Japanese Vs Chinese Eneloop AAA Cycle Testing Results

Following on from my previous test comparing Japanese Vs Chinese made AA Eneloops, I've run a similar test to compare the different versions in AAA size:



When looking at these results, it should be kept in mind that this test was only performed on 2 cells - one Chinese and one Japanese - it's possible that further testing may give different results due to individual cell variations.

Compared to the AA test, the Chinese made AAA has done exceedingly well - it actually lasted for more cycles than the Japanese made AA!

Considering the results from the previous testing that I've done, I was expecting the Chinese AAA to perform at a similar level to the 2nd gen Japanese AAA cell, but it actually outperformed it by a reasonable margin. At this stage, it's not possible to say why the Chinese made AA's performed so poorly when this AAA cell did so well. I can only speculate that the Japanese 4th gen cells will perform even better again and that the AAA cells are able to last longer than the AA cells under similar testing conditions - I suspect that even though the AAA cells are being charged at a 1C rate (the same as the AA cells) the fact that they have a larger surface area to volume ratio and that the charger will also be producing less waste heat at the lower charging rate, the AAA cells are staying cooler throughout the test which is then allowing them to last longer.

Unfortunately, at the time that I started this test, the newest Japanese made AAA Eneloops that I had were a few packs of 2nd generation cells, so the results can't be used to directly compare Japanese and Chinese manufacturing capabilities with the AAA cells. ChibiM has donated a pack of 8 4th Generation AAA Eneloops for testing purposes - I've already started a new test with one of those Eneloops and another Chinese cell.

For anyone wanting to purchase genuine Japanese Eneloops, you can obtain them from ChibiM here:
http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/sh...ipping-directly-from-Japan-(newest-available)

Color me surprised...

It looks like they both failed short of 1000 cycles, which is less than they're rated for, although testing at 1C charge/discharge is probably a test more severe than standard.

I'm still not ready to buy the chinese ones. First they have to show a higher level of quality on a wide scale, consistent basis.

Thanks for doing that test. Interesting info there.

UserName said:

It looks like they both failed short of 1000 cycles, which is less than they're rated for, although testing at 1C charge/discharge is probably a test more severe than standard.

Click to expand...

Yes, I should have mentioned in the original post that the testing that I'm doing is significantly harder on the cells than the IEC standard used for measuring cycle life. The IEC standard only uses partial charge/discharge cycles for most cycles and does so at a much lower rate, so these test results can't be used to directly compare to the IEC tested ratings. These tests are still useful for comparing different cells to see how well they can handle heavy abuse!

I've always felt that the AAA eneloops lagged behind the AA. So much so that I haven't really bothered with the eneloop AAA's as I felt that the Turnigy AAA's did a much better job.

Power Me Up said:

Yes, I should have mentioned in the original post that the testing that I'm doing is significantly harder on the cells than the IEC standard used for measuring cycle life. The IEC standard only uses partial charge/discharge cycles for most cycles and does so at a much lower rate, so these test results can't be used to directly compare to the IEC tested ratings. These tests are still useful for comparing different cells to see how well they can handle heavy abuse!

Click to expand...

I like to see your test results, not only for comparison purposes, but also they give a better indicator of "real world" cycles (for high-power flashlights).

I guess there's nothing wrong with Panasonic claiming 2100 cycles, but I like to see what they do with "hard cycles", not "easy cycles". Still, 1000 cycles is more than I'll likely ever use for the vast majority of my cells, before they die of old age.

That isn't that bad for 2nd Gen Japanese Eneloops considering they have fewer cycles than the 4th gen and i wonder how the Chinese one managed to do so well.

You're comparing 2nd gen batteries against 4th gen. I see

I would have guessed that the 2nd gen perform not as well as 4th gens.

I mean you're comparing different generations!

How about comparing 4th gen against 4th gen?

Thanks for the 'cell abuse'-test, very much appreciated.

I am running myself a 'charger abuse'-test, it's much fun!

Thanks for the test!! Always good to see how they perform!! And I'm looking forward to the next test.

Another great test! Thanks!

Mr Floppy said:

I've always felt that the AAA eneloops lagged behind the AA. So much so that I haven't really bothered with the eneloop AAA's as I felt that the Turnigy AAA's did a much better job.

Click to expand...

I have been using Tenergy AA and AAA for a couple of months. As for run times in my lights the Tenergy Premiums run longer than Eneloops in most instances. I do not know how they will last or hold their charges over a period of months, but considering costs, I think the Tenergys are a viable alternative to Eneloops which have gotten expensive. I also have began using Duracell ion core batteries, and am favorably impressed.
Jerry

Mr Floppy said:

I've always felt that the AAA eneloops lagged behind the AA. So much so that I haven't really bothered with the eneloop AAA's as I felt that the Turnigy AAA's did a much better job.

Click to expand...

I don't have any experience with the regular AAA Eneloops. I just got some AAA Eneloop Pro's and they function well. The only Turnigy's that come up in my search are the 900mAh ones which seems to be unavailable on the UK Amazon site. Either way i believe they exceed the regular AAA Eneloops.

MidnightDistortions said:

The only Turnigy's that come up in my search are the 900mAh ones which seems to be unavailable on the UK Amazon site. Either way i believe they exceed the regular AAA Eneloops.

Click to expand...

Turnigy is the in-house brand from Hobby King. The cost of the cell is quite cheap but the shipping costs are quite high. Done by weight, it is something that you would tack on an order to get the most out of the shipping weight/cost.

MidnightDistortions said:

I don't have any experience with the regular AAA Eneloops. I just got some AAA Eneloop Pro's and they function well. The only Turnigy's that come up in my search are the 900mAh ones which seems to be unavailable on the UK Amazon site. Either way i believe they exceed the regular AAA Eneloops.

Click to expand...

I get them off ebay. I thought you could use ebay in the UK.
Jerry

MidnightDistortions said:

That isn't that bad for 2nd Gen Japanese Eneloops considering they have fewer cycles than the 4th gen and i wonder how the Chinese one managed to do so well.

Click to expand...

Well... what strikes me about this test is that in the case of the AAA cells, the Chinese Eneloops had a bit lower capacity than the Japanese ones, but a greater cycle life. With the previously tested AA cells, it was vice-versa... here the Chinese Eneloops had a bit bigger capacity (at least at first), but vastly smaller cycle life.

Maybe if Panasonic had told the Chinese to change the specifications a bit, the Chinese Eneloop AA's could have smaller capacity as well, but live up to the internal resistance and cycle life of the Japanese cells. Just maybe...

JerryM said:

I get them off ebay. I thought you could use ebay in the UK.
Jerry

Click to expand...

I'm not in the UK unless you mean using the UK Ebay.. i didn't do a search in Ebay.. it was a general google search that came up empty. Not exactly sure if i trust Ebay enough to buy batteries there.

Kurt_Woloch said:

Well... what strikes me about this test is that in the case of the AAA cells, the Chinese Eneloops had a bit lower capacity than the Japanese ones, but a greater cycle life. With the previously tested AA cells, it was vice-versa... here the Chinese Eneloops had a bit bigger capacity (at least at first), but vastly smaller cycle life.

Maybe if Panasonic had told the Chinese to change the specifications a bit, the Chinese Eneloop AA's could have smaller capacity as well, but live up to the internal resistance and cycle life of the Japanese cells. Just maybe...

Click to expand...

I think maybe the Chinese are struggling to get the proper Eneloop chemistry the Japan factories managed. But again, i think the reason the Chinese cells had greater cycle life was that it was compared with 2nd Gen. We need the latest gen Japanese AAA cell test up against the latest Chinese one.

HI MidnightDistortions.
Sorry I misunderstood your location.
As to eBay, I have bought all of the nimh batteries I own off eBay, and have never had an issue. If you did the ebay guarantee will get your money back. I am not sure why there is such distrust of eBay here, but only a couple of times, regarding anti-virus software, have I had a problem, and got a full refund promptly. I have never bought from ebay UK. I have bought off eBay for at least 15 years.

Jerry

It's not much of a mistrust with Ebay as much as a mistrust on the marketplace, plus it's online so you can't really see what the product looks like. Actually for instance when i got my LED Lenser T7, it was not really new or at least it was not in the original packaging. Of course it was from a marketplace seller fulfilled by Amazon so that was my fault there. I actually have bought some stuff from Ebay, like a dual core processor for my PC ($15) and a couple of used hard drives for $10.

Something like batteries though, especially NiMHs and Li-ions, i prefer to get them from the manufacturer or a reliable distributor, usually it's easier to order a pack of cells from Amazon or get them at Target versus researching which sellers on Ebay are reliable enough to where it would be rare to get defective or bad cells.

I got another idea which might explain why the Japanese Eneloop lagged behind the Chinese one in that case... how old was the Japanese one when it was tested? If it was 2nd Gen, then it can't have been new, can it? And how was it treated before the testing began? Was it simply kept in its package or was it topped off every year (as Sanyo suggested)? Maybe the age of the cell deprived it of some of the possible cycles it might have endured when new...