Eneloop Costco pack, different charger

[fishwatcher]

I picked up 3 of the Q5 versions yesterday @ the Costco in Sunnyvale, CA.

I'm curious, how the C and D "shells" with the AA's in them, compare to standard C and D alkaline and NiMH C and D cells?

Has this already been written about somewhere?

You guys are making me crazy here with all of the discussion on batteries, chargers, self-discharge, smart charging, independent channels.. who knew there was so much to powering a bright flashlight (and my other electronic toys!).

Thanks.

 

[1080P]

Just bought the Q05 edition... along with the Leatherman 3AA Cree light. Having a Cree Q4 light that runs on three AAA cells requires a charger that will handle 3 discharged cells, not 2 or 4 cells. :thinking:

 

[leesiulung]

I am going nuts, as I constantly get confused between the MQ5 and the two versions of MQ6. Can anyone summarize the differences between the three versions available?

I already have the MQ5 and consider getting another one with 100-240V charger. Since I already have one, I don't mind the two battery charger as long as it is independent and faster is a bonus. I need the extra batteries and at Costco price with discount it is a steal. I better jump on it though, before stock runs out of the older units if that is what I'm looking for.

On my MQ5, it has one led that suggest all 4 batteries has to be in place for it to charge?

Somebody mentioned the faster charges is not as good, why? Which one is that one?

By the way, new member but visited this forum a number of times already.

 

[Mr Happy]

I need the extra batteries and at Costco price with discount it is a steal.

Just for info, Circuit City is selling 8-packs of Eneloop AA for $14.96 at the moment. That's a really good price. (I bought a pack yesterday and although the price was marked $19.99 on the shelf it rang up $14.96 at the till.)

 

[SmiGump]

Forgive me if this is already posted somewhere else, but did anybody come across the Costco pack just this past weekend for only $20.00 after the $6 dollar instant rebate?

Picked up a couple more on Sat. at the Costco here in Chantilly, VA.

 

[horizonseeker]

it has been mentioned that they are lowering the price on the packs. I haven't seen them in person since I haven't been to one that carries them since black friday.

 

[Canuke]

it has been mentioned that they are lowering the price on the packs. I haven't seen them in person since I haven't been to one that carries them since black friday.

I have seen the $19.99 price at all three Costcos close to me (Lindero Canyon/Westlake Village, Simi Valley, and Oxnard California). All of them had scattered '05's among the '06 units -- well, except for the Oxnard location, I scooped up their last three

I think I have enough Eneloops to power just about everything in the house now.

 

[BB]

In the Costco near me (SF Bay Area)--the battery+charger pack disappeared for a few days and a "6xAA + 2xAAA" card appeared for ~$18.95...

And just the other day, the battery+charger pack is back at the regular $25.95 price.

-Bill

 

[Kraid]

Costco on Oahu has LOTS of these packs. At the $25 price. No rebate. All with the Q5s. I picked up two.

 

[fishwatcher]

As of last weekend, Costco in Sunnyvale, CA, had plenty of the MQ5's, at around $21. I picked up my second pack there.

 

[moses]

Costco in my town still $25+. Darn....

 

[JCup]

Costco in W Plano, TX has had these Eneloop packs for several weeks. I've bought them on two occasions (last weekend was the last time), both instances getting the 06 charger. They were priced at $25.99 with an instant rebate of $6 at the register, they did not ask for a coupon in either case.

 

[jcompton]

I just purchased my first set at Costco today and it turns out that I grabbed the 06 charger and will have to back to swap it out for the 05...

Being a noobie to the eneloop rechargeables, I was wondering if it was necessary to completely discharge these cell as I would any other NiMH Cell???:thinking:

 

[not2bright]

I just purchased my first set at Costco today and it turns out that I grabbed the 06 charger and will have to back to swap it out for the 05...

Being a noobie to the eneloop rechargeables, I was wondering if it was necessary to completely discharge these cell as I would any other NiMH Cell???:thinking:

jcompton,

Are you talking about doing a break in cycle on a C9000 or similar charger?

I believe it isn't wise to completely drain any NiMH cell. You probably know this but NiMH cells LSD or "standard" do not suffer a memory like NiCd batteries.

Occasionally (every 50 or so cycles) you can run them far down (don't leave them discharged for very long) and then get them on the charger.

Otherwise just treat the eneloops like you would any other NiMH. The difference is that when aren't getting used they will hold their charge much longer than "standard" NiMH cells.

 

[Kraid]

Being a noobie to the eneloop rechargeables, I was wondering if it was necessary to completely discharge these cell as I would any other NiMH Cell???:thinking:

Not at all!

Also, at Wal-Mart near the camera section, they have a 4 pack AA with the Q5 Charger!

 

[dave43]

What am I missing? Why does everyone hate the new Q6 eneloop charger. What makes the Q5 so much better? Isn't quicker charging times of the Q6 more desirable? I understand the Q6 has to charge two at a time but if you had to put in one eneloop that was discharged and one that was partially discharged wouldn't the charger charge both fully and have smart circuitry to make sure the one that was partially discharged isn't over charged while the one that was fully discharged is getting a full charge?

 

[Handlobraesing]

Is it possible Q5 might actually be capable of running on 220V ? Given that there is no transformer involved AND the output wattage is modest, I suspect the charger will handle 220V but it probably did not go through appropriate qualification testing to get it marked as dual voltage charger. Almost all of the solid state transformer-less direct plug-in-the-wall devices handle dual voltage by default.

Anybody willing to sacrifice a Q5 ( and possibly their house to prove me wrong ?

- Vikas

It should not be used on anything higher than 120v. I took it apart and checked out the front end. It's got a bridge rectifier and 200v rated capacitor, which will be charged to 170v (120v x squarert2). If you use it 240v, these will get charged to 340v. Who knows, they might survive, but you're running them outside the safe specs and they can burst anytime.


PS: Costco of Clackamas County, OR has the 6AA + 2AAA pack for $19.75 or so. Not a great deal at all.

 

[lebox97]

Q5 = 100-120V 4W 4 channel (single cells can be charged)
Q6 = 100-240V 8W 2 channel (paired cells can be charged - left pair or right pair)

OUTPUT is same for BOTH 1.2V - AA at 300mA, AAA at 150mA

Advantage of Q5 is charging single cells (disadvantage is 100-120V power only)
Advantage of Q6 is worldwide use (disadvantage cells charged in pairs only)

which one is better? depends on what you need.
dunno about how smart they are though.

I'm not too concerned about either - as there are much better and smarter chargers out there.

What am I missing? Why does everyone hate the new Q6 eneloop charger. What makes the Q5 so much better? Isn't quicker charging times of the Q6 more desirable? I understand the Q6 has to charge two at a time but if you had to put in one eneloop that was discharged and one that was partially discharged wouldn't the charger charge both fully and have smart circuitry to make sure the one that was partially discharged isn't over charged while the one that was fully discharged is getting a full charge?

 

[dave43]

Can anyone answer the question below?

I understand the Q6 has to charge two at a time but if you had to put in one eneloop that was discharged and one that was partially discharged wouldn't the charger charge both fully and have smart circuitry to make sure the one that was partially discharged isn't over charged while the one that was fully discharged is getting a full charge?

 

[SilverFox]

Hello Dave,

We have found that other chargers that are supposed to be able to do that, don't. The cells remain unbalanced. The cell that was fuller to start with ends up being over charged, and the other cell is under charged.

Charging in pairs works, kind of well, if both cells are matched, and discharged to the same level. The other way to bring unbalanced cells into balance is to charge at a 0.1C rate and over charge the fuller cell (without damage because of the low charge rate) until the less full cell catches up.

You can search on a thread called something like "A Look at Parallel Charging" to see some tests done on this. At the time I started the thread, I was looking at parallel charging, but then the thread moved on to series charging in pairs.

Tom