UltraFire

The Chinese battery brand, UltraFire, has become so closely associated with poor quality and dangerous counterfeit products that it’s impossible to ever recommend using it. UltraFire has given inaccurate specs, but the worst problem the brand and other fake products created is the false advertisement that the battery cells are protected.

14500 Li-ion

While they appear similar in size, 14500 Li-ions and AAs aren’t the same or interchangeable, meaning consumers will break some things if they use a 14500 where an AA belongs. The 14500 batteries come in dozens of terrible or counterfeit brands that often don’t match the advertised Ah capacity ratings.

Great Value

Though there’s not a lot of test data on Great Value batteries, what has been shown indicates the Walmart brand’s AAs have sub-par performance at lower current draws and average performance for higher drain levels. Great Value alkaline AAs have discharge curves that suggest a pretty standard alkaline performance — if a little low on capacity.

Fuji/Fujitsu

Fuji and Fujitsu are manufactured by the same company and fall next to each other in the ranking. Both failed to stand out during tests, with Fuji’s EnviroMax AA ranking highest on CinemaSound’s cost-per-hour test. The Fujitsu Universal Power AA performed well at a 3-amp drain but demonstrated a meager capacity at lower drains.

Kodak/Deleepow

Kodak has many confusing product names, like Max and Super Heavy Duty; however, the Extra Heavy Duty falls short on CinemaSound ranking with its high cost and mediocre duration scores. The Deleepow brand is one most haven’t encountered, but for a good reason. Based on the Wirecutter and Amazon reviews, it’s best to avoid its batteries.