Pale Blue USB rechargeable battery update review (skip them)
A while back we reviewed Pale Blue USB rechargeable batteries. I mentioned in the comments I was having some concerns with them after a few weeks, well here’s the review at three months.
Update at 11 months: they hold a charge for about 4 days, electronic equipment they’re in like my XBOX controller randomly has issues related to voltage, and priced at $30 for 4, this is throwing money out the door. At least for the AA variety. The AAA have had significantly less use cases.
From daily use in an LED Mag-Lite, total use time last three months probably does not exceed one hour I have recharged the Pale Blue USB AAs roughly six times.
On top of this, the voltage or amperage coming out of the batteries fades quickly, or at least the light dims a couple of days in. It was claimed they had a very stable 1.5V discharge and while I don’t have good voltage measuring equipment for AAs (I can test volts, but need to rig something to test them under load,) my flashlight gets dim quick necessitating a recharge of the batteries.
Disposables usually needed a two new AAs every 10 months. These, we’re looking at at least every month even with next to no use. Usually every couple of weeks.
Tried these batteries as a replacement for the Keysmart Nano Torch as its battery similarly appears unable to hold a charge past a week. Light produced is dim. Chances are it’s a different output voltage, but it’s not on par with even a bargain bin Rayovac, which I can get a pack of 50 for less than 4 of these.
I will say, for the first few weeks of testing these seemed to be what they were claiming, but after a drain or two I’m remarkably unimpressed.
Now, whether my being unimpressed is due to one of the three chargers I’ve used on them, or it’s the battery’s fault, dunno. I generally assume being in a flashlight like my Maglite the batteries are under no trickle load and no temperature extremes so there should be no reason the batteries are fading at the end of a month.
So yeah, unimpressed. They read good, the PR was good, they started good, but at 90+ days in I’m going back to an actual battery because dying/dimming at under a month means I now have to consciously remember to charge these things.
I mean, it could be my chargers (which have worked with almost everything on the planet,) are frying them, but I’ve got no way to test that and their charging chips should be handling that. Could also be that I’ve got a bad set. I do not know.
