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Seriously, rayovacs are made in America and costs less than Duracell/Energizer. Both of those brands are EXPENSIVE and really do not do that great of a job.,

I haven't personally tested these but they claim their NiMH batteries have a much lower self-discharge rate. http://www.rayovac.com/recharge/hybrid_technology. shtml http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php ?t=138632

I haven't tried these myself, just read an article in the paper, and looked at the web page and put them on my 'to try' list.

Normally NiMH batteries discharge so rapidly when not in use that you pretty much need to remember to charge them the night before you want to use them, which is a pain when taking spare batteries on, say, a backpacking trip.

Rayovac has new 'hybrid' NiMH battery that ships fully charged and is supposed to hold a charge much longer in storage.

http://www.rayovac.com/recharge/hybrid_technology. shtml

15 Min Recharge Info

From the page:

Rayovac's patent-pending I-C3 technology (In-Cell Charge Control) puts the control of the recharging into the battery, instead of the charger.

15 Minute Rechargeables

Why Buy I-C3:

        * Unsurpassed charging time - 15 minutes or less
        * Lasts up to 3 times longer than standard alkaline
        * Can be recharged up to 500 times
        * Price - Very inexpensive compared to the hundreds of disposable alkaline batteries needed to match the lasting power of the 15-Minute Rechargeable System; far less expensive than lithium batteries
        * Safe design - system monitors the charge in each individual battery for safe charge design, speed and reliability

500 charges sounds pretty good to me. Even at 50% charge, would last 1.5x longer than an alkaline. Also, this charger doesn't charge all rechargeables in 15 minutes, just specialized I-C3 batteries. So, there is a (rather significant) difference between your normal NiMH and these. It's not a "flash charger", just the charger that these batteries are designed for. The battery basically handles its own charging and timing.

We use the AA and AAA I-C3 rechargeables for cameras (my wife does weddings and other events), audio recorders and players (I use the AAA for digital recorders. I record roughly 4 hours each week, and listen about 8, all on 1 AAA. After charging all 4, I only have to charge once a month). And, of course, there's the TV remotes, LED flashlights, and camping radios.

And let me tell you, for flashlights and radios, there's no greater joy while camping then running my car for 15 minutes and charging the batteries quickly. I can't run my car 5 hours just to recharge some AA's. That's just crazy talk.

Here's a tip for travellers: Go to a gas station and ask for the wall socket for 15 minutes to recharge some batteries. Usually there is an empty spot behind the coffee machine, and then just take your time shopping for sodas, ice, something microwavable, bathroom, etc. You can't do that with 5 hour recharges.

And no, I'm not affiliated with Rayovac, I just find their quick charge batteries a real convenience and well worth it (unlike other rechargeables).

Why not just use rechargables? The 360 controllers are supposed to have an optional battery pack that can recharge itself thru the cord while youre still playing it (no idea about PS3 though). As for other batteries, I've started using these little guys in everything I have and they're awesome....so to rephrase/reuse your prior statement... I hate regular batteries, but I love rechargables ;)

I'm a loyal fan of Rayovac which has seven plants and at #3 makes about 20% of consumer batteries.

This one is excellent and well-reviewed in a number of publications: http://www.ccrane.com/quick_charger.asp. I have had mine for a while now and can attest it's excellent. It handles from four AAA through 4 D-cells. It has a slow-start (which prevents the batteries from getting hot), and for NiCd, it even discharges the batteries to 1.0V before recharging them. The spring clip is VERY strong, which helps assure good contact (at least I assume that's why they're so strong). You can leave the batteries in it, too, and it will keep them topped off.

It's not cheap (US$40) but it's been well worth it to me. I use rechargeables for everything and in every size except 9V. I get my batteries from http://www.batteryspace.com/. I like the AA 2250 mAh (currently 24 for US$30); they seem to last forever in my digital camera. My 11-year old daughter goes through batteries like crazy for her CD player, radio, clocks, toys, and flashlights, and going all-rechargeable was one of the best moves I ever made. I do keep a spare set of alkaline D-cells for my radio in case of extended power outage, but haven't had to use them yet (My 8 9500 mAh D-cells, like the A-cells, seem to last forever.

The C. Crane charger says it only does NiCd and NiMH, but I also recharge "rechargeable Alkalines" http://www.rayovac.com/products/recharge/rec_alk.s html in it with no problems.

I have a Rayovac charger that I'm quite happy with. It's a 'smart' charger that'll charge NiMH batteries in about an hour individually, up to four at a time.

The model number is PS4. Info here.

I got mine at Walmart for under $30 with a couple batteries.

The best batterry I've found is Rayovac's 15 minute rechargable batteries that hold 2Ah.

http://www.rayovac.com/15minutes/qa.html#1

They do get kind of warm while recharging, but seem to last twice as long as Duracell's best Alkaline batterry in my digital camera.

Get the Ray-O-Vac 1-hour charger and some NiMH AA batteries.

This charger is different from other chargers because it charges in 1 hour and because it charges each cell individually.

Just keep it where you use your electronic stuff and keep a supply of charged batteries. I have a pile of uncharged batteries and one of charged ones. The uncharged ones get put in the charger and migrate to the charged side when the lights go out. Works for me for lots of different devices.

I have a IIIx, and even if I'd been able to get a V for the same price, I wouldn't have wanted one. The Li-ion battery isn't a selling point; I prefer rechargeable alkalines for this kind of application [1]. The only thing the V has going for it is a bit of industrial design, and I'd much rather have the enhanced internals of the IIIx.

I'd still buy a IIIx, though the IIIe is probably a better value for entry-level users.

[1] A little tip from the O'Reilly book - you can set the Palm's battery-monitor thresholds for NiCd, Alkaline, or Rechargeable Alkaline by writing the 'shortcut' symbol, then '.7'