In my review of the EBL lithium-ion AA batteries and 8-bay charger, I will share with you why this is the future of AA batteries!
EBL 8-Bay Lithium-Ion Charger + AA Batteries Review!
The future of AA batteries is here, and it comes in the form of EBL lithium-ion AA batteries, and the 8-bay Li-Ion battery charger!
Most of us have long relied on rechargeable AA batteries using NiCad (Nickel-Cadmium) and NiMH (Nickel-Metal Hydride) technologies which were developed in the 1980s.
They are set to be replaced by AA batteries built on lithium-ion technology – the same kind of battery used in your smartphone and laptops.
So I was most excited when EBL said that they would send me their latest lithium-ion AA batteries and 8-bay Li-Ion battery charger to try out.
EBL 8-Bay Lithium-Ion Charger + AA Batteries : What’s In The Box?
EBL sent me their most popular AA battery bundle, which consists of an 8-bay Li-Ion battery charger, and eight of their lithium-ion AA batteries. They also offer them for sale as separate items.
The package arrived in a simple black plastic bag – there is no special bundle packaging. EBL would do well to add bubble wrapping to prevent damage to the box, and pilfering from the package.
There are the items that you will receive if you purchase the EBL 8-bay Li-Ion battery charger and 8-battery bundle :
- 1 x EBL 8-bay Lithium-Ion Battery Charger
- 1 set of EBL Lithium-Ion Battery Charger + Lithium Ion Battery manuals
- 1 x USB Type A to micro-USB Type B power cable
- 8 x EBL Lithium-Ion AA batteries
- 2 x AA battery storage cases
EBL 8-Bay Lithium-Ion Charger Review!
The EBL 8-Bay lithium-ion charger has a pretty simple design. It has 8 battery bays, supporting up to eight AA or AAA lithium-ion batteries, or a mix of them.
However, please note that this charger only supports lithium-ion rechargeable batteries. Please do not use it to recharge your NiCd / NiMH rechargeable batteries!
Every bay has a separate circuit, allowing for optimal charging according to each battery’s condition. It is also smart enough to prevent over-charging, over-voltage, over-current and overheating while charging.
That said, EBL recommends that you take out the batteries once they are fully-charged, and do not leave them in the charger. Trickle-charging lithium-ion batteries is not good for their lifespan.
I would also recommend that you disconnect the charger after use, because it will use up to 0.3 watts of power even when it’s not charging any battery. That “vampire power loss” may seem little, but it is still a waste of power.
Power input comes through the very common Type A to micro-USB cable. In 2022, I would have very much preferred a bidirectional USB Type C connector. But this is a minor inconvenience – you won’t generally remove the cable unless you are travelling.
The 8-bay charger has a 10 watt power input, delivering up to 1.25 watts per bay when fully-loaded with eight batteries, and up to 1.5 watt per bay with fewer batteries.
However, EBL does not provide a 10 watt USB power adaptor to actually power this 8-bay lithium-ion battery charger. So you will need to purchase a separate USB power adaptor, or use the one that came with your smartphone.
Just make sure the USB power adaptor can deliver 10 watts or more. Otherwise, charging will be much slower.
| Specifications | EBL 8-Bay Lithium-Ion Charger |
| Model | EBL M7012 |
| Type | USB Charger |
| Battery Size | AA / AAA |
| Battery Type | Only 1.5V Lithium-Ion |
| Input Voltage | DC 5V @ 2A |
| Input Power | 10 W |
| No-Load Input Power | 0.3 W max. |
| Output Voltage | DC 1.5 V @ 1 A |
| Output Current | AA : 1000 mA max. AAA : 500 mA max. |
| Dimensions | 126.4 mm wide 75.4 mm high 25.2 mm thick |
| Weight | 94.9 grams |
EBL 8-Bay Lithium-Ion AA Batteries Review!
The EBL lithium-ion AA batteries work like any other rechargeable AA batteries. Just plug them into any device that requires AA batteries, and they just work.
These lithium-ion batteries have a capacity of 3,000 mWh, which is equivalent to 2,000 mAh. So they are equivalent in capacity to many NiMH batteries, but about 18% lower than top-shelf Eneloop Pro batteries.
EBL claims that they have a low self-discharge like Eneloop batteries, and will retain up to 80% of its capacity 3 years after it’s fully-charged. But they do not come pre-charged, because so you will need to charge them for 6-8 hours before using them.
The biggest advantage of the EBL lithium-ion AA battery though is its ability to deliver 1.5 volts of constant current. This beats NiCad and NiMH batteries which are limited to just 1.2-1.4 volts.
Even though these batteries have similar capacities to NiCad/NiMH batteries, their higher voltage means they deliver 7% to 25% more power.
That extra power is useful when it comes to certain devices, like Nerf guns or electric toothbrushes for example. You will get higher performance with these 1.5 volt lithium-ion batteries than you would with NiCad / NiMH batteries.
| Specifications | EBL Lithium-Ion AA Battery |
| Size | AA |
| Type | Lithium-Ion |
| Capacity | 3000 mWh 2000 mAh |
| Discharge Voltage | 1.5 V ± 2% |
| Low Voltage Warning |
1.1 V ± 2% |
| Standard Charging Time | ≤ 2.5 hours |
| Standard Discharge Time | ≥ 5 hours |
| Charging Voltage | 5.0 V ~ 5.5 V |
| Recommended Discharge Current |
0.2 C (400 mA) |
| Maximum Discharge Current |
1 C |
| Overcurrent Protection Limit |
800 mA |
| Overcurrent Discharge / Short Circuit Limit |
2.1 A ~ 2.8 A |
| Low Temperature Charging Protection |
0 ℃ : ≤ 150 mA -10 ℃ : ≤ 100 mA |
| Static Power Consumption | ≤ 100 μA |
| Dimensions | 50.1 mm tall 14.1 mm wide |
| Weight | 20 grams |
EBL 8-Bay Lithium-Ion Charger + AA Batteries : Price + Availability
The EBL 8-Bay lithium-ion charger can be purchased separately, or together with AA batteries, at these official price points :
- 8-Bay Lithium-Ion Charger + 8 AA batteries : US$45.99
- 8-Bay Lithium-Ion Charger only : US$13.59
- 8 x Lithium-Ion AA Batteries : US$28.99
Here are some online purchase options :
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
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