Odds are, you will need AA or AAA batteries in the very near future. Maybe it’s for a flashlight, a children’s toy, or a remote control. If you think you have enough, think again.
Top pick
In our testing, these AA batteries kept an electric toothbrush powered for 6.5 hours and a strobe light running for 10.5 hours.
These AAA batteries powered a toy tugboat for two hours, an electric toothbrush for 9.5 hours, a pocket-size lantern for 31 hours, and a string of twinkle lights for 42 hours.
Rechargeable batteries create less waste than disposable ones. Plus, when they’re not in use, you can take them out of your devices, juice them back up, and store them in your junk drawer, so you know exactly where they are the next time you need them.
Also, NiMH rechargeable batteries pay for themselves over time. They hold a charge for longer, can be recharged more times over their lifespans, and have higher capacities than those made with NiCd.
Top pick
This is the charger we’d buy. It has a foldout plug—so it sits flush on your wall outlet—and notification lights over each battery slot. And it can charge up to four batteries at a time.
If you make the switch to rechargeable batteries, you’ll also need a reliable charger. We like the Panasonic Eneloop BQ-CC55, which can charge up to four batteries at a time and has notification lights over each battery slot, so you can tell when each battery is done charging.
The charger works on both AA and AAA battery types, and it has an auto-shutoff feature that detects the batteries’ charge levels and cuts off power when they’re done charging, so you don’t have to worry about overcharging them.
