Which Nimh AA battery would you buy Today?

Which AA rechargeble cells will you buy according to your experience and what you've heard from others? (you may select more than 1 choice)

I've listed the leading brands of Nimh batteries here - that we've all been discussing on CPF. The capacities are the highest currently available for each brand. Keep in mind that some companies under-rate their capacities.

The low-self discharge cells have lower capacity than others, but they are very popular because their energy levels will be higher than normal nimh's after a week or so. They retain 70-90% of charge after one year. I'd choose Eneloops because they were the first to come out with this new technology and they hold their charge longest (90% compared to 70-80% for Uniross & Rayovac) after sitting on shelf a year.

Here are some photos:

Oh and for further info here's where place of manufacturer for each brand...

Sanyo Eneloops: Made in Japan (Japanese company)
Rayovac Hybrids: Made in China (U.S company)
Uniross Hybrios: Made in Europe (British company)
Maha Powerex: Made in Japan (U.S company)
Duracell 2650: Made in Japan (U.S company)
Sanyo 2700: Made in Japan (Japanese company)
Energizer 2500: Made in China (U.S company)

I would buy Voltcraft AA batteries, 2100 mAh, because they are very cheap (3 Euro for 4 batteries at a store called Aldi) and I heard of some good experiences from people using these batteries.

I'm totally sold on Eneloops at this point. The higher capacity cells seem to self-discharge at such a high rate that they have less capacity than the Eneloops after sitting about a week. Besides that, the Eneloops test at somewhat higher than their rated capacity (2013.5 mAh average for 12 AA cells and 840.8 mAh average for 8 AAA cells on my C9000) compared to the others which all test at less than rated capacity, even the Sanyo 2700s (2565.3 mAh average for 8 cells on the C9000). This pretty much seals the deal as far as I'm concerned.

You should add Powerizers. That's what I'd choose since I have tons of them already and they are dirt cheap from batteryspace.

Just wait till Sanyo releases the new Eneloop 2800mah later this year!!

dammitjim said:

You should add Powerizers. That's what I'd choose since I have tons of them already and they are dirt cheap from batteryspace.

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I never heard of 'Powerizers'... I did a search but couldn't find them. Are these from a small Chinese company?

This is kind of funny because I just bought my first Eneloops and charger today!
And it's the first rechargeable battery I've bought in over 7 years...
What made me do it? The low self discharge that actually means the battery can sit around for months and not be dead when you go to use it. AND the really small compact Sanyo chargers with no cords or adaptors... with flip out plug...and that charges 2AA in 3 or 4 hours nice and cool. And because Sanyo, it is almost universally believed, has a reputation of making the best NiCd batteries too.

I'll buy eneloops and Powerex 2700 cells. I'm not impressed with my Sanyo 2700s.

Eneloops! In fact, I bought another 8 yesterday. These things recycle my flash guns faster than 2700 mAh cells, last much longer sitting around in my various portable radios, and are always ready to go after sitting in a light for months. I really don't need to use conventional alkaline AA's any more.

Cheers

Sanyo Eneloop 2800 eh? If they are also low discharge they will just about sweep the field you might think.

I think it depends on the application.

If it's something I use frequently, I'd go for the Sanyo or Powerex 2700.

If I use something infrequently, I'd buy the Eneloop 2000.

Since I own more Eneloops than anything else, that's how I will vote.

7histology said:

Sanyo Eneloop 2800 eh?

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Don't hold your breath.... I don't think we'll see these any time soon.

Cheers

I'm skeptical of the Sanyo 2700 after bad experiences with the Sanyo and Energizer 2500's. My Energizers were almost certainly made by Sanyo (Made in Japan, "HR" stamped on cathode terminal).

Eneloops, Hybrids; I'd even give Enduros a shot. My Energizer 2500s (Sanyo) haven't died on me, but I just don't see the extra mAh being worth it. Eneloops basically remove the worry and management concerns.

My Duracell 2650mAhs were Made in Japan, not Singapore.

I've had those and Energizer 2500mAh and they all performed fabulous out of the package, but durability is questionable. They all held capacity reasonably well if you capacity test immediately after charging, but some cells developed very high rate of self discharge.

Two of my Duracell 2650mAh would discharge 90% overnight and had well under 100 cycles. Energizer 2500mAhs degraded in a similar way, but not quite as bad. They all had respectable capacity retention when they were brand new.

I would buy Duracell 2650s, the cheapest 8 pack I could find at Wal-Mart. I bought a set in December, they are made in Japan, so far they have performed well, still at 90% charge retention after 1 month. Of course, I can't say anything about their long term durability.

I would avoid Energizer 2500s, my Dad has had trouble with them. (Although, I have some old Energizer 1850s that still perform well).

For an LSD cell, I would buy Rayovac, simply because they are relatively cheap and available at Target. I have no experience with them.

EssLight

I'm skeptical of all the 2500+ AA batteries, as they are pushing the limits of that cell construction so far that I keep getting much lower capacity stored when measured by the Maha C9000.

I'm likely not going to bother with any higher than 2300-2500 anymore. The higher numbers look good, but very few actually see how their stored capacity is not what they promote, nor is it staying as high as when new...even with proper charging/cycling/conditioning/storing procedures.

Obvious using the Eneloops is the way to go for long periods of battery storage in between uses.

That's very true. There are far too many issues reported by people - evidently the self-discharge rate of Energizer Nimh AA is very high. They are made in China and I would advise people to avoid buying it.

Get Duracells 2650.. at least they're made in Japan. (although some are made in Singapore).

Handlobraesing said:

I've had those and Energizer 2500mAh and they all performed fabulous out of the package, but durability is questionable. They all held capacity reasonably well if you capacity test immediately after charging, but some cells developed very high rate of self discharge.

Two of my Duracell 2650mAh would discharge 90% overnight and had well under 100 cycles. Energizer 2500mAhs degraded in a similar way, but not quite as bad. They all had respectable capacity retention when they were brand new.

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I don't pay a premium for higher-cap cells - especially when mAh ratings are relative and the price/performance curve is logrithmic. First off, the mAh number is nearly useless between manufacturers. Maybe they are 2700s if you discharge them very slowly. I don't see a point in paying twice as much for a nominal 5-15% increase in capacity that I likely won't notice. Eneloop Rules!