Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)First of all, those Juice Rechargeable Alkaline Batteries cannot be recharged using ordinary NiMH chargers - not even the Juice Battery Family Charger. You need to find a charger specially designed for rechargeable alkaline cells, or use the Rayovac (PS3) Universal Battery Charger which can handle both NiMH and Rechargeable Alkaline Manganese (RAM) cells.
The Juice RAM cells are reincarnations of the Rayovac "Renewal" rechargeable alkaline cells. Rayovac marketed the Renewal batteries and charger system about 10-15 years ago. But due to various limitations (as explained later) it turned out a big failure, and Rayovac consequentially discontinued the whole Renewal product line.
On first glance, the concept of rechargeable alkaline cell sounds great, since it combines advantages from both ordinary alkaline cell (long shelf life, 1.5V terminal voltage) and rechargeable cell (multi-use). Unfortunately, it also inherited the biggest limitation of alkaline cell: high internal resistance. This makes it very inefficient when used in high-drain appliances such as digital camera or flash light. So it is only suitable for low-drain appliances such as wireless mouse, remote control, or smoke detector.
Another serious limitation is energy density. The manufacturer claims that a new Juice AA RAM cell has capacity of 2000mAh (tested with discharge current of 50mA down to 0.8V at 22 degree C). My own measurement using the La Crosse BC-900 has shown an average capacity of only 1440mAh (tested with 100mA down to 0.9V at 17 degree C). In comparison, the Duracell alkaline AA cell under identical test conditions provided 2220mAh, or 50% higher capacity! Worse yet, capacity of Juice RAM cell drops further with each deep-discharge cycle. After five more charge/discharge cycles, its remaining capacity is only around 1000mAh. In comparison, a typical NiMH cell can go through about 500 deep-discharge cycles before its capacity drops to 90% of original value. (This is under controlled test conditions, so in real life your mileage may vary)
The product description claims that Juice RAM cell can be recharged 'up to 100 times'. But this is completely misleading, because it can only be achieved if you shallow-discharge (discharge no more than 25% of capacity) the cell every time. That means you have to remove the cell and recharge it very frequently, before the low-battery indicator ever comes up.
In my opinion, it is just not worth the trouble to 'baby-sit' those rechargeable alkaline cells, especially since you can easily buy low-self-discharge NiMH cells (such as SANYO eneloop or Rayovac Hybrid) instead.
But in case anyone still wants to experiment with recharging alkaline cells, here is my suggestion: Just buy and use the ordinary Duracell alkaline cells. When those cells are nearly exhausted, recharge them using the Rayovac (PS3) Universal Smart Battery Charger. You can get half a dozen extra cycles out of them - at no additional cost!
[Update on Oct 24, 2010]
I have eight of those Juice Rechargeable alkaline AA cells stored in a box after testing. After about one year of storage, three of those cells leaked electrolyte badly through the negative terminals. Luckily they were not being used in appliances.
Click Here to see more reviews about: Juice Rechargeable Alkaline Batteries, Size AAA, 4-Count Packages (Pack of 3)
Juice TM Takes Charge TM proprietary Rechargeable Alkaline batteries offer the high performance characteristics of throwaway alkaline batteries together with the low cost environmental benefits of a rechargeable system. Juice TM represents a new standard in value and performance and an unprecedented improvement over present throwaway alkaline and many rechargeable technologies currently available.Unlike other rechargeable systems, Juice TM Rechargeable Alkaline batteries come fully charged and ready to use right out of the package. Juice TM Rechargeable Alkaline is a 1.5V system vs. other 1.2V rechargeable systems.Available in blister packs of 4 AAA Rechargeable Alkaline batteries.No memory effect. Recharge anytime. Performance is excellent in intermittent use. Rechargeable Alkaline has higher capacity than NiCad and devices run longer between recharges. Free of toxins (mercury & cadmium) and can be disposed of in normal household waste.Typical applications in; toys, radios, clocks, cameras, electric razors, fire detectors, flashlights, tape recorders, pagers, remote controls or in any devices where a throwaway alkaline is used.
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