Duracell Ion Core AA & AAA

[SubLGT]

…………………….

At present, I am aware of four equivalent 2400 mAh eneloops, made in the Fujitsu factory.

The Fujitsu Silver HR-3UTHA.
The Panasonic Eneloop Pro BK-3HCC formerly the Eneloop XX.
The AmazonBasics High-Capacity Rechargeable Pre-Charged 2400 (part number)?.
The Duracell Ion Core……………………….

Is the Toshiba Impulse 2500mAh AA battery a worthy competitor to the above listed batteries?

 

[gallon]

I hold the Fujitsu and Panasonic match to be a near certainty.
I hold the AmazonBasics and Duracell to be 99% probable, given reviews, and comments, and histories.

I think that the Duracell Ion Core could be moved up to near certainty of Fujitsu manufacture. Go back to post #1 and observe the photos. It says right there 'Made in Japan'. Haven't we been hearing all along that there is only one NiMh LSD factory in Japan? That would be hard evidence.

@SubLGT, this new Toshiba is interesting. Do you have a photo, specs?


edit:

Can someone determine whether the AmazonBasics are made in Japan?

 

[SubLGT]

……………….@SubLGT, this new Toshiba is interesting. Do you have a photo, specs?……………….

Not a whole bunch of specs, but I found this with a google search, at a dive shop:

http://www.divervision.com/sony-cycle-energy-2500mah-rechargeable-battery-4-pack-NH-AA-B4GN.html

I wonder if Toshiba is the actual manufacturer, and if the Impulse is intended for the Japanese market only.

I read in another thread that HKJ has tested them, but not yet posted the results.

 

[ChibiM]

Hi,
sorry, Fujitsu batteries are more expensive in Japan than eneloops!

SubLGT: those you linked are 2400mAh, while the descriptions says 2500... strange!
Toshiba already have these cells upgraded to 2450mAh very recently.

Last year they also added their highest capacity LSD cells, which are 2550mAh. Minimum.
Most manufacturers only show Max or Nominal mAh, but eneloop in Japan and most other Japanese brands show MInimum mAh.
These 2550mAh are more expensive than eneloop PRO. And they are all made in China.

 

[MidnightDistortions]

Hi,
sorry, Fujitsu batteries are more expensive in Japan than eneloops!

SubLGT: those you linked are 2400mAh, while the descriptions says 2500... strange!
Toshiba already have these cells upgraded to 2450mAh very recently.

Last year they also added their highest capacity LSD cells, which are 2550mAh. Minimum.
Most manufacturers only show Max or Nominal mAh, but eneloop in Japan and most other Japanese brands show MInimum mAh.
These 2550mAh are more expensive than eneloop PRO. And they are all made in China.

Someone needs to review those 2550mAh batteries. I'm curious to know whether they really offer that or that they are false advertising them. If they really are 2550mAh minimum cells then i wonder how they managed to achieve that.

 

[metasyntax]

I was looking to get into some cheap but reliable NiMH batteries for temperature resistance, leak resistance, and longevity (in terms of self-discharge) to put in the lights in our car and home emergency kits. I picked up the Duracell Ion Core 1000 charger + 4xAA package, plus a pack of 4xAAA to try them out. The charger + 4xAA was only $13, but after reading the reviews on here I thought they'd be well worth it. I charged the AA together first, then the AAA together. All four AA charged up and seem fine. But one pair of the AAA just wouldn't finish charging, even a few hours after the other pair was done. I unplugged the charger and pulled out the pair that was charged up, and when I plugged the charger back in, the remaining batteries triggered the flashing red "battery problem" indicator pattern on the charger. This is disappointing... since I don't use these lights a lot, and what I really care about is being ready when I need them, I think I'm going to end up sticking with Energizer L91/L92 primaries instead of worrying about charging. I'd love to invest in a decent setup like a Maha C9000 with some Eneloops and Imedions, but it's hard to spend all that money up front. I'm sure Duracell is targeting consumers who don't want to spend a lot, but if the batteries are "bad" out of the box... I guess it's just more evidence that you get what you pay for. :-(

 

[WalkIntoTheLight]

I was looking to get into some cheap but reliable NiMH batteries for temperature resistance, leak resistance, and longevity (in terms of self-discharge) to put in the lights in our car and home emergency kits. I picked up the Duracell Ion Core 1000 charger + 4xAA package, plus a pack of 4xAAA to try them out. The charger + 4xAA was only $13, but after reading the reviews on here I thought they'd be well worth it. I charged the AA together first, then the AAA together. All four AA charged up and seem fine. But one pair of the AAA just wouldn't finish charging, even a few hours after the other pair was done. I unplugged the charger and pulled out the pair that was charged up, and when I plugged the charger back in, the remaining batteries triggered the flashing red "battery problem" indicator pattern on the charger. This is disappointing... since I don't use these lights a lot, and what I really care about is being ready when I need them, I think I'm going to end up sticking with Energizer L91/L92 primaries instead of worrying about charging. I'd love to invest in a decent setup like a Maha C9000 with some Eneloops and Imedions, but it's hard to spend all that money up front. I'm sure Duracell is targeting consumers who don't want to spend a lot, but if the batteries are "bad" out of the box... I guess it's just more evidence that you get what you pay for. :-(

I doubt the batteries were bad. It was probably just a super-crap charger. Buy a decent (but inexpensive) charger for about $20 that does independent channel smart charging. I have several inexpensive chargers, and almost all of them work fine.

 

[ChrisGarrett]

I was looking to get into some cheap but reliable NiMH batteries for temperature resistance, leak resistance, and longevity (in terms of self-discharge) to put in the lights in our car and home emergency kits. I picked up the Duracell Ion Core 1000 charger + 4xAA package, plus a pack of 4xAAA to try them out. The charger + 4xAA was only $13, but after reading the reviews on here I thought they'd be well worth it. I charged the AA together first, then the AAA together. All four AA charged up and seem fine. But one pair of the AAA just wouldn't finish charging, even a few hours after the other pair was done. I unplugged the charger and pulled out the pair that was charged up, and when I plugged the charger back in, the remaining batteries triggered the flashing red "battery problem" indicator pattern on the charger. This is disappointing... since I don't use these lights a lot, and what I really care about is being ready when I need them, I think I'm going to end up sticking with Energizer L91/L92 primaries instead of worrying about charging. I'd love to invest in a decent setup like a Maha C9000 with some Eneloops and Imedions, but it's hard to spend all that money up front. I'm sure Duracell is targeting consumers who don't want to spend a lot, but if the batteries are "bad" out of the box... I guess it's just more evidence that you get what you pay for. :-(

I have the D1000 Duracell charger that I got along with 4xAA Ion Core Duraloops for $10.99 on sale at Target last year. I don't really use the charger and keep it in my SHTF box.

You need to confirm whether it's the charger, the batteries, or a combo of both.

Take back what's not working.

Right now, the Ion Core Duraloops seem to be the best bet if you're not wanting them to sit for 5 years, or last for 2000 cycles.

Chris

 

[MidnightDistortions]

I was looking to get into some cheap but reliable NiMH batteries for temperature resistance, leak resistance, and longevity (in terms of self-discharge) to put in the lights in our car and home emergency kits. I picked up the Duracell Ion Core 1000 charger + 4xAA package, plus a pack of 4xAAA to try them out. The charger + 4xAA was only $13, but after reading the reviews on here I thought they'd be well worth it. I charged the AA together first, then the AAA together. All four AA charged up and seem fine. But one pair of the AAA just wouldn't finish charging, even a few hours after the other pair was done. I unplugged the charger and pulled out the pair that was charged up, and when I plugged the charger back in, the remaining batteries triggered the flashing red "battery problem" indicator pattern on the charger. This is disappointing... since I don't use these lights a lot, and what I really care about is being ready when I need them, I think I'm going to end up sticking with Energizer L91/L92 primaries instead of worrying about charging. I'd love to invest in a decent setup like a Maha C9000 with some Eneloops and Imedions, but it's hard to spend all that money up front. I'm sure Duracell is targeting consumers who don't want to spend a lot, but if the batteries are "bad" out of the box... I guess it's just more evidence that you get what you pay for. :-(

Besides the lack of individual slot charging and leaving my batteries trickle charging for weeks on end overcharging them i have been impressed by Duracell rechargeables. The same can be said for the Energizers even though they had bad luck with the 2500mAh NiMHs. Those batteries don't always require charging when first bought but it could be that when you unplugged the AAA's and reinserted them the charger got confused. I don't like unplugging batteries in the middle of the charge unless i plan on using them. If you got a multimeter check the voltage of the batteries. They should be at least 1.3 volts, if that's the case then your ok.

I have trusted Duracell over the years and hardly ever had any issues with them. That charger i have from Duracell is a bit clunky now, but it still gets the job done though i just use my La Crosse BC1000 for all the heavy lifting. You might have had a defective set but don't write off Duracell yet. Their batteries are up to par with Eneloops and the 2400mAh AA batteries are Eneloop Pro under the Duracell wrapper. Try using the batteries until near death and charge them back up again, they might work better as you use them. If you prefer exchange the charger for a new one but it's really hard to say how much capacity those AAA batteries had to begin with. Maybe they took longer to charge because they were more discharged then the AA's.

 

[ChibiM]

I just read they seem to have different specs on different ion core.. which one did you buy and were bad? Do you have a link or a direct description to the link?

Sent from my KFTT using Tapatalk

 

[jwag73]

Though I've only been using the Duracell ion core "made in Japan" batteries for a very short time, I think they're keeper's. They seem to perform great in my flashlight's at home and work. I put them in both my kids XBOX controller's over the weekend, so far so good! If they hold up, I'll be buying them regularly.

 

[ChrisGarrett]

Though I've only been using the Duracell ion core "made in Japan" batteries for a very short time, I think they're keeper's. They seem to perform great in my flashlight's at home and work. I put them in both my kids XBOX controller's over the weekend, so far so good! If they hold up, I'll be buying them regularly.

Most NiMH batteries of quality manufacture will perform as intended, especially over the short term. The litmus test is a year, or three, down the road and how well they hold up concerning things like internal resistance and overall capacity.

Short of infant mortality, they're going to do what we need them to do in most applications, right out of the pack.

Chris

 

[jwag73]

Most NiMH batteries of quality manufacture will perform as intended, especially over the short term. The litmus test is a year, or three, down the road and how well they hold up concerning things like internal resistance and overall capacity.

Short of infant mortality, they're going to do what we need them to do in most applications, right out of the pack.

Chris

If these cells are indeed "rebadged" Eneloop Pro's I'm thinking they should perform very well in the long term. I bought mine at Toy's R Us for $8.99 for a pack of four. That's a good price if they're really Eneloop's. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they'll hold up and be working at a high level in a year from now.

 

[MidnightDistortions]

If these cells are indeed "rebadged" Eneloop Pro's I'm thinking they should perform very well in the long term. I bought mine at Toy's R Us for $8.99 for a pack of four. That's a good price if they're really Eneloop's. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they'll hold up and be working at a high level in a year from now.

I have had good luck with NiMH batteries. At first it was a bit tricky because the chargers or the batteries were not quite up to par. But once Duracell and Energizer came out with NiMH batteries, they have worked well over the years. If you treat them well, they'll last 5+ years (unless you drain them every other day).

 

[ChrisGarrett]

If these cells are indeed "rebadged" Eneloop Pro's I'm thinking they should perform very well in the long term. I bought mine at Toy's R Us for $8.99 for a pack of four. That's a good price if they're really Eneloop's. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they'll hold up and be working at a high level in a year from now.

Just so you know, the XX/Pros are rated for ~500 cycles, the Gen. 2s at ~1500 cycles, the 3s at ~1800 cycles and the 4s at ~2100 cycles, so the XX/Pros/Ion Cores are already at the bottom of the totem pole, but 500 cycles at a cycle per week, is about 9 years' worth, so I'm not sweating that detail.

Chris

 

[jwag73]

Just so you know, the XX/Pros are rated for ~500 cycles, the Gen. 2s at ~1500 cycles, the 3s at ~1800 cycles and the 4s at ~2100 cycles, so the XX/Pros/Ion Cores are already at the bottom of the totem pole, but 500 cycles at a cycle per week, is about 9 years' worth, so I'm not sweating that detail.

Chris

Chris, I had previously read that the Pro's and Ion core's have notably less charge cycles. The way I look at it is if they last me 3-4 years I'd be happy. I go through so many regular AA batteries between the kids game controller's and battery operated toys, I think I'll still be ahead of the game. That's not to mention the one's that I use at home and work. If not it should still be fairly close. I do have the white Eneloop's in both AA/AAA sizes, they should last a while. When I was researching batteries, the Duracell's looked promising, and the price is right.

 

[MidnightDistortions]

Duracell guarantees the cells last 5 years based on if you drain them twice a week (did the rough estimate in my head) to recharge them. I don't know how many cycles the Energizer AAA's i have but they're almost 9 years old and have 70% capacity (which some refer to as crap cells, they last at least 4 hours in my minimag). They fared better than my AA cells but those were probably on their way out anyways since they got plenty of use.

I will usually keep the Eneloop Pro/Duracells for extra/emergency use while i use the regular 2000mAh Eneloops since you can get more cycles out of those. The extra capacity/less cycles are more useful during longer trips and EDC lights that you would check weekly (at least i do) to recharge before they go dead. The extra run time will help avoid having to fumble around in the dark or having to swap batteries out. When i am at home though, i'll use the 2000mAh ones even for high drain devices.

 

[Rosoku Chikara]

...One further bit of big news that I am trying to pin down is that the original patents may be about due to expire. Would appreciate it if anyone digs in to that. Start with Toshiba and Sanyo around the 2000 year...<snip>

I took a run at it. See this new thread "Following the Trail of Eneloop Technology"

 

[tripplec]

I got 2 packs now of the Ion Core cells. The old style Duracell were craps and did not come close to capacity. I got these as a replacement so the price was right. Walmart Canada sells them(4-AA) at $19 which is high in my opinion. I'd buy Eneloops for that. I'll see how they work out.

 

[SaraAB87]

I got the 1 pack ion cores for Xmas and I can say they had roughly 1000 mah left in each cell out of the pack, after discharge/refresh on the lacrosse bc700 they came up to 2.60 ah for the highest cell and 2.47 ah for the lowest. The batteries have a black top and say made in Japan on both the pack and the cells, like all other ion cores.