How long can unopened NiMH AA batteries be stored?

Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
Lumia925

Lumia925

Reputable
Oct 16, 2014
403
1
4,860
When you purchase a pack of Duracell, you see something like "Best before 2025" mentioned in the pack.
I purchased 4 Sony CycleEnergy NiMH rechargeable batteries, all it says is "maintains 80% capacity after 500 recharge cycles.", and "Retains 75% charge after one year storage at room temperature".


But it doesn't have a "best before" date.

The thing is, i need it for my wireless mouse, and the mouse needs only one battery. M planning to use two of them- one in the mouse, and one fully charged as a standby. But I have purchased 2*2 = 4 batteries total. So the other two batteries will not be used, i will store them in the original packaging until the current two die.

There's no best before date mentioned anywhere in the pack,

Here's a pic of the pack

Untitled.jpg
 
Solution
Solandri
Since the ones you bought are LSD (low self discharge - "Retains 75% charge after one year storage at room temperature"), you can leave the unused ones in the box without worry. I have a few (Sanyo Eneloops) that I used a few times, then charged to full and promptly misplaced them. I found them recently after about 4 years. I was afraid they'd be dead from over-discharging due to self discharge, but they still had over half their charge.

Generally, I don't consider rechargeable batteries to be "worth it" for use in things like remotes and mice. An alkaline AA costs about $0.30 while a LSD NiMH AA costs about $2 each. The NiMH, due to their lower voltage (1.2V), only lasts about half as long as alkaline (1.5V) batteries in...
Sort by date Sort by votes
C

clairvoux

Distinguished
Nov 2, 2011
111
0
18,710
Batteries don't really have a "best before". The batteries can't hold their capacity forever, and in this case it says it can hold 75% of it's capacity after one year. We can safely assume that this battery can hold at least some of it's charge after many years. Just remember to recharge them every 3 years or so, just to make sure they don't discharge to very low levels. They could be damaged if you let them discharge way below their 1,2V nominal voltage.
 
Upvote 1 Downvote
Solandri

Solandri

Illustrious
Jan 4, 2012
4,919
98
39,240
Since the ones you bought are LSD (low self discharge - "Retains 75% charge after one year storage at room temperature"), you can leave the unused ones in the box without worry. I have a few (Sanyo Eneloops) that I used a few times, then charged to full and promptly misplaced them. I found them recently after about 4 years. I was afraid they'd be dead from over-discharging due to self discharge, but they still had over half their charge.

Generally, I don't consider rechargeable batteries to be "worth it" for use in things like remotes and mice. An alkaline AA costs about $0.30 while a LSD NiMH AA costs about $2 each. The NiMH, due to their lower voltage (1.2V), only lasts about half as long as alkaline (1.5V) batteries in voltage-sensitive electronics. So you have to recharge the battery at least 13 times to be saving money. Most batteries will last 2-3 years in a remote, and 3-6 months in newer mice. So it'll take many years or decades of use for the rechargeables to pay for themselves in these. (An exception is performance mice, which will burn through a battery in a few weeks.)

Rechargeable batteries are better used in devices which frequently need new batteries. Kids toys, high-power flashlights, electric toothbrushes, etc.
 
Upvote 1 Downvote
Solution
Lumia925

Lumia925

Reputable
Oct 16, 2014
403
1
4,860


I see your point. 4 batteries was $14.30, plus the cost of the charger... and the mouse m using is a very basic Logitech M235 (logitech says a single alkaline will last a whole year). It actually makes no sense to use rechargeables in this... And most of my other battery-sucking stuff (camera, cell phone, game controllers) have in-built rechargeable li ion batteries (not AA type of course). This was probably a worthless investment..

Got the mouse from a local "brick n mortar" electronics shop, and the salesman said rechargeables are better... probably just wanted to sell some extra stuff..

I was also tempted by the "Made in Japan" thing. Pretty much EVERYTHING (electronics) in my home is "Made in China" (even my $1700 laptop from HP is made in China). Most people say Japanese made products are better, and i thought it'd be nice to have some real Japanese batteries...

Glad to know I can keep the other two in the original packaging without having to charge them every once in a while... Perhaps I should purchase a high powered flashlight to put my new batteries to good use (a solution in search of a problem lol),,,

Thanks for your answer, really appreciated.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Latest posts

Moderators online

Share this page

COMPANY
RESOURCES
FOLLOW
Top Bottom