And the unfortunate Kodak liquidation continues . . .
The question is, how well do these hold up in power-thirsty devices? I’m tempted to buy some…
My new flashlight recommends NiMH batteries, making this rather tempting…
Ah.
I see the pre-charged Comment now…
I guess these are indeed Hybrid batteries, the good kind!
They should really make this a big selling point in packaging and promotion that these are Hybrid batteries. Many consumers still have a bad taste in their mouth from rechargeable batteries of the past, the kind that you charge then sit aside only to find that when you need to use them weeks later they are dead! Hybrid batteries like these will hold their charge for weeks, months, even years at a time depending on their quality.
Sanyo Eneloop brand Hybrid batteries have always been hailed as the best of the best, but I have had good luck with other brands as well.
I have a Kodak that uses these batteries and they hold up reasonably well.
As for the chargers I was looking into the 1 hour charger by itself and found it listed for $17.99 by itself with no batteries so this is a very good deal.
(Which sort of makes up for the most recent set of woot-off’s…)
Any photographers using these in speedlights? Curious to know recycle time, shelf life and overall usage. The fact that it comes with 3 chargers is a huge plus too.
Would the 1-hour charger work fine with Eneloops?
From the description:
It’s often debated whether Kodak’s “pre-charged” batteries are Low Self-Discharged (LSD) batteries like Eneloops. If they are LSD, then this is a great deal. If they’re just normal 2100mAh NiMH batteries, then the deal is just okay.
My guess is that they are LSD, since normal NiMH batteries don’t stay charged on store shelves even if they’ve been pre-charged leaving the factory. They will be depleted within months.
But if they are LSD, then the feature which automatically charges the battery isn’t very useful. In fact, you can argue that constant auto-recharging harms the battery.
I’m going to place my bet on these being LSD and order a bunch. I just need the batteries and not the charger since I already have a hi-tech LaCrosse charger and don’t need/want auto-recharging.
No reason why they wouldn’t, but remember quick charging (charging at a higher amperage) decreases the lifespan of your batteries. You should only use 1-hour charging when needed.
Also what sdc100 says.
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All chargers that work with NiMH batteries will work with LSD NiMH batteries like Eneloops. Also, read my other post about these “pre-charged” batteries. My guess is that these Kodak batteries are basically Eneloops (first generation ones).
While the charger will work, keep in mind that fast charging traumatizes the battery, potentially shortening its useful lifespan. That’s why intelligent chargers like the LaCrosse defaults at 200mA, taking about a day to charge each AA batteries. The gentle low charging protects the chemicals. If I need speed, I choose the 1000mA setting. And if I’m in a BIG hurry, I use a 15 mins Duracell charger that gets so hot that it has a built-in fan just an inch from each battery.
I agree. Kodak should highlight the LSD aspect if they are indeed LSD. Big marketing mistake!
LSD Duracells (with the white top) have been proven to be identical to the original Eneloops, except rebranded with the Duracell name. And they’re usually cheaper. I bought my Duracells for the price of normal NiMH cells.
Note that the newest Eneloops use a new formula which supposedly doubles the number of recharge cycles.
It seems you are right. Basing from this listing’s reviews on Amazon, it seems at par or better than Eneloops.
One reviewer has "confirmed that it’s a rebranded GP ReCyko+ Pre-Charged Batteries.
Based on some quick research and observations:
These are are NiMH, low self discharge batteries (basically like Eneloops). They are well reviewed on Amazon, and someone has stated (I couldn’t confirm) that they are re-branded GP Recyko+ batteries (which are also good pre-charged NiMH, comparable in quality to eneloop and other similar batteries).
The capacity is rated at 2100 (minimum 2000) and one tester claimed that they were running at around 2200, which is fantastic for pre-charged type NiMH.
This is a good deal, even if it was just for the batteries alone with no chargers. Quality low self-discharge batteries usually run about $10+ for 4. This is $25 (shipped) for 12, plus the chargers.
I would recommend NOT using the “quick” charger on these batteries, as it will shorten the lifespan of the batteries, but if you’re in a hurry I suppose that’s the trade off.
If you have a LaCrosse or other similar intelligent battery charger/refresher, even better.
If these are Low Self-Discharge (LSD), then they’re perfect for flashlights and other devices you don’t use often. The problem with normal NiMH batteries is that the power drains even without use. So a freshly charged flashlight will be dead in a few months, despite not being touched. For that reason, I would NOT recommend using regular NiMH batteries in emergency or seldomly-used devices.
No better or worse than any ordinary NiMH battery. The big difference (if these are LSD) is that these will stay charged longer without use.
One thing to keep in mind is that these are just 2100mAh, which is somewhat low. Some AA NiMH batteries can hold 2800 or even 2900mAh so you might want to look elsewhere if you don’t need LSD.
Yes, Eneloops can be used with any charger that charges NiMH batteries. But unless you’re in a hurry, it’s best to charge slowly so as to protect the lifespan of your Eneloops.
By the way, I swear by pre-charged (low self discharge) batteries. The regular old NiMH batteries frustrated the hell out of me by being dead after a month, even if you didn’t use them. These batteries are more like regular alkaline in that you can have them in your camera or other device for several months and still get some good use out of them. It makes them great for things like a wireless mouse or a camera that you don’t use every day but you want it to be ready when you need it.
Back before I had some pre-charged, I would constantly have to recharge NiMH batteries that I never even USED because they self discharged before I got a chance to use them.
The fact that the capacity is slightly less (2100 vs. say 2600) is almost irrelevant. A “regular” NiMH with 2600 capacity will probably be down around 2000 after a couple weeks on self discharge alone.
They have the same usage profile as normal NiMH batteries. If you use your flash frequently, i.e. daily, there’s no reason to use expensive LSD NiMHs. You will do just as well with cheaper generic NiMHs, like the ones they have in cordless phones.
You might want to look into NiZn batteries, which reached the market a few years ago. They cost about the same as ordinary NiMHs, and have same unfortunate self-discharge problem. But they’re favored by photographers for one reason: unlike NiMH batteries, which are rated at 1.2V, NiZn batteries are rated for 1.6V – which is even higher than alkaline’s 1.5V.
Photographers say that the flash recharges much faster due to the higher voltage. Others, though, warn that the faster recharge rate may damage the flash.
Another possible advantage of NiZn batteries is that the higher initial voltage may also mean a longer useful life before recharging. That’s because it’ll take longer for it to drop from 1.6V to an unusable level than from 1.2V.
A warning: NiZn batteries need its own specialized charger. You can NOT charge them in a normal NiMH charger.
