I had need for a rechargeable 9.6V NiMHbattery to replace a worn out one.
The last was made by fabricating a pack with AA long life cells and it worked well for 10 years… but its time had come.
The above pack on eBay for $12 ($17/Ah) looked interesting, though it would need a wrap of heavier heatshrink.
But is it any good?
Well, no, it does not deliver even 10% of its rated capacity (real cost: $240/Ah) after conditioning with three charge / discharge cycles to establish full capacity.
They are obviously of Chinese Quality… bit of an oxymoron really!
Looks like some low self discharge AA cells (which are very scarce) and build a pack.
Works a treat.
These cells are NOT soldered, they have Ni strips spot welded to the cell terminals. These sort of cells usually contain a pressure relief valve near / in the +ve terminal, and if it is made of a material that melts with the heat of soldering, soldering may cripple that safety measure.
But, does it stack up?
After 3 charge cycles, this battery pack meets the advertised cell ratings. The cells alone cost $20 so $10/Ah plus some additional cost in materials and labor.