C-sized Adapter Shells for AA Battery

by Lenmar

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 1.8 x 5 x 4.2 inches ; 2.1 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B000855034
• Item model number: PRO-AA2C
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: August 18, 2005

Product Description

FEATURES THE POWER OF C SIZE CELLSUSING AA CELLS & CHARGER FEATURES SNAP-IN DESIGN FOR EASY INSERTION &REMOVAL OF RECHARGEABLE AA BATTERIES USES ANY STANDARD AA SIZE RECHARGEABLENIMH BATTERY CAN BE USED IN A PORTABLE TV RADIO OR ANY DEVICEUSING C BATTERIES 1-YEAR WARRANTY

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

70 of 71 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars the science behind the fit problem, March 4, 2008

By 

William L. Devanney (Menlo Park, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: C-sized Adapter Shells for AA Battery (Electronics)

I also ran into fit problems using these adapters. My AA rechargeables fit nicely into these shells, but the shells were too fat to fit into my camping lantern which uses 4 C cells. Saddened, all I could do was get out my trusty micrometer and begin to take data...

The Lenmar shells (at least the ones I bought) measured 1.02" in diameter. A Energizer battery measured a slim 0.985" and a Duracell measured 0.99". An Eneloop C adapter measured 0.98" in diameter. So the Lenmar adapters are definitely fat compared to the competition.

But here's where Paul Harvey would say "now for the rest of the story...". When I checked the ANSI standard for C batteries, I found the spec allows diameters between 0.98" and 1.03". So the Lenmar shells are within spec. The guilty item is, in fact, my camping light. (This is the type of insight you get when hard science types take to writing these reviews).

What to do? If your batteries will be packed shoulder-to-shoulder in a battery compartment with a tight squeeze, you're probably going to have to pony up for some (pricey) Eneloop upsizers. Otherwise I think you'll be happy with these Lenmar adapters. Maybe you can buy some of each and that way you can power any device while saving the environment and some $$$ at the same time.

54 of 59 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Inexpensive way to use rechargeable AA cells for C-cell applications, September 9, 2007

By 

NLee the Engineer (Nashua, NH) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 10 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: C-sized Adapter Shells for AA Battery (Electronics)

If you have some power-hungry applications that require C-cells, you can usually save money in the long run by using rechargeable NiMH cells instead of alkaline cells. One approach is to buy a set of AA to C-sized adapter shells, and use rechargeable AA NiMh cells in those. This is the cheapest method because AA NiMH cells typically cost less than ten dollars for a package of four, and you can use low-cost AA charger for them (instead of buying another charger that accepts C-cells).

However, don't expect to get the same operation time as before when you were using alkaline cells. This is because the capacity of a typical NiMH AA cell is only about 2500mAh. In comparison, a typical alkaline C-cell is rated at 8500mAh for low current applications. At higher current, the actual capacity may drop to half. But this is still twice as much as that of a NiMH AA cell. In other words, you can only expect half the operation time after switching to NiMH AA cells.

There are rechargeable NiMH C-cells available with capacity up to 6000mAh. Those cells can out-last alkaline C-cells in large current applications. However, those cells are expensive (around $20 for two) and you need special charger that are designed to charge high capacity C-cells. (Most low-cost chargers, even those that can accept C-cells, cannot fully recharge cells with capacity greater than 3000mAh)

Finally, be carefull not to fall victim to fake C-cells offered by Energizer and Rayovac. Those are just 2500mAh AA cells enclosed in larger C-sized cases. Prices of those fake C-cells are often ridiculously high, even though you still get shorter operation time from those. Plus you need to buy a charger that can accept C-cells.

All things considered, using AA cells in C-sized adapters is still a good approach. Just make sure that you lower your expectation, and DON'T PAY TOO MUCH for those cheap plastic shells.

28 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Too big, October 14, 2006

By 

N. Lee "bony" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: C-sized Adapter Shells for AA Battery (Electronics)

The shells are larger in diameter than regular "C" batteries. These shells do not fit into several of my devices.