Finally getting some Eneloops, but will my old charger work?

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jdramirez

jdramirez

May 31, 2011
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#1
So I bought this set of rechargeable batteries last year -

http://www.hhgregg.com/energizer-nimh-aa-and-nimh-aaa-battery-charger/item/CHVCMWB4

and they worked more than well enough in my 430 ex ii and my 580 ex ii. But they are finally not holding much of a charge and I know it is time to move into the big leagues with Eneloop.

I'm cheap... I know it... and while I have a ton of cash invested in gear, if I can save $4 by not having to buy an Eneloop branded recharging station, that is exactly what I will do.

So will there be a performance drop off? Will the voltage overheat the batteries and reduce their lifespan? Should I just bite the bullet and not worry so much about $4?

Thanks a bunch.
 
#2
jdramirez said:
So I bought this set of rechargeable batteries last year -

http://www.hhgregg.com/energizer-nimh-aa-and-nimh-aaa-battery-charger/item/CHVCMWB4

and they worked more than well enough in my 430 ex ii and my 580 ex ii. But they are finally not holding much of a charge and I know it is time to move into the big leagues with Eneloop.

I'm cheap... I know it... and while I have a ton of cash invested in gear, if I can save $4 by not having to buy an Eneloop branded recharging station, that is exactly what I will do.

So will there be a performance drop off? Will the voltage overheat the batteries and reduce their lifespan? Should I just bite the bullet and not worry so much about $4?

Thanks a bunch.
Click to expand...

I have about eighty eneloops and about eighty other various nimh batteries, I have about eight different chargers none of them enelopp and I have never had any issues charging them in whatever charger is available.
 
Upvote 0
#3
Janbo Makimbo said:
jdramirez said:
So I bought this set of rechargeable batteries last year -

http://www.hhgregg.com/energizer-nimh-aa-and-nimh-aaa-battery-charger/item/CHVCMWB4

and they worked more than well enough in my 430 ex ii and my 580 ex ii. But they are finally not holding much of a charge and I know it is time to move into the big leagues with Eneloop.

I'm cheap... I know it... and while I have a ton of cash invested in gear, if I can save $4 by not having to buy an Eneloop branded recharging station, that is exactly what I will do.

So will there be a performance drop off? Will the voltage overheat the batteries and reduce their lifespan? Should I just bite the bullet and not worry so much about $4?

Thanks a bunch.
Click to expand...

I have about eighty eneloops and about eighty other various nimh batteries, I have about eight different chargers none of them enelopp and I have never had any issues charging them in whatever charger is available.
Click to expand...

Awesome to hear. Sign me up for an 8 pack.
 
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#7
Eli452 has it right. Rule of thumb: charge current is about a third or a quarter (opinions very) of the capacity. 500-700mAh is good for your Eneloops. I use a cheap La Crosse BC700, there's a few rebranded versions out there too. Not the best charger in the world though, you might want to spend a little more for convenience.
 
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#8
I use the European version of the La Crosse charger (Technoline BL-700).

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Technoline-Intelligent-battery-charger-Version/dp/B003S4JQS2

The main benefit is that it has separate charging circuits for each battery so it ensures each battery is charged to full capacity - no more, no less. You can also set the charge current for each battery at 200mA, 500mA or 700mA (low is healthier for the battery but slower).

If required, it can also discharge before recharging, and to revive the capacity of old batteries, it can do the discharge / charge cycle repeatedly until it detects that the battery has reached its maximum capacity.
 
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#12
I had an Energiser charger and had been using it to charge my Eneloop XX batteries. It all appeared to me to work well but I purchased the charger below just because I read good things about it online.

http://www.mahaenergy.com/mh-c9000/

Well what a difference, using the C9000 improved capacity lost, my batteries last ~20% longer now. The eneloop XX's were not very old which leads me to believe the Energiser charger was robbing them of capacity.

If you have rechargeable batteries, this charger is a no brainer.
 
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#13
Dear Jdramirez.
Last years, I am very luck to buy 4 packs of Eneloops( 1 pack = 8 Batteries) from closed( Bankrupted) Ritz camera stores---The Reg. Price = $ 24.99 Per pack of 8 AA., Finial Sales price =$ 6.25( at 25% of original cost), and use my Old Chargers---Out put from 200 mA ( the slowest charger-over night) to out put 1500 mA super Fast Charger.
Yes , When I have the time, I use slow charger, But When I am in hurry, I use the fast charger.
So far, It work great for the Awesome Eneloops.
Nice to talk to you.
Surapon
PS. I buy the Sandwich Plastic Box = $ 1.00 US Dollar from Walmart to keep my Eneloops, and use the rubber strip to separated between them.
 

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#14
I had an Energiser charger and had been using it to charge my Eneloop XX batteries. It all appeared to me to work well but I purchased the charger below just because I read good things about it online.

http://www.mahaenergy.com/mh-c9000/

Well what a difference, using the C9000 improved capacity lost, my batteries last ~20% longer now. The eneloop XX's were not very old which leads me to believe the Energiser charger was robbing them of capacity.

If you have rechargeable batteries, this charger is a no brainer.
Click to expand...

+1 to this. i have something similar that allows for more control over the charging process and it increases the life and performance of my rechargeable batteries. its worth it to spend a couple extra bucks now as it will save you alot of money in the long term. a high end charger can even rescue a seemingly dead set of batteries.

dont cheap out on a charger.
 
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#15
Recommended chargers:
The Maha 9000, c801d, c808m
The AV4m, the LaCrosse 700/1000 (different countries-different names; I know them as Technoline)
The MEC AP8.
Important for suvivi g/good charging: a good cutoff at the end of charging; with delta peak cutoff and temeprature control not to overheat.
My first, not cheap, Ansmann Energy 8 killed several cells. Costed my some energy to realize it is expensive crap.
 
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#17
I've seen Eneloop themselves state that you can use any reputable charger without issue. I understand that everyone has gear budgets but in the big scheme of things, an investment of $4 which will last you many years can't be considered outrageous. The old sales ploy of "costing pennies a day" would actually be very appropriate for this expenditure.
I too many years ago started with energizer and quickly realized they didn't cut it. They had no shelf life and I didn't have the time to charge up sets before heading out for a day. When I went to eneloop I dumped the energizer charger along with the batteries. I admit I don't have the expertise that some here do with using different brands and knowing much about charging rates but such a small expense means you don't have to worry or think about it. Enjoy the eneloops.
 
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#18
neuroanatomist said:
cocopop05 said:
http://www.mahaenergy.com/mh-c9000/

If you have rechargeable batteries, this charger is a no brainer.
Click to expand...

If you have eneloops, how is this ~$60 charger better than the ~$6 charger from Sanyo?
Click to expand...

depends on your usage i guess if you would see a difference in performance over time.

i have sets of powerex batteries that i killed over time due to the amount of usage they got. even rechargeables dont last forever. the maha charger i have has multiple charge modes that allow for quick charge, slow charge (better for long term health of the batteries), and a refresh charge that can actually improve the performance of older sluggish batteries. a standard charger may not offer these extra features.

the 60.00 higher end chargers can increase the life and performance of your batteries. they can prevent you from having to spend on additional batteries over time at a clip of 30-40.00 per set. my charger has saved me a ton of money.

but again...it depends on your usage. i use my batteries heavily and have seen the difference of charging modes 1st hand.
 
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#19
A timely topic for me!

I had a shoot in the Columbia River Gorge on Wednesday that would need some portable lighting. The hike to the photo spot is a bit tricky, so I decided to take a speedlight instead of my usual Alien Bee w/battery pack, umbrella and stand. The amount of light was fine as you can see in the test shot below...

p1912798086-4.jpg


Unfortunately, my rate of fire was a bit limited with the YN568EX. I was only using 1/4 power (on manual) but I was shooting about one shot every second or two and exceeded the recycle speed. So I lost about one of every three or four shots when the flash didn't fire.

I haven't been a big speedlight user, so I've just been using disposable alkalines purchased in large quantities at Costco.

Some research on the net tells me that speedlights will cycle faster with Eneloop type batteries, so I'm making the switch to Eneloops with a Maha 8 circuit charger. Adorama and B&H had the best price on the C801d model, which has lots of good reviews on the net, including one by a Strobist contributor that was pretty convincing.

I'm anxious to try out the Eneloops and see just how much faster they can make my speedlight cycle.
 
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