Hope Vision 1 Batteries

[eldudino]

I've got a Hope Vision 1 and I normally use Energizer Lithiums in it, these are (unless you get them on offer) quite expensive, however they do have a fairly long life. I ran it with some Aldi rechargeables for one commute home and they didn't last 10 minutes.

I'm looking at getting some rechargeable batteries and I've read things about eneloop, hybrids etc. and as a non-electrically minded person I find it all rather confusing so I'm looking for recommendations.

What have you got, how much, where from, run time, charge time, number of sets etc. would all be appreciated.

 

[ianrauk]

I got these.
Uniross


They last over 9 hours on setting # 2 which is enough for a FNRttC.
Also a week of commuting home in the dark.

I haven't really tested them on settings #3 & 4 but can imagine setting 4 would last a couple of hours max.

 

[Kestevan]

2900mah rechargable

http://www.batteriesplus.co.uk/acatalog/Vapextech_2900_mAh_NiMH_AA_Rechargeable_Batteries.html

I get approx 3hrs on full power, followed by another 1/2 hour on low power.

Normal commute is 1.5 hours a day, on med power or flash and the batteries comfortably last a week. I then drain fully and recharge - on a standard speed charger this takes about 18hrs.

 

[Jezston]

Blimey you can get 2900s now? I remember only about 4-5 years ago buying a load of 2300s for a field recorder (big digital 'tape' recorder type thing) just as 2500s came out!

 

[eldudino]

That's exactly the kind of info I've been looking for. Someone who knows what they're talking about, my understanding of electronics is very limited! It seems Vapex sell direct through ebay so I think I'll go for 8 of them so that I have a set of spares. I've got a uniross charger already that does Ni-Mh.

 

[andrew_s]

I ran it with some Aldi rechargeables for one commute home and they didn't last 10 minutes.

Probably one poor battery out of the 4. This is not particularly uncommon even with good brands.

Usually the poor battery comes good after a couple of charge/discharge cycles, if you don't kill it by reverse charging or overcharging first. Reverse charging is using one flat battery in a pack with 3 good ones, which force current through it. Overcharging is often due to charging one flat battery as one of a pair with another that's only partly discharged.

If you get a good charger (BL-700) and check battery capacity before use, you should get 3 hours out of most brands.

 

[redjedi]

I've been using the Maplin 2000mAh AA batteries that came with their charger. It also comes with 4x AAA batterries.

I recharge the batteries before a Friday night ride, and they easily make it through 7-8 hours, mostly on setting 2 but setting 3/4 get used for a few hours sometimes.
An extra pack of 4x AA batteries are only £5.

 

[marinyork]

I've used maplin rechargeables (both standard and hybrid) in Hope 1s very extensively. They work fine. Maplins aren't the best batteries in the world things like vapex are better (I don't rate uniross) but they have sales from time to time and can be very cheap during the sales.

 

[PpPete]

I have a Maplin fast charger that takes just 4 AA or AAA - has an LCD screen & discharge button.
After first charge I give them a discharge (takes hours!) and keep an eye on the screen from time to time. Not 100% accurate.. but it tells you when they are full and if the progress of the little bars is not more or less in synch for each battery there's a good chance one of them is a duffer.

I'm also trying out some cheapo NiMH I got from HK Ebay vendor with my SAIK light... will let you know how they compare with the Maplins.

I've not tried the hybrids yet - seems like a good plan to have set in reserve because I heard they keep their charge better than NiMH ? At the moment I run NiMH as first line and have a set of Lithiums as spare

 

[eldudino]

Ok, Vapex batteries arrived this morning. First impressions are good as they come in a handy plastic case to keep them together. Not put them in everything yet, nor put them on charge. It doesn't say if they come charged or not, anybody know?

 

[Kestevan]

Drain them first (if they have any residual charge in them) and recharge fully before you play with them.

 

[eldudino]

How do I go about draining batteries? Leave them in a torch switched on? I checked them with a battery tester we've got in the office, they're all dead at the moment.