insidethebunker
Marksman
I just shared this with a co-worker so I thought I'd post it here too. It a compilation I made from reading several forums over the past year. I needed to distill something down that I could keep in my wallet for when I'm out shopping.
NI-CADS Nicads will take a "set" & will need maintenance done to them. Used daily, the nicads failed 4-6 months.
NI-MH: The ni-mh will last on the shelf indefinitely, you just have to charge them prior to use. NmHd batts lasted 16-18 months, but stored on shelf, lost 10% of charge every 30 days. When NmHd batts go bad, there is no warning.
LITHIUM: Save your lithium for last, they will hold a charge forever, but they are not rechargeable. LiIon batts are still going good after 24 months. I had one pack loose .5% after 73 days. LiIon requires a more expensive charger for these radios. I've only had one factory warning about LiIon batts (exploding when exposed to 300F temps). I've been using AA rechargeable LiIon batts in My Princeton-Tec head lamp & I'm impressed with their run time & shelf life.
STOCK LITHIUMS.
STOCK LITHIUMS.
STOCK LITHIUMS. BTW Their shelf life is double that of alkaline.
RECHARGEABLE batteries don't hold their charge when not in use. If you plan on having emergency batteries just use regular batteries, and then when those go dead, charge up the reusable ones and put them in. Basically, the rechargeable batteries for constant use items that would be bad have to constantly buy new batteries for, and regular batteries are for stuff that gets used only in emergencies or not real often.
Keep a combo of ni-mh, regular and lithium batteries around for emergencies.
NI-CADS Nicads will take a "set" & will need maintenance done to them. Used daily, the nicads failed 4-6 months.
NI-MH: The ni-mh will last on the shelf indefinitely, you just have to charge them prior to use. NmHd batts lasted 16-18 months, but stored on shelf, lost 10% of charge every 30 days. When NmHd batts go bad, there is no warning.
LITHIUM: Save your lithium for last, they will hold a charge forever, but they are not rechargeable. LiIon batts are still going good after 24 months. I had one pack loose .5% after 73 days. LiIon requires a more expensive charger for these radios. I've only had one factory warning about LiIon batts (exploding when exposed to 300F temps). I've been using AA rechargeable LiIon batts in My Princeton-Tec head lamp & I'm impressed with their run time & shelf life.
STOCK LITHIUMS.
STOCK LITHIUMS.
STOCK LITHIUMS. BTW Their shelf life is double that of alkaline.
RECHARGEABLE batteries don't hold their charge when not in use. If you plan on having emergency batteries just use regular batteries, and then when those go dead, charge up the reusable ones and put them in. Basically, the rechargeable batteries for constant use items that would be bad have to constantly buy new batteries for, and regular batteries are for stuff that gets used only in emergencies or not real often.
Keep a combo of ni-mh, regular and lithium batteries around for emergencies.
