Maha Powerex Pro Batteries and Accessory Bag Review

Maha Powerex Pro Batteries and Accessory Bag Review

Maha Powerex AA and AAA batteries have been my go-to choice for nearly a decade. Their longevity is crazy reliable and they really hold their own in the long term. Maha recently updated their battery lineup with the Powerex Pro while adding some new accessories at the same time. Check out the new goodies after the break.

Maha Powerex Pro Rechargable NiMH Batteries

The new, high-capacity AA NiMH Powerex Pro batteries clock in at 1.2V and 2,700 mAh. The older version shared the same capacity and, according to Maha, the upgraded nickel-metal hydride cells will now retain up to 75 percent of their charge for as long as a year. 

Features

  • Optimized for high-drain devices.
  • Retains up to 75 percent of charge after 1 year of storage.
  • Rechargeable for hundreds of uses.
  • Battery carrying case included.
  • Improved low temperature performance down to -4 degrees Fahrenheit (-20 degrees Celsius).

The Powerex Pro haven't been out long enough for me to verify that statistic and it would require shelving a four or eight pack for up to a year which would be atypical for how I work. I can say, however, that the old Powerex batteries endured for me for probably hundreds of charge cycles over nearly the last 10 years. Whenever possible, I always slow charged my batteries using their awesome MH-801D charger and many of the first batch of Powerex batteries I ever purchased still cranking away. I have one MH-801D charger currently setup in my DIY portable charging station which I detailed in a previous article, and I'll get to some new ideas shortly.

What I Liked

  • High storage capacity of 2,700 mAh. For most uses if these batteries are charged I can make it through a single day project without swapping them out.
  • Conditioning with the MH-801D charger to extend the life of batteries that, after much use, might not accept adequate charge.
  • I have used Powerex batteries that are nearly a decade old and still going strong. You’ll get the most out of each battery with one of their chargers including the conditioning feature that some provide.
  • The cases that Powerex batteries ship in are awesome, especially with the eight pack. The four pack cases are great too, but the eights I hold onto forever.
  • This is an environmentally friendly yet equally as reliable solution than buying single use AA batteries.

What Could Be Improved

  • They’re a tad expensive up front. Again, if you have these for years to come, the cost breakdown works out well to your advantage long term.
  • I never seem to have enough of these on hand, and the more I use, the more time charging takes.

Powerex Accessory Padded Bag

Another item I picked up is the Powerex Zippered Accessory Padded Bag. I’m a sucker for storage devices, from hard pelican cases to small bags from Ikea and the custom DIY charging station I mentioned earlier made out of a toolbox. On the surface, it looks more in line with a high-end travel cosmetic case and clocks in at $25.

Features

  • Padded bag for accessory protection.
  • Large zippered opening.
  • Padded dividers inside to organize accessories.
  • Small zippered mesh bag inside to hold smaller items.
  • Handle for easy carrying.
  • Outer bag dimensions: 7 x 9 x 3 inches.
  • Inner bag dimensions: 6.5 x 8.5 x 2.5 inches.
  • Bag weight: 0.4 pounds

What I Liked

  • The padded dividers are sweet, with a hook and loop padding that’s reconfigurable based on how you want to use it.
  • I can fit two Nikon SB-900 flashes in this case and it doesn't feel like too much. You could easily fit a charger and plenty of AA batteries in the bag but I like it most for flashes.

What Could Be Improved

  • The hook and loop on the dividers doesn't extend entirely on the bottom of the bag. That does make it easier to remove and reposition, they don't feel loose, I'm used to dividers having hook and loop on the entire section.
Jordan Bush's picture

Fstoppers Writer Jordan Bush is a pro photographer focusing on commercial, editorial, and photojournalism work. He writes and photographs the monthly column, "Foodographer." A former Apple software trainer and hardware technician, he also has an affinity for retro video games.

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6 Comments

Powerex really are pretty awesome batteries. I've been doing a long review of them vs Eneloops and Amazon's equivalent and they hold up very well. I know a lot of pros who use them exclusively and the owner of the company is one of the most knowledgeable people out there if you ever get a chance to talk with him. Can't recommend them enough

I'm not sure but what are the Eneloop plus recharge cycles? I would imagine all of them are so high that you'd be unlikely to hit that number.

The Powerex Pro AA has a cycle life of up to 500 cycles based on the IEC standards (which is ideal lab conditions). In real life use, in combination of high power speedlites and fast chargers, you will likely to notice a decrease in performance 200-300 cycles into it. The batteries are still good, but may not be good enough for your application. This is true for all the different brands out there.

Say, you require 300 full power flashes out of one set of batteries. When its new, it can put out say 400 flashes, after about a year, you may be down to 300 flashes. That's when you make that set of batteries as the backup or to power something that is less critical of power. Using the same scenario, you are using the white Eneloops (2000mAh), you maybe getting 300 shots from a new set and that number will quickly drop and will not provide enough capacity once the batteries start to age. The batteries for your speedlites is probably the cheapest component of your kit that will have a huge impact on a photoshoot. You don't want to have batteries cycle slow or run out at a critical moment.

So for a minimal cost (a few bucks extra for a set of 4 Powerex Pro AA) you are getting a much bigger safety margin and one of the highest performing batteries on the market today.

Just my 2 cents :)

Im mostly a speedlighter. I use multiple speedlights on shoots off camera and use up to 20 AA batteries at a time between flash and PocketWizards and recharge daily. For a time I was using Duracell rechargeables, and experimented with Eveready before finding Powerex batteries. They outperform everything but Enloops.
I would say out of 16 Powerex batteries 4 have failed completely in 6 years and 4 others are only good for a few full power flashes before the recycling time dramatically increases. I used the MH-C801D 8-Cell charger exclusively using soft charge. I tried conditioning them once and the Powerex's got extremely hot (blistering) before I had to stop. I also have some old white Enloops that have endured the same use much longer that still charge and work fairly well. None has failed but they do not deliver the power performance Powerex batteries do. They are supposed to be rated for 2100 charges. The Powerex's are rated for 500 charges which I probably got before they started failing.
I have not tried the Powerex Pros but I anticipate similar performance.
I mostly light/shoot portraits so the pace of my shooting doesnt require fast recycle times so 2000mh versus 2700 is not a critical issue.

Bottom line, if you need the extra power go with the Powerex batteries.
If you want longer charging cycle battery life I would go with Enloops.

Right now im debating on which to purchase but leaning towards the Enloops.