Energizer Low Self Discharge NiMH

External Since: Nov 24, 2005 Posts: 2794

Doug Jewell wrote:
> Ray Paseur wrote:
>>>> I have become a big fan of low self discharge NiMH batteries (aka
>>>> "precharged", "hybrid") But I had not seen any mention of these
>>>> from Energizer <snip>
>>
>> A google search turned up nothing you can buy from Energizer.
> A quick look on their Australian website (which seems to seemlessly link
> to a foreign site - no .au in the following links) revealed the following:
> http://www.energizer.com/products/hightech-batteries/rechargeables/Pag...recharg
>
> This site says they hold charge for 6 months (compared to eneloop at 12
> months).
> Also:
> http://www.energizer.com/products/hightech-batteries/rechargeables/faq...ges/faq
>
> Most rechargeable batteries self-discharge at 1.5% per day, the
> Energizer rechargeables self discharge at 0.5% per day.
> So while Eneloop might still be better for devices with very low usage,
> I would think Energizer would be better for a digital camera that will
> be used reasonably frequently - the energizer has lower self discharge
> than most, but has 25% more capacity than eneloop.
>>
>>> http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=Energizer+Hybrid+Batteries
>>
>> I've been using the Eneloop batteries for about a year. One
>> application is the flashlight that we use for an evening walk. We
>> take the dog out for about 30 minutes a night. There are four AA
>> batteries in the flashlight. Eneloop batteries with 2000mAH outlast
>> our non-hybrid rechargables (all brands) which boast 2500mAH. A full
>> charge seems to power the light for about a week to ten days. It
>> appears to me that unless you are going to discharge the non-hybrid
>> batteries very soon after charging, you are unlikely to benefit from
>> the extra 500mAH. The extra juice just gets lost in the
>> self-discharge process.
>>
>> If you do the math, rechargables of any sort make all the sense in the
>> world. Their initial cost is repaid many times over in lower
>> operating costs and less garbage in the landfill. I would encourage
>> any photographer who uses AA batteries to go immediately to
>> rechargables. Keep a backup set of lithiums if you're going somewhere
>> that doesn't have electricity, but for everyday use, go with the
>> rechargables. If your experience is anything like mine, you'll want
>> the hybrids.
>>
>> Here are some of the infrequently-used places where the Eneloop hybrid
>> (or any other brand hybrid) seem to makes sense. The flashlight in
>> the car. The P&S camera that my son uses once a week or so. My extra
>> flash unit that gets used only sproadically. The radio triggers. The
>> smoke detector. Anything else that might sit on the shelf for a
>> couple of weeks before use, or might need a low power drain for a long
>> time, because a week or two is time enough for the non-hybrids to
>> bleed a lot of their power.
>>
>> I still own and use a few of the non-hybrids batteries - they were
>> prior inventory - and as they die I am replacing all of them with
>> Eneloops.
>> Environmentally and economically yours, ~Ray
>>
I suppose if one used a full charge from his batteries in about a month,
the Energizers would be better, but what is the cost difference, if any?

External Since: Nov 24, 2005 Posts: 2794

John Navas wrote:
> On Mon, 11 Feb 2008 07:46:37 +1000, Doug Jewell
> <ask.DeleteThis@and.maybe.ill.tell.you> wrote in
> <47af70c7$0$3381$5a62ac22@per-qv1-newsreader-01.iinet.net.au>:
>
>> http://www.energizer.com/products/hightech-batteries/rechargeables/faq...ges/faq
>> Most rechargeable batteries self-discharge at 1.5% per day,
>> the Energizer rechargeables self discharge at 0.5% per day.
>
> Be careful of marketing claims. The self-discharge of standard NiMH
> cells is about 1% per day, so the difference is much less than claimed.
> See the room temperature curve in Retained Capacity in Energizer's own
> NiMH Application Manual:
> <http://data.energizer.com/PDFs/nickelmetalhydride_appman.pdf>
>
That can (and usually does) vary from brand to brand, and even batch to
batch. And who can predict what 'room temperature' is for any given
user? I suspect that storage in a car in Phoenix, and one in Fairbanks
might yield different results. Grin.