Storing Part Used Batteries

ed110220

Leif wrote: »

What Norman Castle said. It is much cheaper, and better for the environment, to use rechargeable batteries. The best are known as Low Self Discharge, which basically means they keep their charge for years. Eneloops are arguably the best. Panasonic Infiniums (now called Evolta apparently) are good too. You can get them cheap from many online stores, including 7DayShop. Avoid cheapo rechargeables. And do not buy on ebay, as fakes are commonplace. Also do not buy high capacity rechargeable batteries, they discharge over a few months. You don't need an expensive charger either.

I'd second that. The new precharged batteries like Sanyo Eneloops or GP Recyko are very good and keep their charge for a long time even if left unused unlike previous generation batteries.

Roman1_2

Many thanks for all the answers. I will probably try the rechargeable route now. Has anyone bought a charger and AA batteries from Amazon. If so, which brand is best? Thanks.

Leif

Roman1 wrote: »

Many thanks for all the answers. I will probably try the rechargeable route now. Has anyone bought a charger and AA batteries from Amazon. If so, which brand is best? Thanks.

Buy batteries such as Panasonic Evolta, Sanyo Eneloop or GP Recyko, and the charger that comes with them. This looks a good deal:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sanyo-MQN04-HR-3UTGA-Battery-Pack/dp/B004AP5X2Q/ref=sr_1_21?ie=UTF8&qid=1350458723&sr=8-21

The charger will be very basic, probably quite slow, but fine for overnight use. Avoid fast chargers (1 hour) as they damage batteries.

TimBuckTeeth

It is not money saving by buying cheap batteries that leak and damage the equipment they are used in.
Never buy zinc chloride batteries, the chemical reaction corrodes the outer case and they invariably leak when flat.
Good quality alkaline batteries last much longer and are much less likely to leak. There are a lot of fakes about so don't buy too cheap and from a reputable seller.
Used batteries should be kept in sets, eg. 2 from a remote control together in a bag, and not mixed with others or different brands as when used again differing charge levels can cause reverse charging and leaking.

Norman_Castle

I've got two of these http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sony-Compact-Charger-2000mAh-Batteries/dp/B000VIA8UI/ref=sr_1_6?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1350464183&sr=1-6 . Approx 7 hours for AA or AAA batteries. It also charges single batteries which many don't.

Roman1_2

Thanks for the new replies. I will probably go for one of the deals on Amazon. Never used rechargeable batteries before so, stupid question I know, but can the chargers recharge any brand of rechargeable battery or are they tied to one make?

AlwaysSomething

Another vote for rechargeables - much cheaper to run. A brand not mentioned so far is Uniross Hybrio. These are low self discharge, though I'm not particularly recommending them over Eneloops.

Norman_Castle

The chargers work on any make but unless stated only work on one type. Most modern rechargeable batteries are Ni-MH. I use the above mentioned Uniross Hybrios. They're good. They can be a bit cheaper but can also be slightly lower capacity.

Leif

Norman_Castle wrote: »

I've got two of these http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sony-Compact-Charger-2000mAh-Batteries/dp/B000VIA8UI/ref=sr_1_6?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1350464183&sr=1-6 . Approx 7 hours for AA or AAA batteries. It also charges single batteries which many don't.

That is a good deal, and you are right, most cheap chargers only charge pairs of cells.

JimmyTheWig

I've always found that rechargeable batteries don't give a full 1.5V. And they run out really quickly.