Two images of a D-cell battery on a kitchen scale. EBL weighs 120g, Amazon Basics 155g

For whatever reason, I'm skipping my walk this morning. I'll probably bike to the garden later.

D-cells aren't used in very many devices these days, but I have a few old radios that use them, and the iPod HiFi and a huge MagLite flashlight ("What it can't blind, it can bludgeon.") So I wanted to get some rechargeables a couple of years ago. At the time, I hadn't learned quite as much about batteries, and Panasonic doesn't offer an Eneloop in the D cell size. EBL seemed to get good reviews on Amazon, so I ordered a bunch of those.

They work, but I wasn't impressed with their longevity. At first I thought it was because NiMH native cell voltage is only ~1.2v, and so they were "dying" in the radio simply because the voltage was too low.

After watching a lot of battery tests on YouTube, I noticed that EBL batteries consistently underperformed their rated capacity in tests. So I ordered some Amazon Basics in the D-cell size, hoping they'll last a bit longer in a radio. I immediately noticed a difference when I took them out of the (very sensible, sustainable, plain brown cardboard) package. They were heavy.

Put one of each on the scale and this is the result.

So if you're shopping for NiMH rechargeables, I'd stay away from EBL and stick with Eneloop or Amazon Basics.

Hurricane season is just around the corner.

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Originally posted at Nice Marmot 07:28 Thursday, 25 April 2024