I know what you mean about the self discharge. I have gotten into the habit of charging them just before a job. Part of my routine. I have been using the Sony 2500 mAH and they seem to work better than Kodak 2500mAH. Never used the Energizer. I also like the neat battery case the Sony's come in. I have 5 in the flash, 5 in my pocket and any used ones in the charger. I just keep rotating them from charger to pocket , to flash and back to the charger. That way the 20 I own is used the same number of times.