Customer Reviews

Sanyo eneloop Power Pack Kit

5 star:		(69)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

BATTERIES: Eneloop's are the leader and you won't be disappointed about spending $33 on this kit. Hopefully you understand why these are so much better than normal rechargables, but if you haven't heard these are pre-charged. In fact, these are so good, that Eneloop-type is a more common name, rather than pre-charged.

What this means is that they hold their charge while in storage. Typical rechargables self-discharge rather quickly. My old style are almost always dead when I need them. But these hold most of their charge after a year in storage. This may not matter in devices that eat batteries like I eat Smarties, but in remote controls, clocks, doorbells, flashlights, etc, this long storage life is an absolute must.

WHAT YOU GET: You get 8 AA and sadly, only 2 AAA, a dual channel charger, and some C and D battery adapters. ///edit- unnecessary information removed/// The C and D "batteries" are ADAPTERS that use the AA cells.

ADAPTERS: I agree with the only 2-star rating, billmill was it? that the adapters are not perfect. This is not necessarily the adapters fault, but in my experience, is instead due to the huge variety in battery compartments. For example, my Maglite 3D uses a HUGE spring on the negative terminal. The end of this spring/coil is open, and so large that the AA battery by itself will actually fit inside the spring. I simply slipped a penny inside the coil, to cap that huge hole. Now it works with the adapters. Not the best solution, but it worked well for that one application. In my wireless door-bell, the negative terminals are small, normal sized springs and all is well.

Overall, this is my third type of adapter, and it is my favorite, and the best design/highest quality, plus the batteries are top notch.

CHARGER: I wish the charger would charge a single battery (vs a pair), but of the 7 chargers I have, only one (expensive) has that feature. The charger has a medium charge rate, 300mA for the AA, 150mA for the AAA, which is better for the batteries, but still charges in an acceptable (to me) amount of time. Most of my chargers are timed, this one is better because it monitors and will charge longer/shorter depending on how drained the batteries are. It also is a dual channel charger, so you can charge a really drained pair along side a lightly used pair.

I use multiple wireless flashes/Speedlites for photography, and recharge my batteries after each use. Seldom are the batteries fully discharged, and more than once my favorite timed charger has overcharged the batteries (hot, and stinky!). So having a charger in my arsenal that monitors the amount of charge is great. If you're a heavy user of rechargeables, having a La Crosse Technology BC-9009 or similar item is a must, but this is a great everyday charger.

OVERALL: Purchased individually, this kit would likely set you back $40-45 dollars. When you think petroleum jelly, you say Vaseline, right? Same with these batteries, when you think pre-charged, you say eneloop. They are just that good, that original. I highly recommend them.

TIP #1: If you don't need the adapters or the charger, but you DO want the pre-charged, make sure the other brand you are considering has a solid top, rather than a piece of cardboard. The solid tops (generally) are made in Japan, vs China. Eneloops have always been manufactured in Japan for the best quality control.

TIP #2: If you use a lot of rechargables, label them somehow: Set A, set B, or camera, remote, whatever. Try to keep these sets together, used together, charged together. It will possibly prolong the life, and also is very helpful if one of the cells eventually goes bad. Toss the bad one, and then re-purpose the remaining ones to less important jobs (remote controls), as they are likely on their last legs too.

I bought this Eneloop Power Pack Kit a year ago when all my previously purchased AA NiMH rechargeable batteries began losing their charge while standing by in storage pouches of my GPS, Digital Camera and other devices that used the AA size batteries. Eneloop seemed to be the newest, latest, greatest, and greenest of the rechargeables available today. After a year of use with my GPS, digital Camera in still and video mode and use in several motorized items I can say the power at 2000 MaH rating seems to last as long or longer than my other non-eneloop batteries rated at 2800 MaH. AND the best part? When I need to change out discharged batteries with the standbys from the storage pouch....those are still fully charged and ready to go. No more "topping off" batteries in the chargers before heading out the door on an outing.

The bonus in this kit are the C and D cell spacers. You put the charged AA battery in these spacers and install them into items that use C or D cell batteries and I can assure you that equipment will operate even better than using a C or D alkaline Energizer. Having "rechargeable C/D batteries" really extends the usable value of this kit and the included pair of AAA batteries are perfect for my penlight flashlights. I'm getting another kit to give as a Christmas gift this year.

Been charging up a storm for a year now, excellent product that really works. I remember years (decades ago actually) those old hokey chargers that never worked. We've come a long way!

I agree that these are very good batteries, with a great standby lifetime and a reasonably low charge time. But what you are buying here is an adapter kit with batteries, and as C and D adapters, I think the idea is great but the follow through is terrible.

I tried both the C and D adapters, and I couldn't get them to work in ANY device. I tried flashlights, maglites, portable lanterns, and a kid's toy. It looked like there was never enough pressure between the contacts with the adapters + batteries installed. I tried all the batteries and all the adapters in the kit, with no luck. The adapter fits are just poorly executed. Save yourself some cash if you're interested in these batteries, and buy the batteries alone, not in this kit.

Eneloop batteries are my favorite AA and AAA rechargeable batteries, but there are newer ones out now!

The newer Eneloops:

* Have 1500 charge cycles (instead of 1000)
* Retain 85% capacity after one year, 80% after two, and 75% capacity after three years
* Are better in cold temperatures... now rated for down to -20°C instead of -10°C.
* Are pre-charged with solar energy (instead of regular energy) in Japan
* AA: Have minimum 1900 mAh (same as old ones)
* AAA: Have minimum 750 mAh (same as old ones)
* Are MADE IN JAPAN (same as old ones)

It has been two years since I first heard about Eneloop rechargeable batteries on the DepotEco Blog. My first few power packs came [...] before it was possible to buy Eneloop any other way. More recent batteries have come from DepotEco. The two year old batteries are working as well as the new ones. The low self discharge feature of Eneloop is the advantage that sets it apart from the others. In the past it was necessary to have chargers for as many batteries as you needed to replace at a time because in a few days you had to charge to charge them again whether you used them or not. Rechargeable lights had to live in wall outlets to be of any use. Eneloop is ready to use many months after being charged. Flashlights, radios, test equipment are all ready to go when you need them. It takes fewer chargers when batteries hold their power for a long time.

These are the 277265 CostCo Eneloop Power Pack Kit from DepotEco and fulfilled by Amazon. It includes a charger, eight AA and two AAA rechargeable batteries. There are also adapters, four C size and four D size, that hold a AA battery in position to work in place of C or D batteries. Of course the gadget won't work as long as if it had full sized batteries but it will work correctly. There is a lot of information about Eneloop products and other things on the DepotEco Blog.

Consider if you will, how many disposable batteries go to landfills and worse places after being used one time. An Eneloop NiMh low self discharge battery works up to a thousand times and recycles when it finally quits. As long as there is a wall outlet to plug in the charger you are not going to be out of batteries longer than it takes to charge them, a few hours for four batteries. With four working and four charging you can have a constant supply of AAs (8 in the power pack) for power hungry gadgets. There are two AAAs in the kit. They last a really long time in remote controls. Many LED flashlights as well as other portable LED lights also use AAAs. There are other chargers available, not in the Kit, to charge from USB and solar power sources.

One of these Kits and some additional AA or AAA batteries is a good start. Until I began to replace all my disposable batteries with rechargeable I didn't realize how many small batteries were being used. Since going all rechargeable many toys and gadgets that fell into disuse are back in action. At less than $4 per battery including the charger and adapters how many times will you replace your disposable batteries before they have cost you more than the Eneloop Kit? If you are buying AAs in bulk at the warehouse store maybe ten times, if you count your time and transportation as nothing. Other manufacturers have similar products to offer now but Sanyo Eneloop has become the bench mark of performance. The only reason to buy another brand is if its performance is equal, the source is reliable, you save money and have the time to figure it all out.

Okay, there is another reason to buy a different battery. At nominal 1.2 volts the nickel metal hydride (NiMH) Eneloop is great for many devices but sometimes it is not enough for power hungry camera flashes, wireless microphones, and other electronics requiring higher voltages. In the past the only solution was the high priced disposable lithium and alkaline. This year PowerGenix introduced a 1.6 volt AA rechargeable cell using nickel zinc technology (NiZn) that provides low self discharge and higher voltage. The PowerGenix NiZn 1.6 volt batteries and the Eneloop NiMH 1.2 volt batteries require different chargers. Most electronics will work with either technology but DON"T mix them. Use all the same kind of battery in the gadget and put them in the correct charger.

This seller is being deceptive. I bought this pack 6 months ago for $33, but the current price is almost $90. The batteries are excellent. The best rechargeables you can buy, no question (I own over 100 of them), but don't buy from this seller at this price. He is taking advantage of his earlier 5 star reviews.

I've gone through more batteries than I care to count - whether they're "disposable" alkalines or lithiums, rechargeables or these new LSD's like the Eneloops - and I always end up coming back to these guys for my devices.

Each have their advantages, so it really depends on what YOU need them for. Alkalines are great inexpensive batteries with a smaller amount of power (if you've ever used a digital camera with some disposable AA's, you've probably seen just how quick they go!) - the great thing is you can get a ~50 pack for the price of 4 rechargables - you can also pick them up anywhere when you're on-the-go. Lithiums are more expensive but have more power - they'll last quite a bit longer, but are still disposable. If you just need a crazy amount of batteries for a one-time use, these are usually the way to go (imagine buying 50 rechargables for a days worth of usage).

The rechargables are great as they have a lot more power than alkalines, and can be, well.. recharged! If you can get by on however many you have, recharge them at night and use them the next day.. these are great. A lot of the newer ones have a high amount of power storage (2700mAH), and for certain devices (like camera flashes) it'll actually speed them up quite a bit over what you'll get from alkalines. Problem is, they drain rather quickly even when not in use (so in the case of a digital camera, if you charge the batteries, take some photos, set the camera down for a couple weeks before you need it again.. the batteries will be much lower in terms of their capacity).

The new LSD batteries like the eneloops retain most of their charge, so 2 weeks later when you pick up the camera it still has most of that power in it. The downside is that they're usually a lower capacity (like 1900mAH).

Depending what you need them for, the eneloops are fantastic. Remote controls, alarm clocks, camera flashes (where they might sit for a week or more between uses).. things that need batteries but don't get a whole lot of usage (or just last a while, like remote controls).. these work perfect on.

If you plan to drain batteries quickly (remote control cars, high-powered electronics, etc..) and don't mind charging them before use, you'll get more out of the regular nIMH batteries like the 2700mAH ones. In my case, I use the eneloops in my camera flashes, and the 2700mAH ones in the external battery packs for the flashes (where I can easily go through several sets per day).

Overall these are a great purchase (and believe me, I own about 10 sets of them) - I highly recommend them, but depending what you need them for there might be better options available.

This power pack is very nice in that it includes a Charger, 8AA, 2AAA and battery adapters for C and D sized batteries. If the price is right, get this set. Chances are you won't have much use for the C, D or AA sized batteries/adapters, and the charger isn't too special (it's very basic with no battery-life-indicators (some will show the % charged), no "refresh" option (where the charger fully drains and then fully charges the batteries) and is a bit odd in that it HAS to have 2 or 4 batteries in it to charge them. Put 1 in, nothing charges - put 3 in, 2 charge).

I have used these eneloop batteries mostly on the RockBand video game equipment. They work wonderfully and last much, much longer than a regular alkaline. Have had the same batteries used/recharged repeatedly for over a year and it doesn't seem to hold any less charge. I can still have the same set of AA's in the drum kit for weeks and weeks before the lights on the control panel start flashing indicating they're low power. Plug them into the charger and let sit for a few hours and can get another two months of play out of them where as regular alkaline batteries would be near dead within one week.
The only bad thing about this package is the housings included to turn your AA into a C or D cell battery. They don't really work on a number of things that require that size of battery because those devises usually have a larger spring to make contact against the - side of battery. The larger spring doesn't make contact on a AA battery, the spring is too big and battery too small for any contact. This is most common in flashlights.
Great batteries for RockBand and other devices, just not flashlights.

We have tried several times in the past to become an all-rechargeable household, and were disappointed each time. The rechargeable batteries we've tried before either drained out very quickly, or did not hold their charge while not in use.

These Eneloop batteries are different; they hold their charge very well while in storage, and last a really long time while in use. I've been buying a couple of packs a month and gradually replacing every AA and AAA battery in the house with Eneloops.

This kit is highly recommended. Get it and leave the charger in a convenient place, then whenever your batteries run out just pop them in overnight and store them once they are charged up. You'll never need to use disposable AA or AAA batteries again.