Rayovac 4.0 - Huh?

[alfreddajero]

I have yet to see these cells here.....just wanted to know how the testing was going........

 

[Turbo DV8]

All my Hybrids have three vent holes. All my Radio Shack LSD cells (rebranded ROV Hybrids) also have the three holes, but the top cover sits a little higher, so the vent holes on some of them are difficult to see without a magnifying glass and keen eye.

 

[Black Rose]

I have yet to see these cells here.....just wanted to know how the testing was going........

I've got a set of AAs that are now ready for a 3-month self discharge test.
Will do that in the next few days.

 

[alfreddajero]

I'll be looking for the results when there posted.....thanks bud.

 

[Black Rose]

I charged four Rayovac 4.0 cells on April 28, 2009 using the Break-in cycle on my Maha C9000.

Cells 1 & 2 were put aside for a 3-month test. Cells 3 & 4 were put aside for a 6-month test.

All cells were stored at room temperature in the lower part of our house.

Cells 1 and 2 were discharged tonight at 500 mA.

Cell         Break-in         3-month        Self              Remaining 
             capacity         Capacity       discharge         Capacity
1              2014             1678           16.7%              83.3%
2              1988             1673           15.9%              84.1%

The packaging for the cells I bought did not make any claims regarding the capacity percentage retained after X months like my Hybrids.

It will be interesting to see what the numbers are for the 6-month test.
We shall find out in late October.

 

[nomadh]

Fry's has the 4 pack AA 4.0 with "lithium technology" for $4.29 in San Diego. How do these compare to the others like enoloops etc? Also I bought some lsds from Frys a year ago. I dont have the make with me but I think they were a san diego or at least a CA company. So far they have also been doing pretty good in my digital camera. I believe they were $2 or $2.50 each at the time.
#5938404

 

[Mr Happy]

Fry's has the 4 pack AA 4.0 with "lithium technology" for $4.29 in San Diego. How do these compare to the others like enoloops etc? Also I bought some lsds from Frys a year ago. I dont have the make with me but I think they were a san diego or at least a CA company. So far they have also been doing pretty good in my digital camera. I believe they were $2 or $2.50 each at the time.
#5938404

The Rayovac 4.0's are cheap because they are not eneloops. There's eneloops and there's everything else, and there really is a difference.

As for the San Diego company, that would be Ultralast. Here it gets fuzzy, because Fry's sells some UniRoss Hybrios in bright red/green/black colors that are for all intents and purposes the same as eneloops. They are tremendously good value at $9.99/4. It's fuzzy because Ultralast was taken over by UniRoss, but I have some Ultralast LSD branded cells that are not as good as eneloops at all. It is not sufficient to look at the name on the label, you have to look at the details of the batteries themselves.

 

[Black Rose]

I guess it depends where you live.

Up here, Rayovac 4.0 packs are only $1.00 cheaper than Rayovac Hybrid packs and $5.00 cheaper than Duraloop packs.

 

[lolzertank]

I picked up a 4 pack of AAAs today for $3.49. The eneloops next to them were $13. They came 1.29V out of the box, which seems like they hold a charge decently well. Disclaimer: I came from Energizer 2500s. :green:

 

[alfreddajero]

Thats a big improvement coming from those.....you should be a lot happier now.

 

[Black Rose]

It will be interesting to see what the numbers are for the 6-month test.
We shall find out in late October.

And here are the 6-month results:

As stated previously in post #65, I charged four Rayovac 4.0 cells on April 28, 2009 using the Break-in cycle on my Maha C9000.

Cells 1 & 2 were put aside for a 3-month test (results in post #65).
Cells 3 & 4 were put aside for a 6-month test.

All cells were stored at room temperature in the lower part of our house.

Cells 3 and 4 were discharged last night at 500 mA.

Cell         Break-in         6-month        Self              Remaining 
             capacity         Capacity       discharge         Capacity
3              2008             1584           21.1%              78.9%
4              2016             1594           20.9%              79.1%

 

[alfreddajero]

For the price of the batts they didnt seem to do too bad.

 

[Black Rose]

Yes, I think they did quite well.

From my own limited test, it shows that the biggest self discharge happens sometime within the first 3 months and then slows down significantly.

 

[PhantomPhoton]

Funny, I still haven't seen the new 4.0 packaging in store around my area yet (and I have been looking).
:mecry:

 

[alfreddajero]

Dont worry your not the only one......might have to order some from Batteryjunction.

 

[Wits' End]

Dont worry your not the only one......might have to order some from Batteryjunction.

I just got some in from BJ, They seem good. I loaded up my EDCs w/ them, after charging, and will report back. No real new information from me, three vent holes, no rechargeable indication on them :thumbsdow

 

[eydaimon]

So these run for $8.23 for 2 packs of four. I.e. about $1 per battery at Amazon.com (3.74 + $4.49 shipping http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B002M3TLDK/)

How are they compared to the eneloop?

I've looked here http://candlepowerforums.com/vb/showpost.php?p=1804957&postcount=1

However, I don't know what those numbers tell me. At $1 per battery, it seems very hard to beat the rayovac though?

 

[Mr Happy]

The Rayovac 4.0 is not as good as Eneloop, but the price is of course very attractive. As the saying goes, "you pays your money and you takes your choice".

 

[eydaimon]

The Rayovac 4.0 is not as good as Eneloop, but the price is of course very attractive. As the saying goes, "you pays your money and you takes your choice".

Would you be able to offer some insight to how different they are? Or how I can read the numbers myself so I can tell?

 

[Mr Happy]

Would you be able to offer some insight to how different they are? Or how I can read the numbers myself so I can tell?

I can give you some qualitative statements. A definitive analysis with all the numbers is not really out there. People buy the cells, report back what they find, and gradually a picture is formed.

In general terms, some differences between Rayovacs and Eneloops include:

1. Consistency

Consistency is an indicator of quality. If you buy a pack of Eneloops you will find remarkable consistency between cells, often less than 1% variation in test capacity and 1 mV in precharged voltage. Other brands are rarely this good.

2. Self-discharge performance

Eneloop is the market leader here with 75% remaining after three years in storage.

3. Durability

How well do the cells hold up after months of use and many charge cycles? Eneloops have proven to be rock solid here, whereas other cells have been reported to show more of a decline in performance over time.

4. Internal resistance and voltage under load

Eneloops are remarkably good at this with lower resistance and higher voltage than any cell except special purpose high power cells. In many applications you may not notice but where performance is critical it can make a difference. This is particularly noticeable in the AAA size where I find the Rayovac cells to be very weak compared to Eneloops.

Also bear in mind that the Rayovac Hybrid/4.0 is not the only other choice out there. There is also the GP ReCyko type, which while not quite as good as eneloop is regarded by many as a strong performer.

Secondly Eneloops are strong but they are not unbreakable. If you abuse them hard enough you can still damage them.