AA battery life

[myredracer]

Just a bit of a rant. 😞

I have an SLR camera that I use a lot, mostly for documenting restoration of 2 cars I've been working on for a while. I use ordinary AA batteries and not rechargeable ones and normally get a month or two out of them, and I use the flash often.

Put new "super heavy duty" ones in the other day. Lasted about a week for just a few pics. What the heck. I tested the old batteries with a voltmeter first before tossing them to see if one or all needed replacing and also checked the new ones which showed they were good.

Then I looked at the package. A little hard to read maybe, but it says "ideal for low drain devices". Huh?

I know there's no need to pay for overpriced Duracell or Energizer as they're pretty much all built the same way. But a week out of something labeled "super heavy duty" ain't very good.

[hypoxia]

OkieGene wrote:
If you are near a Costco go buy their jumbo pack of Kirkland batteries.

I quit using them after lots of leaking batteries screwing up my stuff.

[shum02]

Fizz wrote:
Don't forget 'shelf life'. The old batteries died of old age real quick compared to Alkaline of Lithium

So true!

I've pulled out batteries in the camper that are 5 YO, opened the pack and put them in the device to have them perform like new. Now I'm sure they degraded some but they certainly did work as expected!

[Fizz]

Don't forget 'shelf life'. The old batteries died of old age real quick compared to Alkaline of Lithium

[Tom_M1]

pianotuna wrote:

myredracer wrote:

pianotuna wrote:
redracer,

The AA li have to have a voltage dropping resistor. I'm not at all happy with them.

You mean an internal one? Why is that and do other Li batteries like that?

The nominal voltage of lithium-ion is 3.60V/cell.

There are different chemistries of lithium cells. The disposable AA and AAA cells use Lithium Iron Disulfide which is 1.5 volts.

There are rechargeable AA and AAA cells which have a buck converter built into each cell.

A dropping resistor will not work. Half of the energy would be wasted in heat and you would get huge voltage swings depending on the amount of current drawn.

[trb46]

I use Amazon.com alkaline batteries, AA, AAA, and 9- volt. Sold as Amazon Basics brand. Seem to last a long time and I’ve never had one leak.

[pianotuna]

myredracer wrote:

pianotuna wrote:
redracer,

The AA li have to have a voltage dropping resistor. I'm not at all happy with them.

You mean an internal one? Why is that and do other Li batteries like that?

The nominal voltage of lithium-ion is 3.60V/cell.

[myredracer]

pianotuna wrote:
redracer,

The AA li have to have a voltage dropping resistor. I'm not at all happy with them.

You mean an internal one? Why is that and do other Li batteries like that?

[myredracer]

gbopp wrote:
Sunbeam Batteries Dollar Tree

Next time, spend the big bucks and go to Harbor Freight. 🙂

Excellent idea! Gotta go back to return a tool that busted anyway. :B

Or if I buy batteries at Costco, and when they're no good anymore, I wonder if they'll take them back, lol? It's crazy what other stuff they take back.

[pianotuna]

redracer,

The AA li have to have a voltage dropping resistor. I'm not at all happy with them.

[fj12ryder]

Tom_M wrote:
Harbor Freight has 24 pack of AA or AAA alkaline batteries for $4.99 with coupon valid through Apr 30. I have never purchased any so don't know if they are any good. Customer reviews are 4.6 out of 5.

Those are adequate batteries for some things, I just don't know what. They last a few months in a clock, so I wouldn't hold my breath for them to last long in most situations.

[RAS43]

shum02 wrote:

OkieGene wrote:
If you are near a Costco go buy their jumbo pack of Kirkland batteries.

Made by Duracell.

The go to batteries for high drain devices are Duracell and Energizer, you get what you pay for.

The Costco stores here don't have their Kirkland batteries anymore. They have Duracell.

[theoldwizard1]

Which AA Battery is Best? Can Amazon Basics beat Energizer?

Which Rechargeable Battery is the Best?

Is Amazon better than Eneloop's AA Rechargeable NiMH Battery?

[wa8yxm]

2oldman wrote:
Never heard of Sunbeam batteries. Were they cheaper?

I have heard of Sunbeam like most battery companies they make both the old carbon/zinc and the newer alkaline types. The "Super Heavy Duty" ones are the older carbon/zinc and very cheap.

THey are an off brand you get's what you pays for as they say

As for Eveready and Duracell.. There are many variables in how a battery is constructed. Some really do last longer. But without doing a "life span" test (Say how long it runs a specific device).. A motorized timer (Clock) with a incandescent lamp in paralel might be a good test bed) it is very hard to say if the higher priced brands are more or less costly. and I've NOT done that test.

[gbopp]

Sunbeam Batteries Dollar Tree

Next time, spend the big bucks and go to Harbor Freight. 🙂

[Big_Katuna]

There are pretty good cost/performance battery comparisons on YouTube.

The cheapest Dollar Store batteries often delivered the cheapest cost per watt. The down side is you have to change them more often. They don’t last as long.

The more expensive, premium batts lasted longer but were not necessarily the cheapest $/Watt.

So you put in the pricey batteries in where it counts the most or hardest to replace and the cheap batteries in kids flashlights and toys.