Geocaching Australia

I'm off to buy some rechargable batteries specifically for use in my GPS (triton 1500 and occasionally extrex H). Im after something that on long hikes with continual running I won't have to change every hour like I have to currently. What should I be looking for? is there a brand or type to steer clear of? is the size of the mAh rating the be all and end all or is there a case where perhaps a smaller rating may be better?

At the moment I'm just using Energizer NiMH AA rechargables with 2450 mAh rating. Can't say I've noticed they're better or worse than others, but with the backlight turned off they last all day long while bushwalking with power to spare. I still always carry spares in the backpack though.

I am a big fan of Eneloop and similar Ready-to-use rechargeables. They have smaller mAh ratings but don't self discharge in a month like standard NiMH batteries.

(Old thread about Eneloops)

Watch out with the mAh ratings when dealing with off brand battery makes or small suppliers (eg Ebay sellers). The mAh rating is printed on the battery often has no bearing on what the actual capacity is . I have heard when ordering bulk quantities of batteries from the manufacturer you get asked separately "what capacity would you like?" and "what capacity do you want printed on them?".

Here is one story about some eBay specials.

cantanga wrote: is there a brand or type to steer clear of?

Steer clear of Rechargeable Alkaline Manganese batteries. Brands include RAM and Grandcell.

Hi Cantanga,
Ideally stick with the mAh rating, the higher the better. In my house we're on the Energizer Nickel Metal Hydride, much, much better than the old Nicad cells. The only downside is that you should charge the batteries as soon as they go flat to avoid the old 'box full of flat recharge batts and nothing to use' scenario. After several disappointments like this, my younger son Jeremy is now well practiced with swapping over old for new as we go.
The Energizer ones should hold a charge for a few months (6 on the pack). Also, make sure if you get a charger separately you get one that does NiMh batteries to avoid 'complications'!

The Enerloop recharge cells have a good reputation with photographers so are fine too.
best wishes,
Wal

We recently went the Eneloop way, and they work really well especially after sitting in the caching bag for a couple of weeks.

One thing we did find is that the Eneloop charger has breathed new life into some of our old NiMH (energizer, Dick Smith, varta) batteries.

Watch out for the old varta-charge-in-15-minutes trick. It gives you nice quick batch of charged batteries, but their life is woeful. The Eneloop charger seems to take about 14 hours, but it is woth it.

Thanks everyone. It seems that even after 3-4 years since the last battey thread that the eneloops are still the favourites so I might get some of them and give them a go.

We've been selling a variety of brands of rechargeable batteries for a number of years up until around 18 months ago. After trying a batch of Eneloops we have dumped all other brands. We are absolutely rapt with Eneloops. They work well. Have never failed and are backed up by a very knowledgeable company.

I've been using them in my gpsr's and a variety of other "toys" for quite a while and wouldn't waste my time trying anything else.

You can't go wrong with them. There are a variety of packages available. Have a look for a pack with 4xAA cells, a charger with a small lcd screen and 12/240/usb charger leads. Retail price is around $60. Make sure the charger included charges at least 2 or 4 cells rather than only 4 at a time. A pack of 4 extra batteries is about $20.

I used Energizer, Duracell and the like in rechargable batteries, but I get better performance and life out of the cheaper PowerTech batteries from Jaycar.

I also use a PowerEx charger, and it has been fantastic.

http://protog.com.au/maha-powerex-mhc90 ... -p-52.html

I've been happy with the Varta AA batteries and the charger that does four at a time. They seem to last about 10 hours in the Garmin 60CSX. That said, I always have two in the GPSr and four in reserve when out. Nothing worse than running out of power a mere 50m from a cache!

Would be interested in the Eneloops though, have never heard of them.