Are all NiMH batteries essentially the same (for same mAH rating)?

Question

Can I get by purchasing no-name NiMH batteries (AA and AAA size), or is there a substantial quality difference other than the packaging of the contents? (assuming same mAH rating)

Answer 1

No. It follows the old saying...you get what you pay for. Cheap NiMH's typically have a low discharge rating and high internal resistance (less efficiency to power the device). Even within the same mAH rating you can have different discharge rates. Higher discharge rate batteries do cost more and are used in application swhere the battery drain is relatively high like in radio controlled planes or cars. There are alot of manufacturers of these batteries. I do alot of electric model planes. All of my NiMH packs use Sanyo batteries, excellent brand to use.
Ni-MH batteries are not the same as Ni-Cd. In electric planes, typically one extra battery needs to be added to the pack the get the same amount of power. I know it sounds silly, but in an electric plane weight is everything...especially in the battery pack department. Ni-MH batteries are lighter and have higher capacity than the equivalent Ni-Cd.