Rechargeable |
Disposable |
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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” |
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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 benefit from 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 detectors: Ultralife brand 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) |
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You don’t want to risk a battery leaking in your device |
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You want to use the C or D size ? | Rare; see sources | |||||||
For use in smoke detectors |
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You want the cheapest battery and don’t care how long it lasts |
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Need to use in cold temperatures | Works well down to -4° to 14°F, depending on brand. | Performance often noticably worse below even 60°F, depending on brand/variety and rate of discharge.. | unknown, but who cares? | |||||
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. |
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Which battery should I use?
To make it simple, you can just use Imedion LSD NiMH’s by Powerex, which are good for just about any purpose.
For smoke detectors, use either the Lithium brands that are marked “7-year” or “10-year”, or if you want a rechargeable, see my 9v batteries page for more details.
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: Powerex Imedion; beware of off-brand batteries
My favorite AA is the Imedion by Powerex. It’s a good balance of capacity (2400 mAh), charge cycles (500), and low self-discharge rate (retains 85% after one year). The only downside is that they’re slightly larger than regular AA’s, so they might not fit in your device. If they don’t, then my next recommendation iseneloop XX (similar to Imedion but a little pricier), or regular eneloops, which are cheaper but have only 2000 mAh.
That’s the summary, but I have a whole page on NiMH battery brands (including a snazzy table comparing all the flavors of eneloops).
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 |
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Nickel-Metal Hydride (NiMH) | Nickel-Zinc (NiZn) |
Nickel-Cadmium (NiCd) |
Rechargeable Alkaline |
Alkaline | Lithium | Carbon Zinc, Zinc Chloride “General Purpose” “Heavy Duty” |
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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(rebrandedGP 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, LenmarChargeables, Accucell (just these 4) |
Normal: Energizer, Rayovac High-Drain:Energizer e2 Titanium, |
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. |
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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” |
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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) |
2200-12,000mAh 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 |
Notes on the Table: 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. |
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