Nimh batteries? Eneloop?

So I hear Sanyo Eneloops are the best NiMh AAs on the market right now for flashes?

I'm about to buy some (an 8 pack) but I'm wondering if it makes a difference to use a SANYO kit charger or some other brand?

I've got a Canon battery charger - can I save some money here?

Thanks!

I have two chargers: cheap Kodak and cheap Pearstone. They work fine with my 3 kinds of batteries: Kodak (2100 mAH), Pearstone (2900 mAh), Energizer (2450 mAh). You can use any charger you want. The Pearstone charger at least tells me when the batteries are charged and then stops zapping them.

I usually charge with both chargers, then when the batteries in the Pearstone are charged, I switch the other batteries into it because of its indicator LEDs.

Sanyo eneloops are 2100 mAh, right? Even if the Energizer lose 10% right out of the charger, maybe they still have more to give than eneloops. Anyways, I'm not sold on following the herd with eneloops. I think almost all name brand batteries are made in the same factory outside of Shanghai.

Maha C-9000 is a great charger. Enloops are good, slightly lower capacity than PowerEx but they don't self discharge as much so they're better for some people. Personally I charge my batteries the day before each wedding so it doesn't matter to me.

+1 on what Tim says... I have had great luck with the PowerEX's and the c-9000 charger.

+1 from me too - the Powerex C-9000 and the AA 2700mAh batteries are great.

Yeah, but why would you pay $50 for a charger when a $12 one works great as well?

+1 on the Maha C-9000 and I've had good luck with the MAHA IMEDION AA 2100 mAh Rechargeable Batteries.

Ken

40Dude6aedyk wrote in post #7241866
Yeah, but why would you pay $50 for a charger when a $12 one works great as well?

The C-9000 is smart, it won't overcharge your batteries and will help keep them in good condition. It has break-in, refresh, and other cycles. The Lacrosse is meant to be decent and a bit cheaper too, it's linked from the Amazon page I linked to above.

I've had great luck with the Eneloops. I got them at Costco and they came with a charger. I do have a couple of Energizer chargers that are gigantic and heavy...also hard to get the batteries into because they have to be "fanned out" like a peacock's feathers. I haven't tried charging the 'loops in the 'gizer charger or vice-versa. Only complaint about Eneloops is they seem to go full blast and then give out all at once. But they do last a long time, even if I don't use them.

I've used energizer 2500mah batteries for a long time, with duracell 15 minute quick charger, and have had good luck so far. Just bought three sets of powerex 2700mah because I've read lots of positive reviews about them, and they seem to be good too.

That does seem nice, bu sorry, I'm skeptical. I can buy 12 more batteries with the money saved by getting a different charger. Or 8 more batteries and 2 more chargers.

I admit I've only had my Kodak cheap-o's + charger for 6 months now. How long are NiMH supposed to last? I think I'm expecting 10 years or more.

as i recently learned, not all rechargeable batteries are the same size i have some Eneloop, Duracell and generics that are all slightly different diameters, and each set sits in my flashes differently. check to make sure the eneloops fit in your battery carriage properly!

form wrote in post #7242122
I've used energizer 2500mah batteries for a long time, with duracell 15 minute quick charger, and have had good luck so far. Just bought three sets of powerex 2700mah because I've read lots of positive reviews about them, and they seem to be good too.

Don't waste your time buying good batteries if you're using a dumb charger than pumps power in as quickly as it possibly can.

40Dude6aedyk wrote in post #7241866
Yeah, but why would you pay $50 for a charger when a $12 one works great as well?

Oh dear! So you use Cactus trigger, too?

Answer: they are sigificantly different devices and one saves much more than its cost within a year. It removes the need to throw out low-performing batteries by adding years to their high-level life.

tim wrote in post #7242459
Don't waste your time buying good batteries if you're using a dumb charger than pumps power in as quickly as it possibly can.

Very good point. I use the eneloops with the lacross charger. Mine take a good 3-5 hours to charge. Those 15 min chargers are just too fast for good performance.

I found that after several cycles a refresh helps the capacity of the batteries. I rotate through 4 sets and have yet to get caught off guard after a year. I know a guy that uses a rapid charger on some sanyo 2700s and they dump in a quarter of the time that mine do and recycle times are much slower.