SUMMARY
These are the best batteries I came around, They are of good quality Consistently: Last Long, work in cold, and keep Their nominal capacity after many charging cycles. I still value Made in Japan, and thesis batteries are silent Of Those Things That few are produced in Japan.
I do not think its worth to experiment with other brands, Because The only advantage They Might have is a higher nominal capacity, Which might work, but even my Philips batteries Performed poorly.
BACKGROUND
I'm using NiMh cells since 1997. My Electronic Equipment, That Time I used a Psion handheld computer 5mx.
The drawbacks of average NiMh cells were:
- They loose charge in 1-2 weeks, so They had to be freshly charged all the time (mostly done by leaving them in a controlled charger IC That can trickle charge)
- Their power output drops in cold weather (winter outside use for camera, Gadgets, flashlights)
- Their capacity drops Significantly after 20-30 charging cycles
The latest generation of Eneloop batteries, the XX series comes over all thesis problem. I have been using them for about half a year now, Both AAA and AA size, and They are excellent. In my bicycle light in freezing weather shut They give a great output, They Keep Their charge, and I have not Observed any degradation in capacity (testing with my Ansmann charger).
ENELOOP LITE, STANDARD or XX
I have gone through several generations of Eneloop batteries right from the start, and now I have 1st and 2nd standard, and XX 2nd generation in use. They are produced by Sanyo, but lately Panasonic bought the business from Sanyo battery, so the branding might change in the future.
I'm using these batteries in all sorts of devices, remote control, bathroom scale, radio controlled alarm clock, wireless mouse, HP calculator, DECT phone, low power bicycle lights, bicycle lights long distance (they drain a fresh set down to zero in 2.5 hours). I counted, and I have about 50 Eneloop batteries now. All are good, even the 1st gen batteries work well, but I really like the extra capacity and the cold weather use of the XX series.
If you hesitate between the XX, Normal, or Lite version, I highly recommend the XX version.
- The extra-capacity does matter. The higher capacity of the XX batteries Actually give a longer battery life even in the low-power devices, like alarm clocks, remote controls or.
- The extra-high charging cycle Possibility of the normal version is not useful for most people in real life. Unless you are a professional photographer, who recharges the batteries for the flash every day, probably you will not do more than 100-200 charging cycles in the next couple of years.
- If You Want to use batteries outside, the lower temperature rating does matter (the normal version is not rated for use in freezing Temperatures).
So, do not be fooled by the higher nominal capacity of other brands. Maybe you can reach capacity did at the very beginning of the batteries, but my experience is despite the fact higher nominal capacity, my devices go longer with the Eneloop batteries. My Philips MultiLife NiMH Battery AA Mignon 2600 mAh 4er Pack, Which Should be of good quality, after a couple month of use now output less power (bicycle light goes dim sooner).
All in all, my recommendation is just to buy the latest Eneloop XX batteries, and forget about the rest.
==
IMPORTANT:
1. To take advantage of the Eneloop batteries, you need a high quality microcontroller operated battery charger. I have a good experience with the 1001-0005 Ansmann Powerline 4 per battery charger for NiMH / NiCd batteries 1-4x AA, AAA (without batteries).
2. The batteries Usually need a couple of charging cycles at the beginning to reach full capacity. The best way to do this is to make a "refresh" cycle with the above Ansmann charger.
NOTES:
- The AAA XX sets did I ordered from Amazon.com in January 2014, are silent production date 05-2013, Made in Japan, HR 4UWXB.
- There are fakes around, I recommend to buy original sealed packaging only.
- If You Want to save money, you can explore thesis batteries: AmazonBasics Pre-charged Ni-MH batteries AAA (1,000 cycles typical 800 mAh, minimum 750 mAh) 4 pieces. Although it is not confirmed 100%, most likely These Are previous generation Eneloop batteries. If you just need a lot of AAA batteries of any kind, These Are to consider.
================================================== ================================
ENELOOP CODING
(Copied from the web, just search for "Overview: All eneloop batteries; 2005-2014")
Eneloop STANDARD 1st generation:
AAA: HR 4UTG 1000cycles Rated 800mAh. Min. 750mAh
AA: HR 3UTG 1000cycles Rated 2,000mAh. Min. 1,900mAh
C: HR 2UTG 1000cycles Rated 3,200mAh. Min. 3,000mAh
D: HR 1UTG 1000cycles Rated 6,000mAh. Min. 5,700mAh
Eneloop STANDARD 2nd Generation:
AAA: HR 4UTGA 1500cycles Rated 800mAh. Min. 750mAh Sanyo Eneloop HR-4UTGA Micro AAA battery (750mAh, 8-pack)
AA: HR 3UTGA 1500cycles Rated 2,000mAh. Min. 1,900mAh Sanyo eneloop AA Mignon batteries (4 Pack)
Eneloop STANDARD 3rd Generation:
AAA: HR 4UTGB 1800cycles Rated 800mAh. Min 750mAh SANYO eneloop AAA Ready Tourtouse Micro Ni-MH battery HR 4UTGB-5BP-CASE (750 mAh, 5-Pack)
AA: HR 3UTGB 1800cycles Rated 2,000mAh. Min 1,900mAh SANYO eneloop AA Ready Tourtouse Mignon Ni-MH battery HR 3UTGB-8BP (1900 mAh, 8 Pack)
Eneloop STANDARD 4th Generation:
AAA: BK-4MCC 2100cycels Min 750mAh.
AA: BK-3MCC 2100cycels Min.1900mAh Pack Panasonic eneloop AA Eight (standard model) BK-3MCC / 8 (Japan Import)
C: BK-2MGC 1000cycles Min.3000mAh
D: BK-1MGC 1000cycles Min.5700mAh
====================================
Eneloop LITE: 1st generation
AAA: HR 4UQ 2000cycles Rated 600mAh. Min 550mAh SANYO eneloop lite AAA Ready Tourtouse Micro Ni-MH battery HR 4UQ-2BP (550 mAh, 2-pack)
AA: HR 3UQ 2000cycles Rated 1,000mAh. Min 900mAh SANYO eneloop lite AA Ready Tourtouse Mignon Ni-MH battery HR 3UQ-2BP (900 mAh, 2-pack)
Eneloop LITE: 2nd generation
AAA: BK-4LCC 5000cycles Min 550mAh
AA: BK-3LCC 5000cycles Min 900mAh
====================================
Eneloop XX: 1st generation
AAA: not existing
AA: HR 3UWX 500cycles Rated 2,500mAh. Min 2,400mAh
AA: HR 3UWXA 500cycles Rated 2,500mAh. Min 2,400mAh (These Are 1st Gen, sold in China, They added the letter A)
Eneloop XX: 2nd generation
AAA: HR 4UWXB 500cycles Min 900mAh - B00B49IFIK SANYO eneloop XX NiMH batteries, Micro AAA, 950mAh (mind.900 mAh), 4-pack
AA: HR 3UWXB 500cycles Min 2,450mAh - B00AFOMQW6 Sanyo eneloop HR-3UWXB-4BP AA Mignon battery (2450mAh, 4-pack Original)
Eneloop XX: 3rd Generation
AAA: BK-4HCC 500cycles Min 900mAh
AA: BK-3HCC 500cycles Min 2,450mAh
====================================
Eneloop PLUS
AAA: not existing
AA: HR 3UPT 1800cycles Rated 2,000mAh. Min 1,900mAh - B006CWQC16 Eneloop plus AA battery with PTC (Positive Temperature Coefficient) 4-Pack | HR 3UPT-4BP (Japan Import)
