I tested four of those cells, using my old
- Right out of the package, their average remaining charge is 1568mAh, or nearly 80% of the rated capacity of 2000mAh. The spread is also very small, from 1558 to 1577mAh. This proves that they are indeed low-self-discharge type. (Date code on my cells says "11-01", or Jan 2011)
- After one recharge/discharge cycle, their average capacity improved to 2115mAh
- After two more recharge/discharge cycles, their average capacity leveled off at 2133mAh, or more than 6% higher than the rated capacity.
The above results are very consistent with what I have previously observed, while testing second-gen eneloop cells in the Costco package. Therefore I'm convinced that those are indeed genuine second-gen Sanyo eneloop cells. (See the scans I uploaded to Customer Images section, if you need to distinguish between old and new eneloop cells)
On the other hand, currently the prices of those new eneloop cells are about 25-50% higher than that of the original eneloop cells. So one may question: do the new eneloop cells offer sufficient improvement over the old, to justify the price different? Let's compare the following factors:
- Cycle Life: The 2nd-gen eneloop claims to "recharge up to 1500 cycles", while the original only claims 1000 cycles. This 50% improvement looks great on paper, but note that if you recharge your eneloop cells twice every week, it will take 10 years to reach 1000 cycles. So in real life, most average users will never notice the difference.
- Self-Discharge Rate: The new eneloop cells claim to "maintain 75% charge after 3 years", while the original only claims "80% after 2 years". Again, in real life most people will never notice the difference.
- Capacity: First-gen eneloop AA cells have "Typ 2000mAh, Min 1900mAh" printed on them, while 2nd-gen eneloop AA cells only say "Min 1900mAh". But in fact they have the same capacity rating of 2000mAh (typical) according to official Sanyo web site. My measured capacity numbers are actually around 2100mAh for both versions.
BOTTOM LINE:
Both the new and old eneloop cells are excellent products. You can safely mix and match them in any application, and probably nobody can tell the difference in the next 10 years. But in case you can't decide which version is a better value... Just flip a coin and pick one - you can't lose either way!
[Update on July 31, 2011]
Long term self-discharge data: I have tested a pair of new eneloop AA cells after 104 days sitting on the shelf (the batteries, not me). The average remaining charge is 88.7%. This charge-retention rate is slightly better than that of the original eneloop, but the difference is within margin of error for my experiment.
[Update on May 8, 2012]
Nowadays the 2nd-gen eneloop cells are generally priced lower than the original. So you should definitely get the newer version.This packagecontains four second-generation eneloop AAA rechargeable batteries. I have tested those cells using my old Here are my findings:
- Right out of the package, the average remaining charge is 640mAh, or 80% of the rated capacity (800mAh)
- After the first recharge cycle, the average capacity increased to 839mAh.
- After two more recharge/discharge cycles, the average capacity leveled off at 843mAh, or 5% higher than rated capacity.
The above is very consistent with the results I obtained last year, while testing 2nd-gen eneloop AAA cells from the Therefore I have no doubt that those batteries are genuine. Date code embossed on them says "10-12", which means Dec 2010 (see my upload in the "Customer Images" section, if you need to know where to find the date code).
According to Sanyo press releases, those 2nd-generation eneloop cells offer several benefits over the
- Can be recharged "up to 1500 cycles" (vs. "1000 cycles" for the original)
- Can hold "75% charge after 3 years" (vs. "80% after 2 years")
- Works down to -20 degree C (vs. -10 degree C)
In real life, however, it is nearly impossible for the average user to experience those benefits. Note the even if you recharge your cells twice every week, it will take nearly ten years to reach 1000 cycles. Furthermore, the advertised self-discharge rates for new and old eneloop cells are actually the same during first two years.
As to the capacity: original eneloop AAA cells have "Typ. 800mAh, Min. 750mAh" printed on them. The new eneloop AAA cells only say "Min. 750mAh". This has created confusions for some people, who thought the new version has lower capacity. But according to Sanyo web site, capacity of the new AAA is also 800mAh typical. My own test results, however, have shown that measured capacity of the original eneloop is around 4% higher than rated, whereas capacity of the new eneloop is about 5% higher than rated. Again, the difference is so small that most users will never notice it.
BOTTOM LINE:
Second-generation eneloop cells do offer some improvements over the original, but the actual benefit is very hard to verify in real life. In my case, the price I paid for this new eneloop AAA package is only 10% higher than that of the old one, so I consider it a good deal. If the price difference is much greater, then you have to decide whether it is worthwhile to pay extra for those perceived benefits.
[Update on May 31, 2011]
Prices for the new eneloop AAA have came down further during the past month, so now it is an even better deal. But just in case you are looking for greater bargains, you may want to consider the They are priced lower than Sanyo eneloop, and have slightly higher capacity (rated 850mAh, measured 880mAh).
[Update on July 31, 2011]
Long term self-discharge data: I have tested a pair of new eneloop AAA cells after 92 days sitting on the shelf (the batteries, not me). The average remaining charge is 89.4%. This charge-retention rate is slightly better than that of the original eneloop, but the difference is within margin of error for my experiment.
[Update on July 3, 2012]
Amazon again combined multiple Sanyo eneloop products (many AA/AAA packages and different chargers) into a single product page. This makes it very difficult for people to find reviews for a specific product. In particular, my "Sanyo eneloop FAQ" was previously attached to the product page of , but now it can only be found by following this link:
This packagecontains four second-generation '1500 cycles' eneloop AA cells, plus the 'MQN06' 4-cell charger
I have tested those new second-generation eneloop cells about one year ago from the , and also more recently from the . I can honestly say that: while both old and new eneloop are excellent products, their difference in performance is hardly noticeable. Both version have exactly the same capacity rating of 'Typ 2000mAh, Min 1900mAh'. Actual measured capacity, using my , is actually about 5% higher at about 2100mAh on the average.
Some advertised improvements of the new eneloop cells looked impressive on paper, but not easy to verify in real life. For example, the new cells claim to have 50% longer lifespan (from 1000 to 1500 cycles). But note that even if you recharge your eneloop cells twice every week, it will take about ten years before you can realize the difference in battery lifespan. The new eneloop also claims to "hold 75% charge after 3 years" in storage, while the old one only claims "80% after two year". Again, in real life most users will never experience any difference. But then again, it does give a warm and fuzzy feeling knowing that you are getting the latest and greatest rechargeable batteries on the market. (At least until the 2500mAh Sanyo "eneloop-XX" arrives)
Mechanically, there are some very minor differences between original and new eneloop cells (See my upload in the Customer Images section to distinguish between old and new). Note that there are some confusions about 'vent holes' on the latest eneloop cells. Some poeple even claim that cells without visible vent holes are counterfeits. But I have tested two batches of new eneloop cells with and without 'vent holes', and found them to be identical electrically. So I'm confident that those latest batch I received are genuine.
The Sanyo MQN06 4-cell charger (included in this and many other eneloop packages) is a big let-down. Here's what I don't like about this charger:
- It charges in pairs only. This is very inconvenient for appliances that take odd number of cells. If you try to charge an exhausted cell together with a half-full cell, the charging process stops as soon as the second cell is full, which means the first cell is still half-empty.
- The charging current is very low: 300mA for AA cells, 150mA for AAA cells. That means it take about 7 hours to recharge a pair of exhausted eneloop AA cells.
- If you leave a pair of charged cells in an unplugged MQN06, there is a leakage current of 0.5mA. This means a loss of 12mAh per day. In other words, a set of 2000mAh cells will become exhausted in about 5 months. That wipes out the 'low-self-discharge' benefit of eneloop cells.
CONCLUSION:
Over the past four years, I have found the original Sanyo eneloop cells to be the most consistent and reliable NiMH cells I have ever used. So I can recommend the new eneloop based on my past experience. On the other hand, I find it inexcusable that Sanyo continues to bundle the best rechargeable batteries with such a mediocre charger. So you may want to consider a package that comes with a better charger, such as the , and then buy more Sanyo eneloop cells as needed. This SONY charger can handle each cell individually, and it can be used to recharge any other brands of LSD cells. Amazon sent me the second generation when I had ordered these batteries and while I personally never owned the first gen I can see why people rave about these batteries. They're better than advertised! I've used other brands for rechargeable batteries such as energizer, duracell, etc. None actually lived up to the hype. These batteries are genuine, truly low self discharge, last forever in devices. I couldn't be happier about jumping ship to Eneloop from here on out I'm definitely only trusting Sanyo Eneloop rechargeable batteries for all of my devices that use AA and AAA. I'm no expert on batteries as some others seem to be but as a regular consumer I'm more than content.
Pros: Price (I bought these on sale), best rechargeable batteries on the market.
Cons: None about the batteries but their branded charger isn't the best though. I bought it without realizing I could charge it on other chargers that have much more options on them. These batteries come ready to use right out of the package. I purchased them for traveling and when they arrived I was able to load them and go. No need to wait for them to recharge. They also keep their charge for a very long time. These will be the only batteries I will purchase from now on. They also will recharge quickly. Be careful when purchasing rechargeable batteries because they do come in various strengths. Also there are two different numbers being posted. One is how many times they can be recharged and some advertise the actual strength. I suggest reading some of the Amazon Reviews to take a lesson in rechargeable batteries. They are worth reading. Some people have really put a lot of time and effort in testing these and various other batteries at home. This is my second purchase of these Eneloop batteries. I used to use PowerEx and the earlier ones were great, but the latest 2700mH batch were garbage. Out of 16 PowerEx's, I have about 3 left that are still working. The PowerEx charger keeps giving me error messages on them and I have to throw them away, WAY before they should go bad. I use the batteries about twice a month for a professional camera flash. Don't be fooled by the fact that Eneloops have a lower mH rating than the PowerEx's. I shoot anywhere from 300 to 600 shots per night, and there is plenty of juice left when I put them in the charger afterwards. My original 8 Eneloops still work fine. I bought these for backup, especially since I sometimes shoot where I can't recharge them directly afterwards. The added bonus is that they come already charged, so if your charger dies, you're still good to go. I have replaced all other AA and AAA batteries with sanyo eneloop when the old batteries are replaced. Last count I have about 45. They perform as advertised and out last and hold their charge. I tried recharging alkaline batteries and was disappointed. Try Eneloop and compare to others. This is the second time I've purchased this set. This tie for a friend. It works. The batteries/ charge lasts. I did have a problem the second time I ordered these but I notified the seller of the problem and before "bytes" dried on the email, they sent me a replacement. As expected, this unit works as well as the first. I will continue to have confidence in this brand. I think the true purpose of this charger is to allow a low voltage charging input to trickle charge your batteries. I use this in tandem with a foldable solar charger while backpacking to keep my batteries fresh 2 at a time while hiking during daylight hours. Using the charger this way ensures that each night I will have a fresh set of batteries for my lights or to charge my cell phone if need be. This is one piece of the puzzle, but perhaps the most useful piece if you or someone you know enjoys hiking/biking/camping outdoors for extended periods of time.
Otherwise, like another reviewer has stated, the usb charger is slower than the wall charger, but for good reason, the wall provides 110VAC to the inverter which charges the batteries at a faster rate. Since this is a USB charger, it uses a 5VDC input to charge the batteries. The two are not even in the same league. Also, as for the drain on your laptop battery, well, you are charging 2 1900 MA hour batteries with one laptop battery, which does not make any sense anyways, so as for those comments, they really should be ignored.
If this charger is used for its intended purpose, it will grant the user with optimal performance.
This charger is to fill the gaps. Of course when you are home, use the wall charger.
If you are in a car, this works great with a usb cig lighter adapter. You can charge your batteries on the way to the next photography gig. We have done it plenty of times to keep our flashes going. All told, I own 6 of these and use them all to fill the gaps as before mentioned.
There is a lot of versatility to be had by being able to charge on the run anytime, anywhere.
This charger will charge any brand of rechargeable batteries although there is a burst warning on the back of the charger stating that other batteries may burst if used with this charger. I have not experienced that, but when in doubt, heed the warning labels.As a photographer I use a lot of batteries & I've tried all kinds, from highend throwaways to rechargables of all kinds & so far these are my favorite by far. Right out of the package they worked great (being precharged) I shot a wedding & didn't go through two sets for an entire day.
If you need a battery to last & perform well, look no further Eneloop is the answer. These batteries did come pre charged as promised and lasted for about an hour for a full recording on my camera which is EXACTLY what i wanted, but, the instructions say that if the light indicator on the USB charger is flashing in half second intervals, there its in an "abnormal state" well. as soon as i plugged mine in, the indicator started flashing like that
I have tested those new second-generation eneloop cells about one year ago from the , and also more recently from the . I can honestly say that: while both old and new eneloop are excellent products, their difference in performance is hardly noticeable. Both version have exactly the same capacity rating of 'Typ 2000mAh, Min 1900mAh'. Actual measured capacity, using my , is actually about 5% higher at about 2100mAh on the average.
Some advertised improvements of the new eneloop cells looked impressive on paper, but not easy to verify in real life. For example, the new cells claim to have 50% longer lifespan (from 1000 to 1500 cycles). But note that even if you recharge your eneloop cells twice every week, it will take about ten years before you can realize the difference in battery lifespan. The new eneloop also claims to "hold 75% charge after 3 years" in storage, while the old one only claims "80% after two year". Again, in real life most users will never experience any difference. But then again, it does give a warm and fuzzy feeling knowing that you are getting the latest and greatest rechargeable batteries on the market. (At least until the 2500mAh Sanyo "eneloop-XX" arrives)
Mechanically, there are some very minor differences between original and new eneloop cells (See my upload in the Customer Images section to distinguish between old and new). Note that there are some confusions about 'vent holes' on the latest eneloop cells. Some poeple even claim that cells without visible vent holes are counterfeits. But I have tested two batches of new eneloop cells with and without 'vent holes', and found them to be identical electrically. So I'm confident that those latest batch I received are genuine.
The Sanyo MQN06 4-cell charger (included in this and many other eneloop packages) is a big let-down. Here's what I don't like about this charger:
- It charges in pairs only. This is very inconvenient for appliances that take odd number of cells. If you try to charge an exhausted cell together with a half-full cell, the charging process stops as soon as the second cell is full, which means the first cell is still half-empty.
- The charging current is very low: 300mA for AA cells, 150mA for AAA cells. That means it take about 7 hours to recharge a pair of exhausted eneloop AA cells.
- If you leave a pair of charged cells in an unplugged MQN06, there is a leakage current of 0.5mA. This means a loss of 12mAh per day. In other words, a set of 2000mAh cells will become exhausted in about 5 months. That wipes out the 'low-self-discharge' benefit of eneloop cells.
CONCLUSION:
Over the past four years, I have found the original Sanyo eneloop cells to be the most consistent and reliable NiMH cells I have ever used. So I can recommend the new eneloop based on my past experience. On the other hand, I find it inexcusable that Sanyo continues to bundle the best rechargeable batteries with such a mediocre charger. So you may want to consider a package that comes with a better charger, such as the , and then buy more Sanyo eneloop cells as needed. This SONY charger can handle each cell individually, and it can be used to recharge any other brands of LSD cells. Amazon sent me the second generation when I had ordered these batteries and while I personally never owned the first gen I can see why people rave about these batteries. They're better than advertised! I've used other brands for rechargeable batteries such as energizer, duracell, etc. None actually lived up to the hype. These batteries are genuine, truly low self discharge, last forever in devices. I couldn't be happier about jumping ship to Eneloop from here on out I'm definitely only trusting Sanyo Eneloop rechargeable batteries for all of my devices that use AA and AAA. I'm no expert on batteries as some others seem to be but as a regular consumer I'm more than content.
Pros: Price (I bought these on sale), best rechargeable batteries on the market.
Cons: None about the batteries but their branded charger isn't the best though. I bought it without realizing I could charge it on other chargers that have much more options on them. These batteries come ready to use right out of the package. I purchased them for traveling and when they arrived I was able to load them and go. No need to wait for them to recharge. They also keep their charge for a very long time. These will be the only batteries I will purchase from now on. They also will recharge quickly. Be careful when purchasing rechargeable batteries because they do come in various strengths. Also there are two different numbers being posted. One is how many times they can be recharged and some advertise the actual strength. I suggest reading some of the Amazon Reviews to take a lesson in rechargeable batteries. They are worth reading. Some people have really put a lot of time and effort in testing these and various other batteries at home. This is my second purchase of these Eneloop batteries. I used to use PowerEx and the earlier ones were great, but the latest 2700mH batch were garbage. Out of 16 PowerEx's, I have about 3 left that are still working. The PowerEx charger keeps giving me error messages on them and I have to throw them away, WAY before they should go bad. I use the batteries about twice a month for a professional camera flash. Don't be fooled by the fact that Eneloops have a lower mH rating than the PowerEx's. I shoot anywhere from 300 to 600 shots per night, and there is plenty of juice left when I put them in the charger afterwards. My original 8 Eneloops still work fine. I bought these for backup, especially since I sometimes shoot where I can't recharge them directly afterwards. The added bonus is that they come already charged, so if your charger dies, you're still good to go. I have replaced all other AA and AAA batteries with sanyo eneloop when the old batteries are replaced. Last count I have about 45. They perform as advertised and out last and hold their charge. I tried recharging alkaline batteries and was disappointed. Try Eneloop and compare to others. This is the second time I've purchased this set. This tie for a friend. It works. The batteries/ charge lasts. I did have a problem the second time I ordered these but I notified the seller of the problem and before "bytes" dried on the email, they sent me a replacement. As expected, this unit works as well as the first. I will continue to have confidence in this brand. I think the true purpose of this charger is to allow a low voltage charging input to trickle charge your batteries. I use this in tandem with a foldable solar charger while backpacking to keep my batteries fresh 2 at a time while hiking during daylight hours. Using the charger this way ensures that each night I will have a fresh set of batteries for my lights or to charge my cell phone if need be. This is one piece of the puzzle, but perhaps the most useful piece if you or someone you know enjoys hiking/biking/camping outdoors for extended periods of time.
Otherwise, like another reviewer has stated, the usb charger is slower than the wall charger, but for good reason, the wall provides 110VAC to the inverter which charges the batteries at a faster rate. Since this is a USB charger, it uses a 5VDC input to charge the batteries. The two are not even in the same league. Also, as for the drain on your laptop battery, well, you are charging 2 1900 MA hour batteries with one laptop battery, which does not make any sense anyways, so as for those comments, they really should be ignored.
If this charger is used for its intended purpose, it will grant the user with optimal performance.
This charger is to fill the gaps. Of course when you are home, use the wall charger.
If you are in a car, this works great with a usb cig lighter adapter. You can charge your batteries on the way to the next photography gig. We have done it plenty of times to keep our flashes going. All told, I own 6 of these and use them all to fill the gaps as before mentioned.
There is a lot of versatility to be had by being able to charge on the run anytime, anywhere.
This charger will charge any brand of rechargeable batteries although there is a burst warning on the back of the charger stating that other batteries may burst if used with this charger. I have not experienced that, but when in doubt, heed the warning labels.As a photographer I use a lot of batteries & I've tried all kinds, from highend throwaways to rechargables of all kinds & so far these are my favorite by far. Right out of the package they worked great (being precharged) I shot a wedding & didn't go through two sets for an entire day.
If you need a battery to last & perform well, look no further Eneloop is the answer. These batteries did come pre charged as promised and lasted for about an hour for a full recording on my camera which is EXACTLY what i wanted, but, the instructions say that if the light indicator on the USB charger is flashing in half second intervals, there its in an "abnormal state" well. as soon as i plugged mine in, the indicator started flashing like that
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