Hi All,

I am about to invest in some ReChargeable AA batteries; since between my XBOX stuff and my kids' Wii, we need at least 28 batteries at any given time (probably another dozen or so for cameras and stuff too!).

What are the best brand for Price Vs Performance?

Who makes the largest best charger for Capacity Vs Convenience?

What store has the best prices?

Thanks in advance!

This is all IMHO, of course...

I use Eveready rechargeable batteries (silver w/green stripe). I couple them with their 15 minute recharger, so if I need a fresh set and didn't anticipate in advance it's only a short wait.:p Theoretically, doing this speed charging reduces the life of the batteries, but in all the time I've been using mine for both Wii and 360 (three or so years now) I haven't noticed any significant degrade in performance.

I can keep a charge going for the 360 on a set about 2-ish weeks, playing a couple of hours a day. They hold a charge well, even if I go some time between plays.

The Wii, on the other hand, blows through a charge fast, even if I don't play, but I think that's more of a Wii remote issue. *shrug*

I like Eveready since they are pretty easy to find, and Target I have found has the best prices for both the charger (which comes with 4 batteries), and extra 4-battery sets.

Eneloop

Eneloop

Sorry, I don't speak Eskimo.:D

Eneloop

I've been using the Eneloop batteries since GH3 came out and I'm pretty happy with them. They hold a charge well, seem to go a long time between charges, and they sell them at CostCo. (I use the AAAs that come in the pack for remote controls.) Plus they have/had a pack that comes with a case.

I've gotten me and the kids into the habit of putting the swapped-out batteries into the charger when changing them out so that the ones sitting in the case are charged. It's been working well and literally takes 20 seconds longer to do when swapping batteries.

Energizer and the 15 minute recharger. Had to throw away four after 1.5 years or so of nonstop use with the wii and 360. I figured that was my ten bucks worth, or something along those lines.

I've been using the Eneloop batteries since GH3 came out and I'm pretty happy with them. They hold a charge well, seem to go a long time between charges, and they sell them at CostCo. (I use the AAAs that come in the pack for remote controls.) Plus they have/had a pack that comes with a case.

I've gotten me and the kids into the habit of putting the swapped-out batteries into the charger when changing them out so that the ones sitting in the case are charged. It's been working well and literally takes 20 seconds longer to do when swapping batteries.

I don't have any CostCo stores, but I'll take a look at BJ's for any generic bulk-buys. I am planning on doing exactly the same thing you do, having enough extra to do a complete swap-out and get and get the depleted set charging. Whatever I get, I need to be able to charge 8 AAs at a time.

I have been using the Energizers with the 15 min charger ever since the 360 came out and I'm still using the original batteries that came with the charger. I also have bought many more batteries that I use with my camera, 4 wireless controllers, GH Guitar and other things around the house. I did notice that they didn't work with my RB guitar, but I haven't looked into why they didn't work......

I also have the Energizer 15 min charger and am using both Energizer and Rayovac rechargeables with it. The Rayovac are about 1/2 the price of Energizer at WalMart and seem to have about the same performance.

Eneloop

What makes the Eneloops (Sanyo) better than Sony, Eveready or Energizer?

Also, any reason to spend extra to go above 2500mAh? :confused:

whatever you do, don't use the AA's from ocean state job lot. The 8 for a dollar deal. Those batteries are ****, as you would expect for that price

Our enveloops never seem to need to recharge. They are very good.

eneloop

+1

Anything that is NiMH, and labeled as "Ready To Use" or "Pre-Charged". These only really come in sizes up to ~2000mah, but they hold a charge a great deal longer than regular NiMH batteries. In the end, the far steadier charge-hold outweighs the capacity difference meaning a 2000mah Pre-Charged NiMH lasts longer than an old-style 2800mah NiMH.

For brands? Whatever. There are only like 5 companies on the planet that actually make them, for the 100+ brands you can find on the shelf. Kodak makes a 1 hour charger that is smart about it's charging for like $20 with some batteries, and 4-packs of AA Rayovacs can be found for about $10.

If it does not say "Pre-charged!", then you would be a sucker to buy it at this point.

DaverJ - This answers your question. :) Enerloops are NiMH's that hold a charge for long periods of time. How long? You are looking at self-discharge rates of a year versus a month.

Excellent info, thanks James and others for the responses and to the OP for bringing this up. :cool:

Based on the suggestions here, I just ordered a pack of "SANYO eneloop 4 Pack AA NiMH Pre-Charged Rechargeable Batteries" for my JVC Dolby Headphone surround sound unit (http://www.amazon.com/JVC-SUDH1-Surround-Headphone-Adaptor/dp/B000ETBZ5G/). You wouldn't believe how quickly that sucker eats through batteries! :eek:

Might look into rechargeable's myself.
Right now I just buy an economy pack of regular AA's at Walmart for cheap.

Based on the suggestions here, I just ordered a pack of "SANYO eneloop 4 Pack AA NiMH Pre-Charged Rechargeable Batteries"

A follow-up after using these ^^^ for a couple months -- a GREAT purchase. Each charge lasts as long as disposable batteries (almost seems longer...?) , and having 2 ready on the charger makes switching batteries quick and easy.

I wish I had bought them sooner.

Eneloop

I agree. Eneloops are friggin' awesome.

eneloops are the best.


but i use tenergy batteries from all-battery.com. they have been excellent, they were cheap and i got a package deal with gobs of AA's and AAA's (and an 8 cell charger), i use them in the 360 controllers and all my kids toys for the past 2 years or so, havent had any issues or any of them go bad, excellent purchase as far as i'm concerned.

I saw that my local CostCo had the Eneloop package I bought back in stock. It comes with a blue plastic case that holds the following: charger, 8 AA, 2 or 4 AAA, 2 D-cell adapters, 2 C-cell adapters. It's either $14.xx or $18.xx. All the stuff fits in the small carry case and is very convenient. I'm the kind of guy who is sloppy so having the case helps me reduce clutter. :)

The C and D cell adapters are C or D sized (duh) and hold a AA to make a fake C or D cell. I guess it would work in a pinch but wouldn't last as long a full sized C or D cell.

Will an energizer charger charge eneloops, or do you have to use eneloops charger?

Will an energizer charger charge eneloops, or do you have to use eneloops charger?

via eneloop faq:

Will my eneloop battery charge in any other charger other than the eneloop charger?
It is strongly recommended to use eneloop, GE/Sanyo or Sanyo NiMh battery chargers. Most NiMh rechargeable battery chargers may be used to charge eneloop, however we only warranty eneloop if used with an eneloop, GE/Sanyo or Sanyo NiMh battery charger.

I'm using an Energizer NiMh battery charger to charge eneloops. No problem here, but YMMV.

a standard 6-8 hour charger should be no different, but if you start quick charging you'll get less life per charge, and a lower number of charges... but if they last 2 years or so, it shouldnt be too much to complain about.

freakin nobody carries the AAA packs. Sheesh! I'll have to order online I suppose. I tried Wolf Camera and Costco. Neither had the AAA (which my Harmony eats for lunch).

Radio Shack is your battery friend. My 2 sets of 4 that rotate in and out of my MX500 get plenty of use, going on 3 years now.

The Duracell pre-charged are supposedly relabeled Sany Eneloops as well. Wal-Mart carries those.

Normal Ni-MH batteries have a self-discharge rate of like 50% a month. The low-self-discharge batteries like the Eneloops are much better, but have a lower capacity...although the useable power from the latter is higher, especially over time.

Fast-charging batteries will give them an early death. I use a 15 hour charger myself.

I saw that my local CostCo had the Eneloop package I bought back in stock. It comes with a blue plastic case that holds the following: charger, 8 AA, 2 or 4 AAA, 2 D-cell adapters, 2 C-cell adapters. It's either $14.xx or $18.xx. All the stuff fits in the small carry case and is very convenient. I'm the kind of guy who is sloppy so having the case helps me reduce clutter. :)

The C and D cell adapters are C or D sized (duh) and hold a AA to make a fake C or D cell. I guess it would work in a pinch but wouldn't last as long a full sized C or D cell.

actually, many C and D cell Ni-MH batteries use a AA cell! In fact, they are a AA battery with those adapters pre-attached! To get a C or D cell with full capacity, you've got to mail order it. Plus, they're expensive, and AA chargers are more convenient anyway.

via eneloop faq:

Will my eneloop battery charge in any other charger other than the eneloop charger?
It is strongly recommended to use eneloop, GE/Sanyo or Sanyo NiMh battery chargers. Most NiMh rechargeable battery chargers may be used to charge eneloop, however we only warranty eneloop if used with an eneloop, GE/Sanyo or Sanyo NiMh battery charger.

I'm using an Energizer NiMh battery charger to charge eneloops. No problem here, but YMMV.

Thanks

The Duracell pre-charged are supposedly relabeled Sany Eneloops as well. Wal-Mart carries those.
i've heard that more than once, but i actually didn't like the pre-charged Duracell's when i tried them, and i actually liked the rechargable Energizers better...

"a standard 6-8 hour charger should be no different, but if you start quick charging you'll get less life per charge, and a lower number of charges."

6-8 hour chargers are almost universally dumb trickle chargers that beat up the battery, but only a bit. Quick chargers on the other hand are most commonly smart about charging, dumping the majority of the charge into the battery rapidly, then creeping up to full capacity with a trickle.

In short, the truth is in fact the exact opposite of your statement.

uhh no.

fast chargers will decrease the life of ANY battery. especially with the excess heat caused by the quick charging cycle.... i've seen plenty of batteries on a 30 min charger get so hot that the label melts, or the battery will actually vent, which is obviously destroying the battery.

some batteries may deal with this better than others, but i was speaking mostly for the eneloop's... the eneloop and duracell "pre-charged" arent the same as your typical off-the-shelf NiMH

formulanerd is correct. "Dumping" charge into a battery quickly, and causing significant amounts of heat in the process, is generally bad for the life of a battery.

Consumer-grade rechargeable batteries like AA's almost never provide specs on the battery's "C-rate", which specifies the battery's maximum charge rate. I work with so-called "tech cells" which are rechargeable batteries manufactured for use in OEM and custom battery packs. These batteries come with info on their c-rates, and off the top of my head, the highest c-rate I can remember seeing on a AA is around 1 (this means it can be charged at a current up to 1 X mAh of the battery). A c-rate of 1 would be a full charge in 1 hour. Most Ni-Cd batteries have a c-rate of less, which results in a full-charge in over 1 hour. And these Ni-Cd batteries typically take a fast charge better than Ni-MH, which is the chemistry used in consumer rechargeables.

Go back to post #14 guys. You'll see that I (two months ago even) specifically talk about a Kodak 1-hour charger. Being a smart little charger, it charges about 90% in an hour (or 0.9 on your c-rate-o-meter), then trickles up the rest until it senses a full battery. Any reasonable battery at this point will put up with that charge rate without damage, and the majority of 1-hour chargers act in this style.

Back to Formula's recommendation of a 6-8 hour charger. What's that do? The vast majority of them trickle in a charge for the set period of time, regardless of charge level. What is one of the things that hurts Ni-MH batteries? That's right bitTRL, over-charging! When an Ni-MH cell is at capacity, continuing to feed it voltage degrades the cell. Not enough to notice in one sitting, but definitely over it's lifetime.

You want to tell us again that Formula's recommendation of a charger that slowly kills your batteries is the right answer?

Gold jacket, Green jacket, who gives a sh1t.

I just ordered a few of those nice batteries.. Hope they are worth it.

In my post, I addressed the idea of fast-charging or "dumping" current into a cell. If you could choose between charging a cell in 30 minutes or 2 hours, the latter would provide more charge/discharge cycles over the life of the battery. If you want to talk about automatic vs. manual (trickle) chargers, then that's a separate issue. I certainly would agree that leaving a cell in a manual charger for hours and hours will eventually result in overcharging. Again, that's a separate issue from what I addressed.

I found this info on the Eneloop battery.

Instant Use Rechargeable
Batteries



SANYO eneloop - The battery for the 21st century

‘eneloop’ is a product that proposes a new lifestyle - one without disposing of batteries. Once charged, it can be used repeatedly, and once used completely, it can be recycled. To promote this kind of new battery lifestyle, SANYO developed a world first* rechargeable battery that can be used like a dry cell battery - ‘immediately after purchase’ . Based on its new vision ‘Think GAIA’ , SANYO is simultaneously pursuing solutions for a comfortable living and consideration for the environment and would continue providing ‘GlobalEnergy Solutions’ and ‘LOHAS (Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability) Solutions’ .

*According to SANYO Research, for Nickel Metal Hydride batteries on the market as of Nov. 1,2005

Self Discharge
Eneloop is a new SANYO technology that enables all their Eneloop batteries to enjoy very low self discharge rates compared to traditional rechargeable batteries.




Self discharge is what happens to an electrical charge over time when not in use. 'Self discharge' affects all batteries but is more noticeable in rechargeable batteries.

As a general rule, standard rechargeable batteries lose or 'self discharge' 1% of their charge per day when left unused. For example, rechargeable batteries left in an unused digital camera or a drawer for over 3 months often need to be recharged before use. In comparison, batteries with Eneloop technology lose only 15% of their charge within one full year - maintaining 85% of its original charge.

Features of eneloop and its benefits
Eneloop technology offers the following benefits:

Precharged and Ready to Go

Unlike traditional rechargeable batteries, Eneloop batteries are precharged and can be used immediately out of the package - no longer the need to go home and charge before use. Finally - the convenience of an alkaline battery in a rechargeable battery.



Long Storage Life

While normal rechargeable batteries lose their charge over time, SANYO's Eneloop technology enables these batteries to keep 85% of their charge over one year. No more constant recharging. Eneloop can be left in your digital camera or flashlight and will be ready to go when you are.

The world’s most user-friendly rechargeable battery.



Take 4x more pictures!

Tests indicate that 4x more pictures can be taken with a digital camera with Eneloop batteries than with regular alkaline batteries.

Eneloop can be used in a variety of devices including toys, MP3 players, electric shavers, portable video game players, etc.





Recyclable and Environmentally Friendly

It is estimated that over 40 billion dry cells were disposed of worldwide last year. Eneloop rechargeable batteries represent renewable energy and can be charged up to 1,000 times! Imagine the reduction in disposable waste and thus the benefit to the environment.

Let's keep batteries out of our landfill.



Economically Friendly

Eneloop can be charged up to 1,000 times. While the initial cost of rechargeable batteries is higher, it is clear that your investment is recovered after only a few charging cycles and the long term savings are tremendous.





Higher Operating Voltage

Higher voltage means that Eneloop 2000 mAh batteries will have similar performance to 2500mAh conventional rechargeables.



Memory Effect

Eneloop, like other nickel metal hydride (NiMH) rechargeable batteries, have negligible memory and do not need to be fully discharged before recharging.



Low Temperature Operation

Eneloop maintains its low self discharge rate and stability even in temperatures as low as – 5 degrees Celsius.




Optional Adapter for battery-size-AA to size-C Optional Adapter for battery-size-AA to size-D

I just bought a package deal of eneloops. 8 AAs, 4 AAAs, and 2 C and D adapters, plus charger for $50. Sure hope its worth it in the end, but they say that a single AA lasts long enough to replace 1000 alkaline batteries.

I just bought a package deal of eneloops. 8 AAs, 4 AAAs, and 2 C and D adapters, plus charger for $50. Sure hope its worth it in the end, but they say that a single AA lasts long enough to replace 1000 alkaline batteries.

Where from? I want one.

... a charger that slowly kills your batteries is the right answer?

I take it keeping my eneloops in the Energizer charger isn't the best idea? :confused:

If I'm understanding correctly: For longest battery life, once charged I should take the eneloop batteries out of the charger for storage. Is this correct?

I take it keeping my eneloops in the Energizer charger isn't the best idea? :confused:

If I'm understanding correctly: For longest battery life, once charged I should take the eneloop batteries out of the charger for storage. Is this correct?

depends on the charger. if it's a smart charger, and the battery is fully charged, it won't keep sending a charge and eventually overcharging/killing the battery.

if that $50 battery/charger pack is the one i'm thinking of, it's a good one and it won't overcharge the batteries.

instead of the $50 eneloop pack i got this lacrosse BC-900 charger: http://www.amazon.com/Crosse-Technology-BC-900-AlphaPower-Battery/dp/B00077AA5Q/

it's a better charger than the eneloop charger, but the batteries it comes with aren't as good as eneloops (not the hybrid/pre-charged). So i got this charger and some extra eneloop batteries and i'm in pretty good shape.

if that amazon link above works, look at the customer reviews for anything by "NLee the Engineer". he apparently lives to test rechargeable batteries, and taught me everything i know :). he has reviews under all the various eneloop product pages.

if you want a guy that *really* knows batteries (and a lot of other things), head over to dansdata.com

"if you want a guy that *really* knows batteries (and a lot of other things), head over to dansdata.com"

Everything he has ever written about batteries has already been digested and added to my internal database. He is a damn good source.

"I take it keeping my eneloops in the Energizer charger isn't the best idea?"

Depends on the Energizer charger. If it just flat charges for 6 hours every time you use it, then shuts off or changes over to a "done" indicator light, then leaving them in is the same as taking them out. Bad, but not terrible. This is how my Rayovac charger works. Yeah, it's beating up my batteries, but these things are so cheap now that I don't really care. :)

"

Depends on the Energizer charger. If it just flat charges for 6 hours every time you use it, then shuts off or changes over to a "done" indicator light, then leaving them in is the same as taking them out. Bad, but not terrible. This is how my Rayovac charger works. Yeah, it's beating up my batteries, but these things are so cheap now that I don't really care. :)

Yeah, I was kinda thinking the same (bolded). However, it's easy for me to reach down and remove the batteries and stick them in the nearby "odds and ends" drawer if its advisable.

The charger I'm using isthis cheap one (http://www.amazon.com/Energizer-CHVCWB2-Overnight-Charger-Batteries/dp/B00095M8VA/)... I picked it up on sale at the grocery store for $8 before consulting this thread. :o There's no "done" indicator.

However, it's easy for me to reach down and remove the batteries and stick them in the nearby "odds and ends" drawer if its advisable.

I'll say again how happy I am with the CostCo Eneloop bundle I have that comes with a nifty blue plastic carry case that holds 8 AA, 2 AAA (you can get 4 in there), the charger, and the C and D cell adapters.

The case is small, convenient, and holds it all. I've gotten myself into the habit of taking the spent batteries out of the controller, putting them into the charger and plugging it in, then grabbing the fresh batteries from the case and putting those into the controller. Then I leave the blue case out near where I plugged in the charger. Takes about the same amount of time as opening a packaging of non-rechargeables. Since the case is sitting out, I remember to pull the charger out of the wall when the charging is done, load the charged batteries into the case, put the charger in the case, and then put the case away. Bada-boom bada-bing, I'm good to go for the next iteration. No futzing with the junk drawer or wondering if these batteries sitting over here are charged or not.

When the batteries are done charging, I recommend taking them out of just about any charger, just in case.

So, what's the difference between the Xbox 360 Quick Charge Kit and the La Crosse Technology BC-900 AlphaPower Battery Charger?

In my experience, the quality of the batteries in the Quick Charge kit stink. I have one and if I fully charge the batteries and then go for a week or so without playing, the batteries will have discharged.

Amazon currently has $10 off when you buy $39 or more of Duracell batteries. This includes their pre-charged, which NLee The Engineer believes to be re-branded Enloops.

So what's the best place to get eneloop batteries?
I already checked Amazon but I'm looking for a better price. I bought the package from Costco for $20 including charger, so I'm looking to get more AA and maybe AAA batteries.

I have some rechargables I got from radioshack for my digital camera back in 2002 I still use all the time. Its the radioshack brand.

"I have some rechargables I got from radioshack for my digital camera back in 2002 I still use all the time. Its the radioshack brand."

The battery type that we are talking about didn't exist back in 2002. Your recommendation is bad.

Where from? I want one.

Sorry for the late response StuJac. I picked them up from Wolf Camera.

I just did a bunch of research on battery chargers. A good charger is just as important as the batteries. I ended up with a BC-700 by La Crosse (there is a BC-900 also). Do a search on it and you'll see the hows/whys about good chargers. Wait for a good price on Amazon, for some reason the prices vary over time up/down a lot. The best part is that is shows you how much energy it recharged the battery to so you can tell when the batteries have gone bad. This type of charger is called a 'smart' charger.

"

The battery type that we are talking about didn't exist back in 2002. Your recommendation is bad.

They are NiMh and they hold a charge longer than the energizers I bought not too long ago.

Sorry for the late response StuJac. I picked them up from Wolf Camera.

That deal must be gone-I did a basic search for eneloop and didn't come up with anything like what you got.

I couldnt find it online either, but I just called a store and he said he had a case with the 8 AA, 4 AAAs and C/D adapters for MSRP 49.99. You might have some luck just calling a store. You may find some stores close by here:

http://www.wolfcamera.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/MapQuestView?storeId=10101&catalogId=10001&languageId=-1&city=Glenside&state=PA&zipCode=

In addition to rechargeable batteries, Portable solar chargers make great charging stations.
Free up an outlet and put a small panel on your window.

Not cheap.
http://www.brunton.com/product.php?id=605

"In addition to rechargeable batteries, Portable solar chargers make great charging stations.
Free up an outlet and put a small panel on your window."

There is not a person reading this that won't be dead before the cost per KW even remotely reaches what they get out of their wall. Seriously, you're recommending a $1000 solution to charge $20 batteries as a "great" solution?

"In addition to rechargeable batteries, Portable solar chargers make great charging stations.
Free up an outlet and put a small panel on your window."

There is not a person reading this that won't be dead before the cost per KW even remotely reaches what they get out of their wall. Seriously, you're recommending a $1000 solution to charge $20 batteries as a "great" solution?

I think these things are intended for people who spend excessive amounts of time away from electrical outlets.

"I think these things are intended for people who spend excessive amounts of time away from electrical outlets."

You would be correct, but why are you telling me this? They were brought in to this discussion as a "great" item to use in the home, which they pretty obviously are not. Unless you home is on the Moon, at which point I can see freeing up an outlet as being extremely desirable.

"In addition to rechargeable batteries, Portable solar chargers make great charging stations.
Free up an outlet and put a small panel on your window."

There is not a person reading this that won't be dead before the cost per KW even remotely reaches what they get out of their wall. Seriously, you're recommending a $1000 solution to charge $20 batteries as a "great" solution?

Cost depends on your needs.
For charging small batteries, Ipod, Phone, etc, it's a great solution.
You can find a portable panel for recharging smaller devices for around $65.

"I think these things are intended for people who spend excessive amounts of time away from electrical outlets."

You would be correct, but why are you telling me this? They were brought in to this discussion as a "great" item to use in the home, which they pretty obviously are not. Unless you home is on the Moon, at which point I can see freeing up an outlet as being extremely desirable.

If you need one of these charges for other purposes, there is no reason not to use it when you are at home too.

That deal must be gone-I did a basic search for eneloop and didn't come up with anything like what you got.

Amazon has them for $39.95 + $5.95 shipping.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B000WPJIME/ref=sr_1_olp_13?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1230088173&sr=8-13

"In addition to rechargeable batteries, Portable solar chargers make great charging stations.
Free up an outlet and put a small panel on your window."

There is not a person reading this that won't be dead before the cost per KW even remotely reaches what they get out of their wall. Seriously, you're recommending a $1000 solution to charge $20 batteries as a "great" solution?

I'm thinking he was recommending something more along these lines at only $20:

http://www.goldengadgets.com/product_info.php?products_id=395

Kinda curious about Amazon prices. The 4 AA pack costs $11.43 and the 8 pack costs $24.99 , and yeah I want 8 batteries, to have more backups. I already used the 8 that were included in the Costco package.
It's just a couple of bucks but still. I'm still waiting to see if I can find a beter deal somewhere else, but so far that seems the best option since I don't pay taxes and I'm a prime user.

Kinda curious about Amazon prices. The 4 AA pack costs $11.43 and the 8 pack costs $24.99 , and yeah I want 8 batteries, to have more backups. I already used the 8 that were included in the Costco package.
It's just a couple of bucks but still. I'm still waiting to see if I can find a beter deal somewhere else, but so far that seems the best option since I don't pay taxes and I'm a prime user.

They had this one (http://www.amazon.com/SANYO-eneloop-Pre-Charged-Rechargeable-Battery/dp/B001BNL9Q4/ref=pd_rhf_f_i_cs_3) at my CostCo for about $14 shortly after I bought the Blue Case package there. My daughter uses AAAs in her MP3 player, so I grabbed it.

Eneloop

/thread

Are some batteries less prone to losing charge when kept in the equipment? I'm too lazy to take the batteries out of my RB2 guitar and Drums. However my GH3 LP guitar drained my batteries very quickly just by leaving them in. Is it a batteries issues? equipment issues or combination?

The Les Paul just constantly draws a bit from the batteries. It's just a crappy design, and not a fault of the battery type.

The Les Paul just constantly draws a bit from the batteries. It's just a crappy design, and not a fault of the battery type.
i've always wondered why batteries, whether rechargeable or not, would usually die every few months in my spare LP that i barely used. any idea if the new GHWT guitar has the same crappy design?

I have no idea if the new guitars are any better. We only have 2 of the Les Paul's, as those are the only wireless guitars that work with everything, last I checked.

I have no idea if the new guitars are any better. We only have 2 of the Les Paul's, as those are the only wireless guitars that work with everything, last I checked.
the GHWT guitars work with everything too, but there's certainly no reason to switch from the LP as long as they work well and you're happy with them...

if you ever need a quick guide, since it is a bit confusing after all of the different games and guitars and such...

http://www.joystiq.com/Instrument-Compatibility-Matrix/

the Wii is just a cluster fcuk when it comes to compatibility...

it's just strange that the new 360 LP's usually work very well, but the new PS3 LP's still have a fair share of problems as far as missing notes on the tougher songs at the higher difficulties. and by new, i mean the ones made after the original launch of GHIII, after most of the issues of the detachable neck were addressed...

Now that you mention that... same issue with the LP. I thought it was only me. :p

According to an independent comparison of low self discharge battery where the initial 1-hour, 1-week, 4-week, 3-month performance was measured.
The most efficient AAA is GP Recyko 800 mAh .
And here is the ranking:
#2 MAHA IMEDION 800 mAh
#3 Sanyo Eneloop 800 mAh
#4 Duracell Precharged 800 mAh
#5 Accupower Acculoop 800 mAh
#6 Hybrio by Ultralast 800 mAh

For AA low self discharge battery:
#1MAHA IMEDION 2100 mAh
#2Kodak Pre-Charged 2100 mAh
#3GP Recyko 2100 mAh
#4Duracell Precharged 2100 mAH
#5Hybrio by Ultralast 2100 mAh
#6Ansmann Max-e 2100 mAh
#7Nexcell EnergyON 2000 mAh
#8Eneloop by Sanyo 2000 mAh
#9Hybrid by Ray-O-Vac 2100 mAh

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/readflat.asp?forum=1023&thread=26078814&page=2

That entire thread pretty much confirms what I said way back at the beginning of this thread. The brand of Pre-Charged cells doesn't really matter, what matters is picking Pre-Charged over the old style of Ni-MH cells. He tested a bunch of cells, and they all landed in the range of 85-90% charge retention at 3 months. Sure, you could rank those results, but those results also easily fall within variability errors from cell batch to cell batch. What is really interesting from those results is the regular Ni-MH cells. They pretty much all sat in the 0-50% charge retention range after 3 months. That is the difference between having your item "Just work" when you pick it up after not thinking about it for a while, and it saying "No! New batteries now!".

Good link, Bruce!

Just bought 4 pack of Imedion batteries. Sizes AA & AAA.

http://www.photonlight.com/v/vspfiles/photos/MHRAAI4-2T.jpg

I also bought a "smart" charger. The La Crosse BC700

http://ak.buy.com/db_assets/prod_lrg_images/141/206134141.jpg

woo, Tenergy (my favorite battery company) now makes the "ready to use" nimh (similar to the overpriced eneloop)

now i just have to wait for them to come back in stock, and pick up a bc900

oooh...I really want that charger or the 900!!! You guys suck! I cant see this thread on the 1st page without clicking, and it keeps me buying this stuff.