

How does that work? There are "spacers" available for AA batteries: Simply put the AA in the spacer - which come in sizes for C- and D-cell batteries - and insert them into whatever electronics the C- or D-cells were powering. The answer to the flashlight riddle, then, is this: The larger batteries that once ran the flashlight have been replaced with smaller AA batteries. Lost an old Master Lock combination? There's a process to retrieve it.A flashlight for the masses? Small LED proved indispensable during hurricane.Rechargeable batteries perform as well as alkalines, without the corrosion.Top battery chargers for the simple person or the tinkerer.


These batteries are so expensive that one website selling them offers: "Pay in four interest-free installments for orders over $50.00." (Other brands are available for about $15 for two - but they'll need a D-cell charger, which adds to the cost.) And they are expensive: a two-pack of D batteries that recharge using a built-in USB port is $30 online. Finding C- and D-cell rechargeables is far more difficult. And there are good ones that match the performance of national brands, but without the price tag. Rechargeable AA and AAA batteries are common. When I started the change-over from using alkaline batteries - which are sometimes prone to leak and thereby corrode the electronics they power - for rechargeable ones (which are far more economical and rarely leak), I didn't know the answer to that riddle either. Riddle me this: I have a flashlight that uses D-cell batteries.
