# Sanyo Eneloop vs GP Recyko AA/AAA Initial Results



## 555BUK

Having replaced all of my non-LSD batteries (apart from the excellent Duracell 2650’s) with LSD’s, I decided to record the initial results of both Sanyo Eneloop and GP Recyko AA and AAA cells. For the record I own 12x AA Eneloop, 8x AA Recyko, 12x AAA Eneloop and 12x AAA Recyko batteries.

The specifications of both brands are very similar. Sanyo quote up to 90% charge retention over 12months whilst GP say around 85% for the same period. The Eneloops are rated at 2000mAh (1900mAh min) versus the Recyko at 2100mAh (2050mAh min). On paper they are very close, but can the Recyko’s really keep up with the better known and very highly respected Eneloops?

Below are my initial findings. All batteries were tested using a Maha C9000 (0H0DA build) running identical settings. AA cells were first discharged at 1000mAh to obtain out-of-pack charge. They were left to cool and the run through the C9000’s Refresh/Analyse mode at 1000mAh charge / 1000mAh discharge to obtain 1st Cycle Charge. AAA cells observed exactly the same tests but with 500mAh for bothe charge and discharge settings.

One thing I noticed before testing is that the Recyko’s feel heavier in their packs. The Eneloops weighed in at a respectable 26.75g / 12.1g (AA/AAA) whereas the Recyko’s weighed 29.5g / 13g. Weight does not guarantee quality but it is usually a good sign.







*Results*











*Early Conclusions*
From my very limited testing it is clear that "out of the packet" the GP Recyko's surpass the Eneloops. Whether this remains the case after 50, 100 or 1000 charge cycles remains to be seen. What makes the Recyko a no-brainer for me is the price. I live in the UK where Eneloops cost £6.99 (9or more) for both AA and AAA cells vs £6.40 and £5.00 for teh GP's. BARGAIN!


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## UnknownVT

555BUK said:


> I decided to record the initial results of both Sanyo Eneloop and GP Recyko AA and AAA cells. For the record I own 12x AA Eneloop, 8x AA Recyko, 12x AAA Eneloop and 12x AAA Recyko batteries.
> One thing I noticed before testing is that the Recyko’s feel heavier in their packs. The Eneloops weighed in at a respectable 26.75g / 12.1g (AA/AAA) whereas the Recyko’s weighed 29.5g / 13g. Weight does not guarantee quality but it use usually a good sign.


 
Thank you very much for this.

Can you please measure the diameter of the GP ReCycko and compare with the eneloop? Are the ReCykos noticably fatter? Thanks.

I was thinking/guessing that the Kodak Pre-Charged are re-badged GP ReCykos -
please see Post #*12* in thread Kodak Pre-Charged NiMH

I have found that my samples of Kodak Pre-Charged do have higher capacity than eneloops.

BUT Kodak Pre-Charged may not be able to deliver all of its capacity in voltage sensitive devices - 
as they do not maintain operating voltage underload as well as eneloops - 
please see summary post #*57* in eneloop vs. Kodak Pre-Charged Voltage Maintenance.

Thanks,


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## 555BUK

UnknownVT said:


> Can you please measure the diameter of the GP ReCycko and compare with the eneloop? Are the ReCykos noticably fatter? Thanks.


An image paints a thousand words. The Recyko's are very slightly fatter than Eneloops, although overall height appears the same to me (body of Recyko is longer but nipple is shorter).


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## Mr Happy

Excellent testing.

Regarding Kodak PreCharged, take a look a the pictures in this post: https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/218956

The Kodak cells do look very similar to the GP cells, do they not?

If you can measure it, the clincher would be the internal resistance of the cell. Eneloops tend to measure about 50 milliohms, whereas the Kodak cells come out closer to 100 milliohms. See here for an example: https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/192345


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## 555BUK

Unfortunately my cheap multimeter only measures resistance down to 1 ohm.

The Kodak's do indeed look like rebadged GP's. I guess "Made in China" is not all bad.


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## Mr Happy

555BUK said:


> Unfortunately my cheap multimeter only measures resistance down to 1 ohm.


Please don't try to measure the internal resistance of a cell using the resistance range of a multimeter! You cannot do it that way and it might damage the meter.

Take a look at this thread, and especially post #6. You can make an approximate measurement quite well with the C9000.


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## 555BUK

Mr Happy said:


> Please don't try to measure the internal resistance of a cell using the resistance range of a multimeter! You cannot do it that way and it might damage the meter.


Lucky I did not try then. I'm going to the gym now (must keep the ladies happy) but will try later.


*edit*: Back from the gym and here are the C9000 Resistance calculations:-

4x Recyko AA's charged last week.
Unloaded voltage = 1.37/1.37/1.38/1.37
Loaded voltage = 1.27/1.27/1.27/1.27
1.3725-1.27/1 = *0.1025 ohms*

4x Eneloop AA's charged yesterday
Unloaded voltage = 1.4/1.4/1.4/1.4
Loaded voltage = 1.31/1.31/1.31/1.31
1.4-1.31/1 = *0.09 ohms*

The Eneloops seem a bit high, but the Recyko's perform as suggested.


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## 555BUK

A few more close-up's to help people confirm whether Kodak Pre-Charged are actually re-branded GP Recyko's.












Saying that, it would be a surprise ifKodak (the world's most consistent bad battery seller) actually sold a decent battery.


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## UnknownVT

555BUK said:


> A few more close-up's to help people confirm whether Kodak Pre-Charged are actually re-branded GP Recyko's.


 





Thanks for the pics and the diameter comparison.


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## Niconical

I recently replaced all of my eneloops with GP Recyko. I've only had the eneloops a few months, and they weren't used that much, just cycled (Maha C9000) then a few charges. The problem I had was that the eneloops don't look very rechargeable. Just in those few months I have lost 6 of them to family members who seemed incapable of understanding the concept of "don't throw it away, I'll get it back and recharge it next time I'm here". It doesn't help that there is a cheapy store brand of alkaline here that looks similar to the eneloop, just a plain white battery. 

So, I've completed cycling of the Recykos, 28 AA and 12 AAA and although I didn't do any testing or make notes, one thing I did notice was how remarkably similar they all were. Very close available capacity out of the pack, then also very close capacity after each cycle. 

They are all finished and in service now, and I'm definately happy with them. I can't imagine any battery taking the LSD crown from the eneloop, but if for whatever reason you can't get eneloops, the GP Recykos certainly seem a good equivalent.

Finally, thanks to *555BUK* for the facts and figures, that sort of info is always very helpful


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## 555BUK

I just tried an interesting test with my Canon 430EX flashgun.

Test #1
Using full charged Eneloop and Recyko cells I took 10 successive full power flash shots and recorded the total time.
Eneloop - 8.7 seconds
Recyko - 8.8 seconds

Test #2
I fully discharged two sets, and then applied a 200mAh charge for 30mins on each. At the end of the charge I measured idle voltages and then proceeded to fire 10 flashes each.
Eneloop - (1.11v) - 28 seconds
Recyko - (1.09v) - 26 seconds

I noticed that the Eneloops fired the first 5 or 6 flashes significantly quicker than the Recyko's but then got really bogged down on the last few. The Recycle had slower initial burst speed but maintained a much more consistent shot rate, only slowing slightly at the end.

I continued to shoot until both sets of batteries refused to charge the flash in less than 30 seconds. The Recyko's gave 32 flashes and the Eneloops 29.

Both sets of batteries are actually very well matched and I doubt anyone would really notice a real-world difference in most applications. I think the Eneloops may provide "Full power" for longer but fall off dramatically at the end. The Recyko's seem to have more stamina, but perhaps not the raw grunt of the Eneloops. I guess Eneloops would show a full-power battery indicator in most devices right up until they are close to death. On the other hand, Recyko's may drop from full-power sooner, but will hang on longer with the half/low-power indicators showing. MAYBE!


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## UnknownVT

555BUK said:


> Eneloop - (1.11v) - 28 seconds
> Recyko - (1.09v) - 26 seconds
> I continued to shoot until both sets of batteries refused to charge the flash in less than 30 seconds. The Recyko's gave 32 flashes and the Eneloops 29.
> I think the Eneloops may provide "Full power" for longer but fall off dramatically at the end. The Recyko's seem to have more stamina, but perhaps not the raw grunt of the Eneloops. I guess Eneloops would show a full-power battery indicator in most devices right up until they are close to death. On the other hand, Recyko's may drop from full-power sooner, but will hang on longer with the half/low-power indicators showing. MAYBE!


 
First (on my part) a _BIG_ assumption that Kodak Pre-Charged are re-badged GP ReCykos....

This is what I found in this very long thread eneloop vs. Kodak Pre-Charged Voltage Maintenance (summary post #*57*).

I think the cause for the faster initial recycling of your flashgun is because of the higher operating "potential" ie: voltage under-load of the eneloops (there is also the tested lower internal resistance).

As for lasting longer - the GP ReCyko (in my case the Kodak Pre-Charged) bascially have higher capacity - therefore will last longer -

However in voltage sensitive/threshold devices the GP ReCyko or Kodak Pre-Charged may not be able to deliver all their capacity because their operating voltage under-load has dropped below the threshold cutoff of the device -

My Pentax K100D dSLR is a very good example - eneloops can deliver about 600-1,000 shots - so can the Kodak Pre-Charged _when recently charged_ - but kept for over 3 months the eneloops still deliver 600-1,000 shots, but the Kodak Pre-Charged delivered a sad 350 shots and would not consistently power up the Pentax K100D - but they still had plenty of remaining capacity to light up a Fenix L1D on high for almost an hour (see post #*61* ).....

So this shows eneloops have higher operating voltage maintanence under-load - but it is only significant in voltage sensitive devices (for which Pentax dSLRs using AA batteries are notorious).


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## Perfectionist

555BUK said:


> I live in the UK where Eneloops cost £6.99 (9or more) for both AA and AAA cells vs £6.40 and £5.00 for teh GP's. BARGAIN!


Great post Dude !! :thumbsup:

Where can you buy the GP's from at that price ?! 

Also, what do you think about Hybrio's ?? :thinking:


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## 555BUK

UnknownVT said:


> As for lasting longer - the GP ReCyko (in my case the Kodak Pre-Charged) bascially have higher capacity - therefore will last longer -


For my tests both sets of batteries were completely drained and then charged to 100mAh capacity. Both Eneloop and Recyko had exactly the same capacity for the test. Eneloop started faster and then slowed down really quickly. Recyko was slower but kept up the flash speed for longer.


Perfectionist said:


> Where can you buy the GP's from at that price ?!
> 
> Also, what do you think about Hybrio's ?? :thinking:


I got my AA's here and AAA's here. Both were delivered within a few days. Never tried the Hybrio's but they are highly rated (and some are rebadged Eneloops).


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## UnknownVT

555BUK said:


> For my tests both sets of batteries were completely drained and then charged to 100mAh capacity. Both Eneloop and Hybrio had exactly the same capacity for the test. Eneloop started faster and then slowed down really quickly. Recyko was slower but kept up the flash speed for longer.


 
I saw that... 
let me re-think this one.

If the batteries had exactly the same power capacity (watts) - then their behavior in terms of number of flashes "_should_" have been the same, that is if the flash drew the same amount of power (watts).

However if the flash drew the same current and was not dependent on the slight difference in voltage levels - then the eneloops would be depleted earlier and the GP ReCykos would last longer....

why? since the eneloops have higher operating voltage - then at the same current eneloops would be discharging more power (watts - which would explain the stronger performance earlier) and the GP ReCyko with lower operating voltage - less.......

Please correct me if I am wrong.

However I cannot figure out why the eneloop would last any less than the ReCyko - if the current capacities were the same - as eneloops with higher operating voltage should have higher overall power capacity (watt-hr).

So is the measurement of 100mAh on the Maha C9000 a true current capacity or a "representation" of power capacity?


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## 555BUK

I guess the Maha works within certain tolerances and the point at which individual sets of batteries stop charging and discharging may vary. I did not completely drain the batteries with the flash. I simply counted flashes until each set took longer than 30 seconds to reach ready state (my gf was actually holding the stopwatch and she was not too excited about it all). Another possibility/speculation is that the GP cells accept a charge more efficiently than Sanyo (100mAh in = efficiency% held). 

I really do not have a scientific answer but can only post my observations. If I have time at the weekend I will test again. Ultimately I think different appliances may prefer different batteries. Perhaps GP's like my flashgun, or perhaps it was a fluke.

I have no bias towards either battery and my results are all accurate as tested.


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## Perfectionist

555BUK said:


> I got my AA's here and AAA's here. Both were delivered within a few days. Never tried the Hybrio's but they are highly rated (and some are rebadged Eneloops).


Dude !! You are SOOO da Man !! :twothumbs 
I just ordered a bucket load of AA's from your Amazon link ..... 4xAA for £3.38 including postage !! Dang a ding dang doo !! 
All I need now is a decent (but cheap!) charger and some AAA's at that price !!


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## tnforever

GP is a great brand, too bad I cant find them in the US. We stock up on a few of their Gold batteries whenever we're in Hong Kong, since they are a bit cheaper than the Duracells and Energizers available in the states.

I might have to pick some up when I go there this summer.


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## Mr Happy

tnforever said:


> GP is a great brand, too bad I cant find them in the US.


However, it does seem really really likely that the Kodak PreCharged you can find in Wal-Mart are the same battery as the GP Recyko.


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## UnknownVT

Perfectionist said:


> All I need now is a decent (but cheap!) charger


 
Try this one?

Soshine SC-C3 Intelligent Rapid Charger

US$13.98 (= Sterling 9.62pds) ships "free" worldwide.


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## Perfectionist

Thanks for the link ..... I'm wondering, are the GP Chargers any good ..... would they be better matched with the GP cells ?? :thinking:

http://www.gprecyko.com/en/charger_pack.html


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## Brad

Niconical said:


> I recently replaced all of my eneloops with GP Recyko. I've only had the eneloops a few months, and they weren't used that much, just cycled (Maha C9000) then a few charges. The problem I had was that the eneloops don't look very rechargeable. Just in those few months I have lost 6 of them to family members who seemed incapable of understanding the concept of "don't throw it away, I'll get it back and recharge it next time I'm here". It doesn't help that there is a cheapy store brand of alkaline here that looks similar to the eneloop, just a plain white battery.



Good point. I already informed my wife and kids that they were not to throw the white ones away. Then I immediately hid them in my tackle box. 

I know from experience that I was just talking to myself. Their eyes tend to glaze over when I talk about flashlights, batteries or the proper use of electric devices such as why it is not a good idea to throw the remote control across the room. :shakehead

Brad


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## UnknownVT

Perfectionist said:


> Thanks for the link ..... I'm wondering, are the GP Chargers any good ..... would they be better matched with the GP cells ??
> http://www.gprecyko.com/en/charger_pack.html


 
Not necessarily - any NiMH charger will charge the GP ReCyko -
obviously there are some chargers better than others.

From that page you linked I would not recommend the first two - they seem cheap and very dumb chargers (I don't even think they are timed).

Next two - 6 hours is hardly "quick".

The AR05 Fast Charger does look promising - with independent channels and about C/2 current for 1 to 2 batteries. So it really depends on how much it costs. It is likely to be the most expensive of the chargers on that page (seems about Sterling 28pds with 4x AA ReCykos)


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## Perfectionist

UnknownVT said:


> Not necessarily - any NiMH charger will charge the GP ReCyko -
> obviously there are some chargers better than others.
> 
> From that page you linked I would not recommend the first two - they seem cheap and very dumb chargers (I don't even think they are timed).
> 
> Next two - 6 hours is hardly "quick".
> 
> The AR05 Fast Charger does look promising - with independent channels and about C/2 current for 1 to 2 batteries. So it really depends on how much it costs. It is likely to be the most expensive of the chargers on that page (seems about Sterling 28pds with 4x AA ReCykos)


I was thinking about getting a cheap "smart" charger like the Soshine you recommended or this one :-

http://www.7dayshop.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=777_3&products_id=105029

But now that I've got 24 ReCyko's coming (for only £20!) I'm gonna go for the AR05 ..... have seen one on ebay for £20 including another 4 AA's !! :twothumbs

I know the Maha is the best, but not really worth the expense for my minimal use, though I'm sure I'll regret not buying one later !! 

Besides, I still love fuelling my flashlights with Energizer Lithium's !! :thumbsup:


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## vali

Perfectionist said:


> But now that I've got 24 ReCyko's coming (for only £20!) I'm gonna go for the AR05 ..... have seen one on ebay for £20 including another 4 AA's !! :twothumbs



Can you confirm they are LSD (or not) when they arrive at your home?


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## Niconical

UK members needing a cheap but working 4 channel charger, with discharge function, click here. 

Menu at top left, go to chargers, standard, then 2nd one down, charger on its own, £11.99


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## SilverFox

Hello Vali,

The GP ReCyko cells are low self discharge. I am just finishing up testing them, and they held around 80% of their initial charge for a year.

Tom


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## Perfectionist

vali said:


> Can you confirm they are LSD (or not) when they arrive at your home?


Dude they are the GP Recyko's so are definitely LSD ..... however considering the super low price, I'm hoping the seller didn't make a mistake with the listing !! Will confirm when they arrive !! 

4xAA Recyko's for £3.38 Delivered !!




Niconical said:


> UK members needing a cheap but working 4 channel charger, with discharge function, click here.
> 
> Menu at top left, go to chargers, standard, then 2nd one down, charger on its own, £11.99


This one is cheaper and possibly better ?!

3-in-1 Smart Charger for £9.99 Delivered !!




SilverFox said:


> The GP ReCyko cells are low self discharge. I am just finishing up testing them, and they held around 80% of their initial charge for a year.


Would you say the GP's are better than the Eneloop's ?? Which would you use dude ??


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## vali

Ohh, thats great then. Even if they perform a bit worse than eneloops I think its worth purchasing them. Ill probably get some 

Just another question and sorry for the off-topic. I live in Spain and wanted to know where to get a good charger, BC-900 or C-9000. Almost all online stores I found sells them with either american plug or the UK one (or are WAY TOO expensive). Does anyone know where to get one of them with european plug and a good price (shipping almos allways ruin bargains to me ).

Thanks in advance.


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## NiOOH

vali said:


> Ohh, thats great then. Even if they perform a bit worse than eneloops I think its worth purchasing them. Ill probably get some
> 
> Just another question and sorry for the off-topic. I live in Spain and wanted to know where to get a good charger, BC-900 or C-9000. Almost all online stores I found sells them with either american plug or the UK one (or are WAY TOO expensive). Does anyone know where to get one of them with european plug and a good price (shipping almos allways ruin bargains to me ).
> 
> Thanks in advance.


 
Don't worry about the plug. My C9000 also came with US-type plug. You can use adaptors to plug it into Euro outlet. These should be available cheaply in any hardware store. I even got one for free when purchased my C9000 .


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## Niconical

*Vali*, see the link in post #26. 
Componentshop.co.uk supply a euro adapter if the charger is sent to EU. 

Failing that, I bought both the LaCrosse and a Maha C9000 from a USA ebay seller with reasonable shipping rates.


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## vali

Yes, I know there are adaptors, but its just not "cool". :thumbsdow


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## NiOOH

vali said:


> Yes, I know there are adaptors, but its just not "cool". :thumbsdow


 
Frankly, I don't see anything "uncool" My adaptor slips over the US prongs and the whole piece looks exactly like my other ones that were made with Euro plugs.


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## Mr Happy

NiOOH said:


> Frankly, I don't see anything "uncool" My adaptor slips over the US prongs and the whole piece looks exactly like my other ones that were made with Euro plugs.


Yes, I've noticed that "wall warts" in the UK these days often seem to have a big bulgy bit looking like a UK plug has been stuck on the base. In the old days wall warts tended to have plug pins that were integrated flush into the body.


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## Cemoi

vali said:


> I live in Spain and wanted to know where to get a good charger, BC-900 or C-9000.



*vali*: If you can read French* try Nouveaux Objets. The cheapest version of the RS900 is 42.90€, and the RS700 (same as the RS900 but lower charge current and higher software version v36) starts at 28.40€. Unfortunately shipment to Spain is about 14€ whereas it is only 6€ to France .

I bought my RS700 from them and I'm quite happy with it.

*hay una versión española de su sitio web (de hecho medio traducida), sin embargo sólo presentan el RS900 e igual te cobran 14€ para el transporte pues en realidad despachan desde Francia.


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## Perfectionist

vali said:


> Can you confirm they are LSD (or not) when they arrive at your home?


I've got these now and can confirm they are genuine GP Recyko's :thumbsup:

They have Made In China written on them ..... whereas Eneloop are Made In Japan ..... is that why they're so much cheaper ..... should I have stuck with Eneloop's ??


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## 555BUK

Not everything made in China crap - a few good items slip through.

Here is some further analysis on the Eneloop vs Recyko now that all cells have gone through 4 or 5 discharge cycles. I include 8 Duracell 2650's for comparison. Since my original post I have increased my stock of AA Recyko's due to the stupidly low price at Amazon.co.uk.











*All charging and discharging at 500mAh for AAA and 1000mAh for AA cells using a Maha C9000.

It is clear that the Recyko's hold consistently more charge than Eneloops. In fact, the strongest of my AA/AAA Eneloops fails to match the weakest of the Recyko's.

For the same price I would probably favour the Eneloops because of their proven long-term durability. The Recyko's durability (50 cycles plus) is unknown at the moment although GP do quote the same 1000 cycles as Sanyo. But, (and this is a big BUT) within the UK Recyko's are much cheaper than Eneloops. This makes the Recyko a no brainer for anyone who can find them.

I have now fully charged one pack each of these batteries for long-term analysis. The idea is to test one of each cell type at 1month, 3month, 6month and 1year intervals to measure mAh loss/retention. I will report back in one month. 

edit: 4 packs of genuine AA Recyko's are still available from Amazon for £3.38 delivered. That is $4.68 US equivalent. The cheapest Sanyo's I can find cost more than double at £6.99.


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## PeAK

555BUK said:


> Not everything made in China crap - a few good items slip through.
> 
> Here is some further analysis on the Eneloop vs Recyko
> 
> It is clear that the Recyko's hold consistently more charge than Eneloops. In fact, the strongest of my AA/AAA Eneloops fails to match the weakest of the Recyko's.
> 
> For the same price I would probably favour the Eneloops because of their proven long-term durability. .
> .
> .
> .
> 
> edit: 4 packs of genuine AA Recyko's are still available from Amazon for £3.38 delivered. That is $4.68 US equivalent. The cheapest Sanyo's I can find cost more than double at £6.99.



There are other aspects in addition to the almighty "capacity" number that are as or more important for rechageable batteries listed in another thread:

The best batteries that I've had are some RayOvac 1600 mA-hr units (still in use). The newer Duracell 2650mA-hr are in the dumpster primarily due to overcharging caused by the erratic voltage fluctuations of those batteries under charge. The newer LSD batteries seem to be much better in this regard to address low leakage, these erratic voltage jumps seem to much less and easier for the charger to detect the end of charge signal. One sign is very hot batteries right from the first charge. (Chargers that also report "charging capacities" will report very high numbers relative to the stated capacity.)

PeAK


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## UnknownVT

PeAK said:


> There are other aspects in addition to the almighty "capacity" number that are as or more important for rechageable batteries
> The best batteries that I've had are some RayOvac 1600 mA-hr units (still in use).


 
Snap! 




I've had 2 sets of 4 of the RoV 1600mAh NiMH since about 2001 - they are also still in use - 
they've had about 100+cycles of regular use in a Canon digicam over about 21 months during 2003-5 - 
now relegated to non-critical use - 4 in digicam I use for beamshots; 2 in electric toothbrush and 2 in 1x AA flashlights, including my EDC. They need charging in about 2-3 months.....

However, good as those are....
I now consider eneloops the "best" rechargeables I've ever had.

I also have 2 sets of Kodak Pre-Charged (suspected GP ReCyko re-badges?) that I think are good - 
they do show consistent higher capacity than eneloops,
but I prefer eneloops (or DuraLoops) for my usage - 
please see eneloop vs. Kodak Pre-Charged Voltage Maintenance (summary in Post #*57* , also see post #*61* )


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## 555BUK

Points taken, but I can only provide information evidenced by tests I and others have performed. So far, there are many positive comments regarding Recyko's and Kodac pre-charged (they appear to be the same item), but few if any negatives. 

Both Recyko's and Eneloops work fine in every device I own, and without the aid of a batter tester I would not honestly be able to tell any difference between them.

So far, the price and performance of the Recyko's is unmatched where I live. Even if they fail in 2, 3 or 5 years they are still a bargain. I am not trying to say they are the best battery ever, just that they equal or exceed the benchmark Eneloops in several areas (namely price and capacity). Eneloops set the benchmark 3 years ago, but other manufacturers have had time to innovate and catch-up. Eneloops are no longer the de facto option (and neither are Recyko's)..

The Duracell's were added for reference only as it is impossible to perform a fair comparison of LSD vs non-LSD. I use the Duracell's in items where LSD's offer no benefit - my sons remote control cars and flashguns etc.

I own equal numbers of both Eneloop and Recyko cells (24 each) and hold no bias towards either manufacturer. The simple truth is that they perform very similar but one is cheaper to buy than the other. For that reason alone I would recommend Recyko.


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## 555BUK

It has been a very long time since I posted this thread (and since I posted within this forum). However, I have recently discovered AA LSD Cells that significantly outperform both Eneloop and Recyko brands.

Vapextech AA's (available @ £5.40 for 4 within the UK) seem to have pushed real world LSD capacity to 2200-2300mAh. I purchased two packs for testing after a tip-off from HotUKdeals website, and every cell returned between 2230 and 2312mAh upon first full charge. Out of pack capacities were also very high (1730 to 1808mAh) but there is no info printed on the cells or packaging to indicate production dates. The cells are rated 2300mAh with 80% retention after 6months and 70% after 12months.

Here is a link to cells in question
http://www.vapextech.co.uk/acatalog/High_Power_Consumer_Batteries.html#a18

More tests to come later....


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## s0lar

I also have some GP Recyko's and this are my results so far:
Cell 1: 1998,1971,1948(charged with a 30min charger),1776(after 30 days in storage),1884,1948,1922(charged with a 30min charger)
Cell 2: 1982,1981,1946(charged with a 30min charger),1803(after 30 days in storage),1899,1952,1897(charged with a 30min charger)
Cell 3:1936,1940,1948,1983,1994,1706(after 150 days of storage),2030,1961,1886(charged with a 30min charger),1968,1888(charged with a 30min charger)
Cell 4:1956,1899,1891,1983,1882,1971,1963,1793(after 30 days of storage),1665(after 150 days of storage),1964,2015,1888
Cell 5:1949,1938,1928,1984,1997,1718(after 150 days of storage),2038,2000,1951(charged with a 30min charger),1981,1907(charged with a 30min charger)
Cell 6:1945,1932,1910,2004,1929,1995,1995,1801(after 30 days of storage)

Charging done at 0.1C to 2C, mostly between 0.3C to 0.8C. Discharging at 0.2C to 0.4C.
After about 6 months they still have 85% of their initial capacity and 90% after a month in storage.
They also are almost fully charged after a 30min charge, compared to 2500mAh and more capacity cells that only charge to 2100mAh in the same 30min fast charger.


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## apvm

Just bought some GP Recyko and wondering if I have to charge them before use? Tia


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## AlphaZen

apvm said:


> Just bought some GP Recyko and wondering if I have to charge them before use? Tia


They should be good to go.


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## apvm

I have a Vanson V1000 and a Sanyo NC-MDR02N charger, are they ok for the Recyko? I am also thinking of buying Ultra 8 Cell Rapid AA/AAA Battery Charger with 2 LCD screens from tigerdirect due to limitation of funds, any comment? Only Maha 9000 is available here in Canada but I don't have the budget for it. If the Ultra is no good, any recommendations? Tia


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## tripplec

Well I read this all a couple of weeks ago and found a local source Markham, ON for these GP AA batteries. The package I bought said New Version on the corner. I understood the batteries would be about 85% charged out of the package. NOT I pulled a pair out and put it in my Powershot Camera (Change Batteries) flashed on the screen and after a few attempts it shutdown entirely. I tried the other pair which worked but after less than a dozen messing around shots they also went south. Ok needed charging despite the claims. I have many chargers over the years including the Eneloop and Energizer( charges each cell independly). They were virtually dead based on the 3 level LED's on it and came up to full charge later that day. I took them out but did nothing with them for days. I eventually put a pair in the camera. Straight away change batteries, checked and reinserted and still the same. I tried the other set and seemed ok. 

I was really disappointed. I tried to find customer service for the company and communicate with someone at GP Reckyo. But no, website is a ad site only no contact available. I did find a distributor in Markham after hours of searching. Well i spoke to someone who barely spoke English (very broken) and would not talk to me. She just said to take them back to seller. LOL Right a company without website and support and not ownership of the product. At any price I cannot and will not use them. Mickey Mouse in my opinion. I returned the batteries to hte seller and this was almost 2 weeks since I bought them.

I certainly would not recommend them at all. No warranty etc My son uses Eneloops in his flashlights etc and I am trying them in the camera. So far so go at least they're working. As do most alkaline batteries. FYI Panasonic Digital Power are a joke. A new set of batteries every 12 shots and almost done in a 20 pack. Panasonic support said they're not intend for high drain devices (Camera's), hmm they're digital. Oh well such a simple technology and so much 
trouble.

I am new and this is my 1st Post. I thought I'd add my experience about these batteries. Even if there are those that work the fact that the company does not exist in the normal fashion and cannot be contact with there are issues is a major NO BUY at any price for me. The can claim 1000 or 10,000 recharges but what good is it if you cannot contact if they don't work. Retailers will not replace or take them back in most cases especially after 30 days.


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## GunnarGG

tripplec,
sorry to hear about your bad Recyco cells. I have had only good experience with mine.
Maybe a bad batch or maybe mistreated during transport/storing.
_
GP Recyko_ is the name of the LSD batteries from _GP Batteries.
_No problem to find contact info:
http://www.gpbatteries.com/INT/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&layout=item&id=235&Itemid=471


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## ChrisGarrett

I've been using them for over a year and while not quite on par with Eneloops, they are worthy cells.

Here's my 1 year shoot out between Eneloop 1500s, GP ReCyKos and Imedions:

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...ut-Eneloops-GP-ReCyKos-and-Imedions-it-s-done!

Chris


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## tripplec

GunnarGG said:


> tripplec,
> sorry to hear about your bad Recyco cells. I have had only good experience with mine.
> Maybe a bad batch or maybe mistreated during transport/storing.
> _
> GP Recyko_ is the name of the LSD batteries from _GP Batteries.
> _No problem to find contact info:
> http://www.gpbatteries.com/INT/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&layout=item&id=235&Itemid=471



Thanks, The listing for Canada is who I called and they do nothing and sound like a crude distributor. There is no company rep and no customer service etc. Anyway my son and I were looking on Amazon Canada and we found a new version of 10 Eneloop batteries listed for $40. We'll order them (N/C shipping) and split them as he wanted more anyway. We know they work and Sanyo is also Panasonic so support and individuals are there should there be a problem down the road.


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## Silgt

Loved my Eneloops but my 30+ Recyko cells have served me very very well so far. I use a lot of them to power my 4 units of Rotolights and they never failed me. As the Recyko are 72% cheaper to purchase over here compared to Eneloops, they make good sense to biy in bulk. 

However my impression with Imedion is far less positive.

Sent from my GT-N7105 using Tapatalk 2


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## Swede74

Interesting video. My spontaneous thought when I watched it was that it suggests that the Eneloops have slightly lower internal resistance. What do the experts think? Is that a reasonable conclusion?


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## SilverFox

Hello Swede74,

I think that is a valid conclusion.

Tom


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## Swede74

SilverFox said:


> Hello Swede74,
> 
> I think that is a valid conclusion.
> 
> Tom



Thank you SilverFox.
:thanks:


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## mccririck

Try Turnigy LSD AA & AAA, they are excellent.


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## Tjin

I have had some bad experiences with GP recyko's. I have had about 7 failures on GP recyko's out of a stack of about 12 AA's and 10 AAA's. thats about 1/3 of them and the remainder do not perform very well either. 

After not using them for awhile i put my recyko's in my charger and it would not be reconized 7 of them and some where detected a very low voltage. (0.5 or 0.6 ish). The 7 which would not be seen detected also have crystals on the positive therminals.


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## tedscales

Tjin said:


> I have had some bad experiences with GP recyko's. I have had about 7 failures on GP recyko's out of a stack of about 12 AA's and 10 AAA's. thats about 1/3 of them and the
> 
> remainder do not perform very well either.
> 
> After not using them for awhile i put my recyko's in my charger and it would not be reconized 7 of them and some where detected a very low voltage. (0.5 or 0.6 ish). The 7 which would not be seen
> 
> detected also have crystals on the positive therminals.



Good evening all

as I've used this site before as a visitor, to my advantage, I feel I should repay the input of others by posting my own experiences.

I have been a long time user of NiCd and then NiMH batteries, I decided to look for something with a longer shelf life. That lead me to this site, and I purchased 4 each of Eneloop AA and AAA, and Recyko AA and AAA. As the Recykos were much cheaper than the Eneloops, and seem to perform about the same I've stayed with them and now have 12 Recyko AAs and 20 AAAs (with another 16 delivered but not tested).

I also purchased a 4 port Accupower IQ328 charger from Germany (or was it Austria?), cheaper than the Maha and without independent charging parameters, but good enough for me.

Without any detailed testing, nor empirical results, my experience has been as follows:

- after months of non-use, the Recykos are ready for action. I can't comment on the Eneloops because of lack of use;

- out-of-pack charge has always been at least 80%, but who knows how long they've been on the shelf;

- in low power use such as in torches, remote controls and keyboards, there is no sign of performance failure before I routinely recharge them

- in high usage application, i.e. a couple of mice, they just keep going until they suddenly die. At this point, they may or may not recharge in the Accupower charger, which may decide a battery is stuffed and ignore it. But by either shorting the positive terminal of a "dead" battery with that of one charging ok, the "dead" one will spring to life after a couple of seconds and start recharging. A minute or so in an unintelligent will also kickstart the charging process.

This seems to indicate that the Recykos will drive till they drop and so in the end the voltage will plummet quickly, then appear to be dead. I wonder if this is what tjin has seen on the suspect batteries, 

or whether they are simply from a faulty batch.

Of note the AAA batteries I have purchased recently have been from BuyInCoins/sinedy in Hong Kong. The 12 I have recharged have showed up between 750 and 850 mAh and have been roughly the 

same after a couple more charges, so they seem to be the genuine thing.

For what it's worth

Ted


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## GunnarGG

Hi Tedscales!
Welcome to CPF and thanks for your input.

But...


tedscales said:


> - in low power use such as in torches, remote controls and keyboards, there is no sign of performance failure before I routinely recharge them



If you consider torches "low power use" I think you need some new torches.


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## ChrisGarrett

Not to belabor the point, but I did some of the leg work in this little ditty:

1 year shootout between GP ReCyKo AAs, Eneloop Gen 2 AAs and Imedion AAs:

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...ut-Eneloops-GP-ReCyKos-and-Imedions-it-s-done!

Chris


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