Which AA battery brand is best?

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I always buy AA batteries made in the USA. Menards North Tech AA alkalines are made in the USA and on sale often.
 
It depends... I typically use Amazon Basics when on sale or I'll use the ones sold in the plastic case at Lowes (Defiant brand?) when those are on sale, for low drain devices. For higher drain things like my wireless motion sensors I'll spring for the Lithium batteries by Energizer. 3 years and they are still the original battery. (They warn me when they are low).
 
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I like rechargeable AA batteries first. Eneloop high power variants mainly.

After that it's US made - generally rayovac.
 
Originally Posted by JHZR2
I like rechargeable AA batteries first. Eneloop high power variants mainly.

After that it's US made - generally rayovac.


I'll keep that in mind when the stock gets low.
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Eveready and RayoVac are the same. RayoVac was sold to Energizer. Energizer also owns a car finish that is popular amongst some members here. It starts with Nu.


Edit to add: my favorite brand of battery is Panasonic.
 
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I didn't know until the last few years that Panasonic is actually the worlds biggest producer of batteries world wide. I would have thought for sure Duracell or Energizer. Power of marketing.
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Originally Posted by StevieC
I didn't know until the last few years that Panasonic is actually the worlds biggest producer of batteries world wide. I would have thought for sure Duracell or Energizer. Power of marketing.
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Panasonic makes the batteries for Tesla. They are very big in battery manufacturing among many other things. They are like the GE of Japan

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panasonic
 
Friends, be careful with your battery selection. This is one area I will not buy an unknown brand or something from China. I have had to learn this the hard way.

Below is an example of a China 9 volt battery that exploded in my home. It was never even put into use. Note the individual 6 green AA cells that make up the battery.

I had also purchased some no-name AA batteries that looked just like these green cells. Three of them exploded on different occasions over about a months time. I wasn't home when the first two went off but found them across the room on the floor so I didn't fully understand what was going on or how powerful they were. However, I was standing about 15 feet away from the last "round" when it went off. It was worse than a shotgun blast and immediately damaged the hearing in my left ear. Now, over a year later my left ear does not hear like it did or should, so I think it's permanent. I would never believe that a AA battery could sound like standing next to a shotgun but believe me when I say it. If one of these goes off in an airplane or airport, I could see an innocent person could get killed by the TSA who would think you were trying to blow up the plane.

Watch out for any green no-name battery from China. You can see even this branded China battery (from 2017) has failed but I don't think it was as violent as the AA described above.






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My spouses work has a policy that all used batteries must have their terminals taped with electrical tape and then stored in a metal fire proof can with metal lid that is vented until they are taken to the HazMat at the local waste transfer station. They had a fire in one of their locations because all the batteries were tossed loosely into a bin and they got hot and started a fire and almost burned the building to the ground. So the above doesn't surprise me at all.
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Originally Posted by Quattro Pete
Originally Posted by PimTac
RayoVac was sold to Energizer.
AFAIK, that acquisition is still awaiting regulatory approval.





Good to know. I don't keep up much on the news so I wasn't aware there was a hitch.
 
Since I do not have a fancy tester. Bought a lot of batteries at SAMs. Duracell Quantum leaked if left in device too long. Will not buy those again. Bought the Rayovac on sale at Lowes last year. I donate a lot of batteries to a job site. Those just did not have much power. I use a rotary tool to trim someone's fingernails. Those batteries would not even make it work. It would bog down. I bought wholesale PKCELL batteries on Ebay. Chinese batteries that came with a lot of certs. They have been amazing. Put those in that rotary tool and have been using it 6-months once a week. They are my go to battery based on results. These were AAA PKCELL batteries.
 
Batteries are not equal. In digital cameras by all means use lithium batteries. Yeah more expensive but last way longer and they're designed to hold the voltage up and die very quickly rather than the voltage steadily dropping . Dollar store batteries are junk. Rechargeables used to be designed to be 1.2 volts instead of 1.5 so they wouldn't overcharge and smoke your electronics. Don't know if that's still the case or not but they don't last long in things that need a minimum voltage to work. BITD I sold cameras and kept up on batteries, not so much now. The video confirmed what most know, you usually get what you pay for.
 
Originally Posted by Cressida
Friends, be careful with your battery selection. This is one area I will not buy an unknown brand or something from China. I have had to learn this the hard way.

Below is an example of a China 9 volt battery that exploded in my home. It was never even put into use. Note the individual 6 green AA cells that make up the battery.

Looks like no more PKCELL for me. Thanks! I actually like Rayovac batteries. I am wondering if the Christmas special batteries sold at Lowes for a super low price have less reserve capacity as reflected by the price?
 
Originally Posted by MONKEYMAN
I actually like Rayovac batteries. I am wondering if the Christmas special batteries sold at Lowes for a super low price have less reserve capacity as reflected by the price?

FYI, the Rayovac I tested above was bought during one of those Christmas specials at Home Depot, in 2016. 60-pack for $10.

I just picked up some more last month, but I haven't opened them yet.
 
Originally Posted by Quattro Pete
Originally Posted by MONKEYMAN
I actually like Rayovac batteries. I am wondering if the Christmas special batteries sold at Lowes for a super low price have less reserve capacity as reflected by the price?

FYI, the Rayovac I tested above was bought during one of those Christmas specials at Home Depot, in 2016. 60-pack for $10.

I just picked up some more last month, but I haven't opened them yet.

Menards has a 60 pack for $8.99. Tempting. Instead I bought a 20 pack of Energizer Ultimate Lithium since I want longer change intervals.
 
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