Powergenix Ni-Zn Batteries

Well I guess I am the first on BLF to purchase these Powergenix batteries. I have been reading alot about them and thought for the price I could give them a try.

I figure they might do well in lights that won't take the 14500 since the voltage claimed is 1.6 they should be fine.

I thought they might have less run time than a good 2000ma eneloop but according to this review

AA rechargeable battery shootout: Energizer, PowerGenix and Sanyo Eneloop they have a slight edge over the Ni-Mh batteries.

I will let everyone know my thoughts and how they hold up in a high powered torch once I receive them.

Mine were purchased here http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=310287005731&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT

They have some one hour chargers for these as well but I wouldn't think any cell would like being charged at that rate and I don't mind to wait.

Hi BlueBeam

please do let us know how you get on i have wanted to get these for a while but they dont sell in the UK at this time and to buy them from overseas the shipping cost kills the deal 2-3 times the cost of the cells and charger

Hmmm, very interesting! This is news to me. Subscribing to this thread, I'd like to see some pros and cons. That's a very reasonable price for a new, proprietary technology. Thanks for the tip BlueBeam!

apparently i know nothing about this battery chemistry....

news to me!!! get some tests with numbers up here asap! i would LOVE a rechargable AA thats capable of 1.6 volts!!!!

ok nvm, for 15 bux, i bit

well see how much i have to chew now lol

I've been reading up on the NiZN batteries for a while as I'm also a photog and was interested in using them for flashes. Apparently they've got a NiMH-like high-drain discharge curve, but require (yet another) proprietary charger. So, you know, pluses and minuses.

Also, only available in AA and Sub-C format, the latter in pre-built packs. Very interesting tech, though.

i asked about these a while back but no one seemed intrested any one any experience of these

i would buy these if i could get them at a good price

How are the reports on these lately? I've not heard much about them in a while.

  • Charges 1-4 AA oNiZn rechargeable batteries at a time
  • Enjoy a Fast charge in no time
  • Simple LED lights indicate charging status
  • Universal voltage for ease of use while traveling
  • Highest Performance for high-drain applications
  • Environmentally friendly and 100% recyclable
  • 1.6 VoHs- equal to an alkaline battery
  • Higher power (30% higher voltage than NiMH)
  • PowerGenix Chargers are recommended when using Powergenix Batteries

Might need there charger [ recommended ] to get the batteries to 1.6v , otherwise I see no issue ...

You know, the more I read about these batteries the less and less I like them.... here's a particularly interesting post from a photography forum

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1025&message=37209578

In that forum they are talking about "reconditioning" the batteries so maybe they had been using them awhile and they weren't new cells??? I don't know as I haven't read the entire thing.

They may not be any good???? But at 15 bucks no big deal....I bit the bullet for the rest of us and I will let everyone know.

Oh and Scruffy Dog I read in your post as well but it was so old I thought I would start a new one.

From that link:

It appears that we are learning some important characteristics about the Ni-Zn chemistry. Based on this, it appears that Ni-Zn is not the right chemistry for applications that require high endurance and/or where there is risk of over-depleting the cells.

and I think they will sell you anything they have in stock .. or access to ..

http://www.shnoop.com/

http://www.pennywise.biz/

both are down at the same time .. maybe connected ..anyway battery deals on both are pretty common

im just curious how 4 batteries and a charger for 15 bux shipped isnt a good deal?

i bit the bullet too. and they have shipped according to the seller

one thing ive learned about batteries, someone can say theyre great or suck, and your experience WILL be exact opposite.

Trustfire 18650 Flame versions, loved by many, ive had BAD BAD LUCK

surefire 123's. many say low run time, most of mine have exceeded the expectation of run time

Tenergy C and D Ni-mh. most say are faulty batteries, ALL of mine work great and hold LONG charges!!!

so its really up to u to buy and try. thats what im doing

It is a very good deal as long as the batteries are not BTY branded : ) At $35 incl. int'l shipping, it's a bit less of a good deal : /

ah.. see i got it for 15 shipped. sux for you guys on that one :-P

ill test if versus Energizer 1600, and 2600 mah Ni-MH. i do not have eneloops. but have read ALOT of bad things about them

Well mine still haven't shipped!!!! I feel like I ordered from DX!!!!! What the heck! This guy won't answer my emails either????????? I bought from within the States so maybe I would have these in just a few days but hummmm I don't know.....

My wife knows I love batteries, so she grabbed one of these chargers with 4xAA included at a local junk store for $8. The 1.6V rating is what intrigues me. The batteries arrived with 3 being about 1.25 V and one being 1.05V, but you have to charge before using. The charger can handle up to 4xAA or 2xAAA at once. The batteries require this special NiZn charger, and it won't charge other batteries (it claims to detect and prevent charging other battery types). The charger apparently trickle charges for 4 hours after completing the main charge cycle and then cuts off, but they still recommend you not leave the batteries in the charger for more than 2 days. The manual states that 1-2 AA charge at 1500 mA, 3-4 AA at 750 mA, and 1-2 AAA at 700 mA. The power supply is universal at 100-240V. It claims to detect and handle reverse polarity, bad batteries, and has thermal shutdown. They say to not put only 2 the batteries in the same half of the charger (use a 1001/0110/0101/1010 layout, but not 0011 or 1100). I assume the charger charges at a half rate with a 1100 AA type layout. Build quality on the charger looks good, at first glance. I have not tested if the batteries are charged independently, but it seems to based on the final voltage. The batteries weigh 24 g or about the same as Alkaline and NiMh @ 24-26g.

The initial charge of 4xAA took about 2.5 hours to a green LED, but I left it on for the suggested 4 hours of trickle charge. The four batteries were then measured directly off the charger @ 1.65 V +/- 0.01. The green LED comes on when the main charge is complete (~80% full), and then the red goes off when the trickle charge is done and they are fully charged.

I tried them in a Fenix LD20 R4 2xAA light and it no longer had discernible L/M/H/T modes (everything looked like turbo). Fenix lights generally don't support higher voltage batteries well. A quick test in in a cheap/generic AA LED light showed a minor brightness difference when compared to a new AA Duracell Alkaline.

I did another full discharge in a light and full charge to 1.63 V and then I wanted to do a 500 mA discharge test in my Lacrosse BC-900 charger, but the charger can't safely discharge test these since it needs to either charge first or charge after the discharge. Is there a basic digital cell discharge tester I can get somewhere for a decent price that can handle CR123A, AAA, AAA, and 18650?

Unfortunately, between charges I had my DMM plugs set to measure amps, even though the dial was set to measure up to 9V batteries, and I got a tiny spark and some heat from testing the batteries after the first charge. I assume it was a straight short, but the batteries seem to have survived (so far), but this may have also damaged the capacity. I won't know until I can discharge test them.

I'll post some more details, if anything interesting comes up, or if anyone has questions I can answer with my limited equipment and knowledge.

Great post about the batteries Anagoge. Thanks! I still haven't received mine from the shop on ebay and the guy won't answer my messages. I have been jacked around on ebay three time this month!!

I hope to get them soon.

It was sad to hear about the Fenix light not liking these batteries because that is mainly what I got them for was my new Fenix LD10. I see his was a two cell light though so maybe my one cell light can handle them.

I just got mine today too. I have thrown the charger on the wall and await for them to charge to do some quick tests