Your best buy for batteries and which ones last longest

WASHINGTON – When shopping for holiday electronics, remember you’ll also need batteries for those gadgets.

But which ones are the best? That depends on if your priorities are low price or long life.

ShopSmart magazine says that Energizer Advanced and Energizer Ultimate lithium batteries are the longest lasting. The Kirkland Signature Alkaline and the Eveready Gold batteries are the best bargains.

They tested the magazines in digital cameras. The Energizer Advanced Lithium batteries cost $5.40 for the pair, but they were able to get more than 800 shots for the pair. The ultimate lithium batteries cost $6 for the pair, and they were able to get 470 shots for the pair.

As for the bargain batteries, the Kirkland batteries cost only $1 per pair, and they were able to get 172 shots per pair. The Eveready batteries cost $1.25 batteries per pair, and were able to take 197 photos.

The magazine does not recommend buying Walgreens Alkaline Supercell batteries. They cost more than both of the other store-brand batteries, and took fewer shots.

The magazine also offers these tips for storing and disposing of batteries:

  • Replace the batteries at the same time, and use the same size and brand. Don’t mix regular batteries with rechargeable batteries.
  • Don’t store loose batteries with metal things because they can short out.
  • Don’t use batteries that are wet, look odd, or feel hot to the touch.
  • Always recycle used batteries. Check out Earth911.com and Call2Recycle.org for more information.

WTOP’s Kristi King contributed to this report. Follow “>WTOP on Twitter.

(Copyright 2011 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)

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