Energizer Ultimate Lithium Batteries

seekermeister · 01 Mar 2012

according to the ads, these batteries last up to 8X longer. It doesn't say longer than what, but logic would tell me that they are compared only to standard batteries. Even if that is true, is it really valid, or just so much hype?

Unfortunately, these seem to only be available in AA, AAA and a couple of types that I'm not familiar with, so I can use them in my wall clock, which is where I need long life most, because to change the batteries, I have to break out my extension ladder to reach the clock high above my desk, which makes me a bit nervous, because I can imagine myself crashing down through the glass top desk, taking it and the computer with me to the next life.

Has anyone used these, and really compared them, to see how well they stand up?

Britton30 · 01 Mar 2012

I don't know about 8x longer, but my experience with lithium batteries is they last a bit longer than alkaline ones. How long? I never measured, but they seem to keep the voltage till the end and fail quickly when depleted.

Also move the clock to a more accessible place.

Sardonicus · 01 Mar 2012

It really depends upon what you're gonna use them in.
They may work better in high drain devices.
For low drain devices, I'd say stick with the regular alkaline batteries.

seekermeister · 01 Mar 2012

Since they only have the small sizes that I mentioned, probably the only place that I would use them is in my Cordless Optical Trackman Wheel mice. They are a pain in the neck with my rechargeables, because they don't hold up very long (a day or two), and after recharging the battery, I feel that I need three hands to reconnect them...one for the mouse button, one for the receiver, and a third to move the trackball, until it finally moves the cursor, which often takes a number of minutes. They do better with alkalines, so hopefully they would do much better with these lithiums.

seekermeister · 01 Mar 2012

Britton30,

Also move the clock to a more accessible place.

I could of course do that, but when one lives in a very small apartment, there is a limited number of choices about where to put things, and it seems that some only fit properly in one place. I'm so accustomed to being able to simply glance up for the time, that it would really bother me to have to twist my head around somewhere else.

Anak · 01 Mar 2012

Has anyone used these, and really compared them, to see how well they stand up?

I have not used that particular type of lithium battery, but I have a small, 10"dia. AA powered quartz clock down in my shed, and it has been running for the last 25years.

From:

1987 to around 1995 I ran a carbon zinc battery in it, and would have to change it about every three months.
1996 to around 2003 I ran an alkaline battery in it, and would have to change it about every seven months.
2004 to present I run a lithium battery in it, and have changed it about every 18 to 20 months.

Being generous in the estimate, I would say for this use lithium's last three times longer than alkaline's.

Update (12/12/2011): We reran the tests for Energizer's two lithium AA batteries in our Ratings and obtained a higher number of shots for the Energizer Ultimate Lithium AA battery. As a result, the Rating for the Energizer Ultimate has been changed from Very Good to Excellent.

Source: Energizer Advanced lithium is longest-lasting nonrechargeable AA battery - Consumer Reports

So 4x and 8x are actually marketing breakthroughs and not technical ones.

Source beginning of last paragraph : 4x, 8x, huh? How much power do Lithium batteries actually have?

seekermeister · 01 Mar 2012

Anak,

Thanks, that would be good enough for me, because that might make my mice last a lot longer than they do now.

Anak · 01 Mar 2012

Your welcome!

They should last longer than the rechargeables, one thing to consider is how old your rechargeables are, they may be tired.

You may find this interesting especially Chapter Four: Table of Contents for Batteries in a Portable World
If you come across a page that asks to register or sign-in just glance down a bit, and you will see a link to continue without doing that.

I don't use a cordless mouse so I don't know the power settings, but you may want to review your mouse settings for optimal power savings to try and increase battery life especially in idle, and sleep modes.

Other factors to consider:

Frequency and amount of usage
Desktop surface type and color
The type and current capacity of batteries used

Check with Logitech isn't that who makes the Trackman? There may be updated drivers that address any power issues.

One more anecdote,
I do use a pair of Eveready Advance Lithium's in my Kodak CX7330, and they last for a week long vacation after taking 100MB of pictures, about 200.
One time I did run out of power, and all I could get was alkaline's, I was lucky to get 32MB. Again about three times as long.

Britton30 · 01 Mar 2012

Seeker you said you had to get your extension ladder out. That would indicate that the clock is 10-12 feet up the wall is why I suggested a move. You must be like myself, I have the time on the desktop but still look at a clock on the wall or my watch.

seekermeister · 02 Mar 2012

Britton30 said:

Seeker you said you had to get your extension ladder out. That would indicate that the clock is 10-12 feet up the wall is why I suggested a move. You must be like myself, I have the time on the desktop but still look at a clock on the wall or my watch.

No, it's only ~ 8 feet, but since it is directly over my desk, an extension ladder is required to reach it. It's a 12 foot ladder, which I extend all the way, so that there is still plenty of ladder to hold on to when I reach the clock. If it were a smaller clock, I could probably get to it easier, but being ~ a 24" diameter oak clock, it is large and heavy enough that one needs a steady hold of it.