A while ago I decided to go green and possibly save some money by switching to rechargeable batteries. I went to Best Buy and bought a bunch of Energizer NiMH batteries and their do-all charger. After a few months I am becoming very frustrated. I am an engineering type and used to do a lot with vehicle (motorcycle mainly) charging systems so I understand a little about the associated electronics so I can deal with a little tech speak. My first symptom I found was I had put 4 Ds in my trucks Maglite and a month or so later when I went to use it the thing was dead as a doornail. I know all batteries have a normal charge decay rate and the fact that my truck gets very hot every day sitting in the sun didn’t help matters. So I quickly determined that normal NiMH batters suck at retention. For this reason I reverted several devices like emergency flashlights, smoke detectors, and anything that was low infrequent use to alkaline. After some other problem I decided to research it today and found that my suspicions were correct but I also found that there is a new technology called LSD. But before I go buying a whole new set of batteries I was wondering how much better this technology is and if it’s worth it. I mean I got old flashlights that have sat for years and still work, it would be nice if a rechargeable could do the same. Also if it is worth it what is a good brand? I hear the new DuraCells are LSDs, how are they?

Next symptom was my charger. I specifically got this charger because it did all types and had a top-off mode that advertised that it would keep my batteries in ready to use condition. Yeah, right. My AA mouse batteries die much faster than the alkaline batteries (I’m guessing 10 to 1) and when I grab a fresh set of the charger I get about 5 minutes of use. But if I charge them for several hours I get a couple weeks of use out of them. Now I don’t know what’s going on here but I suspect that one of the problems is that this charger’s ‘smart’ circuit isn’t so intelligent. Also it charges AAs in pairs which would impede its ability to detect a bad battery. I also found that the memory is still a problem and this charger doesn’t have a discharge/renew option. So do you think I need a new charger? And if so what would you recommend? I use AA/AAA/C/D/9V batteries. I’m hoping I could find one that does a better job of detecting bad batteries and charges individually instead of pairs. And of course I want them to always be fully charged. Oh, also are there any that are not ‘vampires’? IOW ones where they stop drawing current from the wall when they aren’t doing anything?

Finally I was wondering if you have a white paper or something detailing how to test small batteries. For instance on car/MC batteries we would fully charge them, let them sit about an hour to settle, then measure voltage. If it wasn’t 12.8 it was toast for a non-sealed LA. And of course one could load test them with a tester but 99% of the time the recharge test worked adequately. I have a couple of AA NiMH batteries that when my mouse dies measure 0.1V or less and when recharged only bout 1.2V. Even though 1.2V is nominal for NiMH I’m thinking it should be more and some are more like 1.4V. So if I could test them individually that would help a lot. Also if you have some testers that are not too expensive that do more than a volt meter I would be interested.

Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions.

Cory

Hi,

I have a question I can’t find an answer for anywhere.  Is there anything I shouldn’t use rechargeable batteries for?

Years ago when I first bought a charger I vaguely recall reading about some uses that were not so great for rechargeables.  Currently I have a charger (good for AA & AAA) and batteries which we use for MP3 players and a camera, but not for clocks, remote controls, and other small, not very often used electronic devices.  

Thanks,

Becky

Hi Dave,

It is hard to calculate the recharge cycles on a NiMH battery because there are so many variables. You can count on many hundreds if you use the battery regularly. The worst thing that folks do as far as battery life is concerned is to either grossly overcharge them with a dumb charger that cannot tell when the battery is full and just “cooks” the battery or to not use it at all and store it long term.

Rechargeable batteries will not last forever but you will rarely if ever find an actual expiration date. That is why we only carry batteries from suppliers that we know have a fast turnaround time and are certain that their batteries have not been sitting on a warehouse for a long time.

All our products are fully guaranteed for 30 days and if you are not satisfied for any reason you can return them for a refund or exchange. In addition we have a year performance warranty on all our products.

Thanks for shopping at greenbatteries.com!

Sincerely,

Curtis

Responsible Energy Corporation
Curtis Randolph - CEO
16157 Galena Meadows Drive

Reno, NV 89511

direct 775-852-3883

toll free 800-790-7866

fax 815-301-3958
cell 775-722-9901
www.greenbatteries.com

www.portablebatteries.com

Hello Curtis,

I am looking to purchase your Greenbatteries brand batteries in aa, aaa, and d cell sizes.  How many recharge cycles will these batteries withstand?

Thanks,
Dave.

Hi Ed,

What a good idea to add this to our blog. Consider it done. Your responses are below. The ULSD batteries are expected to be back in stock in the next 7-10 days. Sorry, I did not order enough last time.

Sincerely,

Curtis

Responsible Energy Corporation
Curtis Randolph - CEO
16157 Galena Meadows Drive

Reno, NV 89511

direct 775-852-3883

toll free 800-790-7866

fax 815-301-3958
cell 775-722-9901
www.greenbatteries.com

www.portablebatteries.com

Hi Curtis,

I am trying to order some of the GreenBatteries brand Ultra Low Self Discharge AAA NiMH 800mAh units, but it won't let me add them to the cart, claiming that "The item is not currently available. Please check back later."  Can you please tell me when you expect to have these batteries available?[Curtis Randolph]  approx. 7-10 days

While I'm at it, I wouldn't mind a little advice if you have the time.  I'm looking to purchase these batteries for use in a 4-bulb LED headlamp from Petzl.  Each headlamp uses 3 AAA batteries.  I saw one post in your blog that talks about rechargeable batteries often having a hard time fitting into flashlights due to the tight fit, but that this can be remedied by removing the PVC casing.  I am willing to do that in order to use rechargeables in these headlamps, but I'm curious if there are any safety issues in doing so.[Curtis Randolph]  no this is perfectly safe

Also, I have noticed that the headlamps (obviously) have a much brighter output when the alkaline batteries are brand new.  I assume I should expect to see a slightly lower light initial output from the headlamps when using the recharbeables, but the light output should be more consistent over the life of the batteries (or battery charge to be more accurate), due to the more constant drain rate.  Is this a correct understanding/assumption?[Curtis Randolph] yes this is right on target

Finally, I use these headlamps infrequently (often-times it's months between uses), but when I do use them, I use them a lot (heavily, every night, for a week or two straight).  I would prefer to leave a set of batteries in the headlamps at all times for emergency use, so I assume this is a good application for using the ULSD batteries.  Again, does this seem like a good choice?[Curtis Randolph]  yes this is a great application for this type of battery

Thanks for putting together such a great site with clear, concise information.  Perhaps you could add an entry to your blog dealing specifically with the use of rechargeables in flashlights?[Curtis Randolph]  oh OK if you insist. ;-)

Sincerely,

- Ed Ditlefsen -

Hi Bob,

You can almost always do that because chargers typically will either charge the batteries individually or in pairs. Charging one battery at a time is only possible if your charger handles the batteries individually. Look at how many LED’s are on the charger – normally there is one LED for each charge circuit.

Hope that helps.

Sincerely,

Curtis

Hi Joshua,

Thanks for the updated information from Duracell. I’ll change the verbiage to my site to reflect that generally manufacturers do not recommend an indefinite trickle charge. People have always done it anyway for convenience and although constant trickle wears out the batteries slightly the batteries are actually losing a little bit capacity just sitting on a shelf anyway and this way they are always ready to use when you need them.

Sincerely,

Curtis

On your website in the battery info section on trickle charging NiMH, you state that trickle charging is not recommended by battery manufacturers.  However, duracell recommends trickle charging at a rate of C/300 on their website as seen here: http://www.duracell.com/oem/rechargeable/Nickel/methods.asp.  You should update your website with correct information.