Rechargeable AAs/AAAs

[kennethk]

I can't remember the last time I had to buy actual batteries if we're being honest but when you need them you need them. Since I already have battery chargers mostly for 18650s I'm curious if anyone has any thought on what the life experiences on average rechargeables are I see Amazon basics has some I'm eyeing 2,000mah should last at least the full month for most uses. Only thing I'm wondering is if anyone has any good experiences with a brand that might be worth it or if you can even get 2+ years out of rechargeables.

[ImperialKnightErrant]

IKEA's LADDA are relabelled Eneloop Pros, super worth the money, I've run them a couple of years on my Xbox controller and they still charge to max capacity ~2400mah.

 

I've also been experimenting with Smartools Lithium AAs. They claim 2600mah capacity, but they're closer to like 1600-1800 in reality. But they have the convenience of charging directly off any USB charger, rather than requiring a separate charger.

[OhioYJ]

I've been using:

 

Energizers AA 2300 mAh

 

Energizer Rechargeable AA and AAA Battery Charger

 

I generally will try and stick to brand names in many cases. I have ton of those Energizers, as I have slew of Xbox and Wii controllers. I just swap them out as needed.

[Needfuldoer]

One thing about rechargeable NiMh AAs in general is that they run at 1.2 volts, not the 1.5 of a disposable alkaline. That's usually fine, but some devices might think the battery is weaker than it actually is. (I had this problem with digital cameras years ago.)

[kennethk]

6 minutes ago, OhioYJ said:

I've been using:

 

Energizers AA 2300 mAh

 

Energizer Rechargeable AA and AAA Battery Charger

 

I generally will try and stick to brand names in many cases. I have ton of those Energizers, as I have slew of Xbox and Wii controllers. I just swap them out as needed.

Yeah I could just buy a rechargeable pack for the Xbox controller but at least this way I can use them in other devices that may need AAs

[WereCat]

I've got the Eneloop Pro 2500mAh AA batteries. They last me around 100h of gameplay with Steam controller before I had to recharge.

 

https://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-BK-3HCCA8BA-eneloop-Pre-Charged-Rechargeable/dp/B00MXCIK32/ref=sr_1_3?crid=16H3J3WWPKCFQ&keywords=eneloop+aa+pro&qid=1647684897&sprefix=eneloop+aa+pro%2Caps%2C149&sr=8-3

[Imbadatnames]

I had some Duracells ones for years and did me well. Saved a ton on buying new batteries 

[OhioYJ]

25 minutes ago, kennethk said:

Yeah I could just buy a rechargeable pack for the Xbox controller but at least this way I can use them in other devices that may need AAs

I could but I have 12 xbox controllers. I used to do that for the 360 ones. Then I ended up with proprietary batteries and chargers / cords. Using AAs, I have batteries and chargers that just work with whatever I want to put them into. Not to mention it's cheaper. With the only downside being they don't last quite as long as the rechargeables that you buy from Microsoft. However they last long enough.

[Beerzerker]

45 minutes ago, kennethk said:

I can't remember the last time I had to buy actual batteries if we're being honest but when you need them you need them. Since I already have battery chargers mostly for 18650s I'm curious if anyone has any thought on what the life experiences on average rechargeables are I see Amazon basics has some I'm eyeing 2,000mah should last at least the full month for most uses. Only thing I'm wondering is if anyone has any good experiences with a brand that might be worth it or if you can even get 2+ years out of rechargeables.

Depends on the usage.
ATM I have some AAA rechargeables that I have in a set of driveway marker lights that have small solar panels on them and these batteries have been in use for about 2 years now.
They still stay lit for the majority of night this time of year (Shorter days) and go all the way till morning during the longer days of the year - At least that's been the case so far with past times with longer days.
These are Energizer rechargeable AAA batteries and even now, with less than 1 hour to go till daylight as of this post at least one is still lit - Just came in from being outside and saw it still going, dim but can still be seen if need be.

For things that have a heavier draw on their charge it can differ on how long they last and know rechargeables, based on the exact battery type in use of course do well if going from fully charged to fully discharged overall as these have been doing all along.

Some battery types will do fine not having to fully cycle from charged to discharged that way, others require it for best longevity.

What you get, how it's used and so on will ultimately determine how long they will last, undoubtedly the ones I refer to have at least 700 discharge/recharge cycles on them.
TBH it's probrably getting time to pop some new ones in but until they "Quit" I'll just let them do their thing.
 

[Kilrah]

I second Eneloop or rebrands of them (believe the Ikea ones aren't anymore).

 

I've had good results with usb-rechargeable, Lithium based Pale Blue batteries too.

[kennethk]

7 hours ago, Kilrah said:

I second Eneloop or rebrands of them (believe the Ikea ones aren't anymore).

 

I've had good results with usb-rechargeable, Lithium based Pale Blue batteries too.

I've seen some with built in type c ports pretty interesting but the amount of dust that could sink in is worry some.

[Yoinkerman]

Eneloops used to be the gold standard but I don't know if that's still the case 

[Kilrah]

2 hours ago, kennethk said:

I've seen some with built in type c ports pretty interesting but the amount of dust that could sink in is worry some.

I'm usually all for C but in this case it would be a waste of space/capacity... The Pale Blue ones actually don't even have a full depth micro port so some space can be saved

[Chiyawa]

I actually tried two brands: GP and Ikea Ladda.

 

GP is fairly cheap back in the days of 2000's, having 1600mAh, and works well with my FujiFilm Compact Digital Camera and Kodak Compact Digital Camera, last quite a few shots (about 80ish with flash using viewfinder instead of screen) before the battery needs to be recharge. GP does perform okayish for the first year and began to degrade the second year onwards, but for its price, I say it's still a good deal.

 

I just recently purchase Ladda rated 2400mAh last year but not really use that often except for my battery operated shaver. It's not bad I can say, and a full charge last me quite a long time (I shave twice weekly). XBox controller only reported 50% battery no matter how full the battery is, but it last me a long time as well. For the price, I think they're quite good.

 

I used Energiser once, but I think for the price they demand and the performance they have is hard to justify.

 

 

[Beerzerker]

Wanted to update the info on what I have in the marker lights.
Since the lights needed a little maintenance I took them up and gave them a good cleaning and checked the batteries to see what they were for the sake on knowing and to provide this info.

They are Energizer Rechargeable Ni-HD batteries rated for 2300mAh (The exact ones linked in the post above by OhioYJ) and they are the green label/silver batteries, these having a date of 0719.

They were purchased new and put into use about this time of year (March/April) of 2020 and do as I said above even now related to how long they'll go before being fully discharged in the lights.

Nothing to gripe about with these and until they start showing signs they are giving up, I'll let them keep at it as they are now.



 

[Dafriz]

personally i normally buy fujitsu... it is kinda complicated following stuff but basically they are the same batteries as what you get from enerloop pro ?? i believe

 

not sure if the standard eneloops are still being made in china

 

but to explain it... essentially panasonic bought sanyo, sanyo had to sell off its battery business to fujitsu in order to keep competition in the market as the FTC did not like that panasonic would have gained a large majority of ni-mh battery area

 

so now... a factory that makes fujitsu batteries also makes eneloops... so yea

 

essentially if you can find a rechargeable battery with low discharge as advertising and saying made in japan its probably from the same factory

[Lurking]

I had good luck with the Amazon brand batteries. They are made in Japan, FWIW.

 

Make sure you use a good charger that electronically controls the current and voltage. Cheap chargers will ruin any battery. There are some good ones that also charge Li-ion.

 

Good ones will charge each battery slot individually, have dedicated displays with relevant data and provide full power to each slot regardless of how many batteries are inserted. 

 

[kennethk]

Appreciate the feedback guys thought I was one of the few left that cared about rechargeables like this

[ImperialKnightErrant]

On 3/19/2022 at 8:43 PM, Kilrah said:

I second Eneloop or rebrands of them (believe the Ikea ones aren't anymore).

 

I've had good results with usb-rechargeable, Lithium based Pale Blue batteries too.

 

They changed the colour, I'd have to check if they're still made in Japan the next time I'm at IKEA. If they're MIJ, then it's likely it's still the same as Eneloop as there's only one OEM in Japan

 

https://www.slrlounge.com/panasonic-eneloop-vs-ikea-ladda-are-they-the-same/

[Hybris5112]

Since this topic got necroed I will post this playlist by Project Farm of his own tests into various rechargeable batteries over the last 3 or so years.