I use a fair bit of 18650 batteries, and they're reliable and long-lasting, but be careful to use a good charger like a nitecore. I have one set that I've recharged probably over 200 times and they're still as good as new.
Yes I have a hundred eneloop AA batteries and chargers. A dozen or so AAA. They're outstanding
I have duracel and everready rechargeable AA and AAA and they are garbage. They weigh about a quarter of their ordinary counterpart and performance is about a quarter as well. In SHTF they will be better than nothing but till then I avoid using them except in kids toys.
Disappointing but the sort of info I was seeking. Thanks
Lithium’s and Nimh are great, get a good charger, have to get real ones, fakes are a massive problem and very common. Eneloop are good, as are any real brand like toshiba or names you’ve heard.
Amazon is a total gamble on real ones.
Off brand will be all over the place from DOA nearly as good to maybe 1/2 capacity or maybe quits in 2 charge cycles.
20 years? Try more like the 1960s. NiMH in the 80s.
NiMH batteries are pretty decent these days. Capacities are high, and life is generally longer. You can still get NiCAD as well, the good thing about those is you can stick them on a shelf and pick them up 20 years from now and have a good expectation they'll take a charge if they aren't used up when you store them. Those tend to be a lot lower capacity, however. NiMH AA is 2200mAh for a good one, NiCAD is 600.
Both will still lose life with charge cycles, that's just a problem with batteries. Don't buy them from AliExpress and you'll probably be fine.
I meant the consumer-grade ones. obv!
Thanks for the firsthand info.
NiCADs date to the 60s in the forms we recognize but are from the 1800s. NiMHs first appeared for consumers in the late 80s. Rechargeable battery technology is quite old as far as electronics go.
A word of caution, don't put stuff like this on a shelf and be 100% certain it's going to work years later. NiCAD has the best chance, they're pretty stable devices.
You can make batteries out of metals and common household acids. https://www.instructables.com/DIY-Chlorine-Battery/
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