Any thoughts on the best value for money batteries (like AA/AAA sizes) to buy?
We buy the big packs from Noel Leeming for toys and remotes but not sure they last very long compared to other batteries…
Thanks!
Best Batteries Online or Instore?
Lgarethbeverland on 30/07/2019 - 09:24
Comments
Yeah invest on some good rechargeable batteries, like Eneloops. I think PB Tech sell them for very competitive prices. Plus they are a retail store. Use and reuse rechargables and save having to constantly throw out regular batteries into landfills. And no, I don't work for Auckland City Council.
I stopped using AA or AAA batteries. I use 1x18650 cell(rechargable)- it has the same voltage as 2xAA batteries
Another vote for rechargeable. So much better every way you look at it. Yes PB tech does seem to have the best price on those.
Those Japanese stores in shopping malls, I think called Yoyoso, sells pretty cheap batteries. I was looking at AAA batteries and the prices in Countdown and Bunnings were expensive as.
TL; DR (short version)
If cost is no issue buy all Panasonic Eneloop rechargeable batteries.
If cost is an issue, buy fewer Panasonic Eneloop batteries to be used in your toys and high-drain devices.
Then buy cheap bulk-packs of alkaline cells for use in remotes and other low-drain devices.Long version.
As others have said, rechargeable cells are great these days. When I was a kid I'd charge them up and put them aside ready for use. A month later I'd put them in one of my toys and get a disappointing few minutes use out of them. They were rubbish, they went flat all on their own in a short period of time.
That made them useless if they were going into a seldom used device because when you came to use said device the batteries would be flat just from sitting.
These days you can get a newer type of Low Self Discharge (LSD) Nickel-Metal Hydride (Ni-MH) cells. They will retain a decent usable charge for months and even years now. That is what the Eneloop branded cells are that TheHound recommended and they are awesome. I'm still using the same ones I bought about 9 years ago.
I think Eneloops were the first LSDs to come out (originally marked Sanyo, now Panasonic branded) but there are many other brands of LSD Ni-MH cells on the market now. You'll often see them labelled as 'pre-charged' or 'ready-to-use' ….because obviously they're not going to go flat while sitting on the shelves now like they used to.
If you consider you can pay $10 for a 4-pack of Energizer AA's at Countdown, it almost seems a no brainer to spend $20 on a pack of 4 Eneloops instead for your toys, headlamps, cameras, anything that is high drain or used often. For me it's torches and headlamps used for running at night so I've definitely gotten my money back over the years. They're also great for seldom used or low-drain devices because they just don't go flat in a couple of months like they used to.
Now if finances or squeezing the absolute best value are a bigger concern then you could argue it doesn't make any sense to have 2 x Eneloops ($10 cost) sitting in a telly remote that only needs batteries changing once every 2 years anyway. In that case, here on cheapies you'll regularly find cheap bulk packs of non-rechargeable batteries to use in your low drain devices like wall clocks, TV remotes, bathroom scales and so on. That same remote might only use $2 or $3 worth of cheap alkaline cells in an 8 year period. So it depends on your finances, how environmental you want to feel, blah blah.
Someone else mentioned SCA often has special packs of like 20 cells for $5. And I got a pack of 24 Energizer AA's from Bunnings for $9 or $10 earlier this year and the expiry date on them is 2027. So there's just no need to pay through the nose for 4-packs from the supermarket or $25 for a bulk pack from somewhere else.
Do try and check use-by dates on the bulk packs if you can. They do have a shelf life.
A bit more about non-rechargeable batteries:
Heavy Duty or Extra Heavy Duty cells are the older technology, despite their beefy sounding name they're really only suitable for low drain devices like clocks and remotes. I don't really see any reason to buy them since alkaline cells are better and can be had just as cheaply.
While the cheap or no-name alkalines might not be quite as good as the more expensive ones, they'll still likely last 80-90% as long, and for general use I don't see much reason to spend 2,3,4 times the price on name-brand batteries.
However, it's always in the back of my mind that cheap batteries are probably older stock or less well made. They might be more prone to leaking. So if you have some very expensive device, say a precision measuring instrument used for work or something, then using more established brands might be considered a form of cheap insurance. That said I have had Energizer industrial cells leak on me, and there's no shortage of Duracell leak stories in forums. Your mileage may vary.
Better protection is removing batteries during storage or use Lithium / Ni-MH cells that are less likely to leak in the first place.
Hi,
You might be interested in this:
SCA Battery Heavy Duty Alkaline (AAA or AA) 24 Pack $5.89
See here for the deal posting:
https://www.cheapies.nz/node/20619
Alan.
We just buy the Varta (from Bunnings) or the SCA ones from SuperCheapAuto when they come on special….for things that are more "regular", I have some rechargeable ones which I use. If you are going through heaps, maybe get kitted out with a decent charger and set of batteries