Customer Reviews

Kodak Max 4 NiMH 1600mAh Rechargeable AA Batteries

5 star:		(33)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

As has been noted by others, the key to long between-charges NiMH battery life is the battery's mAh ("mili-amp-hours") power rating. Kodak has had a 1600 mAh battery on the market for much of this year (2000), and it replaced an earlier version that was rated at "only" 1450 mAh. The problem is, when they brought out the [much] more powerful 1600 mAh battery, they didn't change their catalog (item) number for it, from the # for their 1450 mAh battery. About the only way to tell the two apart is to look on the battery itself. The packaging, as far as I can tell, doesn't give a hint as to its content's power rating. This is bad for the consumer, but good for Kodak. Kodak can keep existing stock of the "weaker" batteries on shelves, with hopes that the consumer isn't smart enough to know the difference. Guess what, Kodak, you've been busted!

It should be noted that there are a number of battery makers that are now introducing 1600 mAh product, including Eveready. I have three sets-of-four size AA NiMH batteries - one set each of Eveready's 1200 mAh, and Kodak's 1450 & 1600 mAh. The difference in 'staying power' for the 1600's is far superior to both of the lesser rated batteries. Anyway, the lesson here is ... don't buy any NiMH battery that's rated at less than 1600 mAh. (Also, when you get a battery charger, be sure to get one that will recharge your NiMH's in five hours or less. Three hour chargers are best, and don't even think about eight hour chargers. Trust me, I know!)

Don't make the mistake of thinking that these rechargeable batteries are the same as all others; they're not. Want to know how to tell the difference? Click on the picture of the batteries above for enlargement, and look carefully at the right side of the batteries themselves - you'll see that these batteries are rated at 1450 mAh. What's that mean to you? Longer lasting. I've noticed that most rechargeable batteries are rated at 1200 mAh - only the Kodak and Olympus batteries are rated at 1450 mAh, and the Olympus batteries are more expensive.

These batteries outlast the high-end Duracells in my digital camera by 4 to 5 times! True! I don't know why, but in my Nikon Coolpix 950, Duracells drain completely in about 30-40 minutes while these babies keep on going. I had mistakenly purchased a set of Ray-o-Vac rechargeable batteries, and these Kodak's put 'em to shame.

This is the product to get. Don't waste your time looking at anything less...

These AA NiMH rechargeable batteries are great. Take about 3 hours to charge, and easily outlast alkalines in all applications, including digital camera, CD player, Walkie-Talkies and remote control car console.

The batteries I just received are 1700 mAh, to go along with the 1600 and 1450's I purchased over the past several years. Everyone has held the charge and performed as expected. I had some Olympus rechargeable batteries, they could not hold the charge the same way the Kodak's. Love the Olympus cameras, but not their batteries. They found their way to the re-cylers.

I highly recommend the Kodak rechargeable batteries for all AA applications.

This one has the 1450 mAh rating. Do a search for Kodak NiMH and get the other set. They're cheaper and they're also the 1600 mAH.

These are fantastic batteries. Whether you get the 1450 or the 1600 is a small point to quibble. I've used both ratings -- they are both five stars.

Because there is some confusion about 1450 mA-hr vs. 1600 mA-hr and about the availability of chargers, etc., I ordered batteries from Amazon and from kodak.com, just to compare. The kodak site said the batteries were on back order (now how can THAT be, when you order direct from the manufacturer? Besides, kodak.com had listed them as "in stock.") so I tried to cancel the order, but it turned out kodak ignored my cancellation email and shipped the batteries the next day anyway. They were 1600 mA-hr. Amazon was also shipped in two days. They are also 1600 mA-hr, but with Amazon you pay no sales tax.

These batteries are actually made in Japan. I have no idea if the batteries have changed, or just the ratings on the outside but it is likely that the 1450 mA-hr inventories have been sold out and that the batteries you order will be 1600 mA-hr. We use them in everything: cars, flashlights, cameras, keyboards, you get the idea. I don't even know what I did with the AC adapter for my camera; the batteries are so good and so reliable, I don't even use it.

Figuring that regular batteries cost about $1.25, that these last longer than regular batteries (in high drain devices) and will recharge about 500 times, I figure these batteries will save you about $1000 each over their lifetime. That's a five star purchase, no matter how you look at it.

Consumer Reports has not yet tested the Kodak batteries. They really only do the big battery manufacturers: Duracell, Energizer, Ray-o-Vac. So I suppose you have to trust the Amazon reviews as your best source of information for now. I don't think you can go by what CR written about other NiMH cells, which is somewhat mixed.

So let me summarize. Kodak (as usual) has done a poor job of explaining to customers why the change in battery rating, and how these batteries are supplied. Their kodak.com website is nowhere near as organized, informative or reliable as Amazon. But they have an outstanding battery.

I have a Nikon990 digital camera...it gobbles alkaline batteries from fresh to dead in about 1 hour 25 minutes when using the LCD display. I bought some of these Kodak batteries, charged them up, and have been using the camera for at least 3 hours and the battery meter is at full charge still! If your digital camera takes AA size batteries, buy these. You will be extremely happy.

Everyone says that Ni-MH rechargable batteries are critical for portable electronics such as digital cameras. Unlike the old NiCad batteries, they last longer than traditional disposables.

The most important point in buying Ni-MH batteries is the mHa rating. This tells you how much electricity they store. These batteries are rated at 1450mHa. The higher the number, the better.

I bought a few packs of these expecting the 1700mAh batteries, but they were the 1850mAh that Kodak just came out with!! I tried them out in my portable mp3 players, cd player and digital camera. They last incredibly longer then my older 1600mAh kodaks! Great deal in my opinion!

Wow so many inconsistencies from the reviewers, we should send these folks to Florida to help count the ballots! I use digital cameras for my business. I have 10 sets of these batteries and I am buying more! True Kodak did change from 1450 to 1600mAh, did the price go up for about a 10% better battery... NO! Ah, a no charge improvement for the customer! Should the retailer have sent the lower rated batteries back ...YES! Does Energizer, Nexcell, MAHA, Radio Shack, and Ray-O-Vac have lower rated batteries in the market...YES! All others are junk compared to these, I tried them too trying to save a buck and got burned, they mostly fail to charge after about 25 uses. Some of my Kodak's I have already charged about 100 times. I won't use another brand. Maybe you should trust me, I don't work for a battery company.

Click on the image of the batteries. A new web page with a zoomed image should show up. Look very closely at the capacity of the battery. You will see 1450mAh. Most NiMH batteries such as the Everyready brand are 1200mAh! About 1500mAh are the best that I've seen. The great thing about NiMH batteries is they have no memory and last much longer than ni-cad batteries.

Usually you can get over 1000 recharges out of these. I personally have set that has over 300 recharges on them this year. Yes, my digital camera eats batteries and I have a quick charger which is probably harder on them but hey, compared to akalines I've saved enough to put a down payment on my next camera! Buy a set now and start saving your own money too.