Customer Reviews

Sanyo NEW 1500 eneloop 4 Pack AA Ni-MH Pre-Charged Rechargeable Batteries

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I have done extensive testing on the original eneloop rechargeable batteries since early 2007, shortly after they were introduced in the US. I have also tested the blue second-generation eneloop cells from the Costco eneloop package back in 2010. But this is the first time I have seen second-gen eneloop in white wrappings being sold in the US. With so much talk about counterfeit eneloop going around, I was understandably cautious when I purchased those SANYO NEW 1500 eneloop 8 Pack AA Ni-MH Pre-Charged Rechargeable Batteries.

I tested four of those cells, using my old La Crosse BC-900 Battery Charger.
- Right out of the package, their average remaining charge is 1568mAh, or nearly 80% of the rated capacity of 2000mAh. The spread is also very small, from 1558 to 1577mAh. This proves that they are indeed low-self-discharge type. (Date code on my cells says "11-01", or Jan 2011)
- After one recharge/discharge cycle, their average capacity improved to 2115mAh
- After two more recharge/discharge cycles, their average capacity leveled off at 2133mAh, or more than 6% higher than the rated capacity.

The above results are very consistent with what I have previously observed, while testing second-gen eneloop cells in the Costco package. Therefore I'm convinced that those are indeed genuine second-gen Sanyo eneloop cells. (See the scans I uploaded to Customer Images section, if you need to distinguish between old and new eneloop cells)

On the other hand, currently the prices of those new eneloop cells are about 25-50% higher than that of the original eneloop cells. So one may question: do the new eneloop cells offer sufficient improvement over the old, to justify the price different? Let's compare the following factors:

- Cycle Life: The 2nd-gen eneloop claims to "recharge up to 1500 cycles", while the original only claims 1000 cycles. This 50% improvement looks great on paper, but note that if you recharge your eneloop cells twice every week, it will take 10 years to reach 1000 cycles. So in real life, most average users will never notice the difference.

- Self-Discharge Rate: The new eneloop cells claim to "maintain 75% charge after 3 years", while the original only claims "80% after 2 years". Again, in real life most people will never notice the difference.

- Capacity: First-gen eneloop AA cells have "Typ 2000mAh, Min 1900mAh" printed on them, while 2nd-gen eneloop AA cells only say "Min 1900mAh". But in fact they have the same capacity rating of 2000mAh (typical) according to official Sanyo web site. My measured capacity numbers are actually around 2100mAh for both versions.


BOTTOM LINE:
Both the new and old eneloop cells are excellent products. You can safely mix and match them in any application, and probably nobody can tell the difference in the next 10 years. But in case you can't decide which version is a better value... Just flip a coin and pick one - you can't lose either way!

[Update on July 31, 2011]
Long term self-discharge data: I have tested a pair of new eneloop AA cells after 104 days sitting on the shelf (the batteries, not me). The average remaining charge is 88.7%. This charge-retention rate is slightly better than that of the original eneloop, but the difference is within margin of error for my experiment.

This package (Sanyo SEC-HR4U4BPN) contains four second-generation eneloop AAA rechargeable batteries. I have tested those cells using my old La Crosse BC-900 Advanced Battery Charger. Here are my findings:
- Right out of the package, the average remaining charge is 640mAh, or 80% of the rated capacity (800mAh)
- After the first recharge cycle, the average capacity increased to 839mAh.
- After two more recharge/discharge cycles, the average capacity leveled off at 843mAh, or 5% higher than rated capacity.

The above is very consistent with the results I obtained last year, while testing 2nd-gen eneloop AAA cells from the Costco package. Therefore I have no doubt that those batteries are genuine. Date code embossed on them says "10-12", which means Dec 2010 (see my upload in the "Customer Images" section, if you need to know where to find the date code).

According to Sanyo press releases, those 2nd-generation eneloop cells offer several benefits over the original eneloop:
- Can be recharged "up to 1500 cycles" (vs. "1000 cycles" for the original)
- Can hold "75% charge after 3 years" (vs. "80% after 2 years")
- Works down to -20 degree C (vs. -10 degree C)

In real life, however, it is nearly impossible for the average user to experience those benefits. Note the even if you recharge your cells twice every week, it will take nearly ten years to reach 1000 cycles. Furthermore, the advertised self-discharge rates for new and old eneloop cells are actually the same during first two years.

As to the capacity: original eneloop AAA cells have "Typ. 800mAh, Min. 750mAh" printed on them. The new eneloop AAA cells only say "Min. 750mAh". This has created confusions for some people, who thought the new version has lower capacity. But according to Sanyo web site, capacity of the new AAA is also 800mAh typical. My own test results, however, have shown that measured capacity of the original eneloop is around 4% higher than rated, whereas capacity of the new eneloop is about 5% higher than rated. Again, the difference is so small that most users will never notice it.

BOTTOM LINE:
Second-generation eneloop cells do offer some improvements over the original, but the actual benefit is very hard to verify in real life. In my case, the price I paid for this new eneloop AAA package is only 10% higher than that of the old one, so I consider it a good deal. If the price difference is much greater, then you have to decide whether it is worthwhile to pay extra for those perceived benefits.


[Update on May 31, 2011]
Prices for the new eneloop AAA have came down further during the past month, so now it is an even better deal. But just in case you are looking for greater bargains, you may want to consider the GP ReCkyo Pre-Charged AAA cells. They are priced lower than Sanyo eneloop, and have slightly higher capacity (rated 850mAh, measured 880mAh).

[Update on July 31, 2011]
Long term self-discharge data: I have tested a pair of new eneloop AAA cells after 92 days sitting on the shelf (the batteries, not me). The average remaining charge is 89.4%. This charge-retention rate is slightly better than that of the original eneloop, but the difference is within margin of error for my experiment.

This package (SANYO NEW 1500 eneloop 4 Pack AA Ni-MH Pre-Charged Rechargeable Batteries w/ Charger) contains four second-generation '1500 cycles' eneloop AA cells, plus the 'MQN06' 4-cell charger

I have tested those new second-generation eneloop cells about one year ago from the Costco eneloop package, and also more recently from the SANYO NEW 1500 eneloop 8 Pack AA. I can honestly say that: while both old and new eneloop are excellent products, their difference in performance is hardly noticeable. Both version have exactly the same capacity rating of 'Typ 2000mAh, Min 1900mAh'. Actual measured capacity, using my old La Crosse BC-900, is actually about 5% higher at about 2100mAh on the average.

Some advertised improvements of the new eneloop cells looked impressive on paper, but not easy to verify in real life. For example, the new cells claim to have 50% longer lifespan (from 1000 to 1500 cycles). But note that even if you recharge your eneloop cells twice every week, it will take about ten years before you can realize the difference in battery lifespan. The new eneloop also claims to "hold 75% charge after 3 years" in storage, while the old one only claims "80% after two year". Again, in real life most users will never experience any difference. But then again, it does give a warm and fuzzy feeling knowing that you are getting the latest and greatest rechargeable batteries on the market. (At least until the 2500mAh Sanyo "eneloop-XX" arrives)

Mechanically, there are some very minor differences between original and new eneloop cells (See my upload in the Customer Images section to distinguish between old and new). Note that there are some confusions about 'vent holes' on the latest eneloop cells. Some poeple even claim that cells without visible vent holes are counterfeits. But I have tested two batches of new eneloop cells with and without 'vent holes', and found them to be identical electrically. So I'm confident that those latest batch I received are genuine.

The Sanyo MQN06 4-cell charger (included in this and many other eneloop packages) is a big let-down. Here's what I don't like about this charger:
- It charges in pairs only. This is very inconvenient for appliances that take odd number of cells. If you try to charge an exhausted cell together with a half-full cell, the charging process stops as soon as the second cell is full, which means the first cell is still half-empty.
- The charging current is very low: 300mA for AA cells, 150mA for AAA cells. That means it take about 7 hours to recharge a pair of exhausted eneloop AA cells.
- If you leave a pair of charged cells in an unplugged MQN06, there is a leakage current of 0.5mA. This means a loss of 12mAh per day. In other words, a set of 2000mAh cells will become exhausted in about 5 months. That wipes out the 'low-self-discharge' benefit of eneloop cells.


CONCLUSION:
Over the past four years, I have found the original Sanyo eneloop cells to be the most consistent and reliable NiMH cells I have ever used. So I can recommend the new eneloop based on my past experience. On the other hand, I find it inexcusable that Sanyo continues to bundle the best rechargeable batteries with such a mediocre charger. So you may want to consider a package that comes with a better charger, such as the Sony Cycle Energy BCG34HRE4KN, and then buy more Sanyo eneloop cells as needed. This SONY charger can handle each cell individually, and it can be used to recharge any other brands of LSD cells.

Amazon keeps on sending the old version and deleting bad reviews

Around may/june, I read some bad reviews on Amazon sending the 1st gen eneloops instead of the 1500 version. Then they put a note that they are already aware of the issue and removed the bad reviews and placed an updated picture.

So I decided to buy this july and surprise surprise, got the same old eneloops. I requested for a replacement and after 3 days, received the same old eneloops. Had a chat with amazon rep and decided to just return the product. Now I have to wait 10-15 days to get my money back even though its their fault they keep on sending the wrong item.

I posted a review on July 18. Now amazon removed the reviews again.

Good job amazon!

I'm an early adopter of LSD (low-self-discharge) batteries, starting from the original Sanyo eneloop back in beginning of 2007. With dozens of rechargeable AA/AAA cells in use throughout the house, it would be a nightmare to keep ordinary (rapid-self-discharge) type batteries charged at all time. The only drawback of using LSD/Pre-Charged cells is that they have lower rated capacity compared to ordinary NiMH cells. Pre-charged cells are generally rated 2000-2100mAh for AA, whereas ordinary NiMH cell are typically rated 2500-2700mAh. Note that some lesser-known brands even claim up to '3000mAh', but I have found those numbers to be highly exaggerated.

I have tested a set of those newest Sanyo eneloop XX Pre-Charged Rechargeable Batteries cells, because they claim to be both pre-charged and have a much higher capacity of '2500mAh'. Date code on those cells say '10-08', which means August 2010. Here are my findings using the La Crosse BC-900 battery charger/analyzer:

- Right out of the package, the average remaining charge was 1004mAh, or just 40% of the rated capacity. The spread is very tight (990-1019mAh), which means they are indeed LSD type. Note that just like the original eneloop, those XX cells were not fully charged when they left factory,

- After just one Charge/Discharge cycle, the average capacity jumped to 2602mAh! Next cycle improved this number slightly to 2607mAH. Again the spread is very small (2570-2650mAh), indicating a good quality control.

Just for comparison, here are some of my test results for other LSD cells:
- SANYO New (1500-cycle) eneloop AA: Rated 2000mAh, tested ~2100mAh (5% higher).
- Rayovac Hybrid AA: Rated 2100mAh, tested ~2100mAh (same).
- GP Recyko NiMH AA: Rated 2100mAh, tested ~2230mAh (6% higher).
- Lenmar R2G AA: Rated 2150mAh, tested ~2030mAh (6% LOWER)
- IMEDION AA: Rated 2400mAh, tested ~2450mAh (2% higher).
- Yuasa Enitime PLUS AA: Rated 2500mAh, tested ~2400mAh (4% LOWER)

Some additional technical details printed on the Sanyo XX package:
- "Typ. 2500mAh, Min. 2400mAh" (The original eneloop claims "Typ. 2000mAh, Min. 1900mAh")
- "Recharge up to 500 times" (The original eneloop claims 1000 cycles, second-gen eneloop claims 1500 cycles)
- "Retains 75% of the capacity after 1 year of storage at 20 degree C" (The original eneloop claims 85%)
- "Suitable for temperature as low as -20 degree C" (The original eneloop calims -10, second-gen claims -20)

One important note: the Sanyo XX cell is _slightly_ thicker than the orginal eneloop cell. This may prevent you from using the XX in appliances with very tight battery compartments.

In summary, the new Sanyo XX cells really do offer the highest capacity among all LSD cells I have tested. Its capacity is comparable to that of ordinary 'high-capacity' NiMH cells, so you get the best of both worlds. On the down-side, it is currently priced about 2x higher than most other LSD cells. So you should only use them for mission-critical applications, where both low self-discharge and high capacity are required.

[Update on Oct 21, 2011]
Long-term self-discharge data:
- One pair of Sanyo XX cells was tested after three months of storage. The average remaining charge is 2060mAh, or 79.2% of their originally measured average capacity (2595mAh)
- Another pair was tested after five months of storage. The average remaining charge is 2040mAh, or 77.9% or their measured capacity (2620mAh). Note that if I use the rated capacity of 2500mAh as base line, then the charge retention rate is 81.6%

Sanyo claims the XX cell can retain 75% of rated capacity after one year of storage. This is consistent with my measured results so far.

Sanyo Eneloop low self-discharge batteries are justly praised. I bought two dozen pieces each of the AA and AAA sizes. My Kodak Easyshare C182 digital camera uses a pair of AA batteries. A freshly charged pair of Eneloops enabled me to take 250 flash pictures before the low-battery warning automatically shut the camera off. I took the photos one after another, counting them. The flash remained bright to the last photo.

When charging an Eneloop AA or AAA battery, charge it until the voltage measures 1.41 volts. No higher. You can push the voltage higher, but this harms the battery's overall life. The voltage will sink back to 1.38 volts within a day or so, but thereafter the self-discharge will become much slower.

I put two Eneloop AA batteries into my Kodak Easyshare C182 digital camera. I took flash photos one after another, in order to drain the batteries. I counted 250 photos before the low-battery warning automatically shut off the camera. That's a pretty good number of photos from one set of batteries. I'd never have gotten anywhere near that many with alkalines. And you can recharge these Eneloops up to 1500 times, so maybe one set of Eneloop AA batteries will let me take, eventually, more than 350,000 photos. If I take 20 photos each day, then two batteries would let me take photos for about 48 years. Four would suffice for a lifetime. The camera will wear out before the batteries do. I bought 32 of them, just in case there are other things that need AA batteries, also. And I bought 28 AAA size Eneloop batteries, too.

The good:

1) Made in Japan.
2) Pre-charged & ready to use.
3) Rechargeable 1500X (X = times / cycles). I'm happy with just 500X.

The not so good:

1) 2000 mAh. That's not enough juice to provide stamina for power hungry devices.

Background:

For over 4yrs now, I've been using the 'made in Japan', Low Self Discharge (LSD) AA & AAA rechargeable batteries from Sanyo called Eneloop & Eneloop 1500. I use them with all the remote controls & electronic devices / gadgets that I have. I have over a dozen pairs of the Sanyo Eneloop batteries & I like to keep them organized. I have them all marked / labeled in pairs so that I don't mix the batteries when I'm charging them. The plain white color of the Sanyo Eneloop is a plus point here.

For remote controls, the Eneloops are perfect. A single charge c'd stay for more than a year. No complaints. It's when I use the Eneloops with the Canon PowerShot A590IS Canon PowerShot A590IS 8MP Digital Camera with 4x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom that I wish that these batteries had a lil' more juice in them. I c'd barely touch an average of 200 shots with a single charge. That's when I gave the Sanyo Eneloop XX a try & I'm impressed with it. The milliampere-hour (mAh), a measurement of the electric charge transferred by a steady current of one Ampere for one hour (check Google for more detailed explanation), in the new Sanyo Eneloop XX has been upped to 2500 mAh. This increase of 500 mAh really shows an improvement in my compact camera's performance. I've already taken over 400 shots with the first charge & I'm still counting. Even the refresh time between shots have reduced a bit.

Conclusion:

Just a few yrs ago, the Sanyo Eneloop (rechargeable 1000X) used to be priced @ USD20 / 4pcs. It's now selling for about USD10 / 4pcs on Amazon & is very good value for money SANYO eneloop 4 Pack AA NiMH Pre-Charged Rechargeable Batteries. The newer Sanyo Eneloop 1500 (rechargeable 1500X), with no performance advantage over the original Eneloop, is priced @ about USD15 / 4pcs. I got the Sanyo Eneloop XX (rechargeable 500X) from B&H, NYC @ USD20 / 4pcs Sanyo Eneloop AA NiMH Pre-Charged Rechargeable Batteries - new 2500 mAh --eneloop xx -- 1 pack of 4 batteries - Limited Quantity.

I'm sure the prices will eventually come down with more competition & with newer models getting released every year. For now, the Sanyo Eneloop XX sh'd only be considered for power hungry devices such as compact cameras & remote controlled toys. For everything else, the original Sanyo Eneloop (rechargeable 1000X) is still a very good purchase & has not run out of juice just yet.

I find 1500X a lil' over exaggerated. Even if I charge a pair of Sanyo Eneloop XXs every week, 500X will last me over 9yrs. I know I'll replace / upgrade these batteries in about 5yrs or so with whatever c'd be the latest & greatest in LSD rechargeable battery technology then. For 2000 mAh LSD rechargeable batteries, I'd stick with the original Sanyo Eneloop (rechargeable 1000X) & save some bucks.

For best results, I'm using the Sanyo Eneloop batteries with La Crosse Technology BC-700 power battery charger La Crosse Technology BC-700 Alpha Power Battery Charger.

Just my $0.02.

Brgds.

I'm pretty sure I've reviewed these Eneloop batteries before but I use them so much and like them so much - I think they deserve another 5-star review!

I'm not sure what's NEW about these batteries, but they seem to be just as good as the previous Eneloops.

First, I've got about two dozen of these batteries in daily use. I've Never had one fail to take a charge and I'm sure I've cycled some of these well over 250 times.

I use them in remote controls, professional Nikon flash units, high powered LED flashlights (like the Fenix TK-40 which uses 8 AA cells) and many other applications.

I only charge them with this charger: Maha PowerEx MH-C808M Ultimate Professional Charger - available on Amazon. This model charges AAA, C, And D batteries as well. There is an AA-only model for a little less.

I think the charger is the key to long life. Some chargers keep charging or charge at such a high rate that they batteries overheat and fail prematurely.

Sanyo claims these batteries will hold at least 80% of their charge for a year. I actually tested this with two batteries. I brought them to a full charge and let them sit for a full year. Then I tested them with my tester (ZTS Multi Battery Tester - ZTS MBT-1). They both showed 80 percent. Most NiMh batteries would be totally dead after sitting for an entire year.

Note: if you want to test NiMh batteries accurately (along with many other battery types) get this charger available at Amazon: ZTS Multi Battery Tester - ZTS MBT-1. It's the best by far.

This package (SANYO NEW 1500 eneloop 2-AA Ni-MH Pre-Charged Rechargeable Batteries w/ USB Charger) contains two second-generation "1500 cycles" eneloop cells, plus the Sanyo MDU01S USB-powered battery charger. I have already reviewed the new eneloop cells several times elsewhere (for example, see the product page for SANYO NEW 1500 eneloop 8 Pack AA), so here I'll focus on the USB charger only.

Unlike a stand-alone charger (which needs to be connected to an AC outlet), the MDU01S draws its power from the USB port of your laptop or PC. That's why the charger can be made so tiny, and you never have to search for yet another AC outlet. But you must make sure that the USB port is version 2.0 (which means it can supply up to 500mA) or later. Very old computers with USB 1.0 or 1.1 ports cannot be used. Also you should not plug it into an unpowered USB hub.

The MDU01S is a very well-designed USB charger. It offers several advantages over other similar products (such as the Rayovac USB Charger):
- You can use it to recharge either 1 or 2 cells, whereas cheaper chargers often force you to charge in pairs only.
- It is a 'smart' charger that monitors the status of each cell independently, so there is no danger of over-charging the cell. Cheaper chargers usually have no charge-termination logic. They either charge at a low current forever, or rely on simple timer to stop charging.
- The charge time is relatively short for a USB-powered charger: roughly 2.5 hours for one AA cell, 5 hours for two.

Some additional notes about this charger:
- You can use it to recharge any brands of NiMH cells, not just Sanyo eneloop.
- You can charge either 1-2 AA cells, or 1-2 AAA cells. But you cannot do 1x AA plus 1x AAA at the same time.
- Charging current depends on the number of batteries. If you put just one cell in it, the charging current is 850mA. That means it takes about 2.5 hours to fully recharge one 2000mAh eneloop AA cell. But if you put two cells in it, the current drops to 450mA each. So now it takes about 5 hours to fully recharge 2 eneloop AA cells.


My only reservation about this package is that: currently there is an older package (Sanyo Eneloop 2-AA NiMH Pre-Charged Rechargeable Batteries with USB Charger) available at much lower cost. Both packages contain the same USB charger, just that the older package contains two first-generation eneloop AA cells. So essentially you're paying extra only for the two second-gen eneloop cells. I have tested both old and new eneloop cells, and found them to be almost identical electrically. In real life, most people will probably never experience the advertised benefits of new eneloop (such as 1500 cycles vs. 1000 cycles) anyway. Therefore in my opinion, the older package is actually a better value.