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Rechargeable Batteries for TX


Scott Selman

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9 hours ago, Daniel Ignacio said:

The sole IKEA store in my state doesn’t have them, and an IKEA USA rep tells me most of their Midwest stores (Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Wisconsin) are no longer ordering stock.

That sucks! I wonder why  not? They surely must be pretty popular!

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31 minutes ago, SDsmixer said:

Ran across this video. Apologies if it's been posted. Fairly good comparison between the Enloop and Ikea Ladda. 

Skip to 5:05. Music bed is irritating as well the host. But info is nice. lol

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=255&v=Jeo_hv-8bHI

This video is BS. There are better methods to check batteries. 

Under load EneloopPro rate higher then Ladda. 

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Despite the author’s assessment, and his test (of seemingly one of each, once) - I would say they are not “the same”.

I have been using both brands for a while now. While they work very similar in practice, I have noticed that when using the IKEA Storhogen charger, the eneloops occasionally causes the the charger to signal an “error”. Moving one of those “error” batteries to the Powerex charger indicates the battery is slightly overcharged (still working fine). This has never happened for me with the Ladda 2450. Not sure what this means exactly. I have a hard time believing the ikea batteries have some kind of “smart tech” communication with the charger, that the eneloops don’t. Especially since they are lower priced.

Also - the ikea brand is rated for 1500 recharge cycles(!), eneloops for 500.

 

Running either of the two brands in a SMQV, until it shuts down, then recharging in the powerex, yields quite a bit better results than the video. Usually around 2600mah.

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10 minutes ago, Johnny Karlsson said:

Despite the author’s assessment, and his test (of seemingly one of each, once) - I would say they are not “the same”.

I have been using both brands for a while now. While they work very similar in practice, I have noticed that when using the IKEA Storhogen charger, the eneloops occasionally causes the the charger to signal an “error”. Moving one of those “error” batteries to the Powerex charger indicates the battery is slightly overcharged (still working fine). This has never happened for me with the Ladda 2450. Not sure what this means exactly. I have a hard time believing the ikea batteries have some kind of “smart tech” communication with the charger, that the eneloops don’t. Especially since they are lower priced.

Also - the ikea brand is rated for 1500 recharge cycles(!), eneloops for 500.

 

Running either of the two brands in a SMQV, until it shuts down, then recharging in the powerex, yields quite a bit better results than the video. Usually around 2600mah.

+1

Very good assessment.

Also Ikea shielding seams to get damaged a lot easier then Eneloop Pro.

 

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14 hours ago, afewmoreyears said:

I have both but prefer the Enloop pros... Why, because after a long time using them I am in a comfort zone due to them always working the way I want them to with no issues...at all..

 

What issues do you personally encounter, exactly? I’m aware of Rado’s critique about the shielding, but I’ve quite literally seen nothing but praise about these batteries on this forum.

 

6 hours ago, Alejandro Reyes said:

I was actually looking into purchasing some. Does anyone know where I can purchase some?

 

IKEA’s website displays availability, though it’s not as up-to-date as the info you get from calling IKEA at +1 (888) 888-4532.     

Edited by Daniel Ignacio
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7 hours ago, Alejandro Reyes said:

I was actually looking into purchasing some. Does anyone know where I can purchase some?

 

I do wonder if there is a Chinese source we could buy equivalents AA, just like these LADDAs, for those of us without a local  IKEA store to go to. 

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Daniel,

 

  No issues at all... I just have had such good luck with the Enloop pros I have not wanted to switch. The jacket as I said seems more fragile and softer on the LADDAs..  I have set up two batches of Enloops in chargers..and the LADDAs as I said I use for flashlights and such... They may actually be equals in power delivery, I just have not switched them to the mission critical use, transmitters..

 

I also bought the LADDA charger...  it works but I do not prefer it either... seems really slow.. again,  really slow....

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  • 2 weeks later...
13 hours ago, Daniel Ignacio said:

battery holderbbHad free time between gigs, and my partner was game for a day trip, so we ended up driving down to Indianapolis and stopping by their IKEA store, the nearest one that stocks LADDAs. Got 48 of them.

 

img_eggsif_2103702278532751849.jpg

 

Not really a substantial post, and I recognize that Detroit to Indianapolis is a comically long drive for an IKEA visit. Though I’m pleased that I still saved $80~ over the Eneloop Pros, even when factoring in gas money – those savings can go towards another Powerex charger.

DONT USE these  battery   holders

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22 hours ago, RadoStefanov said:

DONT USE these  battery   holders

 

Yep, already noticing wear on a few batteries. I was hoping that I could somehow loosen the grip on them, but this plastic hardly has any give. The tabs that keep in batteries are oddly sharp-edged.

 

Thanks for the warning Rado.

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  • 5 months later...
On 6/24/2018 at 1:38 PM, RadoStefanov said:

DONT USE these  battery   holders 

 

On 6/24/2018 at 3:20 PM, Derek H said:

They will shred the battery label after a few uses and trash your batteries.

 

Reporting back about the Storacell battery holders: My batteries are still intact after six months.

 

It’s true that at first, the “teeth” that hold the batteries from falling out made little creases on battery casings. But I found that I could soften their grip by storing batteries part-way out of the holder for a few months.

 

Pretty happy with them and recently bought a few more from Storacell. The local IKEA store finally stocks LADDA batteries.

 

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  • 3 months later...

A few points about the tubular style battery holders with the teeth that shred the outer casing of the battery.

 

The reason I use them, despite their destructive nature, is 'cause they are way more convenient to grab a single battery with one hand, while moving fast on a doc shoot- I can't use a battery case with a lid that holds 4 batteries- that's a recipe for 3 batteries on the ground and one in my hand... Also they are great for showing you which batteries are charged or not depending on which end is stuck in the case.

 

But they sure make a mess of the wimpy plastic sheath that rechargeable batteries are wrapped in... which can lead to dead shorting batteries in some (badly designed) metal lined battery compartments, or, more likely,  bits of plastic sheath covering the end terminal and interrupting current flow, or just bunching up and making it hard or bloody impossible to get the batteries out of the device they are in.

 

To deal with the problem of the jaggedy battery tube:

 

First, you can dremel or cut the "tooth" to be smoother and not as big or abrasive- be careful about cutting too much off, since it will let the battery fall out.

This lets you do the one handed battery change, although it is still possible to do damage to the battery over time, 'cause there is still some friction.

 

The other trick is to bend up the "tooth" (which is on a flexible tab) with a fingernail of the opposite hand that is grasping the battery while inserting or extracting it.

It's not too difficult, though it takes away the ability to do a one handed battery exchange.  This is the way I do it when changing batteries in a non hurried fashion at the beginning of the day or lunch...

 

These might be super obvious tricks to some of you all- but it took me a while to figure them out, and a lot of damaged battery casings, so I though I'd share,

especially since it's often the tiny things that can make a big difference...

 

Cheers,

Brent Calkin

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