Where on earth can I buy the new Sony 1100MaH AAAs? You can see them here (wait for the picture to change), but the rest of the internet seems ignorant of their very existance!

Also, a quick question: do rechargeables perform better or worse than typical AAAs?

Any special reason you want to choose Sony batteries over Ansmann or Emmerich for example?



Depends what you use them for. If you want to use them in a remote control for example, normal batteries would be the better choice since they do not have such a high self-discharge rate and an IR doesn't need much power. However, if you want to use them in a camera or MP3 player, rechargeables are usually better since they provide more energy.

Well, I've looked far and wide for 1100MaH AAAs, and only Assia (eBay) and Sony seem to make them. Since Assia's probably not a very reliable company (it's hardly even mentioned online!) and I have no need for 12 or 24 packs of rechargeables, I'm hoping that I can find more information about Sony's batteries.

My personal experience agrees with the reviews I have read.

Sanyo makes the best rechargeables.

POWEREX is not bad either.

Thanks for the recommendations!
What are the highest MaH's currently offered for AAAs?

Well, the highest mAh value I saw was 1300 by Ansmann. They are pretty rare, though. On their website, you will only find the 900 mAh model.

Edit: Keep in mind that high mAh value doesn't mean good battery. If the self-discharge value is too high, the battery life is shorter and you have to recharge the batteries more often. Also, a battery can "show" its full power when charged correctly and when you take care of it (do not expose to sunlight, do not drop, do not touch the poles, do not overcharge, do not let it reach less than 1 V...).

That makes rechargeables sound too fussy, but thats not my experience. Ive a small collection of NiMHs and NiCds, which I just plonk in an old trickle charger and take out when I remmember to.
iirc warmth makes NiMHs self discharge much faster, so sunlights heat would be a concern, but just as much as the heat in the shade.
Pole touching should be no hazard unless you often find sparks flying from your fingertips.
NiCads can have lower self discharge and higher current output than NiMHs but each make /model varies and theres a fair overlap in comparing performance.
NiCads are quite difficult to dispose of safely because of Cadmiums toxicity, but no batteries should be thrown in the rubbish.
Charging problems are mostly with old and unusualy sensitive batteries, NiMHs in particular should have no memory effect and can be over or under charged without problem - I tell how my NiMHs are charged by feeling if theyre getting warm, that means theyre done.

Im just mentioning my own approach because I think normal batteries are very wasteful and dont want people thinking rechargeables are difficult to take care of. Extra discipline could be applied for optimal performance, but ive found them robust and straightforward.

I see. So what would you recommend for, say, an MP3 player? I want to squeeze in as many hours of playback as I can.

High MaH (>900 for AAA's) is into the land of diminishing returns. Just buy two sets of 850's

Id tend to agree, although Id like to find the best, which would probably be NiMHs of some type, ive got pretty cheap Vanson AAAs 750 mAh and 600 mAh Philips which came with a wireless phone. Too much trial and error involved for me to find the premium costing and performing kind.

You could sign up for a free trial here to get at this report:
Which Online, Battery Test

edit: mAh

I am using Sanyo 650 mAh AAA in my Creative Movo.
They are working quite nicely.

... just pretend the year is 2003 and the highest you can get is 800mAh

I see. Thanks for the help!

Just to be a pain in the arse.

It is mAh, not MaH or maH.

m=milli (10^-6)
M=mega (10^6)

A=ampere (the unit of current)
a=atto (10^-18)

h=hour
H=henry (the unit of inductance)