Are Eneloops NiMh the Absolute best Brand?

[xiaowenzu]

I keep hearing good stuff about Sanyo Eneloop rechargeble batteries. Apparently unlike other NiMh AAs, they can sit on the shelf for months without losing any charge. They are about to 2000mah capacity and can be recharged 1000x.

Since there are no Li-on rechargeble AA's that exist, should I get these Sanyo Eneloops? Is there anything better than Sanyo Eneloop AA's? I plan on using them for my CD player and other flashlights which require AA.

Thanks in advance guys!

 

[wptski]

IMHO, Eneloops or other low self discharge cells cost more, should be used in something that you don't use often and expect it to work when you do!

 

[light_emitting_dude]

I would highly recommend them! I used to have other brand nimh batteries in my digital camera and when I would go to change the batteries (usually about once a month), the once charged batteries were too low to even get a few pics. With the eneloops I do not have this problem. They cost more but they are worth it.

I would assume other manufactures will follow suit with a "low discharge rate" rechargeable nimh batteries.

 

[xiaowenzu]

IMHO, Eneloops or other low self discharge cells cost more, should be used in something that you don't use often and expect it to work when you do!

yep, that's exactly the scenario I plan for. I'm always confronting discharged batteries whenever I listen to my CD player, becuase I only use it once per month.

 

[Fallingwater]

Since there are no Li-on rechargeble AA's that exist

That is not strictly true. 14500-type AA-size rechargeable cells do exist, but they are not replacements for standard AAs, having a voltage of 3.6.

As for the eneloops: I'm interested in getting few myself. I have an old Palm IIIx PDA which serves me perfectly, but its two AAA cells self-discharge much faster than I actually use them. I think about 90% of the power the cells lose is due to self-discharge, with the rest due to actual use.
They'd also be good for my flashlights, since I use them relatively rarely and encounter the same problem.

The only thing I'm worried about is the fast charge. I have a Duracell 30-minute charger that is, I think, really rather savage to cells. It'll fill them to about 80% in 30 minutes, then finish the charge by trickle-charging. I'm worried that eneloops might be too sensitive for this kind of treatment.

Is this true, or am I just being paranoid?

 

[Daekar]

Is this true, or am I just being paranoid?

I'm not exactly an authority, but to the best of my understanding the harder you charge any kind of cell, the harder it is on them - they won't last as long... either they'll fail earlier, total capacity would decrease, you might have voltage drop issues, or self-discharging might get worse. As far as how bad would these changes be? I have absolutely no idea.

That being said, I would suggest using the rapid chargers in situations where they're necessary and otherwise using a gentler charger. Unless you need the power right that minute, there's really no reason to be hard on your batteries - you'll have paid too much for them to do that...

You might find this helpful in your comparison of batteries - just remember that you're sacrificing capacity for self-discharge reduction...

 

[Brody]

Eneloops are great batteries! I highly recommend them! While they may not have the same capacity as some of the newer Nimh batteries, their ability to hold their charge makes them better unless you are the kind of person who does heavy usage - using up the charge in the batteries in less than a week, every week.

For these batteries, while they can be charged in the fast chargers, I think you would be better off with slower chargers. Because they can hold their charge, you can keep a few sets charged up and ready to go for when the need arises. Charging at lower charge rates will be better for the batteries, and will help make sure that they last longer. While I have not had my eneloops as many years as some of my other batteries, I do know that fast charging can reduce the number of charging cycles a battery can take before it goes bad. I had one set of duracell batteries that after about 250 charges in a 15 minute duracell charger would not hold a charge for more than a few days and would only charge to about 70% of the amount of charge that they held when new. Another set of duracell batteries I got at the same time but was always charged in a slower charger has gone through more than 600 charges, and still charges to about 95% of the amount it did when new.

 

[Hans]

As for the eneloops: I'm interested in getting few myself. I have an old Palm IIIx PDA which serves me perfectly, but its two AAA cells self-discharge much faster than I actually use them. I think about 90% of the power the cells lose is due to self-discharge, with the rest due to actual use.

I started using Eneloop AAA cells in my Palm IIIxe as soon as they came onto the market. I find I'm getting slightly lower runtimes on the Eneloops than on the Sanyo 900 AAA's I used before I got the Eneloops (about 10 hours as opposed to about 11 1/2), but self-discharge is not an issue anymore.

Actually, with the Palm it never was an issue in the first place, as I use it quite a lot, but I can now just drop in a couple of spares without having to worry about whether they're still full or not.

Hans

 

[txmatt]

I've got both AA and AAA Eneloops and they are nice. I've been using some in remote controls, cordless mice, flashlights, etc. No complaints so far. It's neat to be able to use rechargeables in places where I once used alkalines.

In addition to the Sanyo Eneloops, Rayovac Hybrid's are similar, low self discharge NiMH's in AA and AAA sizes.

I plan on getting some new Sanyo 2700's to use in flashlights basically hot off the charger but I would highly recommend Eneloops (or Hybrids) for occasionally used gadgets.

 

[hank]

Is anyone tracking "best deals" on Eneloops? My earthquake kit ought to be stocked with them (with the solar charger) for the possible long outage, as well as with lithium primary cells for the sudden dark.

 

[IsaacHayes]

They've blown me away. Very impressed. I put 2 straight out of the package in my digital camera, and it's been months and it's not even at the low battery indicator. My 2700 cells would show low battery after like 2 days!!!

Traditional NiMH is good for charge and use, like remote control cars!! hehe I wish eneloop was in C size for my big mags!!

 

[Eugene]

Same here, I love them. I had quit using rechargeables for a while because the high capacity NiMH would self discharge so much I would see a low battery message in some devices after just a couple weeks and the Eneloops last forever in them. I've finally been able to go back to rechargeables now.
The best deal I've found is HHGreg with $9.99 for a 4 pack and sometimes $7.99 for a 4 pack. The next best is thomas distributing's 11.97 for a pack.
I want to protect my investment in them and keep them working for years so I won't use any of the less than 1 hour chargers and when I can use the slow overnight charge mode of my MAHA. Since they are LSD I can just keep a few extras charged up and when a set gets low drop them in the slow charge cycle and put in one of the fresh spares waiting, so I never have to wait on a charge.

 

[Fallingwater]

I was asking about the quick charging because a quick charger's all I got.
Well, that, and a dumb charger I use to charge NiCD but which I'd never trust with my NiMHs.
Oh well, I guess it's time to find a 3-4 hour charger...

 

[clintb]

Is anyone tracking "best deals" on Eneloops? My earthquake kit ought to be stocked with them (with the solar charger) for the possible long outage, as well as with lithium primary cells for the sudden dark.

One of the better deals I've seen is at Amazon. $24.99 for an 8 pack of AA's and free shipping if you bump it to $25.

 

[bill_n_opus]

They've blown me away. Very impressed. I put 2 straight out of the package in my digital camera, and it's been months and it's not even at the low battery indicator. My 2700 cells would show low battery after like 2 days!!!

Traditional NiMH is good for charge and use, like remote control cars!! hehe I wish eneloop was in C size for my big mags!!

I guess you could always get around that by utilizing AA to C adapters. Last time I checked you could get 3xAA into a C adapter ... I think.

But a regular C sized Eneloop would be cool, if not huge money pit for Sanyo.

 

[SilverFox]

A little birdy told me that Eneloop cells will be available at WalMart mid April, and a Power Pack with 8 AA cells, 4 AAA cells, 2 AA to C adapters, 2 AA to D adapters, and a 4 cell charger will be doing trial runs in select Costco stores.

I even found a link to CPF at http://myspace.com/eneloop

I have no idea on pricing.

Tom

 

[Eugene]

I was asking about the quick charging because a quick charger's all I got.
Well, that, and a dumb charger I use to charge NiCD but which I'd never trust with my NiMHs.
Oh well, I guess it's time to find a 3-4 hour charger...

I'm using http://www.thomas-distributing.com/mhc401fs.htm which works at 1 hour or 8 hours and wasn't too expensive. Those 15 minute deals just get the batteries so hot I didn't want to risk my batteries. The 15 minute chargers are for people who need the fast charge at the expense of having their batteries last only a couple hundred cycles.

 

[IsaacHayes]

bill_n_opus: you can cram an AA where a C or D was usualy, and in the case of D, you can fit 3 or 4 in parallel. My "big" lights are 3C as I like that form factor, but I need 5,000mah for a decent runtime in my Quad. The 1800mah wouldn't cut it But it is a bummer when somethings going on, and you grab your powerhouse light and the nimh is discharged.

SilverFox: great! hopefully walmart will have good prices! I could use some AAA now!

 

[light_emitting_dude]

I picked up a 4 pack of AA eneloops at HH Greg. The price tag was 9.99 but when I got to the counter to pay the cashier said they were on sale for 7.99!

 

[Eugene]

bill_n_opus: you can cram an AA where a C or D was usualy, and in the case of D, you can fit 3 or 4 in parallel. My "big" lights are 3C as I like that form factor, but I need 5,000mah for a decent runtime in my Quad. The 1800mah wouldn't cut it But it is a bummer when somethings going on, and you grab your powerhouse light and the nimh is discharged.

SilverFox: great! hopefully walmart will have good prices! I could use some AAA now!

3 AA at 2000mAh is going to be 6000mAh so that should be plenty.

On something like this Walmart will be more expensive than decent stores, the only time they have lower prices is the China made stuff special for them.