Hi folks,
I recently discovered a way to save money on AA and C batteries for my Christmas decorations around the house.
Amazon has these adapters to eliminate the need for costly batteries. Amazon.com: OriGlam 4Pcs AA to C Size Battery Converter, Battery Adapter... (https://a.co/d/iTl8iFE) And these for AA batteries Lenink AC Power Supply Adapter... Amazon.com: Lenink AC Power Supply Adapter for 3 AA Battery, AA Battery... (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0956BP2PL?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share)
They work great in our Nativity Scene and our life sized Santa.
Hope this information helps you save a few bucks. Locating those pesky batteries at the right time can be a challenge. No longer a problem for us. At least for these applications.
Kent
The 3 x AA battery 120 VAC adapter is a good idea. The AA to C sleeves are OK in a pinch, but bear in mind that you'll get half the power/run-time of real C cells, so you'll be replacing the "ensleeved" AAs a lot more often.
Not sure how your saving money, maybe by not having to buy C batteries and ending with some juice left in the C after the season that ends up wasted?
We get batteries at Costco, we have on hand AA, AAA, D and 9v. I don't think we have anything that uses C.
I save money by using rechargeables wherever possible. My small batteries fall into two categories: AA and AAA cells; and coin cells (mostly CR2032, but an assortment of other types, down to LR44 button cells for a couple of cat toy lasers).
The AA and AAA batteries are all rechargeable Eneloop (nickel metal hydride) batteries. I use a Maha MH-C401FS charger (https://mahaenergy.com/mh-c401fs/). This compact charger can be powered either by 120 VAC or 12 VDC. Its charging circuitry individually monitors each of the four AA/AAA charging positions, so it can charge anywhere from one to four batteries simultaneously, regardless of their individual states of charge.
This is handy, because most of my LED flashlights and headlamps use three batteries. (Many small chargers can only charge two or four batteries at a time.) I've been using these Maha chargers for nearly thirty years, and in that time I've had only one failure.
There's one exception: I have a couple of seldom-used emergency flashlights that I power with disposable lithium AA or AAA batteries, because those have a shelf life of at least ten years, unlike the rechargeables, which are good for less than half that long. I know the emergency lights will always be ready when I need them.
We experienced many Duracell and Kirkland AA and AAA alkaline batteries that leaked. I also have migrated to NiMH rechargeable batteries in place of alkaline primary batteries. NiMH work for many applications, but not all. Where they don't work, or work well, is in applications that demand the full 1.5 V, as NiMH are around 1.3 V.
Like Andy, I have been using Lithium primary batteries in voltage-critical applications, where they provide full 1.5 V voltage, long shelf life, and long run time. The downside is they are primary batteries (not rechargeable), and are expensive.
As an experiment, I just bought some Coast Zithion-X AA and AAA rechargeable Lithium Ion batteries at Costco that supply 1.5 V. They have USB-C recharging ports, and come with a charging cable with USB-A to USB-C adapter, USB-C to four-headed (tailed?) pigtail of USB-C connectors. I have just started using them, so I can't yet report on how successful the experiment is. I don't know if these batteries are prohibited in checked luggage or as air-freight.
The Zithion AA batteries (https://coastportland.com/products/zx-aa) are new to me. From the specs, they sound attractive: 1.5 V, 2,400 mAh, and each battery contains its own charger. Almost too good to be true. The only drawback is the steep price: $7.50 apiece (list), and about half that at Costco thanks to an $8 manufacturer discount that expires day after tomorrow (12/8/2024). Let us know how those work out for you, Keith.