Possible group buy - Batteries, Chargers, etc

[Caelum]

I'm looking at getting some new bits of kit from the states, some high quality NiMh cells, and chargers to go with it.

Currently my pick includes a couple of these and a selection of KNOWN high quality cells... along with some lesser known brands.

Shipping is the killer though, being about $45 USD, with FedEx being the only available option.



Is anyone else after a good quality smart charger, and some cells? They also do lithium packs, NiCad, along with standard primaries...


With the chargers, you'd probably need a US > AUS plug adapter, but that isn't such a big deal - or you can probably use a normal 12v power supply if you already have one with the right plug for the charger.

They sell thse US > AUS adapter plugs for $3 USD each. Probably as cheap as you'll find easily elsewhere.



Now the deal on the charger seems to only be left for a couple more days... so maybe some speed would be a good idea with this one

[gsxrboy]

The Sanyo eneloops get great raps and you can get them locally (or via ebay), would they be a better buy?

[Caelum]

$9 USD for for 2000 mAh cells.

These are thought to be pretty high quality low self discharge units too here



So if you're after low self discharge cells, either are a viable choice.


If you don't need the low self discharge feature though, you're better off getting a standard high capacity cell, 2600mAh+

[moosterbounce]

We've got the enloops for one of the digital cameras. Any other batteries we put in the sicker were dead within 100 shots (canon s2is is reknown for shocking battery life). Anyway, tried these one and can get 400-500 shots!! The difference is amazing compared to supposedly better quality, more expensive ones.

I'd recommend giving these a try for the price.

[Caelum]

From all reports i've read the Maha(PowerEx) batteries are AT LEAST as powerful as they quote...

So i'm getting 8 of them for my new headlight coming in.

Grabbing 8 Duracells(2650mAh) for general use aswell.


So far i have 3 chargers in my cart - 2 for me, 1 for a friend... So shipping is currently at $25 each, if someone else joins in, shipping costs will be down to about $16.


All prices in USD... as i'm so used to working in USD from buying overseas these days




edit: if all anyone is after is batteries, and not a charger, shipping wont cost a thing - it is negligible to the whole order. So if someone just wants 4 or 8 AAs, whatever the price works out to be from USD to AUD conversion is what you'll pay.

[Matty]

I've got a Maha Charger and PowerEx batteries and have been very happy with them. Another place to look if shipping is too much from Thomas Distributing is EastGear. I ordered my charger and batteries from there as they were cheaper than Thomas Distributing, but that was about a year ago.

I may be interested in just getting some batteries. I'll let you know if I do.

[Caelum]

Yeah, i've checked them out, along with the maha charger, however there were some firmware problems with the charger that would show under certain conditions, which resulted in overcharging, and there is no way to know what firmware the charger is running...

It was initially my first choice, but found there are many happy users with the v33 version of the La Crosse BC-900... And no bad firmware, which was my concern using high capacity/price batteries..

Cheaper, and comes with 4aa and 4aaa batteries...

[nimm]

I have the BC-900

Best ... charger... EVER! I recommend anyone that has re-chargeable batteries to get one.

I don't need any batteries or another charger atm Caelum - but thought maybe my experience may encourage others to get one

[Caelum]

Thanks for the input - i'm yet to see a bad word on the net about these chargers that is backed up by any evidence or logic at all... Everything seems good.


My old man is a sparky by trade(more engineering than normal sparky work though), and was impressed by the features of the charger.. so i'm grabbing one for him too.

I'm actually having trouble finding a better charger AT ALL, let alone for this price.



Be warned - the order will be going through wednesday night, AT THE LATEST - as that is when the price for those chargers is valid til, they're on special.

[toofat]

Caelum you have pm

[Caelum]

OK, sweet...



Shipping is now down to about $13 each, much easier pill to swallow ;o)

[Caelum]

Ok guys... Order has gone through.

I'll confirm the postage and item costs to you both shortly, via PM/Email.



Cheers.