Rechargeable batteries -- what's the best brand?

Question

Of all the brands of rechargeable batteries for electronic gear that are on the market, which types and which brands offer the most reliability?

Answer 1

Buy a Battery Charger by LaCrosse Technology Battery Charger & Recovery System and La Crosse Technology Rechargeable Batteries.

I use these in my kids' LeapPad books and everything else they have that takes batteries.

Stay away from 'quick' chargers as your batteries won't last a year. You should be able to get more than 2-3 years of use as long as you follow the instructions.

Answer 2

Depends partly on the device.

NiCd are reliable batteries with several year's useful life if the device is used on a regular basis. The downside is they are relatively heavy for their capacity.

NiMh are good, with higher capacity compared to weight. Modern NiMh batteries are rivaling NiCd in cycle life (number of charge recharge cycles the battery is useful for) But NiMh can not withstand as high current demand as compared to capacity.

Lithium based cells, primarily Lithium Polymer have extreme power density allowing a much smaller and lighter battery to supply power for a longer time. They have some issues related to ability to accept high charge rates and if abused they can be a fire hazard.

I use a lot of rechargeable batteries in my hobby. In some places the NiCd is best, in others NiMh and for my highest power demand devices LiPo (Lithium Polymer) is proving to be best.

Your average cell phone now uses a LiPo battery. Without the LiPo technology the modern cell phone could not be so small and give as much useable "air time" per charge.

As the technology develops, Lithium based cells are looking like they will eventually replace other rechargables for most purposes.

Answer 3

if you want a very high quality battery, do buy the name brands and other stuff. find the green/yellow ones called GP's. we use them for racing our RC cars and have for years. the cars we race cost between $350-$1000, so you know we have to have the best for this.