One of the downsides of most rechargeable batteries is that they need to be charged up before you use them the first time. Sanyo eneloops are one of the exceptions to the rule. When our box of competitively priced NiMH AA batteries arrived from Amazon last week, we immediately ripped open the package and set about installing the little beauties into our programmable thermostat, as well as into a bunch of remote controls.

While pre-charged rechargeable batteries might cost a little more, the avoidance of installus interruptus (as Wily Coyote might say), is worth the extra coin.

With their white-on-white design, the eneloops look and feel different from other rechargeable batteries. They seem lighter than the Energizers that I’ve been using lately, but that could be attributeable to the difference in capacity (the eneloops are rated at 2000 mAh, while the Energizers are 2450 mAh). I checked this on a small analog postal scale and saw a hair’s difference in weight between the two.

I do have one note of concern, however … as the eneloops carry a disclaimer, “charge only with a Sanyo specified charger.”