Cheap batteries - okay?

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Yesterday, I notice batteries at a dollar general store, 4/1.00 AA's. It's hard to resist adding a few to the collection. They are marked "long lasting alkaline". Do these compare to energizer or duracell?

-- cmd0903 (cmd0903@dontcall.com), December 01, 1999

Answers

Consumer Reports says buy batteries on price basis.

http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id=001t4U

-- Old Git (anon@spamproblems.com), December 01, 1999.


thanks! Sorry I missed the post above. Rite-Aid and CVS are on every corner around here!

-- cmd0903 (cmd0903@dontcall.com), December 01, 1999.

You've been reading my mind CMD...grin. There's a Family Dollar store in my neck of the woods and I think the batteries are of the Panasonic flavor. Still thinking about the virgins and the oil (I know it's a spiritual oil meant but how many times do we THINK we know how things will go and are wrong). My husband's been asking me what I want for Christmas and I told him I must truly be blessed because the only thing I've been able to come up with for weeks is a really neat resurrection cross.

Anyway...I think I'm going to ask for a solar battery charger and some NiMH batteries.

beej

-- beej (beej@ppbbs.com), December 01, 1999.


Old Git posted the Conusmer Reports rankings on batteries a few days ago. See below. Personally for durability and affordability, I would buy Radio Shack batteries, and have. Radio Shack placed 1st in the CR rankings for D-cells.

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-- SH (squirrel@huntr.com), December 01, 1999.


If the batteries at the Dollar Stores or other places have expiration dates that are okay, then buy them.

BUT, most of the cheap alkaline batteries are already fairly old when you get them -- they've been in a warehouse for a long time.

When Consumer Reports says buy batteries on price, they're talking only about name brand, fresh batteries.

-- Dean -- from (almost) Duh Moines (dtmiller@midiowa.net), December 01, 1999.



I read an article about batteries a few months ago. The article stated that companies do not build battery factories to make their brand of batteries. They use the factories already built and have the factory put their name on the batteries. So the cheap batteries are made exactly like the expensive ones. Just check the date. I have used Dollar Store batteries and they last as long as Duracell batteries in my night reading book lamp. Most of the drug store chains have their name on batteries and the article says these batteries are the same as name brand. I wish I could remember the magazine I was reading. I was at the dentist.

-- Carol (glear@usa.net), December 01, 1999.

Thanks, all, for the information. I checked the Dollar General batteries (AA 25 cents each), and their expiration date is 08/02. Looks like I can afford to get a few extras for DGI's!

-- cmd0903 (cmd0903@dontcall.com), December 02, 1999.

Many cheap batteries are "heavy duty" and not alkaline. The heavy duty type are only 1/4 or so as good as alkalines. And when they do go bad, they can destroy the device faster. Most alkalines are fairly similar in energy capacity and storage life.

If price is real close, go ahead and get the added peace of mind of the name brand. These may also trade much better later on. (as if I could ever have "too many") If no-name batteries have a much better price, get them. I have been testing LED devices with different brands of alkalines, and the differences seen between name and no-name alkalines are below 10%. I have not tried the new duracell ultra, so can not judge them, but boy are they more expensive here. (dim white LED light will keep me out of dark for a year on a single pair of no-name alkaline D cells)

AA batteries from .23 and up for alkalines here in NJ. .40 each for AA is a semi-decent deal. AAA are usually the same cost as AA and only store 1/2 to 1/3 as much energy. Not a good energy buy. D cells store about 8 times as much energy as AA cells of the same kind and are usually only 2 times as expensive. .80 each for alkaline D cells is semi decent, have seen down to .45 lately.

-- tree (thetrees@bigfoot.com), December 03, 1999.


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