Product Description

Duracell Pre-Charged Rechargeable NiMH AA Batteries (4-Pack) are ideal for high-drain items such as digital cameras, gaming devices and portable audio products

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1471 in Health and Beauty
• Brand: Duracell
• Model: DX1500R4
• Released on: 2007-10-24
• Number of items: 1
• Dimensions: 4.00" h x 5.00" w x 6.00" l, .29 pounds

Features

• Duracell Pre-Charged batteries are charged and ready for use right out of the package
• Duracell Pre-Charged batteries retain power for up to 365 days while not in use
• Can be recharged and reused hundreds of times
• Stays charged longer than RCR and have to be recharged less often
• Contains 4 AA pre-charged rechargeable batteries

Customer Reviews

An eneloop by any other name...
[Updated Dec 24, 2008]
I was only half-right when I boldly proclaimed that "Duracell Pre Charged AA are rebranded Sanyo eneloop cells" in my original review. It turns out that the first batch of Duracell AA cells I bought from Amazon are made in Japan, and those are identical to eneloop (both mechanically and electrically). But lately I bought some more Duracell AA from a warehouse club. Those are made in China, and they are identical to the Rayovac Hybrid.

[Original review follows]

Judging from similarity of technical specifications and physical shapes of (+) and (-) terminals, I am convinced that the Duracell Pre Charged AA is actually SANYO eneloop AA underneath a different wrapper. Therefore all the good things you heard about eneloop apply to Duracell 'Pre Charged', too.

My own testing has shown that the capacity of eneloop AA cell is slightly above the claimed 2000mAh, and it is able to retain at least 85% of its charge after 5 months in storage. The Rayovac Hybrid AA starts with slightly higher capacity at 2100mAh, but it 'only' retains 80% capacity after 5 months. For all practical applications, both are equally good. Just pick whichever brand (Sanyo, Rayovac, or Duracell) is on-sale, and you can't go wrong.

One small problem with the Duracell 'Pre Charged' cell is that: it looked too similar to the well-known 'Copper Top' alkaline cell. So there is a good chance that people may mistaken it for a disposable cell. Personally, I prefer the distinctive-looking white case of the eneloop cell.

This is how batteries should be made!
Pros:
-For a rechargeable battery, these batteries does not need to be charged before you use it for the first time; right from the packaging into your gadgets.
-They last a long time.
-Does not need special charger. You can use your existing NiMh charger.

Cons:
-You can confuse them with regular Duracells and mistakenly thrown away after losing charge.
-This later technology is still expensive. I got them on sale from Safeway for 11$ Normally sold at 14.99$. Target also sells them for $11.

I also like Eneloops by Sanyo. But they are not easily available at your local stores.

Nice Batteries
I have been using these for a few months in my camera, Logitech Harmony remote, and in my Wii remotes and they have been great.

However, I was looking at batteries at Walmart today and noticed their new stock of Duracell Precharged batteries are being made in China and no longer have a white cap. They shoved the Japan made white cap batteries to the back of the shelf. This makes me think they are no longer Eneloops. I am a little nervous to buy another set of these as the only reason to make that switch in my opinion is to save money yet charge the consumer the same. This usually leads to an inferior product. The originals I have are made in Japan.

Anyway, maybe the battery review guru of Amazon will do a little comparison test of these new China made precharged batteries vs the Japan made batteries that seemed awfully similar to the Eneloops. I really hope the new version stands up to the old.