You might be asking youselft why is there a rechargeable battery section on a tech web site. Well first of all the computer desktop industry has been stagnating for years and the mobile industry exploding (try and turn any corner without seeing a smartphone). The mobile tech industry wouldn't be where it is today without the steady improvements in battery technology that has given us greater battery life for our busy lives or thinner devices. Battery tech has seen some impressive improvements in the last 5-10 years and these improvements can carry over to our everyday lives with devices that use AAA, AA, C, D, & 9v batteries. Some of these devices include game controllers (for Wii, XBOX, PS3), TV remotes (ala Logitech Harmony or whatever you use), wireless earphones, flashlights, toys, and the list goes on and on. With the gadget driven world we live in it seems everything under the sun requires batteries. So why do we continue to use these ancient disposable alkaline batteries that give low run-times, higher yearly operating costs, and pile up in our landfills. You counter with but alkaline batteries can be stored for years and years without losing their energy. You continue, this long shelf life is not the case for NiCad and NiMH rechargeable batteries which can only hold a charge for a month or two. You would have been right if it was 10 years ago but now there are NiMH Low Self-Discharge batteries that have changed all that.

 

In this world of the Internet where everything happens in an instant, it's no longer acceptable to use rechargeable batteries if they have to be charged right before each use. Thankfully more recent battery technology has alieviated the self-discharge shortcoming and allowed rechargeable batteries to almost completely replace alkalines (in that they are ready to use, even after months of sitting in a drawer or on a shelf). This battery tech I mentioned earlier is called Low Self-Discharge (or LSD for short) and generally means a battery can hold most of its charge for a year or more. The actual charge retention percentage varies from brand to brand, but most can hold around 75% charge after a year. This type of battery was made famous by Sanyo with their Eneloop line of batteries which are still some of the highest quality LSD batteries available today. The only downside to LSD batteries is they usually have a lower capacity than their non-LSD counterparts. Even that shortcoming has been partly addressed with higher capacity versions like Sanyo Eneloop XX and PowerEx Imedion batteries. Now let's look at a list of some of the best LSD batteries and their specs: