On 1/7/2014 9:52 AM, notbob wrote:
On 2014-01-07, gonjah wrote:

Best place I've seen for alkaline batteries is Costco. Kirkland
Signature AA are rated almost as good as Duracell and cost $.50 per.
Energizer Max and Gold are rated lower and cost more per Consumer Reports.

I don't know who rated what, but I do know KGO (channel 7) News, in
San Francisco, did a battery throwdown, every Christmas, for years.
They put about 6-7 brand name batteries in a buncha those little toy
monkies that jump up and down and crash two cymbols together. IOW, a
motorized toy, which is a good test of batteries. Last toy running
wins. Energizers have won by several hours for years.

Another test, one I did inadvertently. I put brand new AA Duracells
in a mini-maglite in my van, one winter. It got down to about 25 deg
F and when I came out next morning at o'-dark-thirty and turned on my
maglite, zip! Nada! Not even a weak dull orange glow. Later that
day, I checked again and the flashlight came on full strength. Next
moring, another sub-freezing night, dead as a doornail! I changed to
Energizers and never had that cold weather problem ever again.

Now living in CO, so I don't see channel 7, anymore, but do know I'll
never waste money on a Copper-Flop, ever again.

nb


The ratings were in the January Consumer Reports (page 7). I don't
usually get Duracells unless I need some right away. Can't recall any
issues. Someone once told me that Duracels were "oversized" so after you
use them you won't be able to use other batteries. I don't know if
that's true either. All sorts of rumors out there about battrees.

The Consumer Reports rated the Duracells #1 but suggests the Kirkland
Signature (#2) is the "best buy" coming in at 1/4 the price of
Energizers and Duracells.