Rayovac Hybrids vs Duracell LSD

[Marlinaholic]

Hi, I saw a Rayovac Hybrid recharger package today with two AA cells AND a $5 rebate on the front. Price was about $10 before the rebate, and I believe they were rated at 2100 mAh. My duracell LSD white top Eneloop rebrands say 2000 mAh. Any real advantage going to the Rayovacs at 2100 mAh? On the package it had a 6 month chart showing they are supposed to self drain to about 80%, but I thought the Duracells will go about a year before draining that much. Any one out there with experience in regards to these?

 

[dfischer]

There are some good tests out there, but as I recall the ROV's were junk (relatively) and the D-cells weren't too good. I'm sure the Kodak's had a very good showing for a cell you just might be able to buy @ walmart.

I don't remember where I saw the test for sure, but it might have been steve's digicams. Or at least a camera oriented site.

 

[UnknownVT]

There are some good tests out there, but as I recall the ROV's were junk (relatively) and the D-cells weren't too good. I'm sure the Kodak's had a very good showing for a cell you just might be able to buy @ walmart.
I don't remember where I saw the test for sure, but it might have been steve's digicams. Or at least a camera oriented site.

First I've heard of the RoV Hybrids being "junk" -
be very grateful for a link if you manage to find it.

From what I have read so far all LSD's seem to perform about as well as each other (there might be a single exception of the UltraLast Hybrio in red/gray color scheme please see When is a Hybrio not a Hybrio?)

SilverFox did Eneloop Self Discharge study where the RoV Hybrids did perform well.

Also In AA and AAA NiMH low self-discharge tests--Round 2 over at dpReview (camera site) by archae86 - the RoV Hybrids also did as well as eneloops - or close enough to most of the LSD that telling them apart would be difficult.......

eneloops from tests have been shown to be the best "technically" -
but whether that actually translates to better performance in real practical usage may be (IMHO) marginal -
For example I showed quite clearly that eneloops were superior in maintaining a higher operating voltage and had lower internal resistance than the Kodak Pre-Charged with fixed resistors. BUT I could not show any advantage in any real practical usage - and I had initially set out to try to do that too....... please see this summary.

 

[dfischer]

I could easily be wrong about the ROV's, that's why I mentioned the reviews. And I believe the DP Review was the one I recalled. However, if I bump into a different review I'll share.

 

[dfischer]

Yep, the DP review was what I was referring to. Nice memory. A quick review suggests the Kodaks just might be the winner for ease of access, quality, and price. Meanwhile the LSD ROV seems fine too, it was the traditional NiMh ROV that performed worse then it's peer.

 

[Bones]

BackBlast is conducting a slow cycling comparision of the RayOvac Hybrid and Sanyo Eneloop and, thus far, it appears that the Hybrid isn't going to fare near as well as the Eneloop:

http://www.candlepowerforums.com ... post2517095

http://www.candlepowerforums.com ... post2587587

It makes me wonder how the other low self-dischage cells would fare under the flogging that SilverFox gave the Eneloop with the Engergizer 15 Minute charger:

http://www.candlepowerforums.com ... post2517047

http://www.candlepowerforums.com ... post2521843

 

[Gator762]

I wouldn't hesitate to grab Rayovac Hybrids, especially if they are priced right.

I have some I purchased 1 yr and 4 months ago. I opened 8 right away, and measured them on my BC-900 charger. After that long use in cameras and flashlights, all are still very close or over the 2100 MAh capacity.

Don't ask me how many cycles, but that's real-world use. Bones has good links there. No matter what cells you get, it's worth getting a decent charger. I never use my 15-minute charger anymore... It's bad for cells. There's also no need with LSD cells now.

ETA: I also just picked up a bunch of Eneloops on clearance. Looks like I might be lucky, all rated over the 2000 MAh capacity according to the charger.

 

[Black Rose]

I have quite a few Hybrids, 12 AA and 20 AAA.

On my Maha C9000 charger, only 1 AA shows over 2000 mAh capacity.
I think that has more to do with the charger than the batteries.
I bet if I had a BC-900 I would have different numbers to report.

I would not have a problem buying more Hybrids. They are good cells.

When it comes to capacity retention over time, the technology that Sanyo uses for their LSD is better than the alternate technology the non-Sanyo cells are using.

 

[jag-engr]

Hi, I saw a Rayovac Hybrid recharger package today with two AA cells AND a $5 rebate on the front. Price was about $10 before the rebate, and I believe they were rated at 2100 mAh. My duracell LSD white top Eneloop rebrands say 2000 mAh. Any real advantage going to the Rayovacs at 2100 mAh? On the package it had a 6 month chart showing they are supposed to self drain to about 80%, but I thought the Duracells will go about a year before draining that much. Any one out there with experience in regards to these?

Marilinaholic,

I don't pretend to understand the technical differences between the Rayovac Hybrid and Sanyo Eneloops. Than being said, it seems to me, based on response received so far, that the Sanyo Eneloops are slightly better, but maybe not observably so in real use.

I would therefore look into which one offers you the best bargain. The Rayovacs are $2.50 each, but this requires a rebate, which is a hassle and probably only good for one purchase.

I don't have a Costco in my area, but, right now, Walgreens (Mods, I hope it's OK to name the store) has the white-topped Duracells (white on the very top around the positive button) that are actually Sanyo Eneloops (according to another thread here). They are $11 for four ($2.75 each) without the hassle of a rebate. You can get a pack of four AA, four AAA, or two AA and a charger for $10.99. Of course, you may not have a Walgreens or Costco in your area.

I hope this helps you make a decision.

 

[Marduke]

The Eneloops are better, but the ROV Hybrids are no slouch either, and are by no means junk. However, the ROV charger sold in that pack is junk. It's a cheap timed charger.

 

[LEDninja]

My Olympus digial camera likes Eneloops & Duracell pre-charged made in Japan. Keeps telling me other batteries are empty even when the voltage is above 13V.

Cannot detect any difference in other applications - flashlights, CD players, walkmans.

The Pure Energy pre-charged AAs are smaller than the others and work in one case where fit is a problem with the rest.