(ET) OT:Nicads and HiMH batteries help

[Eric Miller <e-max sbcglobal net>]

  When looking to purchase Nicads or NiMH batteries or
cells be sure and read the info printed on the
package. More importantly the ahr capacity. Compare
the ahr capacity between different brands. Shopper
beware. You will see cells cheaper in one store than
another store but when you compare ahr capacity you
find one store brand only has half the capacity of the
other store. So compare and shop wisely. 
  As for cordlees power toolss again you need to do
your homework and match the batteries to your needs or
application. For someone like me who uses their
cordless tools constantly on a daily bases I use only
NiMH in my Makita tools. The NiMH costs more they
provide me with more capacity (run time) before I have
to switch batteries. In the past with Nicads I had to
stop work and wait for both of my Nicads to recharge.
I use my NiMH daily so they never sit long enough to
discharge. But like David Robin pointed out, if you
are someone who only uses their cordless battery tools
once a month or so, you would be better off with the
less expensive Nicads that will not self dicharge as
quickly and be ready for use when you need them.
  I also played with opening my dead battery packs and
replace just one bad cell using a cell from the
another pack. But it wasn't long before a different
cell would die and had to be replaced (daily use of
course). For me and my application I found it too time
consuming and a hassle to be swapping out cells on the
weekends. I find it quicker now to search the web with
the battery part number to find the best price. But
again this all depends on your application and how
much spare time you have for soldering and tinkering.
  OT:Reading the labels also goes for the the Compact
Fluorescent Bulbs. I have recommend these CFB to
friends only to hear them complain the bulbs were too
dim. Again, read the package and understand how bright
a bulb is and how bright you need it. For light bulbs
their brightness is measured in Lumens. The higher the
Lumens number the brighter the light so don't buy
bulbs that are too dim with a very low Lumen number
like my friends did. Shop smart, shop wisely.
  Eric Miller
P.S.
   I too bought some of the Harbor Freight "AA"
2000ahr cells for $3.99 for a four pack.