It was a typical trip to Costco for me–five bags of Tostitos Scoops, tissue boxes, the famous ‘Costco Rotisserie Chicken,’ and a few items that I never knew I needed…
If I’m short on time, I don’t usually explore the aisles with the car/outdoor/electronics because it’s rare that I ‘find’ anything I need in there. But, this time I turned the corner from the produce section, passing electronics on my way to the register, and found this:
Today’s ‘Cool Product:’ The Battery Daddy
(And a whole lot of them!)
It was on sale for $9.99–how could I resist? Organizing my home’s battery collection was not exactly my top priority but when I saw the Battery Daddy (and the great price) I had to bring it home with me.
I paid for the items in my cart, got myself a $1.50 hotdog lunch, and set out to find my car in the parking lot.
The sale price enticed me to buy it but what was really my reasoning?
This was my household battery storage system…
Yes–all the batteries are in one spot so I do get points for organization and grouping ‘like with like’ but it wasn’t always easy to find what I needed. The poor AAs and AAAs were always cowering under the weight of the Cs and Ds. And when we bought extra batteries in the event of a storm, the packaging stuck out of the top and we couldn’t use the lid of the container. I don’t need to have my batteries stored in rainbow order but I wanted to step it up a bit from the open bin on the shelf of our garage.
I showed the Battery Daddy to my husband when I got home (I did put the chicken away first…).
“Look, Honey!” I said to him. “Look what organizing product I found at Costco today!”
He knows that I usually come home with the Tostitos Scoops, tissues, and ‘the chicken’ but I think I surprised him with this one.
“Great!” he said.
“It was only $10 on sale!” I replied gleefully.
“Have fun filling it!” he yelled gleefully because he was thankful he didn’t have to be the one to fill it.
Speaking of filling it, this complete battery storage system holds 180 batteries. It weighs 2.2 lbs. empty and weighs 13 lbs. when it’s full. It has the capacity to hold:
• 72 AAAs
• 76 AAs
• 8 9 Volts
• 10 Cs
• 8 Ds
• 12 Button cells
There are even two ‘surprise’ slots for storing batteries in the handle!
AND–it’s comes with a BATTERY TESTER! That was what sealed the deal for me. My days of not knowing whether a battery still had a charge or not were about to be over. I have faint memories of my father owning a battery tester (probably from the now-defunct Radio Shack) and having me test batteries at our kitchen table. It was fun to do back then–I plan to pass the love of battery testing on to my kids all thanks to the Battery Daddy.
Features:
• Double sided design – the other side is just for AA battery storage
• See-through lid (on both sides)
• Bright red–easy to spot on a shelf
• Sturdy handle with finger grooves (useful when heavy!)
• Did I mention it came with a battery tester?
Here’s what our container of batteries looked like…
Here’s what they looked while I sorted, battery-tested, and purged some…
Here’s what they look like after transferring them from the plastic bin to the Battery Daddy…
Love it! 😍
Some Battery Daddy Tips:
• If you fill it to capacity, it weighs 13 lbs. Please make sure you store it on a sturdy lower shelf, cabinet, or standing upright on the floor. You don’t want this case to crack or break the bottom of a drawer (or your foot).
• Store a set of regular-sized and/or mini screwdrivers near the Battery Daddy. Where there’s a need for batteries, there’s often a need for a screwdriver!
• Along with some packages of AAAs, AAs, Cs and Ds, it’s the perfect gift for a new dad or mom–they just don’t know it yet (wink wink). If you have kids, you know that while kids don’t run on batteries (they run on chicken nuggets…), much of what they own does require batteries from baby swings to remote control cars to Xbox controllers. Makes a useful housewarming gift as well.
One might ask–Do I really need 180 batteries or an organizing tool that is able to hold 180 batteries? If you don’t, here are a few battery organizers that might work better for your needs…
• iDesign Recycled Plastic Divided Organizer Battery Insert
• AA or AAA Battery Storage Case from The Container Store
• AA or AAA Battery Ladder
Even though our household does not need storage for 180 batteries, I feel the Battery Daddy is totally worth the price. It’s going to make finding the batteries my family I need when we need them practically effortless.
No more sifting through cluttered junk drawers or plastic baggies searching for batteries! No more wondering whether your batteries still have ‘juice’ left in them. The Battery Daddy–it’s my latest ‘Cool Product’ pick.
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Stacey is a Professional Organizer, Virtual Organizer, and Author in Bergen County, New Jersey specializing in home organizing, time, and paper management. She is the author of The Organized Bride’s Thank You Note Handbook: Let Systems and 101 Modern Sample Thank You Notes Take You From Overwhelmed to Organized.
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The name of the product alone is worth the price of admission. 🙂 So funny- “Battery Daddy.” I love how much you enjoyed discovering a new organizing product. And by your description, enthusiasm, and process for organizing your batteries, you had a lot of fun with it, too. Your batteries look extremely well organized and ‘happy’ in their homes.
This week, I went into our plastic shoe box size ‘battery’ bin to get a AAA battery for my toothbrush. It was easy to find, but now you got me thinking. With the Battery Daddy, it might have been even more accessible. Who knows? There could be one in my future.
I did have fun organizing my batteries! And, it’s not the only place I store batteries. Our rechargeable ‘AA’ batteries have their own little ‘home’ in a kitchen drawer along with their charger. Those are for Xbox usage only and my kids are ‘in charge’ of making sure they’re charged! Want to play video games? You have to take responsibility for the rechargeable batteries!
This is a great product — I have a few clients who have them — but the $10 price, especially with the tester, makes it magnificent! It makes me wish I had a Costco membership!
This is especially perfect for large families; I’ve got a four-adult household of clients, and they’ve all got different gadgets that require batteries. And I’m sure a family with kids really uses those D batteries.
I want one, but down deep I know I’d have no use for it. I have one TV remote and a label-maker, both of which take AAs, and my glucometer takes a 2032 (wide button style) that lasts about a year. Everything else in my life seems to charge over USB!
Oh, and a tip from my client experiences? Double-check that you’ve snapped that Battery Daddy closed before you put it away. If it’s not tightly shut, especially if it’s fully, you’ll have a wild battery mess on your hands!
Thanks for that tip about making sure the latches are shut tight–batteries all over my floor would not be a good thing! A wild mess, indeed!
You’re right–it is especially perfect for larger families with multi-battery needs. My kids use rechargeable batteries for their video game playing but if they didn’t, the back of my Battery Daddy would be filled with AAs!
This is fabulous, Stacey! Your description of the Battery Daddy sounds like it would be a great addition to everyone’s battery collection – particularly that of a busy family.
Yes–a busy family could definitely benefit from owning a Battery Daddy. Looking back on my time as a new parent, I would consider giving this as a gift to a new set of parents. Who needs another outfit or blankie? If the swing stops swinging and the bubble blower stops blowing because the batteries died, it’s crucial to be prepared!
I have a “battery organizer,” but it’s just a plastic box with sections for the different-sized batteries. But there are no individual slots for each battery, so they fall over if it’s not full. I’m digging this Battery Daddy since it has so many built-in options, and you can clearly see what sizes you have. And that battery tester is a nice bonus! The design of it also allows you to store it horizontally or vertically.
Nice find!
I like the built-in options on the Battery Daddy but I do wish there was a larger section for ‘extra’ batteries that aren’t just AAs. Our flashlights take D size batteries and there are only eight slots for those (and we have a lot of flashlights so we buy a lot of Ds). There’s so much to love about the Battery Daddy. And, oh yes that battery tester. Be still my heart…
Thanks for the review of this product. I have a client that uses this product and is very proud of it. You can’t beat the price. I have a much smaller one that works well for me because I don’t need 180 batteries. I do like the battery tester.
I did think twice about purchasing it. We don’t need storage for 180 batteries–especially that many AAs but at that price point plus a battery tester being included, I felt it was worth the price.
Huge fan of battery organizers. This is so affordable, and it really does provide a simple solution for organizing what can be a mess. I sort of feel they should come “standard issue” with every house. I also think they make great gifts.
Father’s Day is coming… just sayin’.
A battery organizer coming standard in every home and giving the Battery Daddy as a Father’s Day gift–both are great ideas!
I, like you, have a container filled with all the different size batteries. This product looks like it will definitely serve it’s purpose. And I won’t be the person that’s going to Costco to get bananas and rotisserie chicken, and then $300 later end up with things I’m not sure I needed. But Costco has amazing products and great prices. Thanks for sharing.