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Your guide to types of household batteries (AAA, AA, C, D, and 9V sizes)

Which kind of battery is best for which purpose?


Rechargeable

Disposable

  Nickel-Metal Hydride (NiMH) LSD NiMH
(low self discharge)
Nickel-Zinc (NiZn) Rechargeable Alkaline Alkaline High-Drain
Alkaline

Lithium
(not lithium ion)
Carbon Zinc,
Zinc Chloride

"General Purpose"
"Heavy Duty"
Summary
Good for most uses, except where you need long shelf-life.
Good for most uses, including needing long shelf life.
Good for devices which can use extra voltage (e.g. digital cameras), but the high voltage could burn out lights & fry electronics.  Also, very short cycle life.
Longest shelf life of any chargeable, so it's good when batteries aren't replaced often, e.g. clocks & radios. But capacity drops each cycle, and prone to leaking. Cheap, widely available, but usually can't be recharged, and can leak. Good for low-drain devices. Not recommended for most uses.  If you've got a high-drain device, a rechargeable is probably better, so you don't have to keep buying batteries.
Powerful, but can't be charged, and small risk of explosion. NiMH or HD Alkaline are usually better. Great in smoke alarms,lasts up to 7 years.
Cheapest & least powerful.  Good only for low-drain devices like clocks and remote controls.

Use is for Digital Camera or other high-drain device






(These 2 are okay, but since cameras go through batteries fast, you're better off with a rechargeable battery that you can reuse.)

You go through batteries quickly








You want more than 50 deep-discharge cycles (i.e., you fully use up the battery before charging)








Use is for low-drain devices (clocks, remote controls, blinky lights)







You want the brightest light from your flashlights or headlamps see note 1 see note 2




You're worried that excess voltage could fry your device







Long shelf-life (i.e., want the battery to hold a charge after months of non-use)









You don't want to risk a battery leaking in your device









You want to use the C or D size  ?


Rare; see sources




For use in smoke detectors


see warning

see warning



You want the cheapest battery and don't care how long it lasts









Need to use in cold temperatures Works well down to -4° to 14°F, depending on brand.

Performance often noticeably worse below even 60°F, depending on brand/variety and rate of discharge. (source)

voltage & current ok, but capacity so low it's irrelevant
Want to recycle them when they're dead Over 30,000 locations in U.S. & Canada such as Sears, Office Depot, Home Depot, Target, Wal-Mart, Best Buy, and others  (find nearest) Drop-off recycling for these kinds of batteries is nearly non-existent.
You generally have to mail in your batteries to recycle them.

There isn't room in the table for rechargeable lithium (new as of 2019), but they're inferior to NiMH because they have less capacity, cost more, and have reliability problems. (The most reliable brand has 9% negative reviews on Amazon.)


Amazon pays me if you buy any of these.

Which battery should I use?

To make it simple, you can just use EBL NiMH batteries (which are good for just about any purpose, reliable, and priced right), along with a good charger.

For smoke alarms, use either the Lithium brands that are marked "7-year" or "10-year", or if you want a rechargeable, see my smoke alarms page for details and warning.

For low-drain devices like clocks, alkalines are acceptable, since they'll last a long time in clocks, so their lack of recharging ability isn't such a big downside (although personally I still use LSD NiMH for that application).

Which brand of battery is best?

NiMH:  Lots of choices

There are lots of good choices for NiMH batteries, so I made a table showing prices for the top NiMH brands, but if you want a recommendation right now, I say EBL.

ALKALINES:  Anything

You won't get lots better performance by buying one company's alkaline battery over another.  "But what about the Energizer Bunny?!" you cry.  Well, it makes a good commercial, but capacity is pretty similar from one alkaline maker to the next, according to the findings of Consumer Reports, ZBattery.com, and Lauri Nieminen.  But alkalines are probably the wrong battery for the job anyway.  For most uses you're better off with NiMH rechargeables, since the charging ability means you can stop buying batteries, and because NiMH's work better in high-drain devices like digital cameras anyway.

Household Battery Types Compared (AAA, AA, C, D, and 9V)


Rechargeable

Disposable


Nickel-Metal Hydride (NiMH) Nickel-Zinc
(NiZn)
Nickel-Cadmium
(NiCd)
Rechargeable
Alkaline
Alkaline Lithium Carbon Zinc,
Zinc Chloride

"General Purpose"
"Heavy Duty"
The Basics



Summary

Good for most uses.

Good for devices which benefit from extra voltage (e.g. digital cameras), but the high voltage could burn out lights & fry electronics.  Also, possible reliability problems. Requires special charger. Obsolete. Low capacity and toxc. Go with NiMH or NiZn instead. Lowest self-discharge of any rechargeable, making it good for devices where batteries are replaced infrequently, like clocks and radios. But the capacity drops every time it's charged, and prone to leaking.
Cheap, widely available, but usually can't be recharged, and can leak. Good for low-drain devices.
Powerful, but can't be charged, and small risk of explosion. NiMH or HD Alkaline are usually better. Great in smoke detectors: Ultralife brand lasts up to 7 years. The cheapest (and least powerful) batteries available.  Good only for low-drain devices like clocks and remote controls.
Sample Brands
Low Self Discharge:
eneloop, Tenergy, Duracell, Kodak (rebranded GP Recyko), Rayovac

Non-LSD: Sanyo/ Panasonic, Duracell
PowerGenix
(the only name-brand),
but discontinued anyway.
Generics are available on eBay
Golden Power
(NiCd is obsolete.)
Juice, Pure Energy, Lenmar Chargeables, Accucell
(just these 4)
Normal:
Energizer, Rayovac

High-Drain: Energizer e2 Titanium,
Kodak Photolife, Duracell Ultra
Energizer Ultimate Lithium,
Energizer Advanced Lithium
usually a
no-name brand
Where to Recycle Over 30,000 locations in U.S. & Canada such as Sears, Office Depot, Home Depot, Target, Wal-Mart, Best Buy, and others  (find nearest) Drop-off recycling for these kinds of batteries is nearly non-existent.
You generally have to mail in your batteries to recycle them.
Other important info

Capacity

High
High
Low
High at first
but less each cycle
High High Low
Performance in high-drain devices (e.g., digital cameras) Very Good
1.8x more pix than standard alkalines
Excellent Poor
(because capacity is low)
Poor
STANDARD: Poor
HI-DRAIN: Good
1.4-2.5x more pix than standard
Excellent
3-13x more pix than standard Alkalines
Super Poor
Self-discharge rate
 (calendar life if not used)
LSD NiMH: Slow-Medium
(retains 75% after 1, 2, or 3 years depending on brand)

Non-LSD NiMH: Fast (loses 15%/mo)
Fast
(loses 13%/mo.)
Fast
(loses 10% in 1st 24hrs, then 10%/mo.)
Very Slow
(<0.5%/mo.; shelf life 5-7 years)
Very slow
(retains 80% capacity after 5-7 years)
Very slow
(loses 0.6% per year;
7-15 year shelf life)
Slow
(retains 80% capacity
after 3-4 years)
% of capacity avail. when used at freezing temps (0°C), instead of room temp.
91%
(researching...)
(researching...)
35-75%
(more capacity lost at higher drain rates)
31-75%
(more capacity lost at higher drain rates)
82-98%
(more capacity retained at lower drains)
100%
Temperature range (use)
-4F°-122° F
(0°-50° C)
-4° to 140° F
(-20° to 60° C)
-22° to 140°F
(-30° to 60°C)
-4° to 140°F
(-20° to 60°C)
0-131°F
(-18° to 55°C)
-40° to 140°F
(-40° to 60°C)
0° to 130°F
(-18° to 55°C)
Self-discharge is slowed by freezing or refrigeration?
Yes
(10% loss after several months)
(researching...)
(researching...)
No, and doesn't matter—long shelf life already Not really, and doesn't matter -- long shelf life already
Doesn't matter -- long shelf life already Doesn't matter -- long shelf life already

Nickel-Metal Hydride (NiMH) Nickel-Zinc
(NiZn)
Nickel-Cadmium
(NiCd)
Rechargeable
Alkaline
Alkaline Lithium Carbon Zinc,
Zinc Chloride

"General Purpose"
"Heavy Duty"
Capacities.  Comparing mAh/mWh specs isn't really an apples-to-apples comparison because real-world performance differs.  See "Performance" above for a better idea.
Capacity (AAA)
 varies by brand
Normal: 750-1200mAh
LSD: 800 mAh
700 mAh
300-800 mAh 800 mAh 1077 mAh
1100-1250 mAh
325-550 mAh

Capacity (AA)

Normal:1200-2700 mAh
LSD: 2000 mAh
1350-1500 mAh
but capacity drops sharply
as cells are cycled

600-1000 mAh 1440-2000 mAh
but drops each cycle
2400 mAh
2100-3000 mAh
500-1100 mAh

Capacity (D)

2200-12,000 mAh
eneloop C & D available only in Japan
not made in this size
1800-5000 mAh 8000 mAh at first 13,875 mAh
not available in this size 3000-6880 mAh
Recharging

Rechargeable?

Yes Yes
Yes Sort of* Not really No No

Recharge cycles (deep)

Normal: 100-1000
LSD: 500-1500
100-800, claimed
~10, my opinion
500-2500
25-100
with less capacity
each time
<10
N/A N/A

Memory effect

No No No, but overcharging reduces capacity No No
N/A N/A
Miscellaneous
Initial Voltage
1.2 V
1.65 V
(1.85 at first)
1.2 V
1.5 V
1.5 V
1.5-1.8 or 3.6 V
1.5 V
Weight (AA)
30g
25g
22g
22g
23g
14.5g
Heavy Duty: 15g
Commonly available since...
Non-LSD: ~2000
LSD: 2005
2009
(researching...)
1994 1960's
1990's
(researching...)
Sample spec sheets
Energizer AA
(researching...) (researching...) Juice
Energzer AA: Regular, High-Drain, Energizer Ultimate Lithium,
 Eveready AA (HD)
Typical price for 4 AA
$8.22
$16.50
$5.97
$6.00
$3.78
$9.97
$1.29

Amazon pays me if you buy any of these.

Notes on the Table:

There isn't room in the table for rechargeable lithium (new as of 2019), but they're inferior to NiMH because they have less capacity, cost more, and have reliability problems. (The most reliable brand has 9% negative reviews on Amazon.)

Lithium-ion. Lithium-ion is another kind of rechargeable but it doesn't fit in the table, though it's not available in standard voltages anyway, except for 9V.  See my Lithium-ion and 9V batteries sections for more.
Volts.
The lower voltage of NiMH's & NiCD usually isn't a problem unless your device takes ≥4 batteries and it's not designed to take rechargeables.  The higher voltage of NiZn and Lithium might fry your device, especially if your device takes ≥4 batteries, especially if it's designed to take 1.2V NiMH's or NiCD's instead of 1.5V alkalines.  See the Battery TIps page.
Capacity. (1) Varies by brand. (2) Capacity is misleading because different kinds of batteries perform differently under different kinds of loads, so you can't compare the mWh ratings on a 1:1 basis.  For example, a standard alkaline in a high-drain device will supply less than half of its rated capacity. (Energizer PDF, p. 5)  (3) In general, higher drains mean less capacity (e.g., doubling the draw means less then half as much capacity).   (4) Most figures are rounded.
Recharge cycles (aka "Cycle Life"). The number of times the battery can be deeply drained (down to around 1.0V) and then recharged, and still have at least 60% of its original labeled capacity. NiMH upper limit from Sanyo eneloop specs.
Self-discharge rate. How quickly the batteries lose their charge just sitting around, unused. "LSD" refers to the "Low Self-Discharge" versions of NiMH, such as Sanyo eneloop.  Percentage decline each month is in terms of the initial charge, not the remaining charge that month.
Prices. Pricing is from Home Depot 2012 except for Walmart for NiZn, and Sundance Solar and Rechargeable Alkaline.  CheapBatteries.com may have cheaper pricing.
Sources.
See my sources page.




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