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Original material is licensed under a Creative Commons License permitting non-commercial sharing with attribution.
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It's not the power usage profile that matters, but the minimum voltage that's needed to operate. NiMH/NiCad rechargables have a nominal 1.2v charge, and they don't drop much until they're dead. Hybrid NiMH rechargables start out at 1.25v, and also run fairly consistent until they die. Alkalines start out somewhere above 1.3v and gradually lose voltage as you use them, eventually ending up well below the 1.2v offered by even the weakest rechargable. If you've got a device that won't work with less than 1.2v, then rechargables won't cut it at all, but if you've got something that was specifically tailored to run on slightly less than 1.2v, rechargables are a much better bet than even alkalines. And for something that uses a bare trickle of power (like a TV remote), the thing that really matters most is shelf discharge, since you'll probably lose more power from a NiMH/NiCad through that process than you'll actually use by pressing buttons on the remote.
02/13/09
02/13/09
Whoops, you're right (I was pretty tired when I typed that up).
Anyways, one other thing of note is that, with 9v batteries, you can actually get NiMH versions that are _more_ powerful than the alkaline equivalents. Alkaline 9v batteries are made by stacking 6x 1.5v cells (6x1.5=9). Typical rechargable 9v batteries were made by stacking 7x 1.2v cells, which only results in a weak 8.4v, but if you stack eight cells instead, you end up with a 9.6v "9v" battery, and the voltage doesn't drop much until it's depleted. I special-ordered several of them for use with LEGO constructions. I built a rather heavy, oversized monorail train a few years back, with a second battery box that powers cabin lights at both ends. Regular alkaline 9v batteries barely have enough power to make the lights visible through three layers of trans-red parts, and it'll just barely crest a ramp with a fresh battery. With a pair of 9.6v batteries installed, not only is the power significantly increased, but the batteries weigh a lot less, and the steady voltage level means I can keep it running at full speed, with lights, for a few hours instead of maybe 20 minutes without lights.
02/12/09
Even if they aren't plugged into any devices, if I don't use them after a month, they are empty.
My brother-in-law suggested the Sanyo Eneloop, and I would recommend them to anyone. Keeps their charge for a long time, and I've only had to charge them once so far, after having them plugged into my Rock Band guitar for 4 months of heavy use. The kit from Costco comes with some adapters to turn the AAs into Ds and Cs.
02/13/09
That's the problem with old-school NiMH and NiCad rechargables. They suffer from a high rate of "shelf discharge", which basically means the charge bleeds off pretty quickly even if you don't have them hooked up to anything. Eneloops and other hybrid NiMH batteries are designed to retain a high percentage of the original charge for at least a year, which is why they even go so far as to ship them precharged, which might be a first for any sort of rechargable battery (certainly for AAA/AA/C/D/9v batteries).
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A better test might be number of photos you can take with a point & shoot digital camera with the flash on.
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/threadjack
I like the # of photos test idea, my crusty ol' camera has a really fierce low-voltage cutoff. It'll barely even fire up for rechargeables, and if the batteries are even slightly cold, it won't come on at all.
What's the full-charge voltage for Eneloops?
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Or, is this just some kind of arbitrary run-time test...
Obviously it seems like the Durecell battery will last longer, but why? Is it running under-voltage etc?
Being a big lover of flashlights, especially LED versions that use 123 Lithiums etc these are all questions I tend to ask. Pretty much I want to know if the Energizer is running brighter for shorter vs dimmer for longer as any good LED flashlight will have a voltage regulation circuit in it...
02/12/09
In any case, lasting double the time on slightly less mA-hr is quite a feat.
02/12/09
It's an interesting arbitrary test, but we have no clue by what criteria you judged the review.♦
02/12/09
My favorite edc keychain flashlight is an Arc AAA, it has two illumination modes. One for normal battery output, and a low power mode (moonlight) for when the battery is drained. The battery will run for another few hours in moonlight mode, but it isn't really useful as a source of illumination at that point.
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These Duracells sound like hybrid NiMH, while the Energizers sound like old-school NiMH. It's not really a fair comparison. The testing method is also flawed, as I don't really care how long I can run a power-miser flashlight with them. I'm more concerned with high-drain devices, like a camera or cordless headphones. Back when I got my first pack of Eneloops, I tested them against the best Energizer had to offer at the time by running a stock original GBA with no game cart inserted. I don't remember the specific results, but the Eneloops spanked the Energizers soundly.