Which lithium batteries for my trailcams
Contributors to this thread:Equipment
From: PSUhoss
11-Dec-22
I am looking to convert over to lithium AA batteries for my trailcams and am noticing a wide disparity in pricing on Amazon.
Does anyone have any experience with the Energizer, EBL, Enitech, or any other brand that works well or that I should stay away from?
Thanks!
From: WI Shedhead
11-Dec-22
Energizers have worked great for me. Some of my cameras that I leave out all year are on two years with the same set. Thier a very very good investment
From: Dale06
11-Dec-22
What shedhead said
From: RutnStrut
11-Dec-22
I have always went with energizer. But like everything else the price has went way up and they are getting harder to find. You can get them at Sam's Club for 34.00 for a pack of 18. I bought 25 packs of 18 when I put my cams out this summer. I burn through batteries pretty quick as I have 22 cell cams and have all on video. But I still get at least a month out of even the most active cams.
From: JohnMC
11-Dec-22
How do you find the time to watch 22 cams worth of video?
From: Casekiska
11-Dec-22
Energizer all the way. Work great!
From: RutnStrut
12-Dec-22
"How do you find the time to watch 22 cams worth of video?"
It's not like they are all sending at the same time. Plus it's short 15 second clips. But I admit, my work productivity may drop slightly in the fall.
From: spike78
12-Dec-22
I have a CVS card and they frequently send me 30-40% off coupons and I buy the CVS brand batteries with the coupon and the batteries last a year for me depending on amount of pictures.
From: Michael
12-Dec-22
The only ones I have used are energizer ultimate lithium.
They work great! As others have said the price has sky rocketed and they are getting very hard to find.
Last week I looked for some for my e caller. Two Walmarts and 2 fleet farms later and still couldn’t find any AA batteries. Lots of AAA to be found.
From: woodguy65
12-Dec-22
Emphasis on hard to find (Energizer Lithium.
From: greenmountain
12-Dec-22
I had terrible luck with the energizer lithium batteries. I had three batteries out of eight dead within a week. I generally get two months out of a charge with the NIMH batteries. I must have purchased a bad batch. I bought two packages at the same time.
From: Wildan2
12-Dec-22
Energizers all the way;last batch(24) cost as much as a solar panel(Tactacam),bought both. Like the solar panels so far,had one out about 3 months the other about 1 month.I get thousands of 20sec.videos out of a set.Rechargeables are a waste of money and some cameras don't like the low voltage(tried them).
From: sticksender
12-Dec-22
The Ultimate Lithium AA's are available. but you'll be lucky to find them for much less than 2.50 each today, buying in bulk. You can get the Duracell Alkaline Procell series for around 40-50 cents per battery in bulk. They don't have the life of the Lithiums but I believe the economics favor the alkalines right now, until (or if) the lithiums ever go back down in price. I see a few of the Chinese sellers on eBay still have Duracell AA Lithiums for just over 1.00 per battery, if you're willing to take your chances buying overseas and can tolerate the long shipping times.
From: X-Master
12-Dec-22
Here's another vote for Energizer Lithium's. I shopped on Amazon and all over the place and the best price is still SAM's at $34.99 / 18 ( $1.94 Ea.) limit 5 per customer and the real shocker was Bed, Bath & Beyond at $12.99 / 8($1.62/Ea.) which is pretty close to what the prices used to be before Brandon but even at these prices, finding them in stock can be a tough one - just have to keep checking and get them when they are available.. Many of the new cameras coming out this year are also NIMH compatible, and I have been using Tenergy Rechargeables in a couple of new Brownings that I bought with pretty good results but that only helps if you're in the market to up-grade your camera stable. With cold weather coming, alkaline are totally OUT - lithium or NIMH is the only way to go in cold temps. Lithium will last at least 3-4 times as long as alkaline in cold temps. The other PROs to lithium is that they have a much longer shelf life, and they DON'T Leak.
From: Aces11
12-Dec-22
I can usually find Energizer Lithium’s at Sams. I usually pick up a pack every so often when I am in there through out the year. That way I have a bunch when hunting season comes around. Seems like they are a lot harder to find when August and September come around.
From: Pat Lefemine
13-Dec-22
Another vote for energize ultimate lithium batteries. But I also run a battery box and lately I’ve been making my own for $35 with the smallest ammo box from harbor freight $5, wire/plug $2, and a 12v rechargeable lead acid battery $28. I can get close to an entire season with that setup (July to January) by swapping or charging the 12v just once in October. Saves a ton on batteries .
From: Shuteye
13-Dec-22
I just use Energizer Max in my cameras and they work great, even in cold weather. Got them at Sam's Club. Haven't priced them lately but I have a couple of the big packs on hand.
From: nchunter
31-Dec-22
Lithium batteries have become pretty rare to find in a store. Two years ago they were 19 bucks for 8 batteries. Now they are about 34.
From: MA-PAdeerslayer
31-Dec-22
Pat I can only imagine the amount of batteries you’d go through….you could probably sink the titanic with them
From: X-Master
03-Jan-23
So, I just checked some prices on Energizer lithium's. You can scratch BB&B as it looks as though "BIDENFLATION" - (N - def. - the result you get when voting STUPID) has finally caught up with BED BATH & BEYOND. The price for 8 AA Lithium's went from$12.99 TO $24.99. That pretty much leaves SAM's Club as the best economical price at $34.99 / 18.
From: goyt
03-Jan-23
I just found 3- 8 packs in the garage that I did not know I had. Makes me feel like I hit the lottery. How sad is that?
From: MOBEN
05-Jan-23
buy the solar panel and you wont need to buy any more batterys
From: Mike Ukrainetz
05-Jan-23
Caution, the 400 energizer lithium batteries I bought this year were crap! I went through all of them within just a few months. I couldn’t keep up with replacing them in my 3 different types of 50 cameras this fall and now every one I check is dead. I don’t know what is going on? They used to last 6 months to a year or more in the same cameras!
From: Arrownoob
05-Jan-23
I’ve heard (but haven’t done it myself) that buying a voltage meter pays for itself because sometimes you’ll get 1 bad battery in a pack. Or a battery will die in the field while the other 11 are still good.
From: Drop Tine
07-Jan-23
I just built two of these today. I’m done buying AA batteries for the trail cameras.
From: Wildan2
08-Jan-23
Part of the problem;the local meth-heads use lithium batteries some how.Went to purchase some and they were locked up;girls told me they are stolen as fast as they put them out.
From: 'Ike' (Phone)
08-Jan-23
Energizer as all have said...Shop around and you can find some deals!
From: Pat Lefemine
08-Jan-23
Do Not buy bulk lithiums from Amazon or eBay. I bought a couple hundred and I swear they were either used, returned, or old and weak. I was pissed. Reviews confirmed my suspicions.
If I do buy from Amazon it’s just the normal 8 packs.
But now I just buy from BJ’s it’s 18 batteries for 34. It was half that last year.
Thanks Biden!
From: shane
08-Jan-23
Pat where are you finding your plug for the battery box?
From: Pat Lefemine
08-Jan-23
Amazon. Plug on one end, bare wires on the other. I just solder them to the connects. Easy. Do not get the right angle plug, they don't fit the cams as well as the straight ones.
From: shane
08-Jan-23
Thanks!
From: rickepanton
20-Mar-24
Looking to upgrade your trailcam batteries to lithium AAs is a smart move, even if it's been a couple of years since you posted. From what I've gathered, Energizer is a reliable choice, but it's always good to explore other brands like EBL and Enitech for potential cost savings. For longer-lasting power, you might want to consider ER34615 batteries. These high-capacity lithium options, like the ones available on pkcellpower.com, could be a game-changer for your trailcam setup, even after a couple of years. So, before making a decision, it's worth revisiting these options to ensure you get the best performance for your outdoor adventures.
From: Plum lake
20-Mar-24
The last round of lithium batteries I bought didn’t last much longer than the alkaline ones. Now it’s nearly impossible to buy large packs of lithium AA’s in Canada. I just buy alkaline ones that go on sale now. Either Duracell or energizer. We go through probably 500-600 AA’s each year with all the cameras we run for the year.
