Best-Rated Batteries. 9v battery aldi

Best-Rated Batteries

Canstar Blue’s 2021 review of batteries compares Duracell, Energizer, Varta, Eveready, Activ Energy (ALDI), Chevron, Coles and Anko (Kmart) on battery life, value for money, effectiveness, variety/range and overall satisfaction.

Overall satisfaction is an individual rating and not a combined total of all ratings. By default, brands with equal overall satisfaction ratings are sorted by the mean overall satisfaction score as rated by consumers. You can click the arrows at the top of any column in the table to sort by the results in that column. Canstar Blue research finalised in July 2021, published in July 2021.

Most Satisfied Customers | Duracell

Retaining the top spot for the third time, Duracell was rated best for household batteries in 2021, with five stars for effectiveness, battery life, variety and overall satisfaction.

Fact Checked

Duracell charges ahead in battery ratings for the 3 rd time

We all have that drawer somewhere in the house that’s full of half-used batteries, although the ones we need never seem to be on hand. While some of us may rely on the old hit the back of the remote trick to get a bit more juice out of batteries, having a fresh pack at easy reach just makes the household run smoothly.

While some of us might not care which brand we slot into the remote, looking into what’s available may save you from changing the batteries in the TV remote as often, saving you time and maybe even some money. But which brand of batteries should you be looking for the next time you’re down at the shops?

Canstar Blue’s latest review has the answer. We’ve surveyed more than 1,900 consumers to find out which brands are living up to expectations – and which are leaving us feeling a little… flat. Respondents rated brands on important factors of satisfaction including battery life, effectiveness, variety/range, value for money and overall satisfaction. Those that received the minimum required survey sample size of 30 responses are included in our results. So, what did we find in 2021? Read on for details.

Best-Rated Batteries

Here are the best brands for batteries, as rated by consumers in Canstar Blue’s 2021 review:

• Duracell
• Energizer
• Varta
• Eveready
• Activ Energy (ALDI)
• Chevron
• Coles
• Anko (Kmart)

Duracell topped our review of batteries with five stars for battery life, effectiveness, range variety and overall satisfaction. Runner-up Energizer also scored full marks for battery life and range variety, while Varta was the only brand to score five stars for value for money, meaning there’s still plenty to consider when it comes to what brand of battery you stock up on.

With only 28% of respondents to our survey always sticking to the same brand, it seems Aussie shoppers are happy to test the market for that positive connection. So, read on to find out what each brand has to offer.

Battery Brands

Duracell

Founded more than 80 years ago, American brand Duracell is famous in Australia for its advertisements featuring racing pink rabbits. Covering the full spectrum of household battery types, including alkaline, rechargeable, button, speciality batteries, power banks and even batteries for hearing aids, you’ll likely be able to find what you need when you look at the Duracell range.

• In this year’s ratings, Duracell retained its spot at the top, being rated best for battery life, effectiveness and variety, as well as for overall satisfaction. It got four stars for value for money.

Energizer

Another big brand with a memorable mascot, Energizer’s range covers alkaline, rechargeable, coin, speciality and hearing aids batteries, available in AA, AAA, C, D as well as 9V, ideal for whatever you need to power around the house. In addition to batteries, Energizer also offers chargers, allowing you to stay charged while on the go.

• Energizer scored top marks for both battery life and variety, with four stars for effectiveness and overall satisfaction, along with a three-star rating on value for money.

Varta

Offering four different types of regular household batteries, plus rechargeable, coin, camera and hearing aid batteries, German producer Varta isn’t likely to be the first brand you’d think of when the remote calls it quits. But it offers a number of options to potentially make it your next go-to brand. In the regular household battery range, the options include: ‘Long Life’ for long-lasting energy in devices such as clocks, remotes and radios; ‘High Energy’ for devices with greater power demands such as torches and computer mouses; ‘Max Tech’ to meet the precise energy demands of cameras and gaming electronics; and ‘Lithium’ for professional tier quality power such as for cameras and GPS devices.

• Varta was rated five stars for value for money and four stars in all remaining categories, including battery life, effectiveness, variety, and overall satisfaction.

Eveready

The Eveready product range covers the most common household batteries, with two types of single-use batteries as well as rechargeable batteries. Eveready Gold alkaline batteries are for low to moderate energy drain devices, while Eveready Super Heavy Duty carbon zinc batteries are best for low energy drain devices. Eveready rechargeable batteries come in a choice of AA and AAA, as well as a wall charger which fits two AA or AAA batteries at a time.

• Eveready earned four stars for battery life, effectiveness, variety and overall satisfaction. It got three stars for value for money.

ALDI Activ Energy

Taking it to the big names, supermarket chain ALDI has its own range of products for shoppers to pick up while doing the grocery shop, with its range consisting of AA, AAA, C, D and 9V batteries. If you’re looking to stock up, or you’ve just got a lot of appliances that need powering, ALDI AA batteries can be purchased in 50pks, with rechargeable AA and AAA batteries and chargers also available on shelves.

• ALDI was rated four stars in the majority of categories including value for money, effectiveness and overall satisfaction. It got three stars for battery life and variety.

Chevron

Woolworths’ private label batteries come in a choice of standard alkaline, heavy-duty, and super heavy-duty types. These cover the standard household range of AA, AAA, C, D, 9V and 6V lantern batteries, with an adaptor pack also available. Chevron batteries are available in packs of four, 10 and 24.

• Chevron was rated four stars for value for money and three stars for overall satisfaction and across all other categories.

Coles

The supermarket brand covers the full range of standard household alkaline batteries, plus rechargeable AA and AAA batteries. Coles offers affordable options for keeping your devices switched on, but price isn’t the only factor to consider. There are two, four and 10 packs available within the line-up.

• Coles was rated three stars across the board including for value for money, battery life and overall satisfaction.

Anko (Kmart)

Marketed under the Anko range, Kmart’s brand of batteries includes carbon zinc AA and AAA batteries, along with coin and button batteries, in addition to high-performance alkaline batteries. The double AA and AAA batteries come in packs of 18 and 24, while coin and button batteries are in sets of four.

• Kmart rounded up the scores on three stars for overall satisfaction and in all other categories.

Where can I buy batteries?

Considering how much around the house is battery-operated, you wouldn’t be alone if you’ve had to make a late-night dash to the petrol station for a pack of AAs. Thankfully, you won’t be short on options when it comes time to replace batteries, with most brands available on supermarket shelves, as well as retail stores ranging from Kmart to electronic stores such as JB Hi-Fi. If you’re desperate for some batteries, or you’ve already done your weekly grocery shop, you can generally pick up batteries from petrol stations and convenience stores, although they may not have the same range as other retail chains.

Which batteries should I use?

While it’s tempting to simply let the price tag make the decision in which brand of battery you put in your shopping trolley, there are a number of areas to consider, including pack size and what the battery is made of, before you take your pack to the checkout.

Alkaline batteries have a higher capacity than carbon zinc batteries, meaning they’ll generally last longer, but may also be pricier as a result. Similarly, most AA and AAA batteries are sold in multi-packs, with 33% of survey respondents generally buying the largest pack of batteries available.

Whether you need something for the remote, or for the latest toy you’ve picked up for your children (or yourself), having a few batteries on hand can be the difference between enjoying a leisure activity or having to cut playtime short. Considering that nearly a quarter of respondents (23%) have had a battery corrode or leak in a device, investing in some good batteries can not only keep your devices running longer, but save you from damaging them completely.

About the author of this page

This report was written by Canstar Blue’s Home Lifestyle Content Lead, Megan Birot. She’s an expert on household appliances, health beauty products, as well as all things grocery and shopping. When she’s not writing up our research-based ratings reports, Megan spends her time helping consumers make better purchase decisions, whether it’s at the supermarket, other retailers, or online, highlighting the best deals and flagging anything you need to be aware of.

Picture credits: Oleksii Fedorenko/shutterstock.com

Greener Choices for Batteries and Battery Recycling

From torches (flashlights), to smoke alarms, to remote controls, to wireless devices, to many more. These everyday household items are typically powered by batteries. So what is the greener choice for batteries and how should they be disposed at end of life. Read on to find out.

Greener Choice for Batteries

The greener choice for batteries is rechargeables. Not only it save the hip but it is also better for sustainability, and here is why:

• It is estimated that around 3,000,000,000 – yes 3 billion – batteries are sold in the US every year.
• Panasonics eneloop claims of 2100 recharge cycles per battery.
• This means that every battery used was rechargeable then US users would reduce there consumption by 99.95%. Astounding figures.

Battery Disposal

The key point on battery disposal is that they should never be tossed out in the kerbside waste. The 2 main reasons for this are: (1) the heavymetals and chemicals in batteries are dangerous for life and (2) recycling saves resources.

So apart from taking to the battery collection point at the tip, where can batteries be taken for recycling?

The good news is that batteries can be dropped off for recycling at many different places:

• AA, AAA, C, D and 9V batteries: Aldi takes any brand both rechargeable and non-rechargeable.
• Mobile Phone Batteries: there are numerous programs that accept old mobile phones and their batteries. Check out Mobile Muster website, put in your suburb and the site will identify all the nearby drop off points such as Officeworks. Australia Post also has satchels for you to place your phone and batteries in free of charge.
• Computer Batteries: are accepted in the Battery World, MRI e-cycle solutions and SUEZ programs, and with computers and other accessories in various computer recycling or re-use programs.
• Motor Vehicle Batteries: are recycled through a national network of Battery Recycling Centres established by Century Yuasa, and at many garages (such as NRMA Service Centres), transfer stations and waste management centres.

Mega-Teardown: An Assortment of Alkaline 9V Batteries

A while back, I had some fun pulling apart an old carbon-zinc style 9V cell, which is a pretty basic experiment I think everyone should at least try at some stage in their lives. This time, it’s time to teardown some alkaline versions, which are built differently for the most part.

Since we do use up a few 9V cells around the place, I’ve made it a habit to shop at element14, and buy “trade” branded batteries in bulk, whichever is on special at the given time. As a result of the last two batches of purchases, I’ve ended up with a Duracell Procell and a new style Energizer Industrial cell, which are both depleted and are going to hit the bin anyway.

You might not have heard of these brands, but they are the “trade” bulk versions of the batteries you might find in your supermarket. It ends up being potentially cheaper, but you are told that you get virtually the same quality. These are normally intended for companies to integrate into their products as the “included” batteries, or by tradesmen doing things like bulk smoke detector battery replacement. The difference in branding is mainly to try and avoid cannibalizing the profits from their retail packaged blister packs, hence the markings on the cell outer jacket of “Not for Retail Trade”.

The Duracell Procell has a metal outer jacket and is Made in the USA – quite a nice quality feeling cell. The Energizer Industrial cell has a plastic label outer over a plastic body, which seems common for “newer” cost-reduced cells, and is Made in China.

Teardown: Duracell Procell

We start the teardowns with the Duracell Procell. For those following at home, feel free to try this – you need a good set of needle-nose pliers and possibly a flat head screwdriver and start prying at the seam where the can joins together.

Once you have lifted the crimp, you should be able to separate the ends and “unwrap” the cell.

This cell seems to have an interesting construction where the inner set of six AAAA flat-ended cells are shrink wrapped together into an assembly. Despite this, the empty cell (that is the weakest in the pack) seems to have leaked causing some corrosion on the inside of the can.

As the whole pack is shrink wrapped, it comes out of the can neatly in a bundle. The top contacts are spot-welded to tabs which lead into the pack. Using a sharp knife, we can cut away the outer heatshrink and take a look at the pack construction.

As it turns out, there are cardboard/paper insulators at each end, and the cells are individually tabbed and spot welded together to form the battery. This ensures good reliable contacts, and is a construction technique used to produce serious battery packs, such as the rechargeable batteries in your laptop. I didn’t expect to see this in a disposable battery.

Each of the cells has a printed code on it, and is individually shrink-wrapped in a semi-transparent yellow coloured plastic.

That’s a lot of material for a disposable battery, as the active material is contained inside these individual AAAA cells. Some of the material does “get out” and cause corrosion, but because of the outer can, your device is “protected” against leakage to some extent.

Teardown: Energizer Industrial

The construction of the Energizer Industrial cell is a little different, and it has a plastic body. Tearing this apart involves first picking at the end of the outer wrapping label, and then using a sharp knife or screwdriver, prying at the seam at the top where the battery contact panel has been glued to the rest of the “tub”.

Once you have gained entry, the top contact panel will come off and reveal a white insulating piece of glossy card. The contacts are, similarly to the Procell, spot welded to tabs. Amazing. In this case, there is a fluorescent orange stripe, which is probably a factory marking.

There’s really not much to do but “lift up” and pull the whole assembly out of the tub. Then you are greeted by, again, six AAAA cells which are all individually label-wrapped in silver and black marked wrapping. This is very much reminiscent of the Energizer colouration scheme. A batch code is visible on the cell itself.

Not unlike the Procell, this too used spot-weld construction. Maybe it’s not a big deal anymore …

Of course, here is the cells all turned out into a loop …

Teardown Bonus: Aldi Activ Energy

It just so happened that there was a small battery recycling box at the university where there were a few disposed batteries, and a friend was well equipped with some tools and didn’t mind me rifling through some of the batteries and tearing them apart. Unfortunately, I didn’t have my photography gear, so these are all lower-quality phone-camera shots.

The first bonus teardown cell is a retail cell sold by the discount supermarket chain, Aldi. They brand their cells “Activ Energy” and claim them to be “just as good” as the leading brand (i.e. Energizer).

This is where there is a nice surprise. The cell was a plastic construction – tearing the wrap off of the cell and getting out some scissors to pry off the top … gee, that looks somewhat familiar …

Indeed, this is pretty much the same as the Energizer Industrial cell. It looks the same with the cardboard separator and silver/black adhesive wrap on the cells.

The separator had a fluorescent stripe on it as well, although it was a light green rather than an orange one. The cells also had batch codes.

There seem to also be green dot markings placed on the cells. So maybe indeed the Aldi 9V cell is “as good” as the major brands because it is manufactured by the same factories in China as the leading brand. However, without further testing, we cannot be sure that the cells used as of the same standard, but physically they share significant similarities.

Teardown Bonus: Energizer Retail

Now we get to another interesting conundrum – while the Energizer Industrial cells are in plastic cases, the retail batteries are almost always in metal cans. This suggests the batteries are actually materially different. One candidate cell picked out from the recycling bin had identical expiry date to the Industrial cell, which indicates they are similar manufacturing vintage, but had a completely different construction.

This construction resembles the lozenge format more commonly seen in the carbon-zinc style batteries, but is very neat. It doesn’t feature haphazard cellophane like the carbon-zinc does, and instead, has hard plastic framed lozenge shaped cells sticky-taped together into a stack, which probably explains the “divot” on the contact surface.

This type of construction is something I’ve never seen before in an alkaline cell.

Teardown Bonus: Eveready Gold

Finally, we have a sample of an Eveready Gold 9V cell, which is another brand you might come across in supermarkets in Australia.

I can remember a long time ago when there were television commercials for this branding, pitching it as the better “value” alternative to other alkalines, without saying that they come from the same parent company as Energizer. In essence, they were just competing with themselves.

The construction on this battery is much closer to what I remembered an alkaline 9V cell would be. Just a loose assortment of clear-shrink-wrapped AAAA cells, with foil-on-cardboard ends “pressed up” by a pressure contact to the cell ends to make the contact. The pressure was supplied by the crimped outer metal jacket plus the stiff end-boards. Despite this arrangement, the cells were generally reliable and contact wasn’t much of an issue.

However, the pressure also “held together” the thin end-walls of the cell, which may have been thinned to reduce metal usage, weight and also allow for internal cell pressure to help “push against” the foil contacts. This did lead to an outgassing (hissing) from several cells, as the battery was opened and the pressure holding the ends down was “released”. Do be careful!

Conclusion

There are many ways to build a 9V alkaline battery, many of them involving AAAA sized cells, but not all of them. It seems more recent cells have been using more spot-welding techniques for more reliable contacts, which may or may not increase construction complexity and cost. However, there was a surprise in the Aldi cell being very similar to the Energizer Industrial cell, and the Energizer Retail cell being made using a technique resembling the carbon zinc style batteries. You see something new everyday!

The Best Place To Buy Cheap Batteries

The cost of batteries can add up quickly. If you find that you’re picking up a new pack every time you’re out, you may not realize how much money you’re actually spending.

To see where we’ve found the best battery over time, I looked back at more than 60 battery deals our team has posted on ClarkDeals.com since 2016. I also compared the current of AA and AAA batteries at several online retailers to find out where you’re most likely to get the best price per battery.

In this article, I’ll take a close look at a few of the best places to find cheap batteries.

Where To Buy Cheap Batteries

When it comes to getting the best price on batteries, there are a few rules to follow : Comparing prices, waiting for deals and buying off-brand are three great ways to save. Using these methods, you can find great on batteries at Walmart, Sam’s Club, Amazon, Costco and Best Buy.

“My one rule is that no one should ever buy a brand-name battery,” says money expert Clark Howard. “Almost all of the off-brands or store-brands are made by one of the majors.”

Knowing that the quality would be the same or similar, I researched for some of the most popular and most affordable off-brand and store-brand batteries.

Below, you’ll find detailed information on where to find the best prices, and ultimately, where to make your final purchase.

Where To Find the Best Deals on Batteries

Over the past six years, our team at ClarkDeals.com has been looking for the best deals available online. In that time, we’ve seen more than 50 great deals on batteries. In the chart below, you’ll see that many of those deals came from Amazon, Best Buy, Woot and Meh.

As you can see, we’ve posted most of our deals on batteries from Amazon. The best deal we’ve seen on AmazonBasics AA batteries was a 100-count pack for 14. That’s only 14 cents per battery!

We’ve also posted several deals on batteries from Best Buy. In the past, Deals of the Day have included 48-packs of AA and AAA batteries for as low as 6. If you can catch this deal, you’ll be paying just 13 cents per battery. That’s the lowest price we’ve seen.

Daily deal sites such as Woot and Meh also offer great deals on batteries. but in my experience, they sell out fast. We’ve seen some great deals on bulk batteries from these sites including 192-count packs for 30 at Meh. At 16 cents per battery, you’re still getting a great deal.

In addition to these stores, in the past, The Home Depot has matched Best Buy’s all-time-low pricing with a deal on a 60-pack of its store-brand HDX AA batteries for 8. Meanwhile, Walmart has been a close runner-up with past deals on 50-count packs of discount batteries for 6.97. That means you’d be paying only 14 cents per battery.

The Top 5 Best Places To Buy Cheap Batteries

While finding a great deal on batteries is one of the best ways to get the lowest price per battery, you may not be able to wait for a sale. If you’re looking for the lowest daily on batteries, check out Walmart, Sam’s Club, Amazon, Costco and Best Buy.

I visited each retailer’s website to find the best available deal on AA and AAA batteries in December 2022. I’ve provided details about each store later in this article, but just below you’ll see the per-battery cost of each deal.

Sam’s Club, Amazon, Costco and Best Buy offer competitive on store-brand batteries while Walmart offers great deals on generic brands. As a comparison, I found CVS-brand AA batteries for as much as 1.62 each and AAA batteries as much as 99 cents each. At the same store, name-brand Duracell batteries were as much as 2.32 each!

“If you buy batteries at a drugstore, convenience store, supermarket or anything like that, what you’re paying per battery is mind-blowing,” says Clark. “So, it’s not just that you buy the store brand, it’s where you buy also that really matters.”

For the best overall prices, consider shopping at one of these top five places to buy cheap batteries.

Walmart

Walmart recently started offering private-label batteries under the Great Value brand. With these, you can find some of the cheapest available on AA and AAA batteries. In December 2022, I found a 48-count pack of Great Value AA batteries for 15.48 and a 48-count pack of Great Value AAA batteries for the same price. This was the second-best deal I found on AA batteries during my research just behind Amazon, and the third-best deal I found on AAA batteries behind Amazon and Best Buy.

If you can get free in-store pickup, Walmart may be a better buy. However, while you may find low online at Walmart, you can expect to pay shipping fees if in-store pickup isn’t available.

While Walmart’s are great on off-brand batteries, name brands come with bigger price tag s. For example, a 36-pack of Duracell AA batteries was available for 39.40 in December 2022, which means they cost 1.09 each.

Sam’s Club

If you’re a Sam’s Club member, this is a great place to shop for cheap batteries.

When I compared prices, I found Member’s Mark 48-count packs of AA batteries for 21.48 and AAA batteries for the same price. In the past, I’ve seen 2-off Instant Savings discounts on these batteries, which makes them an even better buy.

“Sam’s Club’s a great option,” Clark says on shopping for cheap batteries. “It has all five major batteries in the company’s private label, and you just save money!”

Sam’s Club’s store brand batteries, Member’s Mark, are available in AA, AAA, C, D and 9-volt sizes.

Amazon

For Amazon Prime members, AmazonBasics batteries are going to be hard to beat.

“I’m a big fan of AmazonBasics,” says Clark. “They’re not as cheap in the AA and AAA batteries, but the AmazonBasics 9-Volt, the Cs and the Ds are a real deal.“

In December 2022, I found a 100-pack of Amazon Basics AA batteries for 29.56 (0.30 each) and a 100-pack of Amazon Basics AAA batteries for 23.48 (0.23 each). These are the best I found overall during my research. In the past, our team at ClarkDeals has found AmazonBasics AA batteries even cheaper at 14 for 100. That drops the normal 27 cents per battery price to only 14 cents!

Of course, Prime members are eligible for free two-day shipping for even more savings.

Costco

In the past, Costco’s Kirkland Signature batteries have always been the best available deal. While you can sometimes find other off-brand batteries cheaper elsewhere, Kirkland Signature is still a great choice. In fact, Consumer Reports included the Kirkland brand in its recommended batteries roundup.

In the past, I’ve seen Costco offer as much as 3 off batteries. That brings the price down to 0.33 each for AA or AAA batteries. When this 3 off isn’t available (as it wasn’t in December 2022), you’ll likely be able to find a better deal elsewhere. Even though Kirkland Signature doesn’t always have the lowest per-battery cost, you can rest assured that you’re getting quality batteries for under half the price.

“At Costco, it’s Duracell that makes Kirkland Signatures,” says Clark. “They’re not similar batteries; they’re identical.”

CVS offers Duracell batteries for up to 2.32 each. With Kirkland Signature, you’re getting the exact same thing for only 39 cents: That’s 1.93 less per battery!

Best Buy

As you can see above, Best Buy’s batteries aren’t going to have the lowest daily price you can find. However, if you can grab these batteries when they’re on sale, the price will be impossible to beat.

In the past, ClarkDeals has seen daily deals including 48-count packs of AA and AAA batteries for as low as 6. That’s only 13 cents per battery! Again, that’s the lowest price we’ve seen. I always try to grab this deal when it comes up, and the batteries last a long time.

Bookmark this page to keep up with the best daily deals at Best Buy, and when you see the batteries on sale, be sure to get them! Choose free in-store pickup nearby to avoid any additional shipping costs. In my experience, they’re typically ready for pickup in less than an hour.

Final Thoughts

Overall, you’ll likely find low on store-brand and off-brand batteries at Walmart, Sam’s Club, Amazon, Costco and Best Buy.

If you see a good price on a battery brand that you’re not familiar with, especially at a store like Walmart, be sure to read customer reviews. And check out Consumer Reports’ battery reviews if you have a membership to learn more about the brand’s performance.

“There are some sellers who sell these batteries that aren’t very good,” cautions Clark. “So if you buy completely off-brand batteries, you could end up with one that’s very unreliable and doesn’t have a long life.”

Sam’s Club members, Amazon Prime members and Costco members all have access to great on quality store-brand batteries like Member’s Mark, AmazonBasics and Kirkland Signature batteries respectively. Free shipping with these options also leads to additional savings.

Also, if you can hold out for the sale on batteries at Best Buy, you have the chance to get the lowest per-battery price that our team has seen in the past!

Finally, don’t be afraid to check out other local and online retailers for battery deals. One reader recommended checking out Ocean State Job Lot for batteries. In December 2022, I found a 96-count pack of ACDelco AA batteries for 14.99, which is just 16 cents per battery! AAA batteries were available for the same price. Unfortunately, these deals were only available for ship-to-store, and there isn’t currently a physical location in my state.

No matter where you decide to shop, be sure to use a tool like Google Shopping to make sure you’re getting the best available deal before purchasing.

Did we miss a deal? Let us know where you buy your batteries in the Clark.com Community!