Talk to us about batteries - for a chance to win £500 and free Energizer batteries!

[HelenMumsnet]

Hello.

Energizer wants to talk batteries with you!

Do you simply buy the cheapest, or are you a battery connoisseur? Are you a power planner or a power player? Do you leave batteries in when appliances are out of use for a long time? Or do you take them out (and then lose them)?

Please do post and tell us on this thread.

And also feel free to share your best battery tips - or your worst battery disasters - particularly if they're Christmas-related.

Energizer's expert Clare Burke will be monitoring this thread and then coming on to answer your questions, and provide lots of info to help you save money and ensure you have the right power source for all the gadgets in your home this Christmas.

Everyone who adds a question, tip or comment to this thread (or who shares a battery disaster) will be entered into a prize draw to win £500.

The draw will be made on 10 December and the winner's cheque will be mailed out, via special delivery, on 11 December, so it'll definitely arrive in time for Christmas.

And that's not all! The first 100 Mumsnetters who post a question, comment, battery tip or battery disaster on this thread will receive free Energizer batteries worth up to £15.99.

In order to claim your batteries, you need to complete your details, including a UK address here

Please include an indication of what type of batteries you would like or the type of product you need batteries for.

Your details will only be used to send out the batteries and will be destroyed after the mailout. You will not receive any additional marketing.

Many thanks - and good luck!
MNHQ

LOL at Lilyloo's DC 'recycling' new batteries. That's the sort of thing my DS would do

I try to buy branded batteries when they are on offer. I never know what to do with them once they have run out though.

I bought some from a pound shop once and they weren't even powerful enough to get the flash working on my camera!

stealthsquiggle - we are still a few short of the 100 to get batteries - the link should still be working.....! It's going to close automatically after we hit 100.

Thanks to everyone so far for your comments....really great! Clare is reading them all now and preparing some responses for you.

I've joked that I'm not buying presents this year just packets of batteries and the dcs will discover a whole new lot of toys

Thanks everyone for your interesting comments and great tips! It?s really nice to hear that so many of you already consider the type of battery you use based on usage as this is also one of my top tips.

Quite a few of you have mentioned that cheaper batteries don?t last as long and as RockBird said they are often a false economy. My tip with regard to this is to make sure you buy the right battery for the right device. Put simply there are two main disposable battery types ? Alkaline and Lithium.

Alkaline batteries are best for low drain device such as remote controls, clocks and low tech toys. While these are often cheaper than Lithium they will run out very quickly in high drain devices such as MP3?s, Wii remotes and digital cameras.

Lithium batteries are definitely the best value for money in high drain, they will last up to 7 times longer than standard alkaline batteries, which means you buy less and don?t have to change them as often.

Also, as BecauseImWorth it mentions, the Which? battery report is a great way to establish which batteries are best value for money. It?s out this month.

HummyMummy ? you mentioned that you are occasionally tempted to buy cheaper batteries but always buy Duracell or Energizer because you believe they are better even though you have no scientific evidence to back that up.

Put very simply, it is not necessarily the battery brand that dictates quality, although many batteries have undergone testing to support long life claims. For example we know that Energizer Ultimate Lithium is the world?s longest lasting battery and takes up to 630 pictures in a digital camera vs 90 photos with an alkaline battery (results can vary depending on the camera). So, once you have decided on the right battery type it is worth reviewing manufacturer claims.

for the free batteries you need to post on this thread AND fill in the form here

I'd love to use re-chargeable batteries more often but find the main problem is the organisational skills involved. It's hard to keep tabs on which batteries are charged, which are waiting charge, what toys they've been put in etc

It would be easier if there was some sort of visual indicator on the battery to say if it's charged or not or some sort of tester you could use.

Or maybe these things exist and I'm just using a crappy sytem

When we realised just how battery-intensive children's toys were, we went out and bought a big set of rechargeables. We never use them any more. The trouble with rechargeables is that they are Never Readies. If they kept their charge while not in use then we would never use disposables. Alternatively (though less attractive because of running costs) if they could be kept on a trickle-charger we would use them far more.

We bulk-buy disposable batteries, usually from Costco. Kirkland batteries are fine for most things, we only make sure to use fancy ones for things that are really heavy power-users.

We forgot to remove the batteries from our baby-monitor between dc, and now the transmitting end will only work plugged-in. But at least it works. Fortunately the same happened with some of the mmore annoying noisy toys - they don't work!

I have recently started using Energizer lithium in my digi camera and instead of running out every 25 photos they really do last and last.

Have used cheapie ones but have given up after spending so much on them - tend to buy them when on special offer - 3 for 2 etc

MrsForgetful ? you asked if the whole wide world uses the same battery types. I can confirm that they do! The same variety of shapes and sizes exists everywhere. Whether it?s AA or 9V you should have no trouble finding what you need wherever you are, which is very useful when travelling.

ahedgehogisdueinMarch - great news! I'm really pleased that you have discovered the benefits of Energizer Lithium.

I have a safety question:

Our council does not recycle batteries, but my parents' one does. So we keep old batteries and take them when we visit my parents. You can tell when I haven't been in a while by the state of the tub in which I keep the batteries. Is this dangerous?

My hubby wants an eletric shaver for christmas and i was just wondering what type of energiser batteries would be most suitable for the shaver,as he will be using it daily.

so energiser ultimate lithium are the longest lasting that's good news for my 'adult toy' and my hubby will certainly be delighted to know that lol.It may even give it more oomph.Another good tip my friend has kindly shared you can buy caps for putting on the poles of the battery failing that use tin foil to protect it,and when storing the battery don't let it come into contact with other metal objects.

I buy cheap batteries I'm afraid - and pay no attention to how long they last. But this is only since I became disillusioned with my recharger.

I do confess to leaving dead batteries in appliances - but not long enough to leak.

I save my old batteries and dispose of them in the 'Old Batteries' bin at my local Morrisons.

What I would really, really like Ms Burke, is a recharger which actually recharges and then tells you when the batteries are fully charged, and rechargable batteries which actually hold their charge and can be used for something other than the TV remote. That is what I would pay money for!

Haggisaggis ? you asked if batteries have an expiry date and if it is ok to stock up. Batteries do have an expiry date, which is printed on the batteries themselves rather than the packaging. The life does vary depending on the product, so I would always recommend you check this before purchasing or using at home.

However if you see a good promotional deal I would recommend you take advantage especially at this time of year when you are likely to go through more. In fact you should be able to find some great deals in store in the lead up to Christmas. This means you?ll save money and be prepared.

Everyone - I do apologise if I have not yet responded to your questions. Over the next couple of weeks I will endeavour to respond to all of your queries, however, if there is anything I?ve missed feel free to remind me and I?ll do my best to respond as quickly as possible.

I hope you all have a great weekend. See you on Monday!

We use rechargeables as I don't find disposable batteries work very well in our digital cameras etc, I buy. Branded as they last longer.

I have a question about recharging batteries. How much of a difference does it make to the cost of recharging them when
a) you just put them on to charge over night
b) you forget you have put them on to charge and remember 3 days later.

Is the charger still using up energy just sitting plugged in even after it has charged the batteries?

How long will a fully recharged battery hold its charge for if left in a drawer? Sometimes you just need a battery immediately, and mine are usually dead when I come to use them!

Is it because I need to replace my rechargeable batteries with newer (more expensive) ones?

I have a battery drawer with stock of all the batteries we use in the house. I check it before Xmas to make sure we have enough for camera, remotes and any pressies needing batteries.

I tend to buy branded ones, and get them when they are on special offer.

I carry AAs (camera) and AAAs (MP3 player) in my handbag.

We can put dead batteries out in the recyc here, and I always do that rather than throw them away.

I too have a battery draw where I stock all batteries. It is obvious that I never have the one I need when I do need one or never enough.

I used to buy Duracell all the time. These days I sometimes grab a packet of Ikea ones only to complain that they run out after a minute.

We also bought 4 reachargable and it works well till you forget where you put them and it could be months before you find them again. That is if you have not given toy to charity shop with said batteries in it.

Not very battery organized, am I?

drawer

No mention of difference rechargeable batteries then.

Or recycling facilities.

Or stopping them from leaking.