Originally Posted by Rich_Jenkins
Bearing in mind I got rid of and gave away a bunch of stuff, going from a 4/3 Pool/3 Car to a small apartment. At the time I met my (now) wife I counted at least...36...I have pared it down recently though...
Every time I order a new flashlight now, I get "that look".
I have a problem
The look of gratitude for protecting her from the darkness which comes every day?
What problem?
I found two eneloops I thought I had, now to find one of my two chargers.
--Jason--
So here's where I wind up kind of getting stuck when I head down this path...
A single Eneloop (or really any of the better rechargeable) is ~$2.18 when you buy 16. The average cost/battery is even more when you factor in the initial charger, but that cost of the charger gets spread across the cost of all of the batteries pretty quickly as the battery count goes up.
which brings me to battery count and initial cost.
We have 5 keypad locks that take 4 AA batteries each. That's 20 batteries just to fill those up, and logically I need at least 24 so as to have one spare set pre-charged. And in actuality, this is the primary application where I start thinking about going rechargeable.
On the disposable side, a battery costs $0.25 (yes, twenty-five cents). Meaning you have to get 9 uses to break even and the 10th use is "free" (again, not counting the charger).
what concerns me is that (a) like another poster above I've been burned in the rechargeable world before, (b) if an Eneloop gets thrown away by the kids then I'm not only not ahead on cost but way behind, and (c) the fiddle-fuck of monkeying with the charger or not having a charged battery when I need one sounds like a pain in the ass and (d) oftentimes toys get thrown away on impulse and family members may not think to check the batteries.
All of that said, I'm thinking that the door locks are a great excuse to at least get started. With Xmas <25 days away I'll have to think a bit about how I want to deal with the toy issue. I'm thinking that daddy's "toys" are on rechargeables and the kid's and wife's stuff is still on disposables. But there again the logistics bother me. Maybe it's one more thing that needs to wait until the kids are older or gone, and just continue on the disposable cycle until then.
I have been phasing them in as the alkaline batteries die. I didn’t see the need to go out and buy a bunch of eneloops right off the bat. Kind of how I build my AR’s... pieces spread out over time.
And the resistance to leaks compared to alkaline batteries can save you a significant amount of money one day.
As for kids throwing them out... I’ve got nothing except what my parents would’ve done. Punishment and repayment.
"And the resistance to leaks compared to alkaline batteries can save you a significant amount of money one day. "
+1.
As for accidentally discarding rechargeables, I just completely got rid of alkalines, so no one in the house has to wonder whether batteries should be discardrd. If a new widget comes with alkalines, I give them away. There is one exception -I have one widget that doesn't like the 1.2 volts, and keep a couple of alkalines for that, in a ziploc so it's not ruined when the alkalines leak.
My take on the economics is that if it's a device I use a lot, then an eneloop at 10X the alkaline price is a bargain, because I can recharge the eneloop a lot more than 10 times. If it's a device I rarely use, then an eneloop at 10x the alkaline price is still a bargain, because putting 5 bucks of eneloops in that flashlight means I won't be tossing a $25+ device when the 50 cents worth of alkalines leaks.
As an added bonus, what if you used your light for a while? With alkalines, you get to fret whether you should replace the partially used battery so you won't have it run out the next time you use the light. With eneloops, just swap in a fully charged one.
It is my understanding that the white IKEA Nimh batteries have similar quality/specs to eneloop pros. I use BUNCHES in both flashlights and household stuff (3 kids), and they work great. Eneloops work great too.
I'm a big fan of Eneloops too. I have like 50 something of them and use them for flashlights, Nikon strobes, Aurduinos, Christmas decorations, etc.
I was racing through costco Sunday morning and these caught my eye. $23.99. Pistol forum costs me money again. Or maybe saves me money. I like the idea of C and D cell adapters. We have a couple camping lanterns that go for months without use and we never have extras on hand when their batteries give out.
Attachment 32957
I think I'm going to grab some Eneloops and use them for the adult stuff (locks, lights) and stick with the disposables for the kids for now.
thanks everyone for the suggestions and help.
No need to fully convert over to rechargeable for all uses. I run a mix constantly.
Especially if traveling I'll bring a fresh set of lithium cells as they weigh less, last longer, but can be trashed during or after the trip. Mainly referring to headlamps and hand held lights.
*does quick inventory in head* I'm not to 36 yet, but I'm probably close to ~20 between the house, car, and hurricane bags (not including weaponlights and lanterns, those don't countBearing in mind I got rid of and gave away a bunch of stuff, going from a 4/3 Pool/3 Car to a small apartment. At the time I met my (now) wife I counted at least...36...I have pared it down recently though...
Every time I order a new flashlight now, I get "that look".
I have a problem). I know there are a few still in boxes from when we moved down here. I think it's an engineering thing . . . I was looking at the Surefire Stiletto at my desk and heard "You don't need another flashlight," from across the room.
Most of my backup power/battery/energy recommendations have come from Mr. Harris. He's also updated (or added on to) his recommendation on chargers recently as the Powerex charger has been going in and out of stock. It was on this episode of The Survival Podcast. There's a list at the bottom of the "show notes".
Last edited by ragnar_d; 12-04-2018 at 10:03 PM.
"If you think it's expensive to hire a professional to do the job, wait until you hire an amateur."
Disclaimer: I have previously worked in the firearms industry as an engineer. Thoughts and opinions expressed here are mine alone and not those of my prior employers.
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