Better are available since 2005, "ready to use" or "Low Self Discharge" (short LSD) said NiMH batteries, such as Sanyo (now Panasonic) Eneloop or GP ReCyko +. These have after one year storage is still 90%, after 5 years still 70% remaining charge. In addition, the need no maintenance and do not destroy yourself.
Many buyers are the (wrong) opinion a 2500 mAh NiMH battery would automatically better than a 2000 mAh battery Ready Tourtouse. However, the more mAh NiMH battery has a, the higher the self-discharge!
A fully charged 2500 mAh NiMH is (in extreme cases) after 2 days have only 2000 mAh, after one month only 1000mAh, after two months only 500mAh and so on. If it is stored unused for long periods, so also there is a slow destruction of unwiderbringliche NiMH batteries. This is no longer achieved then loading its full capacity and the voltage drops rapidly along below a critical level, so that equipment off like digital camera after a few photos with a battery low warning or a flash unit always extremely long time required before again can be flashed. To avoid this destruction, the NiMH batteries either regularly (eg every couple of days) must be fully consumed or every few weeks repeatedly discharged and recharged during prolonged storage. So the charger must have a nursing program (Cycling or refresh). I had previously no such charger, so my Panasonic 2600 mAh NiMH batteries could be recharged after a few years only to a maximum of 1600 mAh and were after a few days of storage useless again.
Some users therefore rise of NiMH back around on alkaline batteries. For information on required maintenance of the NiMH batteries can be found then only in the small print. So barely keep the NiMH batteries, for example, in the most little-used (vacation) digital camera, by their self-discharge and self-destruct after a certain time. The average consumer buys then batteries with the highest mAh number it can find. As initially written, however, the higher the mAh rating, the longer the self-discharge. After an even shorter time no longer hold these batteries eventually. Then you climb yet again to on disposable alkaline batteries.
A current Ready to use battery with 2000 mAh does not require such care! It may be 5 years in the drawer and then still 70% of its original charge, then it can be charged to full 2000 mAh again. A NiMH would have already self-discharged and destroyed after 5 years of storage. Ready to use batteries are so easy to maintain as normal Alkaline batteries only recharged. Therefore particularly ideal for 99% of all applications: Computer keyboards and mice, multimedia player, Bluetooth speakers, toothbrushes, programmable radiator controller, digital camera, flash units, flashlights, children's toys, wall clocks, etc ...
Even with Ready Tourtouse batteries, the more mAh, the higher the self-discharge! That is why you should prefer the 2000 mAh battery 2500 mAh battery, in most cases, so you drive better, since, for example, a wireless mouse or keyboard to work much longer. Even a digital camera that is rarely used, will run longer. More mAh is not always better!
Advantage of the new Ready Tourtouse batteries to outdated NiMH batteries:
- Very low self-discharge
- No self-destruct after prolonged storage
- Hold the tension for a long time about critical value constant, thereby much more uptime than with NiMH rechargeable battery or alkaline battery
- Operate down to -20 ° C, where ordinary alkaline batteries fail long ago
- Are all normal NiMH battery with much more "mAh" in most cases vastly superior
- Low price: in food discounters are repeatedly 4x AA batteries Tourtouse Ready for 3.99 euros Available
As a professional, I recommend the Chargers Basetech BTL4, MAHA MH-C9000, MEC AV4m. Easier very good reliable chargers without detailed display but still with individual supervision would be the SwissCharger P2, Sanyo MQR06 or GP Power Bank H500.
Some personal experiences:
- Alkaline with conventional several years old 2700 mAh AA NiMH batteries or AA batteries brand new makes my old Kodak ZD710 digital camera just 10-20 photos before the "Battery empty" comes and the camera turns itself off. With the 6-8 year old 2000 mAh Eneloop but this digital camera makes almost 300 photos all with lightning! Only then comes the "Battery empty".
- My flash for Canon digital camera can be triggered with a few years old 2700 mAh NiMH batteries only every 12 seconds, with the 6-8 year old 2000 mAh Eneloop against every 2 seconds.
Simply enter times in Wikipedia "NiMH rechargeable battery with low self-discharge" or "Eneloop" For more information about LSD batteries.
Amazon has their own LSD batteries a nice table in the product description at the bottom:
The table can be seen that with 1900mAh LSD batteries 514 photos with alkaline batteries only 117 photos are also possible (with a few years old conventional NiMH batteries even less).