Long Lasting Batteries for Wireless Headphones? Here They Are!

[Neil in West Jersey]

I noticed when I moved over to the wireless headphones that I was going through AA batteries rather quickly. They usually lasted for 1.5 outings (which is about 6 or 7 hours of detecting for me.) I had some good rechargeable batteries that I had forgotten about laying in a drawer for more than a year, so I thought they were not going to hold a charge very long but I thought they were worth a try.

I was wrong. The batteries lasted nearly 4 outings for me. Needless to say I am thrilled.

Here is some info on the batteries:

Duracell Rechargeable 2650mAh AA/HR6/DC1500 NiMH 1.2V

I have seen some off brands listed as 2900mAh, but I would stick to a known brand.

 

[DFX USER]

Good tip Neil. I'm burning thru batteries at about the same rate as you were. I think I will try some rechargeables too.

 

[tab-nabit]

I been running NiMH rechargeable since I used up the alkaline that originally came with the headphones.
Thing is, I always throw in a fresh charged pair whenever I go, so I haven't had a pair run down on me yet. And of course I always take spares. But the spares are fresh charged also.
Once used, even for short hunts of a couple hours, when I get home they go to the cardboard box of "needs charge".
I'll usually charge batteries then take off for a hunt. But that's just me.
I have a few bulk bundles of batteries - I mark the month/year on each with a permanent marker. Just to keep track I guess.
I think my lowest is 2200 mA, and my highest is 2900 or 2950mA.
2 chargers that hold 8 each, and 6 chargers that hold 4 each, and a couple of 2 cell chargers.

I got this way back from the NiCad days - thanks to the kids that were killing me in batteries then. Oh well, they pay for themselves as far as I'm concerned.

Now the stupid part - I still buy alkaline (100-bulk packs) so the wife and one last home kid can keep their meat hooks off my rechargeable batteries. And it's strange on how often a couple neighbor kids happen to stop by with some electronic gadget that happens to need AA cells before they leave. They don't even ask anymore as they know where I keep them and told them "you know where they are at". I just bought two 100-packs a few months ago and now there is about a half dozen left. They even leave me the exhausted batteries to take care of. They probably pocket spares - must think I'm the battery man or something.

And the last time I went detecting, I have two asking "have any spare batteries?" - what is up with that

 

[corvair]

Neal & tab-nabit, Rechargeables are the only way to go. I have to thank Magic for that tip for me.

I do probably need to add another charger to my list like tab-nabit has done. The initial cost for all of the batteries and chargers is high, but will save you money in the long run!
One of the chargers I did buy is what I call a "smart charger". You select charge capacity and whether or not you want to deep cycle(not a true deep cycle mode though). You can improve the
longevity of your AA rechargeables by performing this quasi deep cycle mode every three to four months. Charger will display actual battery capacity(amperage) and voltage after a full charge.

The amperage capacity rarely equals the batteries claimed capacity for two different brands of rechargeables I use, but typically are within 150 mAh of the advertised value.

Good post!!