AA Battery Shootout

[johndec]

OK guys and girls, welcome to the great AA battery shootout!! I am happy to make this an ongoing and evolving resource for members but I need your co-operation. I only need so many batteries and seeing as I have enough to run an electric car, I'm not really in a hurry to buy many more. If you can spare a few batteries for a few days that are not already tested, PM me and we can organise to test them. It will satisfy your curiousity and add to this database which will benefit all of us.

Cheers
John.

Please note that all tests were done using the Lacrosse charger that I reviewed here. My test methodology was to do a complete refresh cycle at gentle charge/discharge rates and then do at least 2 test cycles.

Battery Band: Prolink
Claimed mAh: 2500
Purchased From: Birdy and also available on Ebay
Number of cells tested: 8
Worst Cell/Best Cell Results: 2030mAh/2240mAh
Average: 2120mAh
% of claimed capacity: 85%
Verdict: Seven of the eight cells tested at above 2000mAh, however one was only good for about 1600mAh. I excluded that cell from the results as it is obviously defective, however it does indicate a quality control problem. Also, the fact that none of the tested cells went much above 2200mAh leads me to believe that the manufacturer is somewhat "loose" with the truth. Still, not a bad result for a "no name" brand.

Battery Brand: Energizer
Claimed mAh: 2500
Purchased From: Just about anywhere
Number of cells tested: 6
Worst Cell/Best Cell Results: 2470mAh/2610mAh
Average: 2527mAh
% of claimed capacity: 101%
Verdict: High capacity, tight grouping between best and worst but also the most expensive. The pick of the litter for maximum performance if cost is not an issue.

Battery Brand: No name cleanskins off Ebay
Claimed mAh: 2600 !!
Purchased From: Ebay
Number of cells tested: 4 (After testing the first four,I didn't bother with the rest)
Worst Cell/Best Cell Results: 594mAh/637mAh
Average: 597mAh
% of claimed capacity: 23%
Verdict: Well, like most things in life, you get what you pay for... I paid 99 cents for 12 x 2600mAh batteries (plus $15.97 postage for an average price of $1.33 each). I knew they were suss as soon as I opened the pack, they felt so light compared to other AA batteries. Either the Chinese have made a breakthrough in battery technology or these things were mostly filled with air!! Out came the scales and these things weighed in at 17.8 grams each compared to 29.5 grams for the Energizers. In short, they are a con and a ripoff.

Battery Brand: m-Energy
Claimed mAh: 2300
Purchased From: http://www.mittoni.com.au (NOTE: since my purchase the 2300's have been superceded by 2500's)
Number of cells tested: 8
Worst Cell/Best Cell Resuts: 1668mAh/2020mAh
Average: 1904mAh
% of claimed capacity: 76%
Verdict: My oldest batteries but still only lightly used, mostly in my SB-800 flash. I was disappointed in their scores as they have always lasted a session with the flash (not that I am a big flash user). Perhaps their internal chemistry better suits the discharge demands of a flash rather a constant discharge via a discharger.

Summary: Go with the big name brands. They know that they have to be reasonably honest with their figures as they will be under much more scrutiny than the lesser name and no name brands.

Please note that all batteries tested are no more than 12 months old and have been recharged less than 20 times prior to this test. Considering that most manufacturers claim a 1000 recharge cycle for their batteries, age and usage is not a factor in these results.

EDIT: New batteries added 5/7/06

Battery Brand: Grandcell
Claimed mAh: 2100
Purchased from: Coles Supermarket
Number of cells tested: 4
Worst Cell/Best Cell Results: 1690mAh/2200mAh
Average: 1992mAh
% of claimed capacity: 95%
Verdict: I was suprised, I expected these things to test poorly. If it wasn't for one poor cell, these things would have exceeded their claimed rating. If you see them on special, grab a pack or two.

Battery Brand: Lacrosse
Claimed mAh: 2000
Purchased from: Came with charger for free
Number of cells tested: 4
Worst Cell/Best Cell Results: 1640mAh/2030mAh
Average: 1908mAh
% of claimed capacity: 95%
Verdict: Once again, one poor cell dented the result, but seeing as they cost me nothing, I won't complain...

[Geoff]

Wow - a very comprehensive test John! I'm sure everyone will appreciate the effort you went to. Cheers!

[myarhidia]

Thanks for your time & effort to conduct these test and for posting the results.

[sheepie]

Nice to see a pretty full test applied here - well done

Would be interested in seeing your method applied to the Dick Smith branded batteries. I use these almost exclusively and have found them to be reasonably reliable - I wonder what your results would show


The other variable with these things is the lifetime, or number of recharges the batteries are good for. Only time will tell this one

[MATT]

Thanks for the round.. But the Chinese ones are so cheap..


looks like energisers are the ones.

MATT

[birddog114]

By the end of the day, the verdict is: you get what you pay for.

[Paul]

Excellant work John, your test results give me a lot of confidence in the Energizers I have for my SB-800's.
They've given me the best output so far, very reliable and quick re-cycling when firing off in burst mode!
Wonder when they will release the 3000mAh..?

[Glen]

John, thank you for those results, really comprehensive local results.
I am really surprised the Ebay one didn't perform better, I have seen articles claiming that Ebay was a really honest, trustable fair marketplace with Ebay and Paypal guarantee. Maybe you should try and claim on it John?

[Paul]

Glen, sounds like your a fan of eBay just like Birddog!

[birddog114]

John, thank you for those results, really comprehensive local results.
I am really surprised the Ebay one didn't perform better, I have seen articles claiming that Ebay was a really honest, trustable fair marketplace with Ebay and Paypal guarantee. Maybe you should try and claim on it John?

[the foto fanatic]

Excellent work to keep members on top of the world of batteries.
Thanks

[johndec]

Would be interested in seeing your method applied to the Dick Smith branded batteries. I use these almost exclusively and have found them to be reasonably reliable - I wonder what your results would show

Leon, If you have a few spares you want me to put on the treadmill I'm happy to test them for you. PM me if you're interested.

[birddog114]

Would be interested in seeing your method applied to the Dick Smith branded batteries.

I thought Dick Smith only sells peanut butter

[Onyx]

Thanks for going to the trouble of testing and posting your results John. For me, there are no surprises as to the results... but I am disappointed in your omission of the value factor (aka cost/benefit), as I believe there is still some merit in that, even if it goes ignored by this crowd.

eg. I'm a self confessed brandwhore™ and I'll never be swayed by my choice of Energizer/Sanyo branded cells, but they can cost upto twice as much as some of the generics; and I have $80 iridium spark plugs for my car that lasts at best 3 times longer than $15 set for 'standard' plugs.

[Yi-P]

Im still using my 3 sets of Duracell 2300mAh for my SB800, I think they run pretty good after full charges. Lasted me about 200-300 normal flashes before the charge time turns longer.

[hash77]

Nice one, it's almost like you read my mind, thankyou for saving me some grief! are you continuously adding to this list? It'd be interesting what the Maha 2700mAh perform like given they are from a reputable battery company.

[apsilon]

Purely subjective I know but IMO the Sanyo 2500 are the best available but they're not easy to find locally.

I'm tempted to try the Maha. If the batteries are as good as their chargers they'd be worthwhile.

[Laurie]

Excellent review and im pretty much sold on which battery i will be choosing when i do buy some.
cheers johndec a great review!

[gstark]

John,
Very comprehensive and valuable test. Thank you for the efforts that you've put into this.

Please note that all batteries tested are no more than 12 months old and have been recharged less than 20 times prior to this test. Considering that most manufacturers claim a 1000 recharge cycle for their batteries, age and usage is not a factor in these results.

Even so, it would be nice, I think, to have the ages stated, if at all possible. Somebody has asked whether you plan to extend this test to other batteries in the future, and I too echo that question.

If so, I think we would make this post a sticky so that it could be used by all as a permanent reference for our members, but of course that would place a bit of a load on you, and you might not want to bear that responsibility.

[admajic]

How do u work out how many mAh are in the battery? I have 2 sets of energizers and one set last 300 photos the other 100. I guess one of the batteries in the 100 set is bad... How do I test it?

[Grev]

The branded ones are all made in Japan, while the cheaper alternative ones are all in China. I have a few times hesitated in buying the Chinese ones, and I was right.

Energizer and Duracell are both made in Japan so they're safe, also others like Fujifilm or Sanyo ones.

I have Energizers and the Fujifilm ones, both work very nice.

[johndec]

How do u work out how many mAh are in the battery? I have 2 sets of energizers and one set last 300 photos the other 100. I guess one of the batteries in the 100 set is bad... How do I test it?

If you go back to the first post in the thread, you will find a link to the the battery charger that I am using to do the tests. It has a diagnostic cycle that measures the capacity of the battery.

[admajic]

How do u work out how many mAh are in the battery? I have 2 sets of energizers and one set last 300 photos the other 100. I guess one of the batteries in the 100 set is bad... How do I test it?

If you go back to the first post in the thread, you will find a link to the the battery charger that I am using to do the tests. It has a diagnostic cycle that measures the capacity of the battery.

Sorry Missed that part. My charger dosent do shit just turns off after a time period!! Any other way to tell maybe via a mulitmeter?

[DionM]

Well done. I use almost exclusively Energiser rechargables. They're not that expensive - $14 for a pack of 4 is reasonable value in my books.

It's a pity that charger is sold out ... thomas-distributing say they won't have stock till Oct/Nov

[Onyx]

I'd like to take this opportunity to post a linky to the original AA battery shootout, without intent to discredit or diminish the efforts the OP has done in bringing this thread to fruition.


Trivia: Energizers, so highly revered here (and rightly so) are made by the world's leading rechargeble battery manufacturer - Sanyo.

[johndec]

Even so, it would be nice, I think, to have the ages stated, if at all possible. Somebody has asked whether you plan to extend this test to other batteries in the future, and I too echo that question.

If so, I think we would make this post a sticky so that it could be used by all as a permanent reference for our members, but of course that would place a bit of a load on you, and you might not want to bear that responsibility.

Gary, to answer your questions:
2 of the Energizers were about 6 months old, the other 4 were bought for the test although both the new and older ones tested within 50mAh of each other. The m-Energy batteries are actually 16 months old (just dug up the receipt, sorry for the mis-information in the original post). The Cleanskins were new and the Prolinks were bought from Birdy about 12 months ago.

I am happy to test more batteries but I already own 36 Ni-mh AA batteries (48 if you count the junk ones I got off Ebay ) so I'm not in urgent need of more. However if members want to loan me a few spare batteries for a few days, I am more than happy to test them and post the results. It's not really a load on me, I just bung them in and monitor the results. I use a gentle 500mAh charge/250mAh discharge so there is no chance of overheating and damaging any donor batteries. It usually takes about 2-3 days to fully test a set of 4 batteries (less for well loved batteries, a bit more for used and abused ones)..

In a nutshell, I'm more than happy to help make this an evolving reference but we need the co-operation of other members to make it a goer.

[johndec]

I'd like to take this opportunity to post a linky to the original AA battery shootout, without intent to discredit or diminish the efforts the OP has done in bringing this thread to fruition.


Trivia: Energizers, so highly revered here (and rightly so) are made by the world's leading rechargeble battery manufacturer - Sanyo.

Actually Chi, that shootout was my original inspiration. The problem with it was that it was firstly out of date and secondly referred to a whole heap of batteries we can't buy over the counter here. I felt we needed a more Oz-centric review.

Also while I'm at it, to answer your earlier question, the Energizers come out on top in the $ per mAh equation. The fact that you can get them at your local Coles/Woolies and not have to pay postage puts their nose in front...

[johndec]

New tests added, see first post in this thread.

[Steffen]

Thanks John, for including the Grandcells. I have a few of them, and didn't realise how good they can be. I stopped using them mostly because of the charger they come with and my own stupidity. The charger is also usable for NiMHs, but you must switch between Grandcell (rechargeable alkaline) and NiMH. I tend to forget these things, and consequently ruined a set of 4 Energizer NiMHs...

I believe, though, that rechargeable alkalines have far fewer recharge cycles than NiMHs.

Cheers
Steffen.

[DaveB]

Since 2003 Grandcell has had NiMH batteries as well as their rechargable alkalines (BTW, almost any alkaline cell can be recharged in the right recharger). Which cells were tested here?

John, I have a Lacrosse charger and am going through my battery collection to post some more numbers here soon. Thanks for specifying the charge/discharge rates you're using: our results should be comparable.

[Greg B]

Review of the Maha PowerEx Batteries and Charger from today's Greenguide for your information

[DaveB]

Mirroring John's test technique with the same type of charger, I have about 8 types of AA here to test. Some very old, some very new. Here's the first cab off the rank:

Battery Brand: PowerTech 1700
Claimed mAh: 1650
Purchased from: Jaycar Electronics
Number of cells tested: 4
Worst/Best Cell Results: 1356/1465 mAh
Average: 1409 mAh
% of claimed capacity: 85%
Verdict: These are old cells which have been in my hands for 4-5 years, and have been recharged countless times. I think they're performing quite well given their age.

More tests are underway (PowerEx 2500s are next).

[moz]

BTW, almost any alkaline cell can be recharged in the right recharger).

I find that the Jaycar 10-cell charger that other members have works just fine for this, but you have to remember that it will not turn off - it just keeps charging. I use alkalines in bike lights that are only used occasionally, and recharge them regularly. I get ~3x the rated capacity that way over a year or so.

The problem is that Duracells are not rechargable (they leak) and work keeps buying that brand (for our multitudinous cordless mice and keyboards. Don't ask). Grrr!

[DaveB]

More tests are underway (PowerEx 2500s are next).

Later that day I had to stop the test due to a family crisis, but the tests are going again...


Battery Brand: PowerEx 2500
Claimed mAh: "minimum 2300"
Purchased from: Thomas Distributing
Number of cells tested: 8
Worst/Best Cell Results: 2330/2500mAh
Average: 2443mAh
% of claimed capacity: 106%
Verdict: Solid performers. Not the cheapest around, with a bit of variation, but quite respectable!

[edit: updated to 8 cells]

[MHD]

More tests are underway (PowerEx 2500s are next).

Later that day I had to stop the test due to a family crisis, but the tests are going again...

Yikes mate, my sympathies and best wishes!

[hash77]

My commiserations. not much can be said for the loss of a loved one, just the thought that people are thinking of you.

[Paul]

Sorry for the loss of your father Dave
Our thoughts are with you as always.

[Glen]

Dave, sorry to hear that.

[johndec]

That's very sad news Dave, my thoughts go out to you and your family.

If it is OK with you, when you've finished your tests, I'd like to intergrate them into the original post (with credit of course).

[Matt. K]

Philo and I also would like to send our condolences. Grief cannot be worked around. We all have to go through it and just let it wash over us.

[stubbsy]

Dave my thoughts are with you. I hope you had both the time and opportunity to spend some quality time with your father beforehand. I know how difficult things can be, know that we all feel for you.

[MCWB]

My condolances to you and your family Dave!

[marcotrov]

An inevitable and stressing event, my deepest sympathies Dave.
cheers
marco

[DaveB]

Thanks for the condolences everyone. I didn't intend to take over John's thread!
Peter, I'd been visiting him almost daily for the last few weeks (in hospital at first, and then we helped move him home last Tuesday) and then Jane and I moved in to my parent's place on Friday and stayed there until Monday night.
Matt, I'm not working to ignore my grief: I'm working to pay the bills! Things have been distrupted for a while already! Family and friends are being great, and my sister and her son are about to get on a plane from the UK. We're working through it together.

If it is OK with you, when you've finished your tests, I'd like to intergrate them into the original post (with credit of course).

Sure, that's fine. I've got another:

• 4 PowerEx 2500s to update that last report with (to average over 8, etc)
• 8 PowerTech 2400s
• 4 PowerTech 2300s
• 4 PowerTech 2000s (can you tell I've got a Jaycar store nearby? )
• 4 "JKL" 2100s
• 4 La Crosse 2000s (I'll feed those figures to you to average with yours)
• 4 GP 1500s, and I think that'll do!

If a member in Melbourne has different cells they'd like me to test and report on, I can do that too.

[DaveB]

Battery Brand: Powertech
Claimed mAh: 2400
Purchased from: Jaycar Electronics
Number of cells tested: 8
Worst/Best Cell Results: 2370/2460 mAh
Average: 2416 mAh
% of claimed capacity: 101%
Verdict: Cheap but effective!

[sirhc55]

Dave - when my father passed away I wrote the following words, which I would like to share with you:

As the sun sets
on my dad’s life
I am so sorry
that I can’t be with him
to say how much
I loved him
and will
miss him

So much time has passed
at a distance
so many years apart
and yet,
there was always
a place in my heart
for my dad

He lost so much
but gave his wisdom
his love for others
quite and often unspoken
but on reflection
that was my dad

He suffered pain
without comment
he suffered hardship
without a word


I am the shadow
that materialises
from the ashes
of my father

I had been away from my family (except for visits to England) for over thirty years.

[DaveB]

Battery Brand: Powertech
Claimed mAh: 2000
Purchased from: Jaycar Electronics
Number of cells tested: 4
Worst/Best Cell Results: 1687/1813 mAh
Average: 1746 mAh
% of claimed capacity: 87%
Verdict: These are old cells which have been in my hands for 3-4 years, and have been used and abused with some dodgy chargers (I'm sure they've been "cooked" a few times). I expect new cells would perform better, but even so these aren't dead yet.

[hash77]

Just a quick question, as a follow up to your post on energisers, I searched high and low for other tests of the same battery. I came across one that said the made in japan one were inferior to the made in china energisers. Beats me I thought it would have been the other way around. All I have been able to dine at coles is the made in japan one so I'll just have to take a punt.

thanks again for putting this together

[DaveB]

Battery Brand: JKL
Claimed mAh: 2100
Purchased from: PowerInNumbers, bundled with a Vosonic PSD
Number of cells tested: 4
Worst/Best Cell Results: 1853/2050 mAh
Average: 1988 mAh
% of claimed capacity: 95%
Verdict: These cells were packaged with a PSD several years ago. They've survived quite well.

[MATT]

Dave a question,

How much money have spent on these????

Seems like something I would do , much to the wifes discust.

MATT