Technology

Tipp for people wanting to get into rechargeable AA and AAAs: get IKEA Ladda batteries and their charger. They are cheap and japanese made. Some people argue that they are just relabeled Panasonic eneloops!

Edit: Oh also if you used rechargeable batteries in the past and you remember them sucking that's probably true. But the battery chemistry is better now and it's possible that your batteries degraded quickly because of "dumb" chargers. Modern chargers like the gray 4 battery Ikea charger detect how and for how long to charge and thus will not ruin the batteries.

Those batteries in your photo are NiMH batteries... which discharge on their own at a fairly rapid rate even if you're not using them at all. They're also pretty big and heavy for the amount of power they provide (which, due to the self-discharge issue, is effectively a lot lower than the official number on the battery).

I strongly recommend investing in devices that use 18650 batteries. They're about the same size/weight as a AA, and they last much longer (both in terms of from full to flat and also the number of years (decades?) of use you'll get from the battery.

A lot of "proprietary" batteries are in fact a bunch of 18650 cells wired together.

It's worth investing in good ones - the quality varies significantly from brand to the next. With a good 18650 cell, you won't be replacing it when the battery expires, you'll be transferring it to a new gadget when the gadget is broken or so old that you decided to buy a new/better model.

The downside is the volt is not 1.5volts. Its closer to 1.2volts. This is fine if you're using 2 batteries for things like the TV remote. But when you're using things that require more than 4 batteries, then you might get into some weirdness. I have a remote for my DSLR that sends infrared to the softbox. Every 10 shots, it would miss the shot. It turned out to be the batteries. It needed all 6Volts vs 4.8Volts.

The best part is that these batteries don't leak and destroy your devices like alkaline batteries.

Invest in a solid charger (30-40€ will do). You'll keep it for years, it'll charge an odd number of batteries as well (unlike some cheap ones that only charge in pairs) and it charges just the right amount, then stops. Some even have battery test/discharge function, and charge more than just AA/AAA.

Then invest in a bunch of rechargeables, possibly Eneloops or something good from Amazon.

Now profit for years to come. The planet will thank you as well.

Honestly single use consumer batteries should be banned.

The 18650 should have become the ubiquitous replacement in most applications, but nooo, the manufacturers had to go all proprietary and enforce even more planned obsolescence

I have a bunch of Eneloop batteries and they're great.

Thank you for this post.

I actively avoid buying things with a built in battery. Long ago I spend a pretty good amount on a rechargeable Braun electric razor. A few years later I had to throw it away because the battery stopped taking a charge and I had no way to replace it. I had a drill with the same fate. There was plenty of life left in these devices but not in their custom batteries.

I wish power tool companies would get off the proprietary batteries and adopt the CAS standard https://www.cordless-alliance-system.com/

I still use them for my TV and AC remotes, flashlights and wall clocks.

I never realised that many people don't need to use it anymore.

I have a dozen or so AA (at least 10? 15? years old) and four AAA. They hold a charge very well, and are easy to charge from a solar panel when needed. They’ll top up a phone during a blackout or a camping trip. They get used in flashlights, controllers, remotes, shavers, etc.

I keep a box of alkaline batteries in various sizes on hand for guests, but it’s hard to beat NiMH and NiCad rechargeables.

Just saying modern devices could also have interchangable batteries. There are standard lipo pouch sizes and standard lithium cilinder sizes.

@SubArcticTundra Also add XBox game controllers to the list. I have multiple pair of rechargeable batteries. It's way better than having integrated batteries like in the PS controllers. I can just swap the set out for a full set, right away. Doing this since Xbox 360.

I use rechargeable interchangeable batteries wherever I can, but I recently ran into some issues with an ultra-cheap BDC "massage" pillow. The OCP in the batteries was getting triggered and the motor would stop and start spinning for 10 seconds at a time. Tried to add small value resistors and capacitors to it but nothing worked and I had to get a pack of alkaline. Only now do I remember I have a bunch of spare 18650s and USB battery charging boards that I could've retrofitted!

That' why i actively look for battery instead of akku in some wireless devices. They are the closest to universal akku size we've got. Now they only need to be flater. And charging over USB-C would be nice too.

I love these things. I’ve used the same 8 for almost 10 years for my Xbox controllers and VR hand controllers. I can’t imagine how many regular batteries I would have gone through.

The single battery cells in electric cars are pretty much already standardized in size, just the assemblies and cooling systems are not.

My Garmin Montana GPS uses 3 AA batteries and it's really handy if you're in an area without mains electricity since carrying a an extra set (or even buying alcalines in a pinch) will get you going again!

My mouse uses batteries too, Just swap out once it dies on me.

How old are those batteries? I have some that look exactly like that and they could be since 10 years ago or more, and I swear they still work lol.