Eneloop AA Pro first impression and (lots of) photo comparison

[ponkan]

As we all know by now, we relish in the photos of flashlights in this forum. Moreover, we also enjoy the reviews and experiences that everyone in this great community of enthusiasts share.

While often focused on flashlights, let us not forget the little critters that power our hand held light: The battery. Though there are different formats of batteries available, the venerable AA battery is still going strong. Que in the Eneloop brand, previously under the Sanyo firm but now a Panasonic brand, it is regarded as the pioneer and yardstick of Low Self-Discharge batteries.

Ending my glorified introduction, let me say that my first impression on the Eneloop Pro is how brutally utilitarian and robust the battery was designed. It means business!

To start with, the Pro line is rated at 2550mah, with a minimum of 2450mah. Moreover, it is an LSD by design as it is marketed as maintaining 85% charge after 1 year of storage. First 4 eneloops that I break-in using the maha c9000 resulted in the following impressive values: 2547mah, 2523mah, 2550mah, and 2512mah. The last one has the "least" capacity result (98.5% of rated cap), though it is still way above the minimum rated capacity. Extremely thrilled by the results and now waiting for the next 4 break-ins. Even though each pack cost $19, I feel that it is a great investment as it might exceed my usage scenarios within my lifetime. Possibly even my children's lifetime. I know my 5th gen eneloops will definitely be past on to the next generation .

Just as always, I appreciate giving your time in checking out my post. I hope everyone enjoys the photos


























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[kreisl]

Thx can you add the post to the sticky
Eneloop overview cpf thread

 

[ponkan]

Thx can you add the post to the sticky
Eneloop overview cpf thread

How do I add the post to the eneloop overview cpf thread?

 

[kreisl]

Ctrl+A
Ctrl+C
Ctrl+V

Like this?:tinfoil:

 

[kreisl]

(double post)

 

[ponkan]

Yep, posted it in forum thread called Overview: all Eneloop batteries 2005-2015

 

[magellan]

Great photos and comments, thanks.

 

[TinderBox (UK)]

I think you need a good reason to buy the Pro Eneloop, when it only has up to 500 cycles, compared to the standard Eneloop`s up to 2000 cycles.

The Pro Eneloop has around 29% more capacity when compared to the standard Eneloop

John.

 

[MidnightDistortions]

I think you need a good reason to buy the Pro Eneloop, when it only has up to 500 cycles, compared to the standard Eneloop`s up to 2000 cycles.

The Pro Eneloop has around 29% more capacity when compared to the standard Eneloop

John.

I use the pros for emergency usage mostly. Main primary Eneloops I use are the standard 2000mAh cells but the high capacity cells do come in handy. The AAA pros depends as you only really get an extra 100mAh out of those cells, but are slightly cheaper than the AAs. I could probably get similar life out of the pros that way, only using them as necessary. Some people do prefer the extra runtime which can be beneficial, instead of having 2 sets of cells you can probably do with just one but if I think I'll need an extra set I usually will carry it around just as a precaution.

 

[MrJino]

Sorry for the rookie question; what are the pros and cons over a regular eneloop?

 

[WalkIntoTheLight]

Sorry for the rookie question; what are the pros and cons over a regular eneloop?

The upside is that the Eneloop Pro has 25% more capacity than the regular Eneloops.

The downsides are:
- The price is higher (almost double where I live!)
- They have far fewer cycles before they wear out (500 vs 2100)
- They have quicker self-discharge (although still very good)
- They are untested over the very long-term (I have regular Eneloops from 2006 that still work almost like new)

If you need the extra capacity, then get the Pros. The downsides are really not that significant for most purposes. 500 cycles is still a lot more than you're likely to ever use. I only use that many cycles in my most frequently used lights that I recharge 2-3 times per week. Most of my lights will probably never be recharged more than 50 times.

The biggest downside is the high price of the Pros. But over 500 cycles, it's still just pennies per cycle.

 

[ponkan]

I use the pros for emergency usage mostly. Main primary Eneloops I use are the standard 2000mAh cells but the high capacity cells do come in handy. The AAA pros depends as you only really get an extra 100mAh out of those cells, but are slightly cheaper than the AAs. I could probably get similar life out of the pros that way, only using them as necessary. Some people do prefer the extra runtime which can be beneficial, instead of having 2 sets of cells you can probably do with just one but if I think I'll need an extra set I usually will carry it around just as a precaution.

Personally, I would use the white eneloop as the emergency cell since they do maintain a charge for far longer. As far as I see it, the pro line is a good daily driver, especially for high-energy demands while still able to store it for long periods of time.

 

[TinderBox (UK)]

I think i read that people use the Eneloop Pro in there external dslr camera flash to get more shots, are the Pro different from XX or did Panasonic just change the name.

John.

 

[WalkIntoTheLight]

I think i read that people use the Eneloop Pro in there external dslr camera flash to get more shots, are the Pro different from XX or did Panasonic just change the name.

Just a name-change.