Rechargeable Battery Information & Products| Charging your Electric World

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This last week I walked into a very popular discount electronics store to check out their rechargeable battery products. They have a whole rack dedicated to batteries. Years ago when I used to do field sound work I would visit this same store chain and buy 9V alkalines by the case. Their 9 volt alkaline batteries actually had a very high consumer reports review so I spent lots of money on them. They worked very well and were about 25% less expensive. I used to spend hundreds of dollars on batteries. I had to. It was part of my job.

Today many retail electronic chains offer rechargeable batteries as well. Most of the time their products are behind in their technology and the consumer is buying both batteries and charger that will become disposable very quickly. Nothing in the mediocre group of batteries are made to serve or last.

So while browsing in this store, I pulled a blister pack off the rack with a charger and four AA rechargeable NiMH batteries. It sold for $19.99 dollars. Very inexpensive! I would imagine that would seem to be such a great deal. Looking closer, I and saw there was no indication of how large the capacity of each battery was.

I took the sealed package over to the counter and asked the sales representative how many mAh’s (milli-amp-hours) were in the batteries. He looked on the back of the package, and grew silent. He did not know. What I asked for was the total capacity of the batteries. How much is available when the batteries are full? Are they 2000mAh? 2500mAh? 2700mAh? It is an important question because it will tell me the size of the battery’s “gas tank”.

How can he work there and not have answers to these kinds of questions.

He rolled the charger and batteries package over in his hands and was speechless. I asked him what he tells people if they ask the size of the batteries’ capacity. He was quiet and then said, “They don’t ask.”

I got the answer to my question. He doesn’t need answers because “they” do not ask questions. I guess most people do not look at the capacity of the rechargeable batteries they buy. This means they will take whatever they get. That is unfortunate. No wonder there are so many stories of disappointment with rechargeable batteries.

To top it off, the charger was a 2-hour charger, but not a “smart” or “intelligent charger” that puts the batteries in trickle charge mode once they are full. The charger in this package at the store will inevitable burn up or overheat those batteries. It’s just a matter of time.

So someone will pay $19.99 for the four AA NiMH batteries but not know how large their capacity is, so they don’t know how much power they will have for their camera or CD player or whatever device they’ll be using. The charger is substandard. I prefer to call it junk; a waste of money. Buying this “inexpensive” charger and batteries will make it necessary to buy more batteries in 6 months or a year, if they serve their purpose. The charger, more than likely, will end up at the bottom of a junk drawer in the kitchen or den.

For just over twice the price of the above mentioned battery and charger kit, a customer could have a very nice “intelligent” charger and four rechargeable 2700 mAh batteries that will last for several years, plus there are real guarantees offered.

Do you ask questions about what you buy? When it comes to rechargeable batteries and chargers, asking questions is another way of saving money and putting more portable power capacity into your pockets.

POWER YOUR ROAD!

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