School me about sanyo eneloops !

[Styerman]

Everyone raves about them . Whats your feedback ? What battery type are they , nickle metal hydrides perchance ?

Chris

[jzmtl]

Yeah they are NiMH with better quality seperators, result is lower self discharge, better resistance to abuse, higher discharge ability, but at cost of capacity.

[Benner]

I use them in my flashlights and in my camera and have done for a while now.  I find they are great and last for ages.

[EM745]

Put simply, Eneloops are THE best rechargeables out there, period. I've got a couple dozen ("Duraloops"), and use them in my flashlights, digicam (Canon S5) and flash.

If you can't find them locally, you're almost certain to find one of the rebrands. Here's a couple that have been proven to be, beyond any doubt, rebranded Eneloops:

-Sony CycleEnergy
-Duracell Precharged*, a.k.a. Duraloops

To be certain you're getting the real deal, make sure they're made in Japan, and that the positive terminal has a WHITE insulator/washer around it. *This is especially true in the case of the Duracells. There are China-made "Precharged" Duracells out there, with a dark-grey insulator at the positive end. Those are NOT Eneloops.

Also get a decent "smart" charger. I use a La Crosse BC-700 for refreshing and group matching, and a Duracell "Power Gauge" for most other charging duties. The Power Gauge is a really nice charger for the money, if you can get your hands on one. Charges AA's in about 4-5 hours, rarely ever fails to terminate, and it doesn't "overcook" the batteries while charging.

[zepla]

Is nickle metal hydride better than Lithium-ion, or whatever they are called?

[jzmtl]

I think Li-ion has higher energy density, but you have to take care so they don't go up in flames, and they are less resistant to abuse.

[Neil]

I use Uniross Hybrio batteries. Same kind of thing, very low self discharge.    They provide much better life in high drain applications (cameras, modern torches) than alkaline cells and unlike they're older NiMH cousins you can charge a bunch up and not worry that they'll be flat if you don't get round to using them for a couple of months.

I'll second getting a decent charger, worth the investment as they'll extend the working life of the cells. I use an ansmann energy 8.  A decent charger isn't one that can fill'em up in 15mins, you can seriously shorten the life of some rechargeables with those.  If it does a AA in three or four hours then that's a better bet.  At the least look for a charger than handles each cell separately rather than charging in pairs.

Neil

[Benner]

I use a Maha charger for mine.  Works great.

[jzmtl]

Hey just remembered you are in Canada, so go to costco and buy the bulk pack with charger when they are $10 off. The included charger is probably the best on market. 4 independent channels, 1 hour charge for 2 cells and 2 hours for 4 cells. So far it's only available in the costco canada eneloop pack.

[zepla]

I think Li-ion has higher energy density, but you have to take care so they don't go up in flames, and they are less resistant to abuse.

I heard something about that on the internet  But never had any fires in my flashlight, cell phone, model helicopter and toys! Is it possible that burning up in flames problem is more of a mythbuster kind of thing? I mean, does anybody here ever experienced something like that for them self or is it just a friend of a friend of a .....etc. story? 

[Neil]

Personally no, then again I avoid lithium batteries   Its more than just myth though.  I have seen well documented cases of lithiums behaving badly.  Main issue seems to be with using cells in series that are not at the same level.  The problem being that even when new not all cells match up    Problems are rare but they are real. 

Neil

[jzmtl]

I think Li-ion has higher energy density, but you have to take care so they don't go up in flames, and they are less resistant to abuse.

I heard something about that on the internet  But never had any fires in my flashlight, cell phone, model helicopter and toys! Is it possible that burning up in flames problem is more of a mythbuster kind of thing? I mean, does anybody here ever experienced something like that for them self or is it just a friend of a friend of a .....etc. story? 

Oh yeah it can, but as long as you take some precautions there is no problem. Namely don't discharge cells all the way down if you use multicell application, and don't mix cells of different charge state. What you are trying to avoid is reverse charge a cell.

[Styerman]

Avoid cheap Batts. that don't have real vents ( made in China ) . I use Alum.  body single cell lites , with good quality primaries , nary a problem . Check our D.Ritter's Equiped to survive blog , gives good background on actual incidents , and tells you what to avoid. It's a bit easier than wading thru a lot of stories ( often the same story retold ) on CPF .

Chris

[zepla]

Thanks for the warning   !

I never used home made multicell applications. Just complete battery packs that comes with the items i buy like cell phone, laptop and stuff like that. Or use a singel cell lithium battery like the one lithium AAA in the Fenix LOD.

Just wondering  , for example; the Surefire company is with a lot of people a respected company. What about those cr123 batteries they want us all to use in their flashlights. They are lithium, are they not?

What do you guys think? Dangerous?

Or is the burning up in flames just due to bad Lithium like Styerman said? And can I safely carry on with playing with lithium powered toys 

[jzmtl]

I think any of the made in u.s. 123a (SF included) are from the same panasonic plant.

[Styerman]

That they are , ditto for the ones that Pentagon light used to market . You shouldn't have a problem , unless you mix fresh with partially discharged , or cells of very different ages.

Chris