Nickel Zinc batteries - still alive?

[n3eg]

I've found nickel zinc batteries on Ebay for a reasonable price. Some are even labeled Powergenix. Has anybody bought them recently, and are they still the same performance as in the past? I have a few sets still in use, no bad ones yet after a few years, used mostly in cameras.

Also, I found a pair that was left in a camera for a year and run down to zero. Neither cell was reversed, but there was some slight leakage. The residue was neither white nor blue, and non-corrosive to the contacts. I'm charging them now to see what condition they are in.

And since they have been around for a while now, what is the longevity of this type battery?

 

[RetroTechie]

How many cycles have they gone through? (just take a guess) And how is self-discharge for the (used) ones you still have? Any idea what their capacity is now, vs. when you bought them?

Specs and behaviour for this type of battery is easy enough to find. How they age in real-world use, not so much. So as a user you may have more answers than most of us...

 

[KITROBASKIN]

Some years ago I got 6 AA 1.6 volt Powergenics Ni-Zn batteries. Only one survives. Never really saw the advantage of higher volts or higher drain with the camera and flashlights I used with them. Used the Powergenix charger. Their capacity was not impressive, but they were not expensive. They just died without abuse or significant wear.

EDIT: Self discharge was pretty significant, guessing not as bad as Ni-Cd, if I remember correctly. Sorry I don't have hard numbers to report.

 

[InHisName]

A few months back I thought I needed to replace my NiZn cells and so searched and found a few Powergenix available on eBay, but for a price I did not want to pay. However I stumbled onto another 'brand' made in China being sold by dozens of Chinese sellers on eBay and AliBaba for some pretty interesting prices. I did not order any as my needs went away at the time.

If anyone has ordered and tried these Chinese NIZn cells, report back here how they worked out ?

 

[HKJ]

If anyone has ordered and tried these Chinese NIZn cells, report back here how they worked out ?

I have ordered some and they will be included in my AA/AAA battery test, but that is only the performance for new cell, I will not be testing how they stand up to normal use.

 

[psychbeat]

My powergenix self discharged easily & most died quickly.
Bummed on em.

 

[Mr Floppy]

Hobby King has a line of NiZn batteries. They also have a charger now that will charge them.

I've just revived some old Power Genix ones after getting an Ultra Smart Charger from Paul Allen.

5864873    1    Charge Complete 46.1 minutes 437.6 mAh 831.3 mWh                                

26091739   1    Charge Complete 75.0 minutes 885.9 mAh 1672.1 mWh

What is above is the quick analyse cycle of a battery. The first line is at the end of first cycle, the second is the final cycle. So it "revived" one of these cells. Would be interesting to see how it goes now in use.

 

[Richwouldnt]

Amazon lists both AA and AAA NiZn cells at reasonable prices under the brand names BPI and Pkcell. Best AA price per cell is 20 + charger for $40. Just search for NiZn Battery on Amazons web site. They also have some Powergenix cells but expensive and possibly NOS items. No idea of the quality of these cells.