Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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135 of 137 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Choose your battery charger wisely, April 1, 2008
This package offered here (Sanyo Eneloop Battery Charger w/ 8 AA & 4 AAA Batteries Plus 2 C & 2 D Size Adapter) is almost identical to another one under the same name (Sanyo Eneloop Battery Charger w/ 8 AA & 4 AAA Batteries Plus 2 C & 2 D Size Adapter). The only difference is the battery charger.
There are two versions of the Sanyo eneloop 4-cell charger available in the US (see my Customer Image on how to identify them). This package includes the MQN06. It forces you to charge cells in pairs (either 2 or 4), so it is very inconvenient if you have application that requires odd number of cells. Be careful not to charge a half-full cell in pair with an empty cell, because the first cell will end up over-charged, which is bad for its lifespan.
The MQN05 included in the other package is a slightly better charger, because it charges each cell individually. Unfortunately it only works with US voltage of 110V AC. So you must be careful not to use it in foreign countries with 220V AC.
If you need a compact travel charger that can do both (charges cells individually, and accepts universal voltage), I highly recommend either the KODAK 1-Hour Battery Charger K6200 or Duracell Mobile Charger CEF23DX4N.
[Update on June 30, 2009]
I noticed that this product page now shows an eneloop power pack in blister package, while the one I originally reviewed was in a blue plastic storage case. The contents are slightly different. It now contains 8 AA and only 2 (not 4) AAA eneloop cells. Also Sanyo seems to have phased out the MQN05 charger (the one that charges individually) and replaced it with MQN06 (charges in pairs only) in all eneloop packages. So please exercise caution when ordering this or similar products.
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70 of 73 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Finally, Rechargeables That Has A Shelf Life That Rivals Alkalines, July 8, 2008
The biggest drawback for Nickel Metal Hydride batteries is the shelf life. I got gadgets and toys all around the house, so I constantly charging batteries to have them ready when I need them. There will be very little juice left if you put them in the shelf unused for a couple of months. A waste of time and energy. Hence, one of the biggest advancement in battery technology is the arrival of the new low discharge Nickel Metal Hydride batteries. This is another great step in helping the environment. I have very few left of the old batteries since I started to replace all of them with low discharge batteries. Eneloops and Duracell are 2 of the best of its kind.
Pros:
-Low discharge.
-Fine quality product. Well constructed
-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".
-Included "D" & "C" spacers are really useful.
-Regular charger included (You can also use your existing NiMh charger for these batteries)
-Sleek and sexy design
Cons:
-More expensive than ordinary NiMh
-Not available at many stores
-Maxes at around 2000-2100 mAh
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90 of 98 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Read carefully! Package does NOT contain C, D batteries, February 18, 2009
It was absolutely my fault, but I ordered this package thinking that it included 4 C and 4 D size batteries, in addition to the 8 AA and 2 AAA batteries. Oops. It turned out I had not read carefully enough, that the package does NOT contain D and C size batteries. Instead, it contains D and C size 'spacers'. These spacers are pieces of plastic into which you insert AA batteries. So you are not getting 18 batteries, you are getting 10 batteries plus the ability to convert some of the 8 AA's temporarily into C and D size. I don't suggest that my mistake was due to anyone's fault but my own, but I figured that if it happened to me, it might happen to others. It is important to be fully aware of the actual contents of the package when you're comparing it to other Eneloop packages on the market. Had I known the actual contents, I probably would have opted for a less expensive package.
*UPDATE* I just tried to use the D-sized adapters in a MagLite flashlight that takes 4 D-cell batteries. I popped the AA eneloops into the D adapters... some of them clicked, others didn't quite click. I pressed firmly and did the best I could to get them to snap into place. I put them in the Mag Lite (which I know to be working), and....no power. I believe it has to do with the fact that the spiral contact at the tail end of the flashlight shaft is trying to contact a much larger circumfrenced point of contact. With the AA eneloops in the adapters, you only get the small AA termnals to try to make contact with. Well, just another reason to be careful when you make this purchase and know that you are not getting 100% genuine D-cell batteries, but rather adapters that are not 100% fool-proof. Good luck. [Update to this part: As per a suggestion in the comments on my review, I put a penny on top of the top battery's terminal, and then screwed in the flashlight's endcap. It worked -- the penny functionally increased the battery's contact area. I have no idea if this is good for the flashlight or the battery... hopefully not ruining anything.]
Update 2: Obviously, it's hard to make too much of a judgment in the short term, but in terms of the performance of the AA and AAA batteries, I have to say these are excellent. They hold charge amazingly well and their life is good when fully charged. The adapter system has its flaws, and although it's a clever idea and makes sense in a lot of ways, could use some cleaning up. I could imagine a modification to the adapters such that one end was covered in a thin piece of metal to allow for conduction, alleviating the need for the "penny trick" described in the previous paragraph. Long story short: Good buy, I'm buying more, but not a cure-all and I suspect things will continue to improve in this niche so it doesn't make sense to load up on a TON of these.
Update 3: Eneloops rock. I keep accumulating these when they go on sale. Here's a handy tip: If you find Duracell rechargeables that have a white band around the positive terminal and are made in Japan (not China), then you have found rebranded Eneloops. They will be cheaper than the Sanyo-branded eneloops.
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