Batteries - Cheap or Expensive?

barneysplash

I have some cheap batteries that I wanted to replace.

The cheap ones were brand new, never used.

So, I bought some Duracell Plus / Duracell Ultra Branded ones.

To compare them I decided to weigh them on my kitchen scales:

Duracell Plus Type D - 147g
Memorex Type D - 87g
Difference 68%

Duracell Plus Type C - 72g
Raymax (Tesco) Type C - 45g
Difference 60%

Duracell Plus Type 9V Square - 45g
G.Energy Extra Heavy Duty (Tesco) - 37g
Difference 21%
Endurance (Marks & Spencer) - 44g
Difference 2%

Duracell Ultra Type AAA - 12g
Raymax (Tesco) Type AAA - 7g
Difference 71%
Goes to show you get what you pay for.

Anyone else have a similar tale?

What brand of battery do you recommend?

Cabaal

You have farrr too much time on your hands

Buy rechargeable battery's, better investment in the long term

witnessmenow

Aldi have a range of rechargable batteries that are good value. They are all priced at €4.49 iirc.

The AA one is rated at 2400mah which is very good for the price. They are not a special offer either they are there all year round, if they are in stock

jor el

barneysplash wrote: »

To compare them I decided to weigh them on my kitchen scales:

Would a better comparison not be to test how long they last in a heavy duty electronic appliance? Surely you want to know how long they last, as opposed to the weight of the materials used to make them.

Your % differences are all wrong too. On the AAA batteries, the difference between 7 and 12 is 5, and 5 is 41.6% of 12, not 71%. Expressed in another way, 7g is 59% of 12g, again, not 71%. Not sure how you worked those out.

Beano

jor el wrote: »

Would a better comparison not be to test how long they last in a heavy duty electronic appliance? Surely you want to know how long they last, as opposed to the weight of the materials used to make them.

Your % differences are all wrong too. On the AAA batteries, the difference between 7 and 12 is 5, and 5 is 41.6% of 12, not 71%. Expressed in another way, 7g is 59% of 12g, again, not 71%. Not sure how you worked those out.

He is expressing it as a percentage of the weight of the lighter battery. So the duracell AAA is 71% heavier than the raymax AAA.

Alun

Sorry, but what on earth has the weight of a battery got to do with it? Different batteries used for different purposes, i.e. high current drain vs. low current drain, will have different construction, and use different materials, hence different weights.

Actually some of the best and most expensive single-use batteries out there with the longest shelf life, Lithium batteries, are the lightest ones of all, so what does that tell you? Nothing, that's what.

A proper discharge test of each battery, discharging at a rate and in a pattern that's appropriate to each battery's intended application will tell you all you want to know, not it's weight.

rubadub

I have never heard of people comparing batteries on weight before! you seem to presume they are all the same and weight would signify longer life. But the inert materials could weigh differently, and also the active materials could have different power densities.

barneysplash wrote: »

What brand of battery do you recommend?

Have a look here,
http://www.rechargeable-battery-review.com/manufacturers.html
they have real life tests, often the longest lasting powerful are not the best value. Many rated say 3000mAh are only 2800mAh, while a 2800mAh could well be 2900-3000mAh, especially for better brands.

Wertz

In fairness after using rechargables in everything for years, the whole milli-amp rating is pretty meaningless for the majority of usage. The only place I ever noticed a difference was on digital cameras when using a flash.
I've a set of active speakers for work in which I use a few different sets (4) of differing mAh cells and they all last in and around the same length. They range from 2100 to 2800.
Saw an ad for duracell lithium last night and thought "How are single use battery makers still mkaing money?" In many cases a set of 2500mAh will cost almost the smae as a set of disposables and a charger is a tenner...fair enough, disposables still have a place for certain uses but for the majority of domestic use rechargable is the only way to go.

Alun

Wertz wrote: »

Saw an ad for duracell lithium last night and thought "How are single use battery makers still mkaing money?" In many cases a set of 2500mAh will cost almost the smae as a set of disposables and a charger is a tenner...fair enough, disposables still have a place for certain uses but for the majority of domestic use rechargable is the only way to go.

Yes, and no.

Up until recently, most NiMH rechargeable suffered quite badly from high self discharge rates. I.e. if you charged them up fully and just left them in a drawer somewhere, they'd almost fully discharge in a matter of months. For low current drain applications such as a TV remote, or even high current drain applications where the device is used very seldom that's a pain. Also carrying around a spare set of batteries for something meant having to check them every now and then and recharging if necessary, also a pain.

For example, I always carry a spare set of batteries for my GPS when out hill walking, and for that applcation the only real possibility until recently was Lithium single-use batteries. These also have the advantage of very light weight, and being able to work at full power down to very low temperatures which is an added advantage.

However, the newest breed of rechargeables, pioneered by Sanyo's Eneloop brand, got rid of that problem completely. They're sold ready charged for a start, so can be used right off the shelf, and will hold most of their charge, I forget the exact figure but it's close to 90-95% even after a year of non-use. They aren't rated as high in mAh terms as what's avilable in standard NiMH rechargeables, but that doesn't make too much difference in reality, and the low self-discharge rate more than makes up for that IMO.

BTW, the cheap charger for a tenner is a bad investment. Pay a bit more and get a proper charger with individual charging circuits for each battery. Most cheapo chargers charge two batteries in series, which can cause problems later down the line as the batteries age and their internal resistance starts to change. The ones Lidl have from time to time are quite good.

dudara

Probably best suited to Engineering or Electrical.

Hmm, I'll try Electrical

dudara

Wertz

Alun wrote: »

Yes, and no.

Up until recently, most NiMH rechargeable suffered quite badly from high self discharge rates. I.e. if you charged them up fully and just left them in a drawer somewhere, they'd almost fully discharge in a matter of months. For low current drain applications such as a TV remote, or even high current drain applications where the device is used very seldom that's a pain. Also carrying around a spare set of batteries for something meant having to check them every now and then and recharging if necessary, also a pain.

For example, I always carry a spare set of batteries for my GPS when out hill walking, and for that applcation the only real possibility until recently was Lithium single-use batteries. These also have the advantage of very light weight, and being able to work at full power down to very low temperatures which is an added advantage.

However, the newest breed of rechargeables, pioneered by Sanyo's Eneloop brand, got rid of that problem completely. They're sold ready charged for a start, so can be used right off the shelf, and will hold most of their charge, I forget the exact figure but it's close to 90-95% even after a year of non-use. They aren't rated as high in mAh terms as what's avilable in standard NiMH rechargeables, but that doesn't make too much difference in reality, and the low self-discharge rate more than makes up for that IMO.

BTW, the cheap charger for a tenner is a bad investment. Pay a bit more and get a proper charger with individual charging circuits for each battery. Most cheapo chargers charge two batteries in series, which can cause problems later down the line as the batteries age and their internal resistance starts to change. The ones Lidl have from time to time are quite good.

Yeah remotes are one place I don't bother using them...really only use them in high drain/regular use equipment; speakers, cameras, game controllers, flashlights, radios, mice etc. I suppose it depends on what you want them for...if it's for an emergency where you'd have had them in long term storage in a drawer or in the device then they're not so good. I offset that by charging mine in series once a week as needed.

My point on the charger was that you can get one for that price...so it's not out of the reach of those who just continually buy cheapo carbon-zinc cells and throw them away.
The first charger I had was like the one you mentioned (paid more than a tenner for it though)...I noticed it left me with cells that would occasionally fail to take a charge or drain quicker than they should have , so I replaced it. The other one more than paid for itself.