Rechargable batteries for flash

I am always amazed....here I go again, thinking this was gonna just be simple shopping!
I want to order some rechargeable batteries for my 550EX flash. Went to a couple of websites (including sterlingtek.com and B&H).
Here's the question--what do I get? There are so many variables...I thought this was gonna be easy!
That is, I "think" I know to get the NiMH batteries (AA), but what about the mAh? I don't even know what that means or designates. Is a higher number better/more desirable? Is there any possibility of damage to the flash with a high or low number? I've seen them from 850 up to 2900.
Any recommendations?

Sanyo Eneloops. I got mine at Wal Mart surprisingly. They're low discharge and are supposed to hold 85% of their charge for up to a year with no use. They're much certainly better than my regular NiMH batteries. I was shooting in <40 degree weather and my regular rechargables died in less than half an hour when my Eneloops kept on rolling.

i've seen a few posts about eneloops being good. i bought the Pear 2900 Nimh from B&H. $20 for 4 batteries and includes the charger. seem to last a long time -over 250 variable power pops from my 580 this past weekend and still had some juice left..

Wal Mart and Best Buy have Duracell Hybrids that are like the enelopes. My 580 EX II recycles faster on these than it did on my old 2700mahs or my enelopes, so Ive purchased the duracell to replace my others.

I picked up 8 Eneloop 2000mAh and a MAHA 401FS charger at Thomas Distributing just recently. The batteries were $8.77 for 4 and the charger was $39.97. I wanted a slow charger (longer battery life) and the MAHA comes highly recommend. I went with the Eneloops because they hold their charge much longer when not in use. Gave up some power and flashes per charge...but think it was a good tradeoff.S o far so good.

Go for the Eneloops, they are a terrific value.

Refer to this thread for a rather lengthy discussion of batteries & chargers:

HERE


-Mike

I use Lenmar 2300mah batteries. 2 sets of Lenmars lasted about 500-600 flash shots with a 580 EX II flash.

Lotsa votes so far for the Eneloops! From this thread and the "older" one that's referenced. The main thing seems to be how they hold their charge. Funny...I've never heard of them before. I woulda just gone out and gotten some generic rechargeables at a drug store or something, I suppose.
I just want to be sure that I get something that lasts a long time AND gives me a quick recycle time with my flash. (Power, flashes per charge, quick recycling....that's what I'm looking for.)
Am I correct in assuming the higher mah rating would be good for that fast recycling feature?

I wish I knew more about this....it's a blind item for me. So, thanks for all the experience and recommendations so far!

Still confused about one thing---what are the performance differences with respect to the flash (recycling time, power) of the different rated batteries. That is, does it matter if the battery is 2000 or 2700mAh? Or is that more a designation regarding the charge capacity of the battery?
In other words, if I want quick recycling time with my Canon flash, is there a recommended rechargeable flash? Recharging is not an issue for me...I rarely shoot over 50-100 flash shots at a time. I'm not an "event photographer."

Another vote for the eneloops or go with Powerex Imedions or 2700s.

Sanyo Eneloops and a Maha charger. Doesnt get any better than that

The higher the mAh the more juice you can load into the battery, so the more use you get from it.

The trade off is that the high mAh cells don't recharge as often as the lower mAh ones, before they are time-X . But to be honest with what these things cost I don't worry about it.

They get awful hot charging, especially with a high speed charger though....I make sure I am in the room when the charger is running.

If you're going to get Sanyo Eneloops, i'd recommend you get them at Costco (if you have a card). I remember seeing them for pretty cheap there.

If only amazon still had them on special. They were 8 AAs for 14.95.