I don't think that's it. If you read my above posts, I put the Energizer NiHMs through the massive reconditioning cycle of my LaCrosse charger; this took an entire week. Then, straight into a Fenix L2D. They wouldn't light it up. There was no time for self-discharge, unless they do so instantly. Also, they never made it to 1.2V during charging.

Yes, they discharge within days, but that's not what I referring to here.

On the other hand, the PowerEx 2700 mAh AAs work just great. Extremely low self-discharge rate and they keep coming back for more.