Good rechargeable batteries?

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naes

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Hey, I'm in need of good rechargeable batteries for my Wii. I don't want a charge station as my Nyko one has given me nothing but problems. Yes, I did search but didn't find that much that would help me.
 
Sorry to hear that your charge station is broken. My Docking Station thing, the lights are all messed up, but it still works. Anyhow, I wouldn't suggest the Energizer Rechargeable ones. I heard they suck. I would choose Duracell.

Or, just go to CVS. Prior to buying the Nyko Charging Station, I got CVS's alkaline batteries. It's 12 batteries for like $5. Two batteries in your Wiimote last a long time. I played more than 24 hrs and it was still 4 bars.
 
I don't have a membership at Costo sadly.
[quote name='mickeyp']I got some rechargeables at costco[/quote]
 
[quote name='naes']And does the charger really hold 4 AAs? It doesn't seem like it does.[/quote]
2 on each side methinks.
 
I bought some white Duracells years ago, and they still work great.
The odd thing is, I recently bought some black & green Duracells and they suck. They lose their charge just by sitting. I don't know if I purchased duds or what. Both packs were from Wal-Mart.
 
I use the following:

Charger
Batteries

From Amazon, a four-pack of batteries is $9 and the charger is $34. The charger includes four batteries, so it's not a bad deal.

I've been pretty pleased with the batteries; they seem to hold their charge pretty well. The best part though is that, with that charger, they recharge in 15 minutes. I use these batteries in my Wiimotes, and if it weren't for the Play & Charge kit, I'd use them in my Xbox 360 controllers too.
 
Costco has an excellent deal on Eneloops (Sanyo rechargables that hold their charge in a similar fashion to alkalines, often referred to as Hybrids). You get 8 AAs, 4 AAAs, and a charger for ~$26 (Eneloops usually run $15 for a 4 pack retail). I would highly recommend either the Eneloops or Rayovac hybrids for any sort of controller use, or you will find that your batteries have died while they sit unused (unless you don't mind charging and switching them out often).
 
I TOTALLY agree on the Eneloops. They're dirt cheap on Amazon (less than $10 for a pack of 4 AAs) and they're some dead sexy batteries (they look great in Wiimotes). I use them in all my devices and they last a long time. I've even heard a lot of good things about them from people who have done their own testing of the batteries. They do have long recharge time, but just throw them on the charger and the end of a long night of gaming when you notice the battery has dropped down.
 
Another vote for Eneloops, despite their lower mAH rating.

Heads up: An 8 pack at Circuit City is 19.99 right now, which is a savings of 8 bucks. Should last until at least tomorrow, if not until Sunday. They periodically go on sale at CC.

I use these things in my Wiimotes, Wavebirds, and a wireless sensor bar.
 
I use Rayovac Hybrid Rechargeable Batteries in my 360 controller and Wii-motes. They seem to hold a charge for a long time too, which is nice. Think a 4 pack of AAs is ~$10, and I've also seen the Recharging station that comes with 2 AA and 2 AAA batteries for $10.
 
Rechargeable nihms are more or less the same. Just go for the highest Mah rating you can find as they'll last longer. Which is good as the Wiimote can really chew through batteries in something like Metroid where you're using the pointer all the time and there's a lot of rumble.
 
[quote name='dmaul1114']Rechargeable nihms are more or less the same. Just go for the highest Mah rating you can find as they'll last longer. Which is good as the Wiimote can really chew through batteries in something like Metroid where you're using the pointer all the time and there's a lot of rumble.[/quote]
There is quite a difference between the Eneloops/Hybrids and normal NiMH batteries. They self-discharge at a decidedly lower rate. There is certainly nothing wrong with going with a higher mAh rated normal NiMH, but you will end up charging them more often unless you constantly use them up. For example, I often leave my wii sitting around unused for a week at a time (is there any way to word that wihout self deprecating?), and when I use normal NiMHs I have to swap them out and recharge them roughly every other time I use the controller. With Eneloops or Hybrids I do not have to swap them out nearly as often. I use rechargable batteries for a lot of applications, and the Hybrid type NiMHs are pretty impressive when it comes to having a charge after laying around for a while. Of course, with Mario Galaxy, Z&W, BWii, etc. out now that may be a moot point. ;)
 
[quote name='soyverde']There is quite a difference between the Eneloops/Hybrids and normal NiMH batteries. They self-discharge at a decidedly lower rate. There is certainly nothing wrong with going with a higher mAh rated normal NiMH, but you will end up charging them more often unless you constantly use them up. For example, I often leave my wii sitting around unused for a week at a time (is there any way to word that wihout self deprecating?), and when I use normal NiMHs I have to swap them out and recharge them roughly every other time I use the controller. With Eneloops or Hybrids I do not have to swap them out nearly as often. I use rechargable batteries for a lot of applications, and the Hybrid type NiMHs are pretty impressive when it comes to having a charge after laying around for a while. Of course, with Mario Galaxy, Z&W, BWii, etc. out now that may be a moot point. ;)[/quote]

Agreed with the above points, I've found this to be true with rechargeable batteries. (Haven't tried eneloops yet.)

Not knowing any better, I've bought a Duracell charger and it came with four 1700 mAH AA batteries. Thinking that "more is good" I've acquired some 2650 mAh duracell batteries, assuming they would last longer.

I've fully charged the 2650 mAh's, didn't use them for a week, and then found out they were at 25% charge according to the wii menu battery indicator! :bomb: Is it really normal that they lose charge that fast?

The 1700 mAh ones seem to be performing decently at least, after two weeks with light play they are at 50%.

Looks like I'll be picking up some Eneloops.
 
I picked up a $16 set from Batteries.com which included a 4 battery charger and 4 2000 mAh batteries. I don't see the point of getting so many batteries and a dinky charger because those batteries that aren't being used will only lose life.

But anyway, I don't see that set that I got. They have the charger for $7 but all of their rechargeable batteries are expensive as hell.

They worked as well as regular Duracell batteries but I got tired of recharging/swapping batteries and that's when I got the Nyko Charge Station thing. Sorry hear your's took the dive. Hope mine don't do the same.
 
Eneloop or nothing. Costco will have their eneloop bundle for $19.99 the this next weekend following Thanksgiving. Do yourself a favor and pick up 1 or 2 for all of your battery needs.
 
Sanyo Eneloop, rayovac hybrid and the Uniross Hybrio are some of the major brands.
Buy.com w/ gco brings the batteries down to proabably the best price.
And you might want to put those savings into a decent charger (which does make a difference). The la crosse bc-9000 is widely held as the top model.
 
[quote name='soyverde']There is quite a difference between the Eneloops/Hybrids and normal NiMH batteries. They self-discharge at a decidedly lower rate. There is certainly nothing wrong with going with a higher mAh rated normal NiMH, but you will end up charging them more often unless you constantly use them up. For example, I often leave my wii sitting around unused for a week at a time (is there any way to word that wihout self deprecating?), and when I use normal NiMHs I have to swap them out and recharge them roughly every other time I use the controller. With Eneloops or Hybrids I do not have to swap them out nearly as often. I use rechargable batteries for a lot of applications, and the Hybrid type NiMHs are pretty impressive when it comes to having a charge after laying around for a while. Of course, with Mario Galaxy, Z&W, BWii, etc. out now that may be a moot point. ;)[/QUOTE]


Are the Eneloops more expensive? And how much longer life are we talking?

I have enough nihms as is, since I only use them in the Wii and Wavebird (bought the quick charge kit and two batteries for my 360 since it gets played so much).

They do die pretty quickly, and I'm sure both Wiimotes are probably dead since the Wii hasn't gotten touched since early September, and will need charged when I get home from vacation and want to fire up Mario Galaxy.

So I wouldn't mind something better if the price is write (i.e. $10-15 for 4 AAs), but not willing to shell out much as I don't mind charging my Nihms every 10 hours or so of play and after long periods of non-use since I don't use them all that often anyway.

Edit Nevermind. Amazon has 8 for $19.99. May have to pick some up down the road.
 
They are definitely worth it when you can find them for the same price as normal NiMHs (i.e. the Amazon or Costco deals for Eneloops, Rayovac Hybrids are normally $10 for a 4 pack of AAs). Most of the applications I use rechargeable batteries for I don't mind recharging often, but with wireless game controllers and digital cameras I get really annoyed by dead batteries (especially with the whole wii remote glove thing). These types of low self-discharge NiMHs are much better than any of the higher mAh rechargeables I've used in that respect. I'll likely be picking up another set of Eneloops at Costco through the upcoming deal SteveGo mentioned...well worth the price to me: $19.99 for 8 AAs, 4 AAAs, a slow charger, and C and D cell adapters (for the AAs).

vherub: While I agree with you that a good charger is a worthwhile investment if you use a lot of rechargeable batteries, I no longer recomment the LaCrosse BC-900 to anybody, in spite of its price to feature ratio. Unfortunately it has some issues with overcharging and venting batteries (probably due to missed delta peak detection/overheating). In essence, it is a great charger when it works correctly, but you should not leave it unattended, and should always charge in a safe (non-flammable) place. Of course, if you really have to buy that charger, it is almost always cheapest at Amazon (I've bought two there). I would be more inclined to suggest some of Maha's chargers at a slightly higher price point, though.

If anyone ever has the need to find more information on this sort of thing I would direct you to the candlepower forums. It is downright amazing how technical those guys get in terms of researching batteries and chargers, including Eneloops and other low self-discharge batteries.
 
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