Rechargeable AA batteries

[victorzamora]

Eneloops. I've never heard they were lower voltage, 1.25 is normal for NiMh cells, you need alkalines to get 1.5v. Some gear has a problem with rechargeables because of that. But the Eneloops are a known quantity, as opposed to a lot of junk on the market. And their kits (with charger) again are a known quantity, Eneloops hold their charge while on the shelf, even for six months, while some brands lose 50% after 30 days. So you can do worse, very easily.

I own Eneloops and would recommend the AmazonBasics equivalent to the Eneloop cells. They frequently test similarly or better in self-discharge and capacity but cost notably less. I don't own any of the Amazon cells, but they'll be the next AA or AAA cells I buy.

 

[kelemvor]

I own several of the AmazonBasics NiMH AA batteries, they've done right by me. I don't own an ikelite ds-51 though so i can't comment on their suitability in that strobe.

According to what I've read, the higher the mAH rating, the faster the self discharge rate. The Amazon cells I own are only 2000mAH. Good shelf life, not all that spectacular capacity. I've got some energizer branded NiMH that are rated at 3200mAH. They last only a few days before self discharge becomes a problem but if I charge them and use them they last far longer than my 2000mAH cells.

 

[Skeptic14]

I use imedion, here is a link to a lsd nimh battery comparison: NiMH batteries compared, inc. the best NiMH battery

The eneloop pro are pricier and in real world metrics probably not worth the extra dough.

 

[tbone1004]

I own Eneloops and would recommend the AmazonBasics equivalent to the Eneloop cells. They frequently test similarly or better in self-discharge and capacity but cost notably less. I don't own any of the Amazon cells, but they'll be the next AA or AAA cells I buy.

I believe Sanyo, now Panasonic makes the Amazon basics cells

 

[muzikbiz22]

I believe Sanyo, now Panasonic makes the Amazon basics cells

Yep. I think they OEM most of the ones out there, including the Apple AA's, as well.

 

[victorzamora]

I believe Sanyo, now Panasonic makes the Amazon basics cells

I did some more research to confirm. That's the current rumor but nobody has confirmed it (that I could find). The AmazonBasics cells tend to perform within 85% of the Eneloops, so the determining factor is how cheaply you can get the Eneloops. The Costco pack you mentioned is good if you don't have a charger....otherewise Amazon carries some good Eneloop cell-only deals. I'm finding a lot of conflicting data out there.

The moral of the story? OP: Look for "precharged" or "low self discharge" cells. Both of these will function almost like Alkalines in terms of sitting mostly-full on a shelf for extended periods. The "typical" rechargeable Nickel cells are higher capacity but will lose their charge quickly and are more finicky about charging behavior. Search for good reviews from more electrically-technical sites for those "precharged" or "lsd" cells....but Eneloop is the golden standard and I'm retracting my AmazonBasics recommendation and actually suggesting looking for a good Eneloop deal (or looking for good reviews and making your own mind up there).

 

[tursiops]

I'm missing the point in some of these posts. Is the point to save a few cents on each cell, or to have a reliable, proven, power source? Even if real Eneloops were twice the price of (say) Amazon Basics, who cares? In the scheme of things, you are talking about one of the most minor costs of diving, but a critical part of diving, especially underwater photography (which is what this thread is supposed to be about). Would you be looking for the cheapest possible o-rings for your gear, or is a few cents more worth the peace of mind?

 

[stiebs]

+1 for Eneloops. But make sure you don't skimp on your charger. A cheap charger is likely to destroy your batteries overtime. I'd recommend a Maha charger.

 

[kelemvor]

I'm missing the point in some of these posts. Is the point to save a few cents on each cell, or to have a reliable, proven, power source? Even if real Eneloops were twice the price of (say) Amazon Basics, who cares? In the scheme of things, you are talking about one of the most minor costs of diving, but a critical part of diving, especially underwater photography (which is what this thread is supposed to be about). Would you be looking for the cheapest possible o-rings for your gear, or is a few cents more worth the peace of mind?

"eneloop is good" is not always an accurate assumption. There are 11 different versions of AA sized "eneloop" brand batteries. Those are made by at least three different manufacturers (Sanyo, Panasonic, and Fujitsu). Given the huge variation in Eneloop branded batteries, some may be great in his strobe, others may not - assuming the strobe even likes 1.2v batteries in the first place.

The point in my post was to say that looking at the battery specifications will be a more reliable indicator than the brand on the label of that battery.

 

[KeithG]

Years ago I bought a bunch of purple Lenmar AA's and a pair of super fast chargers (4 at a time). The first set of batteries slowly failed over several years so i bought a second set of silver Lenmar AA's. They then slowly died over several years. I replaced them with the black eneloops and still use the original lenmar chargers. I can charge 4 batteries in less than 1 hour. The eneloops appear to be holding up the best (even with the abuse of the fast charge rate) and most are over 4 years old (i think maybe...)