The 4-way charging cable means you can use one USB-A port to charge all four batteries.

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The AA batteries that I tested have a capacity of 2,550mAh (alkaline batteries have a capacity of around 1,700 to 2,850mAh) and have excellent life in devices designed to run on disposables. 

They also recharge rapidly, with the AAs taking about two hours to charge and the AAA taking about an hour. This is much faster than older NiMH rechargeables, which could take up to a day to recharge.

The glowing LEDs on the top are cool!

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I like the 4-way charging cable, too, though the fact that it’s designed to plug into a USB-A port feels a little antiquated (but it’s nothing a cheap adapter won’t solve). Plug the cable in, and the batteries have glowing LEDs that illuminate during charging and go out when they’re ready to use. 

ZDNET’s buying advice

It’s the 21st century, and I don’t know why anyone is still using disposable batteries (outside of a few edge cases or where you need long shelf life, temperature-resistant lithium batteries, $55 for an 8-pack. If you have lots of different batteries you need to replace, you can get an 8-pack of AAs and AAAs for $90.

They’re not cheap — so don’t lose them — but they should give you years of service, making that initial investment a good deal. 

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