Looking at batteryjunction.com and costco.com for pricing, Eneloops cost twice as much per AA cell for 2/3rds the rated capacity. Energizer Lithiums self-discharge more slowly and weigh less. In an extended power outage, I'd far prefer to have Energizer Lithiums over the same number of Eneloops, even if fully charged.

Over time, Eneloops are far less expensive. I use them for a variety of purposes. But for me, Energizer Lithiums make more sense to keep with my emergency gear.

Thanks for the heads-up. I picked up another Eneloop pack from Costco a couple months ago and recall that the batteries were a different color. Will take another look and make sure. That's a fantastic price.

The Eneloops have been terrific for powering my Nikon external flash. I've also used them in walkie-talkies for roadtrips, portable radio, etc. Things that tend to see intensive bursts of use. I keep the Eneloop chargers and batteries segregated in an LL Bean kiddie lunch box.

I must've read the Consumer Reports article because I now only buy Costco's Kirkland-brand batteries after reading that they are not the longest-lasting batteries but generics are the most cost-effective.

Can't say I'm streamlining batteries. I'm still using gear from the mid-1990s such as a Grundig YB400, walkie-talkies, portable radios and several small lanterns. Those all take "AA" or "AAA"

I had gotten away from "D" batteries until I bought some Coleman tent fans this summer and suddenly had to buy a bunch.

In the last few years I obtained a few Surefire flashlights and headlamp, all require the 123 batteries and I bought way ahead on those when Bean was still carrying them for $20/box.

The wafer CR-2032 batteries have been another new addition to the battery supply. [Petzl e-lites, LED hats, weather station, blinky dog collars and even a bike jacket and vest]

I store the non-eneloop, non-D batteries in a sturdy zipped bag that I throw in the car for roadtrips.

IIRC, the bundled Eneloop chargers being sold at Costco do not have independent charging bays. Which means you'll have to charge 2 batteries (in a similar state of charge) at a time. Not a bad thing just something to be aware of.

It makes sense to spend $30-40 and get a charger with independent bays. The cost over time is insignificant. Most models will recharge better than the cheaper types and give you better battery life.

When they first started selling the Eneloop sets in the Costco warehouse, they came with a charger that would charge one battery at a time. Then they soon went to the charger's with the sets that require two batteries. I was lucky and have the original. It looks different too with a slide on cover.

The Eneloop 4 bay independent channel charger I've got is Model #MQH03U. Bought it on eBay and it came bundled with some 4AA/4AAA's and a 12V car adapter. It even has 2 charging rates (fast/slow). Last year that same charger bundle was on sale at Dell.com Canada for $19.95 shipped!! Don't know why they weren't offered here. There's also a newer (2 independet bay) charger/booster that can only be found on eBay. Not offered in North America yet AFAIK. You can charge batteries or (using Eneloop or Alkaline batteries) use it to charge a cell phone, iPod, whatever. Model Sanyo #KBC-E1.

After the first power outage though they become cheaper since your now buying new lithiums instead of just topping off the charge.
What happens if your without power long enough to use up yoyr stock of lithium, you can't recharge them from a car battery, solar, hand crank, bicycle etc.
Co-workers were talking generators one day and I told them my generator was an old GM truck alternator bolted to the engine from a pressure washer

I'm waiting for the eneloop stick to hit stateside, I may just have to buy one off of ebay if they don't soon.

These are all good points.

The only Eneloop chargers I've seen have run on house current. Is there a good way to make 120V AC without a generator or a running car? I have a couple of inverters, but I don't know how I'd go about using solar, hand crank or a bicycle to recharge them.



Cool :-).

I'm using a MAHA C401FS and MAHA C9000, either of which have a 12v adapter for. Anything that can give out 12v will power them, though the c9000 will need 2A constant to charge at a good speed, so I use an intermediate SLA battery or power from the second battery in my truck or whatever source I can find

Just comparing mAh ratings doesn't give a full picture either, my testing with my gear shows maybe 10% difference in run time between lithium and an eneloop. So if you have 10 lithium batteries and use one a day you can last 10 days, I have 10 eneloops and may go through one a day but will pop them back in my charger off the second battery in my truck so I could run years. I have some Sanyo 1650mAh NiMH that I bought in 1999 that I still use in kids toys.