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Ian Jenkins  

The truth about NiMH Batteries


First off, NiMH are great for most power hungry devices, but you should NOT use NiMH batteries in:
  1. 1. Emergency Devices (smoke alarms, emergency flashlight batteries, etc.)
  2. 2. Slow drain devices like clocks
This is because NiMH devices drain much quicker than Alkaline batteries. Don't expect to charge once and then use the batteries a couple of months later; they will have discharged. Another note is that NiMH batteries operate at 1.2 volts, while Alkalines are 1.5 volts. This isn't a problem for MOST devices, even ones that say "designed for Alkaline", but some things, such as clocks, simply will not work well with 1.2 volt NiMH batteries, and you should still use Alkaline in any device that doesn't behave correctly after NiMH batteries are used.

1. There are only a few factories that make NiMH batteries, and they then label and sell them to various companies. The only reason you'd pay a higher price for some batteries is for the brand name.

2. What about mAh ratings? The answer lies in how batteries are rated at the factory. Once a battery comes off the line, it goes through a process similar to that of computer processors and other electronic devices, known as "binning". During this process the batteries are tested ONE TIME according to their resistance, and classified as between 2000mAh and 2500mAh (the maximum advertised rate currently available). The problem with this rating system is that resistance does not mean the same thing as the capacity to hold a charge, and is not a very good indicator of actual battery performance. The result is that a 2000mAh Unknown brand battery could perform just as well or even better than a 2500mAh Energizer, Duracell or Rayovac, for instance.

3."But what about the battery shootout" , you ask? on that website where someone tested batteries from all brands.
The fact is, that test ONLY applies to the actual batteries used for that particular test. THAT'S IT! The batteries you buy from each manufacturer will perform completely differently from that test. This is because each individual cell varies widely in performance, there's no way to actually specify a "2500mAh battery". They are all manufactured at a certain target capacity (around 2250mAh), and then are binned according to their performance of the production line.

There is ONE exception to all of this this, however, and that is a company called MAHA and their Powerex line of batteries (not to be confused with Powerizer). They test their batteries much more extensively, and this ensures that you WILL get a high performance battery almost every time.

All things considered I would highly recommend these Maha batteries and would encourage you to look bast brand name and marketing hype when selecting NiMH batteries.

From an Amazon Com Customer Review


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