At a local retailer, a set of four Oxyride batteries costs $4.99. I figured the main challenger should be something that cost around the same price. It turned out that a set of 4 Energizer Max batteries cost $4.49 at the same retailer. I also thought it would be interesting to put it against an inexpensive set, and luck would have it that Panasonic's own Alkaline plus was on sale for $1.99. Why not find out how Panasonic's Oxyride stacks up against their own alkaline offering?

Our Contenders

The test was relatively simple. I started by checking the initial voltage of each set with a voltmeter, and recording the results. Then, I would load a set of batteries into the power hungry Kodak CX4200, and keep snapping photos. To keep the test fair, all images were taken with the flash, and at the same resolution. Throughout the photo snapping process, I made a note when the battery warning indicator came on. The test was over when the camera turned itself off.

The Test Results

	Panasonic Plus	Energizer Max	Panasonic Oxyride
Initial Voltage	1.61 Volts	1.63 Volts	1.73 Volts
Warning Light	78 pictures	72 pictures	371 pictures
Final Voltage	1.40 Volts	1.40 Volts	1.43 Volts
Total Pictures Taken	116 pictures	102 pictures	537 pictures
Cost Per 100 Pictures	$.86	$2.20	$.46

I'll admit, I initially thought Panasonic was exaggerating about how much better their Oxyride batteries really were, but five times the performance over Energizer Max says it all. I wasn't only wrong... I was way wrong. Five times seemed a bit high, so to be fair to Energizer, I repeated the test with a different batch. Sure enough, the results were similar (the best scores are reported). I can only assume that five times the performance is a bit out of the norm, but it sure makes their claim of two to three times totally believable.

It's the higher voltage that really makes Oxyride shine. Most alkaline batteries start with an initial voltage between 1.5 and 1.6 volts. As the battery is drained, the voltage drops. Since Oxyride starts at around 1.7 volts, it can maintain a higher voltage for a longer period of time. This was evident in the Kodak CX4200, which apparently would refuse to operate once the battery approached 1.4 volts.

Operating at a higher voltage could have its benefits for other things as well. "If you put Oxyride into a remote control toy car, the car will actually drive faster," says Brian Kimberlin, Director of the North American Battery Group for Panasonic. "If you put [Oxyride] into a high performance LED flashlight, the light is actually brighter. These are all benefits that Oxyride brings; not only longer lasting, but also more power."

While the slightly higher voltage is pretty safe for most electronic and motorized devices, it is not something you'd want to put into a regular bulb based flashlight, or anything similar. At 1.73 volts starting, Oxyride is pushing the outer limits of what I would consider safe for devices designed to use 1.5-volt batteries. Hopefully, additional performance can be found in Oxyride without having to further increase voltage.

Conclusion

It looks like slow and steady wins the race for every rabbit that isn't pink and pounding a big drum. Not only did Oxyride absolutely destroy Energizer's Max product, but to add insult to injury, Panasonic also edged out a win over Energizer with their significantly lower priced alkaline. Even if the results were flipped, I'd still call it a win since Panasonic's Alkaline Plus is significantly cheaper than Energizer Max.

One undeniable fact remains; Panasonic has hit a grand slam with Oxyride. It actually provides significant performance improvements over regular alkaline batteries, and doesn't cost you any more than the premium alkaline battery that is powering your digital still camera right now. Even if you don't believe it yourself, try them once. I guarantee you won't ever use anything else in your high-drain electronics again. It's a no-brainer.

Listen to our interview with Panasonic's Brian Kimberlin in the
TechLore PodCapsule #2 - 'Empowering' Your Portables

Oxyride and Extreme Power are registered trademarks of Panasonic.

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