Fairly impressed with this battery for the price. Not quite as good as the Thunderbolt or CVS but not that far off.
So far the ranking based on run times stacks up like this:
1. Duracell Alkaline - Continuous run time 5:20 (dim 4:50) (cost for test 42 cents per battery)
2. Harbor Freight & Tools Thunderbolt Alkaline - Continuous run time 5:00 (dim at 4:50) (18 cents per battery)
3. CVS Brand Alkaline - Continuous run time 4:58 (dim at 4:20) (25 cents per battery if BOGO)
4. Sunbeam Alkaline - Continuous run time 4:54 (dim at 3:24) (25 cents per battery)
5. Utilitech Alkaline (Lowes store brand) - Continuous run time 3:51 (dim at 3:30) (27 cents per battery at normal store price.)
Not counting the Sunbeam heavy duty as it isn’t in the same ballpark.
I'm starting to do some discharge testing of some "budget" alkalines on my hobby charger. I've decided to test at 0.5A down to 0.8v. I'm discharging a Utilitech alkaline now. I have to pickup some other budget options - at least the Harbor Freight Thunderbolts and some of the dollar store Sunbeams as well as the Panasonics sold at the dollar store.
Ok, I just finished testing a fresh new Sunbeam alkaline at the same 0.5A to 0.80v - 1,125mah. Here is a comparison graph between the Sunbeam and the Utilitech. Sunbeam in the yellowish-orange color and the Utilitech in red.
Sorry, I'm new to logview and learning how to work with the graphs.
Alright, this is quite interesting and I’ve been curious about the capacity of various alkaline batteries. So far we’ve got:
Utilitech = 1025mAh
Harbor Freight Thunderbolt = 1,096mAh
Sunbeam alkaline = 1,125mah
I wonder how that compares to say Energizer or Duracell alkalines? So far the $ store alkalines are leading the pack.
I’ve got Eneloop = 1900mAh and Engergizer rechargeables = 2300 mAh. I know the Eneloops claim up to 2100 recharges, I wonder how many for the Engergizer?
I'm testing a Panasonic Alkaline Plus now (from the same dollar store as the Sunbeams). I've always been curious whether these Panasonics were really any good. I do also have some Energizer Max to test as well. I didn't buy any Duracell - at least not yet. In the future I was also going to order and test the Amazon Basics and the Maxell's. I have some AAA Maxells I've been using which seem ok.
Looking forward to the results. I like to get the best “bang for the buck”. I have not been able to determine the best in AAA size. In my limited testing the AA Duracell has shown up best against a couple of others.
Super Light Hi AA
Thunderbolt 2hr 46min 2nd run 3hr 26min
Duracell 6hr 30min 2nd run 5hr 45min
Energizer 4hr 20min
Panasonic Alkaline Plus = 1,253mAh (not surprising to me that it's the best so far). It hold voltage much better too. Graph:
These are the Panasonic batteries (made in Indonesia) and Sunbeams (made in China):
I always look for the "2+1 free" packs of the Panasonics. Sometimes they are hidden behind the standard 2 packs.
I don't want to start the Energizer test just in case it goes beyond the time I have to leave work. I should get to that one tomorrow.
jerm's data brings up a good point; I'm not testing for consistency. Perhaps I had one good performing Sunbeam and the other 3 in the pack are junk. Not sure of the likelihood of that.
Yeah, I was thinking I should do that too. They have usually been my "goto" for a Duracell / Energizer budget comparable. I'll have to pick some up though.
Here are my results for AAA alkalines.
Tank 007 e09 Hi
Thunderbolt 1hr 29 min
Energizer 1hr 58min
Ray O Vac 1hr 39min
I did not have a Duracell, but I got some and have it running now.
ADDED: I finished running a Duracell, and it is disappointing. It only lasted 1he 17 min. Expiration date is 2021.
Ok, Energizer "Max" =1,316mAh HOWEVER, the Panasonic holds a higher voltage. (Energizer gave 7 minutes more runtime over the Panasonic.) Graph comparison:
(Sorry if the above image is not appearing, I'm out of Photobucket bandwidth and it will reset on the 24th of the month (I believe).)
WOW! Just blew the rest out of the water! Duracell "with Duralock" = 1,799mAh! 3hrs 34mins runtime (Energizer was 2hrs 36mins). Duracell has higher voltage than both Panasonic and Energizer. Graph comparison:
(Sorry if the above image is not appearing, I'm out of Photobucket bandwidth and it will reset on the 24th of the month (I believe).)
After the Duracell rested awhile (about 15 to 20 minutes) it was back up to 1.27v (which every cell I have tested thus far has sprung back to) so I tried to begin another 0.5A discharge. I got another 109mAh out of it. I did NOT do this with any of the other cells.
I just finished a test on a "standard" Rayovac alkaline (standard silver & blue with the "Lasts as Long as Duracell" labeling on the package) = 1,564 mAh. Performance is close to the Duracell with slightly less capacity (perhaps the claim is based on a lower current draw). I also tested a Duracell 2,000mAh NiMh "Duraloop" for comparison. It is clearly seen how the NiMh cell holds voltage much better and has more capacity than even the Duracell alkaline. (Note my tested capacity came very close to HKJ's Eneloop test, so I feel pretty confident with my tests.) Graph:
I also noticed that there are some new fancy "higher power" "Rayovac Fusion" batteries out there too. Those were a bit pricey for me to buy to test. Maybe another time.
Received my Maxell's from Amazon ($13.97 for pack of 48) today and put one right on the discharger. Total capacity = 1,251mAh, for 2 hours 28 minutes of run time. Here is a graph comparing to the other similar performing cells:
Graph comparing to the better performing cells:
Photos of the Maxell's (they are made in China):
So far it might be the best performer for the price depending on how cheap you can buy the Panasonics. I'm still interested in the Amazon Basics.
