Hybrio Batteries, have they removed the word Hybrio from the label ?

[march.brown]

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My original Hybrio batteries were red and green with a black bottom but I have noticed some without the word Hybrio on and they are red with a green bottom ... These are advertised on Ebay and other places as Hybrio batteries ... I want to buy a few more AAAs but I don't want just the ordinary NiMh cells.

Have Uniross merely changed the colours ? ... I might need to mix the cells as four of my torches are 3 X AAA.

Other than Eneloops are there any other good long-life rechargeables ?

Many Thanks.
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[LeifUK]

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Other than Eneloops are there any other good long-life rechargeables ?

I use Chinese made Panasonic Infinium which are comparable to Eneloop according to some German tests I saw. According to the manufacturer's specs Eneloops are just a bit better at retaining charge but have a slightly lower capacity. I suspect the differences are insignificant in real use.

I buy from 7DayShop which as far as I know sells authentic goods.

I have Eneloop on order, and I intend to carry out basic real world tests against the Panasonics i.e. capacity and self discharge rate.

 

[shark_za]

They are supposed to have "hybrio" technology but they are not nearly as good as the original Hybrio's.

I have various flavours of Hybrio as Uniross is the biggest seller of rechargeable cells in South Africa.

The oldest ones I have are basically rebadged Eneloops, that same size, weight, same flat + and exactly the same base. They give 1950-2000 mAh at various drain rates.
Then I have green/red/black ones that have a smaller + terminal that also work very well, also around 2000mAh shown with long shelf life too.

BUT then it all went pear shaped, the newest red/green/black ones are exactly like the new color red/light green ones. They seem to be low self discharge but only give around 1600mAh.
Classic marketing slyness, the labels read "2100mAh series" but the cells themselves show 1900mAh on the wrapper once you open them up. Reality, 1600mAh.
I have found my local chemist safeway branded cells also marked 2100mAh to be simple rebrands of these lesser LSD's.
Lucky they are quite cheap down here and I use these low capacity cells for my childrens toys.

Friends have reported that the packs that come with the dumb chargers are still the older good cells but almost every other pack on the market is the lesser cell.

Lucky for us Woolworths and Builders Warehouse in SA have started selling the white topped Duracells.
GP Recyko is also available and work well.

 

[march.brown]

They are supposed to have "hybrio" technology but they are not nearly as good as the original Hybrio's.

I have various flavours of Hybrio as Uniross is the biggest seller of rechargeable cells in South Africa.

The oldest ones I have are basically rebadged Eneloops, that same size, weight, same flat + and exactly the same base. They give 1950-2000 mAh at various drain rates.
Then I have green/red/black ones that have a smaller + terminal that also work very well, also around 2000mAh shown with long shelf life too.

BUT then it all went pear shaped, the newest red/green/black ones are exactly like the new color red/light green ones. They seem to be low self discharge but only give around 1600mAh.
Classic marketing slyness, the labels read "2100mAh series" but the cells themselves show 1900mAh on the wrapper once you open them up. Reality, 1600mAh.
I have found my local chemist safeway branded cells also marked 2100mAh to be simple rebrands of these lesser LSD's.
Lucky they are quite cheap down here and I use these low capacity cells for my childrens toys.

Friends have reported that the packs that come with the dumb chargers are still the older good cells but almost every other pack on the market is the lesser cell.

Lucky for us Woolworths and Builders Warehouse in SA have started selling the white topped Duracells.
GP Recyko is also available and work well.

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Well, looks like I might have to spend double the money and go for Eneloops unless the GP Recyko or perhaps some others are as good as the Eneloops.

My main reason for going to this type of battery is the long life with minimal discharge ... I could suffer a lower capacity as I could put spare cells in the car, just in case ... I want to be able to leave a torch in the car literally for ever and still have a useable torch when needed ... In actual fact, I would probably recharge the batteries in September / October so that it will be OK through our Winter ... I have several torch options that use AAA (3 cells) and AA (1 or 3 cells) plus I can even use my Saik SA-8 with either 3AAA or 18650).

I am now getting short on AAAs so will need to buy a few more, so any other recommendations please, or has it got to be Eneloops at double the price compared to the Hybrios of unknown quality.

Many Thanks for your reply
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[shark_za]

My comments are all about the AA versions.
My experience with the AAA ones is only from two that I own that are pretty good at holding a charge and they give around 650mAh but I had these long before I got the Maha C-9000 and they could be fried from previous bad charging.

Duracell white topped AAA cells give 790mAh and I hear they are the real deal for keeping the charge.

For storing in my cars I use the Energiser lithium cells.