EBL 2300 mAh vs. Eneloop 2100 mAh NiMH?

[Alex Blain-Laider]

I'm looking to get some rechargeable NiMH and am considering both the EBL (2300 mAh) and Eneloop (2100 mAh) NiMH, but wanted to get some advice from those of you that have experience with either of these?

 

[CuriousOne]

You can get Other brand cells, with same specs, but for lower price. No need to be victim of eneloop-craze.

 

[fivemega]

I do have experience with Eneloops and never think about any other brand.

 

[chillinn]

I have experience with both Eneloop and EBL.

The short story is EBL are crap.

The longer explanation is EBL are not Low Self-Discharge, though they claim to be. EBL are cheap, really cheap compared to Eneloop. The only way you will see EBL's specced capacity is if you immediately put them into use after taking them off the charger, with no rest period, and immediately use the cell's capacity to empty. In theory, if you are using and depleting a cell every day and charging it every night, meaning, if LSD is not a feature that you'll utilize, if you are not setting your flashlight in a drawer with a charged cell and expecting it to work for more than a few minutes weeks later when you grab it, then with the low expectation of HSD (high self-discharge) in mind, it may suit your purposes, may be the more economical option. These cells also have a lower effective total number of recharge cycles before they will no longer hold a charge or the available full charged capacity becomes useless.

In all other instances, an LSD cell is superior to an HSD cell, and Eneloops will be vastly more economical in the long run.

Standard Eneloops are expensive, but they are resilient to abuse, with excellent LSD properties, and an amazing number of recharge cycles.

Eneloops are also rebranded. Duraloop (some Duracell) is a nick name for Japanese made Duracell that were produced in the same factory as Eneloop by FDK Corporation (now owned by Fujitsu, even if Panasonic now owns the Eneloop brand). These are effectively relabled Eneloops, and at times we could find them for about 1/4 less than Eneloop prices, and find them domestically in the US at local stores without too much effort. We know they are Eneloop because these cells test and rate identically to Eneloop (see the famous NLee the Engineer's reviews on Amazon). Any Duracell packages with the label on the back labeled "Made in Japan" were Duraloop. Unfortunately, IMO, within the last year Duracell switched from standard Eneloop relabel to Eneloop Pro relabel, for the advantage of increased capacity at the cost of a vastly reduced number of recharge cycles and increased fragility. The new "Made in Japan" Duracell batteries are all relabeled Eneloop Pro. We can still find the older true Duraloops in some stores as old stock, but you have to have knowledge of Duracell packaging to be able to tell the difference.

 

[vicv]

Or the Amazon basics 2000mah aa are also the 1900mah eneloops