Thanks folks. I wasn’t shooting for charts and graphs (unless they were available of course). Info in the format you provided is great and useful to everybody I think.
I also did not find the blue Tenergys lived up to the hype. I also bought 4 EBL AAA batteries, and after the second charge had to throw one away because it would not take a full charge. So much for both mentioned. I would not buy either again.
Jerry
There was a huge sale on the old Tenergy cells couple three years ago — the 2-tone blue with letter “e” cells.
Those were half price or less in big batches many places online.
I tried buying several dozen AAA and D cells, and got about half good and half bad cells.
Speculation I saw was that a batch had been overlong in hot sun in some overheated storage, so the boxes at the top got toasted and those at the bottom of the stack were ok and when the containers got unloaded no telling what you’d get.
Those were still being promoted by 3rd party sellers as big bargains for most of a year after Tenergy no longer even showed pictures of them on their website as a product.
I found a problem with EBL. The AAA will not fit in my Tank 007 e09. I had placed one in the light and had to use needle nose pliers to remove it. No other battery has shown that problem.
Jerry
You may find that certain other cells are that way as well. Eneloop XX are larger than regular Eneloop, for instance. That said, based on your reports and the reports of others I think I’ll skip EBL.
3 month update: avg 1.324V (1.325, 2x1.324, 1.323), 4.919% drop so far (voltage wise).
One of the gifts I received from my daughter and SIL was a Streamlight ProTac 2AA light. As it turns out that is the only 2 AA light I have, preferring a smaller pocket size light for edc.
However with the clip I do not find it any trouble to carry.
I purchased 8 Duracell ioncore AA batteries on eBay at a cost of $15.99 incl shipping; essentially $2.00 each… Assuming they were the same or clones of Eneloop XX I wanted to give them a try.
I also tried the light with other batteries I have. Results are as follows. When the light reached a level that I considered not useful for me I terminated the test. That was about 5 lmn as compared with a AAA Arc. I realize that the moon level is useful for some applications or times, but did not want to wait until the light turned off.
Streamlight ProTac 2AA on High.
BATTERY TIME TO TERMINATION
Duracell 2400 MaH 4 hrs 30 min
Eneloop 2 gen 4 hrs 9 min
Tenergy Centura 4 hrs 13 min
Tenergy Premium 4 hrs 49 min
Tenergy Blue 4 hrs 15 min
Considering the price of the Duracell ioncore I would buy them again. However, the Tenergy Premiums run about $1.50 each, and the Centura around $1.75 so you, “Pays your money and takes your choice.”
I do not know what happens to the various batteries over a 5 –10 year period, but I have satisfied myself that the Tenergy Premium and Centura give the best value for my use. I would not hesitate to buy the Duracell ioncore as well.
At the same price or close I would likely go with eneloops as they are proven by users here and CPF. However, since I see eneloops for sale at from $3 to $4 each it is no contest for me. They have priced themselves out of my market without any advantage that I have determined by testing in my lights. And that is what I am concerned with. I am not inclined to argue the merits of Tenergy vs eneloop, and each one can make his own choice.
In every case the Tenergy Premium has lasted longer in a light than eneloops.
Regards,
Jerry
Thanks for the data. Will definitely try the Tenergy Premium the next time I get AA/AAA.
I attempted to run a comparison test of Eneloop vs Tenergy Premium 2 months after charged. The Tenergy Premium ran for 1hr 40 min, which was a 38% loss from the previous month, which lasted for 2hrs 5min. At that time the Eneloop had lasted for 1hr 58min.
For some reason the Sipik clone I was using did some crazy things and the Eneloop lasted for 2Hrs 42min. Since this value is far from previous values and the light acted abnormally, I do not consider this number valid. I posted this problem in this thread. Sipik 68 Clone Crazy
If you disagree draw your own conclusion as to the reason for the reading.
It was never my intention to attempt to prove that Eneloop is not the Cadillac of nimh batteries. I think they are. My intent was to see, in answer to the query, whether there was a reasonable alternative to Eneloops considering the current price. Are they twice as good since they run $3-$4 each as compared to $1.75 ea for Tenergy.
My conclusion is that Tenergy is a viable substitute for many people. At the current prices I will buy Tenergy instead of Eneloop. However, if there is a requirement to leave batteries “sitting” for months then the Eneloops will not lose their charge as quickly as the Tenergy. If left for one month the Eneloop is not superior according to my test, and for my use the Tenergy is a better buy. I need to do more checking of the Tenergy Centura to see if they do hold their charge significantly longer.
Another viable alternative is the Duracell ion core batteries, which can be purchased for around $2 each, and have been compared to Eneloops. The short time I have had them has shown them to be the equal to or superior to Eneloops in terms of run times in my lights. Only time will tell how they hold their charge when stored.
I also realize that with the number and prices of lights members here purchase, the cost of batteries is not a large factor. I just happen to be frugal/cheap.
As for me I have accomplished what I intended and have reached my own conclusion which I realize will not be shared with many here. At this time if I buy more batteries I will buy Tenergy and Duracell ion core.
Regards,
Jerry
Good testing, thanks for continuing to tenaciously pursue this and post your results.
Hi wight,
You are welcome, and I do appreciate your help and advice, as well as others. I might take a few batteries and set them aside for 6 months and see how they hold up. I can almost predict the outcome, and my impression to date is that the eneloops will hold up much better. I am going to include the Duracell ioncore.
Not particularly useful, but just a fun exercise——if I don’t forget them in that time. :bigsmile:
Best regards,
Jerry
Amazon is a marketplace, not that dissimilar to eBay.
If the seller is Amazon, you can be fairly sure things will turn out well. If the seller is someone else, look at their reputation before plunging both feet into an order with them.
The inventory isn’t commingled, but be aware the supplier of the order can vary. The supplier can vary by default when Amazon either doesn’t stock the item themselves or are out of stock. You just have to be aware of who you are buying from, especially true for niche items.