How Good Are Costco's Kirkland Brand Batteries, And Are They Worth Buying In Bulk?

Batteries are one of the most frustrating products. Despite being used in remote controls, smoke detectors, and many other devices, they are hidden away and out of sight until the dreaded day comes when you need to replace them. It is all the more frustrating that you always seem out of them when you need them most, even though you don't ever remember replacing a bunch of batteries in recent memory.

The primary way to combat that battery scarcity is by buying in bulk, and there's no better place to do that than at the king of wholesale stores, Costco. Their business model requires you to purchase a large amount of something for the reduction in price to seem worth it. For instance, if you want a 1.75 oz bag of Cool Ranch Doritos for $0.70, you're buying a box of 64 for $44.99. You may not be in the market for numerous bags of chips, but the business model stretches across all their products.

Those savings become even greater if you purchase the products from Costco's in-house brand, Kirkland Signature. That label stretches across the store from bottled water to slippers to turkey jerky. That also includes batteries. Just because something seems like a good deal doesn't necessarily mean someone should take that deal, as something may make a perceived good deal turn bad. Let's look at Kirkland Signature batteries and see if the bulk option is right for you to replenish your battery supply.

Just because something has the Kirkland Signature label doesn't mean that Costco manufactures it. Costco CEO Craig Jelinek revealed to Atlanta's WSB-TV in 2016 that Kirkland Signature batteries are made by one of the biggest names in the game, Duracell. Kirkland Signature only offers the two most common battery types, Alkaline AA and AAA, and both types come in packs of 48 batteries for $17.99 apiece.

The Kirkland and Duracell batteries are 1.5V batteries with a shelf life of 12 years. That's important because, with this many batteries, they could sit around for a while. As for performance, longevity fell just five minutes behind its name-brand counterpart. According to studies done by NBC and Consumer Reports, they're also neck and neck with Duracell in their rankings. The reports show their propensity to leak is the biggest complaint levied at them. They're also still a step behind the more premium offerings, like Duracell's Optimum batteries or Energizer's lithium batteries.

If you are a Costco member needing good batteries for a reasonable price, you could do much worse than the Kirkland Signature AA and AAA batteries. At $17.99 for 48 batteries, that's a deal well worth taking, especially compared to Costco's $17.99 for 40 Duracell batteries. Of course, if you aren't a Costco member, you won't be getting these same prices buying them at other retailers. They aren't top-of-the-line batteries, but that's why they aren't priced that way.