Rechargeable batteries and chargers

Well, long story short, we got Energizer AA batteries


And we got a Panasonic BQ-CC17 charger for recharging these:

Where?
The AA batteries were bought from Walmart but we also bought the same AA batteries (and the Amazonbasics ones too) from Amazon, but this will be saved for another discussion. 

Why?
We were checking the different batteries such as Duracell, Ikea's Ladda, Amazonbasics (which we did but again not our first choice), Panasonic Eneloop and EBL. We needed good rechargeable batteries to power a few of our devices, eg LED lamps, Christmas tree, clocks, ...etc as we wanted reliable ones that won't bust our appliances. 

Interestingly, most AA batteries come from China (Amazonbasics, Duracell, EBL, Bonai, Energizer) but you may come across those from Japan, which are of better build (better Quality Assurance and stricter checks). 

Insights
Well, an article reviewed the AA batteries but recommended Amazonbasics, but we preferred the Energizers. Some reviewers mentioned the Ladda are made in Japan and very comparable to the Eneloops (top dog in the market). 

And after we bought our AA Energizer batteries from Walmart and found we needed extra, we bought from Amazon, where lo and behold! The Walmart batteries were made in China but those from Amazon were made in Japan! It's recommended to go to a shop physically to check the packaging as opposed to buying online, where it's touch and go. 

In any case, when you're buying batteries, you want those that are well built and able to provide multiple "charge cycles" and have Low "Self-Discharge". Hence,  that means having batteries that were manufactured with the precise chemical composition and other best practices - supposedly, the factories in Japan are more experienced and meticulous. 


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