There are now several low-discharge D-size cells available. These cells are as powerful as alkaline batteries, holding 85% of their charge for a year.
The highest-capacity D-size rechargeable cells are rated from 10000 to 12000 mAh (milliamp hours).
Here are our recommendations:
The Highest Capacity D-Size Batteries: Powerex
The Powerex D-Sized Batteries are rated at 10,000 mAh. They cost about $27 for a pack of two on Amazon. They are a good choice if you need the maximum capacity from a D-size cell.
A similar cell is the Powerex Imedion which offers a capacity of 9500 mAh. They are less expensive that the Powerex-branded batteries — currently priced at $18 for a two pack.
The Most Affordable D-Size Batteries: Tenergy
Tenergy makes D-sized rechargeables rated at 10,000 mAh (milliamp hours). They are priced at about $25 for a pack of four cells.
The Worst D-Size Rechargeable Batteries
I don’t recommend getting Energizer D-Size rechargeables because they are AA cells repackaged in a D-sized shell!
The Best D-Size Battery Chargers
See our post The Best Chargers For C And D Sized Batteries.
I think this is really informative! Thank you for this!
I got mine from Amazon! I love it so far!
Do you test the batteries you write about with discharging/charging machines, or you you base your report on the information published about the batteries? I have not noticed any comments in your articles reflecting results of testing. One of the big problems with batteries is they have a habit of not living up to how they are described by their makers.
How is it possible that people here are commenting before the article is published?
This is a 2021 article and people as far back as 2015 are commenting.
The article gets updated each year.
I’m sure they would be about 12000MAH.thanks so much for sharing it.
I heard about these batteries before. now I’m sold. I need these for some of my tools.
I would like to know what The D cell specs are in the replacement Prius battery everyone is buying from China. Basically its 168 D cells NIMH but heard reports of 3ah ratings. Obviously you want to replace your Prius pack every 5-10 years not every 1-2 so the 3ah lower quality D cells should be avoided. I’m looking for some premium D cells 168, in fact, to shrink wrap and solder together for a Prius gen 2. Its already been done many times with the 3Ah D Chinese made cells. People have already driven 2 years and 30,000 miles on them. But I think it will fail year 3. looking at better D cell options and 10-12Ah looks ideal for Prius pack building in NIMH. 2004-2015 (Prius cant be converted to lithium economically due to ECU system reprogramming etc)
i have seen similar to this rechargeable battery but brand is different.
These are some top quality batteries, I’ve used them before!
Great run down. I use Tenergy and Powerex almost exclusively for personal and professional uses. Never had a problem.
Great article.
Enjoyed every bit of your blog.Thanks Again. Fantastic.
My testing shows surprisingly strong results from all the Tenergy Premium NiMH. As you wrote, their downside is they are not low self discharge, but what they are is high capacity and they maintain as high a voltage as Eneloop Pro batteries with 98% of the run time. Priced at only about 30% of the eneloops, that is impressive.
In high drain devices, where you can having the batteries in their charger until you are ready to use them, the Tenergy batteries appear overlooked in the media. I have no affiliation with Tenergy.
Are they available on Amazon? please advice
This battery is great, not only beautiful but it also save so much battery.
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NiMH chemistry is 1.2 V. Same for NiCd as far as I know. The only 1.5V cell chemistry that I know of is alkaline. There are rechargeable alkalines although I don’t know if they still make them.
fyi – alkalines START at 1.5 volts… within minutes or use, it drops off rather quickly from 1.5 to 1.2 where it stays until dead….
The picture of the Tenergy batteries shows that they are NiCd. Cadmium is a heavy metal and should not be used as it leaks into the environment when the batteries are disposed of.
I don’t think Low Self Discharge (LSD) is available for NiCd chemistry, only for NiMH. Did the author confirm that it was?
there are only a FEW cities that offer recycling of rechargable batteries… when they start to care, I will start to care….
Just a couple of comments . . . NimH is a variation on NiCad formulation. Second, I believe it is law in most states, that large suppliers of heavy-metal batteries are required to accept returns for proper disposal. ie; Target, Walmart, etc. Look up your state statutes, as I have had to quote them to some “unknowing” store managers. Good luck.
That picture is actually incorrect –I will update it to reflect the NiMH batteries.
I can’t believe Eneloop doesn’t have their D size batteries in North America still. I guess there just isn’t enough of a market for them here?
The picture of the Tenergy batteries shows that they are NiCd. Cadmium is a heavy metal and should not be used as it kleaks into the environment when the batteries are disposed of. Also I don’t think Low Self Discharge (LSD) is available for NiCd chemistry, only for NiMH. Did the author confirm that it was?
Thanks for sharing valuable information. I also easily use Klipsch KMC 3 that uses EIGHT “D” cells .
Hey, thanks for your recommondation, just bougt them on Amazon. Anyways, hope it will pay offD:D
Pretty expensive, you can find a better deal on those elsewhere.
interesting. I like your suggestions. thank you for sharing.
>Pretty expensive, you can find a better deal on those elsewhere.
I found regular Amazon basics battery work just fine!
What about 2018 ?
I also have the Klipsch KMC 3 that uses EIGHT “D” cells
Excellent article. I have the Klipsch KMC 3 that uses EIGHT “D” cells too.
so what if i actually need the 1.5 volt output instead of the 1.2 on a rechargeable D cell what are my options then?! what i’m seeing is 1.2 consistently.
NiMH chemistry is 1.2 V. Same for NiCd as far as I know. The only 1.5V cell chemistry that I know of is alkaline. There are rechargeable alkalines although I don’t know if they still make them.
Do you test the batteries you write about with discharging/charging machines, or you you base your report on the information published about the batteries? I have not noticed any comments in your articles reflecting results of testing. One of the big problems with batteries is they have a habit of not living up to how they are described by their makers.
Nobody has mentioned Radio Shack’s house brands. They Have 2, “Enercell” solid green with black print and “Radioshack” green with White band and print. Both weigh about the same, and say 5000mah. I bought some on close-out. Both varieties were nearly dead when taken out of the pack. There was no date on any of them, so unless they were on the shelf a few years I would guess that they are NOT low discharge chemistry. They all say Made In China, so I’d guess that they are not rebranded high quality Japanese batteries. I bought a bunch of C and D cells at 25cents per two pack.
I sure do wish that we had the Eneloop Pro on D size format here. I’m sure they would be about 12000MAH. The site I contacted decided to not have me ship the bad product back. I guess it would not have been worth the shipping. Nicads are NOW illegal in Europe, so be careful of ordering anything that looks low priced.
They were D cells, so Mike, I feel your pain. I just got burned, too.
I have been using the Blue Tenergy D batteries and they last a long time so paying a lot on Amazon is just a rip off and they do nothing for the warranty of anything you buy there. Amazon is just a middleman outfit and it does a poor job of it. I have seen products selling as high as 2 times what they could be bought elsewhere. I have also tested the Tenergy White Premium D cells and they work just as well. I have been working with batteries for about 45 years. Why would anyone knowingly buy a NiCd battery these days? It would be silly.
I am posting an update here, Mike. I just received the no name brand from Light In The Box, ever heard of them? Well, the batteries for all sizes aren’t much better than the ones on Fleabay, Ahem, E-bay. I fully charged them, and though they said they were 10000MAH, they were almost 2 full ounces lighter than the Tenergy Premiums, and I felt them heavier near the bottom, causing me to suspect maybe just a sub C cell, possibly NiCad in there. When I saw that it was a Chinese website, and found the BTY batteries after ordering, I knew that ordering there couldn’t be good. I played 5/8 of a CD on the boombox, and the battery light was just as dim as if I had played the CDs for about 8 hours on the better rechargeable batteries. Also, there was a sticker on the package saying it didn’t meet European Union standards or something similar, so I am suspecting they were mislabeled NIMH, and were actually Nicads, as they didn’t even get warm in the charger. NIMH would heat up slightly on even the Maha C808M charger. I measured the voltage, and it was slightly less than halfway on the battery tester between the back of the letter G on the word good on the biggest meter on the tester, and the black bordering the weak ? yellow section. Now they are supposed to issue me a RMA. I decided to ship them back, but whether they will pay for the shipping remains to be seen.
Delete the Edit for misspelling duplicate entry. Sorry Mike. It is getting late. I was having trouble with the confirmation message.
Edit for mispelling: a true 10000MAH D cell should weigh about 6 ounces. Sorry about the misspelled words. I am waiting for the package in the mail. When it arrives, it should weigh approximately 36 ounces. Now I know why the shipping was so high at Battery Junction. I believe that they charge by weight. Sorry that you got burned, Mike. I hope you got to return them and get at least SOME of your money back. Unfortunately, paying more does not always guarantee quality. While Powerex has a true 11000MAH capacity, their large variance in capacity also makes them unsuitable for a multi cell application, even with a low voltage shutdown system. I am using Eneloop Pro AAAs, which work well. I wish they had C and D sizes, but with everything seemingly getting smaller and moving to proprietary batteries, there is virtually no market for C and D sizes anymore. I have a good charger, but its fussiness with AAAs on shutting off in a timely manner has me pretty much locked into a single brand. (Eneloop Pro)
Thanks Mike. I unknowingly bought from a chinese website called Light In The Box. I got 6 10000MAH D cells to replace my failing D Tenergy Premiums. I might have to pay duty on the shipment. Will be comparing the weight of these cells. If they feel light, I plan on returning them. I don’t know if it will be worthwhile to ship them back, but I won’t be out the full $ though. A true 10000MAH D cell should with about 6 ounces. The website after ordering said wight in kilogram 0.11KG,= about 100 grams which amounts to a regular high capacity Nicad. Too bad I didn’t have the $ then to try Powerizer size D. I might have gotten at least 150 cycles at the full capacity.
I fell for the ebay green C & D cells. After finding them near useless, I cut one each open: THE D CELL HAD LESS MATERIAL THAN A STD AA BATTERY! DITTO THE C WAS LIKE AN AAA!
No wonder the 10ah D cell only was good for about 1000mah!
Yes, weight told it all: the green D weighed same as a tenergy AA
How are the no name11000mah D batteries from e-bay?(yellow,red sleeve, claim that they are made in Japan) Any thoughts? I was tempted to try them, but I have read of various fraudulent batteries, like the BTY AA,AAA’s that were complete junk and less capacity than a Ni-cad, and a Ultracell D battery that was really 4000MAH instead of the claimed 11000MAH. Also, the EBL sounds vaguely familiar to the Walmart and online brand I got once where the cell consistency was so bad, they were worthless for using in a multi cell application.
Some infos are missing here for a truly complete test :
the weight (in gr) of each brand battery ! Yes it does matter for comparing with some other brands that claims the same mAh but are lighter, ie: fraudulent (I know by experience).
Next, you left out two other brands for the comparison :
– EBL® 10,000mAh (Amazon) @ $45/8
– D Ni-MH 11,000mAh (eBay) (no name) @ $46/10
Great article.
I can’t believe Eneloop doesn’t have their D size batteries in north America still. I guess there just isn’t enough of a market for them here?
I have a Klipsch KMC 3 that uses EIGHT “D” cells. I have tried using the Panasonic Eneloop AA in the Eneloop D shells. Worked great the first day. Second day with replacement Eneloop having issues. Total pain with the lightweight shelled batteries popping out from the springs before I can get the back on because they are so light. Wish Panasonic would make D cells as well. Must be some serious issues or high expenses with making them that people will not pay.