# Dinotte lights on the way - best rechargeable AA batteries?



## 86Sierra (Nov 17, 2005)

I have a Dinotte 200L and 140L coming in the mail to allow me to commute in the dark mornings now. What are the best AA rechargeable batteries for the money?


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## morryjg (Jan 6, 2008)

I've been using the 2600 mAh batteries from Batteryspace. Better price and better battery than buying Energizers or whatever from the local Wally World or Target. If you don't have a charger Batteryspace has pretty good deals on battery/charger combos as well. They ship quick and have good service.

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


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## tarwheel2 (Jul 7, 2005)

If you do a Google search on AA rechargeable batteries, you can find various ratings on-line. Last time I checked, some of the best were Sanyo 2700s and Maha 2700s. I have both of these and they perform equally well. If you don't already have a charger, you can get great deals by ordering with the batteries.

Last batteries I bought were from Thomas Distributing. They have great selection and prices and include battery cases for no extra cost. They have the Sanyo 2700s on sale right now about $13 for a 4-pack, which is a good price for high quality rechargeables.

http://www.thomas-distributing.com/index.htm

Enloop style batteries won't last quite as long in use, but will hold a charge better while in storage.


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## JCavilia (Sep 12, 2005)

86Sierra said:


> I have a Dinotte 200L and 140L coming in the mail to allow me to commute in the dark mornings now. What are the best AA rechargeable batteries for the money?


It doesn't make that much difference, really. All newer high-capacity NiMh batteries are much better than the old NiCads, and although some may last longer and hold a charge better than others, all of them work well enough and last long enough to make the lifetime cost next to nothing . Just make sure to get a smart charger that won't damage the batteries, and if you've never used NiMh, abandon the old NiCad habits:  you don't have to run them down before recharging. Frequent charging is okay. When in doubt, top them up.

As Morry noted, batteryspace.com is a good source. You can get a combo like this, charger and 10 batteries for under 40 bucks.
http://www.batteryspace.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=216
I've found it's nice to have a full double set of batteries; i.e., twice as many as you'll ever need at once. That way you can keep a full set charged, and just swap them out when you need to recharge the ones on the bike. In winter, my commute has me riding home in the dark every day, so I swap batteries every weekend. 

The only advantage of the newer eneloop technology that tarwheel mentioned is holding a charge better in storage, not really a big issue with items like bike lights (for most people).


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## Nickel II (Jul 18, 2003)

I went with the eneloop batteries off amazon, got 4 batteries and charger for ~$12. They also sell the same pack with 8 batteries for ~$24. I'm using these in a fenix flashlight with a 3.5 hour run time and haven't had any problems with them.

I did a fair amount of research and from I read, at least according to the fenix flashlight documentation, is that the eneloop batteries do two things:
1. Longer shelf life before having to recharge after no use.
2. They last longer in their flashlihgts vs. a standard AA Duracell Battery.

See the chart, middle bottom of page at the bottom of the link:
https://www.fenix-store.com/product_info.php?cPath=22_69_71&products_id=498

I didn't want to get into the details of different batteries with different mAh ratings, I just wanted something that the maker of the lights used for testing so I would get similar run times with.

There is also a battery kook on amazon that did all sorts of tests comparing eneloop rechargeables vs. other NiMH AA's and found the eneloops to perform better in the long term over 6 months to a year of charge cycles.

The price is not much more than just about any AA NiMH rechargeable that you will find, so I say you cannot go wrong with eneloops and they may in fact have something to offer over a basic rechargeable that you can buy at Target/Walmart.


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## TeamCholent (Apr 20, 2005)

I bought Eneloops at Costoco and I still see them on sale.
I leave them in my saddle bag and swap if needed with my Energizer, Duracell or Sanyo's in the light IF needed. My commute is 1hour 40 minutes, so I am usually ok with my Fenix.
The key with batteries (not the Eneloop) is to avoid charging them and throwing them in the draw for a month and expecting them to be at their peak.
Another important tool is a decent charger that can also refresh the batteries.

DON"T purchase more than you need. You can always get more and if stuck on the road Lithiums will work and last longer, available in most CVS, Rite-aid etc.

Good Ride

Rob


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## bas (Jul 30, 2004)

TeamCholent said:


> I bought Eneloops at Costoco and I still see them on sale.
> I leave them in my saddle bag and swap if needed with my Energizer, Duracell or Sanyo's in the light IF needed. My commute is 1hour 40 minutes, so I am usually ok with my Fenix.
> The key with batteries (not the Eneloop) is to avoid charging them and throwing them in the draw for a month and expecting them to be at their peak.
> Another important tool is a decent charger that can also refresh the batteries.
> ...



I'm finding my Energizers from 2005 are practically DEAD. Getting a lot of batteries that won't charge.

I switched to Duracell 2650's..and I can see their run time getting shorter (note the cold weather limits run time!).. but will probably get a fresh set next fall to start to use.

Also noticing a few of the duracells end up dead after use leaving the other 3 to run hard.. so I'm trying to find those batteries and put them to use in my junk flashlights and not my bike road light.

notice how they no longer say '1000' charges..but now only say 100 charges..

And why did those rayovac akalline rechargeables die off? were they bad?


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## TeamCholent (Apr 20, 2005)

Duracell's are very good, but who knows.
The way I all of this is as follows.
I always swap the batteries from my flashlight once I get home.
If I use them for 30 minutes upto 110 minutes.

If you paid $3.00 a battery and they last 100 charges then they cost you $0.03 per use. 
I would say I ride close to 200 days a year, but not always needed my light. I run my lights on what is a Strobe mode (Turbo) and it does use alot of juice.
The Dinotte has options for the flash and other light modes so you can regulate the battery run time. 
Again, a lot of this has to do with a good quality charger, I got this one
http://www.batteryjunction.com/vabcunsmch.html, about $26.00.
It can charge 1-4 at a time which many can not, it has a refresh mode.
It also detects bad batteries, meaning they don't charge properly.
I drop them in at night and take them out in the am. I am not really sure how long it takes, because I have plenty of AA and AAA.
My kids use them in their cameras or gameboys, but I make sure they have back up Eneloop.
You can always spend more, but I couldn't find a reason.

Rob


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## V5CVBB (Oct 4, 2008)

I use a smart charger and have lost Durracell and Energizer in under a year of use. My Eneloops are going strong. I don't even notice the slightly smaller capacity in use. I'll not buy anything else anytime soon.


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## FatTireFred (Jan 31, 2005)

if you're going the charge and then use immediately, then whatever 2700mAh make sense... but if you're going to charge and then let sit while then eneloops


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## bas (Jul 30, 2004)

TeamCholent said:


> Again, a lot of this has to do with a good quality charger, I got this one
> http://www.batteryjunction.com/vabcunsmch.html, about $26.00.
> It can charge 1-4 at a time which many can not, it has a refresh mode.
> It also detects bad batteries, meaning they don't charge properly.



What happens for the 'bad batteries'?

I keep abusing my 4 year old batteries.. I can still get a charge in them.

on my 1 hour chargers, if the light flashes, leave them in flashing for a few minutes, and then remove and reinsert.. will get a charge through. At this point they should be used for things like remote controls and cd players.. or non bike flashlights for temporary use.


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## Jesse D Smith (Jun 11, 2005)

*2 years of experience*



86Sierra said:


> I have a Dinotte 200L and 140L coming in the mail to allow me to commute in the dark mornings now. What are the best AA rechargeable batteries for the money?


The best I've used are Kodak 2500's.
I've had a Dinotte 200L for a couple years now. I use it five nights a week riding to work. The averge time to work is 30 minutes. With my favorite batteries, I can easily ride all week on one charge, using the lights medium setting. Next week, I'll try riding all week on the high setting and post results. 
I've used multiple sets of Sanyo, Energizer, Maha (sometimes labeled as Powerex), and some generic batteries supplied by Batteryspace.com. 
I use a Maha MN-C9000 Wizard One charger-analyzer.
This charger comes in handy because when I first get batteries, I can break them in properly and see how many mAh the new batteries will hold. I can also see whether all four batteries in a set hold a relatively equal amount of mAh. If you have a set of four, and three of them hold a pretty equal amount of charge, while one of them is crappy, that's not a good thing. The charger will also show how long it took each individual cell to charge. When I get a set, I'll number them 1-4. If I charge them and one of them shows a different number, I'll note it. I'll use the set again, recharge them, and if the exact same individual cell again shows a number or time indicating it needed significantly more charge, I know it's a dud. If I have a spare that matches the remaining three, I'll make a new set out of them. If not, I take two of the good ones and use them in the tail light and set the dud aside for use in some home flashlight. 
I can also see how many mAh are left in a set and each individual battery after I've used them for a couple short rides. I can also charge a set, not use them for a few weeks, then use the charger's discharge function to see how much of their power they lost (called "self-discharge") just sitting there. 
I've found for this particular light, 2300's or 2500's work better than 2700's. I always figured that the 2700's give me more ride time just because the number is larger, but from my experience, it's just not the case. I'm not sure why. Maybe someone who knows more about the chemistry and science behind batteries might have a clue. Maybe the 2700's might burn brighter for a shorter period of time. Maybe the particular way this light draws power has something to do with it. 
As far as battery brands, like I said, Kodac 2500's have worked best. The charger indicates they come closest to their stated rating, both initially, and after multiple recharges, and in real world use, I get more ride time from them. 
The Maha (or Powerex) work second best. 2300 mAh version works better than 2500 version both in my Dinotte headlight and in my Cateye tail light. In my tail light, these will last for months.
Energizer 2500's work well also.
Sanyo 2700 didn't quite match up to their stated rating brand new. I didn't get as much ride time per charge out of them as Kodak's, and when left unused, they would lose a charge kinda fast. 
The generic batteries supplied by batteryspace.com were crap. When brand new and properly broken in, they didn't come close to holding their stated charge, they lost that charge quickly, and on the bike, I only got maybe half the run time with the Dinotte. 
I couldn't get nearly as many rides per charge when I was commuting in Maine during the winter. Now that I'm in Tucson, I can get more rides in per charge.


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