I agree, they’re fine cells for regular use.
However, when I use HKJ’s battery comparison to compare “regular” 2000mAh AA Laddas vs regular AA Eneloops, the voltage curves are very different at higher drains. The Eneloops sag much less, though they deliver about 100mAh less capacity overall.
So, regular Eneloops appear to be very different than the Ladda equivalent.
The Ladda “pros” are very similar to the Eneloop Pros, though. At least when it comes to the voltage curves. But this CPF thread describes very different self-discharge rates from the Ladda pros vs. Eneloop pros. It seems that Ladda self-discharge down to about 70% after just 6 months, whereas the Eneloop Pros are still holding at 80% after 2 years (and 75% after 3 years).
But, even if the Ladda Pros aren’t as good as Eneloop Pros when it comes to self-discharge, it’s probably not that important. You’re buying the high-capacity cells for long run-time at higher outputs. The regular Eneloops are the ones you buy if you want slow self-discharge and lots of cycles. It would be interesting to see the 2000mAh Ladda self-discharge rates.
Anyway, I don’t think the Laddas are the same as Eneloops, either the regular or the high-capacity “pros”. But given the price difference, I can certainly see why they’re popular.
