Best AA rechargeable for the money?

[Serifus]

I have heard good things about the hobbyking aaa’s mayhapse their aa’s are as good

Turnigy LSD NiMH AA Self-discharge test

I got eight Turnigy 2200 mAh LSD AA batteries from Hobby King a month ago. These batteries are $1.29 each, but postage rates are pretty high ($6.99 shipping for just these 8 batteries, though they had tracking, were in a box instead of an envelope, and arrived pretty quickly). I posted results in the BLF Battery Data Base thread for initial discharge out of the package and capacity after recharging the batteries to full. I will test 2 batteries each at 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, and 1 year to…

[CircaM]

@CircaM

1. AmazonBasics AA (Black wrapper, 2400mAh) ($3.25/cell)
2. AmazonBasics AA (White wrapper, 2000mAh) ($2.50/cell)
3. Lenmar AA Rechargeable (2700mAh) ($3.37/cell)
4. Digimax AA (2850mAh) ($2.50/cell)
5. Duracell AA Ion Core (2450mAh) (~$3/cell)
6. Energizer AA (2300mAh) (~$3/cell)

Ikea ($16) and Hobbyking's ($30) shipping rates ruin the prices for a 4 pack of batteries.

The Tenergys all have a bunch of reviews saying they don't hold a charge very long, but the Centuras are nicely priced 2000mAh

Best for the money out of that list?

[Danglerb]

Ikea Ladda 4x AA or AAA for $6 and almost Eneloop performance.

[UliBär]

If you are not sure to get the right Eneloops, just try to get this ones:
http://lygte-info.dk/review/batteries2012/Fujitsu%20AA%20HR-3UTA%201900mAh%20(White)%20UK.html
They are indeed Eneloops in disguise…

[John-Galt]

http://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-Precharged-Rechargeable-Batteries-16-Pack/dp/B007B9NV8Q

$1.66 each in a 16 pack, and highly rated. ~2000 reviews.

I’ve been using these for a year or two with no problems at all.

consistently high capacity (2000 mah+) with little variation from cell to cell.

[264]

4 Eneloops and a good charger. $20.00 plus free shipping. Good batteries and a good price.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1047698-REG/panasonic_k_kj17mca4ba_eneloop_4_place_charger_4.html

Batteries are made in Japan. Charger can handle 1 to 4 at once. Individual charging slot. Will stop charging when battery is full. If battery can not reach full charge after 7 or 8 hours charger turns off.

[keengeorge]

Good Day CircaM,

Over many years I have virtually used all the ones You are looking at (& the ones our colleagues are suggesting)...,

..until about 3-4 years ago I tried some AA & AAA Eneloop batteries...,

...& as a result I have now standardised on Eneloops...

They last longer, & give far better service, therefore the TCO is lower compared to any of the other brands.

Suggest You buy them from Amazon, or from ChibiM (BLF member):

ChibiM`s Eneloop Sales (new Eneloop Forest tones (camo) AA 8-packs $27 including worldwide shipping

https://budgetlightforum.com/t/-/21771

Best Regards,

George

[joel95ex]

I have some eneloops that are 5 yrs old and still going strong. whatever nimh you get, get the LSD ones. the duracell LSD/precharged ones were and may still be referred
to as dura-loops and seem to hold up well. I have those and my old eneloops for higher drain devices but for everything in my house like remotes, some toys, other electronics, I use the LSD rayovacs from walmart —ya I know, but they work well and I don’t worry as much if they are accidentally lost or tossed by kids changing batteries (but now I have the kids trained to not throw away ANY BATTERIES— I have a dead/ready box now hehe

[jerm03]

Take a look here. Eneloop XX vs Turnigy.
Eneloop XX Vs Turnigy 2400 Cycle Testing | Candle Power Flashlight Forum.

Consider the cost of current eneloops at $3.00- $4.00 ea vs Turnigy Centura or Premium at $1.78. The question is not, for me, which is best for years of use, but bang for the buck.

Jerry

[gerald_clark]

Centura are Tenergy not Turnigy.

[8steve88]

I’ve used the DigiMax 2850 mAh AA’s - 16 of them bought cheap on Amazon - for a couple of years with no problems in my Nitecore MT2A torch and everything else that required AA NiMH.
Although I’ve now bought Eneloops I’ve passed them on to someone who uses them in a Canon camera and is pleased with the performance.
They held a charge well and never once let me down. They were always charged in a Nitecore i4v2 which I hear is less than optimal for NiMH batteries but I found no problems.

[ruffles]

When I clicked through to Amazon, your #5, duracell, had a price of $8.99 with a $3 off coupon for 1 item. It’s in their add-on program, so you need to fill your cart with other stuff to get it (and free shipping), but that’s a smoking deal for what is almost certainly a rebranded eneloop xx.

EDIT EDIT EDIT!
I looked again, and the non-fine print says, “packaging may vary”. The first pic is of the ion core (eneloop xx), but the other pictures are of something else that may or may not be as decent (or made in Japan). Amazon is good about returns and everything, but this deal may not be worth the trouble.

[jerm03]

@gerald_clark

Centura are Tenergy not Turnigy.

I am glad you caught that. I did not notice because I did not know about Turnigy. I incorrectly read Tenergy. My error, and I cannot use that test as any indication as to the worth of Tenergy.
Jerry

[joel95ex]

@jerm03

@gerald_clark

Centura are Tenergy not Turnigy.

I am glad you caught that. I did not notice because I did not know about Turnigy. I incorrectly read Tenergy. My error, and I cannot use that test as any indication as to the worth of Tenergy.
Jerry

I cannot speak for their nimh, but the (tenergy) rcr123’s and their charger lasted for years for my edc pd30 and their primary cr123’s were good too

[Martini]

I have both #1s AmazonBasics AA (Black wrapper, 2400mAh) and #2s AmazonBasics AA (White wrapper, 2000mAh). I like the black ones because of the higher mAh but both work well.

[CircaM]

@8steve88

I’ve used the DigiMax 2850 mAh AA’s - 16 of them bought cheap on Amazon - for a couple of years with no problems in my Nitecore MT2A torch and everything else that required AA NiMH. Although I’ve now bought Eneloops I’ve passed them on to someone who uses them in a Canon camera and is pleased with the performance. They held a charge well and never once let me down. They were always charged in a Nitecore i4v2 which I hear is less than optimal for NiMH batteries but I found no problems.

Have you ever did a discharge capacity test on those DigiMax?
They advertised capacity seems really high for the price of the batteries. Though the ebay listing says the batteries weight 1oz, so they don't seem to be very low capacity.

@ruffles

When I clicked through to Amazon, your #5, duracell, had a price of $8.99 with a $3 off coupon for 1 item. It’s in their add-on program, so you need to fill your cart with other stuff to get it (and free shipping), but that’s a smoking deal for what is almost certainly a rebranded eneloop xx.

Found this review on that topic.

So the Japan made ION Core Duracell are rebraded Eneloop XX? are they current gen eneloop clones?
Those seem like the best choice if they are Eneloop XX clones.

Amazon and Duracell says the Duracell ION AAs are 2000mAh and not 2400mAh like Eneloop XX.

But Amazon has Duracell Stay Charged 2450mAh, which I assume is the old version?

Now I'm all confused!!

[ruffles]

Between the CPF link and post #33 of Deal is Off Again! - EXPIRED - Duracell Ion-Core AA LSD 4-pack $8.99 + 2nd pack 40% off @ Toys-R-Us , I’m pretty convinced that those ion core are rebranded eneloop xx. Mine say 2400mAh on the actual battery label.

Can’t say much about your last link (duracell stay charged 2450mAh), except that I see from squinting at the picture is that one of the cells says “made in Japan”, which is encouraging.

[CircaM]

@ruffles

Between the CPF link and post #33 of Deal is Off Again! - EXPIRED - Duracell Ion-Core AA LSD 4-pack $8.99 + 2nd pack 40% off @ Toys-R-Us , I’m pretty convinced that those ion core are rebranded eneloop xx. Mine say 2400mAh on the actual battery label. Can’t say much about your last link (duracell stay charged 2450mAh), except that I see from squinting at the picture is that one of the cells says “made in Japan”, which is encouraging.

This editor isn't mobile friendly, sorry for the poor formatting.

EBay has a TON of Ion cores for about $2/cell but the descriptions vary in capacity, some say 2000mAh some say 2400mAh and others say 2450mah.

What is the model number for the good ion cores?

Where is that number on the package? (so I can check it with the seller)

[CircaM]

I picked up some of the Duracell ION core batteries.

They are indeed 2400mAh. It is printed on the batteries themselves.

ToysRUs has the good duracells on sale for $8.99. Which is cheaper than I could get them online.

Best part... Walmart will price match the ToysRUs website.

Here's the link for $8.99 from ToysRUs:

AA: http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=22268676

AAA: http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=22268666

[jerm03]

How about the rechargeable Energizer? The ones I asked about on eBay are said to be made in Japan.
Any experience here?
Jerry