Tenergy Brand Batteries

Before I begin on these items, I must preface my below opinion with the fact that I do NOT have any tools to test the actual specs of these batteries but rather can only speak on the way they "appear" to work as opposed to other batteries I have to compare them to.

I bought these batteries from a great company but sometimes you get what you pay for no matter where you buy from. While they work ok, they do NOT come close to batteries that claim less performance. I use AA, AAA, and 18650s. The 18650 claims 2,700 mah. I don't have any other 18650s to compare to at this time but I can say that run times in my Tiablo A9 are very irregular. Sometimes I get upwards of an hour and 30 minutes and other times I'll get closer to 45 minutes before my light starts to flicker. Its not very confidence inspiring when the odd time comes along that I don't have a back up light with me.

The AAs claim 2600 mah and the AAAs claim 1,000 mah. However, I use a set of Sanyo 2,700 mah AAs that completely demolish the Tenergy batteries in run time regardless of what device I use them in. Furthermore, I also use Sanyo Eneloops in both AA (2,2oo mah) and AAA (800 mah) that outlast the Tenergys but not by as large a margin. Its very obvious that either Tenergy far over rates their batteries or Sanyo is well under rating theirs.

Some would argue that the Tenergy batteries are a better deal based upon initial price but I disagree. While the Sanyo batteries are indeed pricier, I prefer to feel I have a set of batteries that will last awhile in the devices I choose to use them in. An added advantage of the Eneloop batteries is that they hold their charge for FAR longer than a standard NiMh battery. If I let my standard rechargeables sit around for 3 months they are usually toast very quickly when I put them to work. I can let my Eneloops sit by the wayside for up to 9 months (longest I've personally let them sit before use) and they still last a good long while.

I can't speak for the life of the batteries as I've not run any of mine past the usable limit as of yet. I have been using my batteries for close to three years now so they are doing alright in that respect. I would hate to sit down and figure out how many standard alkalines I would have went through in that amount of time.

In closing, I still have to vote for rechargeables over alkaline so long as you aren't using them in something very voltage sensitive. I have to say that so far I've found that they are bad for those small home thermometers and the various remotes I've tried them in. They work better in higher draw devices that will work through various voltage ranges.

If you are looking for a budget priced AA or AAA rechargeable, I suppose the Tenergy brand will get the job done but do yourself a favor and spend the extra dough to get something of higher quality such as the Sanyo branded items. You'll appreciate it in the long run.