Rechargeable batteries

[D&P-OR]

I posed this question below just for the GTP 1350.--I'll rephrase it to include the GTI 2500 & 1500.----Question is: Are there many people that are useing rechargeable batteries in these machines?---What types of rechargeables are you using?---How long of running time are you getting out of them?-------Thanks, Del

 

[John-Edmonton]

Absolutely! I ONLY use rechargeables..both "AA"s and 9 volts. Just get a common brand with at least 2500Ma/hr rating for the "AA"'s, and as high as you can go with the 9 volts. Make sure they are actually rated 9 volts, not 7.2 volts.

 

[D&P-OR]

Thanks John----I was considering those 2650 mAh Duracell's for my 1350----Was wondering about how long of a running time a person would get on them (under normal hunt conditions).-----Del

 

[John-Edmonton]

I tend to charge them about every 3-4 hours if I am hunting daily in the summer. I recharge them before every hunt in the winter. I have some batteries that are about 4 years old and still run the machine for several hours. The ones you mentioned should work well with the GTP 1350.

 

[Uncle Willy]

That's about all I use in my Garretts. They last longer than standard alkalines and you can use them for many years before having to replace them.

Bill

 

[NM5K]

Yep, probably the majority use rechargeable batteries.
I don't though.
I prefer the higher voltage from the alkies and such.
I believe the machine operates slightly better and maybe a
tad more stable. But it's not too drastic or anything.
The 250 was designed for 6v, or four standard AA batteries.
If you use rechargeable batteries, you only get 1.2 volts
per cell, vs the 1.5 volts you get from a regular cell.
So if you use the rechargeables you will only get 4.8 volts
for those four cells.
I prefer the slight edge in performance using the full 6 volts.
I get them cheap at a dollar store, so price is not really much
of an issue. Alkies last a long time in the 250. And I change
them at about the 1/2 way mark. Still takes quite a while to
get to that point.
But they seem to do fine on the lower 4.8 volts, so I guess it's
just up to the user. If I had to pay big $$$ for alkies, I might
think different.

 

[cwilk]

I use Energizer 2500 mAh batteries and the quick charger. I allow the charger to shut itself off but the batteries have a good charge long before that. The charger comes with an AC adapter and also a car adapter. I needed to buy 4 extra batteries for my 2500. It is a huge cost savings and the batteries last longer than standard batteries at the beginning of their life. My whole outlay was $43.24. Next set of 8 batteries will only cost around 20 bucks. I also have a set I use in my camera and they last forever. Well 100-150 or so flash pics anyway.

At the start, the batteries operated for around 22 hours and they now go around 15. They have been fully discharged and recharged 20 or so times or about 400 hours. Compare that to $10.52 for 20 high quality non-rechargeables and you'll see I cut my battery expense in half. They still have life too.

Prices are at Wal-Mart and include NY sales tax. (8.25%)

Chris

 

[Rosco Bookbinder]

This question has come up several times though out the years. Still the same answer applies. Rechargeable is the way to go. A 2300 or higher mAh is suggested but you would never see any difference other than use time. And from many years experience using rechargeables in my electronic "toys".....don't worry about the difference between 1.5 and 1.2 volts. Your equipment will never know. Matter of fact some devices will let you tell it if you are using throw away or rechargeable. It's so the "what's left" meter reads correctly.......

Happy hunting..