Rechargeable AA Batteries

gman

gman

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I've got a stack of Energizer 2300mAh AA rechargeable batteries that aren't behaving very well. They don't hold their charge, despite being quite new and some of them have very low use and strangely some of them charge awfully fast compared to others. It's disappointing because I thought they would have been better, but I think it's time to bin them and change

I used to have Eneloop batteries when I had flashguns etc and they did hold their charge very well. I now use AA's for my son's game controllers (Xbox and VR) and using non-rechargeable AA's is not feasible.

I remember Ikea doing rechargeable AA's that were apparently rebranded Eneloop batteries, but then I've read recent posts that they changed to a Chinese type, but then once again have changed back to Japanese, so could be Eneloop again?

I'm thinking about Eneloop Pro batteries, but I'm also wondering if 1.5V lithium-ion AA's would be worth looking at and if so, are there any decent brands to trust?
 
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I use both eneloop and Ladda rechargeables. The are both excellent in holding their charge.
However the charger plays a vital role in the life of cells, you need one that monitors individual cell while charging.
 
I was in IKEA last week and out of curiosity looked at a pack of 4 AA rechargeable batteries. £8 and it said on the back made in Japan.
Edit . Had a look on the IKEA website and the batteries shown don’t match the ones I saw in the Brent Cross store.
 
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Cheers all. Just to note, the Energizer ones I have are not lithium-ion but regular NiMH ones. I've been looking a little more into Lithium-Ion and I don't think they offer any real advantage anyway and I believe the increased capacity is a bit misleading because of the higher voltage or something? From what I gather, the main advantage is that they provide full power for longer, so perhaps good for a flashgun, but for a gaming controller perhaps not necessary?

So, sounds like the Ikea ones are the best option!


Chargers...

The charger I use is a Golisi S4, which I like because it shows the percentage, charging voltage etc for each individual battery, although I can't verify its accuracy but I suppose I could use my multimeter to check the voltage once charged. It also does Lithium-ion batteries, although I've never used it for that.

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I've got an Energizer fast charger, but I'm not too keen on the noise it makes. I've also got a Duracell one. They are all four slot chargers, but have limited info compared to the Golisi one. I'm not fused about super fast charging, I'd rather it be a little slower and be kinder on the batteries.

I've been looking around for a good charger, ideally with lots of output info as I dislike the basic ones that typically show the charge in four segments.

I quite like the look of the XTAR VC4 PLUS Battery (link) as it seems to have lots of info as well. I've no idea how good it is.

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But if anyone has any recommendations for a cool charger I would be very interested!
 

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Oh this one looks pretty cool....

LIMETA 8-Slot Smart Rechargeable Battery
Link

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The SkyRC NC2200 is apparently rated as one of the best NiMH dedicated chargers. It can connect to your phone for advanced info (although needs a £15 dongle). That's pretty cool though.

eneloop101.com

The Best Rechargeable Battery Charger in 2024 (For Eneloops, NiMH + Lithium-ion)

The best AA rechargeable battery chargers. Including AAA, AAA, and lithium ion batteries. Opus, SkyRC, Liitokala, Maha, Voltcraft, Lacrosse etc. 18650/14500
eneloop101.com eneloop101.com

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gman said:
I've got a stack of Energizer 2300mAh AA rechargeable batteries that aren't behaving very well. They don't hold their charge, despite being quite new and some of them have very low use and strangely some of them charge awfully fast compared to others. It's disappointing because I thought they would have been better, but I think it's time to bin them and change
Click to expand...

If the Energiser cells were not supplied precharged then it is perhaps more likely they are the older self-discharging types.
 
I have a 4 cel XTAR VC4 , Works OK in the year I have had it charging Powerowl nickel metal hydride batteries.
 
gramps said:
Check out the 1 star reviews! :eek:
Click to expand...

lol I did see that but I guess you can always find a crap review for most things. I think the XTAR VC4 PLUS is more to my liking though.
 
Just checked four of the Energizer rechargeable batteries after charging them up fully last night. They are now sitting at

90% 1.45V
84% 1.43V
91% 1.47V (then jumped to 97%)
86% 1.44V (then jumped to 97%)

Two of them have shifted in charge state fast in the space of a minute, two haven't moved. Been double checking with multimeter and the charger is showing as being accurate, so that's at least something.

Anyway, I went and got some LADDA AA's. I heard the 1900mAh are actually supposed to be better value, but I ended up going for the 2450mAh. They are all reading exactly 1.3V. This is showing as 1.3V on my charger as well, but also as only 39% full. I'm charging now and will see how they go.



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billgatese30 said:
IKEA LADDA batteries used to be Eneloops in IKEA's private label and were made in Japan by Sanyo. Great batteries. (y)
Click to expand...

According to some stuff I found online, it switched to being made in China and apparently performance became poor (although I've also heard that Eneloops can now be made in China), but then the IKEA ones went back to being made in Japan. The LADDA ones I've just bought say that they are made in Japan, so I'm confident so far!
 
I've been using GP ReCyco chargers for about 10 years now, they have 4 individual channels, automatic.

I used to use GP batteries, but recently bought some Amazon batteries, and they seem to be very good.

Best not to buy the highest capacity, the lower capacities (of the same make) seem to last longer.

Lithium batteries are 3V, so I assume they have LDO regulators built in and would need a specific charger.
 
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