Eneloop Pro AA Review
High power but expensive
Verdict
The Eneloop Pro AA rechargeable batteries delivered a lot of power in my tests, making them suitable for the most demanding applications. However, as good as they are, they’re also super-expensive, especially considering they offer a lifetime of 500 cycles. There are higher-capacity batteries available for less.
Pros
- Very high capacities
- Retain their charge
Cons
- Expensive
Availability
- UKRRP: £13.35
Key Features
- TypeThese are rechargeable AA NiMH batteries
- CyclesThese batteries are rated to last 500 charge cycles
Introduction
The Eneloop Pro AA are the company’s professional-level batteries, designed to deliver the greatest amount of power. In this regard, they certainly deliver; but these batteries are relatively expensive and offer a fewer number of charge cycles next to the competition.
Design and Charges
- Lasts for 500 cycles
- Maintains 85% of power over one year
The Eneloop Pro AA have a rated capacity of 2500mAh, which puts them near top of the pile in this category of batteries. They’re designed for the most demanding of applications, such as camera flashes and radio-controlled cars.
The batteries are rated to last for 500 cycles, which isn’t terrible (the Duracell Rechargeable AA 2500mAh are designed to last for only 400 cycles – but they are cheaper), and maintain a decent 85% of their charge for a year. This makes the Eneloop Pro AA units a good choice for those who charge and store batteries, ready for action.
Performance
- Very high capacities in my tests
- Holds capacity over multiple charges
Testing the Eneloop Pro AA, I used the Ansmann Energy XC3000 battery tester. I first started by testing the initial voltage with the batteries fully charged. For NiMH batteries, this should be at least 1.2V, although these measured in at 1.36V. Of course, voltage will drop over use, but you need the right starting level to ensure their capacity can be realised.
Next, I tested the capacity using the high-drain test (600mA +/-20%). Initially, I saw the batteries return a capacity of 2894mAh, which is considerably higher than the rated capacity.
Next, I cycled the batteries 50 times, taking capacity readings every 10 cycles. From the graph, you can see that the batteries constantly exceeded the rated capacity, and there was little variance between readings.
Overall, the Eneloop Pro AA proved to have the second-highest capacity of all the batteries I tested, coming in just behind the Ansmann Digital AA HR6 2850mAh.
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Should you buy it?
If you want high-performance batteries for the most demanding applications, the Eneloop Pro AA will do a great job.
These batteries are expensive and they don’t offer the number of recharge cycles as some of the competition. If either of those is a sticking point, consider other options.
Final Thoughts
If you want power, then the Eneloop Pro AA certainly deliver it. In my tests, these were the second most powerful batteries in my tests. Yet, for all the good that they do, the Ansmann Digital AA HR6 2850mAh batteries are more powerful still and a little cheaper, plus they deliver double the duty cycle of 1000 charges.
How we test
Unlike other sites, we test every rechargeable battery we review thoroughly over an extended period of time. We use standard tests to compare features properly. We’ll always tell you what we find. We never, ever, accept money to review a product.
Find out more about how we test in our ethics policy.
We use an Ansmann Energy XC 3000 to drain batteries, so that we can test capacity in mAh. After the first run, we charge and discharge 50 times, measuring the capacity every ten runs.
We measure the initial voltage of the batteries, checking that the starting voltage is at least 1.2V.
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Full specs
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Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
