Sanyo Eneloop batteries good for 1,500 recharges, maintain 70% charge even after 3 years in storage
By Thomas Ricker 
posted Oct 6th 2009 9:50AM
posted Oct 6th 2009 9:50AM
We've got a thing for Sanyo's Eneloops. Had it ever since Sanyo released us from the clutches of underperforming NiCad and NiMH batteries about five years ago. Its latest AA and AAA batteries can be recharged about 1,500 times, that's about 3 years of continuous service and 500 more cycles than competing rechargeables, according to Sanyo. The batteries also feature a low self-discharge rate so they remain usable even after they've been charged and stored in a drawer. In fact, an Eneloop will maintain about 75% of its charged power even after three years. Impressive, we know, and the reason they come pre-charged from the factory for immediate use of out the box. And compared to disposables, they're as good for the environment as they are for your wallet over the long run.
Ideally MSRP will not be $14.99 each.
From the image of the new AA in the read link, the battery cap is 1900 mAh. The "old" Eneloop had a rated 2000. So is the increased recharge cycles at the (further) expense of enegy density?
@d00b: I have 16xAA-eneloops and 8xAA-rayovac hybrids in my camera bag and your comment about the ratings seemed incorrect. BTW, way to comment hijack.
The rating in both versions is 1900MAh rated capacity, while a nominal rating of 2000MAh. I wouldn't concern yourself with ratings though, none are really that accurate. My charger indicated my eneloops right out the box at a typical milliamp-hr deviation of +/- 15%(~1700-2300).
Old press release in 2005:
http://rechargeablebatteryinfo.com/sanyo-eneloop-rechargeable-batteries.php
Link in this article:
http://news.ecoustics.com/bbs/messages/10381/595121.html
No news about energy density? (As in J/ccm)
How quickly do NiMh batteries lose charge when unused?
the very strong ones (2800mah - AA) lose 30% in 3-4 weeks
Depends on their condition. I have a couple NiMH AAs that lose maybe 70% in 2 hours.
"In fact, an Eneloop will maintain about 75% of its charged power even after three years"
A day not being used and they will be dead. I leave mine in the charger til I'm ready to use it. I don't like doing that.
Sorry matt I meant non-Sanyo ones.
According to Wikipedia, regular NiMH batteries self-discharge at a rate of 30% per month.
Eneloops are by far the best Ni-MH on the market, but increasingly hard to obtain (at least in Canada). There are numerous re-brands of them though, including the "made in Japan" Duracell Pre-Charged cells.
Total Battery in Canada has Uniross Hybrio's and may be able to get you some Sanyo's if you really need.
It isn't clear in the article, but this is actually a refresh of the eneloop line. Where the originals are supposedly good for 1000+ charges these are good for 1500+
Damn meant to reply to Topmounter
Missed the fact that the stored charge is now 70% over THREE years. That's just amazing.
@MaxPower
Thanks for the clarification... this Engadget article read more like an advertisement than reporting- I didn't know why they were even writing about them.
It's unlikely the cells were changed at all, just the advertised numbers. It takes 3 years to test the 3 year power retention levels, so now, 3 years after they came out, they have them and change their ad copy to match.
Brad, shoppers drug mart is having Duracell pre-charged batteries on sale this week. $7 for a 4pack of AA or AAA, regular price is like 16 bucks. The Duracell pre-charged are rebranded Eneloops. If they don't say $7, ask the clerk to check the price and it should come up to 7 dollars. i bought 4 4pack AAs and 1 AAA pack. Might pick some more up tonight.
Yea, I think it's time to chuck my 360 Quick Charge kit that won't charge anymore for these! Now anyone know if they'll come with a nice charger with a chip to stop overcharging?
ssjchar, only the "made in Japan" Duracell Pre-Charged are rebranded Eneloops. There are also a lot of "made in China" Pre-Charged on the shelves, which last I checked is what Shoppers stocked.
The ones i got were the made in japan ones. the made in china ones seem to be only with the charger. check to see if any of your shoppers has the made in japan ones, maybe they do now.
I find them at Costco. They're sold in large-ish packs with 8-10 AAs and a couple AAAs. Charger sold separately.
I also can attest to these batteries being fairly awesome.
I've been using eneloop rechargeables for a while now... is there something new here from eneloop or just a new discovery by engadget?
Re-discovery by engadget.
New revision with the (unlikely to be tested) 1,500 charge claim. The blurb does read like an infomercial though.
RTFA, these are a newer, upgraded version of the ones that are already on the market. They can do more recharge cycles and go longer without self discharging than the already impressive Eneloops that are out there now.
Get the Maha Imedion batteries instead. 2100mAh compared to Eneloop's 2000mAh, for the same price: http://bit.ly/lXWnq
If you are looking for max mAh, check out the Maha PowerEx 2700mAh. I have two sets (4xAA and 4xAAA), and while they don't hold power over a long time as well as the Eneloops (8xAA and 8xAAA), for high-drain things like portable USB rechargers and pocket vapes, they are awesome.
Not according to my test result.
Eneloop performance is far better than Maha.
Maha may have higher capacity, but it is slow in cycle speed.
Eneloop may have lower capacity, but it is powerful and fast.
Read the test result here http://www.calvinstudio.net/?p=472
Great news Sanyo, now lets see some real C and D cells and chargers for us in the US.
There are C & D low discharge batteries around. Not Sanyo though: C: http://bit.ly/kOfRb D: http://bit.ly/d9Zvy
I have a Eneloop pack I bought from Costco. It has C and D "shells" that you plug your rechargeable AA's into to make C's and D's and they work perfectly
The adapters do work, but when you're talking about 10000mAh from a true D cell vs the 2000mAh from a AA, there's a benefit there to having a full size D.
I've been using these for over a year.
A better deal is the Rayovac 4.0 "like Lithium" rechargeable batteries that use pretty much the same tech - they are $5.79 for a pack of 4 at Fry's, and are 2100 mAh if I remember correctly (not written on the package, but confirmed with customer service).
This post shouts "PAID POST" :)
If you have used Eneloops, then you'd be happy to tell people about them too.
I've been using 4 AAAs in my Harmony 550 remote and they usually last an upwards of 3-4 months... and I watch a lot of TV.
@Ignatius
I agree. I use them for my XBOX360 controller and they last for 2 weeks to a month depending on use and then recharge in 15 minutes. That's value right there!
Costco has packages of these that come with several AA's, a couple AAA's and adapters for C and D cells, plus a charger. They're a pretty good deal...I'm planning on picking some up once I run out of the Alakline AA's that I bought.
I tried these and the sound was great. But I couldn't get the mic to work. Perhaps it was faulty?
what's the news here? these have been out for years ?!?!
Have you read the article? What's new is the "1500" times recharge.
If they called it the "Penelope", it would sell like crazy!
When is that law passing making bloggers say when they are paid for a post?
Eneloops are consistently rated as the best rechargeable batteries (check amazon, 3 out of the top 5 sellers in rechargeable batteries are eneloops). I have replaced nearly all the batteries in my house with them, and recommend them to friends and family. Anyone who has used standard rechargeable batteries and then switched to Eneloops loves them.
If you think a blog is taking compensation from companies to positively feature their gear, then Sanyo is wasting their money, since Eneloops get positive reviews everywhere.
PS the LaCrosse 9009 charger is a great charger/reconditioner.
Batteries are still rubbish though
I know, why can't portable devices run on magic instead?
I have had Eneloops for years. Did a mysterioius Eneloop package from Sanyo and a briefcase full of money suddenly appear at Engadget?
yeah thats what happens all the time.
Our Engadget authors wake up early in the morning, yawing, walking towards the HQ door, outside they found some new product boxes with briefcases of money.
It just means onething, time to write :P