The 9 Best Rechargeable C Batteries

A low price per cell is the draw of the Amazon Basics 4-Pack, standard rechargeable C cells rated at 5,000 milliamp-hours. They arrive partly charged, so they can go straight into a radio or lantern, and they're sold as holding most of their charge after long shelf storage. They're rated for up to 1,000 recharges. There's no charger in the box, and the capacity is the maker's own rating.

For gear that waits in a drawer, the EBL Ready2Use cells are a sound pick, with a long sales record. They're sold as keeping most of their charge after years unused, and any NiMH charger with C-size bays will do. They cost a bit more per cell, and the cycle claim is muddled: the listing promises up to 1,200 recharges, while EBL's own store page promises 500 deep cycles.

Staying power matters more than capacity with the Tenergy Centura cells, which suit an emergency radio, a camping lantern or a storm flashlight that sits for months between uses. Tenergy says they keep most of their charge after a year and last up to 2,100 cycles. They come pre-charged with a safety certification and a one-year warranty. The modest 4,000-milliamp-hour rating means shorter runs in a busy toy or boombox.

Anyone who wants cells and a charger together gets both in the POWEROWL Charger Kit, four C cells plus a charger that also takes AA, AAA and D sizes. Each bay has its own light, so you can top up one cell or several, and it stops when a cell is full. The catch is power: the charger runs from a USB port, no wall adapter is included, and the brand is little known.

Devices that drain batteries fast, such as boomboxes, big toys and bright lanterns, are the match for the Tenergy Premium, a high-capacity C cell rated at 5,000 milliamp-hours. Tenergy rates it for up to 1,200 recharges and a wide range of temperatures, and it carries a safety certification and a one-year warranty. Its data sheet gives no long-term storage figure, so it suits gear in regular use better than an emergency kit. The cells aren't cheap.

Skip the charger with the Artman USB-C Lithium cells, which each hide a small lithium cell and a regulator inside a C-size shell. They put out a steady 1.5 volts like a fresh alkaline and charge from a USB-C port on the cell in about two hours, using the split cable in the box. Be skeptical of Artman's energy rating, which is higher than a cell this size is known to hold, and very power-hungry gear can shut off.

Shoppers who want charge-anywhere cells from an established battery brand can pick the EBL Lithium USB-C pair. Each cell gives a steady 1.5 volts and charges through a USB-C jack in its end, with a blue light that blinks until it's full. Built-in protection guards against overcharging and short circuits, and there's a one-year warranty. The box holds only two cells, they're new with little feedback, and the capacity claim hasn't been checked independently.

From one of the best-known names in batteries, the Energizer Recharge C2 is a low-cost way to try rechargeable C cells. The pair arrives pre-charged and takes hundreds of recharges, and Energizer says it's partly made from recycled batteries. Each cell is rated at 2,500 milliamp-hours, a modest amount that suits a clock, a small radio or a toy used now and then. A power-hungry boombox or lantern will need frequent recharging, and no exact cycle count is given.

Despite the C-size shape, the Panasonic Eneloop Spacers aren't batteries at all, just hollow shells that each hold one AA cell, so a drawer full of AA rechargeables can run C-size gear too. That's handy for a backup or for gear that sips power. The four-pack includes no AA cells, though Panasonic sells a kit with spacers and AAs. The tradeoff is capacity, since you only get AA runtime, and some flashlights' contacts don't reach the AA inside.