AAA Battery recommendations

[Cajonpassfan]

My six NCE radio cabs all require AAA batteries, and I've been generally using the Duracell brand. Left in the cab when not in use often, they tend to last me 8-10 months which is not bad. Couple of the cabs that do get used moderately require new batteries in about half that time or less. I know, I should remove the batteries when not in use, but I never know when I might need them and removing and reinstalling batteries requires unscrewing and rescrewing the flimsy lid each time; not a big deal but just something I'd rather not bother with. Lazy I guess, or finding my time more valuable.

I also tried rechargeables, but found the extra hassle and shorter, inconsistent battery life not worth the savings, if any. Lazy I guess.

I'm not unhappy with the Duracells, and have had no leaks, except for one cab that sat unused for several years

Still, I'd be interested in the (sometimes) awesome collective wisdom here. Is there another brand that is a better value for the money, without sacrificing battery life, or conversely, one that has longer staying power? I see reasonably priced brands  on Amazon I can get delivered free, but don't want to bother with inferior quality product to save a few bucks.
Advice or suggestions welcome.
Thanks, Otto K.

[Rivet Miscounter]

I don't know which rechargable batteries you tried, but the Panasonic Eneloop Pro's are a step above the rest, IMHO.   Use Opus chargers not the Panasonics.

[peteski]

Yes, Eneloop rechargeables were recommend in a similar thread in the groups.io NCE-DCC group.
https://groups.io/g/NCE-DCC/message/124879

[MK]

Another yes for the Eneloops.  I use AAA and AA Eneloop in all my TV remotes.  I've had no issues with the Panasonic charger.

[Cajonpassfan]

Thanks guys, but maybe I didn't ask the right question. I figure I spend about 36 bucks a year, or $3 a month on non-rechargeable Duracell batteries. I was inquiring about other, non rechargeable batteries on the market that may be more cost efficient or convenient.

So I get responses about rechargeables, with which I don't want to bother (because I'm lazy or have better things to do) unless there's a *substantial* saving involved.. At this rate, how long would it take to break even on rechargeables, considering the cost of batteries and chargers? That's a rhetorical question...

Now that I think about it, at $3 a month, maybe I should just withdraw my question. It just seemed I change batteries a lot, at inconvenient times..
Otto K.

[Rivet Miscounter]

You're right...my apologies.   I actually almost did suggest that Duracells are about as good as it gets.  And that's also why I couldn't really suggest any alternatives to traditional batteries.

[John]

Thanks guys, but maybe I didn't ask the right question. I figure I spend about 36 bucks a year, or $3 a month on non-rechargeable Duracell batteries. I was inquiring about other, non rechargeable batteries on the market that may be more cost efficient or convenient.

Otto -- I also use rechargable AAA, but I have also purchased the Amazon brand (which didn't work out) .. on the Amazon site you can get some decent prices on bulk packs of regular

They seem to have most brands ...

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=bulk+aaa+batteries&crid=3SILB8HZ3Z1KN&sprefix=bulk+aaa%2Caps%2C97&ref=nb_sb_ss_ts-doa-p_1_8

[Steveruger45]

Hi Otto,
I’ve also tried, over the last year or two, to figure out the best AAA battery from a “value” perspective.
For me it is a coin toss between Duracell and the blue Energizer “Ultimate”.
However, the Sams Club brand do pretty good too. Although these don’t last as long as the former “quality” brands they are less expensive.
IMHO Having batteries not last as long could be considered a plus.

[peteski]

Otto,
if you are using non-rechargeable batteries, I'm surprised you have not experienced more leaks. Most of those batteries will leak their electrolyte after some time, even when not drained.  Maybe you just change them often enough to avoid leakeage.

In my experience there is no single battery guaranteed safe from leakage.  Even batteries of the same brand sometimes change their design or manufacturing is moved to another country, so some battery that was not prone to leaking might become leaky after the redesign. Or vice-versa.

Here are past discussions about leaks:
https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=46436
https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=51826

If you really want to get batteries with largest capacity, you would need to find the battery's specifications.  That info should be available online when it comes to the well-known brands, but finding it for some off-brand batteries might be more difficult.

I used to examine store-brand (usually drug store brands like CVS, Walgreens, Brooks, etc.) batteries and I noticed that some had their construction and country of manufacture identical to brand name batteries (Duracell and Energizer).  The shape of the positive side electrode, placement of spot welds on the negative end, and general details of construction were identical to the brand name batteries.  I suspect the brand name companies were making those batteries for the drig stores. Of course the no-name ones were less expensive, so I bought them.  But that is no longer the case - the similarities are not there anymore. At least in my experience.

Nowadays I just buy the brand name batteries in larger quantities in BJ's warehouse (similar to Costco or Sams stores).  When bought in large packages, they are not very expensive.

Here is a discussion about batteries and their capacities (but like I said, the leak resistance and capacities might change over time):
https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=46120

IMO, most modern alkaline batteries have similar capacity. After all, there is only so much amp/hrs you can cram into a small cylinder.

Here is some pertinent info (from 2019):
https://rightbattery.com/category/battery-comparison/

There are also lithium versions of standard cells available.  Those are expensive, and as I understand their capacity is higher than alkaline. To me main benefit is that they seem to be more leak resistant, and have longer life in storage.  But their voltage is a bit higher than 1.5V (even thought they are rated as 1.5V batteries), so that  might cause a problem.

Like with anything, if you do some Web searches, there is lots of info out there about batteries. Like with anything else on the Web, not all the info is accurate.  Seems like you are most interested in not having to open the battery compartment often, so Lithium might be the way to go.

[Maletrain]

I have had a lot of leaks in Duracell AA and AAA batteries, even while they were still providing power to my gizmos.  So, valuing my gizmos, I take the batteries out of everything that I don't use on a daily basis, and put a "sticky" on the things I use daily (like this computer mouse) to make sure that I look at the batteries on a regular basis.  (My last mouse died from a battery leak.)

But, NCE throttles are a pita to remove the battery cover, especially the Cab06.  So, I bought some 3D printed battery covers for mine.  See https://www.etsy.com/listing/1147525597/nce-cab-06-batttery-cover .

Just now looking at those on this site, I see that they are now clear plastic.  When I bought them, they were opaque black.  Not sure that being able to see though them is good enough visibility to detect leakage.  But, they use sliders for attachment, so easy to remove and look, or take batteries out to avoid leakage damage.

As for types of batteries, I switched to Energizer because of all the leaks I got from Duracell.  Frankly, I worry that getting "cheap" batteries could mean poor quality batteries, which would not be so cheap if they kill my expensive electronic stuff.  (Yeah, I know that expensive doesn't really mean quality - but reputation does have some correlation to quality, and reputation does not come cheap.)

[Cajonpassfan]

Wow, that's quite a set of responses! Thank you guys for the info, opinions, and very useful links!
And Doug, no need to apologize, it's all good, thanks everyone!

My OP was inspired by a recent supermarket purchase of an 8-pack of "New" Duracell Power Boost batteries that cost me over $11; we just needed some in a hurry and it was convenient (besides, the weekly marketing was close to $300, so in big scheme of things price seemed insignificant). I'll try them out and report back whenever... And they are "Assembled in USA".

Peteski, appreciate your thoughtful writeup. I think that maybe I go through all batteries generally within a year or so, hence no leaks so far. Or maybe I've just been lucky...

Fun stuff, mostly
Otto

[eja]

RAYOVAC   - seem to last as long a Duracell and much cheaper

[MK]

RAYOVAC   - seem to last as long a Duracell and much cheaper

And no leaks!  (Energizers seem to have no leaks too - my experience.)  Since the last 5 or so years, perhaps longer, Duracells leak like  a sieve.

[Cajonpassfan]

Ok, thanks. I just ordered a 24 pack Energizer Plus at 71 cents each. Should last me a while.
Otto