So what is there to say about AA batteries - one's much the same as another isn't it? Well no is the simple answer. Most AA's are alkaline based which are fine for the vast majority of products such as clocks and remote controls (essentially low energy items) but there are other products that rely on AA's and have a much greater power consumption. I am of course talking about items like cameras and flash guns.

Working in a camera shop, almost every day I see people who come in saying their camera must be broken as they've only just put new batteries in and it's only taken a couple of photos before saying batteries flat. Hmm let me guess you're using Kodak or Duracell AA's? 'Yes how did you know?' is the usual reply and what's my answer 'Because there's nothing wrong with your camera, you're using low power alkaline batteries that can't cope with the equipment you're using. Try a pack of these *hands over Energizer Lithiums*

Personally all my camera's run on rechargeable lithium batteries so I'm used to long lasting use, as I'm also a professional photographer I do use a flashgun on numerous occasions such as weddings. All flash guns rely on AA batteries to power them as standard and in the past when I've use your generic alkaline batteries I've found myself needing an almost constant supply - literally every 5 minutes I needed to put in a new set as the recycle time would get so long I'd be missing shots waiting for the batteries to charge the flash. Discovering these Energizer lithiums revolutionized my work flow - they are quite possibly one of the best things I've ever bought an I can't recommend them highly enough.

Packaging wise these come in a standard cardboard and vacuum formed packing which is blue, black and silver in colour and claims to be made from 95% recycled material. I've seen these available in sets of 2 and 4. They also have an excellent use by date on them - my current packaging says 2026 so in theory I could leave them in the pack until I'm 38 and they'd be just fine (now that's a scary thought). They claim to be the worlds longest lasting and suitable for intensive use - a claim I'd certainly agree with.

I first stared using these batteries at the beginning of 2011 - come the end of 2012 and I am on just my 3rd pack of 4 (my flash gun takes 4 at a time). While I do always carry a spare set around with me as back up, these batteries give me the confidence that my flash will be ready to fire when I need it, the recycle time is constantly fast and I don't miss any crucial shots.

I suppose there is a slight downside - it does cost up to £10 for 4 of these which seems like a huge amount for some AA's considering you can buy a pack of 12 from the pound shop - but as I said earlier, not all AA batteries were created equal and for the length of time these last they actually work out better value for money, not only that but you don't waste time faffing about changing batteries constantly.

That said I probably wouldn't recommend these for use in low power devices like the aforementioned remote control and clocks - this would be overkill really. If on the other hand you have a high power device like a camera or a flashgun, you need these batteries and once you try them you'll wonder how you coped/didn't go insane using anything else.