What to Buy on Amazon : Newer Panasonic Eneloops and AmazonBasics NiMH LSD

In a previous article, I have penned down my thoughts on NiMH LSD batteries and specifically recommended Sanyo Eneloops. Today, Panasonic should have completed the take-over of, at least the battery division of Sanyo. As a result, you won't be able to find Sanyo branded Eneloops offered by Amazon anymore. There are still Sanyo Eneloops offered by 3rd parties but they may be old stocks.

The latest generation of these great batteries are now Panasonic branded. The 8-pack, Panasonic BK-3MCCA8BA eneloop AA New 2100 Cycle Ni-MH Pre-Charged Rechargeable Batteries, 8 Pack, now cost slightly more. On the bright side, they are now rated for 2100 cycles. The previous generation is rated for 1500 cycles.

The Eneloop XX are now known as Eneloop Pro - Panasonic BK-3HCCA4BA eneloop pro AA High Capacity New Ni-MH Pre-Charged Rechargeable Batteries, 4 Pack. Again, there seems to be a slight price hike over the older version.

With the launch of these newer batteries, Panasonic also introduces a new bundled charger. From the reviews on Amazon, this charger is now capable of charging individual batteries. This means you do not have to charge in pairs anymore! The charger is available for purchase as a standalone - Panasonic BQ-CC17KSBA eneloop Advanced Individual Battery Charger with 4 LED Charge Indicator Lights, Black, or you can buy the bundle pack - Panasonic K-KJ17KHCA4A Eneloop Pro Individual Cell Battery Charger with 4 AA Ni-MH Rechargeable Batteries, 4 pack.

There is a white colour non-pro version of the charger. But as far as I can tell, the only difference is just the colour. The white version is a few cents cheaper but I think the black one has a cool factor to it.

If you find the prices of these batteries too high, Amazon offers you a low cost equivalent, which is probably just as good. The AmazonBasics range come in 2 flavours as well, the standard white coloured cells and the higher capacity black coloured ones. These don't ship to Singapore in the past but now they do.

• AmazonBasics AA High-Capacity Ni-MH Pre-Charged Rechargeable Batteries (8-Pack) - 500 cycles (Typical 2500mAh, Min. 2400mAh)
• AmazonBasics AA Ni-MH Pre-Charged Rechargeable Batteries (4-Pack) - 1000 Cycle (Typical 2000mAh, Minimum 1900mAh)

I'll buy the high cap cells just for the cool look factor alone :)