2016 Low Self Discharge C and D NiMH Batteries

[RandomFlyer]

Hi CPF,
I'm looking for recommendations on Low Self Discharge (LSD) NiMH C and D cells to replace regular NiMH cells that tend to run out of juice by themselves. Most are in Maglites (Malkoff drop-in or new gen LED) some are in back up lanterns. The higher mAh capacity of C and D cells is preferred vs running AA adaptors with Eneloops. My EDC lights run an 18650, so these NiMH lights are less frequently used and part of a multi-fuel back up collection.

Edited to add: looking for NiMH C & D available in the U.S.

In a quest for the sweet spot of value between quality, capacity and price, I didn't find a lot of recent data or reviews. However, I did find several brands currently for sale, as listed below. Only LSD, NiMH D cells were included in an effort to keep the list size manageable. All manufacturers claim 80-85% retention after one year and most also claim a capability for 1000 charge cycles. Most were spotted on Amazon, but not all have been reviewed. And, for those that have reviews, the Amazon reviews have become harder to trust.
Two of the options, Accupower and SunLabz had crazy prices on Amazon so different websites were used for pricing.
Based purely on the manufacturers claims, the SoShine stands out with 11000 mAh for $17/pair. However, that may or may not be reality.
If you have experience with any of these brands or you have other suggestions, please add to the discussion.

Thanks.


Accupower Acculoop NiMH D Batteries (10000 mAh)
2 x D batteries $32.99 (onlybatteries.com)

ANSMANN Rechargeable D Batteries 8500mAh maxE ready2use NiMH Professional D Battery
2 x D batteries $22.64 (amazon)

BAKTH Upgraded 10000mAh D Size High Performance NiMH Pre-Charged Low Self-Discharge
2 x D batteries $17.99 (amazon)

Docooler Soshine D/R20 Size 11000mAh 1.2V Low Discharge Rechargeable Ni-MH Battery RTU D11000
2 x D batteries $16.99 (amazon)

EBL D Size D Cell 10,000mah High Capacity High Rate NiMH Rechargeable Batteries
2 x D batteries $15.99 (amazon)

Powerex Low Self-Discharge Precharged D Rechargeable NiMH Batteries (MHRDP2)
2 x D batteries $31.95 (amazon)

Powerex MHRDI2 Imedion D 9500mAh Rechargeable Batteries
2 x D batteries $26.95 (amazon)

SunLabz® D Rechargeable Batteries Highest Performance NiMH 10000mAh
2 x D batteries $15.95 (SunLabz.com)

Tenergy Centura D Size Low Self-Discharge (LSD) NiMH Rechargeable Batteries 8000mAh
2 x D batteries $15.79 (amazon)

 

[mikevelarde]

you wont go wrong with Sanyo eneloop d-size 5700mah LSD battery or newer Panasonic D-size 5700mah LSD battery from B&M store!

 

[RandomFlyer]

Thanks Mike. They definitely have the reputation for quality. I didn't see those available anywhere so they were overlooked in the initial scan. They are elusive in the U.S.

I did stumble across this CPF thread below showing the internals for those cells which explains why they are on the low end of mAh capacity.
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?287461-Eneloop-C-amp-D-Cells-Exposed

 

[RandomFlyer]

Here's another post that mentions a couple different brands. Looks like he is a fan of the Maha Powerex, at least in AA form.
http://michaelbluejay.com/batteries/nimh-brands.html

 

[RandomFlyer]

These links from metaefficient give a nod to SunLabz for C cells and Maha for D cells.
http://metaefficient.com/rechargeable-batteries/csize-rechargeable-batteries-2012.html
However, I didn't see any data to back up their recommendations and their post for D cells mentions that there are a lot of LSD choices but then links to Amazon for the 11000mah Maha Powerex which is not an LSD cell.
http://metaefficient.com/rechargeable-batteries/d-size-rechargeable-batteries-2013.html

Maha does have an LSD D cell, as mentioned in the original post, their Imedion. Apparently there is a new version rated at 10000mah now.
http://www.mahaenergy.com/powerex-precharged-d-10-000mah-2-pack/

Still looking for recommendations on LSD cells here, after reviving my Tenergy Premium D cells, again.

 

[BillSWPA]

I have been happy with Tenergy Centura C, D, and 9v.

The quality of the charger makes a difference. I use a
Powerex Maha 808M for the C and D cells and will likely purchase one of their 9v chargers as well. Lifespan between charges seemed to drop when I was using a different charger.

 

[lemlux]

I also seem to get good luck with Tenergy Centura C's and D's. They cost approximately half of what Accupower, Ansmann and Imedion's do and they are available locally at both Fry's in the San Diego market.

I use a Maha MH-C808M charger that is probably the same as BillSWPA's. I do notice that most of my C and D cells, including the Tenergy Centura's tend to have false terminations when charged at the c808M's default rate of 2.0A. These false terminations are usually resolved by removing and recharging the cell, but false terminations can almost always be avoided by using the "Soft Charging" option at 1.0A.

Curiously, My Eneloop AA's have no problems at the default rate in this charger and they don't get very hot while charging.

 

[18650]

you wont go wrong with Sanyo eneloop d-size 5700mah LSD battery or newer Panasonic D-size 5700mah LSD battery from B&M store!

Aren't those 3 AA cells in parallel inside an adapter?

 

[vicv]

Aren't those 3 AA cells in parallel inside an adapter?

Probably. A d cell should be double that capacity. I know imedions are

 

[RandomFlyer]

Thanks for mentioning Tenergy Centura. It looks like they have a better price on Amazon now, 4 D cells for $25, which makes it easy to overlook their reduced capacity, 8000mah vs 10000mah.

I did manage to revive the Tenergy Premium D cells with several hours of conditioning over the course of three days (not at night while sleeping) with my Maha MH-C808M charger.

 

[Ovi_73]

Hello sir, you have a link for the B&M store where I can buy D rechareable Eneloop batteries?

Thanks,
Ivo Holshof

 

[ChrisGarrett]

Hello sir, you have a link for the B&M store where I can buy D rechareable Eneloop batteries?

Thanks,
Ivo Holshof

I think that you won't find genuine D Eneloops and from what I've read, they're old stock if you do.

Tenergy seems the way to go, IMO.

Chris