Eneloop review, for those who are interested

[Jeff7]

I finally got some Sanyo Eneloops, a 4pk each of AA's and AAA's, rated for 2000mAh and 800mAh. Since I see a lot of posts floating around here concerning batteries, I figured I'd post some test results here.

Even the packaging is done nicely. The individual cells are all rotated to face the same direction, and there's double-sided tape on the back to ensure that they stay that way during shipping.

I did some discharge tests using a Triton charger/discharger, set to a rate of 0.5C for each set of cells, and the voltage was recorded with a multimeter (MAS-345). The charger cut off when it measured 3.2V. It tends to be a bit inaccurate when measuring voltage, so that's why I overshot the 1V/cell threshold.

Graph.

Test 1 for each set was straight out of the package. Test 2 was done after a full charge in an Ansmann Energy8 Charger.
AA #1: 1347mAh
AA #2: 1867mAh

AAA #1: 556mAh
AAA #2: 723mAh


They gave decent performance right out of the package, showed improved performance after one complete cycle, and their voltage curves are very smooth. The initial capacities were well below the rated levels though, which I believe is typical for NiMH cells. As I understand it, they can take a few cycles to reach their full capacity.


Eneloops: good stuff. If you need new AA's or AAA's for anything, just buy these. They'll easily pay for themselves and a charger. Their low self-discharge rate means that they can be used in things like clocks or remote controls, without going dead by themselves.


For chargers, I like these:
- Maha MH-401FS. AA and AAA cell capacity. 4 separate charging circuits, so each cell gets individual attention. It has two settings for charging speed, a slow "gentle" charge that takes somewhere around 4-5 hours, or a faster 100 minute charge.
- Ansmann Energy 8. It can charge AA, AAA, C, D, or 9V batteries. It's a bit pricey, but good. It's got individual charging circuits, and charges reasonably quickly, but not insanely fast. If you need to charge even more cells a a time, the Energy 16 can handle 16 AA cells at once.

- LA CROSSE BC-900. AA and AAA cell capacity. I've never owned this one, but it's said to be one of the best. Steve of Steve's Digicams says it's good stuff. 4 individual charging circuits, with an LCD readout for each one.



Update, Dec 18, 2008: My AAA Eneloops have gone through nearly an entire semester (one final remaining) without a recharge. I did a quick check on one of them with a voltmeter. 1.265V. Still going strong.

 

[lizardboy]

I've been using the AA & AAA's for a few months in remotes and in my digital camera, very impressed so far. You can pick up a nice starter package at Costco for around $25 that (i think) includes the charger, 4 AAA's, 8 AA's and the spacers to convert AA's to C or D.

 

[Vincent]

Thanks. Where is a good place to get the batteries?

 

[syee]

I use these in my low drain devices. Their low discharge rate seems to work best for those kinds of uses (remotes, cordless keyboard, mice, Wiimotes). They're roughly rated for 2100mAh so they should be good for most purposes. If you need them for higher drain devices (like camera flashes, etc) you may be able to get away with these or higher rated NiMH batteries - you'll just need to make sure you charge them before you use them.

 

[Jeff7]

I would love to know if Sanyo plans to release C and D cells at any time, or 9V batteries. I've seen other brands floating around selling low-discharge cells, such as Accupower or Tysonic, but I don't know what their quality is like compared to Sanyo.

And for what it's worth, Eneloops are made in Japan.

Originally posted by: Vincent
Thanks. Where is a good place to get the batteries?

I usually get batteries at Thomas Distributing. These Eneloops were from Amazon though, since I was ordering something else and wanted the Super Saver shipping. And right now, they're about 50 cents cheaper right from Amazon, and qualify for free shipping. Link.
Or what Lizardboy said - Costco apparently has them.


Syee - I bet that they'd do just as well as higher-rated cheap batteries from other manufacturers. Based on some tests I did earlier in the year, my older 1700mAh Sanyo cells performed as well as 2000-2250mAh AA's made by other manufacturers, such as Ansmann, Powerizer, and Rayovac. The Powerizers are cheap things, made in China. Their capacity is always below the rating, and they often don't even survive to 100 cycles.

 

[lizardboy]

Originally posted by: Vincent
Thanks. Where is a good place to get the batteries?

See my post above, re: Costco. Circuit City also seems to have them on sale every few weeks - I picked up some more AAA's for $6.59 per 4-pack two weeks ago.

 

[idiotekniQues]

yeah i picked up that set awhile ago at costco and bought some more aa's

all told i have about 20 AA batteries and 4aaa eneloops so i never have to use an alkaline.

the key about eneloops is holding the charge for long periods of time. some tests i saw on candlelight forums seemed to verify sanyo's claims.

 

[Soundmanred]

Eneloops are AWESOME. Hands down the best batteries I've ever owned. They hold their charge forever, last forever in digital cameras and such and recharge quickly. On top of that, they are cheap! I buy all of mine at Thomas Distributing as well and I get them in the mail in a few days, never more.
No more crappy rechargables that lose capacity after a few charges!

 

[oogabooga]

They have worked pretty good for me. I've been happy with them. *thumbsup*.

At Costco yea for under 30 you get 8AA's, 4AAA's, and a charger + spacers. Was a pretty good deal. Plus I shamelessly charged them at work and then used the batteries with little or no discretion since hey.. i was going to recharge it at work anyway.

 

[randomlinh]

Costco. I have a whole bunch from Thomas Distributing though because costco didn't stock em here at the time. The charger is a normal slow charger though, but i've started using it over the maha to keep the heat down. I want to extend their life as long as possible.

Use them in our remotes, wii remotes, wireless mouse.... and I'll slowly replace the clocks as they die off. Also use them in my flashes as a backup because of the LD.

 

[Evadman]

Originally posted by: Vincent
Thanks. Where is a good place to get the batteries?

Costco, $24 for 8 AA, 4 AAA and 2 C & D adapters along with a charger. I bought a few when they first came out. I love them.