We've had lots of posts on the benefits of Li-Ion and other LSD batteries versus plain Ni-Mh and other non LSD rechargeable batteries.
Regular Ni Mh (non LSD) rechargeable batteries generally go flat a few weeks after being charged.
However I've found in some situations, the batteries can last 3-6 months at least (sometimes longer).
Devices with constant low drain, seem to be excellent candidates for this.
I've had remote sensors for temperature gauges, that lasted about 3 months on regular Ni-Mh batteries. (frequent low drain to send out the temperature at regular intervals)
Door chime / back up alarms have lasted over 6 months (frequent low drain to send out IR pulses and check them, to see if someone is passing by).
An LCD desk clock that lasted somewhere over 9 months.
So for those who have both LSD and non LSD rechargeables, your non LSDs may still be very useful (and save you from using more expensive LSD rechargeables for some purposes).
Anyway, it's just something I found out, that didn't seem to be on the web, and might save some people some money, and help get more use out of those Ni-Mh and other non LSD rechargeable batteries out there.
All these are situations are where LSD will do a better job…. They will last longer because they lose less charge (to self discharge) over time.
non-LSD are better for high discharge items (they have higher capacities than LSD) provided you're organised enough to have them charged just before you need them. Problem is, most people aren't organised, so the higher capacity is negated by the fact the batteries have self-discharged since they were last charged.
The other problem is that Lithium rechargeables have now become so cheap (and have better capacity/recharge cycles) that they've largely displaced non-LSD batteries niche (ie remote control toys and cameras).