OK I looked around. It looks like the drain specs are crap. If the temp is above 15c the batteries drain quick. Not as quick as normal batteries but still not what they claim.
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595 of 605 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars LSD is great.... just keep away from heat!, January 8, 2007
By NLee the Engineer (Nashua, NH) - See all my reviews
According to Sanyo, the new eneloop LSD (low self-discharge) NiMH batteries can maintain 85% of its original charge after 1 year of storage. This claim is slightly misleading, because it is based on simulation test at 20 degree C. At higher temperature, the self-discharge rate is likely to be much higher.
I have tested five of those AA cells (details are given in my review for the eneloop 4-pack). The average energy loss is about 26% after less than 6 months of storage. This self-discharge rate is about 3 times higher than what Sanyo claimed. However, it is still 6 times lower than that of ordinary NiMH batteries. Therefore I'm in the process of replacing most of my existing rechargeable cells to the Sanyo eneloop.
This 8-pack Sanyo eneloop LSD batteries is a better value than two 4-pack. Thanks to lower self-discharge rate, you'll discover a lot more applications for eneloop cells in your house, such as in clocks, remote controls and smoke detectors.
But please, don't use them as emergency flash lights batteries in your car, because the higher temperature during summer time will probably nullify the advantage of LSD.
[Update on Jan 13, 2007]
I have tested six new eneloop AAA cells, dated "2006-06'. The average residue charge is 589mAh, and the freshly charged capacity is 827mAh. This implies a self-discharge rate of 29% in 7 months, which is consistent with the rate for AA cells (26% loss in 6 months).
[Update on Jan 29, 2007]
The Rayovac "Hybrid" rechargeable NiMH batteries are now available at Walmart, priced at only $[...] for 4-pack of AA or AAA cells. It is also advertised to have low self-discharge rate, but not as low as that for eneloop. The eneloop is supposed to retain 85% charge in 12 months (when stored at 20 degree C), whereas Hybrid is supposed to retain 80% charge in 6 months (no mention of temperature).
[Update on June 3, 2007]
In my 2-month self-discharge test using four different brands of NiMH cells. Hybrid and eneloop came up neck-and-neck!
Room temperature: 60-62 degree F (16-17 degree C). All capacities measured are average of 2-cells.
- Sanyo eneloop 2000, purchased Jan 2007.
Initial capacity measured: 2070mAh
Capacity after 62 days: 1796mAh (-13.2%)
(Note: my previous result for eneloop showed -18%, but I repeated the test and it did better this time)
- Rayovac Hybrid 2100, purchased Jan 2007.
Initial capacity measured: 2155mAh
Capacity after 62 days: 1859mAh (-13.8%)
- LaCrosse 2000, purchased Jan 2006.
Initial capacity measured: 1902mAh
Capacity after 62 days: 1417mAh (-26%)
- SONY 2300, purchased Sep 2004.
Initial capacity measured: 2210mAh
Capacity after 62 days: 1309mAh (-41%)
So neither eneloop nor Hybrid did as well as advertised, but they are still significantly better than previous generation of NiMH cells. So you can't go wrong with either brand.
-But this data doesn't make me want to use eneloop-type cells: Who actually waits 6 months before using a flash? It would be different if you were buying emergency flashlight cells, and they would be on the shelf for 2 years.
Personally, I never go more than a few days without shooting. I just don't see the advantage here.
Reports also say that these cells give slower recycling in a camera flash, and may have a shorter overall life span. There isn't a ton of hard data on this, but this seems to be the case.
To me, it makes more sense to use regular Mahas or Sanyos. Have twice the number you need for shooting, and just keep them charged.
Maybe this technology will improve, though. Most things do.
-But this data doesn't make me want to use eneloop-type cells: Who actually waits 6 months before using a flash? It would be different if you were buying emergency flashlight cells, and they would be on the shelf for 2 years.
Personally, I never go more than a few days without shooting. I just don't see the advantage here.
Reports also say that these cells give slower recycling in a camera flash, and may have a shorter overall life span. There isn't a ton of hard data on this, but this seems to be the case.
To me, it makes more sense to use regular Mahas or Sanyos. Have twice the number you need for shooting, and just keep them charged.
Maybe this technology will improve, though. Most things do....Show more →
I split the difference and bought a charger analyzer to find the poor performing batteries and fix them. The powerx 9000 will repair bad storage batteries. Im running it now and I have already found 4 bad batteries that need "forming".
A lot of people will go long times without using accessories. My wife and daughter share a digicam and they go for quite a while between uses and eneloops do quite well for them. I do mostly nature/landscape type stuff and am doing a little more people stuff where I want to use fill, etc, and am using my SB-600 more and find the eneloops handy there as well. I'd have loved them when I had my Fuji S602 as AAs for that would only last 3-4 days before getting a bit shakey so that would mean I'd need to start charging every week, evn if not sure I'd actually need them.
I use Eneloops and they work great. I haven't tested them in high temp but they seem to work as advertised and their loss rate is much, much, much less than NiMH. If you keep them in a temp in which you would be comfortable they are great and I highly recommend them.
For example, I have some blinds that use batteries to go up and down. Previously I have used Alks but didn't like the idea of throwing them away. With the Eneloops I get just about 3/4 the performance of the Alkalines in terms of how long they work in the blinds before they need to be replaced. I have a set in the blinds now that have been there for 4 months and get daily use. NiMH batteries only lasted about a month.
My standard "AA" rechargeables barely make it over nite sometimes, let alone for a whole 3 day photo trip with any decent % of their supposedly stored energy left.. From other threads on this, it seems that a lot of us have the same experience.
So it would seem the Eneloops are a decent to significant improvement. Or does the "shelf-time" depend on the importance of the photo shoot?
standard NiMH are useless to me. They're fine if you leave them in a charger, pull them out for a task, and remove them back to the charger when you're done. I tend instead to have two in my sound recorder (batteries last for months in there, so I forget about them), fill up a few pocketwizards (long lasting, again), and fill each of five flashes with AAs. Some of those flashes come with me, some sit in in a bag in reserve. Some of these will be forgotten about for weeks or months. With NiMH batts, about 60% of the time I pulled out a device, the batteries were dead (unless I spent the night before scrounging every bag I own for batteries and having a charging party). With eneloops, it's very close to zero. Problem solved. Anyone want a bag of 2700 mAh NiMHs?
also: I would sometimes use alkalines in those reserve flashes because of this problem, and because I had a stack of AA alkalines. I had two devices killed this year by leaking alkalines, one of them a $400 flash. No more, no way. eneloops or lithium disposables, end of story.
Rodney O wrote:
My standard "AA" rechargeables barely make it over nite sometimes, let alone for a whole 3 day photo trip with any decent % of their supposedly stored energy left.. From other threads on this, it seems that a lot of us have the same experience.
Really? Wow.
I haven't had this problem yet with the Mahas, but they're less than 2 month old. Maybe things change after a good number of charges. They are supposed to only lose 1% per week, and mine seem to perform as such. If they get significantly worse over time, then I might go for the eneloop types.
Fourfa, your experience REALLy surprises me. Were you perhaps using a cheap charger? From what I've read, expensive chargers like Max's really do make a difference. -Or maybe you used a cheap Taiwanese battery?
Edited by Cableaddict on Aug 12, 2008 at 06:04 AM GMT
I understood that self-discharge rate is higher in higher capacity batteries. So in theory one might do well with a lower capacity battery. Perhaps lower capacity batteries would be a better bet for those that only use their kit every couple of weeks.
The Eneloops and Sony "cycle Energy" (same exact battery) have been working well for me. I use them and th eDuracell 2650's. The Duracells are great, but do self discharge quicker than the Eneloops. I also carry along a few sets of lithiums, which stay charged forever, and are impervious to cold weather. I haven't noticed any slower recycle rate with the Eneloops either.
I use a LaCrosse BC-900 (very good smart charger) and weeded out some bad cells. The rest have plenty of juice, it just disappears quickly. And the decay time definitely gets faster as the cells get older.
).
Who's complaining about that