Eneloop AA rechargeable batteries
Hacker ApprovedRechargeable battery
People recommend Eneloop AA batteries for consistent quality, low self-discharge, and no leaking, and say they keep working reliably for years.
People recommend Eneloop AA batteries for consistent quality, low self-discharge, and no leaking, and say they keep working reliably for years.
17 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 15
- criticize it
- 2
- approval share
- 88%
Recommended in 5 of 13 months
- November 2025: recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Owned for 11.8 years
Median of the 3 owners who said how long they have had it.
Each square is one year.
Why it carries the badge
- 15 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 7.5 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 5 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Reliable with no leaking
“do not seem to leak. I can just leave them in rarely used electronic devices without worrying”
Comment from 30 Jan 2026 in “Ode to the AA Battery” “so happy we went with Eneloops. Our battery waste is nearly 0, and no leaking”
Comment from 30 Jan 2026 in “Ode to the AA Battery” “they've been powering devices consistently for over a decade”
Comment from 13 Nov 2025 in “Steam Frame” - Comment from 30 Jan 2026 in “Ode to the AA Battery”
- Comment from 30 Jan 2026 in “Ode to the AA Battery”
Low self-discharge, holds charge on shelf
“do not seem to leak. I can just leave them in rarely used electronic devices without worrying”
Comment from 30 Jan 2026 in “Ode to the AA Battery” “They have very low self discharge so you can keep them on the shelf for a year”
Comment from 30 Jan 2026 in “Ode to the AA Battery” “they greatly improved the self-discharge”
Comment from 23 May 2026 in “Breakthroughs for batteries could soon make them better” Consistent quality, better than name brands
“consistent quality is pretty much only Eneloop or other name brand, with Eneloop generally being the best”
Comment from 30 Sep 2026 in “Livenerf: Has Opus 5.5 been nerfed yet?” “name brands like Energizers are consistent but slightly worse than Eneloop at roughly the same price”
Comment from 1 Oct 2026 in “Livenerf: Has Opus 5.5 been nerfed yet?” “low self-discharge NiMH batteries (Eneloop brand is excellent)”
Comment from 13 Nov 2025 in “Steam Frame” - Comment from 12 Nov 2025 in “Steam Frame”
Long service life
“they've been powering devices consistently for over a decade”
Comment from 13 Nov 2025 in “Steam Frame” “they lasted surprisingly long”
Comment from 30 Jan 2026 in “Ode to the AA Battery”
What people said
18 of the 19 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“name brands like Energizers are consistent but slightly worse than Eneloop at roughly the same price”
“consistent quality is pretty much only Eneloop or other name brand, with Eneloop generally being the best”
“they greatly improved the self-discharge”
“I use Eneloop NiMH or Li-ion rechargeables just about everywhere else.”
“And they are overhyped. Most of them are about 2000 mAh.”
“so happy we went with Eneloops. Our battery waste is nearly 0, and no leaking”
“It's one of the things that pushed me all-in on Eneloop.”
“They have very low self discharge so you can keep them on the shelf for a year”
“rechargeable NiMH like eneloops are a better idea due to the voltage”
“they lasted surprisingly long”
“I've never had leakage problems with the eneloops”
“do not seem to leak. I can just leave them in rarely used electronic devices without worrying”
“they've been very reliable for me”
“they've been powering devices consistently for over a decade”
“It just feel off to still have AA batteries”
“low self-discharge NiMH batteries (Eneloop brand is excellent)”
“I'm frustrated by the error rate on my Eneloops over the years.”
“The cheaper white ones are the best for most applications.”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.