Are "Eneloop lite" no longer available?

[LED Monkey]

They seem like the best batteries for outdoor solar lights with the very high cycle rating (5000) but I'm not really finding them available. I do have a bunch of whites, but for solar application a higher cycle and maybe easier to charge battery would be better. I really see (Amazon) only a 2 pack of the Eneloop Lites with only Japanese writing on the package and much too much money for a 2 pack.

 

[ChrisGarrett]

They seem like the best batteries for outdoor solar lights with the very high cycle rating (5000) but I'm not really finding them available. I do have a bunch of whites, but for solar application a higher cycle and maybe easier to charge battery would be better. I really see (Amazon) only a 2 pack of the Eneloop Lites with only Japanese writing on the package and much too much money for a 2 pack.

There's some guy selling them on EBay, or was recently, out of Belgium.

Try there.

Chris

 

[coffeecup66]

NKON store from the Netherlands have them.

 

[WalkIntoTheLight]

They seem like the best batteries for outdoor solar lights with the very high cycle rating (5000) but I'm not really finding them available. I do have a bunch of whites, but for solar application a higher cycle and maybe easier to charge battery would be better. I really see (Amazon) only a 2 pack of the Eneloop Lites with only Japanese writing on the package and much too much money for a 2 pack.

At first look, the 5000 cycle life seems excellent, compared to the 2100 cycles for the regular Eneloops. However, remember that the regular Eneloops have twice the capacity of the Lite's, so the difference is more like 5000 vs. 4200 cycles, if you're counting mAh.

Also, Panasonic doesn't count full cycles in their specs; it's only partial cycles. So, the real cycle count for both types is probably far less than half that.

I wouldn't worry too much if you can't find the Lite's at a reasonable price. The regular Eneloops will be fine, and probably last almost as long. They'll certainly give longer run-times. And once they're worn out and only giving you half their original capacity... congratulations, they'll be Lite's! :ironic:

 

[De-Lux]

Great taste. Less filling!

 

[LED Monkey]

At first look, the 5000 cycle life seems excellent, compared to the 2100 cycles for the regular Eneloops. However, remember that the regular Eneloops have twice the capacity of the Lite's, so the difference is more like 5000 vs. 4200 cycles, if you're counting mAh.

Also, Panasonic doesn't count full cycles in their specs; it's only partial cycles. So, the real cycle count for both types is probably far less than half that.

I wouldn't worry too much if you can't find the Lite's at a reasonable price. The regular Eneloops will be fine, and probably last almost as long. They'll certainly give longer run-times. And once they're worn out and only giving you half their original capacity... congratulations, they'll be Lite's! :ironic:

I'm aware regular Eneloops have twice the capacity of the "Lites", Capacity is not the #1 concern with this application, cycle life is. With outdoor solar lights they will be cycled every day. I know the regular will work just fine but they're rated at less than half of the cycle life of the "lites" , and even if you get less than half the cycles for both reg/lite it makes no difference you will still get much more cycle life out of the "lite" batteries. I hardly think a worn out regular Eneloop with half the capacity would be considered a "lite" battery as you would have, again much less cycle life, which starts out brand new with much less cycle life, which is the objective here

 

[coffeecup66]

They seem like the best batteries for outdoor solar lights with the very high cycle rating (5000) but ....

Question : Are you sure about that amount of (5000) cycles ? Can't seem to find that number, only 3000 cycles.

 

[HarryN]

I'm aware regular Eneloops have twice the capacity of the "Lites", Capacity is not the #1 concern with this application, cycle life is. With outdoor solar lights they will be cycled every day. I know the regular will work just fine but they're rated at less than half of the cycle life of the "lites" , and even if you get less than half the cycles for both reg/lite it makes no difference you will still get much more cycle life out of the "lite" batteries. I hardly think a worn out regular Eneloop with half the capacity would be considered a "lite" battery as you would have, again much less cycle life, which starts out brand new with much less cycle life, which is the objective here

Battery cycle life is not necessarily a linear function. I am not sure about the enloops, but in some types, the depth of discharge vs cycle life is a curve. If the application only discharges 25% vs 50% per use cycle, the cycle life can be 3-5 x different.

2000 cycles is > 5 years. Is your goal to run them for 10+ years? Just curious.

 

[Kurt_Woloch]

There are other batteries which might be even better suited for this type of application, surpassing the Eneloop Lites in both capacity and cycle life, also made by FDK in Japan. They are called FDK HR-AAULT, and they have a capacity of at least 1000 mAh at several thousand cycles (their data sheet says 80% capacity after 9000 cycles). However, they are really meant for soldering into devices, so they have a flat top. AACycler is currently testing them here: http://www.aacycler.com/battery/aa/fdk-hr-aault/
You can find their data sheet here: https://www.fdk.co.jp/battery/nimh/tech_info/HR-AAULT.pdf
And there has been another thread on them here on Candlepowerforums: https://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?460394-FDK-HR-AAULT-crazy-stable-performance