Customer Reviews

Rayovac Rechargeable Hybrid NiMH Batteries, AA-size, 4-count Carded Pack (Pack of 2)

5 star:		(44)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This package includes the new Rayovac "Hybrid" rechargeable NiMH AA cells. Similar to the Sanyo "eneloop", the Hybrid 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 the Hybrid is supposed to retain 80% charge in 6 months (no mention of temperature).

On the other hand, the capacity for the Hybrid is rated at 2100mAh, which is slightly higher than that for the eneloop (2000mAh). I have tested both brands and can confirm that both ratings are accurate. In actual applications, the difference in performances of those two brands is probably negligible. So it all comes down to price. Let's hope that the competition will drive down prices for both.

[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%)

- 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 the Hybrid has slightly higher initial capacity and almost identical self-discharge rate compared to eneloop. This makes it a better choice especially if you can get it at lower price.

The Rayovac Hybrid rechargeable batteries are excellent. I have 3 small children, so we have lots and lots of toys requiring batteries. These work great in Wii remotes too. In fact, my original reason for buying these was that the Wii remotes were burning through batteries quickly since we were playing all the time.

I was spending a small fortune on traditional alkaline batteries. After reading an article about these batteries, I started buying them (Wal-Mart). I now own 24-28 of the AA size and 8 of the AAA size, and they've already paid for themselves. Too bad they don't come in C and D sizes. They do take a while to recharge - I've never timed it but it seems to take about 6 hours.

Originally I was worried that my wife and kids would throw them out when they needed recharging (thinking they were alkalines), but the battery design/coloring is unique enough that it hasn't been a problem. In fact, now my kids wonder why we have to throw away the batteries we have that aren't Rayovac Hybrids.

Buy these batteries and enjoy the performance and the savings.

Intially I thought that discharge rate didn't matter much, until I started to use these in my wall clocks, digital cameras, and flashlights. Boy did I notice a difference. For things that you leave sitting around a while, this works great. Wall Clocks run passively in the background, and a slower drain rate is great for those.

For all other information, see NLee The Engineer's review. It's an excellent overview of the product.

After having been among the early adopters of rechargeable batteries, I was a skeptic for a long time. I can remember my dad coming up with a complex system for determining when we would need batteries so he could recharge them freshly. I also remember getting all worried about if the batteries would overheat in the charger and kill us all (usually kid's paranoia).

Last year, I finally decided to try these; I was sick of constantly buying batteries in bulk and making monthly trips to the nearest battery recycling bin to discharge a little of my environmental guilt. Lo and behold, these really did have a strong charge fresh out of the package, they charge relatively quickly, and they even last longer than standard alkaline batteries in my digital camera. Go Rayovac!

NIMH batteries are all but essential with today's high-drain electronics. There's simply no reason to rely on normal alkalines for, say, a digital camera (except in a pinch). NIMH rechargeables, while initially more expensive, pay for themselves after the first recharge. The only major problem I had with NIMH batteries was that they discharged energy. This means that you can forget about storing them unless you like dead batteries. I had wished someone would make rechargeables that held their charge during storage. Lo and behold, I happen to come upon these gems from Rayovac. I like the Rayovac brand. I used their rechargeable alkalines years ago and enjoyed many hours of music on the portable CD players I've gone through. In fact, I've still got the charger for those batteries and it still works perfectly. I then moved on to their standard NIMH batteries, but had my issues with them as stated earlier. I figured I'd give these batteries a try since after my good experiences with the brand. I also needed a good set of batteries since I had gotten a digital camera last year so my finding these couldn't have come at a better time. Let me just say that they've worked out just great. They last a long time even after constant use. And, of course, there's that all-important feature of retaining their charge. I was so impressed that I bought another pack so I have a steady rotation in case my camera or my CD player need some juice. So if you need a good set of rechargeables, give these a try. I haven't been disappointed yet.

These are the new breed of Nickel Metal Hydride batteries. Now you can use them for your TV remotes, clocks, etc. where you need longer shelf lives. One of the reasons why NiMh batteries have become so popular was the proliferation of digital cameras. But for those casual shooters, who sometimes leave there batteries in the cameras and 3 months after pick it up for another special occasion; they often found it as a surprise that their batteries are depleted. Well, with these new batteries, it is no longer the case.

Pros:
+ Low discharge. Ordinary NiMh batteries discharges even just sitting on the shelf.
+ Works with your existing NiMh battery chargers.
+ Conventional size and dimension. I had other batteries that I have to use a screwdriver to remove from my camera because it is fatter than other "AA's".
+ Cheapest price as compared to other named brands (Eneloops, Duracell)

Cons:
- More expensive than ordinary NiMh

I'm a real "green" fanatic and have been using various rechargeable technologies for years. I'm no technical expert, just a consumer who needs batteries.

First thing I liked is that the batteries are ready to use out of the package.

Second, I like that they last a long time- I'm using them with my remotes, my clocks - stuff that I don't like to have to be bothered with changing the batteries on often.

But where these batteries really shine is with my digital camera. I like my digital camera to be ready to go whenever I want to take a picture. With the other rechargeables, I always had to check whether the "juice" had discharged while the camera had been sitting. These RAYOVAC hybrids keep the charge!!! yiiiippppiiieeeee!

Like I said, I'm a "green" fanatic- I'd like to see us all using solar power for everything- imagine having a solar panels on the roof of our houses and cars and not having to worry about the energy use. We need great battery technology for that!

three cheers for RAYOVAC

It's an on-going love/hate relationship. I really want to find a rechargeable battery that 1 - takes a charge and 2 - holds a charge. NiCads were not the answer because the capacity was too low, they drained over time and there was that annoying "memory" thing. It looked like NiMH's were a good fix, but I got ticked off that there was never any juice left when I went to use them. For a long time I used re-chargeable alkaline, but if they drained to zero, they were junk; also they stopped making them.

So here comes the Hybrid from Rayovac and I must say that I really like them. They take a charge and they hold it for a long time. Proof? - I have a high end flash for my DSLR. It uses 4 AA batteries. It takes a lot of juices to fire off a flash (FYI - it will illuminate the entire backyard at night and I have a big back yard!). One drawback of the big flash is the re-cycle time. When you shoot, you do not want to wait for the unit to re-charge for the next photo. The answer is to always use fresh, alkaline batteries, but this is expensive and a waste. I was pleased that these Hybrids recycle faster than brand new alkalines (I was surprised at this) AND they can sit in my flash for months and still be ready to go when I need them.

Finally - someone has got it right!

We received a pack of these for free with a charger for some promotion about 3 years ago or so. We use them for our digital cameras and Wii remotes mainly. Unfortunately, we only had 4 batteries. I've ordered several more packs recently in different sizes because I've been so impressed with them. They aren't like older rechargeable batteries that run out of power quickly. They compete with the alkalines we usually buy - only we can reuse these!

I've been using these batteries for at least six months now and I have to say I'm VERY impressed with them. The low discharge rate beccomes very apparent if you've used other rechargeable batteries before. These just work! They don't have the life of an alkaline in run time but they are very close and when you consider you can recharge them repeatedly, they're well worth the money. I LOVE THESE BATTERIES!! I was going through a huge pack of AA's per month before buying them. I'm so happy to not worry that I may not have a battery on hand when I really need it. I rotate the huge amount of them I have to the charger as needed and I always have a fresh set of batteries for any occasion without worry. Lee the engineer gave a really good review of these and basically convinced me to buy them back when I first purchased. I don't know for the life of me why he only rated them as 4 stars when the batteries he compared them to - sony eneloops - cost more and performed almost the same.

These are by far the best rechargeable batteries I've ever used at anything close to this price!!