An eneloop by any other name...
[Updated Dec 24 2008]
I was only half-right when I boldly proclaimed that "Duracell Pre Charged AA are rebranded Sanyo eneloop cells" in my original review. It turns out that the first batch of Duracell AA cells I bought from Amazon are made in Japan and those are identical to eneloop (both mechanically and electrically). But lately I bought some more Duracell AA from a warehouse club. Those are made in China and they are identical to the Rayovac Hybrid.
[Original review follows]
Judging from similarity of technical specifications and physical shapes of (+) and (-) terminals I am convinced that the Duracell Pre Charged AA is actually SANYO eneloop AA underneath a different wrapper. Therefore all the good things you heard about eneloop apply to Duracell 'Pre Charged' too.
My own testing has shown that the capacity of eneloop AA cell is slightly above the claimed 2000mAh and it is able to retain at least 85% of its charge after 5 months in storage. The Rayovac Hybrid AA starts with slightly higher capacity at 2100mAh but it 'only' retains 80% capacity after 5 months. For all practical applications both are equally good. Just pick whichever brand (Sanyo Rayovac or Duracell) is on-sale and you can't go wrong.
One small problem with the Duracell 'Pre Charged' cell is that: it looked too similar to the well-known 'Copper Top' alkaline cell. So there is a good chance that people may mistaken it for a disposable cell. Personally I prefer the distinctive-looking white case of the eneloop cell.
More detail ...
