Coast USB-C Rechargeable lithium ion 1.5 volt AA and AAA batteries

[Hooked on Fenix]

Found out Costco is now carrying Coast Zithion-X batteries. It was an 8 pack of 4AA and 4AAA with a 4 way USB-C charge cord. Pack was just under $28. I was curious so I bought a pack. AAs claim 2400 mAh 1.5 Volts 3 Watt hours. AAAs claim 750 mAh 1.5 V 0.94 Wh.

Tested one AA using an old Fenix L1D Q5 on Turbo (120 lumens). 2 hours 7 minutes to shut off. There was some flickering early on. I suspect the battery didn't like the heat build up and throttled down a bit.

Tested a AAA using an Olight i3E EOS 120 lumen version. Lasted 1 hour 7 minutes to shutoff. Not bad. However, these batteries would not fit inside my 2AAA l.e.d. Maglite. Too tight to fit. Both sizes are normal length for AA and AAA though.

Now I'm tempted to get the Pale Blue USB-C rechargeable 4 pack of 123As I saw at REI's website and get more use from my 1 and 2 123A lights that don't work with rechargeables. I'll have to wait until I have more money for that though.

It's nice to see more of these types of batteries becoming available in stores. I'm seeing Cs, AAs, AAAs, and 123As so far. Be nice to see USB-C rechargeable Ds at some point made from a large lithium ion battery.

Edit: It appears Paleblue did make Ds as well as Cs. I think they could have done a lot better on capacity in those sizes though.

 

[Hooked on Fenix]

Tested Fenix E01 v.2 with the AAA and got 1 hour 20 minutes to shut off on high.

 

[Hooked on Fenix]

Tested 4Sevens Quark Pro 2A on 85 lumen high using 2 of the Coast batteries. Runtime was 6 hours 27 minutes until shutoff. At 6 hours 10 minutes, light started flickering on and off a bit, moreso at 6 hours 23 minutes. Took batteries out to cool down and gave light a ten minute break before putting them back in as the light was pretty warm. Batteries only lasted 4 more minutes. Seems the batteries causing flickering is a warning that the batteries have become too hot. Probably like a thermistor throttling back the power to reduce the heat. Since alkalines last 5 hours at this setting, 6 hours 27 minutes is pretty good for usb-c rechargeable batteries.

 

[divine]

They are quite a bit more expensive than eneloop. What advantage do they have outside of the USB charging?

 

[bykfixer]

Found out Costco is now carrying Coast Zithion-X batteries. It was an 8 pack of 4AA and 4AAA with a 4 way USB-C charge cord. Pack was just under $28. I was curious so I bought a pack. AAs claim 2400 mAh 1.5 Volts 3 Watt hours. AAAs claim 750 mAh 1.5 V 0.94 Wh.

Tested one AA using an old Fenix L1D Q5 on Turbo (120 lumens). 2 hours 7 minutes to shut off. There was some flickering early on. I suspect the battery didn't like the heat build up and throttled down a bit.

Tested a AAA using an Olight i3E EOS 120 lumen version. Lasted 1 hour 7 minutes to shutoff. Not bad. However, these batteries would not fit inside my 2AAA l.e.d. Maglite. Too tight to fit. Both sizes are normal length for AA and AAA though.

Now I'm tempted to get the Pale Blue USB-C rechargeable 4 pack of 123As I saw at REI's website and get more use from my 1 and 2 123A lights that don't work with rechargeables. I'll have to wait until I have more money for that though.

It's nice to see more of these types of batteries becoming available in stores. I'm seeing Cs, AAs, AAAs, and 123As so far. Be nice to see USB-C rechargeable Ds at some point made from a large lithium ion battery.

Edit: It appears Paleblue did make Ds as well as Cs. I think they could have done a lot better on capacity in those sizes though.

Next time I'm at Costco I'll look for these.

 

[Hooked on Fenix]

They are quite a bit more expensive than eneloop. What advantage do they have outside of the USB charging?

How are they more expensive than Eneloops? They are $28 for 4 AAs, 4AAAs and a charge cord. That's $14 per 4 pack plus the cord. Eneloop Pros can cost $20+ per four pack. The AAs are 2400 mAh in this kit. Regular Eneloops are 2000 mAh. The AAAs are comparable in capacity to regular Eneloops on paper, but since voltage is regulated at 1.5 volts, the light stays on longer before shutting off. I got longer runtime on high in my Fenix E01 v.2 with these batteries than an alkaline or Eneloop. If you go to REI or somewhere else and buy these batteries, yes they are expensive at $30 per 4 pack. At Costco, they are less than half that price.

 

[divine]

When I look on Amazon, they're about $25 for 4 batteries.

 

[Hooked on Fenix]

When I look on Amazon, they're about $25 for 4 batteries.

Do you have a Costco card? They are $28 for 4AAs and 4AAAs and charge cord there in store. $35 on Costco's website.

 

[divine]

Do you have a Costco card? They are $28 for 4AAs and 4AAAs and charge cord there in store. $35 on Costco's website.

No, I only have Sam's.

Maybe I can look around there to see if they carry them.

 

[Schokokeks]

I've been curious about these, but I've read many people mention they don't have the low self-discharging characteristics of eneloops. I really like eneloops for the low self-discharge ("set it and forget it" for lights), and the inherently less dangerous nature of a lower energy cell (especially if kids are using them).

Tied to that, I'm a little worried that something might go wrong, and they end up frying a light. They're regular lithium 4.2v cells inside, but have a little circuit that outputs the 1.5v, and they apparently still charge at the normal 5v via USB.

I'd really hate to use one on a light that can't handle more than 3.3v, have something go wrong, and kill it. That could be expensive, whereas an eneloop simply cannot generate the voltage to burn out the lights it'd be in.

Also, because they are really just 4.2v Li-ion cells inside, I'm skeptical of the capacity stated. I've seen some reviews that tested other brands (Xtar), and the capacity was overly optimistic as amperage increased:


The other weird thing I've seen radio people complain about is that these definitely put out EM interference, so they cannot be used in anything sensitive to that.

Overall, it seems like a neat idea, but I'm not sure if they're really an upgrade to Eneloops, which are fairly stable at 1.2v, and I don't think you're going to see a huge increase in brightness from that 25% extra voltage (you MIGHT notice it, though).

I know some people have had issues with protected cells' circuitry dying, so I can't imagine these wouldn't have a similar failure rate versus bare cells (reliability decreases as complexity increases).

 

[aznsx]

I've been curious about these, ...

Just a word of caution about such RF garbage generators. They can not only cause malfunctions w/ RF devices they're installed in, as well as likely others in proximity; they are also known to cause malfunctions in other digital applications whch do not themselves involve RF, per se:

Here's a quote from a user of a Tenavolt variant:

"Yeh, I got a clock/thermometer that takes 3 AAAs. 1 is for something and 2 are for something else. Forgot which is for the backlight-only and which is for the digital innards.

Either way, the backlight always works fine, as it's not picky, but when I switched from alkaleaks to… think they were Tenavolts… the buttons to set the clock, etc., just plain wouldn't work. It kept time, starting from 12:00:00 of course, but you couldn't set the time, switch from C/F or F/C, nuttin'."

 

[Schokokeks]

Just a word of caution about such RF garbage generators. They can not only cause malfunctions w/ RF devices they're installed in, as well as likely others in proximity; they are also known to cause malfunctions in other digital applications whch do not themselves involve RF, per se:

That's interesting.

I have to say, the RF interference didn't inspire a lot of confidence, as it was pretty bad from some of the stuff I read/watched.

For me, I can't see that .3v being worth the downsides from Eneloops, which are kind of amazing. Plus, I'm extra skeptical about these because, across the board, the specs seem to be somewhere between misleading and overly optimistic.

That's why I still haven't gotten any of these or the 3v ones to replace CR123 batteries...

 

[Macgravy]

I went to my Costco and bought 2 packages of these batteries. I need 8 AA's. I charged them up till the red led's turned green. I let them sit for an hour. I installed them into my Midland FRS/GMRS walkie talkies....I tested them. I had no RF interference from the batteries on any transmit/receive transmissions. They worked. I have been using Ikea Laddas 2450mAh batteries. The Coast batteries lasted 2 days with intermittent testing. That is less than half the time with the Ikea batteries. The Ikea batteries last 4-5 days on the same test. And they last a year just on standby holding up the channels with the radios off. They go to low power after that year, but they don't go dead. I think I'll take the Coast batteries back and get my money back. Seems to me that they do not have the same capacity even with the It was only a quick test. I just wanted to see if they would last as long as the Ikea NiMH batteries. Oh, btw, the AAA's in the 2 weeks I have had these went dead...they were on the shelf. I had to recharge them today...and it took a little over an hour on a USB C 60watt charger. I don't have any way to test and prove the listed capacity of these batteries.

 

[mrforsyth]

Having a need for AA rechargeable batteries with higher sustained voltage output than typical NiMH cells, I saw these on sale at Costco and decided to give them a try.

Sadly (and interestingly), these particular cells are not regulated at 1.5V output like the many other AA rechargeable lithium cells that are available these days. Rather, they likely have several diodes in series (or similar) to drop the output voltage to ~1.5V resting at full charge. It then drops throughout discharge, making these no better than NiMH, and perhaps worse in some respects.

I have other AA lithium rechargeable cells that regulate to exactly 1.5 volts, and will remain there throughout discharge. I use these in particularly finicky devices that object to the lower output voltage of my beloved Eneloops. Was hoping that these were similar in this respect and was disappointed when I learned that they're indeed not. If I didn't loathe standing in lines, I would probably return them.

See attached CBA discharge curves for my 4 AA cells at .5 and 1.0 amp loads and very low .9V cutoff. If I didn't loathe standing in lines, I would probably return these.

Cheers,
Mark

 

[Hooked on Fenix]

That's disappointing. I was testing mine in regulated flashlights like the 4Sevens Quark Pro 2A on 85 lumens (2AA light) and the Fenix E01 v.2 on 100 lumen high (1AAA light). They did pretty well until they start to overheat in the lights and flicker before dropping the output some. Are you sure your testing isn't skewed from the temperature controls kicking in and dropping the voltage? These batteries have their limitations for how much you can pull out of them at once, unlike Eneloops but I was getting good runtimes somewhere above alkalines but below lithiums. If you're using them in something other than a flashlight, it might not be apparent when the overheating protection kicks in and drops the voltage.

 

[mrforsyth]

Are you sure your testing isn't skewed from the temperature controls kicking in and dropping the voltage?

Yes, 100% sure that the steady voltage drop is not temperature related in any way whatsoever. The .5A test took ~5 hours and the 1A test took >2 hours. Temperature of the cells experienced negligible temperature rise throughout the testing.

Bottom line - If you need steady 1.5V output, avoid these and instead purchase regulated cells. If the voltage drop throughout discharge is acceptable to you, again, avoid these and instead purchase some decent LSD NiMH cells to save a fair amount of $$ and some potential aggravation.

 

[aznsx]

Yes, 100% sure that the steady voltage drop is not temperature related in any way whatsoever. The .5A test took ~5 hours and the 1A test took >2 hours. Temperature of the cells experienced negligible temperature rise throughout the testing.

Bottom line - If you need steady 1.5V output, avoid these and instead purchase regulated cells. If the voltage drop throughout discharge is acceptable to you, again, avoid these and instead purchase some decent LSD NiMH cells to save a fair amount of $$ and some potential aggravation.

If that's what they are, this same (arguably misguided) 'approach' was taken w/123 cells in the past (Soshine?), and the results were similarly impressive;-). HKJ's comment was:

• "Use a normal LiIon battery in 16340 size, but add a diode in series with the battery. This will reduce the output voltage with about 0.6 to 0.7 volt. The voltage will be close to CR123, but still too high and the diode will heat the battery at high loads."

I don't think he was favorably impressed, and I'm not either.

Also the 'regulated' type (small switching power supplies) are typically noise / RFI generators, and that rules them out for my use.

Quote Attribution:

CR123A and rechargeable substitutes

 

[mrforsyth]

If that's what they are, this same (arguably misguided) 'approach' was taken w/123 cells in the past (Soshine?), and the results were similarly impressive;-). HKJ's comment was:

• "Use a normal LiIon battery in 16340 size, but add a diode in series with the battery. This will reduce the output voltage with about 0.6 to 0.7 volt. The voltage will be close to CR123, but still too high and the diode will heat the battery at high loads."

I don't think he was favorably impressed, and I'm not either.

Also the 'regulated' type (small switching power supplies) are typically noise / RFI generators, and that rules them out for my use.

Yeah, from the testing that I performed, I see these as no better than NiMH as far as voltage output goes, and potentially far worse in other respects.

As for using the regulated versions in devices such as a handheld transceiver or similar - completely agree that NiMH would likely be a more reliable chemistry.

My application for the regulated cells that I purchased is a digital camera that could not tolerate the lower voltage output of NiMH cells and would trigger a low voltage warning and shut itself off with AA Eneloops that were still ~90% full. Swapped these out for the regulated lithium rechargeable AA cells and my woes disappeared. How long (in years) they'll last is another story. My original AA Eneloops just celebrated their 19th birthday and are still going strong.

Mark

 

[aznsx]

Yeah, from the testing that I performed, I see these as no better than NiMH as far as voltage output goes, and potentially far worse in other respects.

As for using the regulated versions in devices such as a handheld transceiver or similar - completely agree that NiMH would likely be a more reliable chemistry.

My application for the regulated cells that I purchased is a digital camera that could not tolerate the lower voltage output of NiMH cells and would trigger a low voltage warning and shut itself off with AA Eneloops that were still ~90% full. Swapped these out for the regulated lithium rechargeable AA cells and my woes disappeared. How long (in years) they'll last is another story. My original AA Eneloops just celebrated their 19th birthday and are still going strong.

Mark

10-4 on that. The only thing I would add is that the noise generated by the Li-ions w/ switching converters can absolutely negatively affect operation of devices w/ digital circuitry which do not themselves involve RF transmission or reception per se, and those issues can be marginal and not necessarily immediately obvious or 'fatal'. I would also speculate that the radiated RFI could impact other devices in the environment which they are not installed in. That said, I'm glad they've proven to be a good solution for the camera. Just be aware of the potential problems, but if no issues are evident and they solve the camera issue, I'd probably use them myself. I'm not going to use them personally because I've spent too much time fighting noise issues, and if the FCC found out I bought them, they'd probably revoke my license for being stupid;-)

Cheers!

 

[larslhansen]

They are quite a bit more expensive than eneloop. What advantage do they have outside of the USB charging?

The unique thing about these batteries is that they have a what is called "Optimized Voltage" - they mimic the discharge curve of conventional 1.5V alkaline batteries - This way you can use batteryindicators that are built into devices and get an accurate readout of when the battery is depleted. You have a better feeling of when de battery will be empty than with most other rechargeable batteries. You can see a graph provided by a user on this website comparing alkaline to the ZX AA battery: https://www.galaxus.ch/en/s1/product/coast-zithion-x-aa-usb-c-4-pcs-aa-2400-mah-batteries-42057450