Focus on the best AA and don’t take flak

In this age of cheap lithium pouch cells, it may seem somewhat anachronistic to integrate AA batteries into a project. However, there are plenty of valid reasons to do this, and enough older hardware that still uses AAs, that it’s worth spending some time deciding which batteries to use. Luckily for us, [Lumencraft] on YouTube has done the legwork in the video belowAnd even produced a handy spreadsheet.

Each battery in the test underwent three separate tests. There was the ‘leave it in a flashlight until it dies’ test for real world use, but there were also discharge curves recorded at 250 mA and 2 A. The curves for each are included in the spreadsheet so you can see what to expect, along with the calculated capacity at each discharge rate. 2A seems like a pretty heavy load for AAs, but it’s great to see how these cells respond to extremes. The spreadsheet also includes the cost of the cell to create a value ranking, which will be of great use to our readers in the US where it seems [Lumencraft] buys batteries. The global market will likely have the same batteries available, but prices may vary by region, so it’s worth double checking.

In the video, [Lumencraft] also takes the time to explain the four battery types commonly found in AA size, and the strengths and weaknesses of each chemistry that might lead you to choose one over the other for specific use cases, rather than relying on its value rankings. Unsurprisingly, there is virtually no reason other than cost to choose alkaline batteries in 2025. However, lithium-ion batteries in AA form don’t really outperform NiMH to make the extra cost worthwhile in all applications. Therefore, the overall “best battery” is a “PowerOwl” NiMH. Li-ion’s unspectacular performance is likely due in part to the inefficiency caused by a built-in buck converter and safety circuitry. On the other hand, some people might really appreciate that extra safety compared to bare 18650 cells.

The results here aren’t much different from what we saw earlier this year, but we really appreciate it [Lumencraft] publishing its results as a spreadsheet for easy reference. The only caveat is that he takes manufacturers at their word regarding the number of cycles the batteries last.

Oh, and just to be clear, we’re talking about double A batteries, not anti-aircraft batteries. If anyone has a battery hack for anti-aircraft guns (especially if that hack involves dual A batteries powering the AA batteries), please send a tip.