The NiMH batteries I have in my solar lights are about 3 years old (some more, some less), but all are still working. They fully discharge each night, least until they can't light an LED. The sun in Florida can get pretty intense, and these lights only have a single diode for a charge circuit. 1000 cycles? Most likely these have already past that. 16 hours to recharge, more like 5-6 hours of direct sun.
SLA batteries are deep-cycle lead acid batteries. I've got 2 x 12v 10AH batteries hooked up to a 14 watt solar panel. Been working fine for over a year now. Use a charge controller, doesn't fully discharge in one night. SLA batteries need to be kept charged and used. They die quickly on a shelf, unused.