Confusion of each Eneloop generation.

Hey guys Its been awhile since I've been around here. Anyways. I am looking to buy a new set of cells, and have noticed that Amazon has 3 versions of Eneloops cells. How would I know which version of the cell i am going to get once i place my order?. The images does not really say much, other than what it claims to say on the description. There is even a 3rd generation that claims to have 1800 cycles. Is that even possible??


Thanks.

yes, there is definitely a 3rd generation out there, the Wikipedia entry has part numbers. In fact I believe that there are now Panasonic branded Eneloops out in Japan but they don't seem to have hit Amazon yet.

Panasonic?? what happen to Sanyo?

Sanyo was bought by Matsushita/Panasonic in 2009/2010.

Oh dam, does this means no more eneloops??

MarioJP said:

Hey guys Its been awhile since I've been around here. Anyways. I am looking to buy a new set of cells, and have noticed that Amazon has 3 versions of Eneloops cells. How would I know which version of the cell i am going to get once i place my order?. The images does not really say much, other than what it claims to say on the description. There is even a 3rd generation that claims to have 1800 cycles. Is that even possible??


Thanks.

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Amazon is a great place to buy. Without getting overly complicated here is what I would look for.

This is the heading of the ones you should buy. "eneloop NEW 2000mAh Typical, 1900mAh Minimum, 1500 cycle, 4 Pack AA, Ni-MH Pre-Charged Rechargeable Batteries". They are in a green and blue package. 4 pack is $10.35.

I would stay away from the ones in the blue and orange packaging. These are the older models.

I was going to get it locally, but retail is expensive. $15 for a pack of 4 rechargeable Duracell. Noticed on the packaging now says "Duralock" white top cells. Thing is i can't tell which cells Duracell is using. Confusing.

Supposedly the white top Duracells that are made in Japan are either comparable to or rebranded Eneloops depending on who you ask. But I was trying to buy local as well and just gave up and got the real Eneloops from Amazon; I know what I'm getting and they're cheaper as well so long as my order is big enough to qualify for free shipping. Amazon also has the Imedion AAs for less than I can get the Duracells for locally. So I've got 8 of those on order as well to give them a try.

Do you guys think the rayovac platinum is at least passable, I have a $3 coupon so I can get a pack for like $7. I don't use my cells that heavily so I am not worried about getting 1500 recharges out of a cell. I do monitor my batteries closely with a BC 700. As long as they hold a passable charge after a year in storage I am good. Eneloops and Duraloops have not disappointed me on that front. A properly charged eneloop lasts a loooooonnnnnggggg time in my camera which is supposed to be a horrid battery hog. I have heard people getting only 50 shots out of my camera even while using eneloops, but I seem to get much more. I take pictures for eBay and I sometimes take more than 50 pictures at a time, multiple times before the batteries even start showing the low battery warning, that's at least a couple hundred shots before they even start slowing down. I use the flash too.

I want all my flashlights AA and less proprietary so called lithium ion batteries and power packs that can run off Standard AA as well. I am quite surprised how the AA format is able to thrive, despite of every electronic devices is all proprietary lithium-ion based. I mean, don't mind certain devices to run off lithium ion like smartphones. Just as long as they're not picky of how they are being charged up.


Imedions looks like a good buy. Though i never really heard of them. Same quality as the Eneloop?

MarioJP said:

Imedions looks like a good buy. Though i never really heard of them. Same quality as the Eneloop?

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I dunno. They do look like a good buy; but I haven't even received the first of the ones that I bought yet.

nate

3rd generation Eneloops... http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009RQJM3Y/?tag=cpf0b6-20 , just bought an 8-pack. They're doing very well so far.

spyderjohn said:

3rd generation Eneloops... http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009RQJM3Y/?tag=cpf0b6-20 , just bought an 8-pack. They're doing very well so far.

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Wow. That's a lot of cycles. With proper care these cells will probably outlive the owner (depending on age) lol.

link added

http://panasonic.net/sanyo/news/2011/10/06-1.pdf

eneloop version 3 was recently introduced to the USA, still marked Eneloop & distributed by Sanyo USA for now at least.

gen 2 are advertised 1500 times on packaging & the product number marking on battery is 3UTGA.

gen 3 are advertised 1800 times on packaging & the product number marking on battery is 3UTGB.

The product marking is the only way I can tell a gen 2 battery from a gen 3.

new gen 3 advertised fully charged batteries 90% charge after 1 yr, 80% after three, 70% after five.

the gen two is compared at 85% after 1 yr, 75% after three & no spec for after five.

stevieo said:

eneloop version 3 was recently introduced to the USA, still marked Eneloop & distributed by Sanyo USA for now at least.

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Here in Japan, they have definitely switched over to the "new" Panasonic brand. And, this change is resulting in some "serious" complaints!



This photo is taken from a Japanese "Girls Blog" where there is intense complaining over the design change. They say that the "eneloop" logo was far softer and more feminine than the new "Panasonic" logo. They appear to be extremely upset over this, and suggest that Panasonic sales will plummet due to the "blowback."



As you can see, the left 3 cells are Panasonic "evolta" and the right 3 cells are Panasonic "eneloop." The "black" evolta on the far left seems taller than the rest, perhaps due to a photographic artifact (I didn't take this photo), but it also appears to be something new and completely different from the other evoltas.

I own a bunch of the "green" evoltas (purchased about 3-4 years ago), and they are regular NiMH. Mine are rated at 2000 mAh for an AA cell, and are good for 1,800 cycles. The "orange" evoltas are rated at only about 1000 mAh for an AA cell, but are good for 2,100 cycles.

This new "black" evolta, however, appears to be a new Low Self Discharge (LSD) cell from Panasonic. (To my knowledge, none of the other evolta batteries are LSD -- Mine certainly aren't. But, perhaps Panasonic plans to switch them all over to LSD?)

Based on its 2450 mAh rating for an AA, and 900 mAh for an AAA, it would appear to be based on the "black" Eneloop "Pro" or "XX" technology. (This is also supported by their claim of 80% capacity after 1 year.)

Wow this is crazy. So these cells are still usable after 5 years. Now i see no reason why people still buy alkalines even if they come in bulk dirt cheap. But makes you wonder though. Will these cells perform the same after 5 years. Do they lose charge cycles just by sitting?

Only in Japan would girls complain about the color and logo of their batteries in an intense way! I wonder if all girls care about batteries like this in Japan!

Personally I don't really care as long as the performance is the same or better as the original eneloop.

It does help to have different colors to make it easier to organize the batteries especially when you have lots of batteries. It is easier than numbering them. But I don't really care what the colors are or what the logos look like though I would spend an extra dollar or so to get ones of a color that I don't already have since it really does make it easier to organize them.

Every time I think I understand Japan and the Japanese... well... problem is I was engaged to a half Japanese type and to this day that half is a mystery.

So between the 1500 and 1800 Eneloop. In the real world. Would one really noticed the difference?

Has anyone tried to charge eneloops 1500 times say within a year or 2 I don't know about anyone else but my eneloops last so long I find I have to rarely charge mine. Even if you had kids that use the most battery draining toys I imagine it would be hard to charge eneloops 2-3 times a day with how long they last.

I doubt I would notice the difference between 1800 and 1500....