2019 test12 productsBatteries & Power Banks
Which Rechargeable Battery Brand Wins?
A head-to-head test of 12 rechargeable battery options with the measured results for each. See how they ranked and watch the full test video. Shoppers cross-shopping rechargeable li ion battery, rechargeable lithium batteries, lipo battery and 18650 battery and charger land here for the head to head that settles it.
Ranked first
IKEA LADDA
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The measured results
Every number below is read straight from the test. Scroll sideways to see all measurements. Products are listed in the order they finished.
| Product | Prior Capacity | Capacity After 42 Days Shelf | Self Discharge Ranking | Capacity After 25 Cycles | Self Discharge Rate Per Day | Rating Note | Rating | Measured Capacity | Overall Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1IKEA LADDA | 2,418 mAh (from a previous video in this series) | 2,208 mAh, a loss of only 8.68% | tied with Duracell for the most remaining capacity (highest absolute mAh) after 42 days of shelf storage; PowerEx close behind | 2,374 mAh rising to 2,406 mAh after 25 daily charge/discharge cycles in outdoor solar lights, just barely missing its 2,450 mAh rating | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested |
| 2Duracell | 2,449 mAh (from a previous video in this series) | 2,208 mAh, a loss of 9.84% | tied with IKEA LADDA for the most remaining capacity (highest absolute mAh) after 42 days of shelf storage | 2,457 mAh rising to 2,496 mAh after 25 daily charge/discharge cycles, exceeding its 2,450 mAh rating | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested |
| 3PowerEx | 2,408 mAh (from a previous video in this series) | 2,200 mAh, a loss of 8.64%, nearly tying the IKEA LADDA/Duracell result and very close behind them | not tested | 2,524 mAh essentially flat at 2,521 mAh after 25 daily charge/discharge cycles | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested |
| 4Energizer | 1,898 mAh (from a previous video in this series) | 1,770 mAh, a loss of only 6.74%, the best individual self-discharge percentage of the entire lineup, beating both the Eneloop and Amazon Basics black | not tested | 1,772 mAh rising to 1,901 mAh after 25 daily charge/discharge cycles, still missing its 2,000 mAh rating | grouped with Eneloop and Amazon Basics black as averaging around 0.16 to 0.17% self-discharge per day, far better than the EBL | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested |
| 5Eneloop | 1,891 mAh (from a previous video in this series) | 1,754 mAh, a loss of only 7.24%, very close to the Amazon Basics black result | not tested | 1,781 mAh rising to 1,883 mAh after 25 daily charge/discharge cycles, just barely missing its 1,900 mAh rating, described as very impressive | grouped with Energizer and Amazon Basics black as averaging around 0.16 to 0.17% self-discharge per day | packaging front states 2,000 mAh, but fine print rates it at 1,900 mAh; host corrected an earlier video's mistake here | not tested | not tested | not tested |
| 6Amazon Basics black | 1,849 mAh (from a previous video in this series) | 1,716 mAh, a loss of only 7.19%, described as very impressive | not tested | 1,725 mAh rising to 1,857 mAh after 25 daily charge/discharge cycles | grouped with Energizer and Eneloop as averaging around 0.16 to 0.17% self-discharge per day | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested |
| 7Amazon Basics silver / High Capacity | 2,381 mAh (from a previous video in this series) | 2,113 mAh, a loss of 11.26% | not tested | transcript states only 'increased slightly from 2,331' with no ending value given, likely a caption/audio drop-off; the destination capacity after 25 cycles is not recoverable from the transcript | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested |
| 8Harbor Freight Thunderbolt | 2,257 mAh (from a previous video in this series) | 1,983 mAh, a loss of 12.14% | not tested | 2,085 mAh rising to 2,141 mAh after 25 daily charge/discharge cycles, nearly reaching its 2,200 mAh rating | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested |
| 9Rayovac | 1,362 mAh (from a previous video in this series) | 1,189 mAh, a loss of 12.7% | not tested | 1,105 mAh rising to 1,217 mAh after 25 daily charge/discharge cycles, still short of its 1,350 mAh rating; only achieved about 90% of rated capacity, one of the two worst performers in the cycling test | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested |
| 10EBL | 2,459 mAh (from a previous video in this series) | 2,131 mAh, a loss of 13.34%, the worst percentage loss in the 42-day shelf test | not tested | 2,406 mAh essentially flat at 2,407 mAh after 25 daily charge/discharge cycles, nowhere near its 2,800 mAh rating; only achieved about 86% of rated capacity, the worst result of the cycling test | worst rate in the lineup at about 0.32% self-discharge per day, nearly twice the rate of the best-performing group (Energizer/Eneloop/Amazon Basics black) | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested |
| 11VARTA | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | 2,600 mAh | 2,528 mAh and 2,536 mAh at a 500 mA charge/discharge rate, 2,505 mAh at a 1,000 mA rate, and 2,601 mAh at a 300 mA rate | highest capacity of all rechargeable batteries tested in this video series to that point, described as very impressive |
| 12Active Energy | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | 2,100 mAh | 1,480 mAh and 1,495 mAh at a 500 mA charge/discharge rate, 1,458 mAh at a 1,000 mA rate, and 1,557 mAh at a 300 mA rate | only about 70% of advertised capacity, described as the worst rechargeable battery tested in this video series to that point |
How it was tested
- self-discharge capacity retention after 42 days of shelf storage
- self-discharge rate per day
- fresh capacity at multiple discharge rates (500 mA, 1,000 mA, 300 mA) for newly added brands
- capacity retention/change after 25 daily charge-discharge cycles in outdoor solar lights
- physical diameter comparison vs AA alkaline batteries