Favorite batteries for electronics and headlamps

2rocky

WKR
Joined
Jun 21, 2012
Messages
1,144
Location
Nor Cal
Gonna get new batteries for my rangefinder and headlamps.

Anyone have a brand that they find consistently reliable and long lived?

Thoughts on Lithium batteries?
 

Legend

WKR
Joined
Jun 13, 2017
Messages
774
They weight savings on lithium is pretty surprising. (Can't believe i said that but its true)
 
Joined
Aug 10, 2019
Messages
2,488
Location
Lowcountry, SC
1. Rule number one, never ever use alkaline batteries in your valuable electronics. Alkaline batteries are the number one cause of permanent failure in quality battery operated electronics. Lithium primaries (non-rechargeable) are much lighter than alkalines, don't leak, and have a very low self-discharge rate (they last much, much, much longer "on the shelf"). Use these for equipment that absolutely must work at least one time (like on emergency backup lights, etc.). Carry these as your backup for emergencies. For everything else, it just makes sense to use rechargeable.

2. AA and AAA - Eneloops (by Panasonic) are the gold standard for AAA and AA batteries. Some of the Eneloops on Amazon are real, and some are fake. Read the ratings. Or buy from online battery sellers:
  • Illumn (CA)
  • Mountain Electronics (CO) (One of the best and oldest vendors)
  • IMR Batteries (TX)
  • Vruzend (FL)
  • Li Ion Wholesale (PA)
  • Orbtronic (FL) (Rebranded but trusted)
  • 18650 Battery Store (GA) (I use these folks a lot)
Eneloop "regular" capacity batteries will last for about 4x as many recharges, but hold about 25% less energy per charge than the Eneloop Pro versions. For most people, these are the best solution, as they are slightly more reliable.

3. For 18650 batteries, there are really only five manufacturers, the rest buy from these builders and rebrand, adding cost while adding the brand. Buy one of these five brands from a vendor who sells them direct.
  • LG
  • Sanyo
  • Panasonic
  • Sony
  • Samsung
4. With 18650s you need to decide between protected and unprotected batteries. "Protection" is a little add-on circuit board inserted between the battery and the contact. This little circuit board will shut down the battery if the current draw is too high or the voltage is too low (very low voltage on a rechargeable reduces its life). Almost all gear today has some built in protection, so in my opinion there is no need to buy protected batteries. They double the cost (or more) and can also shut your battery down early, even if you have an emergency and need to run it as low as possible.

Personally I only buy unprotected batteries from the big five in number 3 above.
 
Last edited:
Joined
Aug 26, 2013
Messages
2,228
Location
New Orleans, La.
Use ONLY Energizer Lithium batteries. They last longer, especially in the cold and heat, and won't leak. If you use any batteries that leak (alkaline), you won't have any warranty in your electronics. Manufacturers will not cover damage to any electronics due to leaking batteries.
 
Last edited:

Quackhead

FNG
Joined
May 31, 2020
Messages
15
Another recommendation for Energizer lithium’s
I had to learn the hard way years ago about alkaline batteries leaking in electronics.
 
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