best battery?

[Axtman]

Is there a 9 volt battery on the market that will outlast all others? Are rechargeable batteries a good idea for effects / active electronics? BTW, I don't know how many times I have bought a used effect only to find a leaky battery inside. I have to remember to take the batteries out of the basses / effects that I don't plan to use for a while.

[thudstaff23]

I like Energizer, but had really good luck with a Duracell once.

[TOOL460002]

+1

im sure either of the above brands are equally good or close to it. i would be hesitant to use a rechargeable battery on anything, just because they tend to hold a charge less and less as you use it. maybe they are better now, but we had them around the house like 10-15 years ago, and those werent great, but i think they were radioshack or generic brand or something. just dont buy them at the $1 store, or buy no name brands. oh- and change them even if theyre still good. if you leave a cheap battery in something long enough itll probably leak. im sure temperature is a factor too.

[levis76]

You should never rely on rechargeables, especially for your pedals. They won't last anywhere near as long as a good alkaline, and the voltages are lower. Most 9V style rechargeable batteries are only 8.4V anyways, that's more than a half a volt from what the pedal needs to operate properly. My advice is stick to the alkalines and use whatever brands you can find on sale. Home Depot and Lowes run sales on large packages of batteries all the time and Radio Shack batteries are always cheap and work just fine too.

[RickenBoogie]

The best is not using a battery at all, but rather a regulated power source. But if you want regular alkaline batteries, either Energizers or Duracells, are equally good.

[Brass Brawls]

i use duracell for my active musicman and i have never had one die on me. i change it every year or so

[ajaxon]

I put lithium batteries in my active basses and haven't need to change in over a year.

[grygrx]

I'm moving away from batteries, and am planning on purging any pedals that won't work without them.

[Mingus Addict]

I'm a huge fan of Ikea battery's. They're cheap and they seem to last a really long time.

[ampegfuzz]

I think its best if you have to use batteries to change them often. You used to be able to go to "Dollar General" and buy a 2 pack of 9v for a dollar. They still sell 9v for a dollar but you only get one. I think its to risky to rely on a battery to last a long period of time. when i had to use batts i would change them out every other show. Granted i didnt play very heavy (once of twice a weekend) and didn't use a lots of pedals but a power supply is really the best way to go IMHO. But in the case you have to use a batt i always used just plan duracell in my active basses and never had a prob with juice or leaking.

[scsm]

I have 3 active basses, a couple of effects pedals, and a wireless that all use 9v batteries. For me I've always had luck with Duracell.

The cheap Dollar General brands seems to go out super fast.

I seem to remember a few years back a early morning News program had a test right before Christmas and had 10 toy pigs run on 10 different batteries and Duracell won.

[Rockman]

Originally Posted by TOOL460002

+1

im sure either of the above brands are equally good or close to it. i would be hesitant to use a rechargeable battery on anything, just because they tend to hold a charge less and less as you use it. maybe they are better now, but we had them around the house like 10-15 years ago, and those werent great, but i think they were radioshack or generic brand or something. just dont buy them at the $1 store, or buy no name brands. oh- and change them even if theyre still good. if you leave a cheap battery in something long enough itll probably leak. im sure temperature is a factor too.

Saying something like that is saying you are using a car from the early 1900s.

[Munjibunga]

I imagine most name brands are pretty much the same, but I use Duracell because I like the way they look.

[musicelectronix]

Whichever brand you go with, make sure that both contacts are gold plated. This will give you the best noise/signal ratio and increase the overall clarity.

[HogieWan]

All the "brand name" batteries are equal. The new expensive ones can deliver more amperage, but it is not needed for most things including bass preamps, so you can save your cash

[Munjibunga]

Originally Posted by musicelectronix

Whichever brand you go with, make sure that both contacts are gold plated. This will give you the best noise/signal ratio and increase the overall clarity.

It's best if the battery case is gold plated too, for better grounding and shielding.

[musicelectronix]

Originally Posted by Munjibunga

It's best if the battery case is gold plated too, for better grounding and shielding.

Obviously! How couldn't I think of that?

Duracell Arabic Prince custom is the best one I had the privilege to use. Pure gold casing with diamonds wrapped around.

[TOOL460002]

Originally Posted by Rockman

Saying something like that is saying you are using a car from the early 1900s.

hahaha... no, i wasnt saying the batteries are 10-15 years old and that im surprised they dont work now. im saying that when i was young, my dad bought some because we lived out of the country, and thought we would give those a try (couldnt get good batteries in nigeria at the time that easily). they really sucked, so we didnt get any more, but i was saying that i cant vouch for newer rechargeable batteries, if there is any change in technology.

[totallybacan]

Rayovac! So much cheaper than Duracell and Energizer, and even if they don't last quite as long, which they do, the cost-to-power is much better

[Handyman]

Consumer Reports generally says to buy whatever is cheapest when it comes to alkaline batteries. Their tests have shown that the difference between brands of plain old alkaline batteries is pretty minimal.