What are your favourite batteries?

[Shannow]

I dislike the waste of non-rechargeable batteries, so try to use rechargeables wherever possible.

Got burned on rechargeable alkalines, the "rechargeable" alkalines leaked just as often as the basic alkalines in the charger.

Now using NiMH, if the kids get a new toy, I buy sufficient NiMH batteries for that toy.

Exception is "D" size in things like keybords. Tried the AA to C and D adaptors, but that's not all that satisfactory. Use Duracell in those.

The kids have some fisher price night lights in their beds. We stick to regular batteries in these, as I don't want alkalines to leak in their beds.

 

[rpn453]

Does anyone know of any rechargeable batteries that actually last long enough to be useful in things where you only change the batteries every couple of years (remotes), or where you only use the object a couple of times a year (flashlights)? The only rechargeable batteries I have around here are the ones in phones.

 

[oilyriser]

Yes, there's a new version of Ni metal hydride that keeps a charge for a long time. Sanyo has one, and rayovac does, at least in the US. Us poor Canadians still get the old technology rayovacs.
rayovac "hybrid", sanyo "eneloop"

I've tried the newer rechargeable alkalines, and they seem to be holding up quite well without leaking, but the new low self-discharge nimh cells will soon put them out of business.

 

[Patman]

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Just put the batteries whatever is about to be used. .

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The thing is, with a 5 year old son, I just never know which toy he's going to play with! He's got a huge pile of toys downstairs and he might grab the same ones for a few days in a row, then grab one he hasn't played in months. So it's just way easier to have all of them ready to go. Besides, when I can find deals like 50 AAs for $10, that's still a lot cheaper than rechargables (two AA rechargables cost that much here)

 

[Shannow]

Patman,
I know what you mean exactly. That's why when a new toy comes along, I buy sufficient NiMH batteries for it. Spreads the purchases out.

 

[Master ACiD]

rechargables just are not cost effective in things like tv remotes. on those items you replace the batteries every few years. rechargables only last a few years and the typical nimh only holds a charge for a month or so.

i would think that a cheap set of low power nicd might work ok for tv remotes, but again the total lifespan is not so good.

this is why i use alkalines in low power devices like remotes, and rechargables in high power things like mp3 players, cd players, solar lights, flashlights, etc.

 

[1sttruck]

As part of 'emergency stash' I keep a pack of Duracell AAA, AA, and two packs of D cells on hand. In my backpack (man purse that I take everywhere) and in each car I have a pouch with two AAA Maglites, I have a few AA Maglites with LED lights laying around, and I have about 3 2 D cell lights in the house and one in each car, and a couple of 4 D cell lights in the house. The LED headlights also take AAA. So, we end up slowly consuming the stash over time. The Duracells store well, with a shelf life of several years.

Otherwise I try to buy stuff that uses AAs so that we cna use rechargeable (which are probably NiMH instead of lithium as mentioned earlier).

 

[huffmuds9320]

I use Rayovac rechargeable NiMH for battery guzzlers like digital camera. Also use those in frequently used and high drain devices like cd player, portable tv, flashlights, bicycle light and other stuff that takes AA.

For single use batteries I use the Kirkland Signature (Costco) brand which only comes in AA, Duracell, Energizer or other alkalines. All alkalines seem to perform about the same. I tried using the Energizer E2 and Duracell Ultra, those last a little longer than the regular alkalines. Low drain devices like clocks and remotes I use cheap heavy duty batteries. Sometimes I'm cheap and put almost used up alkalines in them. I bring all my batteries to recycle it instead of tossing it in the trash.

When I got my Yamaha keyboard which doesn't come with a power adaptor, I had to use 6 D batteries. Tried a lot of brands Energizer, Duracell, Walgreens heavy duty. Heavy duty ones don't last as long as as the alkaline, a few weeks versus a month. I got the power adaptor for it now more economical of course.

 

[Razl]

I buy the largest packs of alkaline Rayovac (blue) from WMart for things that need to hold an extended charge (remotes, flashlights, clocks, etc.) because NiMH loose most of their charge after a month. High usage/discharge get high capacity NiMH rechargeables and recharged with a smart charger that charges and monitors each battery independently for maximum charge/life.

My brother who travels a lot (for fun) likes the performance of lithium batteries for his Canon Powershot digital camera. He says he gets about 2 months use out a single pack taking pictures about 3-4 times per week. He said rechargeables were a hassle because he was left with weak batteries too often without the ability to recharge them (he climbs a lot in remote areas w/o power). I told him to use NiMH as a primary source and keep the lithiums as a backup.

I've tried Rayovac's rechargeable alkalines a few years ago but they didn't last very long. While they did hold a charge like an alkaline, their capacity diminished with each charging cycle. Maybe the new rechargeable alkalines or NiMH hybrids are better, dunno?

 

[BradC]

We use Rayovac NiMH rechargeables as well as Rayovac alkaline batteries.

We find that the NiMH rechargeable batteries do not hold their charge well in some devices, so we use alkaline batteries in those.

I also like the Panasonic alkaline batteries. Pick them up when Canadian Tire has a really good sale on them.

Our office has containers for battery recycling, so I take the dead alkaline batteries to work to properly dispose of them.

 

[Julian]

My last experience with (AA) rechargeable batteries was one where they lost a lot of their kick after idling for only a short time, and consequently were more trouble than they were worth for me. After my digital camera and portable cassette player (I was going through a book-on-tape phase) took a trip to the island of misfit toys, I found I had little practical use for the rechargeable batteries as A) I had very few other things that used AA batteries (or batteries in general), and B) none of the things that did used batteries quickly, which meant I was recharging them primarily to keep up with the self-discharge rate and not because the stored energy was actually being used by the device.

At least with the old kind, I think they make sense if you are mowing through piles of batteries on a regular basis, and/or if the devices you use them in are high-drain, where my experience has been that they really do last longer than alkaline batteries (assuming constant use). Other than that though, I don’t see where their big advantage is except possibly in cost over a very, very long haul. Since the technology has apparently changed though, maybe that’s not altogether true anymore.

Rayovac hybrid batteries

Sanyo eneloop batteries

Sanyo seems to be making slightly more impressive claims about their batteries. Both websites say you can use any battery charger that works with NiMH batteries.

 

[NJC]

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We are the AA akaline consumption household.

We pretty much use Kirkland (Costco) AA's. OR lowest bidder.

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And carefully compare a Kirkland AA with a Duracell AA–the weight feels the same and the exterior/endcaps are identical. It's still hard to positively identify Kirlands as rebadged Duracells though but I'll place my money they are the same (at least in AA).

 

[UncleS2]

Cheap alkaline batteries(in my experience brand seems unimportant) from wherever I can find them. NiMH AA rechargeables have been troublesome for me. I want something that can lie dormant for weeks or months, then be ready to use when I pick up the device, be it a flashlight, digital camera, or whatever. Rechargeables only make sense to me if you're going through a *lot* of batteries. They have been especially troublesome in my digital camera- pick it up, turn it on, it powers up- and then has only enough power for one or two shots- or won't work at all.

That just doesn't happen with AA alkalines.

If you want to spend big $ on Duracells or Energizers, have fun. I've had, and continue to get, excellent performance from cheap, on-sale Rayovacs(sizes D, C, AA, AAA-still using some D's bought 5 years ago

), Sears Craftsman(AA), Fuji Novell(D, C, AA, AAA- all from Big Lots

), and Walgreen's alkalines(D, AA, AAA).

Those new rechargeables? Well, they may be the greatest thing since sliced bread, but it would take a LONG time for me to break even- that's *If* they work as advertised, & let's just say I have my doubts.

Oh yeah, one more thing- good alkaline battery deals are where you find them. I now have 2 MP3 players plus a tiny Sony SRF-S83 AM/FM headphone-required radio that use a single AAA battery each, plus several remote controls, plus heavy-duty HP programmable scientific calculator, plus a couple of tiny flashlights that all use AAA's.

Yesterday, in the checkout line at Brookshire's(East Texas chain supermarket), I noticed hanging at the bottom of the "impulse buy board" packs of batteries, marked down to $2 with a Sharpie or Marks-a-Lot. Looked closer, found they were 20-packs of RayoVac AAA alkaline "Maximum Plus", dated Dec 2011- good enough! With tax, came to under 11 cents each.

I bought two packs, can run all my AAA stuff for a long time now, & no need to mess with recharging. Or short run times either.

 

[GeaugaFletcher]

For AAs, I use Lithium where ever possible. They're far lighter and last far longer in my experience. Expensive, but worth it.

 

[moribundman]

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For AAs, I use Lithium where ever possible. They're far lighter and last far longer in my experience. Expensive, but worth it.

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Lithium batteries are perfect for that three-month trek through the wilderness. Lithium-Ion rechargeables make me nervous. For hobby and non-critical use I prefer NIMH due to low cost, good reliability and decent service life.

 

[Laminar Lou]

I use NIMH batteries as well. One thing I have noticed is that they don't work at peak performance until they are exercised a few times. I have a Maha charger that runs them down first and then does a full charge. I do that a few times when they are new and they seem to take more pictures in the point and shoot camera after that.

I still use akalines in the flashlights as they sit idle most of the time. Like everything you have to consider the application.