If I need a battery tester, I might consider this one from La Crosse. But, I don’t need a battery tester, or at least I don’t think I do.
A few weeks ago, my cousin mentioned wanting to get a battery tester for her parents, because they always have loose batteries around, and she could never tell which are good and which aren’t. Her mom was there, and disagreed, saying they don’t need a tester.
I have batteries in various places, and all but a couple are fresh and have never been used. There are times when I remove partially-depleted batteries from a device, but for the most part I don’t keep anything other than fresh batteries around.
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The tester shown above can test AAA, AA, C, D, and 9V batteries. It basically checks their voltage and then moves the needle to red, yellow, or green, depending on the voltage, which is an indicator of a disposable battery’s charge status.
Testers like this are often calibrated for alkaline batteries, which have a nominal voltage of 1.5V per cell. Rechargeable NiMH batteries have a nominal voltage of 1.2V per cell.
I use Storacell battery holders ($4 and up at Amazon) when on-the-go. Fresh batteries are stored button-side up, and depleted batteries go back in button-side down until I can charge or dispose of them.
I remember using my father’s battery tester, and my grandfather had one in his kitchen utility cart.
I only recall testing maybe one sets of batteries in the past 20 years or so, and that was with a standard digital multimeter. I don’t own a battery tester; I have never bought one, and don’t plan to.
But, that’s just me.
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I can see potential uses for one, such as in determining if there are issues with a device or if the batteries just need replacing. But even in those cases, a fresh set of batteries will either get things going, or they won’t, in case of a device failure.
Do you use a battery tester? Do you feel you need one?
Price: ~$10
Do you use a different battery tester you could recommend?
Justin Sherriff
I have one and like it. mostly just net to see that some things will pull more charge out of a battery than some before they stop working.
The best use for it is if the old and new batteries get mixed up.
Jay
I bought a battery caddy a few years ago and it came with one and has a storage slot for it. With kids around you get batteries laying around so for those reasons I use it…not sure I *need* it, but I do use it.
Ray
Yes, I think it’s great. I can check to see if the batteries are still viable from the device in question and it helps me see which batteries I have are still good.
Matt+the+Hoople
Don’t have a tester. I have a cheap, digital multimeter that lives in the kitchen drawer. Lots of kids and electronic devices. I test to sort old from new but also because some devices cannot work below 1.2 volts per battery but then some, like Roku remotes can work down to .95 volts. It allows me to reuse a spent battery from one device to continue to power a different device. I do the same with flashlights and Lithium ion batteries. When the CR123 batteries in my “critical”lights drip to a certain level, I label them for use in “general use” lights just due to the cost.
Todd
I use a pulse load tester like ZTS MBT-1. Works for lots of types of batteries. Saves a lot of the headache of figuring out if all are dead of just a single cell as well as knowing if a coin cell is dead or has some life left.
Funda
Another fan of the ZTS MBT-1. There have been times when the voltage shown on the battery terminals by a voltmeter is fine but the slightest load caused it to collapse, hence the purchase of this expensive tester
Matt+the+Hoople
Never heard of this. Looked it up. Looks interesting and I definitely see the value in it. Dont think I can stomach the price for my needs.
I will say that I tested a button battery for my car’s keyless entry several times and it checked good each time using a straight voltmeter. Finally gave up and replaced it and turns out it was the problem. A load test in that case would have saved me a lot of trouble.
Would like to have one of these but cannot justify the cost. Testing under load seems to be less necessary with standard AA and AAA alkalines
Mike
ZTS all the way, rest of them really can’t compare.
Chris
Yet another vote for ZTS pulse-load testers. Had an MBT-1 for years, just picked up an updated version which added a few more coin battery types I’ve recently been using. Also have the Mini-MBT for the basic stuff so the wife & kids can do quick checks.
Agree that nothing compares to the ZTS pulse-load testers. They are a bit pricey but really can’t be beat for functionality and accuracy.
MtnRanch
The ZTS is the king of testers and the only one that I’ve found that gives accurate results.
The only problem with it is the size. If anyone out there knows of a device that is smaller and tests small cells under load, please speak up.
Jim Felt
Yeah. Wouldn’t that be something? Oddly no one ever has. Hmmm.
Wayne R.
We use an Amprobe model of tester. It’s a fast & easy way to get any idea of why something doesn’t work well – is a cell too low, is the thing looking for a higher voltage, is the battery good but the device is kaput?
DMMs don’t usually have a resistor in their testing path, so just seeing voltage doesn’t really tell you if the cell is going to work under use. A tester gives a better idea of the state of the cell, and is a lot easier to use than holding a cell and trying to get two probes in the right place. Anyone can confidently use a cell tester!
And yes, the Storacell caddies are the best by a mile. I’ve got a slew of them, and none have had any problems or have ever gotten busted, even in the winter.
Rob H
I use a tester frequently. We use AA batteries a lot in game cameras (8 or 12 cells depending on the camera.). Invariably, one or two cells will die before the rest, and the camera stops functioning. When we go to change the batteries, we test to find the bad cells and just replace those. Lithium AA batteries are incredibly pricey currently, so tossing 6 or 7 that are still good is wasting a good deal of money.
Stacey Jones
Yes, I have a few and use them to weed out the dead ones. We use so many and the kids and wife keep mixing them up.
Plain+grainy
Off topic: Toolnut has the Milwaukee Shockwave 29 piece Red Helix titanium impact drill set at $79.99(free shipping over $50 for drills , blades, extra.). SKU 48-89-4632. Other retailers seem to be around $120 for this set. Check it out if your looking at drill bit sets. It includes the 1/ 2” drill also.
MM
I’ve never used one. My father was a HAM Radio nut so we always had multimeters lying around the house when I was a kid, and I have them today for my work. No need to buy a unitasker when the good ‘ol voltmeter does the job just fine.
DFWChief
Measuring the voltage is only half the story. You need to apply some load to a battery (which means drawing current), and see if the voltage level is maintained. Voltage with no current load does not tell you whether a battery is healthy.
Geoff
Is that something a $10 battery tester does though?
Hon Cho
I have a tester and use it occasionally since it’s kept with the stash of cells. However, I’m pretty ruthless about disposing of partially used batteries even if it is wasteful. For AA and AAA cells, we use rechargeable Eneloops / Ikea Ladda and disposable Energizer lithium cells. The Energizer lithiums have about doubled in price so we’re a bit more judicious about where we use them. We’ve had such problems with leakage of alkaline cells and the Eneloops and disposable Ultimate Lithiums don’t generally have that problem.
As rechargeable cells get old, it’s not voltage that needs to be tested, it’s capacity that becomes questionable and checking voltage doesn’t help much there.
Funda
For rechargeable batteries, I’ve had several different ones over the years from LaCrosse, Maha etc over the years but my present one is a Vapcell S4+ 4-bay multi-chemistry charger/analyzer that seems to be doing a good job
eddie sky
Its a dead short on a tester and uses power to indicate (like those that have builtin ones).
I prefer the DMM to verify voltage.
I also avoid Duracell since that always leak. I only get the energize lithiums (AAA, AA).
My .02cents
MacLean Flood
I just use a cheap HF multimeter that’s right next to my battery chargers.
TonyT
I use a freebie HF junk multimeter that has a battery testing function (it measures the current).
Jorn
My toddler lets me know immediately if a battery is out of spec
Steve
I think I spent all of $6 on a battery tester. Just a quick way to test to see if a battery is good or not. You can even test the rechargeables as you know where the needle is supposed to be for full after testing just charged ones.
Nathan
I don’t have one at home but we have one in the office – use alot more batteries at the office. Like above they help weed out bad ones when you have devices that use many or someone sets 20 in a drawer and doesn’t bother to state good or bad. etc etc
at home I don’ think I have a need we don’t use many and when we do use some it’s replace with fresh. only rechargables I use are on the video game controlers – remotes just get new AA’s. If I used more at home I might be more concerned.
Alex
Has anyone tried the ZTS line of testers? The mini is $46 on amazon and they seem to be pretty versatile, well regarded, and made in USA. That price is kind of steep for something I wouldn’t use much, but I am a sucker for nice quality equipment
Mike
I’ve had the MBT-1 for years, it’s great.
Chris
The various versions of the Mini-MBT are a nice way to get a basic pulse-load tester – just make sure you pick the one that has the cell types you’ll use the most (there are like 2 or 3 variants depending on types of cells you’ll be testing).
The MBT-1 is about twice that price but does just about everything you could ever want, though they do occasionally update it to add new types.
Mike
Purchased a battery holder and it included a cheap tester. Using rechargeable AA and AAA batteries so have been using the tester more often to see which batteries need to be re-charged.
Mark M.
For as infrequently as I need to test batteries I’d have a 80-year breakeven point comparing the cost of the tester to the cost of just tossing batteries and popping in new ones. 🙂 Very rarely I’ll find a few random AA or AAA in a drawer and I’ll either test them with my Fluke DMM or put them in a high-output single-cell LED flashlight one at a time and see what they do.
A battery tester that I did buy and has been super handy is this 12V automotive load tester https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000AMBOI0 You can always drag a battery to the autoparts store and get them to load test it but this saves me the trouble if it turns out the battery is good and it’s a charging issue. The times where this has indicated a bad battery the parts store has always confirmed it so it seems accurate enough. Paid $21 for mine on a flash sale and it’s a time-saver.
Bill
I probably should have one. I just get out my multimeter.
RCWARD
same thing dude.
Bonnie
We have so few battery-hungry devices (anything that uses a removable battery lasts years) in our life these days I’ve never felt the need for a dedicated tester. Replacements all come fresh from the package and old ones go in a bag to await disposal. If for some reason I really did need to check I could throw the battery in an old penlight.
Frank D
Yes, we have a small battery tester for AA, AAA and 9v. Use it pretty frequently since so many things run on one, two, three or four batteries and often it is just like one or two that have been depleted.
Duracell, by the way. Double thumbs down on Duracell, and that’s from a brand fan who only would buy Duracells. The number of items, remotes, pool thermometer, weather stations, etc they’ve ruined by leaking before their due date, or even new in guaranteed package to last 10 years on the shelf; is crazy.
And Duracell does not answer their customer service email when you want to say hey, look at this, your batteries ruined this, some of these are leaking in the package, …
MtnRanch
The tip on batteries is to buy Ray-O-Vac and only put them into equipment you want to replace. Document everything – before and after. Save receipts, take pictures of the dates on the leaky cells. Sumbit a claim. It works for me.
For everything else use Energizer and you shouldn’t need to contact customer service.
PW
Duracell is appalling. They used to be so good. I have batteries I found in an old devices with an expiration of 2000. They don’t leak and still work. Now if you look at one of their AAs sideways it leaks.
They did something when the COO changed. Their cells used to say “Made in USA”. A few years ago it changed to “Assembled in USA”…and the leaks started.
I used to buy Duracell on sale at Costco in bulk. Now I have banned the brand in my house. Too many destroyed items, no time in my life to play games with their fake warranty. Never, ever, ever buying another of their leaky cells.
RCWARD
I use them quite often and have a couple of them. Why wouldn’t you use them? Verify if the battery is the reason you remote is not working or what ever they are cheap and great to have around.
alex
One trick for remotes: use your cell phone camera.
Most cell cameras can see the IR light the remote puts out (if it’s working…)
JoeM
I made one once. I got bored in Electricity class in College, so I created the positive and negative ends out of some spare wires. Crimped on some banana connectors so they’d plug into my Multimeter, then went home after that lab, and formed a sliding frame out of old computer slot covers, and a hose clamp. It worked beautifully for years. Then I stopped needing a battery tester. Tossed it out, ’cause a factory made one was a dime a dozen.
Time comes full circle, now that I’m starting to use the Eneloop Pro batteries, I’m thinking of getting a new tester just in case I find them stray around the apartment, I can tell if they need charging.
But I think it has been around 20 years since I used a dedicated battery tester. My Multimeter has been my go-to for quite some time, simply so I don’t have to go looking for a battery tester. But, I appreciate the reminder, Stuart! I’ll likely go checking on Amazon, or Atlas, or something. We could probably use one again.
Fazal Majid
I have one, never use it. All my batteries are rechargeables save the obnoxious 9V ones, and if I need to check the status, I just pop them into the Nitecore Digicharger D4 which has a built-in analysis function, like most universal chargers (it handles 18650, 21700, RCR123 and Eneloop AA and AAA). I’m more likely to use a multimeter to check the voltage on the battery than locating the battery tester.
frampton
Just this weekend, I was throwing out stray batteries because I had no way to test them and didn’t want to use a dead or half-dead battery by mistake. It would be much cheaper to buy a tester.
PW
I use the battery test feature on my cheap multimeter I keep by the battery box.
It’s not perfect but I already had it, and the ROI on a dedicated tester is likely measured in decades for me at this point. I mostly use rechargeables, so they get recharged until the charger reports they have failed.
Corey Moore
I use one, but for work and not home. It has jumper cable alligator clips and I primarily use it for generator load banks and such. As for home, if I took it out and a battery it’s floating around loose, I just presume it was removed for a reason. Any 18650s I have a charger for, so with the same simplicity I’d never have a reason to test them. Batteries aren’t exactly cheap, but a tester for personal use small batteries feels sort of like a niche product from decades past.
RK
I have a Micronta Battery Tester Model 22-030 from Radio Shack that I purchased in 1973, for $9.95, and I still use it several times a month. It tests 1.5, 6, 9, 15 & 22.5 volt batteries. My family has me bring my
tester with me when they have batteries that are questionable. Still in original box!
Ryan
There is a battery tester included with the Battery Daddy.
I bought the kit a few years ago and have never looked back. Helped clean up my junk drawer and I now buy in bulk at Sam’s Club and never run out of batteries.
I didn’t realize there was a battery tester in the container until about a year ago. It has come in handy as a very quick validation since most toddler toys come with cheap batteries so that they can be in demo mode in the stores. When the volume starts to get lower or the toy starts working erratically, I can test to see if I can expect things to get better by changing the batteries or if the toy is just destroyed.
The Battery Daddy was on sale for as low as $10 during the holidays which is a steal.
MFC
Yeah, I use one since my kids throw old batteries in with the new and they don’t always get drained equally depending on what electronic they were in.
John
I use a multimeter for the infrequent occasion when I “test” a battery. As pointed out in the article, checking voltage is all these devices really.do. That tells nothing about how a battery will perform under load though.
For rechargeable batteries, I have a battery conditioner. This can simply charge or perform a more complete reconditioning cycle. The reconditioning cycle discharges and then recharge the cell. It does this three times and then provides a reading of the actually mah capacity. This allows me to group cells that have similar capacity to maximize performance.