Quote:
Originally Posted by dakster
I think eneloops are 2000mah, whereas teh powerex ones are 2700mah (supposedly, I think they're more like 2500mah).
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Yes, the eneloops are 2000mah. PowerEx's
Imedion line of batteries are comparable to the Eneloops though and rated at a slightly higher 2100mah. The term "low discharge" might be a bit confusing, but basically it means they have low self-discharge and retain their charge for longer when stored away, unused. Normal rechargeables will lose something like 15% of their charge after two months in storage. Eneloop, PowerEx Imedion & other similar types claim to retain up to 85% of their charge after a full year off the charger. It's good for situations where you won't be using the batteries for a long time but want to ensure that they will still have a good charge when you do use them, but they sacrifice a LOT of capacity in exchange for that peace of mind. They should handle powering high-drain devices just as well as normal rechargeables though. Personally, I use the Imedions in things like Wii controllers & TV remotes, but if they're going in something I use regularly the higher capacity of the normal rechargeables makes them a better choice.
Also FWIW, as far as actual useable capacity ratings go, we tested a number of batteries from different manufacturers when we were first looking into carrying PowerEx products on our site and found that unlike most manufacturers who tend to be a bit optimistic with their capacity ratings, PowerEx tends to rate their batteries very conservatively, so the stated capacities are actually pretty accurate. In fact, the Imedion AA's we tested turned out to be closer to 2200mAh.
PowerEx Imedion 2100mAh AA
PowerEx 2700mAh AA