Tips on Picking Best Battery for New Toys
Dec. 29, 2007
By Lisa Nicita

Richie Parrish had a busy day at work Thursday. People were in and out of Batteries Plus in Mesa all day, looking to power up all the electronic gifts they unwrapped over the holidays.

"It is pretty nuts," he said.

Batteries Plus carries any type of battery you can imagine, from car batteries down to tiny discs for hearing aids. They also carry the batteries needed for the ever-popular Power Wheels toddler cars, which can't be found at toy and warehouse stores.

But the selection on any battery display at any store can be a bit overwhelming. Who knows the difference between alkaline and lithium, let alone nickel oxyhydroxide batteries?

You almost need a degree in chemistry to charge your kid's new remote-control dune buggy.

Ultimately, you just want something that'll let you snap a few more pictures on your digital camera before swapping out the batteries for the third time in a day. For that, you'll need a lithium battery, according to Consumer Reports.

The magazine tested a handful of batteries earlier this year and found that the Energizer e2 Lithium is the best when it comes to digital cameras. The batteries will allow you to snap six times as many photos as the average alkaline.

Parrish, a technician at Batteries Plus, said most alkaline batteries would allow for about 25 pictures in a digital camera. A lithium could allow for up to 100, he said.

"Most of the normal alkaline - it doesn't matter what brand - it's all around the same run time," Parrish said.

Parrish said alkaline batteries, the ones we all bought before the introduction of the fancier long-life batteries, are great for electronics that use a moderate amount of power for longer periods.

Consumer Reports recommended that alkaline batteries be used in toys, clocks, remote controls, CD players and flashlights.

For that remote-control airplane Johnny just got from Santa? Parrish said the battery choice depends on the level of use.

If Johnny is fired up and is flying that plane everywhere, for the first few days or weeks, pop in some lithiums. If he's a fair-weather flier, Parrish said, it's more economical to buy a bulk package of alkaline batteries.

The life of the nickel oxyhydroxide batteries falls in between the alkalines and lithiums, Parrish said.

For infant toys that are used extensively, like swings and musical cribside aquariums, you might want to go rechargeable.

"They are really popular with kids stuff," Parrish said.

Most rechargeable batteries are able to be charged about 500 times. For most people, that should last a couple of years. Parrish said the rechargeable batteries have a similar run time compared to alkaline. But you just recharge them when they run down.