Ideal for power-hungry, but also rarely use devices and for extreme conditions

I try as much as possible, all of my battery-powered devices to AA and AAA cells to "standardize" because my drawer full of proprietary spare batteries and various battery chargers increasingly prepared displeasure. Excluded from this are actually only laptop and cell phone.

To use NiMH batteries come with low self-discharge, alkaline batteries and increasingly these lithium batteries. For me, this in spite of the batteries very much used compared to alkaline batteries higher price five main applications:

1) powered devices
With my digital camera is usually had when I wanted to use just the batteries so far even unloaded, that after a few images was closing. With the lithium batteries is given to this scandal to an end.

2) Rarely used devices
Rarely used, but not quite cheap cell phones like my Fluke voltage tester, cable locating device and a network cable tester in the tool bag get these batteries, since I want to take any chances of damaging my equipment through sometime expiring alkaline batteries. Because these devices are used only occasionally and have a rather low power consumption, I assume that it was each to the last battery change in this tool life at the onset of lithium batteries.

3) extreme conditions
Cold or hot ambient conditions, such as in the outdoor sensors my weather station or in the summer and winter, lying in the car flashlight, are with these batteries no more drama.

4) emergency replacement for battery-powered devices
When I photograph, for example sometimes more, is located next to the stocked with freshly charged batteries digital camera kit lithium batteries as a reserve in the camera bag.

5) remaining life etc. in remote controls
Lithium batteries, which show in power-hungry devices decreasing performance, do in remote, radio controlled watches and similar small appliances for a certain time good services, without having to worry about leaking batteries. The Batterietod done unlike alkaline batteries not insidiously, but rather abruptly and therefore easily identifiable -at least for devices with extinguishing Displays-.

In addition to high capacity, long life, the very flat voltage curve at discharge and the leakage protection I find very advantageous:

+ The batteries are significantly lighter than alkaline batteries or NiMH batteries.

+ There is a very detailed data sheet from the manufacturer. Almost all manufacturers of alkaline batteries, however, treat even the capacity of their batteries as a state secret. Just why?

The disadvantage, unfortunately, due to the concept:

- Due to the flat voltage discharge curve in many devices that can not be set to lithium cells (and these are the most), a little meaningful battery status display: for a long time completely full, then suddenly almost empty.

- Wait against devices that are rarely used and can not be switched off electrically, but in a standby state, always make sure that the user press any key, unfortunately there is no cure. Annoying when a such a device the expensive lithium batteries leernuckelt pointless. For such devices you should remove the batteries when not in use. With me are my old Garmin GPS III and V, as well as the digital camera and a radio such candidates.

Taking into account their peculiarities and to use them accordingly, there are actually a nearly ideal battery. This then puts the price. In some cases (low power consumption over a long period) the use of a lithium battery is long even cheaper than the use of alkaline batteries - although of course you have to push a higher amount than the virtual counter of the dealer at the beginning.