Why do you recomend Eneloops for LED Torches

[Albinoni]

As far as I know the AA eneloop is rated at approx 2000 mAH while there are other rechargeable AA's out there with higher capacity mAH than that of the Eneloop, though higher they probably wont hold their full charge as long as what an eneloop would.

But my question here is if I assume LED torches are high energy using devices (this is if they are) why use an Eneloop in them, when a rechargeable with a higher mAH capacity would probably be better suited.

When I say LED torches being a high energy using device I mean they are high on consumption of energy.

 

[Jenova]

Eneloops are good cause they got barley any self dishcharge + have a decent amp output
Please correct me if im wrong but done most LED torches use less than 3 amps ??

Silverfox done a test on these

 

[Marduke]

You already answered your own question.

If you use your light often and recharge it every couple weeks, quality high capacity cells are a good choice.

But if you use your lights like most people, and infrequently, you will benefit from the LSD rate.

High capacity cells have lots of energy for about a month, where LSD cells will provide more energy if used over a longer period.

 

[cave dave]

Two other factors:

1) High capacity claims are often very over rated. So the true difference may only be 300 mAh or so.

2) High failure rates of High capacity batteries. Many have had there 2500+ batteries go bad on them, loosing all charge within a few days. They seem especially fragile. Over charge them, they go bad. Over discharge them they go bad. Drop them on the floor, they go bad. Look at them wrong, they go bad.

 

[jasonsmaglites]

duracell 2650s and sanyo 2700s are not overrated, nor prone to failure.

my question is, has anyone compared a good high capacity cell to a lsd cell like rayovak hybrid or eneloop, after 30 or even 90 days of sitting, to see which one then has the higher capacity.

i'd love to see a duracell 2650 or sanyo 2700 after 30,60,or90 days.
see how the numbers compare then.
i saw the one on the eneloop after 30 days but we knew that would perform well.

 

[Mr Happy]

I have seen such a test, but I don't remember where just now. As I recall, the Eneloops were starting to maintain a higher charge after about 90 days compared to 2700 mAh cells.

Eneloops have other advantages though. They have a higher open circuit voltage, making them less likely to prompt low battery warnings on sensitive equipment, and they have a lower internal resistance making them better able to deliver high currents. They are also claimed to maintain their performance over a larger number of cycles (up to 1000 compared to 500 for regular NiMH).

 

[Jackson]

They are also claimed to maintain their performance over a larger number of cycles (up to 1000 compared to 500 for regular NiMH).

A big grain of salt is needed when reading that claim. Early on Rayovac claimed that their I-C3 cells could be charged "up to 500 times". Then they decided to change the claim to "up to 1000 times". It's dubious that anything other than the marketing actually changed.

 

[Hans]

duracell 2650s and sanyo 2700s are not overrated, nor prone to failure.

I don't know about the Duracells, but the Sanyo 2700s are *not* reliable in my experience. I've had quite several failures with individual cells losing their capacity very quickly, within a couple of weeks. My highest capacity Sanyos that have stood the test of time are the 2300s.

Hans

 

[BlackDecker]

I don't know about the Duracells, but the Sanyo 2700s are *not* reliable in my experience. I've had quite several failures with individual cells losing their capacity very quickly, within a couple of weeks. My highest capacity Sanyos that have stood the test of time are the 2300s.

Hans

I've had the same experience with the Eveready 2300 batteries. They last much longer than the crappy Eveready 2500 batteries. I've still got several pairs of 2300's that hold a good charge, but I've thrown away all of my 2500's.

 

[bob_ninja]

The main problem with 2500 mAh and bigger cells is that they tend to be fragile and often develop a very high SD after less than 100 cycles. Some LEDs can pull a lot of current (not sure which, depends). If a torch pulls a lot of current then chances are high that 2500+ mAh cells are damaged. Thereafter they will exhibit a high SD and quickly drop below 2 Ah after a few days or a week (again depends).

Compared to Eneloop and other LSDs, they are much tougher and maintain a low LSD much longer. Therefore, even after 100-200... cycles their capacity remains close to nominal 2 Ah, while your high capacity cells are loosing 1/4 of their capacity and more in a few days due to high SD.


I use my Eneloops in different toys which have electric motors (cars and such). They are very abusive applications as cars often get stuck and motor pulls too much current, or are left on for a long time, etc. So far I still don't have a single dead Eneloop. One set I started using in a vacuum that pulls 5A, still no issues.

Most of the complaints were posted for Energizers 2500 mAh. Other brands might be bit better, but suffer the same issues. Therefore, if your torch is using less current, say no more than 1A then higher capacity cells are better. (assuming they are used often)

 

[Sub_Umbra]

...But my question here is if I assume LED torches are high energy using devices (this is if they are) why use an Eneloop in them, when a rechargeable with a higher mAH capacity would probably be better suited.

When I say LED torches being a high energy using device I mean they are high on consumption of energy.

While that statement is sometimes true it is far from being a universal truth.

There are many low and medium draw applications in LED lights that are very suited to Eneloops. A couple examples:

• I have a 3xAAA headlamp that I use on a very regular basis but only once every three weeks. With ordinary NiMH cells it was dead or near dead every time I used it. Every time. With Eneloops the problem is gone.
• In a 1xAA original CMG Infinity (and other low intensity, long runtime LED lights I own) I won't even get 15% of the runtime I should get out of a NiMH cell because I run them so infrequently. Eneloop would be a much better choice, assuming that the user pulls the cell before it is sucked too low.

While I'm not much into the high intensity LED camp I have read that because of their low internal resistance and the fact that they seem to be matched very well, they also do well in 'high draw' applications.

 

[Marduke]

Here are two examples of when each type of cell is well suited (for my usage behavior):

Digital Camera:
I only use it every couple weeks, maybe 5-10 pictures when I do. Hi-Cap NiMH have self discharged by the 3rd or 4th time I need to use it, after only taking maybe 20 pictures over several weeks to two months. If I know I'll need the camera a lot (such as taking pictures at Christmas or a wedding) I can use those same hi-cap cells to take several HUNDRED pictures, on just 2 cells. I now normally keep Hybrids in it, which will last about 200 pictures over many months of casual use. That's 10x more pictures for the same usage pattern, just by changing the type of cell to a "lower capacity one"

Wii Remote:
I have 3 remotes, one with the nunchuck. I keep Duracell 2650's in the one with the nunchuck, and need to charge it every 2 weeks or so. This is the remote I use for my games, mainly FPS's. I keep ROV Hybrids in another remote without the nunchuck. This is for when I'm not playing game that require the nunchuck, or when my wife or a guest wants to play some other simpler game. This remote gets used infrequently, and since I have bought the Wii it has needed to be recharged only once. I keep the 3rd remote stored without any batteries, waiting for guests for group games like golf, where everyone gets their own remote.

 

[cave dave]

duracell 2650s and sanyo 2700s are not overrated, nor prone to failure.

I have seen reports on CPF of significant self discharge of the sanyo 2700's after just a few days. Most problems take a few months and a few cycles to occur.

I would love to get some but just don't trust them. I do have test results for some AAA's that I own:

31 day self discharge test on eight Sanyo 900mAh standard Nimh (not eneloop).
The capacity remaining in each of the eight batteries:
1. 560 mah
2. 580 mah
3. 620 mah
4. 620 mah
5. 700 mah
6. 700 mah
7. 725 mah
8. 800 mah

Standard NimH is rated for a 1% per day discharge which for this case means anything above 670mAh is within specs.

I could accept a 1% discharge on high capacity batteries. If that was the case the high cap battery would be the superior product for use within a month after charge. As you can see I have 50% of my batteries out of spec. :thumbsdow

 

[mr.squatch]

Four aa eneloops in a 1d pack run my malkoff D in high mode for over 4 hours continuous. Unbelievable. I'll take em

g