Best battery buy ?

[oilcan]

My son and I use hand-held cobra walkie-talkies during the Fall bird hunting season. We haven't had any luck with batteries. I used Duracell AA & they don't seem to last. Any better suggestions?

[Don Ro]

Use your cell phones?

[herr_oberst]

semaphore flags?

[recycled sixtie]

I usually use Costco AA batteries/Kirkland brand. They are way cheaper than buying them in the drug store and seem to last. Of course when I go camping/hiking I take extra. I use them for my gps, my camera, flashlight etc.

[porsche4life]

Get good rechargeable lithium batteries. Only thing that will be enter than alkalines.

[aschen]

I have heard good reviews of the rechargeable eneloop cells by panasonic for high current/power draw applications

[Eric Coffey]

Originally Posted by porsche4life

Get good rechargeable lithium batteries.

This.

The corresponding size for AA would be the 14500. That is simply the designation for the physical size (14500 = 14mm x 50mm, the last "0" states that it's a round cell). So, if your walkies have a generous battery compartment, you may be able to use a slightly larger cell (14650/16500/16650/etc.).

A few of those and a decent lithium charger and you should be all set. Lots of different options/applications, so a bit of homework is warranted. Personally, I use the bigger 18650 cells for flashlights and the best ones I've found are from AW, KeepPower, Orbtronic, and EVVA.

For chargers, the Xtar and Nitecore stuff is decent. You can get a simple Li-Ion charger for well under $20 (some for under $10). The multi-cell chargers do come in handy if you need/want to charge multiple batteries at the same time. The cells should run you around $6/ea.

Good luck!

[look 171]

Originally Posted by aschen

I have heard good reviews of the rechargeable eneloop cells by panasonic for high current/power draw applications

Good stuff, but I think its made by Sanyo, not Panasonic. I have a bunch of them, but they all seem to last just about as long long as regular alkaline batteries from drug stores and such.

[aschen]

How can you put a 3.5v+ lithium battery in a device made for 1.2v alkaline?

I believe some flashlights and maybe other devices have swithching power supplies built in to compensate but I cant see why a set of walkie talkies would

[look 171]

Originally Posted by Eric Coffey

This.

The corresponding size for AA would be the 14500. That is simply the designation for the physical size (14500 = 14mm x 50mm, the last "0" states that it's a round cell). So, if your walkies have a generous battery compartment, you may be able to use a slightly larger cell (14650/16500/16650/etc.).

A few of those and a decent lithium charger and you should be all set. Lots of different options/applications, so a bit of homework is warranted. Personally, I use the bigger 18650 cells for flashlights and the best ones I've found are from AW, KeepPower, Orbtronic, and EVVA.

For chargers, the Xtar and Nitecore stuff is decent. You can get a simple Li-Ion charger for well under $20 (some for under $10). The multi-cell chargers do come in handy if you need/want to charge multiple batteries at the same time. The cells should run you around $6/ea.

Good luck!

I only buy 18650s for flashlights because I have so many and like to standardize. Panasonic makes damn good 3400 mAh 18650 They have a very long usable life since they are 3400mAh. I really like my Nitecore charger because it charges all types of batteries on the market.

[porsche tech]

I have a Garmin yardage finder that I use for golf and the knock on them was that they go through AA batteries too quickly. I got 4 Ni MH batteries and a little charger. That was probably 8 or 10 years ago and I still use the same 4 batteries. I golf almost every day and the range finder usually lasts 2 rounds on 2 batteries. I think the total investment for batteries and charger was less than $15 back then.--Dave

[Eric Coffey]

Originally Posted by look 171

I only buy 18650s for flashlights because I have so many and like to standardize. Panasonic makes damn good 3400 mAh 18650 They have a very long usable life since they are 3400mAh. I really like my Nitecore charger because it charges all types of batteries on the market.

Yep, and to clarify, most of the ones I mentioned above are just "re-wraps" (with protection circuit) of those same Panasonic cells.

[Eric Coffey]

Originally Posted by aschen

How can you put a 3.5v+ lithium battery in a device made for 1.2v alkaline?

I believe some flashlights and maybe other devices have swithching power supplies built in to compensate but I cant see why a set of walkie talkies would

Good question, and hence the "Lots of different options/applications, so a bit of homework is warranted" comment above. Some devices have a pretty wide voltage operating range (and can perform better at higher voltages), while others do not. Some have regulation and/or protection circuits, while others do not. Etc., Etc.

That said, there are low voltage lithium rechargeables out there, though not as common as the 3.5-3.7v variants (which can be upwards of 4.2v fresh off the charger).

Also, if input voltage is an issue, and it takes 2 AA batteries, you may be able to use a spacer and just run one lithium (or 2 + 2 spacers if it takes 4 AAs, etc.).

Or, like you mentioned, it might be better/easier for that appication to just grab some of the Eneloops (NiMH) rechargeables, and be done with it. Anything would be a better alternative to disposable AA primaries in a high-drain device IMO.

[wdfifteen]

Originally Posted by aschen

I have heard good reviews of the rechargeable eneloop cells by panasonic for high current/power draw applications

Eneloops are what I use in my camera equipment. They put out 1.5 volts and are an exact replacement for AA in all applications.
Don't get a battery/charger set, the battery charges barely work. Buy the batteries and get a good charger/conditioner/balancer. I use a LaCross BC-700 (cost about $35).
My stepson did a test on Eneloop vs alkaline batteries and found for flash units and sound recorders the Eneloop lasted slightly longer. Since he goes through 12-16 batteries per session, he finds the rechargeables less expensive in the long run.

[oilcan]

Thanks for all the suggestions, other than the smart-ass remark about semaphore flags. Always an *******. Porsche tech seems to have an answer. Thanks.

[JFairman]

I've been using tenergy nimh rechargables in camera flash units and flashlights for a while and they work great. Not expensive either.

Tenergy 10308 2600mAh AA NiMH Rechargeable Batteries 2600 mah 1.2V- 4 Pack

You can get them on amazon too.

http://www.amazon.com/Tenergy-capacity-Rechargeable-battery-package-/dp/B001ALYTFK/ref=sr_1_4?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1453182580&sr=1-4&keywords=tenergy+rechargeable+batteries

[Deschodt]

eneloops are very good. But kids accidentally dispose of them sometimes, I'm down to an odd number... These days I get packs of Dynex - 48 batteries, at best buy on sale for $7 or so... Regular like $14. CHEAP (but still worth waiting for sales)!

[porsche4life]

For regular AA we buy the big pack at Costco. Seems to be about as cheap as I can find batteries and they last just fine in normal stuff.

Need to get the recharge packs for the kids game controllers though. That's the biggest battery draw in our house.