Tech
I waste plenty of money on gadgets, but I won’t buy these
I probably spend way too much money on gadgets, but if there’s one thing that makes me not want it, it’s a battery compartment meant for disposable batteries. No matter how good the tool is, if it isn’t rechargeable, I’m not interested and you probably shouldn’t be either.
Disposable batteries should become a thing of the past
Back in the day, pretty much all wireless gadgets had to run on some kind of disposable battery, and most of them relied on basic AA and AAA alkaline batteries.
Honestly, these are fine for the most part, as they are cheap, easy to find in most stores, have a long shelf life, and can last a decent while.
However, disposable also means that you’ll eventually have to buy new ones, meaning those battery-powered gadgets will cost you a lot of money over the long term while also creating environmental waste. And if a battery dies in the middle of using a gadget, and you don’t have any spare batteries at hand, it means having to run to the store to get new ones.
In high-powered devices, such as kids’ toys, cameras, flashlights, and pretty much anything with an electric motor like a nose trimmer or milk frother wand, the batteries can’t last long before needing to be replaced.
The constant cost and inconvenience of having to replace them in these devices makes them incredibly annoying to deal with, to the point that I actively avoid using these gadgets that I already have.
The age of rechargeable gadgets is upon us
We live in 2025. I think it’s high time that we moved on from disposable batteries to rechargeable ones.
While USB-C hasn’t become the universal connector we all hoped it would, it has still become the norm for charging battery-powered gadgets. And with the prevalence of lithium-ion batteries, I think it’s time we all moved on from disposable alkaline batteries in gadgets to rechargeable ones.
I make sure that every gadget I buy now is rechargeable—my controller, gaming mice and keyboards, handheld tools, flashlights, toothbrush, and kitchen scale all use rechargeable batteries.
Admittedly, some of my gadgets still use an old-school micro-USB port. This means I have to dig out one of my older cables when it’s time to charge them, but that’s still far more convenient than having to replace the entire battery or running out of juice in the middle of using a device.
Interestingly, this has come with its own kind of waste problem in select devices. To be more specific, I’ve even seen semi-disposable vapes that come with USB-C charging, allowing users to get more puffs out of their e-cigarettes before disposing of them.
Of course, this isn’t great for the environment, and I wish these kinds of devices would either be banned or at least have better recycling measures for their batteries. To drive my point home, people online do all kinds of crazy things with these, like turning them into power banks and even ebikes!
A common counterargument against built-in rechargeable batteries is that they’re much harder to replace compared to disposable ones. I somewhat agree—you don’t get that neat battery compartment that can be opened by a six-year-old.
On the flip side, you can often go many years without having to replace a rechargeable battery, as most devices come equipped with batteries that hold a charge for a decent while. And when the day comes that you do need to replace it, you can do it fairly easily if you’re a tinkerer.
For instance, I’ve replaced the rechargeable battery in my Logitech G502 Lightspeed gaming mouse because the old battery couldn’t last more than a few days with RGB turned on. The whole process took about an hour, but replacing the battery was as simple as unplugging it and inserting a new 3-pin 3.7V Li-ion battery with the same capacity.
In the case of larger devices, 18650 lithium-ion batteries are the most popular among enthusiasts. Whether it’s a vape, flashlight, cordless drill, or laptop, an experienced electrician can replace these with just some light soldering (if it’s even required).
There’s an alternative worth considering
Although I try to avoid buying devices that use disposable batteries, I still have a few around the house that I don’t want to throw away—that would be even more wasteful.
Fortunately, there’s a solid alternative: rechargeable AA and AAA batteries. Rechargeable NiMH batteries are a bit pricier than disposable alkalines, but you only need to buy them once.
- Brand
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AmazonBasics
- Size
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AA
This Amazon Basics 8-pack of AA NiMH rechargeable batteries delivers reliable 1.2V, 2000mAh power and can be recharged up to 1,000 times. They come pre-charged, hold about 80% capacity after two years, and work well in everyday devices like remotes, flashlights, and game controllers.
Paired with a cheap battery charger, you can always have a few charged batteries ready for devices that require lots of power or that you don’t have time to charge frequently.
I use rechargeable batteries in my old Xbox One controller and am very happy with them.
They can last several hours before needing a recharge, and I can always pop in fresh ones if the battery runs out before I’m done gaming. For battery-powered tools that need to be ready at all times, this can be an even better solution than built-in rechargeable batteries.
I’m currently in the process of buying rechargeable batteries for the few devices in my home that don’t have them yet, such as my milk frother and my other kitchen scale.
There are still a few viable use cases for disposable batteries
While disposable batteries don’t have much of a place in most gadgets anymore, there are still a few scenarios where they work perfectly well. If a device uses tiny amounts of electricity or is only activated for a few seconds a day, disposable batteries can actually be the better choice because they hold their charge for years, whereas rechargeables lose energy slowly over time.
Good examples include TV remotes, wall clocks, bathroom scales, kitchen timers, and basic thermostats. Devices that use button cells, such as quartz wristwatches (some Casio units promise a 10-year battery life), AirTags and other trackers, digital calipers, calculators, and similar items, are also well-suited to disposable batteries.
There’s even a case to be made for non-gaming wireless computer mice, like the Logitech M240, as its battery can apparently last for up to 18 months.
While alkaline batteries aren’t completely obsolete, it’s always better to choose devices with built-in rechargeable batteries when possible.
If that isn’t an option, rechargeable AA or AAA batteries are a great alternative. Just remember that they need to be charged separately. They’re an excellent solution if you like having spare batteries on hand so your device is always ready to use.
