AA batteries

[420TEE]

Has anyone done a comparison of various brands of AA batts for TX's and RX's? Is one brand of alkaline longer lasting than the rest? Is the bunny just another Santa Claus? Tell me it isn't so. :(

[tugboater]

I've always had good luck with Duracell batteries. They seem to run about twice as long as most other brands I've tried. That's just my 2 cents.

[patmat2350]

You're way better off getting a few sets of NiMH AAs along with a SMART charger for them... some of these chargers will do 8 or more at a time.

Search ebay for AA NIMH. Or look at
http://www.batteryspace.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=2606

and
http://www.batteryspace.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=285

or all together:
http://www.batteryspace.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=314

Pat Matthews

[Kmot]

I buy the AA's from Costco. They have their own name on them (Kirkland) but no doubt are made by one of the major battery mfg's. They sell 48 AA's in a box for under $10 bucks. They last a really long time. I have some Tx's that have sat for a year on my shelf. I turn them on and the batteries are still good. I recently have been running my Stampede in my backyard again after at least 1 1/2 years of being unused and I have run it for a total of 80 minutes so far on those same old Kirkland AA's.

[tugboater]

I wish I could say the same about my membership club's batteries. I go to BJ's and they sell there own brand, which last less than half of the length comparing them to the Duracell. Duracell are expensive, but work. Then again, BJ's $10 per 48 batteries is a much better deal.... hmmm..... hehe.

[ooby]

Always had good fortune with Sanyo rechargeables, from "Batteries America," located in Wisconsin. www.batteriesamerica.com Packs are sold with leads, your choice of length, and for $2. or $3. extra, matching connector for your Tx or Rx.

[Massey]

For alkaline batts I have found that Energizer seem to hold their voltage better but drop off faster than Duracell. Duracell on the other hand has a steep drop at first then levels off and holds there (about 75% charge) till the end then drops steep to dead. I personally like Energizer better for the reason that the voltage stays up better.

For NiMH batts I have tried the sanyo, radioshack and the energizer brands and the energizer gets my vote here for a couple of reasons. First off they have the highest mAh of the brands I have tried (Duracell's NiMH have 100 more mAh but cost more too and I didnt think the price diff was worth it). The energizer ones are cheaper then the others and you can get a pack with a smart charger. The Sanyos are the #2 on my list even tho they have far less mAh then the other two they seem to hold up better than the radioshack and almost as good as the Energizer. Biggest gripe on the Sanyos is that they dont all peak at the same time so you dont get a good charge when you charge them in your radio, outside the radio in a smart charger they do fine. My least favorite as you know are the radioshack brand. These are the most expencive and they dont last 1/2 as long as the sanyos even tho they have about 500 more mAh then the sanyos. Just my $.02 and a little on what I have found over the years of R/C racing and modeling I have done.

Massey

[Massey]

Oh ya Kmot, the "Kirkland Signatures" brand I believe is made by Eveready and are very similar to the Energizer. Not sure about the BJ's brand tho I dont have a membership there.

Massey

[Ghost 2501]

I used uniross 1200mah AA cells in my 2ER and a sanyo cadnica 8xAA pack in my EXA, :) duracell, durable, yeah, right!

[kf2qd]

I always invested in a set of nicads for my dry cell type radios, and got some type of wall charger as well. Never have liked the alkaline rechargeables as I think they have a lower discharge rate. Some radios come set up for alkalines, but have the charge port for nicads so all you need is a compatable radio charger.

[pkboo]

I´ve invested in some GP´s NiMH for my IC PT but I use them as well in the other PT. I dunno it just seems natural to go with rechargeables instead of going to the store every time you need some ....or you´re using the excuse to get some other stuff :) Eugène