Rechargeable Batteries - Whats The Best?

Keith W

Keith W

Suspended / Banned
Messages
7,408
Edit My Images
Yes
Hi All,

I am looking into getting some rechargeable batteries for my flash and was wondering what were the best ones to get?

What do you use if any?

Any brands/types I should avoid?

Thanks in advance
 
I find 7 Day Shop's own brand 2800mA ones very good - and they're cheap and come in a plastic holder ;)
 
The general consenus (from the myriad of other threads asking the same question:D) is.......Eneloops :thumbs:
 
Eneloops and GP Recyko's are my preferred option. Both do exactly what they say on the tin, unlike most non-branded rechargeables I have tried.
 
It depends what you want to use them for.

Lots of power but really need to charge them before you use them, something like the 7dayshop 2800mAh.

Less power, but can leave them charged for ages, something like Eneloops or Hybrios.
 
blue max said:
The second link is dead Drew. Shame as I was looking for some too.

Graham
Click to expand...

both links work fine for me - if they don't work for you, type uniross 2700: charger with batteries £15 and a spare pack of 4 £8 :)

would like to add they're very instantly fast at refreshing a 1/1 full power flash on mine
 
Its a shame they not publish the cells current as well as there capacity as for a flash this would likely be far more important.
 
Zilog said:
Its a shame they not publish the cells current as well as there capacity as for a flash this would likely be far more important.
Click to expand...

The current draw is depended on the equiptment the batteries are used in and not on the batteries themselves.
 
AA cells tend to be pretty useless when it comes to there maximum current handling. This is why they do high current specific cells for cameras and the like. This is also why lithium batteries tend to last so much longer than a standard alkaline battery. NiMh is another such technology that does not like high current especially when cold. I would imagine something like a NiZn battery would actually be a much better option assuming the flash is rated to use them. I would not recommend fitting them if the manufacture does not specify them.
 
Eneloops were the first of the low discharge batteries, and they're still excellent. We couldn't get them in South Africa, and I used Uniross Hybrios which were fine. The technology is common enough now, and I'm sure there are other brands.

Pricing varies quite a lot and it's worth shopping around on the web. 7 day Shop is usually good, but it can be worth looking out for special offers.
 
Most standard 2700MaH batteries will retain less charge than LSD 2000-2100MaH (Eneloop/Recyko/Hybrio etc) batteries after just a few days of non-use. If you are happy to charge your batteries immediately before you use them go for good quality (NOT 7DayShop) 2700-2800MaH's. If you want batteries that you can install, forget about for weeks or months, and then still use, get LSD's.
 
I've been using fujicell 2800's and they last for ages and a about £7.00 for 4 a lot cheaper than eneloops -
 
Eneloops brought them off all the comments off here nice and cheap but the preform so well and last well in my ex430 mk11
 
I use Ansmann in my underwater strobes and I get about 200 shots from them on full power with a recycling time of 2-3 seconds... reliable
 
OK I admit I am getting confused by all this talk of 2800mA, 2000-2100MaH etc.

What exactly does all this mean? What should I be looking for when buying my rechargeable batteries? A higher or lower mA/MaH? (<--- whatevere that means :thinking:)

Many thanks in advance for any help, advice and guidance you can give me.
 
VERY simply put the Ah refers to how much power the battery can hold so the more the better.
 
Higher is better Keith, 2800 is a heap of power from a AA, that said these eneloops are ace for infrequent use.

The Eneloops keep a charge long, long after they are off charge.

I use 2000mAh and find it plenty for my needs.

The best advice I could give is not to use a fast charger, slow chargers are kinder to batteries.
 
Keith W said:
OK I admit I am getting confused by all this talk of 2800mA, 2000-2100MaH etc.

What exactly does all this mean? What should I be looking for when buying my rechargeable batteries? A higher or lower mA/MaH? (<--- whatevere that means :thinking:)

Many thanks in advance for any help, advice and guidance you can give me.
Click to expand...

basically if you had a torch that used 1Amp/1000ma when switched on, then it would give light for 1 hour if you put 1000mah batteries in it, if you then put 2000mah batteries in the same torch it would run for 2 hours, 3000 = 3 hours etc.


if you then put a bigger bulb in the torch 2Amp/2000ma it would only run for 30mins with 1000Mah or 1hour with 2000mah batteries.


so with a flash the higher the rating (mah) of the batteries the quicker the flash should recharge and the more flashes you will get. Unfortunately in the real world this is not always the case.
 
If you ae willing to charge your batteries immediately before using the flash then buy good quality 2700-2800MaH batteries. These will provide more flashes.

If you are not willing to charge the batteries before every use buy Sanyo Eneloops, GP Recyko or other "pre-charged" / "LSD" batteries.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top