# Amazon Basics AA/AAA Alkaline Batteries



## markr6 (Mar 26, 2015)

I usually don't buy alkalines but these were cheap - something like $6.49 for a 20-pack of AA. And there are some things I just can't bring myself to "waste" an Eneloop in, like my thermostat or baby toys. I also picked up an 8-pack of AAA for 2.99.

Of course I don't have any performance data, but the reviews looked good. The date stamp says 12/2024, so if I get even half that storage I'll be happy. Just something to store in the basement for whatever, and on the cheap.

Leave it up to Amazon to make simple alkalines pretty darn classy  They looked white online, but are in fact a shiny chrome.


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## TinderBox (UK) (Mar 26, 2015)

Put them on discharge only if you have an Maha c9000 at 0.2c to get an idea of the capacity, The Energizer website use to rate alakline aa at around 2800mah they may be higher not.

John


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## markr6 (Mar 26, 2015)

TinderBox (UK) said:


> Put them on discharge only if you have an Maha c9000 at 0.2c to get an idea of the capacity, The Energizer website use to rate alakline aa at around 2800mah they may be higher not.
> 
> John



Nice, I never though about that. So you can do that safely with alkalines? I have a BC700 which I believe can discahrge at 100ma, 250ma and 350ma.

Actually, after checking the manual, the BC700 starts charging after the DISCHARGE is done. So I guess I'm out of luck. I do have two L10 flashlights, so maybe I'll do a side-by-side comparison with another alkaline to see if there is a big difference.


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## WalkIntoTheLight (Mar 26, 2015)

markr6 said:


> I do have two L10 flashlights, so maybe I'll do a side-by-side comparison with another alkaline to see if there is a big difference.



Test at medium mode on the L10's (30 lumens), not high. If you look at Selfbuilt's reviews, the L10 brightness sags almost immediately with alkalines on high, so you won't get a reliable constant-output to compare run times.


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## Joeymt3 (Mar 26, 2015)

I bought several bricks of Utilitech AA batteries at Lowes. They were $20 for 100! They seem to be real good. As the OP said, I just can't waste Eneloops. On some items like remotes or temp sensors. Thanks for the heads up on those Amazon batteries.


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## yorab (Mar 26, 2015)

Just curious about the sentiment of "wasting" Eneloops. What is meant by that?


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## SilverFox (Mar 26, 2015)

Hello Yorab,

I believe some people have issues with using a high performance, vibrant, cell for a lowly application such as a remote.

Tom


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## SilverFox (Mar 26, 2015)

Hello Yorab,

I believe some people have issues with using a high performance, vibrant, cell for a lowly application such as a remote.

Tom


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## StarHalo (Mar 27, 2015)

yorab said:


> Just curious about the sentiment of "wasting" Eneloops. What is meant by that?



- Very low drain applications will run longer on alkalines versus NiMH, remote controls being one example. 

- Most of us have at least one pile of alkalines laying around that have to be used for something.

- A $2.50 device doesn't really deserve $5 of cutting-edge battery technology.


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## Lynx_Arc (Mar 27, 2015)

yorab said:


> Just curious about the sentiment of "wasting" Eneloops. What is meant by that?


I think what is meant is that some of us people don't have unlimited funds for batteries and if you can spend less than a dollar to power a remote or thermometer for a year or three vs spending $5 for eneloops. If you have 6 devices that use 2 cells each that would cost you $30 or more to feed them eneloops plus recharging them every few years vs buying alkalines for perhaps 25 cents each or $3 to fuel those items and buy a $28 LED light to use instead with the few eneloops you already have. Personally I have about 8 devices I still use alkalines in because a few of them don't run half as long on my LSD nimh cells. I hate using alkalines but I hate worse having to change batteries (take out and recharge) on devices 2 to 3 times as much plus resetting them.


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## more_vampires (Mar 27, 2015)

Lynx_Arc said:


> I think what is meant is that some of us people don't have unlimited funds for batteries and if you can spend less than a dollar to power a remote or thermometer for a year or three vs spending $5 for eneloops.



I've been giving away NiMH batteries as I have been getting newer and better ones. The last time I got more Eneloops, I gave something like 12-16 NiMH to someone "too cheap to buy them." They then turned around and used them intensively, even buying a charger. All it took was to give them some batteries.

I really don't use alkalines. I think my only remaining ones are in some smoke alarms and a thermostat. I gave up remote controls, btw I no longer watch television and haven't for a couple of years now.


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## WalkIntoTheLight (Mar 27, 2015)

I use rechargeables in everything, including smoke detectors. Even my watches use solar charging to charge internal batteries!

(Okay, there are some other devices I have that use lithium button cells, which I don't believe you can easily get rechargeable versions for.)

For very low drain devices, you're right that it's not economical to use Eneloops. However, when you consider the possibility of alkaline leaks, the economics start to turn in favour of using Eneloops. At least, if the device is worth more than a few dollars.

I can put up with charging the Eneloops in my remotes and clocks every couple of years, vs. needing to check for alkaline leaks every week.


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## Berneck1 (Mar 27, 2015)

I use Eneloops in almost anything that takes AA/AAA. One of the things I don't use them in is my kid's toys. When they break, my wife always throws them away with the batteries in them. After losing a few Eneloops this way, I finally gave up and use primaries. 

I use only high quality primaries in things like smoke and CO2 detectors as well. I have read where rechargeables aren't as good in those. Not to mention that there is a degree of reliability that I'm not willing to compromise on with these devices. However, things like remotes, thermostats, wireless keyboards, etc, I use them all the time. They may have to be changed a little more often, but I always have plenty of charged Eneloops ready to go. I see no reason not to use them.

Primaries have their place, but it's becoming increasingly less necessary to have a ton of them on hand. 


Sent from my iPad using Candlepowerforums


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## markr6 (Mar 27, 2015)

Everyone pretty much covered the reasons for wasting Eneloops. One exception for me is the main TV remote. I like to use Eneloops and top them off every couple months. It just makes it easier to change the channel from a sharp angle across the room or if there is something in the way of the TV. Heck, with full batteries you can shoot it thru a blanket or bounce it off a wall instead of having to point it right at the TV or cable box.


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## MidnightDistortions (Mar 27, 2015)

markr6 said:


> Nice, I never though about that. So you can do that safely with alkalines? I have a BC700 which I believe can discahrge at 100ma, 250ma and 350ma.
> 
> Actually, after checking the manual, the BC700 starts charging after the DISCHARGE is done. So I guess I'm out of luck. I do have two L10 flashlights, so maybe I'll do a side-by-side comparison with another alkaline to see if there is a big difference.



You could always take the cells out when they are finished discharging, but you'll have to monitor that. 




WalkIntoTheLight said:


> I use rechargeables in everything, including smoke detectors. Even my watches use solar charging to charge internal batteries!
> 
> (Okay, there are some other devices I have that use lithium button cells, which I don't believe you can easily get rechargeable versions for.)
> 
> ...



This is exactly the reason i hold onto my crap NiMH batteries. They work fine in low drain devices and you don't have to worry about alkaline leakage. I have very little use for alkalines anymore with aged/high-IR NiMH cells ready to go.


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## RetroTechie (Mar 27, 2015)

Alkalines vs. Eneloops is not a matter of heavy use or low drain, but a question of how inconvenient and/or costly it is when alkalines leak & nukes equipment they were in. The _chance_ of that happening is simply much lower with decent quality NiMH's.

Found a nice middle road a while ago: some low cost, but good _enough_ quality low-self-discharge NiMH's (per cell, roughly 3-4x the cost of an alkaline, and half the cost of an Eneloop). Already have enough chargers, so their cost isn't relevant for me in deciding what battery type to use.

For high drain uses, or expensive equipment, I put in Eneloops. For other uses, a small stack of those 'no name' lsd NiMH's sits ready. If device goes empty: pop out cells, recharge, pop back in. Who cares if I need to do that once per year, vs. once per 2 year?

Between those options, older / high self discharge NiMH's and alkalines have no place in my home anymore (good riddance). :wave: Perhaps I'd consider Lithium _primaries_ for very specific uses like in a smoke detector, but that's about it.


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## Kurt_Woloch (Mar 27, 2015)

OK, some points here...

First, as for the comparison to Eneloops, you might as well compare the alkalines to rechargeable AmazonBasics (white) made in Japan. From what I've heard I'm pretty sure they come from the same factory as Japanese Eneloops, though they might have been manufatured to a bit different specs (rated at fewer recharge cycles and, according to the reviews on Amazon, maybe having a bit less capacity than genuine Japanese Eneloops). Those are priced at least $2.25 per cell, while the alkalines are at least $0.28 per cell. So for the price of one Amaloop, you get 8 alkalines. This means that one rechargeable cell would have to last at least 8 times as long as an alkaline in order to be worth the price. In the case where an alkaline lasts 2 years or more, this would be 16 years for the rechargeable cell, and I'd at least doubt if this is possible because of the degradation of the chemicals.

I've read the reviews for those AmazonBasics alkalines, and it often gets mentioned that they'd have less capacity and especially higher internal resistance than other alkaline cells, so this might be one thing to consider. However, another thing I've read is that they're not as likely to leak as other brands. AmazonBasics alkalines, at least those shipped from Germany, are manufatured in China.

I only have few alkaline cells as well, but I sometimes get new ones packaged with devices I buy, and I do try to use those. Sometimes I'll use them in the device they came with (when I'm not sure how long they'd actually last in that device), sometimes not (if I've got enough rechargeables around and the device seems to be rather high-drain). The last ones I got were three AA cells in a soap dispenser (which got used up in it, but still will be handed down to lower-power devices), 4 AAA's and 1 9V in an RC forklift (which were promptly put aside and rechargeables used instead) and 2 AAA's in a digital multimeter (which it is still powered with). There are only rare instances where I will buy primaries, but they do occur. The last ones I remember were the following:

- In 1998 I bought 10 C cells for use in my multitrack cassette recorder. I used those for recordings for Orange 94.0, the radio station I was doing broadcasts on back then, and they were used for four reports in total, using up maybe 20-30% of their capacity, from 1998 to 2002, then they mostly died from old age... the last one was just recycles a few days ago after giving up the ghost in a wall clock.
- In 2000, I bought 6 D Duracell Ultras for use in my keyboard... I had a gig and forgot the power supply of the keyboard at home, and it would have taken too long to drive home again to fetch it, so I bought those batteries at the next convenience store I could find in order to make it to the gig in time. Those were then handed down to and used up in my boombox before I bought the next set of rechargeables for it in 2010 (and by that time, they were already leaking).
- In 2011 I bought an 8-pack of alkaline AA's from the discount store for the transmitter of my RC car. In the transmitter, the batteries are rather difficult to exchange, and I don't have 8 equal rechargeables. At the rate I'm using the RC car, I figured the alkalines would last for roughly 8 years anyway. I do use rechargeables for the car itself which is more power-hungry than its transmitter. Actually, that 8-pack was originally bought for the old digital kitchen scale because I thought that the batteries were the reason for it not working, but it turned out the scale itself was broken.
- In 2012 I bought some lithium CR2032 cells for the new digital kitchen scale after the one it came with only lasted for a year, but it turned out that the replacement lasts longer because it hasn't died yet.
And somehow I got an 8-pack of Duracell AA's which must have been bought in 2000 or 2001 by my parents for wall clocks and such, but I'm not sure if I should count that.



MidnightDistortions said:


> You could always take the cells out when they are finished discharging, but you'll have to monitor that.



Well, it's not that severe. I think most alkaline batteries will stand some amount of being charged and even somewhat keep the charge, though some might gas and explode when being overcharged. Or they will simply leak when recharged (especially those who are likely to leak anyway). I once tried to recharge a dead 9V battery in a dumb charger, but it only took about 57 mAh before reaching a voltage peak (which looks similar to that of NiCd or NiMh batteries, but at a higher voltage). I charged it far beyond that, and it started to gas, and then the cells first knocked off the cover and then parts of them shot out of the battery like rockets. But it might have been safe, and the battery even somewhat useable, if I had stopped the charge at the voltage peak. However, 57 mAh is much less than any rechargeable 9V would take. And this 9V was by the brand which is mentioned most often concerning leakage, and is even reported to leak often when recharged, so my mileage might have been better with another brand, and it might even be safe to recharge the AmazonBasics alkalines.



> This is exactly the reason i hold onto my crap NiMH batteries. They work fine in low drain devices and you don't have to worry about alkaline leakage. I have very little use for alkalines anymore with aged/high-IR NiMH cells ready to go.



Yes, that's my plan as well. The lowest-drain devices will get the alkalines that came with devices, and the highest-drain devices will get the best rechargeables, with the worse ones being handed down to the devices in the middle where a set of batteries would last anywhere between 6 months and 2 years. However, it also depends on the peak power consumption of the device and the way the rechargeables are aging (capacity / internal resistance / self-discharge). That plan is skewed in favor of alkalines if I've still got alkalines laying around, but all rechargables are in use, and towards rechargeables if I've got spare rechargeables, but no alkalines, so it differs a bit by battery size.


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## markr6 (Mar 27, 2015)

All good points here. We sort of turned it into an alkaline vs NiMH thread but that's OK.

I've NEVER had an alkaline leak. Ever. Lucky? Something to do with the actual device? Usage? I don't know. I do remember pulling 4 AAs out of my Gameboy I had stored for...who knows...10+ years? I put some new ones in and everything worked fine. Final Fantasy FTW!!

Anyway, I don't think you'll see me throwing NiMH, no matter how cheap (within reason) into my kids toys. Most of them take 2-4AA. We probably have a dozen toys, that's at least 24 AAs right there. I have just about that many Eneloops already being used in "worthy" equipment like flashlights and camera flash.

I guess I could buy a 16-pack of Amazon Basics rechargeables right now for $26.69, or $1.67/per cell. If we want to focus on just these toys, that would get a majority of them covered.

Looking back, I still like having these expendable alkalines around...but I think I (and you all) just convinced me to get some cheaper, but good rechargeables for "unworthy" devices. But I need to remember StarHalo's comment: "A $2.50 device doesn't really deserve $5 of cutting-edge battery technology." I think that will always hold true for me.


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## Lynx_Arc (Mar 27, 2015)

markr6 said:


> Looking back, I still like having these expendable alkalines around...but I think I (and you all) just convinced me to get some cheaper, but good rechargeables for "unworthy" devices. But I need to remember StarHalo's comment: "A $2.50 device doesn't really deserve $5 of cutting-edge battery technology." I think that will always hold true for me.


I go more by cost over time myself that take years to use batteries up leaning towards alkalines has some logic to it but even a $2.50 device can be a good candidate for $5 batteries if you go through a set a month or so over a year you can pay for the batteries and decent nimh should last a few years in service for sure at 2 years you can then use the savings to buy another set of $5 batteries for use in something else. The cheaper the device (and ease of replacing it if needed) and the lower the drain the more alkalines do have their place still. I think all of us wish lithium primaries were a dollar each then alkalines would probably be almost obsolete but in disposable devices.


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## more_vampires (Mar 27, 2015)

I just bit the bullet and Eneloop-ed everything. I'll still have a fat stack of them in 15 years. If the S meets the F, I'll be stacked for emergency DC power.

*shrug.*

Now and then, I go through my remaining stack of alkies and throw away the ones that are leaking. I don't even bother with a voltage test. It's super-lazy and that's just my style. 

L91/L92 are the only primaries I buy anymore. I can justify it because 95% of my stuff is Eneloop-ed.


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## Kurt_Woloch (Mar 27, 2015)

markr6 said:


> I've NEVER had an alkaline leak. Ever. Lucky? Something to do with the actual device? Usage? I don't know. I do remember pulling 4 AAs out of my Gameboy I had stored for...who knows...10+ years? I put some new ones in and everything worked fine. Final Fantasy FTW!!


I did have alkaline leak, but they never ruined anything. Only leaking zinc-carbon batteries ruined some rather cheap devices like incandescent flashlights costing about $2 or so.


> Anyway, I don't think you'll see me throwing NiMH, no matter how cheap (within reason) into my kids toys. Most of them take 2-4AA. We probably have a dozen toys, that's at least 24 AAs right there. I have just about that many Eneloops already being used in "worthy" equipment like flashlights and camera flash.


OK... kids toys. I realize this is difficult, especially with rarely used toys. But there were some devices I used quite a lot when I was a kid...

First, a cassette tape recorder I liked to take with me when I was out and about. I remember it needed new batteries about every two weeks, for a total of 20-30 sets of 6 zinc-carbon "C" cells (each set was about $2-3 back then). Then the "Terra Hit" I got for Christmas 1980 (a mechanical game looking a bit like Space Invaders). It took a pair of "C" cells, and in the course of four weeks, it had used up 10 sets (again, zinc-carbon). Then another mono cassette recorder powered by four "C" cells (still zinc-carbon) and a stereo cassette recorder with six "D" cells (this one didn't use up so many sets because it was pretty heavy and mostly used at home, and the big cells also lasted longer). Then a small RC car which used 2AA's and 2 9V's (one of them for the transmitter). My parents bought the first set of Duracells at the toy store at about $11, and it died within a week. Then there were several electronic handheld games, some of which took four "C" cells which lasted about three weeks at one hour play per day and got exchanged multiple times in each toy. Having 8 "C", 6 "D", 2 AA and 2 9V rechargeables would probably have covered most of those devices.

However, that was the cream of the crop. There were several other toys that weren't so hot for me so that I mainly lost interest before the first set of batteries was through, or quickly thereafter. So... I guess that also with you, there are some "toys du jour" which get used constantly, and some that only get used once in a while. Maybe there are some toys you find constantly changing batteries in, like every two or three weeks. It may pay off still to put rechargeables into these as long as they are "hot".


markr6 said:


> I guess I could buy a 16-pack of Amazon Basics rechargeables right now for $26.69, or $1.67/per cell. If we want to focus on just these toys, that would get a majority of them covered.


Yes, you could, but don't save in the wrong place! What you are looking at are the black ones with the green ring. Those are made in China. However, their pure black or pure white ones (with the leaf) are made in Japan in the same factory as Japanese Eneloops, as are the Duracell rechargeables they're now selling at $9 for a 4-pack. And they are not that much more expensive. In the reviews, the Chinese cells are told to have a pretty weak lifespan compared to the Japanese ones.

I think these are the same Chinese cells you often find as "house brands" of grocery or department stores, at least here in Europe (I see that from the visible vent holes on the + pole). And sometimes there are sales from discounters where you get them at around $1 a cell. Now at that price, they'd be a good deal, but at the price Amazon sells them, I think they're not cheap enough compared to their Japanese offer to justify buying them (at least not for "insiders"). ;-)

How about this strategy: If your children get a new toy that comes with batteries, put those in. If it doesn't come with batteries, give it an initial set of alkaline batteries. But if you find you have to replace them often in that toy, switch it to rechargeables, at least until it breaks or gets displaced by a new toy that comes in, and the children at least somewhat lose interest in the old toy. Or if you find that a toy hasn't been used for several months and still has rechargeables inside, take them out (I think that's not so hard to manage at 12 toys). Next time this toy gets used, it gets alkalines again. You could also start with a limited number of additional rechargeables (like 4 or 8) and put them into the first toy that needs a replacement. If another toy needs a replacement, you could look for the toys that are currently equipped with rechargeables and take them out of one of the toys that doesn't seem to be used at the moment.


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## markr6 (Mar 27, 2015)

Thanks for the reply. I'll rethink those cheaper Amazon cells. Some good and bad reviews there, so it's sometimes hard to trust one or the other.

Regarding toys, my son is only 8 months old, so we're talking about the silly things that light up and make noises. From what I can tell so far, they last a long time. As we get into handheld games which get used for longer periods of time, I see rechargeables making more sense.


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## Kurt_Woloch (Mar 27, 2015)

markr6 said:


> Regarding toys, my son is only 8 months old, so we're talking about the silly things that light up and make noises. From what I can tell so far, they last a long time. As we get into handheld games which get used for longer periods of time, I see rechargeables making more sense.



OK... then it probably doesn't make much sense to use rechargeables there. And if your son's 8 months old, maybe this should be a proper estimate how long an alkaline should last in order not to justify using a rechargeable instead, or otherwise the batteries may outlast the toys they are employed in. How long do you think it will take you to burn through the 20 cells you bought now?


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## JerryM (Mar 27, 2015)

Having not had an alkaline leak in a light in the last 20 years I do not hesitate to use them.
Jerry


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## Timothybil (Mar 27, 2015)

Lynx_Arc said:


> I think all of us wish lithium primaries were a dollar each then alkalines would probably be almost obsolete but in disposable devices.


It's not a dollar each, but I have a couple B&M stores in my area where I can get AA/AAA lithium primaries for about $1.50 per cell. I keep a few around for the lights I leave in the car because the lithiums can handle the temp extremes better than alkalines can (-20F to 150F inside the car). Otherwise everything is NiMH. I use the Amazon LSD High capacity (2550mAh) cells, as they are about half the price of Eneloop XX, and many of us believe they are XXs that are 'house branded'. The ones in my Nitecore EA41 I have recharged six or seven times now since last fall, and they continue to show better run times than what Nitecore published for NiMH cells. Between those and the 18650s in my TM11, I have recharged enough cells to pay back my investment in the cells and charger, so now I really do have 'free lumens'.


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## RoGuE_StreaK (Mar 28, 2015)

RE: toys, I'd strongly recommend getting some D- and C- converters for rechargeable AAs; C are just a single AA in a beefier package, so capacity is not great, but the D ones use two AAs in parallel. The D's in particular are great for those heavy-duty motorised toys like loop-the-loop car/train tracks, which chew through primaries in 2seconds flat; I think one of ours chews through brand new batteries in abot 10 minutes! So using rechargeables in these cases really does save a packet.

Also anything that is being used to recharge other things, ie. radio controlled cars / boats / helis / quads etc that can recharge the. onboard lipo via a plug in the control itself.

Basicaly anything that is used a lot, and goes through batteries quickly. Otherwise, if it goes for a year or more on primaries, I can't really justify "wasting" Eneloops (or even Aldi ones) on it.


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## ozzie_c_cobblepot (Mar 29, 2015)

For some devices with long term but infrequent usage, it makes sense to put in Lithium primaries. I'm thinking specifically of smoke detectors, but the idea of not wanting leakage coupled with not wanting to recharge is my litmus test.


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## JerryM (Mar 29, 2015)

I think the leakage problem is overblown, however, when it happens you might be sorry you used alkalines. I use a fairly large number of alkalines without problems as I gift many edc type lights. I do not know anyone who ever heard of eneloops and have no way to charge batteries.

I have been impressed with the Sunbeam batteries from the local $ store for 0.25 each. 
I admit that my best lights that I do not use often carry nimh. Also my car lights or for them I often use the lithium primaries.

Jerry


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## Lynx_Arc (Mar 29, 2015)

ozzie_c_cobblepot said:


> For some devices with long term but infrequent usage, it makes sense to put in Lithium primaries. I'm thinking specifically of smoke detectors, but the idea of not wanting leakage coupled with not wanting to recharge is my litmus test.


I've not had many 9v alkalines damage things when leaking due to the design and the battery holders and the cost/runtime of alkaline vs lithium doesn't justify lithium 9v usage IMO. I've taken 9v batteries out of things that were swelled up and a few that have leaked a little out of the bottom or top but almost none have damaged anything. I compare that with AA/AAA/C/D cells damaging stuff and there is no comparison. I think the 9v "package" can expand a bit to contain leaking material while other batteries have no design to absorb leakage internally they have to spew out into the world.


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## RetroTechie (Mar 30, 2015)

JerryM said:


> I think the leakage problem is overblown, however, when it happens you might be sorry you used alkalines.


Personally I rarely see leaking alkalines. Often I put those in equipment right before use, and remove afterwards. Or use in a cheap device that I wouldn't hesitate to toss when it stops working. :shakehead So the few that leak, mostly leak outside equipment & don't do any harm.

But living with my (ex-)gf for about a year, I've seen several incidents:


A leaking alkaline in a wall clock. Contacts seemed okay, but that clock's electronics were nuked anyway. Luckily it wasn't an expensive clock.
A set of leaking alkalines in a 2x AA flashlight. Those batteries where almost brand new, flashlight was cheap (~9 Euro) but just a few months old. Cleaning up the threads & switch helped some, but not enough. Flashlight kept working sketchy so basically turned worthless.
That's 2 incidents in a single year, in a household with perhaps ~30 AA's or AAA's stuck in various devices. In one case brand new alkalines, and in both cases severely damaging the equipment. And % wise, too much to ignore.

Okay the above is just an anecdote, but I've seen it enough in my life to avoid using alkalines where practical. FWIW: I think alkalines have actually gotten worse in recent years. I've still got quite a few 10+ year old ones that show no signs of leakage. Most that did leak, where bought recently.



> I admit that my best lights that I do not use often carry nimh.


Ehm.. so how do you charge those, without a battery charger? :thinking:


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## markr6 (Mar 30, 2015)

Kurt_Woloch said:


> OK... then it probably doesn't make much sense to use rechargeables there. And if your son's 8 months old, maybe this should be a proper estimate how long an alkaline should last in order not to justify using a rechargeable instead, or otherwise the batteries may outlast the toys they are employed in. How long do you think it will take you to burn through the 20 cells you bought now?



I'm not sure I'll even use these in the current toys. They don't show any sign of wear. I'm guessing I won't need to break into this pack until he starts getting the cool toys, the ones that get used for longer periods of time. Until then, I'll probably keep these around for boring stuff like a wall clock, thermostat, etc.


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## Kurt_Woloch (Mar 30, 2015)

markr6 said:


> I'm not sure I'll even use these in the current toys. They don't show any sign of wear. I'm guessing I won't need to break into this pack until he starts getting the cool toys, the ones that get used for longer periods of time. Until then, I'll probably keep these around for boring stuff like a wall clock, thermostat, etc.



Um... OK. Then I wonder why you bought them at all... did you run out of all other Alkaline batteries you had?

By the way, since we were talking about leakage, I just pulled these beasts off a drawer where I discovered them...







These are two AAA cells which probably were in some kind of photographic equipment and were kept next to it instead of in the general battery drawer... seems like they were best before March 1997, and now the bottom has come off, and powder is coming out. They must have been put there when my parents were still living here since I generally like to put all batteries that are not in use into the general used battery drawer rather than next to some specific appliance they are supposed to be used in. Looking for the appliance they were supposed to power, I found two remotes in that drawer still equipped with zinc-carbon batteries which I took out, then I checked the remote of my TV, and one of its cells was leaking, so I removed the two cells from there and put in two of those I took out of the remotes in the drawer. I hope this will help... ;-)


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## markr6 (Mar 30, 2015)

Kurt_Woloch said:


> Um... OK. Then I wonder why you bought them at all...





markr6 said:


> ...Until then, I'll probably keep these around for boring stuff like a wall clock, thermostat, etc.


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## ozzie_c_cobblepot (Mar 30, 2015)

I agree with the comment about AA and AAA leaking but 9V not. Interesting point about the design.


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## Kurt_Woloch (Mar 30, 2015)

Uh... sorry. I thought that by the statement that you won't need to break into this pack until then, you meant that you won't have a use for the new cells until then at all, not even for wall clocks or thermostats, otherwise you'd still have to break into the pack even though the new toys aren't even existing yet.


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## MrElvey (Jul 4, 2016)

WalkIntoTheLight said:


> I use rechargeables in everything, including smoke detectors...
> 
> For very low drain devices, you're right that it's not economical to use Eneloops. However, when you consider the possibility of alkaline leaks, the economics start to turn in favour of using Eneloops. At least, if the device is worth more than a few dollars.
> 
> I can put up with charging the Eneloops in my remotes and clocks every couple of years, vs. needing to check for alkaline leaks every week.



I'm convinced. I hear other people haven't experienced leaky alkalines, but I have, several times. When they leak, they make the device's connectors corrode, which sometimes can be repaired with some careful sanding, but often can't, and it's very time-consuming.


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## Going_Supernova (Jul 4, 2016)

Never trust an alkaline!


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## markr6 (Jan 4, 2017)

Not that it matters, but they changed the wrappers from a pretty cool looking silver foil and green to a dull gray and orange...something right out of 1973.


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## TinderBox (UK) (Jan 4, 2017)

I was going to buy some Amazon Basics AA Alkaline, But a lot of people reported them leaking and poor performance, But they still got 4 1/2 stars out of 5 so most must think they are good.

Not going to take the chance myself.

https://www.amazon.com/product-revi...ewpoints=1&filterByStar=critical&pageNumber=1

John.


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## markr6 (Jan 4, 2017)

TinderBox (UK) said:


> I was going to buy some Amazon Basics AA Alkaline, But a lot of people reported them leaking and poor performance, But they still got 4 1/2 stars out of 5 so most must think they are good.
> 
> Not going to take the chance myself.
> 
> ...



It's amazon. I think you could sell 24K bricks of gold for $50 and still rack up dozens of 1-star reviews.


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## vicv (Jan 4, 2017)

I've never had good luck with alkaleaks. Duracell seem to be ok but energizer always leak. I had a cheap 5d cell light I received as a Christmas present. After a year without any use I had to use a piece of pipe and a hammer to remove the cells. Inside of light was so corroded I tossed it. Had them leak in clocks, remotes, lanterns, ect. So I only use LSD NIMH cells now


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## iamlucky13 (Jan 4, 2017)

markr6 said:


> It's amazon. I think you could sell 24K bricks of gold for $50 and still rack up dozens of 1-star reviews.



On the other hand, you could also sell gold-painted clay bricks for $50 and also rack up dozens of 5-star reviews. Amazon is getting weirder the bigger they get, especially with the latest trend of affiliate sellers creating fake accounts to buy their own product and write fake "verified" reviews.

Based on reviews I've looked up, it appears there must be some third party sellers either reselling expired batteries or selling forgeries. Personally, the only bad experience I've had is a proprietary battery for an old cell phone, but others report bad experiences with name brand, household batteries. Because Amazon often lumps third party listings and reviews in together with things they sell directly themselves, you may see thousands of good reviews, but not notice that they automatically selected the lowest price seller for you, which is not always trustworthy.

That said, obviously this is not what's happening with Amazon Basics batteries, as they appear to only be sold by Amazon themselves, and with a 4.5 star average, most buyers seem to be having a good experience with them. The odds of getting bitten with a bad batch seem low.


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## TinderBox (UK) (Jan 4, 2017)

Some of Amazons pages have several option to click on even different products, and all of the reviews for these item are all lumped into one big list so you have to search though to find reviews for the item you are interested in.

John.


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## StandardBattery (Jan 4, 2017)

TinderBox (UK) said:


> Some of Amazons pages have several option to click on even different products, and all of the reviews for these item are all lumped into one big list so you have to search though to find reviews for the item you are interested in.
> 
> John.


There is now a way to filter this. select the product you want to read the reviews for. Scroll to the bottom of the first page of reviews; select "view all reviews (newest first)", then both that first review is a bunch of filter options, Click the one that says "All formats", the drop down will have an additional option for the specific product you have selected, select this option; now all the reviews are filter only for the specific product/product-variation that you selected above.


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## TinderBox (UK) (Jan 5, 2017)

StandardBattery said:


> There is now a way to filter this. select the product you want to read the reviews for. Scroll to the bottom of the first page of reviews; select "view all reviews (newest first)", then both that first review is a bunch of filter options, Click the one that says "All formats", the drop down will have an additional option for the specific product you have selected, select this option; now all the reviews are filter only for the specific product/product-variation that you selected above.



Thanks for that 

John.


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## Beacon of Light (Feb 4, 2017)

Have Amazon discontinued the old white wrapper LSD cells that were equivalent to the 2nd gen Eneloops? I want the ones that can be charged 1500 or 2100 times, not the Eneloop Pro or XX that only allow 500 charge cycles.


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## TinderBox (UK) (Feb 4, 2017)

AmazonBasics are re-branded Eneloops.

The made in Japan Eneloops have better performance but are more expensive at least in the UK

The link below are the Eneloop 2000mah made in *Japan*, they are black with a green ring around the very top of the cell

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00CWNMV4G/

The link below are the Eneloop 2000mah made in *China*, they are black with a green ring about 1cm from the top

https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/lf2/Amaz...ics-accessories&ie=UTF8&qid=1486218479&sr=1-3


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## Need a Light? (Feb 4, 2017)

I have like 120ish alkaline aa's I picked up super cheap. Rayovac fusions, I figure they'll be at least as good as your standard Duracell. $8 for 48, I got a few packs to have as a backup for extended power outages. Mostly I use them in xenon minimags. 

But I figure, worse comes to worst, I can throw em in 2aa-D adapters and run my 3D magled (131 lumen version) for as long as I need. Especially since having the cells in parallel reduces the strain, big benefit for alkaline. 

They're good for 10 years, so they bring peace of mind. And at 6/$1, can't go wrong I figure.


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## Kurt_Woloch (Feb 4, 2017)

Depends on how you compare them to Duracell. From what I gather, Duracells have the edge at capacity in low-drain devices, but at the cost of a higher chance of leakage. Other brands, including Rayovac, seem to be better at avoiding leaks and also yield a bit better capacity in high drain devices. However, the difference is not that high, maybe +/- 10%, maybe 20%.



Need a Light? said:


> I have like 120ish alkaline aa's I picked up super cheap. Rayovac fusions, I figure they'll be at least as good as your standard Duracell. $8 for 48, I got a few packs to have as a backup for extended power outages. Mostly I use them in xenon minimags.


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## Need a Light? (Feb 4, 2017)

Kurt_Woloch said:


> Depends on how you compare them to Duracell. From what I gather, Duracells have the edge at capacity in low-drain devices, but at the cost of a higher chance of leakage. Other brands, including Rayovac, seem to be better at avoiding leaks and also yield a bit better capacity in high drain devices. However, the difference is not that high, maybe +/- 10%, maybe 20%.


I didn't know this. I just meant as good as one of the big names. I know rayovac is generally as good, but I figured their (what I call quantum equivalent, just their premium line) was probably at least within a ballpark of the upper performers. Honestly hopefully not like duracells as you describe them! Better high drain performance and less leakage though, yes please!


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