Are rechargeable batteries any good?(AAA, AA etc)

People say they'll pay for themselves eventually, but I always lose mine well before that inflection point.

I hear Sanyo Eneloop are the ones to get. I have some other brand that I got as a gift and they do their job nicely.

If you just need them for TV remotes and flashlights (e.g. Things that rarely need their batteries to be replaced) you probably should just stick to regular batteries. Rechargeable batteries are best for things that need to have their batteries replaced regularly. I have some Sanyo Eneloops that i use for my wireless mouse/keyboard and 360 controller.

Most of the newer ones, like Sanyo Eneloops, that say "pre-charged" or "hybrid" on the label are pretty good. Prior rechargeable technologies tended to go dead quickly in low power devices, like clocks and remotes, and you'd need to replace them frequently. They were sort of useless in a flashlight because you'd go to use it and find the batteries needed to be charged. That's not really an issue with the hybrid batteries. I've had two rechargeable hybrid AAA Rayovacs in my kitchen scale for 18 months and they're still going fine without a charge.

I spent $35 on a very good charger (very similar to this one) and about $1.25 per battery 4 years ago and haven't paid a dime since. It's been worth it to me. That charger will do one at a time, help recondition batteries, and can help extend their lives by charging them better.

Prior to that I had a some rechargeable Energizers. There were lots of reports about their quality being terrible around the time I got mine and sure enough, after 5 charges or so, they stopped holding any juice for more than a couple of days regardless of how much I used them. I'm not buying any more from Energizer, even if their quality has bounced back. The familiar battery brands aren't necessarily better.

I've had 4 AA Energizer 2000maH batteries for about 2 years now. I got them for $15 with the charger. They have been great as Xbox batteries. When they start running out of juice i plug em in the way rinse and repeat.

Sanyo Eneloops are a godsend. Bought 4 AA Battaries and charger 2 years ago and they are all holding strong. They last a lot longer than other rechargeables I've used (I can get like 20 hours between recharges while using an Xbox 360 controller)

Once you go rechargeable you don't go back. I bought some a couple years ago after getting sick of having to constantly buy new ones/steal from remotes, and they're still going strong.

Had AAs for four years and they just recently died. I have yet to buy new ones. I'm a monster!

Sanyo Eneloops are pretty nice now. They are NIMH, but hold a charge for ~3years without much drop. And the capacity beats most of the other AA cells. Plus you can charge them in 15min or so with a decent charger, and the full useful lifetime is a decent bit beyond the 3 year of no loss.

Get some Eneloops. I was in a similar situation where the last time I had used rechargeable batteries they were terrible, but the Eneloops are as good or better than regular Energizer or Duracell batteries and you'll save a ton of money if you go through a lot of regular batteries.

Been using Energizer rechargeable batteries for years. AA and AAA. Only take like 15 minutes to charge and last a long time.