Battery grip for a 400D

I'm thinking about buying the battery grip for the 400D. I would like this because I would prefer to run the camera from high capacity NiMH AA bats rather than the low capacity Li one.

Does anyone have any comments for or against the battery grip for a 400D? I know that it adds extra functionality for portraits pictures but can it be used with a tripod and does it feel solid when attached to the camera (or does it wobble a bit)?

Don't count on better battery life from AAs in the grip. The power curve of the batteries is important as well. There's a thread in the Compact Powershot forum about the A530/A540 getting very short battery life with some brands due to this.

I have the Opteka grip on my XT. Mounts just fine to a pod, don't really notice any wobble. Overall, the grip makes the camera feel better balanced, especially with a large lens on it. I have no first-hand experience with using the AA battery magazine, but everything I've read says to use it for emergencies only, you'll get much longer useage with the stock battery.