Overview: All eneloop batteries; 2005-2017

[soontobetold]

Hi,
I'm not sure which eneloop chargers are available in your area. There are quite a few different ones. The Maha goes for about $50-$70, while a simple eneloop charger is much cheaper, probably around $20-$30 including eneloop cells.
If you think you want to learn more about batteries etc, then the Maha is a good but expensive choice.. there are also other chargers which are cheaper, like the lacrosse bc700 etc but with the same kind of functionality as the Maha, but that is better to talk about in another thread...this is about eneloops..links are fine to post, but we shouldn't get too much off topic.
Do a little research, and I would suggest one of those multi functional chargers over a simple eneloop charger.

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I'm open to ordering online so no issue there.

I was wondering which Eneloop charger is better than the NC-MQR02N charger I got previously with my old Eneloop? I am just looking for no frills charger actually nothing fanciful, so I will probably just stick with Eneloop branded chargers. Just need some advise on the charger to get because I usually thought then newer generation chargers would be better, but there seems to be so many chargers and I do not know which is the latest.

[Bullzeyebill]

Soontobetold, you have been advised to do some researching; that would be a good thing for you to do. Research right here on CPF. Use the google, cpf only, search bar at the top of every page. You must do some work yourself. This thread needs to continue on track, so no more posts re your issue. Feel free to start your own thread re batteries. Thanks,

Bill

[Etsu]

I posted in another thread on getting 1500x batteries in a package with 1800x advertising (amazon's picture showed gen2, I was happy getting gen2 but the package I got said "1800x/5 yrs" with gen2 batteries inside and started wondering what was going on):

I called the number on the back of the package, finally got some internal eneloop dept. and spoke to a super nice lady who said (iirc) she managed this product line. she told me gen2 batteries aren't being made anymore, that since march/april 2013 they're all gen3. however their transition wasn't smooth so they ended up using old gen2 wrappers on gen3 batteries and in other instances old packaging.

basically she said regardless of package advertising or battery wrapper, anything from march/april 2013 onward (eneloop AA/AAA) is a gen3 battery even if it has UTGA or a non-underlined crown on the wrapper. all the package/wrapper markings have long since been sorted out so this is about stock from during the transition period.

I just bought some Eneloops from Costco, and can report a similar finding.

The wrappers indicate 2nd gen HG-3UTGA and HR-4UTGA cells. Marked with a date code showing they were manufactured in March 2013.

But the packaging clearly indicates gen 3 cells. 1800x cycles, 5 years to 70% self discharge, etc. So, I take it these are gen 3 cells, since they were manufactured after March 2013?

Canada/US wrappers, if that helps. The wrappers say Made In Japan. But perhaps the cells are made in Japan, then bulk-shipped to North American facilities where the wrappers are installed? Or are the wrappers installed in Japan?

[WalkIntoTheLight]

Is there a difference in the operating temperature range, depending on the generation of Eneloop? I recall reading somewhere that generation 1 minimum operating temperature was 0C, and generation 2 lowered that to -20C. But I can't find that difference anywhere now, just standard literature that applies to current Eneloops. Does generation 3 or 4 or XX have even lower minimum temperatures, or better performance at -20C ?

[RI Chevy]

Welcome to the Forum!

[markr6]

Is there a difference in the operating temperature range, depending on the generation of Eneloop? I recall reading somewhere that generation 1 minimum operating temperature was 0C, and generation 2 lowered that to -20C. But I can't find that difference anywhere now, just standard literature that applies to current Eneloops. Does generation 3 or 4 or XX have even lower minimum temperatures, or better performance at -20C ?

Generations 1 thru 4 operating temp is the same 0-50°C

Maybe you're thinking about the storage temp of -20°C (and lower)

p.s. I don't find temps below 0° (32°F) to be an issue. I often use flashlights and a GPS unit between 10°F and 20°F with no noticable problems.

pps - I just noticed the packaging or insert says "Performance Down to -4 Degrees Fahrenheit". So, there's clearly some confusion between this and the spec sheet.

[WalkIntoTheLight]

Finally fount it! I was off by a bit.

http://us.sanyo.com/Battery-Products...k-SEC-HR3U8BPN

It states,

"1500 CYCLE VS. ORIGINAL 1000 CYCLE ENELOOP

Improved low temperature performance - The new 1500 cycle battery can be used in environments down to -4 degrees F. The original eneloop can be used in temperatures as low as 14 degrees F."


I wonder if that is just marketing, or if it's really true. I find that the original Eneloops still work fine far below 14 F. I have some in a weather station that still works close to -30C (-22 F). Maybe I should replace them with gen 2 or gen 3, just to be sure?

[markr6]

I have a lot of 1st and 2nd gen Eneloops. I just received a new 8-pack from Amazon and I believe they're the new 4th gen (BK-3MCC). To be exact, the 8pk item was BK-3MCCA8BA.

Keeping them on hand just in case...18650s seemed to COMPLETELY take over my lighting needs.

[Pmg1977]

I'm new to this forum and the world of flashlights and their batteries as well. I've just bought 4th gen eneloop batteries bk-3mcca 1.2v min 1900 mAh model. My concern comes from the talk of battery fires in flashlights, mostly dual cell flashlights. I have a few lights the streamlight stylus pro and a maglight pro mini. Both take 2 batteries. Do I need to be concerned with my eneloop batteries getting too hot and catching fire?



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[SilverFox]

Hello Pmg1977,

Welcome to CPF.

No need for concern with Eneloop or other NiMh batteries.

A few have encountered problems with [EDIT]Li-Ion is incorrect and should just be Lithium[ENDEDIT] primary CR-123A batteries. Many of these problems have involved "no name" batteries that may be slightly less expensive than the name brand batteries. This can result in a mismatch and in a multi cell application you can end up with the situation where one cell tries to charge the other. Primary batteries don't like this and you run the possibility of having a "rapid vent, sometimes with flame" incident.

With NiMh chemistry you can also run into mismatch situations but the end result simply kills the cell.

Tom

[Pmg1977]

Tom,

Thanks so much for replying. Good to know that the nimh batteries don't run the risk of going into flames.

Last question, what is meant by the term primary battery?

Thanks again.


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[Norm]

Primary batteries = non rechargeable batteries.

Norm

[Ozymandias]

I posted in another thread on getting 1500x batteries in a package with 1800x advertising (amazon's picture showed gen2, I was happy getting gen2 but the package I got said "1800x/5 yrs" with gen2 batteries inside and started wondering what was going on): http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/...=1#post4323530

I figured what I found out fit this thread better so am putting it here.

I called the number on the back of the package, finally got some internal eneloop dept. and spoke to a super nice lady who said (iirc) she managed this product line. she told me gen2 batteries aren't being made anymore, that since march/april 2013 they're all gen3. however their transition wasn't smooth so they ended up using old gen2 wrappers on gen3 batteries and in other instances old packaging.

basically she said regardless of package advertising or battery wrapper, anything from march/april 2013 onward (eneloop AA/AAA) is a gen3 battery even if it has UTGA or a non-underlined crown on the wrapper. all the package/wrapper markings have long since been sorted out so this is about stock from during the transition period.

btw I never really questioned the authenticity of the batteries themselves, this site and others allowed me to determine they were genuine. but given contents not matching package advertising over a pretty long period I started to worry about something like assembly line rejects getting scooped up by someone, tossed in any packaging they could find then ultimately ending up on amazon.

I've got the same issue, as a number of others here have also stated. I ordered the blue 'power pack' in February and 16 more AA's in May and the AA's in both are labeled HR-3UTGA and the AAA's in the power pack are lableled HR-4UTGA and both sets were in packaging that specifically stated 1800 recharge cycles. IIRC, the associated literature on Amazon also stated they were 3rd gen 1800 cycle batteries. This is all very interesting, and frustrating. I noticed some people were referencing the Sanyo site to determine model numbers--is this just for the latest models? The site seems clunky, and they don't seem to want to be contacted about eneloops at all; "Customer Support for SANYO Legacy Products, except for SANYO TV and eneloop."--from us.Sanyo.com. I suppose I'll call the number on the back of the package I still have and see what they say. May not get much of a substantive response, but would still be interesting to compare what, if any, information I get with the other person who contacted them about this.

Note: None of the AA's or AAA's have vent holes...I noticed someone said that '2nd gen' eneloops had ventholes...these don't, which I suppose just adds to the confusion.

Edit: one set of AA's were manufactured in February of 13, the other in November of 13. The AAA's are dated January of 13.

[WalkIntoTheLight]

Note: None of the AA's or AAA's have vent holes...I noticed someone said that '2nd gen' eneloops had ventholes...these don't, which I suppose just adds to the confusion.

2nd gen do not have ventholes. 1st gen did.

[samgab]

deleted post, off topic.

[SilverFox]

Hello Samgab,

Good catch on that. I have edited my post accordingly.

Thanks.

Tom

[ChibiM]

2nd gen do not have ventholes. 1st gen did.

Please refer to the 3rd post in this thread.. 2nd gen had a conversion from venting holes to no venting holes... so 2nd generation had Both...
first with venting holes, then without venting holes...

sorry for being a nitpicker

[theilluminati]

Nice picture but when it has been updated?

Maybe the latest updates has been missing?

See here: http://panasonic.net/energy/battery/eneloop/lineup/

[ChibiM]

Hi,
thanks for pointing that out.. I just went to the site, but everything there is written already in the table.
At least Im very confident it`s there. DId I still miss something?
the numbers in my table are Minimum ratings.. Japan stopped showing Rated capacity a while back.
And because I follow the Japanese number when they start releasing them (April 2013 for 4th gen. ) I havent included the Rated capacity. Since they became available in the US and Europe a few months ago, I haven`t felt the urge to update the table.

what do you guys think? Should I change the table, and include the rated capacity now?

[ChibiM]

As per title..
panasonic just announced another special edition eneloop on October 14th.

available from November 29th

they are 4th generation standard eneloops.

after the Glamour tones. now the Forest tones... actually the black and green look pretty cool.

unfortuantely, unlike the 3rd generation chocolat tones with 8 unique colors, these only have 4 variations.




I can`t see yet, if these are made in Japan, or made in China.. but I`m pretty sure they are made in Japan, because they can be found on the Japanese website.. while the china made ones can`t.
btw. I have been waiting for new eneloops. because they have announced the new versions usually around november.

[Bright+]

I was cleaning things out and I found a set of charger/4 AA combo I bought a long time ago and forgot about. They're Sony branded pre-charged. Made in Japan 2,000mAh 1,000 cycle rated. I think they're rebranded eneloop. The date code is 2008. I discharged them at 500mA. They all delivered 1,300-1,350 mAh and held a stady 1.15 to 1.20v during the bulk of discharge cycle. After six years. Right out of the package!

From what I gathered in threads here, they are shipped pre-charged, but not completely full.

Charged them back up with an eneloop charger. After my first charge, I discharged them at 1,000mA. I got 1900 to 1950mAh from every one of them. I chose 1A just to cut the time.

I also have two made in 2006. They put out voltage but they are so deteriorated that every charger rejects them and I can only charge in a timer charger. They were all kept loose and not in a device so they didn't get drained to the ground. I wonder if the first use initiates a permanent internal structure that gets the clock ticking on deterioration in storage or if the key is to store them half charged. Are they equally shelf stable if If I cycle them a few times and store them again at half charge?

NiMH was in the most competitive phase in those days. I remember getting NiMH bundled with a Sony charger that got rejected by the charger right out of the package and it was a current model back then.

[samgab]

I just found a local (NZ and Australia chain) store selling a new Chinese-made edition of the Chocolat 8-packs.
They have the same specs as the other 2100 cycle Chinese eneloops.

[ChibiM]

Samgab: I am not so much concerned about the Chinese eneloops, but the Chinese chocolat tones have been in Australia for a while now at DickSmith I think.
Bright+ pretty consistent numbers on those cells.. are they Sony? or eneloop branded?
Interesting observation.. so you mean that the latter ones (getting rejected by chargers) are the same as the "new pack" you found?


Just for an update, I just got the latest Eneloop Forest tones in, and selling 5 packs at CPFMarketplace

[samgab]

...Interesting observation.. so you mean that the latter ones (getting rejected by chargers) are the same as the "new pack" you found?

Hey, I just meant they are Chinese made and rated for 2100 cycles and 65% capacity after 5 years. I haven't had any trouble with the charger rejecting them... They're branded eneloop, but have different livery than the Japanese made Panasonic eneloops.

[Verndog]

Best deal on made in Japan Eneloops are Amazon Basic AA's 8 pack for $15.98

These appear to be Gen 2 or 3 made in Japan, same specs, same measurments, they test out exactly the same and only difference is they have de-speced the LSD numbers 5% per year and # of charging cycles. Most likely to keep the original manufacturer off their back for undercutting the Eneloop market.

NLee reviewed these as well, and I agree with his findings...

http://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-R...ustomerReviews

[Bright+]

Bright+ pretty consistent numbers on those cells.. are they Sony? or eneloop branded?
Interesting observation.. so you mean that the latter ones (getting rejected by chargers) are the same as the "new pack" you found?

The new old stock ones from 2008 are Sony CycleEnergy precharged. 2,000mAh.

The ones that get rejected are manufactured in 2006, but they were not stored new and unused. I used them a 20-30 cycles maybe before then, they were unused for a few years. They still have 1.2v, but they're passivated. This is why I was asking if NiMH do not store well once you have used them.

Cycle life given by the manufacturer is a joke. They don't represent the real world at all. If the cells can't handle 1-2A discharge without holding up a decent voltage, they're end of life as far as I'm concerned as a device like a camera will shut off and chargers will usually reject them. More typical real life usage: You let it sit a few month. use them for a few cycles over a few days and repeat. After 30-40 real life cycles under those conditions, many cells become junk.

The ones that were rejected by the charger right out of package were Sony rebadged Sanyo 2300 or 2500.

[Viking]

Hi Bright+

Can you tell if the cells are CycleEnergy Blue ( blue printed cirkel ) , and made in Japan ?

They allegedly also have made CycleEnergy in other editions , like green for instance. And some of the cells ( blue edition included ) are made in China , that's the reason I ask.

[Bullzeyebill]

Editing to show correct title of this thread.

Bill

[ppsam]

Could anyone offer an opinion on whether this UK ebay listing is selling genuine eneloops? Seems pretty authentic, but the price is a bit low and the seller's feedback history...well, let's just say not what I'd have imagined from a battery trader.

[RI Chevy]

Welcome to the Forum!