I found nearly the oldest Eneloop AA batteries possible, with mfg. date indicated 2006.
So after literally 20 years I'm getting discharge capacities at .5A of 1.84-1.86Ah or 92-93% of rated.
Sanyo really made those batteries well back then!
I still have about 100 Eneloop AA batteries from 15 to 20 years ago. I probably recycled a couple of them, because they swelled up a bit, but I still can round up enough of them to twice fill my 4x 600EX-RT + 4x CP-E4 power packs (96 batteries). They still work fine.
Some years ago on another photo forum (not DPR, but it might have also been posted there) someone did a massive longterm rechargeable AA battery test and IIRC, Eneloops consistently performed very well.
I also have 10+ years old Eneloops and they still seem to work, though I have really cut back on my photographic AA battery usage and these are no longer really stress tested on a regular basis. Instead I use them in peripherals around the house that need them. All/most of the on-camera flashes I now use operate on dedicated lithium packs instead of generic AA batteries. I much prefer this as performance is much closer to that of an external HV pack but without the pack and cable hassles, or the hassles of needing to recharge 16+ AAs between jobs (I bought a couple 8xAA smart chargers).
I think the last Eneloops I bought were probably around 2015. Since then, when I needed more, I bought the made in Japan IKEA versions because they were apparently from the same factory and were sometimes available at decent discounts, not to mention that their typical retail price was much more attractive than the originals. I have not done side by side testing so can't say if the IKEA versions perform closely to the originals. It's been a while since I bought some from IKEA and have no idea if they're still reskinned Eneloops. Supposedly at one time the Amazon Basics High Capacity rechargeable AAs were also rumoured to be reskinned Eneloops... but are now apparently made in China whereas current Eneloop packaging (on Amazon) indicates those are still made in Japan.
The oldest Eneloops I find in my stockpile are vintage '07. They're all labelled "SANYO" "MADE IN JAPAN" "Typ. 2,000mAh Min. 1,900mAh". All test well above 2000 with one actually reaching 2228. These things get better with age!
The newest ones I have are AAA dated 2024 and were made in Japan by Panasonic.
Only a handful of mine have ever gone bad. I've lost more Eneloops than I've had to recycle.
I see some batteries rated 2.8Ah. There are numerous complaints about them being oversized and other issues. I also see nothing about low self discharge. I would not expect those batteries to last as many years and lose as little charge. My post was not about how much cavity is possible, but .
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EBH
I've been really impressed with our Enloop batteries. Some of them are 12 years old and going strong. I've been buying the IKEA ones since they're relabelled Enloop for a lower price.
I bought eneloops way way back, I think (Will) Trenchmonkey had recommended them to me. Still have about 20 of them and they all still hold a charge and I use them all the time.
EB-1 wrote:
I found nearly the oldest Eneloop AA batteries possible, with mfg. date indicated 2006.
So after literally 20 years I'm getting discharge capacities at .5A of 1.84-1.86Ah or 92-93% of rated.
Sanyo really made those batteries well back then!
shutterbug guy wrote:
My Eneloops, both AAA and AA, will discharge if they’re not used for a few months. I find that periodically recharging them keeps them ready for use.
If those are the white cells then it may indicate they are near end of life, have been overcharged/damaged, or are even counterfeit. Don't store them in hot places long term like a vehicle or home garage.
The black Eneloop Pro have shorter life and higher self discharge, but are still classified as LSD.
EB-1 wrote:
If those are the white cells then it may indicate they are near end of life, have been overcharged/damaged, or are even counterfeit. Don't store them in hot places long term like a vehicle or home garage.
The black Eneloop Pro have shorter life and higher self discharge, but are still classified as LSD.
EBH
I’m using a SKYRC NC1600 smart charger, and it’s pretty good at maintaining batteries and identifying the bad ones, usually the white ones. Living in Thailand, they offer white and black Eneloops. The white ones used to be available at the 7-11s, but now black and white colors are offered on Lazada and Shopee (similar to Amazon, but local). The blue ones must have been purchased from Amazon, iirc, and I noticed that they are no longer available.
After many years of successful use, I haven’t noticed or suspected counterfeits, as I buy only locally sourced from Bangkok or Amazon.
