And if you keep your eyes peeled open you can find a deal on them that makes buying other cells really not necessary.
The eneloop cell has proven its self for years and seen all kinds of abuse. They are the standard for rechargeable NIMH batteries. https://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-BK-3MCCA4BA-Pre-Charged-Rechargeable-Batteries/dp/B00JHKSN5I?th=1
There are better deals once and awhile, Costco use to run deals on eneloop’s regularly.
I got in on a target deal about 5 years ago, I paid $3 and some change for a AA 4 pack. I think it was $2 and some change for a 4 pack of AAA’s.
I bought around 40 cells and there all still going strong as far as I know. I don’t really have that many cycles on them though, but they work when I need them to. Just keep watching and learning, they are eneloop’s out there in rebranded cells that are quite reasonable. Amazon’s Basic’s use to be eneloop’s but from the reviews I have seen lately they have changed to china cells.
Another thought to be eneloop. Amazon.com Target Clearance - White-top Duracell battery 4-packs (EDIT) now $3.65 (Duraloops)
Just my 2 cents
Oh sorry. I was saying that if they switched the Japan Made Cells with the China made ones, while not changing the description to account for it, would that not be a bait and switch?
No way, good info in this thread. From AAcycler site looks like the EBL’s are decent cells just maybe not as good as some of the others. http://aacycler.com/battery/aa/
Thanks 007, never been to this sight before, but see I’m new here at BLF and new to this amazing world of LED flashlights. I don’t use AA’s for flashlights just needed something around 2500mah for a small camera and a Dremel tool. Didn’t mean to step on anyone’s toes. But i guess that is going to happen occasionally. Did not know everyone likes Eneloop batteries. Sorry about that.
No toes hurt here. It’s not so much that we like eneloop’s because they are a known brand. It’s because of what most of us have experienced or read. They’re good batteries, doesn’t mean they’re the only good battery. With out someone testing new batteries we would never know when something better comes along.
Ugh. I got eneloop AAs… then a bunch of LFP AAs… then AmazonBasics AAAs… then EBL 14500s…
For a guy who used to avoid AA lights and sneer at AAA lights, I’m hip-deep in AAs of all varieties.
And that’s not counting the close to a hunnert ancient alkaleak AAs that I’m trying like Hell to burn off. Rat Shack enercells (what is it with “ener”anything almost always being lowercase??) in both older black and newer white’n’orange varieties, and probably another 36 or 40-pack of Ray-O-Vac AAs that I know I have… somewhere.
Trust me, I’m done with buying AA-form-factor anything probably for, well, ever. I’m even tailstanding my SP10 as a nightlight, just to burn off half-spent alkaleaks that my TK4A’s done with. (The TK4A is 4S, and seems to burn down one cell faster’n the others, so there’s always one troublemaker that’ll leak first, even if the light’s indicator shows yellow and not red.)
Anyway…
Yeah, I’ve been pointing folx to IKEA’s LADDA cells, which as far as I know are still eneloops.
Excellent thread. We share, we learn. From that educated choices can be made based on personal values and expense requirements.
I had no idea that IR went to hell for so many AA in such a short period of time, though I guess 150 cycles is likely several to many years for most applications. I wonder how just aging factors in vs. use? Taking a battery and doing repetitive cycling gives one set of data, and it’s ‘relatively’ easier to do.
Using a battery so it gets cycled every 2-4 weeks, which is far more ‘normal’ use for me, doesn’t produce the cycle count, but many of my batteries seem to end up with high IR after a few years anyway. And, sometimes a cell goes completely dead, needs a ‘jump’, and is put back in service. That would also seem to take it’s toll.
When batteries start acting up, usually meaning higher IR/lower performance/not holding charge/and not terminating correctly in good chargers, they get marked and watched. Sometimes I run them through a couple refresh cycles. If they continue to misbehave they end up in LED solar yard lights or the recycle.
The alkaleaks started when MicroStore had a sale on Ray-O-Vacs, so I got a box for cheap. People wanted AAs from Rat Shack when those were on sale, so I got a bunch rather’n going back’n’forth so many times, then they pussied out and I was stuck with them. I know I have a gifted box of Duraleaks somewhere from even before then, also, but those are probably fossilised in battery ick right in the package, unopened.
Was sick of alkaleaks, so just started getting rechargeables like NiMH, LiFePO4, and Li-ion. Once I burn down those alkaleaks, I’m never going back, so at least I got my choice what to use.
My experience is that china cells act pretty decent and seem to give japanese cells a run for their money and then fall over dead.While eneloops or dualoops fujitsu/amazon or any other re-badged panasonic / sanyo cell just seem to last forever .
In about 8 years I’ve only seen one eneloop go bad out of hundreds .
I had the same experience in the 90’s . i bought about 30 dark green re-wrapped for a company made by sanyo that were rock solid and lasted for probably 15+years with virtually no failures . the next year the same seller had light green chinese cells with higher capacity that all died within a couple years //Pure junk .
the seller sold 10,000 cells in a 3 day show @ a buck a battery .
I asked him what ten thousand batteries looks like . he said ” about the size of a washing machine ….a very heavy washing machine ”