Originally Posted by
Kingshead
The problem wasn't self discharging, it was their lower voltage output, so we'll see.
In high discharge situations (say over 1 A for AAs), their voltages will typically be
higher than that of alkalines rather than lower.
The self discharge is indeed a pretty big problem. I'm not saying it was *your* problem, but after a month NiMH cells would be nearly dead. NiCd cells could last a few months, and the low self discharge rate batteries (sold as "precharged") like the Eneloops are good for six months and beyond.
Looked at many chargers, some costing hundreds of dollars. Purchased the basic Sanyo charger until the batteries prove themselves to be of value.
Hundreds of dollars? I'm not aware of any consumer chargers for loose cells that cost that much -- though I haven't gone looking for them either. Even the good R/C chargers typically don't cost that much . In any event, Ziema's suggestion of the Maha MH-C9000 charger is a good one.
But any of the basic chargers will work, though the cheap ones only turn off based on a timer, not on how charged the battery is. If the battery starts getting warm and the charge rate isn't particularly high, that probably means it's fully charged and it's time to turn it off. Overcharging a little at a low rate won't hurt the batteries, but if it's done over and over and over it will begin to degrade their performance.