Charging batteries for 8 hours

With the latest battery technologies. whenever I buy stuffs with batteries, the shopkeepers always tell me to "First time battery - charge it for 8 hours". However, when I open the book (camera battery in this case), it says full charge take 3 hours and should not let the battery too long on the charger as it will deteriorate the battery life.

Even AA rechargeable battery with fast chargers (for flash), shopkeepers always recommend first time charge make it 8 hours - even though it takes 1 hour for fast chargers.

Do we really need to charge at least 8 hours for the first charge?

No, you don't need to do that. Modern chargers would turn off automatically nowadays after it is full. So leaving it 'charging' for 8 hours would be useless.

AFAIK, the reason behind this was lithium ion batteries had to charge for a few cycles before being able to produce maximum capacity. Charging it for 8 hours is to speed up the process.

Yeah, it would turn off...
But they said, this 8 hours of charging is only for once - the first time charging of new batteries

Well, it sounds like BS to me. You are aware that modern chargers cut off after full capacity. So, let's say it is a 1 hour charger, what is the point of continuing for 7 more hours when the charger has already cut off the supply? Makes no sense right?

My slow charger will charge my batteries for 24 hours

simmon wrote:My slow charger will charge my batteries for 24 hours

eh heh...
sorry ar... this thread I started is about new batteries that newly open, the first time charge

CY wrote:Well, it sounds like BS to me. You are aware that modern chargers cut off after full capacity. So, let's say it is a 1 hour charger, what is the point of continuing for 7 more hours when the charger has already cut off the supply? Makes no sense right?

yeah... it did sounds like BS to me
Here is another sales guy talk, "Oh, even though the power is cut off after full charge, the charger will do maintenance to the battery to make the battery better life"

That one only for the very pricey ones that is capable to do trickle charging.