LSD Kills Off Alkalines!

Jin

Friday, September 14, 2007

Low Self Discharge (LSD) Rechargeable NiMH Batteries

The new Low Self Discharge (LSD) batteries by Rayovac and Sanyo are a new revolution in the consumer rechargeable battery market. Using advanced technology and manufacturing process to produce a battery that can hold up to 80% charge for a year when not in use compared to regular rechargeable batteries that die out in a few short weeks or months. This new LSD technology also allows the added benefit of having the batteries pre-charged so you can use them straight out of the package without the need to charge them up. Like regular NiMH rechargeable batteries, these batteries can be recharged up to 1000 times in regular NiMH chargers and offer 2-3 times the power of regular alkaline batteries. Finnally, alkaline batteries may be a thing of the past.

Rayovac “Hybrid” NiMH Batteries

The Rayovac “Hybrid” batteries currently come in AA and AAA varieties with a four position charger. They are advertised as being 4 times longer lasting than regular NiMH batteries at 80% charge for 6-12 months. And while I have only tested them for 6 months, I can attest to the fact they do last at least twice as long as regular Energizer NiMH batteries.

Case in point is my rechargeable optical mouse which is used a lot for gaming, web-surfing, and work. If I charged all four AAA batteries then used two for the mouse, it would last about 5-6 weeks. Then the next two which had been sitting in the drawer would last just 4 weeks. All things being equal, the second set of AAA batteries should have lasted me 5-6 weeks also, but didn’t. Obviously, the second set lost power in that 5-6 week period that it sat in my drawer. When I switched over to the Rayovac Hybrids in early March, the first set lasted till early May which is like 7-8 weeks. The second set lasted till early July (another 7-8 weeks!). And I just did another swap barely a week ago this Sept (8 weeks again!). So far, I am very impressed. I assume the initial charge had gone down a little from the time they made the battery to when I bought it so a full charge gave me an extra week.

The only weakness to the battery I can see is that they say to use a regular charger and not a speed charger. I do not know if this matters really as I use a regular overnight charger and not one of the 15-30 minute ones, but either way, that battery is great.

Sanyo Eneloop NiMH Batteries

The Sanyo version of the LSD battery are basically the same as the Rayovac ones but are supposed to keep a 85-90% charge over 6-12 months. They also are environmentally friendly. It has a funny name, “Eneloop” which has a “recycle loop-like” logo which is supposed to reinforce the whole environmentally safe part of the battery and the fact it is rechargeable/reusable/renewable. The white coloring also makes it look more “clean” I guess. Personally, it looks like something for whitening toothpaste to me.
Anyway, I haven’t bought them yet but they seem to work as good as or better than the Rayovac ones from what I have read of them. I might pick some up just to test out on my keyboard or remote though they seem to be slightly more expensive. But if they are better, I guess it will be worth it.

Last Thoughts

The fact that there are now rechargeable batteries that can hold a good charge for a year makes them more useful than ever. There has been many times where I would charge four batteries and use two for a remote or CD player or digital camera and when it died out in a few weeks or months, I would replace them with the two that were in waiting to be used and they would be drained. In fact, I had changed to high capacity alkalines and later, lithium batteries, for those types of devices. Now, I can use rechargeables and not worry about the spares being drained when I need them. Also, I wonder if this new technology can be used in other types of batteries like lithium-ion for use in cameras, cell phones and laptops. I can see some real advantages in seeing cell phones and digital cameras having a battery with low discharge rate like. It’s like always annoying to have to check my digital camera batteries before using them between times I use them which is like every 3 or 4 months for something.

I think that the days of alkalines may truely be coming to a close. Rechargeables are truely the battery of the 21st century.

LSD Kills Off Alkalines!

LSD Kills Off Alkalines!

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