Rechargeable batteries for headlamp comparison test - Eneloop vs. Eneloop Pro

[Casey & Gina]

When I decided to go with rechargeable batteries for our headlamps (Black Diamond Storms), I ordered Eneloop Pro AAA batteries, thinking they were the "best".

I later realized that they can only be recharged about 1/4 as many times as the regular Eneloops, and although having a 50mAh rating, are really intended for high-drain devices and may not be ideally-suited for my needs, as I don't generally use a high brightness setting on my headlamps. I wasn't sure whether the maximum brightness setting would qualify as high-drain anyways, so I decided to order some regular Eneloop AAA batteries and compare them side by side since we have two identical headlamps. I put different batteries in each, turned them to maximum brightness in the proximity/flood mode, and left them sitting for a long time.

Initially, as one would expect, the brightness was the same.

After a few hours (sorry I can't be more precise, maybe around six), I noticed the one with Eneloop Pro batteries was shining more dimly than the other. I power-cycled the headlamps and the battery charge indicator showed yellow on that one, while still showing green on the brighter one.

After a couple more hours, the Eneloop Pro-powered headlamp was even more obviously dimmer (only about half the brightness), and when power-cycled the battery charge indicator showed red, while showing yellow on the Eneloop-powered one.

An hour later, both show red on the battery charge indicator, but the status of light output is the same with the Eneloop-powered one being about twice as bright. Curiously, if I switch to Spotlight mode which uses a quad-powerd LED, the battery status indicator shows yellow for the Eneloop-powered one, while still being red for the Eneloop Pro-powered one. My assumption was that the spotlight used more power than the floodlight, but perhaps that is incorrect.

I am now letting them run all day to see how long they will go and whether the trend continues, but so far it seems very obvious that the regular Eneloop batteries (white-colored) are a much better choice than the more expensive Eneloop Pro (black-colored) for this purpose.

I will update this thread with any further findings.

[Dochartaigh]

Where did you buy each set of batteries from? There's a ton of fake Eneloops out there - with the same EXACT packaging and wrapper on the battery.

There's also different generations of Eneloops (both regular, and Pro varieties) with difference performance characteristics. To further confuse things, there's even genuine Eneloops of the same type where some are made in Japan, and some in China; and the China ones severely lack in performance when compared to the ones manufactured in Japan.


But yes, ignoring the above, what you're experiencing is normal. Even though the Pros are listed as having a higher mah/capacity, when used in a low drain device most people see the regular Eneloops giving them longer runtimes.

Also, on a side note, when they say "for high drain devices" on the Eneloop Pro batteries, think of something like a 2,600+ lumen flashlight (compared to your Black Diamond Storm headlamps 160). Your headlamp won't even made the regular Eneloop batteries break a sweat.

[Casey & Gina]

Where did you buy each set of batteries from? There's a ton of fake Eneloops out there - with the same EXACT packaging and wrapper on the battery.

Amazon. I believe they are both the latest generation. Ditched the packaging already so not sure where they were manufactured, but the Amazon listings reference Japan.

They have by now both dropped to a pretty dismal amount of light output. I am in a daylit office setting and they look to have the same illumination output now based on shining at a surface, but if I switch to the spotlight the one running regular Eneloops produces significantly more light still. Hard to say if the current output would be very adequate to see by at night, but I will leave them running anyways. I wish batteries would last longer. :( That said I imagine if I use a more conservative brightness setting as I usually would, I may be able to get significantly more life out of them.

[Starchild]

You should re-run the test switching which headlamp each battery uses, it is possible that one uses more power then the other, even though they are the same type.

[Kookork]

When I decided to go with rechargeable batteries for our headlamps (Black Diamond Storms), I ordered Eneloop Pro AAA batteries, thinking they were the "best".

I later realized that they can only be recharged about 1/4 as many times as the regular Eneloops, and although having a 50mAh rating, are really intended for high-drain devices and may not be ideally-suited for my needs, as I don't generally use a high brightness setting on my headlamps. I wasn't sure whether the maximum brightness setting would qualify as high-drain anyways, so I decided to order some regular Eneloop AAA batteries and compare them side by side since we have two identical headlamps. I put different batteries in each, turned them to maximum brightness in the proximity/flood mode, and left them sitting for a long time.

Initially, as one would expect, the brightness was the same.

After a few hours (sorry I can't be more precise, maybe around six), I noticed the one with Eneloop Pro batteries was shining more dimly than the other. I power-cycled the headlamps and the battery charge indicator showed yellow on that one, while still showing green on the brighter one.

After a couple more hours, the Eneloop Pro-powered headlamp was even more obviously dimmer (only about half the brightness), and when power-cycled the battery charge indicator showed red, while showing yellow on the Eneloop-powered one.

An hour later, both show red on the battery charge indicator, but the status of light output is the same with the Eneloop-powered one being about twice as bright. Curiously, if I switch to Spotlight mode which uses a quad-powerd LED, the battery status indicator shows yellow for the Eneloop-powered one, while still being red for the Eneloop Pro-powered one. My assumption was that the spotlight used more power than the floodlight, but perhaps that is incorrect.

I am now letting them run all day to see how long they will go and whether the trend continues, but so far it seems very obvious that the regular Eneloop batteries (white-colored) are a much better choice than the more expensive Eneloop Pro (black-colored) for this purpose.

I will update this thread with any further findings.

Thanks for sharing your current experience. I read this article about the best rechargeable batteries recently:

http://www.metaefficient.com/rechargeable-batteries/best-rechargeable-batteries-battery-chargers.html

I want to buy a black Diamond Revolt for my upcoming PCT thru hike and since it seems the rechargeable batteries that come with them are not very promising I was trying to find a better rechargeable battery for them. Your test so far shows that regular eneloop is out performing the pro in low consumption set ups like headlamps.

How do you plan to charge your batteries while in the woods?

[Casey & Gina]

Thanks for sharing your current experience. I read this article about the best rechargeable batteries recently:

http://www.metaefficient.com/rechargeable-batteries/best-rechargeable-batteries-battery-chargers.html


I read exactly that article before ordering the Eneloop Pros. I don't remember what I read that made me decide to try regular Eneloops to compare.


I want to buy a black Diamond Revolt for my upcoming PCT thru hike and since it seems the rechargeable batteries that come with them are not very promising I was trying to find a better rechargeable battery for them. Your test so far shows that regular eneloop is out performing the pro in low consumption set ups like headlamps.


I also considered the Revolt, it was a close call. We had Gizmos before and wanted something that would run longer and be a bit more versatile. You can compare the Storm and Revolt directly here:
http://www.outdoorgearlab.com/Best-Headlamp/Beam-Test?beamA=51863&v=3&beamB=51860

Use the middle dropdown to see some different comparisons... Ultimately I decided I liked that the Storm was waterproof and having an extra battery meant you could get longer life.



How do you plan to charge your batteries while in the woods?

RAVPower USB Power Bank (http://amzn.com/B00Y2PX4U2) (5200mAh, a bigger one may be wise but I didn't want to get too heavy)
SunJack USB Smart Battery Charger (http://amzn.com/B00PZ6V99U)
5W Solar Panel (http://amzn.com/B00MGJXITI) (not sure how often I will actually be able to use this but it's quite light and can clip to the top of my pack)

A full charge of the Eneloops for one headlamp will use 3200mAh from the Power Bank, so I may benefit from a bigger or second power bank. I don't plan on running them down that quickly or often though. The solar panel does not output a tremendous amount of power nor will I often be in direct sunlight but I figure it's small, light, and durable so I can just keep it clipped to the top of my pack and wired in to the power bank inside my pack. Whenever I do take breaks I can make an effort to set it in direct sunlight without too much fuss. I have a couple other electronic devices which use a comparably very low amount of power - the headlamps are the biggest consumers. That said, I only need a low amount of lighting for night hiking.

I will also take a small wall outlet USB charger, and have a multiple-device USB cable (http://amzn.com/B00WFNNJB2) (cut off the 30-pin adapter I don't need). The power bank can both charge and be charged at the same time, so if I am in town I can plug all my crap into a single outlet and be on my way relatively quickly. If the solar panel doesn't work out or pisses me off and ends up chucked in a hiker box I won't cry about it as I don't expect to really need it based on my usage expectations (also, want versus need - anything electronic is really just a luxury item for me). I am contemplating carrying spare AAA batteries but doubt that I will.

[Casey & Gina]

You should re-run the test switching which headlamp each battery uses, it is possible that one uses more power then the other, even though they are the same type.

Will do!!!

[bigcranky]

Interesting test. I wonder if the Pro would be better in, say, a camera flash (that has a big draw for a short period of time).

For a thru-hike I would use Lithium AA or AAA batteries in my headlamp. I might carry a spare (my headlamp takes one AA battery), or not. They are easy to resupply at Walmart or a chain drug store. Yeah, the lithiums are expensive, but they are lighter, last longer, and much easier -- they don't require me to carry multiple charging options, for one thing.

I took one set of lithium AAAs on our three week LT thru last summer, and never got close to using them up. Long distance hiking doesn't really use a lot of headlamp time. Even in late winter for a beginning thru, maybe a little time in the morning to make breakfast, and some time at night puttering around, but unless one plans to hike a night on a regular basis, it's not that big a deal. When it's dark you're sleeping. :)

[Kookork]

I read exactly that article before ordering the Eneloop Pros. I don't remember what I read that made me decide to try regular Eneloops to compare.



I also considered the Revolt, it was a close call. We had Gizmos before and wanted something that would run longer and be a bit more versatile. You can compare the Storm and Revolt directly here:
http://www.outdoorgearlab.com/Best-Headlamp/Beam-Test?beamA=51863&v=3&beamB=51860

Use the middle dropdown to see some different comparisons... Ultimately I decided I liked that the Storm was waterproof and having an extra battery meant you could get longer life.



RAVPower USB Power Bank (http://amzn.com/B00Y2PX4U2) (5200mAh, a bigger one may be wise but I didn't want to get too heavy)
SunJack USB Smart Battery Charger (http://amzn.com/B00PZ6V99U)
5W Solar Panel (http://amzn.com/B00MGJXITI) (not sure how often I will actually be able to use this but it's quite light and can clip to the top of my pack)

A full charge of the Eneloops for one headlamp will use 3200mAh from the Power Bank, so I may benefit from a bigger or second power bank. I don't plan on running them down that quickly or often though. The solar panel does not output a tremendous amount of power nor will I often be in direct sunlight but I figure it's small, light, and durable so I can just keep it clipped to the top of my pack and wired in to the power bank inside my pack. Whenever I do take breaks I can make an effort to set it in direct sunlight without too much fuss. I have a couple other electronic devices which use a comparably very low amount of power - the headlamps are the biggest consumers. That said, I only need a low amount of lighting for night hiking.

I will also take a small wall outlet USB charger, and have a multiple-device USB cable (http://amzn.com/B00WFNNJB2) (cut off the 30-pin adapter I don't need). The power bank can both charge and be charged at the same time, so if I am in town I can plug all my crap into a single outlet and be on my way relatively quickly. If the solar panel doesn't work out or pisses me off and ends up chucked in a hiker box I won't cry about it as I don't expect to really need it based on my usage expectations (also, want versus need - anything electronic is really just a luxury item for me). I am contemplating carrying spare AAA batteries but doubt that I will.

Very impressive and well thought system. It shows you have done your homework and by spending the least amount of money(and weight) you have gathered a practical system for your hike( i guess we are talking about PCT here, right?).

I am considering to switch to your kit . Possibly the only differenve would be our headlamp. If I go with your system , I prefer to buy the princeton Tec Sync headlamp instead of Storm but YMMV.

One more thing, If I buy that solar panel , I will make a pouch at the back of the panel to attach my Ravpower USB power bank to the panel ( possibly by using some velcro and DIY pouch). This way the panel will be charging the power bank all day long and the connection will be fixed and not from the panel to my backpack where the power bank is.

One question: Do you think the power bank can charge this model of digital camera?:

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2476975,00.asp

[Casey & Gina]

Very impressive and well thought system. It shows you have done your homework and by spending the least amount of money(and weight) you have gathered a practical system for your hike( i guess we are talking about PCT here, right?).

Thanks for the compliment, but truth is I am winging it! I have a lot of testing yet to do. I did get a USB meter that records mAh of energy transferred from the solar panel to the power bank. I will take this setup on some hikes and post a new thread here on the subject once I do. I am planning an AT hike next year, not PCT.


One question: Do you think the power bank can charge this model of digital camera?:

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2476975,00.asp

I don't see any reason why not. The power bank is great in that it just works with anything. With the power meter I have confirmed attached devices charge at the same rate they do from the wall, even with multiple things attached at once.

[Kookork]

Thanks for the compliment, but truth is I am winging it! I have a lot of testing yet to do. I did get a USB meter that records mAh of energy transferred from the solar panel to the power bank. I will take this setup on some hikes and post a new thread here on the subject once I do. I am planning an AT hike next year, not PCT.



I don't see any reason why not. The power bank is great in that it just works with anything. With the power meter I have confirmed attached devices charge at the same rate they do from the wall, even with multiple things attached at once.

Let us know how your tests go. There were a few nice and to the point reviews about the solar panel in the link you posted about the solar panel. It was about the watt and not mAh but since I am going to hike PCT , I guess the solar panel plays a bigger role in my set up while you would possibly rely more on your power bank.

[Casey & Gina]

At this point after 12+ hours, the light, though dim, is still adequate in the dark from both lamps. As Starchild alluded to above, at this degree of output there is an observable difference between the two lamps. One has a yellower color in te spotlight than the other, and the reverse is true for the flood light - this may or may not be affecting the power draw. They are very close in light output though and appear the same...will leave them burning overnight!

[Vegan Packer]

I have the ReVolt, and I love it. I ended out using lithiums instead of the stock batteries, but I didn't find out just how long they would last, since my longest outing has been for only four nights at a time. I expected to use mine a lot more at night, but I really didn't, which is why I can't give any meaningful input here. Also, I almost always used the light on a dim setting, and it was so great that I never needed more of a draw than that. I suspect that, at that low setting, it would last for maybe even weeks of my average use, but that is just a guess.

Let us know if you come up with any promising results.

[Casey & Gina]

This morning both were powered off. When I tried turning the one with Eneloops on. the battery charge indicator turned red and no light came on. When I tried the one with Eneloop Pros, it turned on bright and the battery indicator was orange. It faded very fast though and is now shining only dimly. It would be enough to see by at night though and seems to be in no hurry to turn off, which could be a lifesaver. Not sure what this means or which stayed on longer last night or if the two lamps draw power differently... All I can say at this point is that the Eneloops seemed better for higher light output when at a fuller charge. I will have to repeat testing letting them run only when I am awake. Next though I will just put regular Eneloops in both and see if there are observable differences between the two headlamps with the same batteries. If there are I am not sure what to do... :/

[Starchild]

Also you can get a battery charger that will measure the mAh, though at the current draw that their device tests at, not necessarily the draw of the lamp. Here is one such model:
La Crosse Technology BC-700 Alpha Power Battery Charger


Testing the batteries could point to a weak cell (normally what I have use it for), if you have one weak/slightly defective battery it would cause one lamp to go out faster, actually may cause the exact symptom you describe where when it shuts off it recovers a bit and can give full light for a bit. Normally when I test mine I use a sharpie to put the mAh rating on the battery that they tested at.

Without the ability to test each cell, you can fool around with a single cell (battery) device or use a volt meter at various states of depletion to try to isolate a week battery, but it's not an ideal way of going about it.

[Casey & Gina]

When I tried the one with Eneloop Pros, it turned on bright and the battery indicator was orange. It faded very fast though and is now shining only dimly. It would be enough to see by at night though and seems to be in no hurry to turn off, which could be a lifesaver.

15 minutes later, it was off and would not turn back on. So while this may have been useful in a pinch, it may have also been the first lamp to die overnight, so hard to say.

[Casey & Gina]

Interesting note - I measured the power used when recharging - the Eneloops used 1915 mAh to recharge, the Eneloop Pros used 2425. Though I didn't see when they ran out completely, I reckon the amount of use gotten out of each was about the same, and the one powered by Eneloops was brighter throughout the beginning hours of the testing. I had just fully-recharged both sets prior to the test.

The Eneloops are rated at 900mAh capacity each, so if fully depleted should take 3600 mAh to recharge. So it looks like only 53% of the advertised capacity was used.

The Eneloop Pros are rated at 950mAh capacity each, so if fully depleted should take 3800 mAh to recharge. So it looks like 63% of the advertised capacity was used.

From the standpoint of "what is going to drain my power bank the least for recharging after the same amount of use?", the Eneloops look like a clear winner, plus the fact that the headlamp powered by them produced a higher level of light output before dropping in brightness.

[Kookork]

Interesting note - I measured the power used when recharging - the Eneloops used 1915 mAh to recharge, the Eneloop Pros used 2425. Though I didn't see when they ran out completely, I reckon the amount of use gotten out of each was about the same, and the one powered by Eneloops was brighter throughout the beginning hours of the testing. I had just fully-recharged both sets prior to the test.

The Eneloops are rated at 900mAh capacity each, so if fully depleted should take 3600 mAh to recharge. So it looks like only 53% of the advertised capacity was used.

The Eneloop Pros are rated at 950mAh capacity each, so if fully depleted should take 3800 mAh to recharge. So it looks like 63% of the advertised capacity was used.

From the standpoint of "what is going to drain my power bank the least for recharging after the same amount of use?", the Eneloops look like a clear winner, plus the fact that the headlamp powered by them produced a higher level of light output before dropping in brightness.
they might be the Chinese Eneloop batteries. Look at this forum where they compare Chinese Vs Japanese Eneloop :

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?392229-Japanese-Vs-Chinese-Eneloop-Cycle-Testing-Results