best batteries to use with a strobe

Please register or login

Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.

Benefits of registering include

  • Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
  • A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
  • You can make this box go away

Joining is quick and easy. Log in or Register now!

luckydays

Contributor
Messages
1,392
Reaction score
63
Location
San Pedro CA
# of dives
200 - 499
I am getting my first set of strobes (sea and sea ys110a x2) and I keep hearing that I should have fresh batteries for every second dive. This will be costly as AA batteries sure aren't cheap and with my setup I will need 8 batteries.

I am wondering which batteries you use with your strobes. Rechargeable or disposable and which brand do you prefer?
 
Buy you some Sanyo Eneloops and a good charger (not a WalMart special) and be done with it. Many professional photographers use the Eneloops...good stuff. Much, much better than Duracell, etc.

On the charger one option is the Maha MH-C9000, it's the one I use and it works great.
 
I just bought 4 8-packs of Eneloop AA batteries, and a pair of good charger/testers. My old NiMH batteries turn out to largely be crap -- maybe they were just crummy to begin with, but I think that my cheap charger killed them. Only about 3 or 4 out of 19 were even half of rated capacity, and some were 1/4 or even less.

From my reading, get the Maha referenced above or get the Lacrosse BC-700, which is what I am using. These allow you to set the charging current, and to test the batteries for capacity.
 
Powerex are great battery also. You can get good deal at newegg. I think Maha chargers are made by Powerex. Good luck.
 
Battery choices are not that simple, although since there are only a few battery manufacturers there are some simple aspects. The ones that hold their charge longer do not have as much "bang." A typical charter is deep dive first, then shallow. The shorter, deeper (darker) the environment the more "bang" some want. A longer dive at shallower (brighter) depths seems to fit the longer hold of charge profile.

Duracell has long charge holding batteries like Eneloop's and I have noticed no difference except in availability. When they are new, most any rechargeable works fine. As they age the cream rises. The long charge holding batteries can be charged after the last dive and may be alright for the dive next week. The "big bang" batteries need to be charged at the very earliest the night before the dive.

One caveat in my review is that I only use AA's in my camera and dive light; my strobe has a huge Ike battery that has lasted for over 7 years and will run the strobe as both the primary dive light for over 60 minute night dives AND over 100 strobes. :)
 
Buy you some Sanyo Eneloops and a good charger (not a WalMart special) and be done with it. Many professional photographers use the Eneloops...good stuff. Much, much better than Duracell, etc.

On the charger one option is the Maha MH-C9000, it's the one I use and it works great.


The Duracell "Pre-Charged" is for all intents and purposes the same as the Eneloop. I have both types and use them interchangeably and they work the same.

N
 
I am getting my first set of strobes (sea and sea ys110a x2) and I keep hearing that I should have fresh batteries for every second dive. This will be costly as AA batteries sure aren't cheap and with my setup I will need 8 batteries.

I am wondering which batteries you use with your strobes. Rechargeable or disposable and which brand do you prefer?

I use Nickel/Zinc in my Ys110's... amazing batteries. And do not change between dives. Never tried it, but given how fast they recharge (less than an hour after several dives), would bet I could do two days on them.

From the little testing I have done, one can expect around 100 or so more flashes over the low discharge rechargables (in the YS 110's)...and they hold a charge equal to them.

As a plus, you get faster recharging also.

I have gradually switched to using only them

I have a box of low discharge/high capacity rechargeables I don't use any more, some still in the packages.

If one really tried on land, it is possible to over heat the strobes (not the batteries, they don't get hot) due to the faster recycle times, but underwater have not had an issue.
 
Thanks for the info everybody. I have seen the Sanyo Eneloop Batteries at Costco. I will go back and look at those again.

Puffer Fish: under what brand or where could I find Nickel Zinc batteries. I have heard of NiMH and NiCd before but not NiZn.
 
Here's an interesting post about Duracell precharged vs. Eneloops. Some have suggested that Sanyo (Japan) may have made the first batch of Duracell's, but that they are now produced by Rayovac instead (China).
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/peregrine/

Back
Top Bottom