Are Amazon Batteries As Good As Duracell And Energizer?
Amazon batteries are pretty popular but are they any good?
This article is more than 2 years old
It always happens. Your TV remote stops working. Your wireless mouse decides to take a dump. Your wall clock now reads 1:30 pm when it’s actually 4:45. Time to replace those batteries. We recently pit Energizer batteries up against Duracell to see which battery would come out on top. The one thing that both battery brands had in common was that they are on the pricier side of the ledger. Is there another battery out there that won’t put a huge dent in the wallet but also offer some longevity? What about Amazon batteries?
The name alone probably is cause for concern since it isn’t Energizer or Duracell. It may even cause some hesitation since it isn’t even a Rayovac. But one would be surprised to find out that the Amazon Basic brand of batteries is actually a good product.
Amazon batteries are made under the company’s private label AmazonBasics. The label has been in existence for a dozen or so years and has steadily become more and more popular in shopping circles. As for the batteries the label produces, they have become one of the most popular items sold. In fact, one out of every $10 sold by AmazonBasics is a battery sale and the AA Amazon batteries alone represent nearly 4% of all AmazonBasics sales. This number is enough to overtake the bigger, more established brands like Energizer and Panasonic.
But where does this Amazon battery come from? Does Amazon manufacture them here in the United States? The answer probably isn’t a surprise when it comes to Amazon’s private products. The Amazon battery is actually made in Indonesia, but not by Amazon hands.
Amazon purchases the batteries from a supplier, then turns around and reskins them with their AmazonBasic label.
Finding out where the battery’s materials hailed from was a much harder nut to crack, one that never came to fruition. Amazon’s manufacturing secrecy has caused a lot of speculation lately for not just their batteries, but with many products designed under their personal brands and labels.
One thing this secrecy has allowed is the ability of Amazon to sell many of their products much cheaper than their competitors.
The actual building of the battery, as we mentioned, falls in Indonesian hands. The company, Fujitsu, is Japanese but its subsidiary, FDK, runs the Indonesian alkaline factory where the batteries are built. Although Amazon desperately tries to keep their information on the down-low, it was confirmed by an FDK employee that they actually do have a contract with AmazonBasics in that Amazon will purchase $100,000 of its batteries per year.
But what are they made of? According to Fujitsu’s product sheet, the Amazon batteries consist of manganese dioxide, graphite, zinc, and potassium hydroxide. More than likely they will also contain nylon, paper, steel, and PVC.
Another great mystery of the Amazon batteries is how they get to where they need to go. Due to the US shipping rules that allow for companies to move products in virtual secrecy, Amazon uses all forms of transportation to include trucks, cars, ocean, and air freight. This is even with the supply chain issues seen across the globe.
AmazonBasic’s AA battery is by far the most popular sold on Amazon. The AA accounts for almost half of AmazonBasic battery sales, totaling 46%. That is a big number. But the main question then begs, just how good are these batteries?
It’s amazing sometimes what can be found on YouTube. For our purposes here, we went to the platform to see if we could find any more information surrounding AmazonBasic’s batteries. Thankfully, we did.
Project Farm’s channel tested a number of batteries to include the Duracell and Energizer, as well as AmazonBasic, and a few other high-end batteries as well as the lower-end batteries.
The results, though not surprising, showed just how much better Energizer’s lithium battery was compared to all other batteries. What was surprising, and you can see the results around the 8-minute mark of this video, is that for its price, the AmazonBasic battery rated the highest out of all batteries tested.
Of course, most consumers prefer to let the price of products do the talking. Amazon batteries definitely get high marks in that regard as well.
Comparing prices of the two top battery brands, Duracell and Energizer, to Amazon’s, we took a look at the basic AA alkaline battery. The 24-count Duracell can be found on Amazon for $16.24. That same count for Energizer Max’s AA battery ran for $16.04 on Amazon. For the AmazonBasic AA battery, consumers will pay $14.99 on Amazon. This price, though, is for a 48-pack.
Down the line, you will constantly see those prices differences between the big-name batteries and the Amazon batteries.
Even the AmazonBasic rechargeable batteries can’t be touched by either Duracell or Energizer. Duracell’s rechargeable AA batteries go for $26.99 for an 8-pack on Amazon. Energizer’s 8-pack of rechargeable batteries will set you back $21.41. The AmazonBasic rechargeable AA battery will cost $22.99, and this price is for a 16-pack.
So, next time your remote fails, or your wireless mouse decides to quit right in the middle of work, you may want to take a look at Amazon batteries. They test well, they hold power for up to 10 years, the battery is made with anti-corrosion components, and Amazon claims they are leak-proof. Everything you need in a good, dependable battery, plus a price that is hard to beat in the upper realms of good batteries.
