Have you ever stood at the store, looked at the rack of batteries, and tried to decide whether you should fork over extra cash for the brand-name batteries? If you have pondered this, one site purports to have the answer: buy the cheapest batteries that you can, as they all perform similarly (with one exception).
Worcester Polytechnic Institute, at the request of DealNews, performed a test of different AA batteries to determine whether there’s any real difference between generic and brand-name batteries. A professor and a group of students conducted the test over several months, buying the batteries at retail.
The Institute determined that there was no measurable difference in quality among the batteries, with one exception. The Energizer Advanced Lithium battery outlasted the others. The problem is that the Energizer Advanced Lithium battery costs about four times as much as the cheapest battery.
One MAJOR caveat with this study: the people who conducted the study warned that the testing only included the pressures of constant demand, and not everyday usage, where our devices are constantly turned off and on.
DealNews: Test Results That Will Change the Way You Buy Batteries Forever [via Technologizer]
Kosmo @ The Soap Boxers says:
I’ve always had the best luck with Rayovac. I’ve had some crappy generics, so I try to avoid them.
My digital camera, however, insists on Energizer rechargeables. Anything else, and it dies after about a dozen pictures (and the alkalines sometimes don’t work at all). With the bunnies, I can probably get 75ish.
April 14, 2011 — 11:05 pm
Evan Kline says:
Based on that study and your comment, I think Rayovac might be my battery of choice.
April 15, 2011 — 10:29 am
Kosmo @ The Soap Boxers says:
I have wireless headphones that I use to listen to Rockies games (plugged in to the audio out of the Direct TV box) when I can’t be in front of the TV (often). I probably actively use them 8 hours per week (baseball nut), and every once in a while, forget to turn them off until the next day. So let’s say they are powered on for 30 hours/week.
I use 2 AA Rayovacs, and the batteries last for 2-3 months. That’s crazy good value for me.
The headphones also allow me to eavesdrop on phone conversations in the neighborhood. This annoys the crap out of me, since it causes interference with the game I’m trying to listen to :) There was some juicy gossip about a funeral the other day, though …
April 15, 2011 — 11:13 am
Angela@Dog fleas says:
In my opinion, one should always have batteries according to their needs and their gadgets.
branded batteries should be used only if the gadgets are costly because the generics batteries may harm them as they come for no replacements…
April 16, 2011 — 12:10 pm
Craig says:
I just bought 100 AA alkaline cells from Best Buy on impulse for $25. So long as they’re not defective, they should come in handy. I hear it’s really important to store batteries correctly, mainly keeping them at an even cool temperature until it’s time for use. Maybe you could talk about this in a future article?
September 8, 2011 — 2:28 pm
Evan Kline says:
Thanks for the suggestion, Craig. I’ll have to dig into that. I’ve added it to my list of future post ideas.
September 8, 2011 — 8:46 pm