Alkalines... which is the most bang for the buck?

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RebelRAM

RebelRAM

Enlightened
Joined
Dec 16, 2003
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Location
Huntsville, AL
I have been busy preparing my supplies for an upcoming winter storm which may or may not happen. Trust me, in Alabama, the best thing to do during a winter/ice storm is to stay home.

Anyways, I got to thinking about my battery supply. Most of my lights and other battery powered devices around the house use alkalines. Nothing wrong with that, probably more of that type of battery is sold than any other kind.

Here's my question, what alkaline gives the most bang for the buck. I have used just about every major brand. I guess Duracell and (Eveready)Energizer are the big two in the market. But I have used Ray-O-Vac for a long time with pretty good results and they usually cost less. Is the performance of Duracell and Energizer that much better and worth the extra money? Are there other brands I should look at?

Also does anyone know who makes the Garrity branded alkalines? I see that with some of their flashlights they package Duracells, but others are simply marked "Garrity" I have been very pleased with my Garrity lights, and for the performance and cost, they are a real bargain. One can never have too my flashlights around the house ya know! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

--Jason
 
Hello Jason,

I'll give a vote for the Kirkland AA batteries sold at Costco. I have had very good luck with them.

Duracell and Everyready are a toss up in my experience. Both are good, but I tend to lean towards Duracell.

I have tried Ray-O-Vac, but not enough to comment on them.

Tom
 
If you do a Google search on this topic there are a few sites that compared batteries and found little difference.
There may be subtle differences, but nothing to justify a cost difference. Buy the cheapest alkalines you can find. It's all marketing hype non-sense.

cheese
 
Cheese's advice seems to hold up and Consumer Reports has said the same thing for years. If possible, try to determine the approximate manufacturing period. Older batteries that have gone through many heating and cooling fluctuations may suffer decreased capacity.
 
I still occasionally buy Energizers when they are on sale, but never pay more than .50 each for AA or AAA batteries. A lot of places charge .75-1.00 each for their normal prices. Lately I've been buying cheaper brands like "Red Cell" from CompUSA, I can usually get them for .25 each or less in quantity. Runtime in some devices might be a little less than Energizers (or Duracell or Rayovac), but at half the cost, they make a lot of sense to me. I picked up two 40 packs of AA's last year for under $20 (for 80 batts), and have used half, so far they are working out great.

-Keith
 
Re: Alkalines... which is the most bang for the bu

I generally subscribe to the cheaper is better philosophy, however, I differ in one regard. The major manufacturers will repair or replace devices damaged by their cells and I have utilized that policy on 4 occasions.

I used to use mainly Duracell and Energizer, whichever I could get on sale for a good price. In the last year or two, their prices have sky rocketed and the sales just aren't what they used to be, even with coupons, so I stopped buying them.

I found myself buying Walgreens brand more and more, usually for about 20¢ per cell. As I saw my Duracell/Eveready stock deplete and more and more Walgreens in my stash, I decided to get the scoop on their policy regarding items damaged by their cells. So, I called corporate and was told that they have the same policy as the majors. That greatly influences my decision on what cells to buy.

I recently bought 10 -12 four packs of Ray-O-Vacs on sale for 99¢ each and used most of them in Xmas gifts. I used Costco's Kirkland brand a few years ago and were pleased with them. I'll check on the damaged items policy with both of them as soon as I get a chance and post the findings. That would make a good new thread. If anyone else has any info on different battery manufacturers policies, I would like to know.
 
Re: Alkalines... which is the most bang for the bu

Does it matter where the batteries are made?
I find the Ray o vacs are made in china now.
I buy the Maxell aa and aaa forty packs when circuit city had them on sale at 4.99. They too are made in China.
 
[ QUOTE ]
RebelRAM said:

Here's my question, what alkaline gives the most bang for the buck.

[/ QUOTE ]
I would say the cheapest available cells either heated to high temperatures or recharged at high currents. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif
 
Re: Alkalines... which is the most bang for the bu

Honestly I don't really care where my batteries come from. I try to buy American when I can, but there are some things you just can't "Buy American" on anymore.

I went to Wal-Mart on my lunch break. And I needed some new D-cells for the lantern I was buying. Decided to go with the Ray-O-Vac 8D lantern BTW. Anyways, I compared prices on D cells. On an 8 pack of D-cells the Duracells and Energizers were almost $2 higher than the Ray-O-Vac batteries. The next thing down was in a bluish/purple packaging and had a green sine wave looking image on it, I can't remember what it was called, started with an "E" it wasn't Everready, maybe Everlast or something like that(they may be packaged just for sale at Wal-Marts, or atleast that was the impression I got), anyways those were about 50 cents cheaper than the Ray-O-Vacs, so I bought the Ray-O-Vac's.

While I was there I also picked up a 2D Mag for my brother for his birthday. He'll appreciate it, it's red and matches his new HEMI Dodge.

This battery discussion is getting more interesting than I thought it would. I found a few test graphs through Google, but nothing significant enough to indicate anything other than what advice has been shared here so far.

--Jason
 
Re: Alkalines... which is the most bang for the bu

there is a duracell plant like 1 mile from me.my neebeer used towork there she got awesume deals.but i dont think she gets em no more if i recall gileete took over ownership of this duracell plant
 
Re: Alkalines... which is the most bang for the bu

The blue ones ar "Everactive".....a WalMart house brand.

I've had a problem with Ray-O-Vacs leaking! Damn near ruined my digital camera and one of the light in my MiniMag collection(no more batteries in the collection).
 
Re: Alkalines... which is the most bang for the bu

Jason, I too bought a few maglites recently, but I would never admit it in public on this forum-whole big can o' worms there.

cheese
 
Re: Alkalines... which is the most bang for the bu

I've heard Maxells leak more than some other brands. Kirkland (Costco) have worked ok for me. CompUSA has those Redcells and I might buy those if I need a lot of AA alkalines.

If you're using that many alkaline AA's, though, maybe you should think about switching to rechargeables. I use alkalines in devices I don't use very often, since they have long shelf life. But that means they don't often need replacement. For heavily used devices I use rechargeables and that seems like the most economical approach.
 
Re: Alkalines... which is the most bang for the bu

[ QUOTE ]
cheesehead said:
Jason, I too bought a few maglites recently, but I would never admit it in public on this forum-whole big can o' worms there.

cheese

[/ QUOTE ]

I don't mind admitting about the Mag's here. I own 5, I think. Let's see 2-2AA, 4D, 3D, and a 2D. And I think I have just about every major battery brand scattered between those five. Now if I want a real good beam, that's what my SF's are for! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

--Jason
 
Re: Alkalines... which is the most bang for the bu

I've been buying the bulk packs of Ray-o-vac at Lowes, something like 30 for $10. All three packs I have bought have said made in USA on them so Ray-o-vac must be half and half. My problem with rechargeables is I'm either too lazy or forget to charge them and in the case of the rechargeable Alkalines they tend to leak if they are not maintained. My NiMH for the digicam go down enough in a week or two to not operate the camera. I'm thinking of picking up some new ones and trying again and maybe some NiCads and see how well they work for me.
 
Re: Alkalines... which is the most bang for the bu

One thing that Consumer Reports had mentioned, and that makes a whole bunch of sense, is buying from a location that has good turnover. A friend and I had informally tested AAs a few years back, and came up with medium current runtimes that were all within 10% of each other, with the nod going to Duracell. But those Fuji/Kirktand/Toshiba 40 cell boxes were in the middle of the pack, had great consistency, and were 1/4th the price. The name brands were more variable. We suspected that longer shelf-sit and different storage conditions were a factor. The cheap alkalines from Costco and Walmart-type stores get turned over weekly. You can't get fresher. I do live recordings on DAT machines running from 'generic' alkaline batteries with full confidence that I'll get a reliable result. The machines I use run in 4 hour mode, and after 4 hours, the tape is full and the batteries are empty. Often, the extra demand of rewinding the tape is enough to shut it down before it's fully rewound. I get the same results with Dura or generics. Won't use Eveready, tho, as the consistency has been terrible. Vary variable life. Even industrial..

Sunday, I ran a tape with Ray o Vac industrial that only made 3.5 hours. The batteries were dated July 2001 expiry, and had been rattling around for awhile. I was satisfied.

Best bet is fresh batts that have had a good track record. I've killed many boxes of Costco batts without a complaint.

Keep on glowin'!
drs the crazed.
 
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