I need 8 of them and will not be using them too often, but want them to be ready for use at any time, so need them to remain in a charger (trickle mode I guess)

so...

1. is this possible?
2. what charger and batteries would allow me to do this? Any recommendations?

Thanks!

Great prices, products, and service.

you dont want them chewing/choking on battery's.

<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Crosse-Technology-BC-900-AlphaPower-Battery/dp/B00077AA5Q/ref=pd_bbs_11?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1203019358&sr=8-11">click</a>

ever since i got this my batteries have been lasting a lot longer. it tells you how much the battery is charged, how long they'll last, etc.
whatever you do, don't get one of those quick charge recharging stations. those deplete the batteries faster than other chargers.

it charges considerably slower than the other cells, so i'll often have to let everything charge and then move the bum cell to an open slot.

I got the Maha last year. I couldn't believe I needed to rip out the manual and read it carefully to figure out how to charge a set of batteries. And he's not lying...48 keystrokes to charge 4 batteries sounds about right!! And yes, it's brighter than a nightlight...put it in the basement. And yes, it's HUGE, another reason to bury it in the basement. Beyond that, it works as advertised, but for half the price the LaCrosse is the one to get!

so if you leave them overnight it'll charge all the batteries equally in the end. i dunno, when i use it, i'm typically not in a rush. now i think i have two spare sets of AA's in addition to the two that are already in both my flashes. haven't used them near enough to go through all the sets before i have time to recharge.

and hell, i still don't get it!

but cell 3 always takes a LOT longer than the others, like 2-3 times as long. it's a pain, but you're right...if i leave it, it won't be a big deal. but if i have to charge 3 sets of batteries, it can be a huge pain in the butt because i can't start the second set until the 1st set is done.

kidding! well, sometimes.