Rechargeable Batteries Test

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mactruck

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Another +1 for Eneloops.

Last year I bought 4 each Energizer, Duracell, and Sony rechargeable AA batteries, and only 1 Duracell is still working today. All the others refuse to charge - the Energizers crapped out very quickly after 3 months. The Eneloops I bought are still working perfectly (even though I charge them with non-Sanyo chargers) and I can't notice any decline in run-time. There really is no negative to using these rechargeables, especially in high-draw devices like a Wiimote or RB/GH controller.
 

caspian21

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Love my Rayovac Hybrids and Eneloops. Wish the author would have discussed chargers. The LSD rechargeables will last many more charges if charged slowly in a smart charger. Preferably at 200 mah. The smart charger will switch to a trickle charge when the cell is fully charged.

In fact, it is misleading to act like a faster charger is better. Good in a pinch but it is actually shortening the life of your batteries. I recommend the Powerex or La Crosse chargers - you definitely get what you pay for.
 

awood28211

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I have rechargeable energizers that I used on my wireless mouse. Brand new batteries out of the pack and freshly charges gave me less than one day of usage. JUNK.
 

jakthebomb

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The test for Eneloops is flawed, I never use the charger that comes with the batteries. I have a Panasonic NiMH charger that charges the batteries in 2 hours flat. the charger that came with the batteries takes way too long. the reason why is the charger that comes with the batteries is doing a trickle charge for 10 hours. it is unnecessary.
 

NoCaDrummer

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So it sounds like the ideal situation would be to pair up 1:1 a PowerGenix NiZn with a "standard" NiMH to get the equivalent of a pair of disposable batteries. (1.79v+~1.43v = 1.61v+1.61v) Of course, if the chargers are different, it might be more difficult, but they might "last longer" due to the increased voltage (and still not burn out the lightbulbs.)
 

Onus

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Charge / discharge curves would be useful. As has been pointed out, fast-charging decreases battery life, and so does getting them really hot. I have avoided the 15-minute chargers and batteries for that reason; the two-hour charger I have is fast enough, or I use a 6-hour charger.
NiCd is very tolerant of cold, which is why it remains popular in some outdoor applications.
I'd like to see more articles on newer tech like LiPo or LiFePo chemistries. I understand they are very sensitive to voltage when charging, but have a very high power/weight ratio. Bicycle hub motors often run off those.
I don't use rechargables in clocks, pagers, smoke alarms, or remotes, because when they reach end-of-charge, they drop so quickly that it's easy to miss a low-cell warning. They are best used in things that get regular use, where self-discharge isn't a problem.
From the comments, I understand now why I've not been happy with Energizers, despite the 2500mAh claim. I'm going to get some Eneloops...
 

Tomsguiderachel

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[citation][nom]jakthebomb[/nom]The test for Eneloops is flawed, I never use the charger that comes with the batteries. I have a Panasonic NiMH charger that charges the batteries in 2 hours flat. the charger that came with the batteries takes way too long. the reason why is the charger that comes with the batteries is doing a trickle charge for 10 hours. it is unnecessary.[/citation]
Why/how is our test flawed? We have to test the Eneloops with its own charger.
 

bri-guy

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The quick charge feature doesn't affect how long the battery will run a device for, but it can significantly cut into the battery's long term life. I've heard that it can cut its life by half to 150 to 200 recharge cycles.

[citation][nom]mactruck[/nom]Another +1 for Eneloops.Last year I bought 4 each Energizer, Duracell, and Sony rechargeable AA batteries, and only 1 Duracell is still working today. All the others refuse to charge - the Energizers crapped out very quickly after 3 months. The Eneloops I bought are still working perfectly (even though I charge them with non-Sanyo chargers) and I can't notice any decline in run-time. There really is no negative to using these rechargeables, especially in high-draw devices like a Wiimote or RB/GH controller.[/citation]
 

bri-guy

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The DNF note is explained in the story. The flashlight's bulb burned out.
[citation][nom]rwalesa[/nom]If I was you manager, I would not let you submit a report with simple data missing. Now get back to work and fill in the DNF data. The Boss.[/citation]
 

bri-guy

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[citation][nom]kravmaga[/nom]Something the review also omitted is that eneloops are known for exceptional performance retention after 500+ cycles of use whereas some other competing low self-discharge cells will degrade much faster.I have also heard of nutty people discharging them at more than 12C inside home-built portable aircraft landing lights with no damage where cheaper cells literally melted down.[/citation]

In each of the reviews, there's a note as to how many recharge cycles the manufacturer rates them for. Unfortunately, it's no substitute for actually charging, draining and charging the cells, but 1,000 charge cycles would take at least a year
 

hellwig

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Eneloops yay! I found a set on clearance at a Walmart years ago (I wasn't sure what they were at first, the plain-white charger threw-me off). They are the best rechargables I have. I have some cheap generic NiMH which barely last is real devices (they power my wireless keyboard/mouse OK, but my camera refuses to power-on with them). I use the Eneloops in my camera since it seems to be the most sensitive when it comes to battery power.

I have some of the Rayovacs too. I mainly use them in the Wii-motes because of their reduced power life (always keep an extra set charged-up).

Of course, I charge everything in the Eneloop charger, and haven't had any problems.
 

warezme

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awesome review, I have been looking for something like this for a long time. I have converted most if not all of my battery operated stuff to rechargeable batteries. My main complaint has been that many of the batteries (from different brands) lose their ability to hold a max charge after a very short period of use? At first I thought it was the charger and bought another one with a new set of matched batteries to that brand, I had the same problem.

Did any of these batteries have this problem?
 

Hard Line

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I would like to add that I use rechargeable ( I purchased 48 Powerex 2700mAh size "aa" and they all still hold what seems to be a full charge after 180 months! now my Olympus alone uses 4 ( with 4 as a backup) and they have never died on my while filling 2x1GB xd cards with 8MP picture data. also use for remotes and other things.. these are pricey but I believe are worth it. as a matter of fact I am buying 8 more.. cuz we seem to have misplaced 1 battery and no longer have my back up for my camera so I have to say +10 for Powerex and I would have liked to see them in the test. ( the charger was expensive but nice and charges 8 batteries at a time
 

Happy Lemming

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From my experience, the Eneloops are the best, but I have some five-year-old Energizers that still work well, as does their original 15-hour charger that I still use. I suspect the slow, cool charging extends the battery life.
 

False_Dmitry_II

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[citation][nom]warezme[/nom]awesome review, I have been looking for something like this for a long time. I have converted most if not all of my battery operated stuff to rechargeable batteries. My main complaint has been that many of the batteries (from different brands) lose their ability to hold a max charge after a very short period of use? At first I thought it was the charger and bought another one with a new set of matched batteries to that brand, I had the same problem.Did any of these batteries have this problem?[/citation]

This depends on your behavior with these and which chemistry they are. (though, if you're on this article they're likely NiCad or the regular/older type of NiMH batteries) Get the low self-discharge kind like the rayovac hybrids or eneloops. Then, do not charge them until they totally die. This will make them last longer.
 

Hard Line

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[citation][nom]happy lemming[/nom]From my experience, the Eneloops are the best, but I have some five-year-old Energizers that still work well, as does their original 15-hour charger that I still use. I suspect the slow, cool charging extends the battery life.[/citation] Edit ( no edit button) ot 180 onths... supposed to be 18 month LOLZ
 
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Read carefully ... the PowerGenix cells are 2500mWh and NOT 2500mAh. The NiZn cells are actually only 1500mAh. You're an idiot, and I'm amazed that you openly publicize that fact with this article.
 
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Just want to point out that in real life Enelope is much better than Energizer.
Noone is going to wait 2,4,6 hours for the battery to charge max and then listen to CD or shot photos. You charge them, put aside and pick them up when you need them.
The capacity does not really mean much in real life situation because Energizer will drain to 0 in a week or so (even new ones) and most of the time you want to use them, they are dead.
Enelope retain 80% of the charges for months, so they are always good to go.
 
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