Mystery batteries

[Weaselripper]

I've been looking at this forum for quite some time and finally decided to join.

So anyway,

I was at Target yesterday and one of the reasons I went there was to get some ROV Hybrids, but I also looked at some other brands, and in the digital camera section I saw a 4 pack of "Targus Pre-Charged 2200mAh" batteries along with some chargers. I've never heard of or seen these pre-charged batteries before and can't seem to find any information about them anywhere, they must be brand new.

Here they are on Target's website.

Sorry I didn't take a picture of them, but my phone's camera sucks so it would have probably been pretty illegible anyway. They caught my eye because I saw that they had white tops and immediately thought "Eneloops!", but they're made in China, and neither the buttons or tops have any vents and are rounded instead of squared.

I dunno who makes these batteries, because they're definitely not rebranded Hybrids. The plastic wrapping goes past the bottom and folds over, and there is a noticeable ridge near the top. They're claimed to be 2200 mAh and on the back of the packaging it says that they "will retain an estimated 80% of their charge for a full year". The 2200 mAh rating seems odd for an LSD, are there any other LSD's with the same rating? :thinking:

Any thoughts on these batteries? Are they worth buying? They aren't cheap, at $12.99 for a pack of 4. They can't be as bad as the Energizer 2500's I was using before I found this forum...:sick2:

Also, about the Duracell Pre-Charged black-tops. The Duracells I saw had 4 holes in the black insulator, similar to the Kodaks, but the bottom was similar to the Hybrids. The Hybrids have the vents in the button, but these blacktops I saw didn't seem to have any vent holes in the button. Maybe they did and I just didn't see them through the packaging (I've never bought any), but they definitely had a different top insulator, one with 4 holes.

Even if they're made by the same company, couldn't they be made to different specifications? Or is Duracell just trying to pull a fast one by charging almost an extra $3 for the same exact batteries right next to them? The Hybrids are so goofy looking with their color scheme that I'm tempted to get the Duracells... are the Hybrids the best "commonly available" LSD rechargeables that can easily be found in stores?

 

[Bones]

Welcome to CPF Weaselripper.

It doesn't appear that anyone who's read your post has had any experience with the Targus cell. It's also the only 2200mAh low self-discharge that I've seen to date. As to whether their worth buying, that remains to be seen. The one disadvantage of the Eneloop proving so decidedly superior to its competition is that knowledgeable purchasers tend to avoid the competing cells, especially those with unknown pedigrees, so credible reports on their performance tend to be very sparse.

Insofar as the Duracell black-top you've described is concerned, it may very well be a new variety as well. We already know Duracell sources their low self-discharge cells from both Japan and China, so it would seem entirely possible that they may be now be sourcing yet another variation from China.

And yes, other than the Duracell Pre-charged cell sourced from Japan, the Rayovac Hybrid is generally considered to be one of the best commonly available low self-discharge AA cells.

 

[ltiu]

Fry's sells these as well. Never got any for myself as I only buy if on-sale. So far I have never seen these on-sale. $12.99 is regular price. It would have to drop to $7.99 or less for me to buy.

 

[ltiu]

The Hybrids are so goofy looking with their color scheme that I'm tempted to get the Duracells... are the Hybrids the best "commonly available" LSD rechargeables that can easily be found in stores?

Is it white topped and Made in Japan?

 

[Weaselripper]

Hey thanks for the replys.

I've recently bought 2 packs of AA Duraloops, the only packs I've seen. They were laying on the bottom while the newer black tops were on the lower pins, and the Energizer rechargeables pretty much dominate the rechargeable batteries in every store I've been in. :shakehead

While at Best Buy in the digital camera section, I saw that Kodak is rebranding Eneloops in a strange two-battery configuration, where the batteries are arranged + to - and are held together by the labeling, and a plastic divider between them. They're supposed to fit into Kodak's digital cameras, which I own, but their price is unholy (over $14 for just two NiMh batteries taped together) and they require a special charger just to charge them. Talk about pulling a fast one. :devil: