On Wed, 01 Oct 2008 21:41:22 -0400, wrote:

rechargeables are for frequent-use items(due to self-discharge rates)

Not any more. Revised NIMH technology puts a premium on low self
discharge.

Depends. While they're great for low consumption devices like remote
controls or bluetooth peripherals, I wouldn't trust low discharge
NIMH batteries for very infrequently used items like emergency flashlights.