2500 mAhr AA NiMh

Was in Sam's on Sat. and picked up (8) AA with a charger for less than 20 bucks -- 2500 mAhr

These do seem to be getting better/cheaper - I called the wife to check out the brand, but she wasn't home.

I was at Walmart a few days ago and found Energizer NiMH batteries. about 10.00 for a 4 pack of 2100mAH, or about 10.00 for a 4 pack of 2300mAH, or even about 10.00 for a 4 pack of 2500mAH...... whats the deal. same price, 3 different ratings... the batts all looked the same EXCEPT for the indicated rating. Is there any real difference???????
Jeff

Yeah, these were Energizers too, I forgot to repost. You can't get enough chargers though!

Your question is significant -- I just buy the higher rated ones -- mabe they get binned like luxes! -- ones that turn out in a 'better' batch get the higher rating -- it wouldn't be too much of a stretch!

I also noticed that in the past year or so it went from 2100, to 2300 and now it is up to 2500. I think they just sell what they have available or what's already in their supply line. IMHO they just put the newer batteries right next to the ones already on the shelf and let the consumer figure it out. The workers don't know much about batteries and the upc codes are probably the same (or close). As the capacities did jump pretty fast recently. I already seen (Ibelieve) 2600 batteries somewhere online and heard about 2800 batteries coming out in the near future. Another thread mentioned them maxing out at about 3000 or 3200mah.

I'm guessing that the lower mAH batteries were old stock. Seems like some of the companies come out with higher capacity batteries once or twice a year, and Sams/Walmart may be doing a poor job of keeping stock rotated.

-Keith

NeonLights.. I like your signature line...INCONCEIVABLE
Jeff

Also did anyone notice that the 2300 and 2500 don't have the 1000 recharges on the package? The # of recharges isn't mentioned at all on the ones I've seen. They must have omitted this on purpose. Their website mentions 500 recharges. So In a way the older ones may still be better, a bit less mah and twice the life. And of course I presume those figures may only be under ideal conditions.

Perhaps I am missing something, but why are so many light built around Lithium Ions (Pila) when NiMih are so cheap and have a hight capacity? I first thought that the Li Ions, were higher capacity but now see that is not the case.

Li-ION voltage is 3.6-3.8v (roughly) . NiMH is 1.2v.

Li-ION can direct drive LUX LEDs. it would take 3 NiMH's

Jeff

The Lithium Ions are more compact, with higher voltage. Picture a 123 battery compared to two AA.
Though with less mah, about 1/4 or 1/5.

I don't believe that the higher and higher mAH numbers on the AA cells mean the cells are getting any better. They're just printing higher number on the sides. There are all sorts of tests showing that for real loads, the best cells available these days are in the 2000 mAH range or even lower. 2500 mAH is some advertiser's fantasy, like the "600 hour" runtimes on LED flashlights powered by button cells.

Don't worry about the number of charge cycles--those numbers are fantasy too. Long experience with cell phones and laptop computers show that in the real world, NiMH packs last 100-200 cycles tops.

Paulr, the Energizer 2500's seem to be working for me pretty good in the 'real world'. In a Longbow ECO with a NexGen500 McCapsule, Rayovac 2000's give 125 minutes of regulation before nosediving. Energizer 2500's did a full 155 minutes. An increase of a full half-hour runtime is substantial in my book. That's 24% longer, almost exactly the difference in stated capacity.

Dan C

I tend to agree. While I have not done any scientific runtime test I do know this. I feed my SL JR LUX the Energizer 2500mAH NiMH's I bought from WallyWord and they run and run and run just like the little Energizer Bunny. I will run the light off and on and will use it a lot for three straight nights before I put in a fresh load of 2500's and they really don't even need changing out. The JR never does drop out of regulation.... I figure I am getting at least 3.5 hour runtime per charge. There has to be some "Merit" to these new 2500 NiMH's because the big online companies such as Thomas Distributing would not be touting them...

Thanks guys, it would have made sense if i had thought about it a bit longer. The brain does not work that well after night shift. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/banghead.gif

I think part of the way they are doing this is that they are cheating on the diameter. Not a few folk here and elsewhere have notives that some of the newer higher Ah rated batteries don't fit the same! -- they're a bit 'fat'. I'm hoping with the removal of the plastic thingy in th middle of my 2 D to 8 AA adapter they will fit -- some brands, with the plastic in, will fit and some won't -- indicating to me that someone ain't playing fair! Pretty soon we'll have an 'official' fat AA going to 3000 mAh or higher -- but will it fit!?

2500 mAhr labeled AA NiMh

[ QUOTE ]
paulr said:
I don't believe that the higher and higher mAH numbers on the AA cells mean the cells are getting any better. They're just printing higher number on the sides.

[/ QUOTE ]

Paulr is perfectly right. The higher the numbers get, the larger the gap to the real capicity grows.

My highest labelled cells (2600mAh) have 1.7Ah, other examples are similar.

No scientific test necessary, just test capacity.

Re: 2500 mAhr labeled AA NiMh

I have a few Eveready 2300mah cells that run longer in my radio, which apparently draws 80-100ma in normal use. In that case, they do provide about 2300mah. In my MR-X, drawing 1.5 amp, they last about as long (maybe 2-3 minutes longer) compared to my 2050mah duracells. The 2050s also seem to provide their rated capacity in both the flashlight and the radio.

I normally use the MR-X in 5-10min. burst, so it's not a worst case application most of the time. But I don't think you can expect rated output from NiMH at loads over 1 amp, especially since their ratings are based on an even lower discharge rate. I'm actively looking for more 2050mah duracells or 2000-2100mah name brand batteries for my 1+ amp applications.

Re: 2500 mAhr labeled AA NiMh

I seriously doubt that a company such as Energizer would jepordize their reputation by marketing and misrepresenting their 2500mAH NiMH! I bought a 4pk, took my chances and I am glad I did. As I posted previously, my Jr LUX seems to run forever... One of these days I should do my own runtime test but I don't have any reason to doubt that I should get in the neigborhood of a 3.5 hour runtime off of a freshly charged 2500mAH NiMH.

Nobody made any claims they thought the jump from 1800 to 2000mAH NiMH was bogus, why now???

One thing I do agree though. I believe the 2500mAH "AA" is smidge bigger in diameter. Probably measured in Millimeters the difference would be that small. There is a bit of a rattle if I use 1600 NiMH's in my JR LUX whereas if I use the 2500mAH NiMH's I do not detect a rattle at all...

[ QUOTE ]
kenny said:
I think part of the way they are doing this is that they are cheating on the diameter. Not a few folk here and elsewhere have notives that some of the newer higher Ah rated batteries don't fit the same! -- they're a bit 'fat'. I'm hoping with the removal of the plastic thingy in th middle of my 2 D to 8 AA adapter they will fit -- some brands, with the plastic in, will fit and some won't -- indicating to me that someone ain't playing fair! Pretty soon we'll have an 'official' fat AA going to 3000 mAh or higher -- but will it fit!?

[/ QUOTE ]

kenny, you did see my review of the 8AA-2D adapter in the Reviews forum? That center rod of the adapter carries electricity to the positive top terminal on that adapter. Removing it will not gain you anything as far as a decrease in total diameter of 4 cells! I have put/squeezed Energizer 2300ma NiMH into a M*gD cell body just by themselves 4 across, after lubricating with grease, and they still almost got stuck. The battery diameter is going up for most of these higher capacity AA NiMH cells, removing the plastic part in this adapter will not gain you any decrease in the diameter of the 4 cells! Get 2100ma or lower cells for the 8AA-2D adapter, or use the known narrower 2300ma cells.

I don't as yet have any of the 2500 mAhr AA NiMh, However
I have been using the 2100, 2200, and the 2300 mAhr AA NiMh
Cells in both my digital cameras and some of my AA Flashlights
with out a problem, since I have done this It is on a very
rare occasion that I will go out and buy a disposable battery.