Comments on: Why I don’t buy Duracell, Energizer, Eveready, or Rayovac

By: Mike

Mike — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 06:02:19 +0000

Had no idea about the DieHard types. I simply would have passed them off as el-cheapos if you hadn’t pointed out the warranty. Going to have to hunt these down.

By: Keith Neufeld

Keith Neufeld — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 19:49:43 +0000

JP, looking more closely, that may not be an active driver. The pushbutton switch is momentary contact, and this may just be the on-off debouncer/driver rather than an LED driver. This could very well be relying on the internal resistance of AAA cells to limit the current.

I’m intrigued by your NiMH cells. I use NiMH in almost everything around the house, and as you note, the self-discharge rate is the limiting factor for remote controls, flashlights, and probably even wall clocks. I do have a few devices that care about the lower voltage; but for anything else, I think I’ll give your Sanyos a try.

By: J. Peterson

J. Peterson — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 19:49:09 +0000

Wow, actual active electronics driving the LED. So many of the LED flashlights maybe toss a resistor in, and hey, if you’re battery power goes out as heat, not our problem.

Another alternative to oozing alkaline cells are Sanyo Eneloop NiMH cells. These recharge just like any NiMH, but have a much lower self-discharge rate (Sanyo claims 85% of full charge after one year of storage, 70% after three years). I’ve used them for a few years now, and the do seem to work as advertised. I have a set (4 AAs) in a reading lamp I use most every night; they have to be recharged only a couple times a year.