I don't buy Energizer and Duracell alkaline batteries, so I won't try their NiMH either. They're both in the business of selling disposable products and massively misrepresenting them, so I doubt their claims of quality and longevity of their rechargeable tech is much different in that respect.

Sanyo are pioneers in rechargeable battery technology and currently still the world's number one producer. I've also been using Maha cells since around 2000 when NiMH AA were first becoming popular. I currently still use a Maha charger with my Eneloops and plan to buy a newer model with capacity to handle 8 cells at once. Great chargers - which have been able to rescue (recondition) a few inferior cells that wouldn't do anything with other chargers.

I prefer Eneloops for my speed lights because I know that even if I haven't used them in a few months, I can simply pick them up and start firing. The batteries lose only a minimal amount of charge. Regular NiMH cells would be almost dead by comparison. Especially important to have slow discharge on your backup sets. Unless of course you want to keep topping up your cells weekly - I'm not that diligent.