What you really need to know about Alkaline Batteries.
2025-06-07. Maximum Power Alkaline Batteries by Allmax. Ultra long lasting. Leakproof design. 10-year shelf life. Maximum performance. 1.5V. Size: AA. Alkaline batteries are essentially your common disposable batteries. They're designed for one-time use and do not have the ability to be recharged. Because there are so many manufacturers out there, there are some basics you need to know about alkaline batteries in general. Voltage. Alkaline batteries all come in 1.5 volts (direct current). 9V batteries are actually made up of 6 smaller 1.5V batteries wrapped in a rectangular casing. Don't believe me? Cut the bottom of one open and you find 6 interconnected 1.5V cells. Capacity. This is how much energy is actually stored inside the cell and the single most important thing you need to know when making your purchase. The unit for capacity is Amp-hour. Amp is short for Ampere and is the standard unit of electrical current. The amp-hour defines how long it can deliver 1 Amp of power per hour. This is more commonly displayed in milli-Amp-hours (mAh). Milli is just the prefix for 1/1000, so 1Ah = 1000mAh. The standard capacity for AA alkaline batteries is anywhere from 2000mAh - 3000mAh. Size. Not all batteries are the same size! Believe it or not, different manufacturers make different size batteries. While they are marginally different, they will still fit in most devices because of the spring. Smaller batteries typically mean they have lesser capacities. Price. The price of the battery doesn't mean much if you don't know the capacity of the battery you're buying. What may be perceived as great value can in fact be the opposite! The brand with the bunny and the copper top are pretty much the gold standard when it comes to alkaline batteries. Their "Max" lines will have anywhere from 2600mAh - 2850mAh depending on the specific line. These batteries will typically work out to about 50¢ apiece when you buy them in bulk (100pcs) and as much as $1.15 apiece in smaller quantities. Here's where the price game comes in. You may find "bargain" priced batteries out there for 25¢ apiece; however, they may only have a capacity of 800mAh per battery. If you've read any of my other reviews, you'll know I'm all about VALUE. The math is pretty simple here, the "bargain" battery is 2/3 less than the capacity of the "gold standard" brands, yet the cost is only decreased by 50% rather than 67%. In this scenario, the bunny and the copper top is better value. The flipside can also be true; sometimes, the lesser brands may offer slightly less capacity and be significantly cheaper. The takeaway here is to find out the capacity (mAh) of the battery you're looking to buy. Now that you know what the major brands charge and how much capacity they have, you can do a quick comparison to see if it's a better value or not. Marketing. The "Pro" or "Industrial" lines are often the same as their regular line and will be around the 2400mAh - 2600mAh range and are more for marketing purposes than anything else. They offer nothing in terms of performance, but on the plus side, they're often priced slightly cheaper and sold only in medium to large quantities. Shelf life. The standard for battery technology now is pretty much a leak proof design. If they don't advertise "leak proof", make sure you're only buying what you need for immediate use and not bulk. The standard technology typically guarantees a 10-year shelf life. This is great for knowing how "fresh" your batteries are. The "best by" date is usually imprinted on every battery and outlines the month and year of "expiry" but if you know they guarantee a 10-year shelf life, just dial it back 10-years and you'll know when your batteries were produced. Storage. When storing batteries, one of the main things to consider is ensuring the terminals don't touch. This means you should NOT thrown them loose into a box or a bag where they can get all jumbled up and make connections at the terminals. Bulk batteries usually come wrapped, and it's perfectly safe to leave them in the original packaging as it ensures there is no terminal contact, or you can buy a battery case (they come in all sizes and materials. See pics, I have some I use for when I'm travelling.) Ideally you would want to store these in a cool dry place (60°F-77°F or 15°C-25°C.) Avoid extreme temperatures (both hot and cold), and keep away from direct sunlight. Humidity should be moderate (35% - 65% relative humidity), and high humid environments should be avoided (don't store these in your greenhouse.) Overall, I'm very pleased with my purchase. The best by date on the batteries I received is 03-2035 (see pics) which means they're really fresh considering the supply chain and pipelines. Allmax was always the goto brand growing up, and they were always purchased in bulk. These AA batteries have a capacity of 3200mAh which exceeds anything the copper top or the bunny retails, and best of all, they're about 50% cheaper! On occasion, I'd see some Voniko's (which can also be found as a staple on Amazon), in smaller quantities when I was growing up, but it was mainly Allmax in our household. Today, I'm continuing my childhood tradition and am making Allmax a staple in my own home. Read more
