AA Rechargeable Batteries

hombredelmar · Mar 30, 2015

Hello everyone!
I am planning to buy AA rechargeable batteries. I always buy Panasonic-Eneloop ( blue on white color type) AA 2000 mAh {MIN 1900 . I also came across the same brand by Enveloop PRO ( black color) 2550mAh type, 2450mAh min, Ni-MH High Capacity
The interesting part is that black color type can be recharged 500 times while Blue on White type can be recharged 2100 times.
The questions are:
1. What type of those two types I better off buying ?
2. Are there any good alternatives that were proved to be reliable, hold charge and work as described/advertised?
Thank you in advance!!!

snowbear · Mar 30, 2015

I imagine there are compromises in designing batteries as there are in most everything - higher capacity & lower self discharge may equate to shorter total life.

You probably need to look at your usage: How often will you need to recharge them? How long do you think each type will last before replacement? How much will it cost to replace them on an annual or 5-year basis?

Derrel · Mar 30, 2015

I think snowbear has a good point of view: I look at AA rechargeable batteries as being about a five-year item. With a quality, slow to slowish recharger, I have easily had five-year life spans on my batteries since the last 1990's. SLower recharges, ones that avoid allowing the batteries to get hot to the touch, seem to prolong overall life.

hombredelmar · Mar 30, 2015

http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-Ene...e=UTF8&qid=1427724385&sr=8-3&keywords=eneloop

snowbear said:
I imagine there are compromises in designing batteries as there are in most everything - higher capacity & lower self discharge may equate to shorter total life.

You probably need to look at your usage: How often will you need to recharge them? How long do you think each type will last before replacement? How much will it cost to replace them on an annual or 5-year basis?

snowbear, thank you for your input, it makes sense

hombredelmar · Mar 30, 2015

Derrel said:
I think snowbear has a good point of view: I look at AA rechargeable batteries as being about a five-year item. With a quality, slow to slowish recharger, I have easily had five-year life spans on my batteries since the last 1990's. SLower recharges, ones that avoid allowing the batteries to get hot to the touch, seem to prolong overall life.

Derrel, thank you !!!!!

Joves · Mar 31, 2015

I still use the white Eneloops. I thought about the Pro but they just did not seem to be better. Now if they actually lasted longer then yes, but since they do not it is an easy choice. Also as has been said it is the chargers that kill your batteries.

weepete · Mar 31, 2015

I use Sony 30A high drain VTC5s in my kato mod usually with a 0.7ohm dual coil. They seem pretty good to me

Overread · Mar 31, 2015

I too would stick to the white more-recharges versions. Yes the capacity is lower; but with over 4 times the estimated life span you save in the long run. A good quality recharger (Maha/Powerrex make some very good ones) is a must also. The cheap 1 hour or 30min charging units kill batteries very fast for flashes since you can easily be using and recharging them daily if you do a lot of shooting.

Flash units I treat as a fast recycling unit - batteries don't last super long in them.
If you were using batteries for clocks or other similar gadgets that trickle power out very slowly and thus has far fewer recharging periods then yeah the higher capacity options would be ideal for that.

ryanestes · Apr 1, 2015

While I can't compare them to the batteries you described, I am a frequent user of PowerEx rechargeable batteries. They last well for me, and can recharge either rapidly or slowly, depending on your need. I can charge a full set in about an hour and a half: http://www.amazon.com/Powerex-Maha-...d_sim_e_3?ie=UTF8&refRID=1DY387X57RE4NBEXX3KN

Hope that helps!

Overread · Apr 1, 2015

I'd not advise recharging batteries in that short space of time - yes you can do that but in general the more house the better. It keeps the heat down and that will improve the lifespan of the battery. It's why those 8 cell units are great as you can charge up two sets at a time. Course if you're doing a lot of work you'll want several charging units since you'd likely leave them charging overnight.

ryanestes · Apr 1, 2015

Very true, and in general using the longer setting, the better. But once in a while (get home late and have a job early the next morning) it's necessary, and these have been lifesavers from time to time.

Overread · Apr 1, 2015

Yep certainly - that's why I like those charging units too as you can vary the power (I've the C9000 myself; a good purchase at the time as I had a range of older batteries I wanted to recondition - a not so good purchase long term as I moved fully over to Enloop batteries soon after and now would rather more charging bays to do two sets at a time).

hombredelmar · Apr 1, 2015

ryanestes said:
While I can't compare them to the batteries you described, I am a frequent user of PowerEx rechargeable batteries. They last well for me, and can recharge either rapidly or slowly, depending on your need. I can charge a full set in about an hour and a half: Amazon.com Powerex Maha MH-C801D Eight Cell 1-Hr PRO AA AAA Charger Ac Adapters Camera Photo

Hope that helps!

Thank you for your reply!
This is the exact charger that I am using. There are two modes, slow charge and fast (1hr recharge). I use slow charge mode whenever I can

SurvivalDad · Apr 1, 2015

I haven't been happy with any rechargeables I have purchased in the past 10 years. Not sure if it how I treat them but oh well.

hombredelmar · Apr 2, 2015

SurvivalDad said:
I haven't been happy with any rechargeables I have purchased in the past 10 years. Not sure if it how I treat them but oh well.

Supposedly, quality of the batteries and the price plays a big role as well as a charger, storage and length of the charge ( 1hr, 2hr, 5 hr charge time)