BATTERY BRANDS RANKED FROM WORST TO BEST

3. Panasonic and Eneloop

Panasonic and Eneloop batteries are essentially two sides of the same coin, as they’re made by the same company. While this is widely known (after all, many batteries are labeled “Panasonic Eneloop”), it still raises eyebrows that these two are often grouped together. Panasonic is renowned for producing highly regarded batteries, though there are exceptions.

Across 24 Panasonic and Eneloop batteries reviewed, some performed less impressively. For instance, Wirecutter didn’t rate Eneloop NiMH batteries highly, and Jensen wasn’t fond of the 2050 mAh Panasonic Evolta NiMH. Panasonic’s Extra Heavy Duty also earned a "Don't Buy" rating from Consumer.org.nz, though this was common for other Carbon Zinc batteries too. But aside from these few outliers, Panasonic batteries typically performed well, living up to their capacity ratings.