The following was derived from a discussion that took place at the September '00 meeting. Therefore it is based on opinion of the members that took place in the discussions and offered opinions. There's been some new developments in batteries. One of the things that came out is if a battery manufacturer can squeeze out a mere 3% more power, they market it as a new type of battery. If you are currently get 20 hours of use out of a standard alkaline battery, you may get 20.6 hours while paying a big premium for that extra 36 minutes. Of course, your usage may vary. Another type of battery we talked about is the lithium battery. How long it lasts depends on how you use it. Those at the meeting who have tried it say that they get about the same life as alakline with normal use, BUT they get longer life if they use the backlight more. In other words, this is a battery better left for high-drain devices like camera flashes and portable music devices, unless you used the backlight a lot. There are some new advances in rechargeable batteries. One company's product that was mentioned was NoMEMpro by Lenmar. This is a product that can be recharged 1000 times, are high capacity, and are "memory" free so you can recharge them from any level. A direct link to this particular battery is here. However, if you want to stick with standard alkaline batteries, Kirkland batteries from Costco/Price Club is the best deal. It's about $17 for a box of 48 batteries (can't remember exactly...it's been a while since I've been there). Someone at the meeting mentioned that these are actually Duracell batteries in different packaging...they said in the Duracell factory they come off the same conveyor with the Duracells to get their packaging going one way and the Kirklands to get their packaging going the other way. You have to be a member of Costco to shop there (note, this site has the US price). Kirkland Batteries [ Top of page ]