Sorry for the newb sounding thread, but I'm headed to Costco tomorrow to possibly buy some of the sanyo eneloops, and some energizer lithium batteries. They are going to be primarily ran in my torches, but possibly other electronics as well. What are the major differences in power output, longevity, and shelf life? What are the differences in the energizer lithiums? One stated ultra and one did not.
eneloops, lithium, and akaline AA & AAA's.
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It kind of depends on what torches you own.
Alkaline are the standard and have about X capacity.
They have lithium primaries which cant be recharged and run 1.5 volts, same as alkaline. They actually about X capacity too! The difference is that an alkaline under 35mA works just fine. But when a light pulls 500mA or more then the load sags and the battery has to work really hard to get that amperage out.
So what happens is the battery goes into 'Afterburner mode' where it runs out MUCH faster than anticipated far short of its X capacity.
A lithium primary or NiMH can deal with the higher currents and won't sag. Thus they say they have 8 times the capacity. That isnt entirely true, but they EFFECTIVELY have 8x when used in a high current application like a torch.
The Ultimate Lithium just lasts a bit longer than their normal Lithium (super lithium I think they call it). I have no real numbers or comparison points for you.
Lithium primaries have very good shelf life.
NiMH if you have a charger is your best longterm bet. Especially if you use your lights on a regular basis. You might not be able to find Eneloops but some have said that Duracell Low-Self-Discharge batteries are the exact same, but rebranded. look for: made in japan.
These are very good batteries that won't piddle out on you after a month of disuse unlike NiCad and normal NiMH.
Alkaline are the standard and have about X capacity.
They have lithium primaries which cant be recharged and run 1.5 volts, same as alkaline. They actually about X capacity too! The difference is that an alkaline under 35mA works just fine. But when a light pulls 500mA or more then the load sags and the battery has to work really hard to get that amperage out.
So what happens is the battery goes into 'Afterburner mode' where it runs out MUCH faster than anticipated far short of its X capacity.
A lithium primary or NiMH can deal with the higher currents and won't sag. Thus they say they have 8 times the capacity. That isnt entirely true, but they EFFECTIVELY have 8x when used in a high current application like a torch.
The Ultimate Lithium just lasts a bit longer than their normal Lithium (super lithium I think they call it). I have no real numbers or comparison points for you.
Lithium primaries have very good shelf life.
NiMH if you have a charger is your best longterm bet. Especially if you use your lights on a regular basis. You might not be able to find Eneloops but some have said that Duracell Low-Self-Discharge batteries are the exact same, but rebranded. look for: made in japan.
These are very good batteries that won't piddle out on you after a month of disuse unlike NiCad and normal NiMH.
Mr Happy
Flashlight Enthusiast
As I understand it, the Energizer lithium batteries have much more capacity than a typical alkaline battery, and can also deliver more current than an alkaline (but not as much as an Eneloop). Energizer Lithiums also have a higher working voltage than alkalines which can help in some devices like cameras.
The difference between Energizer Ultimate and Energizer Advanced lithium is that the Ultimate will last longer in high drain devices. But in low drain devices the Advanced will last just as long, making it much better value.
There is very little reason to buy Energizer lithiums unless you need the higher voltage or you specifically want disposable batteries with a long shelf life or the lighter weight. For most uses Eneloops will be far more economical.
The difference between Energizer Ultimate and Energizer Advanced lithium is that the Ultimate will last longer in high drain devices. But in low drain devices the Advanced will last just as long, making it much better value.
There is very little reason to buy Energizer lithiums unless you need the higher voltage or you specifically want disposable batteries with a long shelf life or the lighter weight. For most uses Eneloops will be far more economical.
Thanks for the comparison info! I'll probably buy both and do some comparisons in different scenarios with what I've learned the differences are so far. It seems the lithium batteries might be the ticket for the emergency car light.
I've also been looking into the li-ion AA and AAA sizes. How do these compare to the eneloops? Higher discharge I suppose?
I've also been looking into the li-ion AA and AAA sizes. How do these compare to the eneloops? Higher discharge I suppose?
Dude Dudeson
Enlightened
Concerning Energizer lithium vs alkaline - there is simply no comparison. I'll never buy alkalines again unless I'm in a real pinch - and really if I'm in that bad of a pinch I probably shouldn't be buying batteries at all!
I became a convert in the early 1990's, via my Sony Walkman playing cassette tapes, and very loudly.
Even back then lithium AA's smacked alkalines so badly...
They're lighter. They work in the cold. They FULLY work until they're dead. They cost less in terms of actual power - do not be turned off because of the sticker shock of the batteries, you ARE PAYING LESS FOR THE ELECTRICITY!
EDIT: I think in the early 1990's I was using Kodak lithiums, not even sure if Energizer was making them back then...
I became a convert in the early 1990's, via my Sony Walkman playing cassette tapes, and very loudly.
Even back then lithium AA's smacked alkalines so badly...
They're lighter. They work in the cold. They FULLY work until they're dead. They cost less in terms of actual power - do not be turned off because of the sticker shock of the batteries, you ARE PAYING LESS FOR THE ELECTRICITY!
EDIT: I think in the early 1990's I was using Kodak lithiums, not even sure if Energizer was making them back then...
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KiwiMark
Flashlight Enthusiast
That's a pretty good example of when the Lithiums make sense. For anything where you are going through more than a battery (or set of them) every 6 months or more often right through to draining 1 or more sets a day then you should go with the eneloops - they will save you heaps of money and provide a good performance while doing it. For anything where you will take a year or more to drain the batteries then Lithium primaries are fine - they aren't going to cost much to power them and the batteries don't go flat between uses.
Battery Guy
Enlightened
Here is a Ragone plot showing the difference in performance between the three difference chemistries that you are interested in (for the AA format).
For information on how to understand Ragone plots, see here.
The lithium batteries will always provide more energy than the alkaline batteries. The performance of the eneloop surpasses the alkaline for discharge power >0.25 W, and surpasses the Energizer Ultimate Lithium for discharge power >2.5 W.
Cheers,
BG
For information on how to understand Ragone plots, see here.
The lithium batteries will always provide more energy than the alkaline batteries. The performance of the eneloop surpasses the alkaline for discharge power >0.25 W, and surpasses the Energizer Ultimate Lithium for discharge power >2.5 W.
Cheers,
BG
