Not the CHEAPEST Deal on NiMh Batteries and Charger, BUT ONE OF THE BEST

[Wolverine88]

I got Kodak quick charger (2.5 - 3 hours charging time) w/4 1450mAh and 4 1600 mAh from staples.com for $36.00.

see my previous thread

http://forums2.anandtech.com/messageview.cfm?catid=40&threadid=284820

 

[Maverick319]

Guess I should have had more beer last night when I posted my rant. And yes, come back to Anandtech for advice on Quality NiMh batteries and chargers when you want quality, not the cheapest price.

I own two sets of NiMh batteries and chargers, the Kodak set that came with my DC280 and the set I bought from Thomas Distributing. I hated the Kodak charger since it was HUGE and plugged directly into the wall, the Thomas charger was sleek and small, plus it conditions the batteries if you want. The batteries from both companies were comparable in Mah, with the Thomas set edging out Kodak just a bit for power. Both sets of batteries performed EXCEPTIONALLY well after being charged in the Thomas charger.

So the deal is, Thomas Distributing Chargers are a good choice if you take a lot of photos, or just go thru batteries. Get your batteries from them or someplace else BUT BUY DECENT ONES. IF YOU BUY CHEAP NiMh'S YOU GET CHEAP, LOW POWER NiMh BATTERIES. DO YOUR RESEARCH AND GET QUALITY BATTERIES THAT LAST.



As Stan Lee always used to say: 'NUFF SAID

 

[Murpheeee]

The Energizer charger I got at Best Buy is not a rapid charger...takes 14 hours for Ni-MH...I can live with that if I have a spare set.

Am I right in my understanding that slow charge is more gentle on the batteries which will therefore last longer ?

My camera arrives tomorrow.....I will insert them very carefully....Thanks for the warning guys.

This thread has been very helpful.....I would have been obliviously using a set of 650 mAh if not for you guys....when I got a set of 1600 for less.

 

[Lex Luthor]

Murpheee,

I'm not sure there is such thing as 650 AA batteries. Where did you get that info from? 650 is a common power for AAA batteries, maybe what you read was printed wrong?

Lex

 

[Murpheeee]

I did a search online and I think THIS is the one I originally bought at Staples.

 

[fxsts]

I have to admit that $9.96 for four 1550mah MAHA batteries seems like a good deal if you can justify $5.90S&H charge by buying them in large quantity.


I agree with Maverick and RobsTV that 1550-1600mah batteries last longer than other commonly available 1200mah or 1400mah batteries. And the site has pretty good price on them.

However, I do not agree calling Radioshack batteries and others POS. They just last less. I had known that some batteries such as Energizer's come in a little bigger to fit in a tight 4AA space, but again it does not mean that they are POS.

It also does not mean that lower energy rated batteries are only suitable for $20 Walkmans and that they are going to screw up your high end digital cameras. You just have to change/charge them more frequently.

 

[kcobra]

Just a quick comment on quick charging. While it is not ideal in a perfect world, quick charging really isn't that bad. In the RC world, we pump 1-1.5 amps into NIHM batteries all the time (used for reciever packs). Personally, I charge mine at 1.25 amps. They last many moons and do not overheat at this charging rate.

The electric RC guys are even starting to use C cell NIHM packs, where they pump 5 amps ot so into the cells.

These cells from Thoms-Dist seem like a pretty good price, considering a 5 cell 1000mah pack goes for 30 bucks at a typical hobby shop. I just wish Thomas-Dist sold the batteries that look like a smaller version of C cells. I'm not sure what they are called.

 

[mrVW]

Guys, get over yourself. This guy did you a favor by doing this thread. 3 days before he started this thread I already read all the rave reviews on the newsgroups. The MAHA charger and batteries seem good by anyone who tries them. I've had my set a week and they work 2 to 3 times longer than Energizer Alkalines! $50 well spent (charger kit + 4 extra batteries).

Read these:
Deja.com perosn saying that TD is good
One guy on Deja who has the Maha charger and another brand - comparison
Another customer recommending MAHA (digital camera)

 

[dealchecker]

Mmmm.. Maybe should try mysimon

 

[Bob61]

I just looked on E-b-a-y and found there are many auctions for 1500-1600 mah batteries. Several deals for 8 of these with MAHA charger (MHC-124s) and DC car adaptor for only $25 plus shipping. Most are for NexCell batteries, saw some for Sanyo, some for Supreme and a few other odd ball names. Looks like a decent battery with good output and good charger for some reasonable coin.

As always, your mileage may vary - please consult your doctor before ingesting anything - yada, yada, yada....

 

[Maverick319]

If you find a good deal from a certain vendor, post that info here. That is how I heard about Thomas Distributing. I am all for finding a Lower Price from a Vendor we can Trust, doesn't Rape us on S/H charges and provides service down the road. I think that really makes a Hot Deal, not solely on the price alone.

 

[fitzm]

Man, less than $15.00 overnight from outpost was too hard to pass up. I'm still going to get the maha's though for my new $332.00 coolpix 950 . Attention has a very interesting take on this whole thing but more power does = more pics. As to the degree of degradation on the batteries as a result of rapid-charging, we'll see. It will be interesting to expiriment.

 

[jewell]

Okay, I bought a oylmpus 360l, my first digital camera, and someone on the general hardware board suggested that I get a set of Nimh batteries and charger, so I did except I bought the same set that Murphee had, the digipower 640 mAh, I do not plan on taking tons of pictures but was wondering should I keep this one or return it for a higher mAh..I am SOOO confused!! BTW I also got the ac adapter for downloading to the PC..

Shannon

 

[Maverick319]

Jewel, You have hit on a often overlooked point. You bought an AC adaptor. Nothing will drain your NiMH's FASTER than downloading photos to your computer on batteries. Buying a USB media reader is also a good way to save the batteries if the interface program that came with your camera sucks or is extremely SLOW.

As far as higher Maha, you will have to be the judge there. Are you going to take lots of photos in low light and use the flash? Will you be taking many photos and reviewing them at length on the LCD screen? (another high power waster, my DC280 has a powersave feature, shows the photo for a few seconds then goes black) I you answer yes to both questions, then it probably wouldn't hurt to go with the higher Maha.

Your options:

Keep what you have, since it is certainly capable

Buy a set of higher capacity NiMh's and see if there is a difference

Take the set you have back and order the complete charger, higher Maha batteries.


I hope this helps, I have tried to play Devil's Advocate for each scenario. Mav.

 

[FrankRizzo]

FWIW: I bought the Kodak charger from Outpost.com and it came with 4 of the 1600 mah batteries. Including free shipping for $39.95.

 

[Maverick319]

I like the Kodak batteries, hated the charger. Is the the huge fixed plug one or the slim, folding plug model?

 

[yellowperil]

Does anyone have a rating on the Outpost batteries? Says Digipower DPS1000, but other than that, nothing

 

[fxsts]

I think they are 1200's according to my quick brousing result on the web. I could be totally wrong as www.mizco.com does not even have DPS1000 listed.

On the other hand, Ni-MH batteries cannot be lower than 1200, can they? Well, I just ordered one earlier today just for a heck of it. (I have to admit that I love ordering cheap stuff like those CD-R's from Outpost.com. I hope they don't go out of business because of it.)

I will be receiving it tomorrow, so I will post the outcome as the first victim,

 

[StealthX32]

erm, I checked BJ's (local wholesale club), and they had a nice package. $24 gives you:

2 D-size NiMH
2 C-size NiMH
6 AA-size NiMH
2 AAA-size NiMH
1 rapid charger.

All for 24 bux...Don't think ya can beat that.

 

[jcballer1]

this seems to be a good deal, but does anyone have a deal for lithium-ion batteries??
i think those are the best ones, right?
thanks!

 

[fxsts]

I have just received the Outpost, $14.95 shipped overnight 4 AA batteries/charger kit. To my surprise, the kit is exactly the same as one of the kits which you can buy from Thomas Distributing (Digipower DPS-1000).

Outpost kit at Thomas Dist.

Those batteries are certainly not the greatest 1600mAH. However, they got 1350mAH which are much more than what I expected. $14.95 shipped overnight for four 1350mAH's and a charger is not bad,when many NiMH's still come with 1200mAH rating.

 

[attention]

jcballer1:
lithium-ion batteries are VERY complicated to maintain. It is so difficult, that around 80% of the replacables have a chip built in.

For instance the LiIon batteries for mobile phones have a small "battery management" chip included.

They can explode easily if not operated stictly within their operational limits.

fxsts:
cool find, could you include a link to your set on Onvia?
As we all new and Maverick319 himself suggested, Thomas Distributing is quite expensive, and yours is not only less $ but comes with free shipping!

 

[fxsts]

I am sorry that I typed Onvia instead of Outpost by mistake. The link came out to be very long, and I am a bit afraid of leaving a long link. I just give you the item #.

Search for the item# 53570 (Thanks, Redline) on [l]www.outpost.com[/l].

 

[Maverick319]

fxsts, nice find. I ordered a USB NIC from Outpost at 11:56 pm and received it the next day at 09:00 am. You can't beat this deal, especially for 15 bucks shipped. This thread really fostered some debate about batteries, and I think we all learned something, which is cool. The name of the game is to buy low and buy the best.

 

[fxsts]

Maverick319,

I agree. Thomas Distributing seems like a good place, and thank you for letting me know the place through your post.

Outpost is just amazing. You never have to put up with those waiting games with them. Also, the good thing is that their prices have come down quite a bit compared to how they were six months ago (ie. CPUs, memory, and etc.).

I have ordered those $9.95 50 packs CDR's a couple of times already, and everytime I did, I felt somewhat guilty doing it because I know that the free overnight shipping must have cost them more than the CDR's. I hope that they stay alive for sometime.