Duracell Rechargable 1000mAh vs 800mAh

[StuGatz]

With some recent chat about the new Eneloop XX batteries I went to a local retailer.

No XX to be found but there were some of the tried and trusted Duracell AAA & AA rechargables and in that I have used those as well as the Eneloops in the past, decided to pick some up because I was already there... :shrug:

Now for the devil in some details:

I noticed that there were two types available; white topped 800mAh and black topped 1000mAh.

Now I recall reading sometime in the past that the white topped Duracells were manufactured in Japan whereas the black topped Duracells were manufactured in China with some reference to the black topped batteries being in some way inferior to the white topped batteries.

Closer inspection of the packaging revealed that both the white topped 800mAh and black topped 1000mAh have "made in Japan" on the battery bodies. So either the prior country of origin info was incorrect or I in some way mis-read the post.

The white topped 8oomAh allege on the packaging that holds a charge "5X longer" than the 1000mAh batteries.

A search for the previous posts about Chinese (or at least black topped) manufactured Duracells have proven fruitless and now I am at something of a quandary about the difference in the mAh between the two types.

As I interpret it, the lower mAh number allows for a longer storage time and the higher mAh number allows for more active use such as more flashes with a camera or longer active run time in a flashlight?

I've further noticed that the Eneloops have an apparent 2000mAh / minimum 1900mAh rating and that some older Sony NI-MH rechargables have a 2100mAh...

 

[jaws revenge]

The white top and precharged are rebadged eneloops aka duraloops. I hardly see them where I live. The xx's aren't out yet.

 

[45/70]

As far as the AAA Duracells go, the "precharged" cells are LSD, and the others are the standard NiMH's. That is why the capacities are different.

Also, your pictures are larger than CPF rules allow. It makes it so many of us have to scroll through, not just your post, but every one after that.

Dave

 

[FroggyTaco]

The black topped LSD AAA cells were actually Rayovac 4.0 Hybrids if memory serves me.

 

[StuGatz]

Apologies about the sizing Dave. Resized and should be under 800 x 800 now.

Am I correct re: the lower mAh number allows for a longer storage time and the higher mAh number allows for more active use such as more flashes with a camera or longer active run-time in a flashlight?

It would appear that either there is an overlap of the technology or the mAh level is mission specific.

 

[drmaxx]

Am I correct re: the lower mAh number allows for a longer storage time and the higher mAh number allows for more active use such as more flashes with a camera or longer active run-time in a flashlight?

This sums it up. There are a few more differences. For me relevant is that the LSD is also more robust and can take more abuse (e.g. low discharge). The 1000 mAh ones are more like the princesses that need pampering in order to keep their performance.

For all practical purposes, I prefer the 800 mAh LSD type.

 

[Mr Happy]

Am I correct re: the lower mAh number allows for a longer storage time and the higher mAh number allows for more active use such as more flashes with a camera or longer active run-time in a flashlight?

No, this is not exactly correct.

There are two kinds of NiMH batteries on the market, "old technology, charge before use" and "new technology, pre-charged, ready to use".

In your pictures, the 800 mAh variety are the new pre-charged kind, and the 1000 mAh variety are the old, fast discharging kind. The difference does not lie with the capacity, but with the internal chemistry and construction.

What this means in practice is that if you charge the 800 mAh ones they will still be charged and usable a year later, whereas if you charge the 1000 mAh ones they will become fully discharged all by themselves after just a few months (or in the worst case after only weeks or days).

 

[StuGatz]

No, this is not exactly correct...What this means in practice is that if you charge the 800 mAh ones they will still be charged and usable a year later, whereas if you charge the 1000 mAh ones they will become fully discharged all by themselves after just a few months (or in the worst case after only weeks or days).

So with the older tech 1000mAh (depicted in the photos) we will need to basically check how they perform. The 1000mAh rating does not necessarily mean longer run time after a full charge. Good that I only picked up one package of the 1000mAh.

Thank you for the info.

 

[Bright+]

The 1Ah AAA and 2.65Ah AA perform fantastically new out of package, but they have serious reliability issues after a few months once they're used.

 

[Flashfirstask?later]

There are often black topped pre-charged ones on the racks just like those white topped however as said they are not the rebranded eneloop versions.

Really sucks if I go to Shoppers Drug Mart for their $6.99 deal and see the black topped LSD's mixed in or are the only ones left

 

[StuGatz]

Well then I am really happy that I only bought one package of the 1000mAh (black tops) after reading more of this. Upon reflection, the packaging did appear older than the 8oomAh...

I placed them on the charger and it took approximately 1.5 hours to charge. Probably not a good sign...

 

[shark_za]

The 1000mAh will give longer runtime at first.

Use them for a few times and the capacity will steadily decrease, they are not as robust as the Eneloop's or "Active Charge" duracells.

I have some 1000mAh and 2700mAh AA's that I use for "next day" use and they give more mAh than the LSD cells but I can already see a decrease in the overall capacity.
I expect to see them reach the same capacity as the LSD cells somewhere in the future and it will be time to replace them,