Rechargeable AA batteries - choice of chemistry? HR6.

NiCd batteries shouldn't be on sale to "consumers"

I gave up with rechargeable standard batteries ages ago. I have spent far more on them than I ever would on disposables.

It might be a charger thing. Going back years the chargers weren't "intelligent" and so you had to remove the cells once charged.

Cue "intelligent" chargers which (supposedly) cut off when a cell is charged. But then (as you say) you go to your drawer for a recharged cell ... and it's flat.

Finally you plug the cells into the charger and it insists one is faulty (despite only being used 10 maybe 15 times).

meanwhile, buying the odd pack of own brand disposables ... less hassle, less cost.

Panasonic/Eneloop and Fujitsu are good. Hold a charge for 12 months+. My electric toothbrush will go a month on disposable AA cells but gets increasingly feeble, so needs 2 lots a month. The rechargeable do a month easily. I keep an old 'dumb' charger for when the too-clever-for-its-own-good one balks - 5 min. dumb and clever will then work.

Buy modern AA NiMH rechargeable batteries with a long charged shelf life.

Some of the best I have ever had are IKEA's own brand LADDA 2450mAh NiMH AA cells and their cheap as chips VINNINGE USB dual charger.

The charger plugs into standard USB port and is only 220mA charge current per AA cell. It's not quick but is intelligent and it doesn't boil the bejesus out of the cells. I have a quick intelligent charger that has buggered quite a few cells.

The IKEA cells do have a capacity around the claimed level and I have some charged last January that are still ready to go.

I found that a lot of NiMH cells are a smidgeon bigger than Eneloop etc. In some applications they are just a bit too big to go in easily; in some cheap torches that take 3 AAA cells the cluster is a tight fit in and a near hammer job to get out.

Hard to find ni cads at all these days. Brian

Why not? I have actually seen them as battery packs though, but not singly. Brian

Alkaline if used a bit then charged a bit can be made to last an awfully long time. Brian

Hmm not convinced, the modern nickel metal hydrides do hold their charges, unlike the earlier ones which had a resistance so self discharged. Brian

EU Directive 2006/66

I mamged to buy some from CPC at the end of last year to replace ones in our village hall (19 year old) emergency lights. If I hadn't been able to, I'd have had to replace 3 fittings and 4 matching non-emergency ones.

Of course RS and similar sell them, but that isn't considered "consumer"

Entire LED emergency lights are only a couple of quid more than the replacement NiCd battery packs ...

These weren't just emergency lights - which I agree can be very cheap. These were nice looking fittings, some of which also contained an emergency facility.

That's not been my experience. Charging with the usual hour on hour off routine has resulted in some that are good, but many that are majorly substandard.

NT