"Kevin" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 7 Nov 2009 07:37:06 -0600, "Leon"

wrote:


"Kevin" wrote in message

There are "low self-discharge" NiMH batteries, most commonly
under the
name "eneloop" by Sanyo. They give up some capacity but they
hold
their charge very well, so in typical usage they last much
longer. I
use them in one of my cameras and my flash which doesn't get
used
often. They are the only AA rechargables I will use now. The
camera
that runs on the AAs will hang around on that middle battery
status
for a good while.


Just so you know, I am not trying to butt heads with you. OK.
;~)
And just so you know, I am not doubting any thing you are saying
here.
The NiMh batteries that I have/had been using were PowerX brand,
with a 2700
mAh capacity. They are currently a couple of years old. Thay
never held
a charge for many days at all if they had been used after
charging. Once
used they would last for 100 + shots but the following day they
would be
dead. I use a Maha charger and always had an extra set in the
charger. The
first 2 sets that I purchased back around 2002 lasted about 5
years.

Give the eneloops a try next time, some info from the
manufacturer:

http://www.eneloop.info/home/why-ene...discharge.html

I go months between recharges, and I have a backup set that is
sitting
around since the last battery change. These two sets have been
in
rotation since Jan 2006. If I have an important event I will do
a
discharge/recharge cycle on a set the day before just to be
sure, old
habits, but for the most part it's not something I even have to
think
about.

Last fall, I purchased a DeWalt 36 volt drill set, and it included
2 batteries and a "smart" recharger. The batteries were Lithium
Ion and the smart recharger's instructions said to leave the spare
battery in the charger and the charger would take care of
everything, including "conditioning." The drill was incredible
and would almost twist your arm off if it got stuck.

The odd thing was that as a (now) homeowner, I almost never ran
the battery down. The spare battery was switched out perhaps once
every couple months and the drill seemed to almost be the equal of
a corded one. It served the purpose I got it for well, but after
I had an older DeWalt 18v repaired and got new XL batteries for
it, I gave the 36v one to my son, who can get more use out of it.
FWIW, they really seem to have their act together, IMHO.

--
Nonny

You cannot make a stupid kid smart by
handing him a diploma. Schools need standards
to measure the amount of education actually
absorbed by children. Don't sacrifice the smart
kids to make the dumb ones feel good about themselves.