Led Lenser and Exped Gear Fail on trip

[Hiking Noob]

If you want Eneloops, subscribe to the Dick Smith email they do them half price from time to time.

[South_Aussie_Hiker]

Unfortunately, the cheap eneloops which are flooding into the Australian market through places like Dick Smith are not as good as they used to be.

Essentially, the Eneloops have been made for years in Japan, and the technology to manufacture them owned by FDK.

When Panasonic bought Sanyo, they acquired the Eneloops brand, but not the rights to the technology at the Japanese plant where they were made.

So Panasonic have started making Eneloops in China as well. The Asia Pacific market has been flooded by the Chinese made Eneloops, while America and Europe still get the Japanese made ones.

Don't get me wrong, the Chinese made are still good low-self-discharge batteries, but they don't hold up to continual heavy use as well as the Japanese made ones.

Probably not going to be a big problem for a bushwalker with a torch, or light household usage - but noticeably weaker long term for professionals such as photographers.

If you want the good ones, search for "made in Japan" and "70% after five years" on the packaging. The Chinese made cells have "65% after five years".

Panasonic have a lot to answer for, keeping the good quality cells for Europe, and dumping the inferior cheapies under the Eneloop branding to Australian customers.

[Hiking Noob]

They still have some Japanese Eneloops that go half off, I have used Sanyo cells since I was probably 10, they were the only ones that would get a decent run time with old Radio Control car controllers and they never dropped cells like other brands.

I have had the misfortune of trying to sort a warranty claim through Panasonic and vowed never to buy their stuff again.

[aloftas]

Actually, it's not clear to me either that this is a 'private' thread. I also thought it was an open discussion thread. In any case, in a public forum, messages are subject to various interpretations. Unless the opening message is well written and clear, any complainers really should host their own blog instead.

I was going to post something too but couldn't think of any gear failure that was interesting.

I was just gonna shut up.


but, considering we ARE talking gear failure...


I was riding up to Bega years ago on my old rat bmw 750 bored out to 900....I had EVERYTHING on it, even a guitar...
was riding into bega and the bike started waggling its tail like a cats bottom does just before it pounces.

I had worn the back bearing so that it destroyed the housing on the wheel rim.

oh, wait, what, so this isn't the old farts motorcycle thread?