Colored Eneloops

[Sugarboy]

thanks sugarboy. hong kong is becoming the centre of the world.

We should lure Sanyo to make batteries here (GP=Gold Peak, the maker of Recyko, is a Hong Kong company, though I don't like it for some reasons)
It's the laissez-faire free trade policy & 0% sales tax that make everything possible

 

[beerwax]

and being the gateway to china.

i see 'new' 2700 sanyo nimh aa in a green wrapper appearing on fleabay. being sold from korea. HR3UG. cant find any other info.

 

[Sugarboy]

and being the gateway to china.

i see 'new' 2700 sanyo nimh aa in a green wrapper appearing on fleabay. being sold from korea. HR3UG. cant find any other info.

i can't seem to find it on "fleabay"? my guess is what you are referring to is: Sanyo Twicell

http://en.ca.sanyo.com/Industrial-Batteries/Twicell-Ni-MH

these batteries are intended for industrial use (such as rechargeable power drills, screwdrivers, cordless phones, RC cars etc) and are only available at those really professional hardware stores selling the finest quality, high precision tools. afaik, they are essentially the same as their consumer counterparts but they need to pass through extra & stricter QC quality control (you can call them "the better batches"!) and should be "reliable" enough to operate under "more extreme & hostile" working environments (e.g. super humid & high temperature).

Panasonic also has a range of industrial rechargeable batteries selling here if u know where to buy~~

i don't see a reason for average consumers to buy them except for out of curiosity! (last time i checked the price is somewhat between Eneloop 2nd Gen and Sanyo XX 2500mAh)

the consumer version here looks like this (i still have a pair of at least 4-5 year old 2700mAh AA (still working!) hanging around & at least 8 1000mAh AAA):

they used to have a 2500mAh in the same "wrapper" as the 2700mAh and were discontinued at least 1-2 years ago & replaced by 2500mAh "orange" with improved "LSD" properties.

 

[AIRASSAULT18B]

I emailed Thomas & this is their response.

We appreciate the opportunity to clear any misunderstanding once and for all as the accusation that these are counterfeit batteries is a serious one and is very difficult to disprove particularly when the accusers have incorrect information or are unwilling to accept explanation.
Thomas Distributing has been purchasing Sanyo Eneloop batteries from the same supplier for more than three years. This particular supplier is a major dealer in Sanyo products in the USA and has an excellent reputation. Thomas has been in business for 36 years in the same location and has NEVER sold counterfeit batteries of ANY brand.
Packaging on the Eneloops varies greatly and is no true indicator of whether or not the batteries are genuine. The best indicators to look for are on the batteries themselves. Each genuine Sanyo Eneloop will bear the crown symbol and the number HR-3UTGA. New version Eneloops have a round positive terminal, a larger negative terminal, and vent holes UNDER the film. Finally, Thomas Distributing handles all warranty issues in house, and these batteries have a full one year warranty so there is ample opportunity to be certain that the batteris you receive perform as expected.
While there may be unscrupulous vendors who sell counterfeit Eneloops, the charge should not be made lightly. It would be wise to consider how important a business's reputation is as well as what serious consequences a false accusation can have and how unlikely it would be that we would throw away a 36 year reputation for honesty and integrity just to make a quick dime on a few fake batteries. We are truly grateful for the opportunity to address these issues and hope that this answers any concerns you may have.

 

[Russel]

As I said before, judging by my personal experience with Thomas Distributing, they are an excellent retailer. I find that it is alway a pleasure to do buisness with them.

It looks like we should refer to the new Eneloops as the ones with hidden vents.

 

[BREAM]

I didn't think they were fake as they perform as eneloops should and look like eneloops- Apart from the hidden vents. I am still waiting to hear from Sanyo. They need to update their website if they have changed the design. Now to rip the top of my eneloops and check for hidden vents

 

[BREAM]

Yes They do have hidden vents. Carefully peel back the white material. 4 large vents!

 

[ecrbattery]

BREAM , thank you for sacrificing your battery to get to the bottom of this.

Although I remain skeptical about these new "hidden vents" Eneloop until I see more performance numbers. So far, only Russel has post the capacity for 16 cells.

If Thomas Distributing has full confidence in these new Eneloop cells, they would have no problem sending a pack to someone like Battery Guy to do a test on his Maccor 4300 system. Once the result is posted in The-AA-NiMH-Performance-Test-Thread, all doubt will be gone.

 

[BREAM]

My sacrificed battery should still be usable. The vents are at the bottom of the positive terminal on the top of the battery. I will run some more tests on my maha. I did also notice the negative terminal is slightly larger than my other eneloops. I still prefer the look of the older eneloops and I'm not sure why the design was changed.

 

[BREAM]

poor photo but you can see the vents

 

[beerwax]

theres going to be a reason. its unlikely it was not a conscious decision.

 

[damn_hammer]

& also snapped up a pack of Sanyo XX 2500mAh

- Made in Japan

- - -

SANYO 2500MAH ORANGE VS SANYO XX 2500MAH

2500 mAh typical VS 2500 mAH typical
2300 mAh minimum VS 2400 mAh minimum
Unspecified cycles (probably 100-200 cycles) VS up to 500 cycles
~70% charge after 6 months VS 75% charge after 12 months

Hook us up with a group buy sugarboy. Paid 25 USD to get 4 Sanyo XX's shipped from HK to US. Arrived last night, straight to break-in on the Maha. Still going when I looked earlier this morning.

 

[lazer]

Thanks Russel, a superb response. I'm afraid I was unclear though, as I meant-- have you had your cells long enough to check the self discharge specs? After all, it is the lsd characteristics that really determine the validity of a new design.

 

[lazer]

Sugarboy

With your excellent connections maybe you have heard if eneloops are still being produced and/or shipped? As far as I can tell they are made in Takasaki(maybe not?) which is 120 miles from Fukushima but the whole country seems affected in some way.

 

[Russel]

Thanks Russel, a superb response. I'm afraid I was unclear though, as I meant-- have you had your cells long enough to check the self discharge specs? After all, it is the lsd characteristics that really determine the validity of a new design.

I really haven't had the cells long enough to test the self discharge specifications, that would take 6 months to a year. I can tell you that they don't self discharge in a matter of days like standard (non-LSD) cells. I expect that they will be the same as the older 1000 cycle Eneloops that I have.

 

[Flashaholic_71]

the packaging looks shoddy at best, doesn't really "beam" quality (Eneloop is believed to be king of LSD), the batteries are not even properly aligned to face the front, looks a lot like sth from Eastern Europe/Russia's grey markets with questionable sources.
yes, this does not prove they are fake.

Lol God Bless America

 

[bbf]

If Thomas Distributing has full confidence in these new Eneloop cells, they would have no problem sending a pack to someone like Battery Guy to do a test on his Maccor 4300 system. Once the result is posted in The-AA-NiMH-Performance-Test-Thread, all doubt will be gone.

Definitely, as long as *you're* willing to pay for the batteries and send them to Battery Guy yourself. TD shouldn't have to do anything to *prove* to *you* that they're not selling fakes. A lot of people here on the forum have purchased batteries and battery accessories from TD, me included, and have had no problems with their products being "fakes".

Generally the party doing to accusations have to shoulder the burden of proving the "guilt" of the accused party. After all, TD is located in the US, and here "innocent till proven guilty" is generally how things work. Are you willing to put *your* money where your mouth is, and fund some tests? If not, it would nice if you could stop perpetuating unsubstantiated rumours and stop accusing a company of selling counterfeit goods.

 

[WildChild]

Hi Mikl1984, how does those Varta and Ansmann 2100mAh compare to the Eneloop?


Here is a close up of the Apple AA positive terminal next to Eneloop. It does not have vent, just 4 slight "dents".

I just purchased the USB charger kit bundled with 1500 cycles Eneloop.

Date code: 10-12U3

Here are a few pictures:

Unsurprisingly to me, they have the same dents as the Apple made in Japan NiMH batteries on the positive terminal!

 

[Eismagier]

I just received some new Eneloops from "Akku-Onlinehandel" (via Amazon.de). The AAs are dated 10-12 and, like the images posted above, do not have visible vents. The AAAs are dated 10-11 and still have visible vents.

 

[cliveming]

I have just get my Eneloop Tones 8 cell in 1 pack, it does not have vent on top of the + positive, Manu date, 2011-01, and it has the embross date code, 11-01RS