Eneloops now at Costco!

[FlashCrazy]

I was at the Costco in Folsom, CA today and they had an Eneloop combo pack for $26.49. It has an Eneloop charger, 8 AA 2000 mAH cells, 4 AAA 800 mAH cells, 2 C size adapters, and 2 D size adapters...all come in a hard plastic storage case. The package didn't list any specs about the charger, although I noticed it has a fold-out wall plug. Oh, and it only had one green LED to indicate charging, so I suspect it's at best a peak detect charger that charges in pairs...but more likely it's just a timer based charger.

Just thought you guys might be interested. I had it in my cart, but put it back...I just have too many batteries and chargers already.

 

[PurpleDrazi]

Did you see any Eneloop battery packs (w/o charger)?

 

[FlashCrazy]

Nope, they only had this combo pack.

 

[Dark Vapor]

Sounds like a good deal to me since Thomas Distributing has it priced at $11.97 for a 4 pack (AA or AAA). That comes out to under $36 for 3 4-packs w/o charger. But they include a 4-cell battery holder (plastic). And don't forget s/h.

Now off to Costco to see if they have it on stock here. I'll probably trash the charger and order a Maha MH -C9000 charger through Thom. Distr.

 

[FlashCrazy]

Some people are saying that the Eneloop charger may be an idependent channel charger. Apparently there's not a whole lot of info available, even from Sanyo's website, so who knows. If it is, that'd be more of an incredible deal than it already is.

 

[JetskiMark]

Thanks, I know where I am going tomorrow. I hope my local Costco has them.

Regards,
Mark

 

[SilverFox]

The information I received suggested that this was a test with only a few Costco stores.

The actual stores that are supposed to be involved include:

Costco Durham, 1510 N. Pointe Dr, Durham, NC 27705
Costco Folsom, 1800 Cavitt Court, Folsom, CA 95630
Costco Burbank, 1051 Burbank Blvd, Burbank, CA 91506
Costco Cranberry, 1050 Cranberry Square Dr., Cranberry Township, PA 16066
Costco St. Louis Park, 5801 W. 16th St, St Louis Park, MN 55416
Costco Burlington, 1725 S. Burlington Blvd, Burlington, WA 98233
Costco Sonterra Park, 1201 N FM 1604 East, San Antonio, TX 78232
Costco Douglas County, 8686 Park Meadows Ctr Dr. Littleton, CO 80124

In my efforts to determine exactly how Eneloop cells work, I ran across a Marketing Manager that occasionally feeds me Marketing information. Now, if I only could sit down and talk with a Design Engineer over coffee, I would be set...

Tom

 

[JetskiMark]

Hello SilverFox,

Thank you for the information. The Burbank store is about 30 minutes away from me. I will call there and see if they have any left. That is if the other CPFers don't beat me to it!

Regards,
Mark

 

[Nell]

Anyone have the item number? I would like to call to confirm in my local Costco.

Thanks.

 

[Effulgence]

Are those C and D size adaptors just PVC sleeves to make them fit or are they battery magazines (i.e. 1AA-to-1D or are they 3AA-to-1D)?

 

[Canuke]

The Eneloops seem to be so closely matched to one another in the 4-packs, I almost wouldn't care if the charger is a cheapie that charges in pairs. I've twice unpacked a set of 4 to find them within one or two millivolts -- yup, I said millivolts -- of each other. I can still use the charger and cycle the groups around, so they all pass through the Lacrosse BC900 every second or third cycle, to spot any oddities.

Thanks for the tip, I work near one of those Costcos, and will have to check it out.

 

[HammerSandwich]

Costco Cranberry, 1050 Cranberry Square Dr., Cranberry Township, PA 16066

Awesome! Thanks, SilverFox.

 

[Canuke]

The Burbank store is about 30 minutes away from me. I will call there and see if they have any left. That is if the other CPFers don't beat me to it!

As of yesterday (May 2) when I picked up one of these kits, there was about one pallet of them at the Burbank Costco... about a hundred or more.

Regarding the charger, its rated output is 300mAx4 for AA and 150mAx4 for AAA. Sloooow....

 

[JetskiMark]

Hello Canuke,

Thanks for the info. Do you have the item number? I called the Burbank store last weekend and spelled "Eneloop" for them to search and they said they had none. I also had them try "Sanyo". I will have to go there this weekend and hope for the best.

Regards,
Mark

As of yesterday (May 2) when I picked up one of these kits, there was about one pallet of them at the Burbank Costco... about a hundred or more.

 

[Canuke]

Hey Mark,

183245 is the # on my receipt right here. It only says "charger", so spelling it out probably didn't do much good for someone at a keyboard. It does say so on the pack, and it's on an end cap near the one with all the Duracells. They are blue and not too hard to spot, at least so long as the pile is that big.

 

[JetskiMark]

Thank you Canuke. I hope they still have some left Saturday afternoon.

Regards,
Mark

Hey Mark,

183245 is the # on my receipt right here.

 

[redfish]

I saw this on Ebay

It comes with 8 AA, 4 AAA, plus C,D adaptors and a charger. Is this the same as what's being sold at Costco?

 

[JetskiMark]

I saw this on Ebay

It comes with 8 AA, 4 AAA, plus C,D adaptors and a charger. Is this the same as what's being sold at Costco?

That is the same as the Costco kit. The Costco bundle was $26.49 plus tax. I paid $28.68 for each package (I bought four). $49.99 shipped from eBay is not a deal.

Regards,
Mark

 

[BigusLightus]

I would have bought a set from Costco if they didn't have a charger in the pack. In fact, ALL (Duracell, Sanyo, Sony) of the rechargables at Costco come in packs with a charger. If only...

 

[redfish]

I would have bought a set from Costco if they didn't have a charger in the pack. In fact, ALL (Duracell, Sanyo, Sony) of the rechargables at Costco come in packs with a charger. If only...

Considering their price at Costco, and the fact the charger is a smart/independent charger, I don't think I would mind. I just wish my Costco would carry them soon.