmartin wrote:I just bought 3 more -- I had gotten three the last time they were on Woot. I'm using them in radios. I find it interesting that nobody in either this discussion or the one from the last time they were sold (as a regular daily Woot) ever mentioned "radios" as a usage. Do "radios" qualify as a recommended "low-drain device" or are they a non-recommended "high-drain device"?

Will

IMO they should work OK in radios (other than 2-way radios, which need lots of power for transmitting). I regularly use mine in a high-power (1-Watt) LED headlight, which is powered by one AA cell. While the alkalines don't last as long (per-charge) as a NiMH cell, they definitely deliver more than a few minutes per charge -- they are quite usable.

The classic high-power application class is digital cameras, which for whatever reason are real power hogs. NO alkaline will deliver satisfactory performance with them.

This is perfect, because I just bought a wii last night.

I'm very happy with these! I think this is a great deal and I bought 3 sets of these when they were last on sale here (1-19-12.) They've been great for all of those general "always need batteries" things around the house so far! I didn't expect to use them for "high-drain" items because I read all the details and comments before I bought them.

I love the fact they are eco-friendly, no heavy metals, etc. and I think it would be worth the price for that alone... However: the $$ savings is really pretty amazing, too.

Since they arrived (already fully charged!) I've installed them in my wireless mice and keyboards, a couple of remote controls and a couple of wall clocks. I realize it's only been a couple of months since I bought them, but so far, I haven't had to recharge any of them.

My theory is that I'm going to be saving a LOT of money with this purchase over the the next few months/years with these. Hmm... let me work it out for all of you who haven't thought of it this way!! If you don't like math, you can skip the next couple of paragraphs he he he

Here goes: I usually buy bulk batteries [the "bunny" kind] at my local "club" store: current price is $12.48 for a 24-pack. When I add the tax (at 7.75% in my area,) that's a total of $13.45 for 24 batteries.

So, for this Woot deal, buying 3 packs like I did, I have 24 batteries (plus 3 chargers) for a total of $34.97 ($9.99 x 3 +$5.00 shipping.) If I only recharge them THREE (3) times, I have saved a total of $5.38 for all 24. It says on the package they can be recharged approximately 100 times, but even assuming that I can only recharge them 10 or 20 times, I will be saving a LOT of money! Since 3 charges already saves me 5 bucks, EVERY SINGLE TIME I charge the set of 24, I save $13.45!

Hmmm... WOW!!! IF it does actually charge 100 times, that's saving a total of $1,341.50! [My math: 100 x $13.45 = $1,345.00, minus the cost of the 3 packs with 24 batteries at $34.97 = $1,341.50)

Will these work in my Flux Capacitor?

droidluvr wrote:I'm Since they arrived (already fully charged!) My theory is that I'm going to be saving a LOT of money with this purchase over the the next few months/years with these. Hmm... let me work it out for all of you who haven't thought of it this way!! ...
Here goes: I usually buy bulk batteries [the "bunny" kind] at my local "club" store: current price is $12.48 for a 24-pack. When I add the tax (at 7.75% in my area,) that's a total of $13.45 for 24 batteries.

So, for this Woot deal, buying 3 packs like I did, I have 24 batteries (plus 3 chargers) for a total of $34.97 ($9.99 x 3 +$5.00 shipping.) If I only recharge them THREE (3) times, I have saved a total of $5.38 for all 24. It says on the package they can be recharged approximately 100 times, but even assuming that I can only recharge them 10 or 20 times, I will be saving a LOT of money! Since 3 charges already saves me 5 bucks, EVERY SINGLE TIME I charge the set of 24, I save $13.45!

Hmmm... WOW!!! IF it does actually charge 100 times, that's saving a total of $1,341.50! [My math: 100 x $13.45 = $1,345.00, minus the cost of the 3 packs with 24 batteries at $34.97 = $1,341.50)

Now, if you buy store brands (which usually last about as long as the standard bunny ones) at $.30 each, you will have saved $5.28 (plus tax) for 24 of them, PLUS the cost of electricity to charge these rechargeables. Besides, new "store brand" alkalines will run devices 2x longer after the 3rd or 4th recharge of these.

I bought two of these about a month ago, mostly to play with, and there are a few devices that aren't huge fans of 1.2 volt cells.

My first experiment, was a couple of really dead, disposable alkaline batteries, hadn't gotten around to throwing away. Put them on the meter, read 0.54, and 0.47 volts. These were just some generic 'batteries included' types. They charged, got 1.56 volts each, and were 1.54 volts a day later, without use. Didn't get a whole week in an LED candle, before starting to dim noticeably. Recharged them yesterday, only came up to 1.46 volts, and one is down to 1.42, the other 1.43, about a day after. Got a strong hunch you can top off regular alkaline, and extend their usefulness.

These chargers run cool, haven't felt warm batteries yet. Heat destroys batteries, these chargers might be what's different.

Will continue to play with them, until something leaks, but pretty sure if I watch for swelling or damage, it'll be safe.

Alright Woot, I need a coffee maker and a vacuum at an affordable price. Help me out!

whosgotmyusername wrote:Ummmm... Doing what exactly?

Charging the batteries that are running it! Woot woot!

Ringo4422 wrote:PLUS the cost of electricity to charge these rechargeables.

1.5V * 2000mAh = 3 Watt-hour per battery
Assuming a full discharge followed by a full charge, even at 50% efficiency you're talking 6W-Hr per battery * 24 batteries = 144W-hr per charge.

If you fully discharge/recharge 24 batteries, 50 times that's 7.2kWhr or about $0.72 total (@$0.10/kWh)

And that's making every assumption in your argument's favor... Sorry.

Edit: Plus, a majority of us are of the consumer mindset that just Woot our Wooty Woots because it makes us feel all warm and wootiful inside.

Caffeineismydrug wrote:1.5V * 2000mAh = 3 Watt-hour per battery
Assuming a full discharge followed by a full charge, even at 50% efficiency you're talking 6W-Hr per battery * 24 batteries = 144W-hr per charge.

If you fully discharge/recharge 24 batteries, 50 times that's 7.2kWhr or about $0.72 total (@$0.10/kWh)

And that's making every assumption in your argument's favor... Sorry.

The recharging cost is negligible. The actual point is, these rechargeables are merely basic alkalines with a very slow rate charger that WILL recharge alkalines. But never to their original capacity before they were first discharged.
For the record, " Pre-Charged" is nothing but marketing hype. You do not "pre-charge" any alkaline.

I use them with my Olympus SP-57OUZ and they work fine.

Bought this when it was up before. Works great for remotes. Any chance of some AAA iGo batteries showing up on woot!?

Ringo4422 wrote:The recharging cost is negligible. The actual point is, these rechargeables are merely basic alkalines with a very slow rate charger that WILL recharge alkalines. But never to their original capacity before they were first discharged.
For the record, " Pre-Charged" is nothing but marketing hype. You do not "pre-charge" any alkaline.

From the wonderful oracle:

Proper use and durability

Although these batteries can be used in any device that supports a standard size (AA, AAA, C, D, etc.), they are formulated to last longest in periodical use items. This type of battery is best suited for use in low-drain devices such as remote controls or for devices that are used periodically such as flashlights, television remotes, portable radios, etc. If they are discharged by less than 25%, they can be recharged for hundreds of cycles to about 1.42 V. If they are discharged by less than 50%, they can be almost fully recharged for a few dozen cycles, to about 1.32 V. After a deep discharge, they can be brought to their original high-capacity charge only after a few charge-discharge cycles.

If after a year of charging (~20 charges or so) my Wii remotes only last 2 weeks instead of a month, I still would have gotten my money worth.
The only important 2 things to know are:
1) Use these batteries in low current devices that prefer voltage to current (remotes, flashlights, PSP, etc) where the self discharge current of NiMH batteries is a deal breaker.
2) Remember to take them out and charge them periodically, not just when they die

... And if you mess up, use them improperly and they only last 3 recharge cycles, the charger is still worth the $10. I have 2 sets from a previous woot, and just bought 3 more. A long time ago, I used a handful of the Rayovac renewal batteries for a while.

Nobody disagrees about the "pre-charged" statement. However if these have been sitting on a shelf somewhere like many items that end up on woot, a top-off charge won't hurt one bit.

sillysam wrote:Bought this when it was up before. Works great for remotes. Any chance of some AAA iGo batteries showing up on woot!?

I hope so..
Cause iGo has them at $12.99/8 AAA which is the same price the AA batteries go for. I wish Woot would sell them like other complimentary products where you select 3 from: Charger, AA Batteries (pack of 8), and AAA batteries (pack of 12)... Or maybe just give them out in the next bag-o-goodness

iamkendo wrote:Do I have to empty these batteries before charging it, anyone can advice me?

NO, THE OPPOSITE IS TRUE!!!!
Letting rechargeable alkalines completely discharge may destroy the battery to the point where it can no longer be recharged. Although instructions often say to charge whenever you can, the dirty secret is that you need to recharge when the battery is only about 25% depleted if you want to prolong the life of the battery. Please read this post.

commodog wrote:Can I charge my eneloops in this charger?

I have a box of eneloops and only one charger

Generally speaking, yes, since Eneloops and other Low Self-Discharge (LSD) NiMHs can be charged in any NiMH charger. Personally, I'd use a higher quality slow charger like the LaCrosse since LSD batteries are so expensive. A slow charge is less stressful on the chemicals and would generally prolong the life of the battery. But yes, you can charge Eneloops and other LSD batteries -- BUT MAKE SURE IT'S SET ON NiMH AND NOT ALKALINE.

do these work well with the magic flight launch box? look up on amazon if unsure.

This is my 2nd purchase of this Woot! Works GREAT in the X-Box and WII controllers. Last as long or longer than the expensive Duracell's I was buying in bulk at Costco!!

Just bought batteries on Thursday,

Ended up getting Sanyo's Rechargeable NiMh Eneloop brand for 4 AA batteries and a brand charger for $15 prime shipping.

ThunderThighs wrote:You have a 1 year warranty. Did you contact iGo?

thats totally not worth the hassle.... pay shipping on one battery and they spend 6 weeks 'determining' it's faulty, just to ship one singular battery back! That right there eats the cost of whatever you would have saved from buying it on w00t let alone buying these pieces of crud in the first place!

Sometimes warranty on an item that isn't fulfilled in a brick and mortar store is just a marketing ploy seeing the vast majority of people have better things to do than pay more for shipping and packaging and complaining back and forth than it did for the item originally.

People and their establishments actually count on your feeling that way!

Read my previous posts....

this is probably the best write up i have seen for those who like juicy nerdy bits of information. but it is helpful for anyone who cares to learn more about rechargeables.

http://www.calrecycle.ca.gov/ReduceWaste/power/rechbattinfo.htm

i dont have this particular set, but i do have an old radio shack off brand one that actually works quite well.

xbox360 controllers CRUSH non recharge batteries. the proprietary charger from microsoft is garbage. do yourself a favor if you are a gamer and get a good recharger. i might get a set of these to back up my current one since i will soon have a 2nd console.

willisnkerol wrote:Have NiMh batteries gotten better? These say charge and hold for seven years. My experience is that they discharge in about a week.

Ordinary NiMH batteries haven't changed much, but a new type of NiMH batteries have become popular in the last 7 or so years, Low Self-Discharged (LSD) MiMHs. Rechargeable NiMH and NiCd batteries have two major shortcomings: Self-discharge and low voltage (1.2V vs the 1.5V of ordinary alkaline and zinc carbon batteries). The former characteristic means that a fully charged battery will be depleted in months, even if it's never used. That's why they're not recommended in smoke detectors and emergency devices. A flashlight might turn up dead even though it was once freshly charged. For those devices, an ordinary alkaline battery is better since they hold most of their charge for over 5 years. Lithium batteries are often even better but they're expensive. Lithiums have several advantages: a slightly higher initial voltage, more energy density (aka longer lasting), better cold temperature performance and lighter weight (a lithium-powered flashlight would float in water).

LSD NiMHs also retain their charge for a long time, up to a few years. That's why they're sold as Ready-to-Use. They're charged at the factory and the charge will still be available when customers buy them months or years later. Many companies sell LSD, but the most famous is Sanyo with their Eneloops. I buy Duracells simply because they're cheaper on sale and are identical to Eneloop's original batteries,

Ordinary LSD NiMHs can be recharged for about 500 cycles. Sanyo recently improved their Eneloops to be rechargeable for up to 1500 times. For me, the new batteries are not worth the extra cost. Even at 500 cycles, the older batteries will probably outlast me. For example, even though I use my LED flashlight daily, they only get charged about 6 times a year. That means that they'll last 80 years under ideal conditions (yes, I know that charge capacity diminishes over time).

Does anyone really need a battery that can be recharged 1500 times???

AS for your battery lasting a week, it may be defective or the device you're using them in draws current in standby. If you have a sophisticated charger like the LaCrosse, you can test the battery' capacity and try to refresh it. BTW, I'd avoid buying batteries on eBay because many of them have been removed from old used devices, i.e. phones. In other words, they may be at the end of their useful lives, thus unable to hold a charge.

Caffeineismydrug wrote:Nope.. It outputs 1.6V per cell. Even if you could combine the voltage (which you can't) you'd only have 6.4V, and only about 200mA, If you bought 2, you'd theoretically have enough voltage but it would take 500 hours to charge a car battery.

Now.. If you charged them up all the way, and connected the batteries in series, you could charge the car battery for ~20 mins at ~1A and then recharge the batteries for 10 hours, repeat, and eventually you'd charge the car battery (but your rechargeable alkalines would be shot from the number of cycles)

However... If you drive a Prius, you can jump start the car's puny secondary battery, start the engine on the 8 AA batteries (might need 16 to be sure) and then recharge the main battery...

This...sounds fantastic.

midnitegamer wrote:Despite the fact that you clearly consider yourself an expert, xbox controllers start flashing when the batteries are at an approximate 50% depletion level, thus making this type of battery perfect for this particular application.

Perfect? Hardly. Think about it. First, read the part I wrote about camera meters. It is VERY approximate simply because there is NO POSSIBLE WAY for your XBox can determine the initial capacity of your batteries. As such, how can it know when it's 50% depleted? Realizing this doesn't take being an expert ... simply a bit of thinking.

Determining a battery's initial capacity takes repeated charge and discharge cycles, or about 2 days on my LaCrosse charger.

Generally speaking, these built in meters merely measure how many volts are left and that really isn't a good indicator of how depleted the cell is. That's because different batteries have different nominal voltages. A fully charged alkaline battery is 1.5V while a fully charged NiMH is about 1.2V (and and NiZn battery is about 1.6-1.7V). Since your Xbox doesn't know what type of battery you're using, how would it know if 1.2V is from a 100% charged NiMH or 20% depleted Alkaline? Older cameras actually had a setting to choose battery type but your Xbox doesn't have that.

And here's why your logic is VERY wrong. The very approximate meter is probably calibrated for ordinary alkalines which have a capacity of about 2700mAh. If you had read my post carefully, you'd see that rechargeable alkalines RAPIDLY lose their capacity (for volts and mAh) with every discharge. So tell me, how would your Xbox know about this diminishing capacity?

Sorry but your Xbox's meter is mostly useless if you want to optimally charge these batteries because you'll be clueless as to when they're 25% depleted.

Here's some advice for you: Try a little less attitude and a little more thinking.

Caffeineismydrug wrote:If after a year of charging (~20 charges or so) my Wii remotes only last 2 weeks instead of a month, I still would have gotten my money worth.
The only important 2 things to know are:
1) Use these batteries in low current devices that prefer voltage to current (remotes, flashlights, PSP, etc) where the self discharge current of NiMH batteries is a deal breaker.
2) Remember to take them out and charge them periodically, not just when they die

... And if you mess up, use them improperly and they only last 3 recharge cycles, the charger is still worth the $10. I have 2 sets from a previous woot, and just bought 3 more. A long time ago, I used a handful of the Rayovac renewal batteries for a while.

Nobody disagrees about the "pre-charged" statement. However if these have been sitting on a shelf somewhere like many items that end up on woot, a top-off charge won't hurt one bit.

If you have to replace (aka recharge) these batteries after using only 25% of its charge, are they any better than ordinary carbon zinc batteries, which cost much less? Indeed, heavy duty batteries can last about about 30-40% as long as alkaline batteries in solid state devices. That's higher than the 25% of these rechargeable alkalines, if you want to maximize their rechargeability.

sillysam wrote:Bought this when it was up before. Works great for remotes. Any chance of some AAA iGo batteries showing up on woot!?

I don't think there are any battery types that don't work great with remotes, and that includes lowly zinc carbons. The question with these batteries is rechargeability and maintenance, and not whether they work well 1-3 times. In fact, these are the only batteries I know of that have a maintenance schedule.

frankie4 wrote:I need to fact check my blogs before I post them!

After using re-chargeable NiMh batteries for years in my strobes they have saved me thousands of $$$ as I can use a set of 4 with about 2000mA for several years and a hundred or so charges. In 2005 a low self-discharge NiMH battery (LSD), which stays charged for much longer, was developed but still self-discharge very fast. Older ones can discharge in just a few days so I need to be on my toes about checking to see how old the charge is.. as my job requires my photo equipment to always have plenty of power.

These are Re-chargeable Alkaline's mAH and can only be charged up to 20 times BUT they can hold their charge for up to seven years.. or so they say? So these type would be ideal for back-ups that might sit around for a while without a charge.

Why bother with rechargeable alkalines at all? Just buy some ordinary alkalines as backups. Or better yet, lithiums.

As for your strobe, many phototgraphers swear by NiZn rechargeables which have a nominal voltage of 1.6-1.7V. They say that it results in a faster recharging strobe. The downside is that such rapid recharging may shorten the life of the strobe. And NiZn batteries do self-discharge like ordinary NiMHs and NiCds. Still, photographers like them for a reason so you might want to give them a try. Please note that you'll need an NiZn charger.

whosgotmyusername wrote:I got several sets and the alkys will take a charge well over 20 times. And they put out 1.5 volts.

Not under load. Once under load (aka being used), they will quickly fall under 1.5V. That's just a fact of life with rechargeable alkalines. They cannot retain their original capacity under ordinary use -- even after only one or two uses.

hatawa wrote:Sorry, I missed the statement "Batteries are pre-charged and ready to use" That indicates that they are the same technology as Eneloop.

They are NiMh. There are two types of NiMh, regular run of the mill and Hybird NiMh. Eneloop is the Hybrid MiMh type. These are also the Hybrid NiMh, so they will stay charged and will work in remote controls.

No, these are not NiMH. Read the description. If these are NiMH, the charger wouldn't have separate settings for NiMH and Alkaline. These are alkalines, which had a different recharge and discharge profile, as well as nominal voltage. NiHM=1.2V, alkaline=1.5V.

And "pre-charged" is meaningless because alkalines (as well as zinc carbons) are by chemical definition, full of electrical potential and ready to use.

2Insane wrote:I purchased these here on a previous woot. I have used them in a digital camera, wireless keyboard, mouse, remote controls. They seem to work just fine. When they get low, I just charge them up and go on. They seem to hold a good charge....

You're not supposed to wait until they get low before recharging. Maximum battery life is achieved if you charge the batteries when they are only <25% depleted.

I like the future! Its electric!


The world is now a lesser place with the passing today of Lt. Bradshaw and Peter Bergman.

Much too much effort and thinking for a bunch of AA batteries.

Buy the cells and the charger, use it, charge the batteries when you think it's required. When they stop working trash the batteries and sell the charger at a yard sale where some fool will buy it for the same $10. you paid with the batteries. Where he will then will charge regular AA batteries and set his house on fire.

People should spend as much time and effort with their kids, house, and car as time spent here about the value of a few AA cells.

n2fob wrote:People should spend as much time and effort with their kids, house, and car as time spent here about the value of a few AA cells.

Said the pot to the kettle.