Customer Reviews

Lenmar 2000 mAh NiMH Rechargeable AA Batteries (24 Pack)

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

First off, NiMH are great for most power hungry devices, but you should NOT use NiMH batteries in:
1. Emergency Devices (smoke alarms, emergency flashlight batteries, etc.)
2. Slow drain devices like clocks
This is because NiMH devices drain much quicker than Alkaline batteries. Don't expect to charge once and then use the batteries a couple of months later; they will have discharged. Another note is that NiMH batteries operate at 1.2 volts, while Alkalines are 1.5 volts. This isn't a problem for MOST devices, even ones that say "designed for Alkaline", but some things, such as clocks, simply will not work well with 1.2 volt NiMH batteries, and you should still use Alkaline in any device that doesn't behave correctly after NiMH batteries are used.

Now that I've cleared that up, should you buy these particular batteries or not? The smart consumer will notice:
1. They are not a well known brand name
2. They are only 2000mAh
3. They are an amazing deal.

The truth is, these batteries are most likely exactly the same quality as most brand name 2500mAh batteries that you'd pay 2-3 times as much for. Here's why:

1. There are only a few factories that make NiMH batteries, and they then label and sell them to various companies. The same factory that sells to Lenmar sells to the big guys as well. The only reason you'd pay a higher price is for the brand name.

2. What about mAh ratings? The answer lies in how batteries are rated at the factory. Once a battery comes off the line, it goes through a process similar to that of computer processors and other electronic devices, known as "binning". During this process the batteries are tested ONE TIME according to their resistance, and classified as between 2000mAh and 2500mAh (the maximum advertised rate currently available). The problem with this rating system is that resistance does not mean the same thing as the capacity to hold a charge, and is not a very good indicator of actual battery performance. The result is that a 2000mAh Lenmar could perform just as well or even better than a 2500mAh Energizer, Duracell or Rayovac, for instance.

3. "But what about the battery shootout", you ask? "I've seen that website where someone tested batteries from all the brands, and Lenmar didn't do very well!" The fact is, that test ONLY applies to the actual batteries used for that particular test. THAT'S IT! The batteries you buy from each manufacturer will perform completely differently from that test. This is because each individual cell varies widely in performance, there's no way to actually specify a "2500mAh battery". They are all manufactured at a certain target capacity (around 2250mAh), and then are binned according to their performance of the production line.

There is ONE exception to all of this this, however, and that is a company called MAHA and their Powerex line of batteries (not to be confused with Powerizer). I am not associated in any way with this company, but time and time again they have bested the competition and are well respected. The reason is that they test their batteries much more extensively, and this ensures that you WILL get a high performance battery almost every time. This quality comes at a price, however, as their batteries cost around 4 times as much as these Lenmars and comparable low cost NiMH cells, so unless you absolutely have to have the extra few minutes a MAHA cell will give you, it's not cost effective to purchase them.

All things considered I would highly recommend these batteries and would encourage you to look bast brand name and marketing hype when selecting NiMH batteries.

I'll tell you right off that I'll be a bit AR in this review, but with good reason.

First, I bought the best charger I could get, which according to (http://www.steves-digicams.com/nimh_batteries.html) is the LaCrosse BC-900 Advanced Charger. I was confident the features of the charger could make the best use out of any batteries I buy. No regrets at all!

Second, I looked for the best deal in town on batteries (e.g. the best deal that didn't look like a rip-off).

I bought these Lenmar 2000 batteries bcs. of the price (didn't we all?), even though I would give them a "middle-low" quality score based on the this site's testing (http://www.imaging-resource.com/ACCS/BATTS/BATTS.HTM). More on that at the end of this review (I like to think "short story").

They arrived in the mail looking noticably different from the picture on Amazon:
- They are not in the older blue "NoMEM PRO" wrapper shown on Amazon, they are in the purple "NoMEM Battery" wrapper, as shown in Elizabeth Persun's image.
- On the LENMAR website, the purple wrapper seems to have "NoMEM Battery" printed immediately above the prominent capacity rating. The batteries I received had the "NoMEM Battery" printed on the opposite side of the battery or about 3/8 inch above the capacity rating.
- They are stacked horizontally in the package (not vertically as shown in either Amazon's or Elizabeth Persun's image, AR - remember?)

I wonder if what I got is representative of the LENMAR 2420 product?

Anyway, my first set of 4 batteries were charged in TEST mode at 500mAh, where the charger initially charges the batteries, discharges them (measuring the capacity) and then recharges them again.

I got 2 batteries with good capacity ratings (1829mAh and 1769mAh) and 2 batteries with poor and rotten ratings (1404mAh and 856mAh).

Right now, I'm charging my 2nd set of four batteries in TEST mode. 2 are still under initial charging (a good sign), while the other 2 are already recharging (as in finished with initial charging and discharging), with "detestable" scores of 435mAh and 349mAh.

If this keeps up, I figure I'll end up with 12 GOOD batteries, maybe 4-6 POOR batteries and 6-8 OTHERS (it just doesn't feel right to call them batteries).

Note, the 500mAh charging rate yields a "fast" charge of about 4 hours, so maybe the OTHERS like it "rough" (1800mAh ~ 90min) or will respond to more gentle (200mAh ~ 10 hr) treatment.

To be fair, most people say the capacities of rechargeables peak around the 3rd-4th charge-discharge cycle, so I'll keep you posted if any of these improve dramatically.

When all else fails, I'll use the REFRESH mode on my charger to try to revive the POOR and OTHERS.

CONCLUSION
I have the best charger around, and that I'm glad the batteries were so inexpensive that I couldn't possibly get ripped-off (no matter how hard "Len---" tries). The 2 stars are for price alone.

Are they still "Middle-Low" Quality? No, with the variations in quality I've so far experienced, put them smack dab in the "I want to ask for a refund but it'll cost me more" category.

BUY AGAIN?
No, I did it once but I won't do it again, not unless I need a lot of batteries and I can make use of the clunkers too. If you don't have a good charger, stay away from this deal and perhaps, this brand too.

Buy Sanyo/Kodak/Energizer/MAHA/Powerex/Nexcell/Rayovac and don't get the highest capacity models (2300-2600) until their capacity/rating score improves.

This was the best deal on rechargeable batteries I could find, and they've proven to be good quality as well. They're as good as or better than all other rechargeable batteries we've tried.

I have been using Lenmar batteries for about a year and half now and am still using the same set. I've gotten NiMH batteries from Energizer, Kodak, Panasonic, and Digital concepts. Except for the capacity differences, all of the batteries I mentioned work fine. The price of the brick of 24 AA's is outstanding! The only thing that I have that is not running rechargeable now is my thermostat. Everything else in my household I am now able to use these rechargeables in (that take AA). After 2 charges or cycles, these batteries pay themselves off.

I believe that the quality of your charger is more important for the life of your batteries then the brand of the batteries. I us the MH-C204F which is a great charger in that it "allows you to safely and rapidly charge your AA & AAA batteries in 1-3 hours. With PowerEX's unique, intelligent microprocessor design, your batteries will be at their peak performance at all times." This unit is also a conditioner unit which means it has a built in dis-charger that will deplete the batteries charge all the way and then automatically charges them to extend the life of the battery. The only thing is that I had to fork out almost $30 for the bundle it came with.

The only other thing to consider is that NiMH shelf life is unique in that if the battery is left at room temperature, it has some small percentage of power loss that occurs naturally over time. We are not talking about having dead batteries after a month, but a notable amount is loss over time, all the more reason I went for the more expensive charger. I usually have a set of batteries that I rotate to the charger ever so often to ensure I have a near full battery when I need it.
For the price, and my past experience I highly recommend this brick of Lenmar batteries to anyone. It is an investment but a wise one. It is better for the environment and socially responsible.

Here's another indep review, with tests for taking images & constant current consumption. Again, the Lenmar 2000 ranks at or near the bottom.

http://www.techchallenge.com/page2.html

The Rayovac 2000 averages 153 images per charge, while the Lenmar 2000 averages 90 images.
For constant current the Rayovac 2000 averages 56.1 minutes, while the Lenmar 2000 averages only 28.7 minutes.
Bottom line is that you'll pay less for the Lenmar but would have to charge them more.

I have a charger that is able to measure the capacity. 200 mAh charge and 150 mAh discharge, some of them measure 1300, most were around 1600-1800 mAh. Good value but they are not 2000 mAh batteries.

I have extensive experience with NiMH AA batteries. These are trash. About 8 of them were 1800 mAH, 8 were less than 600mAH (throw away), and the others in between. I guess, the net cost is about what you would expect from regular brands, but then, what if you don't have the equipment I have? Caveat Emptor.

The price of these batteries was very good. So far all but one of the batteries shipped has worked. It seems to take a few charges to get them up to capacity which is what I expected. So far I am pleased. Only time will tell if they hold up to repeated useage.

These batteries work great, I have enough to fill my son's toy and not afraid of losing these cheap batteries. I have other AA Energizer rechargeable batteries I got from Sam's club which cost much more. For now, I don't notice any difference between the Energizer (made in Japan) and the Lenmar (made in China). May be time will tell.

These batteries are not worth the money, even at around a buck. The don't hold a charge for long compared to other 2000 mAh, and one of the batteries ruptured while charging, ruining my charger. I'm returning this product.