AAA rechargeable batteries, how do you make sure you aren't getting fakes?

[Muse]

Do you get Eneloops?

Word is there are a lot of fakes out there. At Amazon I see a bunch of customer reviews by people who bought Eneloop AAAs there who say they got fakes, terrible batteries.

I need, I figure, at least 18 rechargeable AAA's. Some of the reviews here are alarming, what do you think?

Panasonic BK-4MCA24/CA eneloop AAA 2100 Cycle Ni-MH Pre-Charged Rechargeable Batteries 24 Pack

Amazon.com: Panasonic BK-4MCA24/CA eneloop AAA 2100 Cycle Ni-MH Pre-Charged Rechargeable Batteries 24 Pack: Electronics

Buy Panasonic BK-4MCA24/CA eneloop AAA 2100 Cycle Ni-MH Pre-Charged Rechargeable Batteries 24 Pack: Electronics - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

This site has into on spotting fake Eneloops:

How to know if your ENELOOPS are fake or real ~by ChibiM

Watch THIS to see whether YOUR eneloops are counterfeits. Follow this list and distinguish the reals from the fakes. Not sure? Ask me!

eneloop101.com

 

[Iron Woode]

buy a name brand like Energizer or Duracell?

 

[Muse]

buy a name brand like Energizer or Duracell?

AFAIK, they aren't more of a name brand in the rechargeable AAA space than Eneloop (which used to be Sanyo and are now Panasonic, I think). Obviously, high profile batteries are a target for knockoffs, so those brands would also be suspect, seems to me.

 

[Iron Woode]

AFAIK, they aren't more of a name brand in the rechargeable AAA space than Eneloop (which used to be Sanyo and are now Panasonic, I think). Obviously, high profile batteries are a target for knockoffs, so those brands would also be suspect, seems to me.

mine worked great.

 

[nakedfrog]

I've mostly bought Tenergy for the past 10 years, they seem to fit my needs fine. I assume by "Eneloop" we're generally talking about low self-discharge rechargeable batteries?

 

[Captante]

buy a name brand like EVEREADY or Duracell?

Fixed.


AND in a factory-sealed package you take off the shelf with your own hands at a local B&M.... other name brands like Panasonic, Fuji and Rayovac in particular are also consistent quality.

*(NO ... Dollar-Store/Amazon/Ebay Chinese mystery-brands don't qualify)

 

[Iron Woode]

Fixed.


AND in a factory-sealed package you take off the shelf with your own hands at a local B&M.... other name brands like Panasonic, Fuji and Rayovac in particular are also consistent quality.

*(NO ... Dollar-Store/Amazon/Ebay Chinese mystery-brands don't qualify)

everready? who are they? Oh, yeah: the also rans.

 

[UsandThem]

Muse always seems to have the most interesting shopping adventures/dilemmas.

I buy my Eneloop batteries packaged like this, and I've never received a counterfeit one:
https://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-BK-3MCCA8BA-eneloop-Pre-Charged-Rechargeable/dp/B00JHKSN5I

That said, if you're still worried for whatever reason, go to a B&M store and you won't have to worry at all.

 

[Captante]

everready? who are they? Oh, yeah: the also rans.

They're nobody special.



“Energizer Holdings History

The company has its foundation in the Eveready Battery Company, which in 1980 renamed its Eveready Alkaline Power Cell to Energizer."

~ ripped from Wiki


Note that on the BOTTOM shelf at my local Home depot and Lowes you can often find Eveready-labeled (as opposed to Energizer) and otherwise identical batteries which cost half the price.

 

[Muse]

I've mostly bought Tenergy for the past 10 years, they seem to fit my needs fine. I assume by "Eneloop" we're generally talking about low self-discharge rechargeable batteries?

Exactly, and that's why I love eneloops. They can sit around for a year and lose no more than 15% of their charge, usually less, I believe. They've been getting better. They have the "Pro" variety, which are IIRC 900mah for AAAs instead of 750mah for the regular, but you have to pay a 50% premium for the Pros so I don't bother.

I have also found Eneloops to be exceptionally reliable. They aren't the densest in terms of milliamp hours, but that's OK. When they rundown, I simply swap them for fully charged ones and slip the rundown batteries in a quality charger (I have two La Cross chargers, the BC900 and BC700).

 

[Muse]

Muse always seems to have the most interesting shopping adventures/dilemmas.

I buy my Eneloop batteries packaged like this, and I've never received a counterfeit one:
https://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-BK-3MCCA8BA-eneloop-Pre-Charged-Rechargeable/dp/B00JHKSN5I

That said, if you're still worried for whatever reason, go to a B&M store and you won't have to worry at all.

Thanks. I just bought a couple of 8 packs of AAAs. They have the lowest $$/cell of any quantity right now:

Amazon.com: Panasonic BK-4MCCA8BA eneloop AAA 2100 Cycle Ni-MH Pre-Charged Rechargeable Batteries, 8 Pack: PANASONIC: Electronics

Buy Panasonic BK-4MCCA8BA eneloop AAA 2100 Cycle Ni-MH Pre-Charged Rechargeable Batteries, 8 Pack: Electronics - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

$15.89/8 cells, plus tax.

These are rated to have 2100 recharges in them. That's a lot of recharges!!! The packaging says they hold 70% of charge up to ten years!!!!!

I also find that just about any device that runs on AA or AAA alkaline batteries functions just fine using Eneloops. I have some AA and AAA alkaline batteries around but seldom use them. Besides the fact that they are not rechargeable and therefore much more expensive an option, alkaline batteries have a very nasty habit of leaking electrolyte and messing up the internals of your devices, particularly if they are not used with frequency. I've never seen an Eneloop do that.

 

[killster1]

Thanks. I just bought a couple of 8 packs of AAAs. They have the lowest $$/cell of any quantity right now:

Amazon.com: Panasonic BK-4MCCA8BA eneloop AAA 2100 Cycle Ni-MH Pre-Charged Rechargeable Batteries, 8 Pack: PANASONIC: Electronics

Buy Panasonic BK-4MCCA8BA eneloop AAA 2100 Cycle Ni-MH Pre-Charged Rechargeable Batteries, 8 Pack: Electronics - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

$15.89/8 cells, plus tax.

These are rated to have 2100 recharges in them. That's a lot of recharges!!! The packaging says they hold 70% of charge up to ten years!!!!!

I also find that just about any device that runs on AA or AAA alkaline batteries functions just fine using Eneloops. I have some AA and AAA alkaline batteries around but seldom use them. Besides the fact that they are not rechargeable and therefore much more expensive an option, alkaline batteries have a very nasty habit of leaking electrolyte and messing up the internals of your devices, particularly if they are not used with frequency. I've never seen an Eneloop do that.

i have been buying these for ages,
LADDA Rechargeable battery, HR03 AAA 1.2V - IKEA

i guess they are jappaneese and the same factory as eneloops with no chance of fakes since you buy from ikea website. problem solved.

 

[Scarpozzi]

Trying to spot fakes.... Did you try touching your tongue to the battery?

I don't know anything about these, but will say that Panasonic is definitely the real deal when it comes to manufacturing power cells. I would likely avoid anywhere that uses 3rd part suppliers like Amazon, eBay, or Walmart and look only for official Panasonic retailers. I've heard a lot of people complain about fake stuff being sold on Amazon....by Amazon too. Apparently, they sometimes share inventory with companies they warehouse SKUs for. I'm not sure how that works, but they've been dinged by people in reviews quite a few time as being the seller that provided the fake goods.

 

[Muse]

Trying to spot fakes.... Did you try touching your tongue to the battery?

I don't know anything about these, but will say that Panasonic is definitely the real deal when it comes to manufacturing power cells. I would likely avoid anywhere that uses 3rd part suppliers like Amazon, eBay, or Walmart and look only for official Panasonic retailers. I've heard a lot of people complain about fake stuff being sold on Amazon....by Amazon too. Apparently, they sometimes share inventory with companies they warehouse SKUs for. I'm not sure how that works, but they've been dinged by people in reviews quite a few time as being the seller that provided the fake goods.

Could be chancy. I've inspected a lot of my Eneloop cells and they appear legit, they pass the litmus tests. See the link to the site in my OP above that explains what to look for.

Amazon is officially a Panasonic distributor. I suppose that's no guarantee that you will get legit Eneloops if you buy at Amazon. I will have a very close look at the cells they send me and won't hesitate to complain if I think I've received fakes. It's a hassle for me to go over to Best Buy!

 

[zinfamous]

I've been buying eneloops for many years from Amazon and Costco, and I've never had a problem with counterfeits. They are easily the best batteries I have ever used, and I can't recall ever tossing one out. I'm pretty sure I've used the same primary set for almost 10 years of recharges (I still have a lot of Sanyos).

However, they definitely aren't ideal for certain applications, like TV remotes. I don't know a lot about batteries and all that not-exactly-simple, simple use case for them, but depending on how they are being discharged, things like IR remotes aren't great for these type of batteries. ....pretty sure I read that somewhere, from some stranger on the internet, probably.

 

[zinfamous]

i have been buying these for ages,
LADDA Rechargeable battery, HR03 AAA 1.2V - IKEA

i guess they are jappaneese and the same factory as eneloops with no chance of fakes since you buy from ikea website. problem solved.

huh, that's interesting. I had no idea that Ikea had branded batteries that were basically eneloops. hmmmm

 

[mikeymikec]

I've got a stack of EBL branded batteries from Amazon UK, sold by 'EBL Store'. They've been doing well except for one clock in our house which stopped ticking within a week of having a brand-new AA EBL battery. If the charger's rating of its remaining charge was correct, it seems to me like the clock asked for everything it could give then when the voltage slipped just under optimal, the clock stopped. The same battery in another clock has been going for a few weeks so far.

 

[snoopy7548]

I bite them. If my teeth leave a mark, it means they're fake.

 

[Muse]

huh, that's interesting. I had no idea that Ikea had branded batteries that were basically eneloops. hmmmm

Well, they have them labeled "900" and that's the labeled mah of the Eneloop Pro AAAs. If they are that that's quite the deal. IF! Worth looking into. My local Ikea is OOS on them.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Don't buy from Amazon 3rd party, Ebay, Aliexpress etc, stick to local stores or direct from Amazon. Marketplace sites like Amazon are full of fake stuff. Buying direct from Amazon is probably fine though, I have a bunch of Amazon Basics AA ni-mh cells myself though tbh I have not really tested them fully. I just like having them available. I try to avoid non rechargeables except for things like smoke detectors and TV remotes where the self discharge would be too fast vs how much power those things use. Wii remotes don't seem to like rechargeables either. One of these days I want to see if I can mod those to use a single lithium ion cell but then the voltage might be a little too high. I wish more products were designed around lithium ion cells to begin with, need to phase out disposable batteries.

 

[Muse]

I've been buying eneloops for many years from Amazon and Costco, and I've never had a problem with counterfeits. They are easily the best batteries I have ever used, and I can't recall ever tossing one out. I'm pretty sure I've used the same primary set for almost 10 years of recharges (I still have a lot of Sanyos).

However, they definitely aren't ideal for certain applications, like TV remotes. I don't know a lot about batteries and all that not-exactly-simple, simple use case for them, but depending on how they are being discharged, things like IR remotes aren't great for these type of batteries. ....pretty sure I read that somewhere, from some stranger on the internet, probably.

Never heard that before and it does not reflect my experience. I've had alkaline batteries leak and mess up several remotes, never happens with Eneloops. I've used Eneloops exclusively in my MX-700 and MX-900 remotes for many years, never an issue. I keep a box of 4 AAAs on hand fully charged to swap out when the batteries finally run down. My other remotes work fine AFAIK using Eneloops. I don't have Eneloops in all of them just because I only have so many. Manufacturers generally counsel you to not leave alkaline batteries in their remotes indefinitely, 'cause the leakage issue. If ya got Eneloops to spare, use 'em, I figure. But if it's a remote I almost never use, I take out any batteries. Universal remotes are really cool sometimes. Like when watching movies, for instance.

 

[zinfamous]

Never heard that before and it does not reflect my experience. I've had alkaline batteries leak and mess up several remotes, never happens with Eneloops. I've used Eneloops exclusively in my MX-700 and MX-900 remotes for many years, never an issue. I keep a box of 4 AAAs on hand fully charged to swap out when the batteries finally run down. My other remotes work fine AFAIK using Eneloops. I don't have Eneloops in all of them just because I only have so many. Manufacturers generally counsel you to not leave alkaline batteries in their remotes indefinitely, 'cause the leakage issue. If ya got Eneloops to spare, use 'em, I figure. But if it's a remote I almost never use, I take out any batteries. Universal remotes are really cool sometimes. Like when watching movies, for instance.

It's not about leaking or causing damage--it's about how those batteries discharge their power and whether or not the rate is efficient for the intended device...or something like that.

I still use them in remotes, because they are the only batteries I keep, but I find that they need far more frequent recharging when used in remotes and, also, remotes show a lot of lag and lack of response, as if they have dying batteries, instead of a newly-charged set of eneloops. It's really annoying, but I tolerate it because I really don't care.

Yes, the remotes tend to "work," but not as designed. Press a button...it may respond? ...nowish? That's the issue.

 

[Scarpozzi]

Could be chancy. I've inspected a lot of my Eneloop cells and they appear legit, they pass the litmus tests. See the link to the site in my OP above that explains what to look for.

Amazon is officially a Panasonic distributor. I suppose that's no guarantee that you will get legit Eneloops if you buy at Amazon. I will have a very close look at the cells they send me and won't hesitate to complain if I think I've received fakes. It's a hassle for me to go over to Best Buy!

I read that. I just have a hard time trusting Amazon to not sell counterfeit stuff based on all the past PR they've gotten over it. The good news is they have a great return policy if you buy from Amazon directly and not a 3rd party. I'm just not sure how they are about returning batteries and stuff since shipping them might be an issue (not sure).

One thing that batteries typically have from the manufacturer is a lot number. If you buy counterfeit ones, you should be able to call up Panasonic and have them tell you where to find it and verify the manufacturing date of the batteries. That's probably the most effective way in knowing if they're legit. I found this out because I bought a 60 pack of Rayovacs and had some that weren't working. They actually sent me a new pack of them after I gave their customer service the lot number and purchase details.

 

[Red Squirrel]

One thing with AAs etc is that the non rechargeable ones are 1.5v per cell so devices designed for them expect that, while the rechargeables are 1.2 to 1.3v per cell. So even fully charged they often start at the "low battery" threshold of a device. Especially true for devices that take more than one in series as the voltage drop adds up.

Would be nice if they started to design devices to accept these lower voltages though. And yeah they also self discharge faster, but this could probably be solved with a small solar cell, especially for things like remotes.

 

[Muse]

i have been buying these for ages,
LADDA Rechargeable battery, HR03 AAA 1.2V - IKEA

i guess they are jappaneese and the same factory as eneloops with no chance of fakes since you buy from ikea website. problem solved.

A treatment on the question, are these rebranded Eneloops? And other rechargeable battery issues from the author's point of view (fairly knowledgeable):

Are Ikea batteries Eneloops in disguise? by Jose Antunes - ProVideo Coalition

The new Ikea Ladda batteries are a good choice if you use batteries for your flashes, LED panels, flash triggers and other devices. I discovered them recently and decided to buy two packs of 4. After using them on my flashes for some days, I see no real difference from the Powerex Imedion I...

www.provideocoalition.com