AA Rechargeable Battery Comparison
Energizer e2 rechargeable, Duracell rechargeable, La Crosse Technology rechargeable, Energizer Ultimate Lithium, Duracell Alkaline and North Tech Alkaline batteries all go head to head in my comparison.
I received a number of batteries from Energizer, Duracell, La Crosse Technology and Duracell to compare them head to head to see if any one performs better than the others. My conclusions are at the end of this article but I will hint that you get what you pay for.
I tested the batteries using two methods that I devised using load resistors and a circuit that would add a load according to a timer circuit. This testing will simulate taking pictures using some mathematics I did to figure out how much amperage a camera uses while idle waiting for you to take a picture and while taking a picture.
I did some figuring for both this test and a battery test for my Canon EOS Rebel XSi digital camera and found that a digital camera uses about 50 to 250 milliamps while powered up but not taking a picture. When my Canon Rebel XSi is actually taking a picture and charging the flash capacitor it is using about 1.2 amps of power.
Using these numbers I was going to just test batteries in my camera using the Canon utility and actually count how many pictures the camera could take on one charge with each set of batteries. I started testing and was seeing damage to my camera due to overheating the flash so I quit using my expensive camera and came up with another test method.
When I went to my test method after doing some research I found that the test setup I am using does a good job of simulating the battery drain a set of batteries will go through in a digital camera. The test method is a timer circuit that uses a relay to open and close a load circuit so that at any one time either a small or larger load is placed on the batteries.
The timer circuit goes for about five seconds with a load of 144 ohms and a second or so with a load of 3.3 ohms, this gives me two different loads for my testing. Using a little math and electrical formulas I figured out that my load with the clock is about .033 to .041 amps and the load without the clock is 1.45 to 1.81 amps with the 1.2 to 1.5 volt batteries.
The clock is my test result method so when I have a small load including the clock working using the timer circuit and the relay this simulates my camera on and waiting for me to use it. When the relay trips it opens the clock circuit and closes the other circuit that creates a higher load with more amperage being drained from the batteries.
Simply put I have two loads that simulate a digital cameras low and higher loads like when taking a picture and between taking pictures. I use a clock to give my results in an understandable and comparable method on the smaller circuit but also tested using just the load with the clock and waited for hours.
My results are pretty understandable with how much you pay for the batteries I tested which cost from $1.50 for a 4 pack to about $12.00. The rechargeable batteries range from $7 for the La Crosse Technology rechargeable to $12 for the Duracell AA rechargeable.
The batteries are slightly different in their milliampere-hour ratings because they do not make the same exact milliampere-hours between the various companies. The milliampere-hour rating is a rating of how long the batteries will last or in simple terms at a load of how many amps will drain in one hour.
If a battery, the Duracell for instance, is rated at 2650 mAh’s it will drain a 2650 milliamp load in one hour, but this is not always true of every battery. The rating is what they have tested their batteries at using sophisticated test machines but not using simple devices like digital cameras.
My test method compares to the regular use both using a digital camera such as the Canon EOS Rebel XSi and a CD player with a constant drain. Both tests compare favorably with results I have seen for these batteries on other websites that I looked up with both homemade tests and very sophisticated machines other reviewers have used.
I ran the timed tests three times and averaged their results so that I had repeatable tests in my review which is a standard practice for testing. The batteries and their results are in the pictures I have included with the article but here is the breakdown for the load tests using the relay for a digital camera simulation.
I did drain and recharge the sets of batteries five times before starting testing to ensure all the batteries are at their fullest capacity to take a charge. I also charged the batteries using the same chargers for the three sets of tests which I will get into later.
Duracell Rechargeable 1.2v 2650 mAh AA $12 per 4 pack
Average of 2.05 hours during changing load test
Average of 7.23 hours during constant load test
Energizer Rechargeable 1.2v 2450 mAh AA $10 per 4 pack
Average of 2.01 hours during changing load test
Average of 7.41 hours during constant load test
La Crosse 1.2v 2600 mAh AA $7 per 4 pack
Average of 1.45 hours during changing load test
Average of 6.1 hours during constant load test
Energizer Lithium 1.5v AA $10 per 4 pack
Average 2.4 hours during changing load test
Average 7.55 hours during constant load test
Duracell 1.5v Alkaline AA $4 per 4 pack
Average 1.82 hours during changing load test
Average 4.01 hours during constant load test
NorthTech Alkaline AA $1.50 per 4 pack
Average 1.45 hours during changing load test
Average 4.01 hours during constant load test
The results as you can see are about the same depending on the milliampere hour rating and the price of the batteries but not all that different for the top three rechargeable batteries. The Energizer Lithium batteries do as good as or better than the rechargeable batteries but not that much better.
The cheapest batteries I purchased at a convenience store did all right and make for a good last minute substitution for your regular rechargeable batteries if you need some quickly. Personally I found not enough of a difference between the two major brands I have seen in local stores to make a difference in a purchase decision to buy new rechargeable batteries.
The Energizer and Duracell rechargeable batteries are close enough in my test results to make either brand worthy of my money. Checking on the internet I also saw similar results with other people comparing the batteries and I really have no preference between the two.
I also received a charger with the Duracell brand that has a nice USB port to charge USB items such as MP3 players which makes this a unique feature of the Duracell model CEF21 charger package. Other than that I would have to recommend which ever type is handy or on sale if you’re making a new purchase as price and my testing show that both are about the same give or take.
The rechargeable batteries compared very closely with a brand that is available from the internet, La Crosse Technology, that also compared very well considering it is a lower milliampere hour rating. The Alkaline batteries also compare well with their cost with the cheap batteries I purchased at a dollar store nearby giving some surprisingly good results for the cost.
The Energizer Lithium batteries were a bit better in both constant load testing and the changing load like a digital camera for the best batteries that actually cost a bit less depending on where you purchase them. I have a couple of Energizer rechargeable battery chargers lying around the house but you can use any charger with any battery so the brand does not matter when it comes to charging.
I have also received two top of the line chargers and used them in these tests instead of the brands that came with the batteries. I used both chargers on one test so that each battery is using each charger and then used one of the chargers a second time for each set of batteries.
I will review the Maha/Powerex MH-C9000 WizardOne charger and La Crosse Technology BC-700 Alpha Power Battery Charger in upcoming reviews. The Duracell charger that I did receive was a good one and is the hands off type of charger that you simply toss the batteries in and it charges without any settings.
I think I have shown that rechargeable batteries are not all the same but you can get a good buy even from cheaper alkaline batteries. The Duracell, Energizer and La Crosse rechargeable batteries I did compare are all pretty good batteries and will last a good long time for your digital cameras or other small electronics.
I think the Duracell Charger I also received would make a good household charger that requires no setup other then inserting the batteries and plugging in which also has the USB charger.