Rechargeable Lithium AA Batteries – anyone using them?

I hadn’t heard of these so thanks for asking the question. I will be most interested in others experiences too.

Me too. Where do your get these rare animals?

several years ago I used rechargeable lithium CR 123 batteries in Steripen Opti

they didn’t work very good.  They only treated a few pints of water before they died.  Rechargeable batteries are different than unchargeable

It would be easy enough to try

I switched to Sawyer Squeeze

Maybe the Steripen that has a built in rechargeable lithium battery

I swapped out my Garmin GPS with smartphone.  I should have done that years earlier

Rechargeable Lithium AA Batteries SOURCE

https://www.batteryjunction.com/search-results.html?keywords=Rechargeable+Lithium+AA+Batteries&x=56&y=21

I dabbled in them.  And before that with rechargeable NiCad AA and AA batteries.  There wasn’t anything I used enough to keep recharging them frequently.  They’d sit in one flashlight or my SteriPen, and then I’d forget how much they’d been used and be recharging them before each trip (not necessarily a bad thing) and more commonly, I wouldn’t think to dig them out of one device to use in another.

A security guard who used a flashlight during their rounds every night?  A kid with a GameBoy or other portable device used every day on the ride to school?  Headphones that take an AA or AAA?  Sure, I could see having a routine in which one recharges the batteries at the end of each day.

What’s worked much better for me are devices (headlamps, SteriPen, bluetooth ear buds) with an internal battery.  I really like knowing my headlamp has its full charge as I start out – no wondering how charge remains in Li or Alkaline primary batteries.

Jerry: for day hikes and weekend trips, the Red-Cross-branded Steripen is as small and light as they get and treats 20 liters.  USB chargeable.  It’s worked well for my wife and I backpacking in AK, CA, NZ, Patagonia and while traveling in Cuba and Costa Rica.  It’s really nice to carry 2.54 ounces / 72 grams instead of multiple liters of water when you’re walking past streams all the time.  And to not fret about city water in the second world – just zap it for 90 seconds.

For stuff I use infrequently around the house (flashlights in each room for power failures, earthquakes, and fires), I just use Costco brand alkaline primary batteries).  For emergency flashlights in the cars that might be -20F when I need to use them, I use lithium primary batteries.

I have tried both 14500 (AA size, but 3.6-3.7V) and some 1.5V AA Li batteries but didn’t continue to use them. Short answer is that I didn’t find their performance significantly better (for my applications) that NiNH rechargeable AA, they aren’t universally usable, and cost more.

You can pull more power in a short amount of time, so there are some high tech flashlights that will give you a burst/turo mode which is maybe 2x brighter in flashlights designed to take 14500 batteries. I haven’t needed the extra boast… and of course this burst chews through the battery pretty quickly.

As you might imagine, the 3.6-3.7V won’t be usable in MANY devices which limits it’s ability to be swapped between devices.  I think one of the big advantages of AA is the number of devices that use AA, and the ease of find disposal AAs in pretty much any store (or from kind people on the trail).

The 1.5V Li rechargeables I tried had a built in USB recharging port which should have made them easy to recharge on trips that had easy access to a USB charger. I found that there were several devices didn’t function properly like by Zebralight, and that the tiny olight charger was just as easy to use with my NiNH (and 18500) batteries.

During the winter I still sometimes use disposal Li AAs.  They seem to tolerate cold better than the rechargables and are lighter weight for longer runtimes.

My notes about flashlights (and bits amount batteries).

Thoughts based upon specs and reviews in other forums:

worked well in flashlights that like 1.5v/cell

requires a new charger

Energy content similar to regular(not low discharge) NIMH

cost is twice as much as NIMH

the buck converter in each cell creates a lot of rf noise. That would make me very wary of using in more sensitive devices such as gps or any communication device. Even a steripen might be susceptible to issues.

Definitely need some testing beforehand. Alas I don’t regularly take anything that’s uses AAs.

yeah, what David said, internal lithium USB rechargeable devices are good

then you can charge it before each trip

take a USB power bank if you need more capacity

Of course, the USB Power Bank will most likely be lithium rechargeable batteries.

I have just received a Nitecore F2 which will be paired with a couple of Lithium 18650 rechargeables. As I do a lot of bikepacking/bicycle touring I will be charging it as ride during the day and then using it to charge the electronics as needed in the tent.

For bushwalking, I can simply take additional 18650 batteries if needed. The base setup with two 18650 batteries gives me a nominal 7,000 mAh at ~ 142.50 grams* or 49.12 mAh per gram.

* Yet to receive the batteries before I can confirm the weights so these numbers are estimated from the manufacturer’s data.

Re: “Rechargeable Lithium AA Batteries SOURCE”

Turns out that of the many batteries listed in the above search, only 3 are claimed to be rechargeable.  Of those, only one exceeds 1000 mAh capacity (1730 mAh), and although the site claims a special charger is needed, there is no link to it.  Charging Li batteries can be dangerous, and would buy only from a reputable source.

The Energizers claim 3000 mAh capacity, and my former experience with them is that they do deliver high capacity (useful life), but only once, then you have to throw them out, which can be an issue for many.  They are not bad for remotes for appliances.

That is why I moved to the Petzl headlamps with their rechargeable Li Core batteries, about the size of three AAA batteries laid side-by-side.  Originally, was looking for a rechargeable Li AA, because just one spare would provide back-up power for my small lamps.  But now have grown used to the Petzl’s, and love them.  Unlike the Energizer bunny, they really do just keep on going, and carrying one fully charged spare in a tiny WP container is no bigee.  Add to that the many models Petzl has for its hybrids (that also take other AAAs), there is a choice of many features.  I’m a KISS person, so the simplest was best.

I have absolutely no connection with Petzl whatsoever, except buying their stuff at REI or the Kittery Trading Post in ME, and paying sale prices only when there are sales available to all.  But after my initial purchases several years ago, have not had to buy any new Core batteries, just a second light so when walking on back roads, can quickly replace the lamp on my head without having to futz with switching out batteries in the dark.  Being stuck on a back road in the dark in rural northern NH is a really bad idea, for all the reasons you might guess.

But it’s never happened since I got the Petzl’s.  And hiking in the woods, switching out the battery with the back-up would be easy, but have never had the need.  When nearing capacity, the light just gets a little dimmer, so replace or recharge it before the next hike or walk.  Still, I want a quick back-up at all times.  Forgot the lamp and was caught in the dark once bushwhacking on Mt. Chocorua, and one of my Shetland Sheep Dogs, who was smarter than her owner, guided me and the other dog down the mountain paths in the pitch dark.  Most shelties have big white ruffs around their necks, so are easy to spot in the dark, especially when they are smart enough to hold up and wait for you every few yards.

NB:  In my searching, found that many of the small pen cells ABOUT the size of an AA are slightly different in size, and will not fit gear using AA’s.

For those interested, here is what Shoki (named after the mountain) looked like:

Thanks all for the replies. Sounds like these aren’t really worth their price tag.

Surprised by Jerry’s experience with the Steripen Opti because it’s the opposite from that of a friend who’s a gear geek and electrical engineer, who has raved to me about that specific product and also about the rechargeable 123A’s in general.

My friend did say that quality of the 123A’s varies widely, and after trying a bunch of brands (some of which he believes are straight-up lying about their specs), he recommends Fenix and NiteCore.

If you want to do a deeper dive into rechargeable batteries, there are some flashlight forums that get as crazy about mAh’s and depth of discharge as we do about ounces and grams.

That’s the stuff my engineer friend talks about. So far I haven’t been inspired to get that serious about it!

Been thinking about tradeoffs with internal vs external batteries.

Recharging with a power bank means you just have a one single item as a backup source for all your battery-operated gear–no juggling a bunch of spare batteries.

There’s a downside in having to wait for recharging instead of swapping batteries and instantly being good to go. Theoretically you could plan ahead and keep everything charged up so it doesn’t run out. But that’s easy to goof, and also doesn’t allow for special circumstances–like if you get into a bad situation and have reason to use a headlamp on super-bright mode for an abnormally long time.