Hey what’s everybody’s favorite AA rechargeable?

[JonG]

@Johnny Karlsson have you been using XTAR batteries for a significant amount of time and seen consistant results? 
 

all my PowerX are dead, the enloops I’ve been using over the past couple of years seem to be working well. I tried EBLs years ago and got great results on the first use, but afterwards they wouldn’t hold up for more than a couple hours. The 9Vs power Comteks and R1a’s without a problem. But I am curious about the XTARs.
 

any advice on these and their longevity would be helpful. I am running Wisycom wireless, as well as Lectro HMa. 

[Johnny Karlsson]

4 hours ago, JonG said:

@Johnny Karlsson have you been using XTAR batteries for a significant amount of time and seen consistant results? 
 

all my PowerX are dead, the enloops I’ve been using over the past couple of years seem to be working well. I tried EBLs years ago and got great results on the first use, but afterwards they wouldn’t hold up for more than a couple hours. The 9Vs power Comteks and R1a’s without a problem. But I am curious about the XTARs.
 

any advice on these and their longevity would be helpful. I am running Wisycom wireless, as well as Lectro HMa. 

I’m using the XTAR with good results so far in DBSM, SMV, and DPR-A. Slightly better than eneloop Pro and Ladda 2450. Not sure, of course, how they will be holding up a year later, but I will keep using them for now.

[r.paterson]

2 hours ago, Johnny Karlsson said:

I’m using the XTAR with good results so far in DBSM, SMV, and DPR-A. Slightly better than eneloop Pro and Ladda 2450. Not sure, of course, how they will be holding up a year later, but I will keep using them for now.

I've been using the xtar for nearly 18 months and still all good.. 

[Johnny Karlsson]

8 hours ago, r.paterson said:

I've been using the xtar for nearly 18 months and still all good.. 

That's great. Thanks!

Any perceivable degradation at all in terms of run times, holding charge etc with time?

 

[r.paterson]

3 hours ago, Johnny Karlsson said:

That's great. Thanks!

Any perceivable degradation at all in terms of run times, holding charge etc with time?

 

No the xtar seem to be the same as new.. I had before xtar Ipower aa lith recharge had about 40% fail rate within a year. No complaints with xtar.. 

[Johnny Karlsson]

Testing new XTAR AA 2700/3000 mAh

XTAR had apparently noticed this thread, and reached out to see if I was interested in testing some new products.

Note that they did not ask me to say or do anything other than express my views and they simply sent these over to see what I think of these. I accepted, and will post my findings below, hoping it might be helpful to others here.

 

They sent over the following to test:

 

1. 1x L8 Pro Charger - charges up to 8xAA simultaneously.
2. 8x XTAR 2700 mAh AA. This is similar to the XTAR 4150 mWh version, but has a different discharge curve, and slightly higher capacity 4300 vs 4150 mWh - not to be confused with mAh.
3. 8x XTAR USB-C 3000 mAh AA. These have a USB-C charging-port on each battery, and the 4-pack came with a 1xUSB-C to 4xUSB-C cable for charging 4x batteries simultaneously from a single USB-C port. This version of the battery can also be charged with the L8 Pro charger.

 

 

• I was curious to see how the USB-C 3000 would do in the dual battery transmitter (details below), but also wanted to see what they would do in a single battery unit, since it’s rated 3000 mAh, meaning they somehow squeezed more power into it, despite the usb port and related charging capabilities taking up some of the internal space(?)

 

Both of these AAs start at 1.50 volts when charged, then they have different discharge curves, as stated by XTAR:

“- AA CLR 4300 (2700 mAh): Feature a constant 1.5V output throughout most of the discharge cycle, followed by a controlled linear discharge stage at the low-voltage end.”

“- AA LR 3000 USB-C: Designed with a gently declining voltage curve, similar to traditional alkaline batteries, but maintaining a higher average voltage throughout use. Built-in USB-C charging port for direct charging without a dedicated charger.”

====

Here’s a TLDR consolidated version of test results listed per transmitter, followed by a longer versions, with notes below.

DBSM 1,

Test 1: XTAR USB-C 3000 mAh

5h.08min, 1.10V yellow icon on DSR4.

5h.33min, 1.02V blinking red on both DBSM and DSR4

6h, 0.95V

6h.07min, xx

 

Test 2: XTAR 2700 mAh

5h.50min, 1.10V (yellow battery icon on DSR4)

6h xx

 

Test 3: XTAR USB-C 3000

4h30min, 1.11V (yellow)

5h09min, 1.03V (blinking red on DSR4)

5h.38min, xx

 

Test 4: XTAR 2700 mAh

5h.49min, xx

 

Test 5: XTAR 2700 mAh

5.24 1.11V (yellow)

5.34 1.03V (blinking red)

5h.35min, xx

 

Test 6: XTAR USB-C 3000

5h.25min, xx

 

====

DBSM 2,

Test 1: XTAR 2700 mAh

6h, 1.30V

6h.33min XX

 

Test 2: XTAR 2700 mAh

6h.07min, 1.11V (yellow battery icon on DSR4)

6h.17min xx

 

Test 3: XTAR USB-C 3000

5h.35min, 1.07V

6h.23min xx

 

Test 4: XTAR 2700 mAh

6h.17min. xx

 

Test 5: XTAR 2700 mAh

5h55min 1.11V (yellow)

6h05min (blinking red)

6h.06min, xx

 

Test 6: XTAR USB-C 3000

6h.16min, xx

 

====

DBSMD 1,

Test 1: XTAR USB-C 3000 mAh x2

12h, 1.01V (blinking red)

12h.48min xx

 

Test 2: N/A didn’t run

 

Test 3: XTAR 2700 mAh x2

12h, 1.10V (yellow)

12h14min xx

 

Test 4 XTAR 2700 mAh x2

10h.40min. xx

 

Test 5 XTAR 2700 mAh x2

11h45min, yellow

11h51min blinking red

11h.52.min. xx

 

Test 6: XTAR USB-C 3000 x2

11h14min blinking red

12h.08min. xx

 

===========

LONG VERSION WITH NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS:

 

Test 1 - mix of 2700 and 3000

DBSM 1 (single AA): XTAR USB-C 3000 mAh

At 5h.08min, 1.10V , red light on DBSM, yellow on DSR4.

At 5h.33min, 1.02V blinking red on both DBSM and DSR4

6h, 0.95V

6h.07min, XX

 

DBSM 2 (single AA): XTAR 2700 mAh

6h, 1.30V

6h.05min, 1.26V yellow on DSR4

6h.33min XX

 

DBSMD (dual AA): XTAR USB-C 3000 mAh x2

12h, 1.01V (blinking red)

12h.48min xx

Notes and observations from test 1:

1. The single XTAR 2700 lasted about 30 minutes longer than the single USB-3000.
2. Despite both of these batteries being Lithium, these do not behave like they are, because of the different discharge curve, which rather behaves more like Alkaline batteries with a gradual discharge, so I found it best to set the battery telemetry setting to Alkaline in the DBSM. If set to Lithium, I would get the red blinking light on the Transmitter, as well as the yellow battery warning on the DSR4 way too early.
3. The DBSMD ran perfectly fine with the 2x USB-C 3000 mAh, I did not notice any glitches. The reason I mention this, is in reference to  a problem I saw with another brand that had internal USB-C charging ports, which behaved weird when the batteries started to deplete, and (I’m guessing) the internal relays in those batteries were negotiating with the relay in the dual transmitter causing a back-and-forth freak out with blinking lights and clicks and drops in the audio. Not the case here - and with 12h48min run time, I would say it’s quite impressive for rechargeable.

 

Test 2 - just the two single battery units, both with XTAR 2700 mAh

DBSM 1: XTAR 2700 mAh

5h.50min, 1.10V (yellow battery icon on DSR4)

6h xx

 

DBSM 2: XTAR 2700 mAh

6h.07min, 1.11V (yellow battery icon on DSR4)

6h.17min xx

 

DBSMD: N/A didn’t run.

 

Observations from test 2:

Both of the 2700 batteries ran slightly shorter than the one in test 1 this time.

 

====

Test 3 - single units with 3000 and dual with 2700

DBSM 1: XTAR USB-C 3000

4h30min, 1.11V (yellow)

5h09min, 1.03V (blinking red on DSR4)

5h.38min, xx

 

DBSM 2: XTAR USB-C 3000

5h.35min, 1.07V (yellow)

6h.23min xx

 

DBSMD XTAR 2700x2

12h, 1.10V (yellow)

12h14min xx

 

Some observations from test 3:

Tx 1 died at 5h38min here, while Tx 2 lasted more than 40min longer with all settings equal. Interesting.

DBSMD with 2x XTAR 2700 mAh yielded 12h14min run-time, more than 20 minutes less than the USB-C 3000 in test 1.

Odd  that each time seems to yield slightly different results, in terms of which model battery ran longer. Not sure what to conclude from that, maybe they need to be used a few times to “break in”…?

 

Test 4 - all 2700

DBSM 1: XTAR 2700 mAh

5h.49min, xx

 

DBSM 2: XTAR 2700 mAh

6h.17min. xx

 

DBSMD XTAR 2700x2

10h.40min. xx

 

Observations from test 4:

Again, DBSM 1 is dying earlier DBSM 2, despite rotating batteries. So now I’m starting to think there is something going on with the Transmitter itself causing it to drain batteries quicker (?)

Surprised to see the DBSMD dying @ 10h40min vs. 12h14min in test 3 —- more than 1.5h earlier !

 

Test 5 - (one more time with all 2700 to check consistency, batteries straight off the charger).

DBSM 1: XTAR 2700 mAh

5.24 1.11V (yellow)

5.34 1.03V (blinking red)

5h.35min, xx

 

DBSM 2: XTAR 2700 mAh

5h55min 1.11V (yellow)

6h05min (blinking red)

6h.06min, xx

 

DBSMD XTAR 2700x2

11h45min, yellow

11h51min blinking red

11h.52.min. xx

Observations from test 5:

DBSM 1.  By the time this one died, DBSM 2 still showed green @ 1.20V, and ran 30 min longer.

NOTE: When the battery icon on the DSR4 turns yellow, it’s time to change the battery immediately. We’re talking like “dying within 10 minutes”. Red blinking light means “dying now”, within less than one minute. 5h35min on the shorter side for this battery runtime is still very good, especially compared to NiMH AA.

DBSM 2, Ran 30 minutes longer than DBSM 1, with all settings equal.

DBSMD with 2700 x2 ran 1h12min longer here than in test 4, but still roughly 25 minutes shorter than in test 3.

 

Test 6 - (one more time with all USB-C 3000 to check consistency, batteries straight off the charger).

DBSM 1: XTAR USB-C 3000

5h.25min, xx

 

DBSM 2: XTAR USB-C 3000

6h.16min, xx

 

DBSMD: XTAR USB-C 3000 x2

11h14min blinking red

12h.08min. xx

Observations from test 6:

The single units only has runtimes, because I ran this over night, so the run-time readings of the single units are off the DSR4 timer, which stops when the batteries die. Again DBSM 1 seems to drain batteries way quicker for some reason. I checked silver paste, and if anything, there was more than enough (applied by Lectrosonics during a recent service/update).

The DBSMD was still on when I got up in the morning, so I caught the time when the red blinking started.

====

NOTE: All Transmitters were set to 25mW in all tests.

====

Conclusions, USB-C 3000 vs. XTAR 2700:

Interesting that the DBSM held on all the way down to 0.93V with the USB-C 3000 battery vs. 2700 dying at around 1.03V-1.04V.

Also (in a single battery transmitter) USB-C 3000 battery runs about a full hour from 1.11V (yellow icon), and 10 minutes from start of blinking red vs. 2700 dying within 10 minutes from 1.11V (yellow icon), and 1 minute from start of blinking red. This makes it very important to keep track of what battery is in what transmitter, and having a mix of batteries would be too confusing in the heat of the battle, when the pressure is on. I’d say it would be best to pick one model battery to use in all transmitters for this reason.

 

XTAR L8 Pro Charger:

This charges 8xAA, and is different from the LC8 in that it has a display, and is capable of not only charging the original XTAR AA, and both of the above, but in addition also being able to charge NiMh AAs.

The display shows that the batteries are charging, but does not show voltage, nor time - it just blinks the bars all the way from the bottom up to the top; 1, 2, 3, 4, 1, 2, 3, 4… etc.

Also, there is no “setting” for NiMH. According to the manual, the charger detects battery type and calibrates itself automatically. I did not try this, but the manual mentions that this calibration process takes a while (like 10 minutes), before it starts charging.

===

On a personal note, since my last long post above, (from a little over a year ago) I have switched all my transmitters to the XTAR 4150 version, and use whatever NiMH I still have for things like Slate, IFB etc. I like the 4150 version with the steady 1.5V until it drops to 1.2V about 45 min before dying. Others may like these new ones with the gradual depletion curve better(?)  Run-time has improved to be longer with these new ones, so that is of course good. But the heads-up from the 2700 version at 1.11V when the icon turns yellow basically means “change battery NOW”, because from there it runs down pretty quickly (within 10 minutes).

 

Lastly, thanks to XTAR for reaching out and providing these for review.

Hopefully what I wrote above will be helpful to others here on this board. If you are actually still reading, I can’t believe how long this got, and I can’t believe anyone would actually read the whole thing lol.

 

 

[The Documentary Sound Guy]

I don't think it's unusual for batteries to have variances in runtime, or for transmitters to vary a bit in their power consumption.  There's enough imprecision in the charging process and enough variation in electronic components that I'd expect this.

[Johnny Karlsson]

2 hours ago, The Documentary Sound Guy said:

I don't think it's unusual for batteries to have variances in runtime, or for transmitters to vary a bit in their power consumption.  There's enough imprecision in the charging process and enough variation in electronic components that I'd expect this.

True. All in all pretty great run-times here, fairly close to Ultimate AA non-rechargeable, with the bonus of putting less stuff in land fills. Also bonus that there's no stress about waste if changing batteries early, since you just charge up and use them again.

[The Documentary Sound Guy]

Yeah, I'll probably look more closely when my current NiMH crop is in need of replacement.

Do you have a sense of how many charge cycles / years you get out of the first crop you bought?

[Johnny Karlsson]

It’s been a little over a year, and I haven’t noticed any degradation. Been happy with them. Not sure how many charge cycles, but might be available in specs on their website or manual. Sorry can’t check for you at the moment.

[SYSOUNDS]

Great tests! I’ve been running the XTaR 2700’s this last show and getting similar run times on my SMv and SMQV’s. I’m also getting over 8hrs on my Shure ADX3 Boom transmitters however I’ve stopped using it for those as I’m positive I can hear switching noises from these around the 10khz range low in the noise floor. On quiet enough scenes you can definitely hear it. I’ve tested them on clean freqs in a quiet room swapping from XTAR to energizers and usbc power - both being clean where as the xtars have a weird switching white noise. No problems in lav tx haven’t tried with HM’s yet. They also do produce a small amount of rf around 52mhz. Tried from both US and China warehouses but I assume they are the same either way. 
 

 

 

[Derek H]

I’ve found they increase the audible noise floor when using them in my SMQVs but not with SMs. 

[Ian Thomson]

22 hours ago, Johnny Karlsson said:

Testing new XTAR AA 2700/3000 mAh

XTAR had apparently noticed this thread, and reached out to see if I was interested in testing some new products.

Note that they did not ask me to say or do anything other than express my views and they simply sent these over to see what I think of these. I accepted, and will post my findings below, hoping it might be helpful to others here.

 

 

Love it!

 

That's a very comprehensive test Johnny.

 

It would seem that my reply from earlier in this thread made me a target for Xtar as well.

 

I was planning on making a post this afternoon 😂 but perhaps I should just add the results here so that it's all in the same place?

 

They sent out 12x 2700mAh batteries, along with the new 'Pro' charger; and I have been running a few tests versus the older style 4150mWh.

 

.PDF attached with results from first tests

 

My interest was in seeing if the newer 2700mAh versions have both longer run-times, AND what differences there are in how the battery warnings display.

 

Equipment

Transmitters  

- 4x DBSM single unit D2 transmitters, set to worst, and best use-case (highest, and lowest power usage)

- 2x DBSMD 2x AA units, set to worst use case (highest power usage) 

- 2x DPR-A 2x AA units, with different boom mics 

All units recently travelled to authorized Lectro service centre in Canada for update to Record+Transmit

 

Receivers 

- 2x DSR4 in SL2 connected to a Sound Devices 888

All transmitter and receivers set to "lithium battery" for a direct comparison with the older style batteries. 

 

Batteries 

- Xtar provided 12x new 2700mAh (4300mWh)

- I picked some 4150mWh from my existing inventory of 52 (oldest = 2 years with estimated <150 cycles?) 

 

Observations 

- As expected, the newer batteries did provide longer run-times.

- Warnings with new batteries are substantially more detailed with "lithium" setting on receivers.

- MiniCMIT more power efficient than CMC6 preamp (known, but good to see in practice) 

- Lower transmission power and no record+transmit has a pretty decent increase to run time of single battery (again, not too surprising) 

- Still need to give another run at the booms and DBSMD with low tx power/no record to see how much  longer they'll run, but I'm happy with initial "worst case" results 

 

I was already quite comfortable running the older style 4150's until flashing red on receivers, as we have 10-20 mins to arrange for battery swaps before the next take; will likely treat the newer batteries the same. 

 

Haven't noticed any audible issues with increase of DPR-A or DBSMD noise floor, but then again, I wasn't critically listening for it. (will have to take some time and compare when I can) 

 

Thanks for your detailed tests Johnny, I can add my name to the list of happy customers.

 

 

Xtar 2700 vs 4150.pdf

[SYSOUNDS]

4 hours ago, Ian Thomson said:

 

Love it!

 

That's a very comprehensive test Johnny.

 

It would seem that my reply from earlier in this thread made me a target for Xtar as well.

 

I was planning on making a post this afternoon 😂 but perhaps I should just add the results here so that it's all in the same place?

 

They sent out 12x 2700mAh batteries, along with the new 'Pro' charger; and I have been running a few tests versus the older style 4150mWh.

 

.PDF attached with results from first tests

 

My interest was in seeing if the newer 2700mAh versions have both longer run-times, AND what differences there are in how the battery warnings display.

 

Equipment

Transmitters  

- 4x DBSM single unit D2 transmitters, set to worst, and best use-case (highest, and lowest power usage)

- 2x DBSMD 2x AA units, set to worst use case (highest power usage) 

- 2x DPR-A 2x AA units, with different boom mics 

All units recently travelled to authorized Lectro service centre in Canada for update to Record+Transmit

 

Receivers 

- 2x DSR4 in SL2 connected to a Sound Devices 888

All transmitter and receivers set to "lithium battery" for a direct comparison with the older style batteries. 

 

Batteries 

- Xtar provided 12x new 2700mAh (4300mWh)

- I picked some 4150mWh from my existing inventory of 52 (oldest = 2 years with estimated <150 cycles?) 

 

Observations 

- As expected, the newer batteries did provide longer run-times.

- Warnings with new batteries are substantially more detailed with "lithium" setting on receivers.

- MiniCMIT more power efficient than CMC6 preamp (known, but good to see in practice) 

- Lower transmission power and no record+transmit has a pretty decent increase to run time of single battery (again, not too surprising) 

- Still need to give another run at the booms and DBSMD with low tx power/no record to see how much  longer they'll run, but I'm happy with initial "worst case" results 

 

I was already quite comfortable running the older style 4150's until flashing red on receivers, as we have 10-20 mins to arrange for battery swaps before the next take; will likely treat the newer batteries the same. 

 

Haven't noticed any audible issues with increase of DPR-A or DBSMD noise floor, but then again, I wasn't critically listening for it. (will have to take some time and compare when I can) 

 

Thanks for your detailed tests Johnny, I can add my name to the list of happy customers.

 

 

Xtar 2700 vs 4150.pdf 72.23 kB · 3 downloads

Did you listen to the Dpra with mics and compare to regular energizer lithiums. Curious if lectros have the same noise floor and switching sound issues. 

[Ian Thomson]

5 hours ago, SYSOUNDS said:

Did you listen to the Dpra with mics and compare to regular energizer lithiums. Curious if lectros have the same noise floor and switching sound issues. 

Hey Sysounds!

 

I haven't done a proper comparison in a quiet environment yet, but I'll try to do a test and get back to you with some data.

about to head off for an away gig, so it might take me till the mid of next week to find some time to do a full comp

 

With what I have at hand, I could try the following.

- DPR-A with a MK41/CMC6, MiniCMIT, and DPA 2017

- HMa with same mics

- Xtar 2700 (newer), Xtar 4150 (older style), Ladda NiMh, Energizer single-use 

- record+transmit, and just transmit.

 

Have you found issues with your Shure ADX3's right from full charge? or just as the batteries approach empty?

 

Cheers

[SYSOUNDS]

2 hours ago, Ian Thomson said:

Hey Sysounds!

 

I haven't done a proper comparison in a quiet environment yet, but I'll try to do a test and get back to you with some data.

about to head off for an away gig, so it might take me till the mid of next week to find some time to do a full comp

 

With what I have at hand, I could try the following.

- DPR-A with a MK41/CMC6, MiniCMIT, and DPA 2017

- HMa with same mics

- Xtar 2700 (newer), Xtar 4150 (older style), Ladda NiMh, Energizer single-use 

- record+transmit, and just transmit.

 

Have you found issues with your Shure ADX3's right from full charge? or just as the batteries approach empty?

 

Cheers

Right from full charge. Some batteries are worse than others 

[Johnny Karlsson]

OK, I looked it up, and it says 1200 re-charge cycles.

[r.paterson]

I use xtar last 2 years on all lectro digital and hybrid tx, just tested after reading these posts.. no rise on noise floor, zero issues with using xtar in that time, I only use xtar in my tx's now. Only thing to note with using xtar is they have a self discharge they are not like eneloop, the xtar battery circuit board is always a slight trickle current draining.. I wouldn't leave them charged for more than a week before recharging for a job.. 

[Johnny Karlsson]

58 minutes ago, r.paterson said:

Only thing to note with using xtar is they have a self discharge they are not like eneloop, the xtar battery circuit board is always a slight trickle current draining.. I wouldn't leave them charged for more than a week before recharging for a job.. 

Thanks for pointing that out. That’s good to keep in mind.

[Rob Beal]

I also got some new XTAR batteries to test, so to throw some more numbers into the dataset, I've been testing the new batch of XTAR 2700mAh AA's and here's what I've found with Lectro hybrid tx:

 

SMQV @ 100mw - average of 9h25m runtime

SMV @ 100mw - average of 5h35m runtime

HMa w/ CMC641 - average of 7h20m runtime

 

This represents about a 12% increase over what I was getting with my older 4150mWh batteries (which I've been using regularly for the past year). I find that the new 2700mAh feature a slightly shorter tail end once they drop to low voltage, but still plenty of time to change batteries (about 45 minutes in the case of SMQVs).

 

The 3000mAh batteries predictably offer even longer runtimes, but for me personally I don't like the constant discharge curve as much. I agree that it would only confuse things to have different discharge curves deployed at the same time, and the extra runtime isn't worth it to switch all of my 60+ batteries to that type. Plus, the built-in USB-C charging port is not a feature I plan on using so it's just an extra potential failure point. I'll probably keep these batteries for home devices like door locks or remotes.

 

I do think it's nice that XTAR seem to be taking an active interest in how their customers are using their batteries and are developing new products. So far I'm a fan.

[Ian Thomson]

On 7/10/2026 at 12:09 AM, SYSOUNDS said:

Right from full charge. Some batteries are worse than others 

I haven't had a chance to listen to the Axient Digital boom transmitter, but I've heard good things about them, so I completely understand how frustrating it would be to have less than stellar results.

 

Finally had a little downtime to listen to the noise floor of the XTAR rechargeable batteries vs NiMh vs Lithium non-rechargable when used in Lectrosonics Boom Transmitters

 

I couldn't notice any increase/oscillation of noise floor when changing between NiMh / Lithium / XTAR 4150 / XTAR 2700 

 

Similar results with both DPR-A, and HMa (with a more noticeable noise floor on the HMa as expected) 

Transmitters were in highest transmission power, and all batteries were ~5min rested from full charge

 

DSR4 receivers in an SL2/888 combo

all receiver NR set to OFF

Headphones were some Vic Firth Drummer headsets that I use to block out unwanted noise on location

mic pre-amps were set louder than I would typically run for scripted work, and I had the headphone amp louder than I would normally monitor.

 

One thing I did discover about my DPA 2017 vs the Schoeps was a weird ramping-up of noise floor on the DPA when power-up of the transmitters, which settled down to a normal consistent level after about 10 seconds - this occurred with ALL the different types of batteries (and both transmitters),so my best guess is that it's related to the phantom power circuit stabilizing?  

 

cheers, 

Ian

Boom-tx-battery-Noise-floor-test.pdf

[Jason Nightall]

About 8 years ago I purchased 64 of the IKEA Ladda 2450 batteries, the white ones with black writing.  They get used and recharged A LOT and they are all still going strong. None have died. They will power my dual battery lectrosonics transmitters for at least half a working day which is the same as when I first purchased them. I remember finding a post on a battery related forum where someone had tested the IKEA Ladda 2450 batteries and found that they were manufactured at the same Japanese factory as Panasonic enloop pro's and had the same charge/discharge behaviour.  The implication was they were rebadged Panasonic enloop pros, which at the time were 5 times more expensive for a pack of 4.  I don't know if the current ones (pun intended) are the same as the old white Ladda 2450's and don't know if they are as good.

[Johnny Karlsson]

6 hours ago, Jason Nightall said:

About 8 years ago I purchased 64 of the IKEA Ladda 2450 batteries, the white ones with black writing.  They get used and recharged A LOT and they are all still going strong. None have died. They will power my dual battery lectrosonics transmitters for at least half a working day which is the same as when I first purchased them. I remember finding a post on a battery related forum where someone had tested the IKEA Ladda 2450 batteries and found that they were manufactured at the same Japanese factory as Panasonic enloop pro's and had the same charge/discharge behaviour.  The implication was they were rebadged Panasonic enloop pros, which at the time were 5 times more expensive for a pack of 4.  I don't know if the current ones (pun intended) are the same as the old white Ladda 2450's and don't know if they are as good.

8 years is incredible. I have gone through many of those (both the white and the grey ones -  and despite what the internet says, I believe they are the same, just different color), and they lasted about 2-3 years before they started behaving weird. For example overheating while charging, basically appearing to not stopping the charge cycle when full, the MAHA charger would show way over 1.50V and then say "over" or "error" or similar. Using one of those overcharged ones, they would suddenly die pretty quickly.

 

And while they are similar, they are not "identical" to the eneloop Pro.