New Rechargeable AA batteries

[Phil W]

My AA rechargeable batteries have reached end of life after many years service. What would folks now recommend and where to buy for best value. The AAs are mostly used in my Etrex20 GPS.,

[hubner]

Lidl had 4xAA for £3 in their "specials" recently.

Some stores might still have some, I've seen them still in a couple of stores near me.

[quixoticgeek]

Eneloop, not the pro ones, but the one white ones.

J

[ACyclingRooster]

My AA rechargeable batteries have reached end of life after many years service. What would folks now recommend and where to buy for best value. The AAs are mostly used in my Etrex20 GPS.,

Hi Phil.When it comes to AA rechargeable batteries there is only ever one for me - Eneloop.

Originally they were part of the Sanyo Group bu now they are a part of Panasonic.

I use them in my Fuji FinePix digital cameras.  They are Nickel Metal Hydride and they offer a wide range of power options.

I have been using them since 2006.

[Bobby]

Yep, eneloops are the new king...

[JohnL]

The 7 day shop ‘ready to go’ or something similar are very good. Usually last 24 hrs on my Etrex 30 with the backlight on (on lowest setting).

John

[Zed43]

Eneloop, not the pro ones, but the one white ones.

I assume you have a preference for the white ones because they can be recharged 1500+ times versus 500+ for the Pro?

The Pro on the other hand has 25% more capacity (2500mAh vs 2000mAh) and can be bought really cheaply at Ikea as the "Ladda".

[Oxford_Guy]

Black Eneloop Pros are great, though quite pricey

[D.A.L.E.]

The Ikea ones - https://petapixel.com/2018/02/16/eneloop-pro-20-batteries-ikea-ladda-5-batteries/

Or the Hope ones - https://shop.hopetech.com/11121/products/aa-2500-mah-cell-4off.aspx

[frankly frankie]

The black 'XX' Eneloops when first introduced (by Sanyo) were by any measure streets ahead of any other AAs on the market - like, 20% better.  See my brief test and review here:
http://www.aukweb.net/lights/sanyo-review.pdf
NB although that review states only one 4-pack was tested I did subsequently test a 2nd 4-pack with equally good results.  They even outperform Energizer Lithiums in most respects, though Lithiums are still the best 'luxury' choice for some purposes.

I don't know whether the recent re-branding to Panasonic has altered things though.  It's a bit odd because both Sanyo and Panasonic were primary manufacturers of NiMH cells (with almost all other brands being re-badges of the very small handfull of main players).

[fuaran]

Eneloop, not the pro ones, but the one white ones.

I assume you have a preference for the white ones because they can be recharged 1500+ times versus 500+ for the Pro?

The Pro on the other hand has 25% more capacity (2500mAh vs 2000mAh) and can be bought really cheaply at Ikea as the "Ladda".

The white Eneloop are a bit better in terms of self-discharge. So for low drain devices, they could last longer, even though they are less capacity. Or makes sense if you are keeping them as a spare set, if it is weeks/months before you use them.

[Ham]

Long term the 7dayshop "Good to go" ones don't seem to be performing well, I've had several fail, only about 3 years old. Eneloop pros are holding out better.

[frankly frankie]

No they are not in the same league.
FWIW I have often grabbed a pair of black Eneloops that have been off charge for maybe as much as 6 months, and stuffed them in my Etrex 30 and got 2 full days cycling which is all I ask, before recharging.  The Etrex is not a severe test of course - I wouldn't attempt the same thing if it was a Hope front light ...

[frankly frankie]

I also have a 'conditioning' regime any time I buy a new 4-pack of NiMHs.  Incidentally I ignore the 'ready to go' selling point of hybrid cells - it's a nonsense, just assume they need charging before use like any other rechargables.
1. Run them through the 'refresh' program on my Technoline charger.  This discharges and recharges each cell repeatedly until it detects no improvement in capacity, it usually takes around 48 hours to complete, at a medium-fast charge/discharge rate.
2. Discharge them again to some low but safe level, say about 25%.
3. Trickle charge them on the lowest setting (200mA on the Technoline, ideally I would go slower if I could), for at least 24h.
4. Mark the cells off in pairs, matching capacity as closely as possible.  Subsequently I always use cells in their marked pairs.

[perpetual dan]

I also use the black Eneloops for front lights & GPS, and white for back lights.

My GPS is a Satmap, and does about 8 hours on 3 batteries. I've recently swapped that to LiPol and a dynohub with lights. So the black eneloops are finding their way into kids cameras etc as other house rechargables get old and battery lights become backups.

I wouldn't expect "ready to use" to be best performance, but a good indication that a week later they'll have enough charge that i don't need to fuss about them.

Sent from my LG-H850 using Tapatalk

[quixoticgeek]

I assume you have a preference for the white ones because they can be recharged 1500+ times versus 500+ for the Pro?

The Pro on the other hand has 25% more capacity (2500mAh vs 2000mAh) and can be bought really cheaply at Ikea as the "Ladda".

I never get near 500 from any NiMh battery. Some I don't even get 100 cycles out of. My preference for the white ones is they do get more cycles than the black. And are cheaper.

J

[freeflow]

Eneloops. A recent 'Which' article reported that cheaper batteries of similar capacity showed a significant reduction in charge capacity after a short number of charges compared to eneloops

[Phil W]

Eneloops it is then. Thanks all.

[Ben T]

I also have a 'conditioning' regime any time I buy a new 4-pack of NiMHs.  Incidentally I ignore the 'ready to go' selling point of hybrid cells - it's a nonsense, just assume they need charging before use like any other rechargables.
1. Run them through the 'refresh' program on my Technoline charger.  This discharges and recharges each cell repeatedly until it detects no improvement in capacity, it usually takes around 48 hours to complete, at a medium-fast charge/discharge rate.
2. Discharge them again to some low but safe level, say about 25%.
3. Trickle charge them on the lowest setting (200mA on the Technoline, ideally I would go slower if I could), for at least 24h.
4. Mark the cells off in pairs, matching capacity as closely as possible.  Subsequently I always use cells in their marked pairs.

What Technoline (or other) charger would you recommend? (ideally with a bias towards ease of use, and is there a guide to using the various programs etc anywhere?)

[frankly frankie]

I've had mine for probably 15 years and it isn't a current model.  Looking on Amazon the BC-700 looks similar and only slightly dumbed down (3 selectable current levels instead of 4) but the Youshiko YC4000 looks like an updated version of what I've got, with all the same features, that is 4 independent channels, each with 4 current choices (200mA-1000mA) and 4 programs (Charge, Discharge, Refresh, Test).  Also rebadged by the look of it and cheaper as 7DayShop DS-SC1000.  Mine came with a small manual.
Youshiko
7DayShop

The Technoline (my model) had a slight reputation for overheating and bursting into flames - needless to say I've never had any trouble but with the Refresh program lasting 48 hours or more unattended it is worth running it somewhere well ventilated and on a non-flammable surface (I sit mine on a large ceramic tile).

[Paul H]

Also rebadged by the look of it and cheaper as 7DayShop DS-SC1000.  Mine came with a small manual.

I've had the 7 dayshop version for a couple of years and use the same conditioning regime (Thanks ) with eneloops std and pro, all good.

[Ben T]

I've had mine for probably 15 years and it isn't a current model.  Looking on Amazon the BC-700 looks similar and only slightly dumbed down (3 selectable current levels instead of 4) but the Youshiko YC4000 looks like an updated version of what I've got, with all the same features, that is 4 independent channels, each with 4 current choices (200mA-1000mA) and 4 programs (Charge, Discharge, Refresh, Test).  Also rebadged by the look of it and cheaper as 7DayShop DS-SC1000.  Mine came with a small manual.
Youshiko
7DayShop

The Technoline (my model) had a slight reputation for overheating and bursting into flames - needless to say I've never had any trouble but with the Refresh program lasting 48 hours or more unattended it is worth running it somewhere well ventilated and on a non-flammable surface (I sit mine on a large ceramic tile).

Great thanks 

[Ben T]

I went for that 7dayshop one.
How do you know when 'refresh' is finished?
I have got some in on 'refresh' and they have been in probably about 48 hours, for the last few (at least 4) hours they have been showing 'charge' for the mode, between 2.58 - 2.63 Ah for the capacity, but still 200mA for the current. Should it not have switched to trickle-charge current if it's finished?

[Wowbagger]

Does anyone have any experience of these?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0821ZNWKW/ref=emc_b_5_i

Flippin' expensive but if they work, should knock spots off the standard rechargeables.

It's quite an outlay as they are intended or use in a night-time infra-red camera (Browning something or other) which requires 8 of them - 12 volts. I've seen reports which suggest that rechargeables are pretty much a waste of time because they only put out 9.6 volts and the camera won't respond if the voltage goes below 9v.

[grams]

Does the camera have an external power socket? There are some USB power banks that can put out higher voltages to power gubbinses.