I hate NiCads

[recon]

does anyone know where I could get a new battery for a UTG ak47 because I HATE NICAD BATTERIES!!!

[Enkidu]

Nope. Nobody, including the dozens of retailers on the left-hand side of the page (and also the advertisement banners at the top of the page), nor the near-omniscient Google search engine knows where you can get a new battery for your gun. I sure as hell don't know.

And what's so wrong with NiCd's? They have a slower self-discharge rate and are earier to recharge than NiMHs. They're good enough for Firelotus's car, and they're plenty good enough for my AEGs.

[recon]

ty for all the info and the reason i dont like NiCads is because the possibility of the battery going dead if I dont completly discharge the battery.

[kdogg]

I recharge my nicads all the time without draining them. I know you are not suppose to but as of yet, I've now had any problems.

[Enkidu]

Battery Mythbusting Time!

In Airsoft usage, you don't ever need to discharge your battery pack. In fact, the only time where discharging batteries makes sense is if you're into RC cars or airplanes.

In fact, deep discharging before recharging severely reduces the life of your battery pack.

Read this, please: www.dansdata.com/gz011.htm

[colonelangus]

cheapbatterypacks.com

[recon]

thanks angus

[camophreak]

try this store on ebay...I bought 2 3000mah for $30!!

theyve never failed me and Im buying another 4 3300mah for $45.

stores.ebay.com/All-Batteries-Outlet_W0QQssPageNameZstrkQ3amefsQ3amesstQQtZkm

good luck!

-CP

[headripper]

I guess I may as well point out that people upgrading to NiMH should also get a charger specifially for them. Chargers quit thier charge cycle when they notice a certain voltage drop and it's how they know when the battery is finished. NiCd cells have a large voltage drop once maximum capacity has ben reached, where NiMH cells do not show as large of a drop. That means if you charge NiMh cells on a standard NiCd charger you risk severly overcharging the battery pack and destroying it. You will need a decent peak detection charger when upgrading to NiMh. You "CAN" use a standard charger but you need to exercise caution, monitor the temperature of the battery, if it's too hot to hold in your hand it's probably overcharged already.

[Psychosis]

I think my question is related to the topic at hand

enki, what sort of specifications should you look for when purchasing NiMH batteries? I've done a search, but am not too clear on what exactly to look for- discharge rate, etc. The key thing that NiMH has over NiCad is that the mini-batteries have almost double the mAh.

[Enkidu]

You make an excellent point, Psychosis - NiMH cells do indeed have a higher energy density than NiCd, which is a big advantage for mini-battery users. And unlike NiCd cells, NiMH cells are not toxic waste. Cadmium is a hazardous heavy metal, so don't ever do the touch-it-with-your-tongue test!

There are two interlocking specifications to look for in an NiMH battery purchase: the first is mAh, or capacity. As you know, it's roughly speaking the number of shots you can expect out of a full charge. The second spec is brand - there exist only a handful of quality NiMH cell manufacturers. Beware of suspiciously cheap packs that don't specify the manufacturer of the cells. Sanyo and Panasonic are tops in quality, and offer a wide line of capacities. Sellers of complete packs who know their client base will be very explicit as to the manufacturers of their component cells. Feel free to trust them a bit more, as they have a bit more respect for your intelligence.

[Zorak]

Hey Enki, the proprieter of the oft-linked-to Onlybatteries seems to be gaga for Gold Peak and Intellect Brothers. Would you advise us, your humbe students, to avoid these batteries and insist on Sanyo and Panasonic?

[Enkidu]

zorak said:

Hey Enki, the proprieter of the oft-linked-to Onlybatteries seems to be gaga for Gold Peak and Intellect Brothers. Would you advise us, your humbe students, to avoid these batteries and insist on Sanyo and Panasonic?

I would advise you so. In rough order of enki-approval, it goes Sanyo, Panasonic, SAFT, Gould, Varta, Gold Peak, and Marathon. Intellect Brothers I am not familiar with, but preliminary research reveals their supplier to be Shenzhen Malintech Industrial Co., who've been around in the OEM market for about 5 years. Sanyo they ain't.

Brands can be tricky, though. There are dozens of pseudo-brands that source and then relabel other brands. If they're using high-end cells and the price is right, then go ahead. The problem is that tracking down the OEM supplier can be difficult. I know this, though: Energizer can't hack it on the international rechargeable marketplace, so they use Sanyo cells, rebranded and priced higher.

As for the other brands, I base this ranking on some discussions with battery nerds on other forums; personally, I've never intentionally bought anything other than Sanyo, as they are ten times better than their nearest competitor. No fooling.

[headripper]

Having been into R/C racing for many years, I use to compete at my local indoor track racing 4 wheel drive touring cars on carpet. All of the people I associated with were always nuts about finding the best batteries. We all used GP batteries, they had the most punch and were the most reliable. Most of the top brand battery matchers use GP cells because of those reasons.

I would by no means put GP down that far on the list. I agree with whatever website you saw it on that said GP batteries are the way to go.

Maybe it's time to give GP batteries a try, I beleive you will be singing a different tune, also save yourself some money.

[Psychosis]

Apparently there's a new 1400 mAh mini battery by Intellect Brothers:

www.airsoft-war4.com/details.php?pid=3261
www.unipros.com/cellinfo.asp?invid=IB1400
www.arniesairsoft.co.uk/forums/index.php?showtopic=52687