this post was submitted on 28 Nov 2025
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Most devices & gadgets are rechargeable nowadays. The only thing I have that still requires batteries is a headlamp but even those are available in rechargeable varieties. House smoke detectors need a battery too.

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[–] zxqwas@lemmy.world 25 points 6 days ago (4 children)

D and C are almost obsolete already.

AA and AAA I have bought things that require them this year so I doubt it will happen in our lifetime.

As for rechargeable it's twice the effort to find the charger every two years instead of just using the one time batteries.

[–] Manjushri@piefed.social 14 points 6 days ago (2 children)

As for rechargeable it’s twice the effort to find the charger every two years instead of just using the one time batteries.

I've actually seen USB to USB-C rechargeable AA batteries for sale. I've never tried them so I have no idea personally how good they are but the reviews seem positive. I think that could be the way forward as long as it's a standard charging cable for the batteries.

[–] fastfinge@rblind.com 5 points 6 days ago (1 children)

These are the way. They usually come with a cable that splits from one USB A to four or more USB C. So you have a spot to charge them normally, but you can also give them a quick charge when you're out and about with any random cable you have if you can't find the splitter. And they charge much quicker than using a battery charger.

[–] zxqwas@lemmy.world 4 points 6 days ago

They seemed 12 times more expensive than the one use batteries. So only makes sense for stuff you use often.

[–] CmdrShepard49@sh.itjust.works 3 points 6 days ago (1 children)

They can be good but the voltages don't always match alkaline cells so you can sometimes burn through them quicker than if you'd use standard alkaline.

[–] Manjushri@piefed.social 1 points 6 days ago

That's good to know.

[–] Zak@lemmy.world 7 points 6 days ago (2 children)

As for rechargeable it’s twice the effort to find the charger every two years instead of just using the one time batteries.

I recommend keeping some charged spares and the charger in the same place.

[–] XeroxCool@lemmy.world 3 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Yeah, OP surely has a place they keep batteries so they don't make a trip to the store every time a remote dies.

Anyway, I'd recommend that charger be one that charges AA/AAA individually instead of requiring pairs. Mine is a Panasonic BQ-CC17 that came with a set of Eneloops.

[–] Zak@lemmy.world 4 points 6 days ago (1 children)

That does raise another issue: some of the retail-grade chargers are pretty terrible and may have led some people to a bad impression of how rechargeable batteries perform.

A charger should charge cells individually, at a reasonably fast rate, and terminate correctly to prevent overcharging. Yours hits two points out of three: it's individual and correct, but slow.

[–] XeroxCool@lemmy.world 1 points 5 days ago (1 children)

I've seen that site before and) but can't remember if it influenced my decision before purchase or just confirmed it. But good link. I acknowledge it's slow, but at this point I have enough extra batteries, I can handle it as long as I charge the dead ones upon swap. Still, I'd say a 4th consideration is price point, at which I think these were acceptable. Somewhere above fictional company items on Amazon, below RC hobby grade

[–] Zak@lemmy.world 2 points 5 days ago

It's a good charger if you're not in a hurry - fast is just a user experience benefit.

[–] zxqwas@lemmy.world 1 points 6 days ago (1 children)

But if I only need one every other year I'll have to charge the thing before I use it anyway. Besides should you not store rechargeable Li-batteries at 50-80%?

[–] Zak@lemmy.world 3 points 6 days ago

I had NiMH batteries in mind since we're talking about types that come in alkaline, and low-self-discharge NiMH batteries (e.g. white Eneloops) are generally fine to fully charge before storage.

You might end up with a bit shorter runtimes storing charged batteries for years than charging them right before use, but it doesn't matter much when your runtimes are measured in years.

There's one potential snag with certain low-power devices though: a few only work in the 1.3-1.5V range. That's terrible design since it doesn't use most of the power in an alkaline, but some of those won't work at all with NiMH.

[–] 4am@lemmy.zip 4 points 6 days ago (2 children)

I can’t wait to throw out all my flashlights because they don’t have USB-D and I don’t have the right cord to charge them anymore. This is almost certainly better for the shareholders.

[–] the_crotch@sh.itjust.works 1 points 6 days ago

We can still buy serial and parallel cables 25 years after they became mostly irrelevant. You'll be cold in the ground before everyone stops selling usb-c.

[–] CmdrShepard49@sh.itjust.works 1 points 6 days ago

As if youre not already throwing out sets of batteries and buying new ones every time they go dead.

[–] mech@feddit.org 2 points 6 days ago

My cat flap needs 4 C batteries every 6 months.