4 Lenmar AA Rechargeables + AA/AAA wall charger <$16 shipped

[Greg04]

http://www.buy.com/retail/product.asp?sku=202778281&******


*Please note that this is not the hottest deal ever, as indicated in the topic summary line, but there has been a recent downturn in the number of barbs, rants, put-downs, reality checks and the like. Hopefully this will change things.

 

[Frintin]

Nawt Hawt!

*Please note that this is not the hottest deal ever, as indicated in the topic summary line, but there has been a recent downturn in the number of barbs, rants, put-downs, reality checks and the like. Hopefully this will change things.

hehe

 

[Mallow]

here's your reality check... right here

 

[cheetoden]

*Please note that this is not the hottest deal ever, as indicated in the topic summary line, but there has been a recent downturn in the number of barbs, rants, put-downs, reality checks and the like. Hopefully this will change things.

Thanks for the chuckle this morning.

 

[Mac]

This is OK but my suggestion to all that are looking for MiMH rechargeables is to buy either the Rayovac Hybrid or Sanyo Eneloops. These two batteries make other rechargeables all but obscelete by being able to hold their charge much longer than conventional rechargeables. You can actually use them straight from blister pack. The Hybrids can be bought at Walmart for $9 for four. The only place I've seen that has the Eneloops is Ritz camera and they charge $12 for four. The Eneloops are the better of the two, supposedly able to retain most of the charge for 18-24 months. The Hybrids are not quite as long..12 months or so.

If you look around, you may be able to buy some $5 off coupons for the Rayovac which makes them a "killer" deal.

 

[knightc2]

That is a nice price. I do agree that the Sanyo Eneloops are the way to go for most applications. HH Gregg has them for $9.99 for 4 AAs and $7.99 for 4 AAAs but they appear to have changed this to in store only. If you use a lot of rechargeables do yourself a favot and get yourself a nice charger/conditioner. Thomas Distributing sells all kinds of chargers and batteries for reasonable prices.

 

[bigpow]

OT:
cool - just what I need to know, getting tired of throwing 2 AA bats every week or so for my Xbox 360 controller

gone through at least a dozen of them so far

Best batteries = Sanyo Eneloop, what's the best charger?

 

[PhoenixOrion]

Originally posted by: bigpow
OT:
cool - just what I need to know, getting tired of throwing 2 AA bats every week or so for my Xbox 360 controller

gone through at least a dozen of them so far

Best batteries = Sanyo Eneloop, what's the best charger?

I'd have to say Maha universal chargers are the best. Available at Thomas Distributing.

 

[Horsep0wer]

Originally posted by: PhoenixOrion

Originally posted by: bigpow
OT:
cool - just what I need to know, getting tired of throwing 2 AA bats every week or so for my Xbox 360 controller

gone through at least a dozen of them so far

Best batteries = Sanyo Eneloop, what's the best charger?

I'd have to say Maha universal chargers are the best. Available at Thomas Distributing.

Any other AAA chargers that will do the job effectively but not cost as much as the cheapest Maha? I refuse to spend over $40 for AAA batteries/charger that I can get at the Dollar Store for $1.

 

[knightc2]

A $1 dollar Store charger is a 'dumb' timer controlled charger. They can under and overcharge batteries and a lot of them don't detect when the battery is charged they only shut off the charge after the timer is up. A good 'smart' charger like the Maha's are much better at keeping your batteries cool and charged to a more complete state. Many of them also do conditioning and will give you mah readings so you can match similar capacity cells. That said they are not for everyone since they are more expensive. But if you plan on using a lot of rechargeables it would be worth it to get a nice charger. The Lacrosse BC-900 isn't bad either and is on $39.99 at Amazon.com and it comes with batteries and a case.

 

[knightc2]

Originally posted by: bigpow
OT:
cool - just what I need to know, getting tired of throwing 2 AA bats every week or so for my Xbox 360 controller

gone through at least a dozen of them so far

Best batteries = Sanyo Eneloop, what's the best charger?

The Eneloops aren't always the best batteries. They are nice because they have a low self discharge rate and can be used in remote controls and other items that often sit around for a while. There are higher capacity batteries out there that would be better suited for high drain items.

As for the charger I own the Maha MH-800S and it works great. The MH-C9000 is the most advanced charger that Maha sells and I almost bought it instead but I wanted an 8-bay charger. Plus the C9000 seems to have termination issues with lower quality/older cells which may or may not be a problem depending on your situation.

 

[bigpow]

ooh, thanks almost bought them when I saw your post -
I need batteries with lots of juice, and they won't be sitting idle. They'll require frequent charging (and hopefully rapid charging at that)

 

[mindless1]

Another vote for Eneloops and any random cheap charger.

The way I look at it, it's not very relevant to worry about max capacity if you have cells that don't self discharge very fast, you can put a 2nd pair or two of Eneloops in your camera bag and never have to think about if your batteries are charged before you go... just put all 3 sets in a trickle charger overnight. Just make sure the trickle charger doesn't charge over 200mA rate and it's no big deal if you accidentally forget them for a day. Having to continually recharge/top-off your regular NiMH will end up wearing them out just as much, and if you dont stop and charge them within days before you use 'em, you didn't get the peak capacity anyway.

Cheap, hassle free, and I have not been left without enough battery power ever. It might not be ideal for you but I stopped being anal about battery charging a lot time ago and have never regretted it. You can be a slave to batteries or just choose not to. It's not worth the extra effort to squeeze the last 10% capacity or life out of standard $2.50 cells, but that's just my opinion.

 

[Avalon]

Newegg has the Maha C204 charger for $10 cheaper than Thomas Distributing.

 

[middlehead]

Marked for eventually

 

[Muse]

Originally posted by: knightc2
That is a nice price. I do agree that the Sanyo Eneloops are the way to go for most applications. HH Gregg has them for $9.99 for 4 AAs and $7.99 for 4 AAAs but they appear to have changed this to in store only. If you use a lot of rechargeables do yourself a favot and get yourself a nice charger/conditioner. Thomas Distributing sells all kinds of chargers and batteries for reasonable prices.

I perused Thomas Distributing yesterday when I was shopping for a Maha MH-C401FS charger. Found the best deals at photonlight.com and Universal Radio, Inc. Went with the latter because they threw in 4 Powerex NiMH AA's 2300 mah for an extra $7 shipped.

I really wanted NiMH AAA's, but nobody packed them with the charger. Last time I looked, the Eneloops were not available in AAA size, but maybe that's changed. I don't live in the same part of the country as the HH Gregg B&M stores. Is there another way to get them? I agree, that the new NiMH batteries with very log charge retention appear to be the future of NiMH batteries, but so far I've found them hard to find. I think that amondotech.com has some, but they aren't name brand.

Looking now I see that Amondotech is offering some low self discharge AAA's, 4 for $10: AAA's

They also have the low self discharge AA's (2100 mah) for the same price: AA's

These are not name brand, though.

Edit: Candlepower forums has posts of people pleased with these batteries, however... branded Titanium.

 

[Muse]

Originally posted by: Avalon
Newegg has the Maha C204 charger for $10 cheaper than Thomas Distributing.

You can get a new one at ebay for less than 1/2 that, shipped!

Link

 

[Mac]

Originally posted by: Muse

I really wanted NiMH AAA's, but nobody packed them with the charger. Last time I looked, the Eneloops were not available in AAA size, but maybe that's changed. I don't live in the same part of the country as the HH Gregg B&M stores. Is there another way to get them? I agree, that the new NiMH batteries with very log charge retention appear to be the future of NiMH batteries, but so far I've found them hard to find. I think that amondotech.com has some, but they aren't name brand.

Looking now I see that Amondotech is offering some low self discharge AAA's, 4 for $10: AAA's

They also have the low self discharge AA's (2100 mah) for the same price: AA's

These are not name brand, though.

As I suggested earlier, the Rayovac Hybrids are an excellent alternative and readily available at Walmart for $9 for either AA or AAA. Target has them for $10. The capacity of the Hybrids are rated slightly higher than the Eneloops, 2100 mah vs 2000 mah, but self discharge a little faster...but still much improved over standard NiMH rechargeables. Also, the Hybrids have a slightly higher voltage output in actual use over the Eneloops which can be important in electronic devices.

I put a set of AA in my digital SLR over a month ago, have been out shooting on three occasions (probably around 200 exposures) and they are still going strong. I never got that from standard NiMH. What makes this even more impressive, I had never charged the batteries...they were brand new,straight from the blister pack so who knows when they were actually charged. I purchased mine using the $5 off coupon making it $4...couldn't be more pleased.

If you need a charger, Rayovac is offering a combo deal of 2-AA and 2-AAA Hybrid batteries with a charger. I saw it offered for $12 at Walmart and $10 at Target. Some of the packages included a $5 rebate coupon if you also purchased a set of AA or AAA Hybrids.

As someone else pointed out, a Maha charger is nice but if you get the Eneloops or Hybrids, the charger becomes less important. You simply buy two sets of batteries. Assuming you are using these in a fast drain device (camera, flash, MP3 player, CD Player, etc.), you charge both sets, when the first set is depleted, the second set is ready to go. According to the write-ups, these newer batteries will hold most of their charge for upto a year (or more for the eneloops). Thus, you don't have to be concerned about getting the maximum capacity nor fast recharge times.

 

[Muse]

Originally posted by: Mac

Originally posted by: Muse

I really wanted NiMH AAA's, but nobody packed them with the charger. Last time I looked, the Eneloops were not available in AAA size, but maybe that's changed. I don't live in the same part of the country as the HH Gregg B&M stores. Is there another way to get them? I agree, that the new NiMH batteries with very log charge retention appear to be the future of NiMH batteries, but so far I've found them hard to find. I think that amondotech.com has some, but they aren't name brand.

Looking now I see that Amondotech is offering some low self discharge AAA's, 4 for $10: AAA's

They also have the low self discharge AA's (2100 mah) for the same price: AA's

These are not name brand, though.

As I suggested earlier, the Rayovac Hybrids are an excellent alternative and readily available at Walmart for $9 for either AA or AAA. Target has them for $10. The capacity of the Hybrids are rated slightly higher than the Eneloops, 2100 mah vs 2000 mah, but self discharge a little faster...but still much improved over standard NiMH rechargeables. Also, the Hybrids have a slightly higher voltage output in actual use over the Eneloops which can be important in electronic devices.

I put a set of AA in my digital SLR over a month ago, have been out shooting on three occasions (probably around 200 exposures) and they are still going strong. I never got that from standard NiMH. What makes this even more impressive, I had never charged the batteries...they were brand new,straight from the blister pack so who knows when they were actually charged. I purchased mine using the $5 off coupon making it $4...couldn't be more pleased.

If you need a charger, Rayovac is offering a combo deal of 2-AA and 2-AAA Hybrid batteries with a charger. I saw it offered for $12 at Walmart and $10 at Target. Some of the packages included a $5 rebate coupon if you also purchased a set of AA or AAA Hybrids.

As someone else pointed out, a Maha charger is nice but if you get the Eneloops or Hybrids, the charger becomes less important. You simply buy two sets of batteries. Assuming you are using these in a fast drain device (camera, flash, MP3 player, CD Player, etc.), you charge both sets, when the first set is depleted, the second set is ready to go. According to the write-ups, these newer batteries will hold most of their charge for upto a year (or more for the eneloops). Thus, you don't have to be concerned about getting the maximum capacity nor fast recharge times.

Thanks!! I have never bought anything at Walmart (been in one a time or two for a look-see), but I'll be in the vicinity of one next week and figure to stop and have a good look at their rechargeables. If what you say is in effect I'll probably pick up 4 AAAs and 4 AAs, LSD! I have specific uses in mind for them where LSD will help a lot.

 

[knightc2]

Originally posted by: Muse

Originally posted by: knightc2
That is a nice price. I do agree that the Sanyo Eneloops are the way to go for most applications. HH Gregg has them for $9.99 for 4 AAs and $7.99 for 4 AAAs but they appear to have changed this to in store only. If you use a lot of rechargeables do yourself a favot and get yourself a nice charger/conditioner. Thomas Distributing sells all kinds of chargers and batteries for reasonable prices.

I perused Thomas Distributing yesterday when I was shopping for a Maha MH-C401FS charger. Found the best deals at photonlight.com and Universal Radio, Inc. Went with the latter because they threw in 4 Powerex NiMH AA's 2300 mah for an extra $7 shipped.

I really wanted NiMH AAA's, but nobody packed them with the charger. Last time I looked, the Eneloops were not available in AAA size, but maybe that's changed. I don't live in the same part of the country as the HH Gregg B&M stores. Is there another way to get them? I agree, that the new NiMH batteries with very log charge retention appear to be the future of NiMH batteries, but so far I've found them hard to find. I think that amondotech.com has some, but they aren't name brand.

Looking now I see that Amondotech is offering some low self discharge AAA's, 4 for $10: AAA's

They also have the low self discharge AA's (2100 mah) for the same price: AA's

These are not name brand, though.

As far as the low discharge batteries go, from what I have read the Eneloops are the best. HH Gregg no longer has these available;e online. I ordered them about 3 weeks ago but they have since pulled them off their website. Thomas Distributing has them although you have to search for them. They are Here! Make sure that if you order from Thomas Distributing that you check out all the free offers. I got a free flashlight, a free mini screwdriver set and some free battery holders when I ordered. Nothing too fancy, but it was free. You can also order Eneloops at Amazon.com.

Also if you are looking for a nice charger that isn't too expensive and comes with AAs and AAAs, the LaCrosse BC-900 that I posted above is $39.99 at Amazon.com..

Not to mention, the Lenmar charger and the batteries mention in the OP are still a good deal. I have no issues with Lenmar and they do make decent batteries. They aren't low self-discharge like the Eneloops, but they are fine otherwise. bSo if you are looking for a decent set of AAs then this is not a bad deal.

Another vote for Eneloops and any random cheap charger.

The way I look at it, it's not very relevant to worry about max capacity if you have cells that don't self discharge very fast, you can put a 2nd pair or two of Eneloops in your camera bag and never have to think about if your batteries are charged before you go... just put all 3 sets in a trickle charger overnight. Just make sure the trickle charger doesn't charge over 200mA rate and it's no big deal if you accidentally forget them for a day. Having to continually recharge/top-off your regular NiMH will end up wearing them out just as much, and if you dont stop and charge them within days before you use 'em, you didn't get the peak capacity anyway.

Cheap, hassle free, and I have not been left without enough battery power ever. It might not be ideal for you but I stopped being anal about battery charging a lot time ago and have never regretted it. You can be a slave to batteries or just choose not to. It's not worth the extra effort to squeeze the last 10% capacity or life out of standard $2.50 cells, but that's just my opinion.

I do admit that many people can become a slave to batteries. The Eneloops may help with this a bit. But, I think that if you use a lot of rechargeables you owe it to yourself to get a nice charger that can detect a peak charge, runs cool and also can condition batteries. I have used many 'dumb' timer controlled chargers and for the most part they have been fine. What you will find is that in most cases these chargers will not fully charge your batteries and you will not get the most out of them. If you are a casual user then this probably isn't a big deal as you stated. However, having a charger than can analyze and condition your batteries will get you the highest capacity out of your cells and often allow you to bring older poor performing batteries back to life. Remember that your performance will only be as good as your poorest performing battery. If you have 4 cells and one of them is only topping out at 1600 mah and your others are at 1900 mah, then you are at the mercy of the lower capacity cell. An analyzer would tell you this and allow you to match similar performing cells. Not everyone needs this, but if you rely on rechargeable batteries and need top performance then look at getting a nice charger/conditioner/analyzer.

 

[Muse]

Which chargers do analysis? I've been using a MH-C204F and it has let me bring many batteries back to life. I have some batteries I use all the time that have to be charged, discharged and recharged or they aren't worth a damn, and every time I charge them. The C204F does this (but only if I put it on a discharge/charge cycle after the first "charge"), but it doesn't analyze and it only charges in pairs, so you just have to hope that your pairs are evenly matched, but it becomes more a hope than anything you can depend on.

 

[knightc2]

Your MH-C204F is a decent charger as are most of the Mahas. It will condition cells which is a good thing to do every so often regardless of how long your batteries have been sitting. It doesn't however have the ability to do analysis for capacity nor can it charge single cells. I have many items that require 3 batteries that my older chargers would not do.

The Maha MH-C9000 and the LaCrosse BC-900 both do analysis which will tell you the actual capacity of the cells. They have LCD screens that show charging status and mah ratings of the batteries. The Maha seems to be the better of the two but is more expensive and seems to have some termination issues (fails to stop charging at lower charge rates) with older cells. The BC-900 also have some problems with melt downs but this has mostly been resolved with new firmware v33 I believe. I don't think these are necessarily for the casual user, but photography pros or anyone that relies on rechargeables everyday (and of course techno nerds that love to waste time and money like myself) might want to look into one of these.

On a side note, I did some quick research into the Rayovac hybrids and they seem like a pretty close match to the Eneloops. Long term testing is hard to do since you would need a whole year to test discharge rates, but initially they both look like they are nice cells.

 

[Avalon]

Originally posted by: Muse

Originally posted by: Avalon
Newegg has the Maha C204 charger for $10 cheaper than Thomas Distributing.

You can get a new one at ebay for less than 1/2 that, shipped!

Link

Isn't that one only a car charger?
Anyway, only three can get one for 1/2 that price
The rest will have to settle for $19.99

 

[Muse]

Originally posted by: Avalon

Originally posted by: Muse

Originally posted by: Avalon
Newegg has the Maha C204 charger for $10 cheaper than Thomas Distributing.

You can get a new one at ebay for less than 1/2 that, shipped!

Link

Isn't that one only a car charger?
Anyway, only three can get one for 1/2 that price
The rest will have to settle for $19.99

I was thinking the same things. When I looked, there were 4 available. Maybe one sold. Anyway, I looked it over carefully and concluded that despite the confusing listing it does include the charger. If you look carefully it becomes completely clear:

Included in the auction:

MAHA MH-C204F Battery Charger
Car Adapter
Instruction Booklet


I have that charger and it's currently my best charger and the one I use 99% of the time. However, I really need a single cell charger.

 

[Muse]

Originally posted by: Mac
This is OK but my suggestion to all that are looking for MiMH rechargeables is to buy either the Rayovac Hybrid or Sanyo Eneloops. These two batteries make other rechargeables all but obscelete by being able to hold their charge much longer than conventional rechargeables. You can actually use them straight from blister pack. The Hybrids can be bought at Walmart for $9 for four. The only place I've seen that has the Eneloops is Ritz camera and they charge $12 for four. The Eneloops are the better of the two, supposedly able to retain most of the charge for 18-24 months. The Hybrids are not quite as long..12 months or so.

If you look around, you may be able to buy some $5 off coupons for the Rayovac which makes them a "killer" deal.

I'm wondering what charger(s) would be best with these low discharge NiMH batteries. I saw a couple of places that the MAHA MH-C800S is "eneloop friendly" which would imply that some chargers are not.