Ok so I was approved today for my Ping and it is due to be delivered on Monday 1/4/10…yeah.
I did ask my questions to the rep about things I neede to be ready for my training. However, I forgot to ask an important question. What size bateries does the ping and meter take? I know the Ping can use lithium or alkaline. But can I use rechargeable batteries as I am a huge fan of rechargeables? And does the meter still use the big watch type batteries?
Okay after butning through batteries I finally asked the same questions. Lithium Batteries are the recommended for maximum battery life, non re-cargable one only. The Animas help desk said that rechargable ones do not work. They do not have enough power to run the pump as they discharge. Also the Lithium come in 2 flavors. Advanced and Ultimate (Energizer brand). You want to use the Ultimate as they give the maximum life. If you use the Advance you will be replacing them about every 2 weeks. I made that mistake already and went through about 4 batteries before I changed. The one I got with the pump lasted about 3 weeks and when I changed to a new Ultimate I’m on 5 weeks now and still pumping.
The meter takes AAA batteries and I’ve used rechageable ones there. Not as worried there about batteries dying.
Thank you Don. I like to be prepared and batteries seem to me like a must have on hand item. I just wanted to go ahead and order some batteries to have available when my pump arrives. I do tend to be over prepared…lol. And thank you for the advise on the Ultimate flavor. I will skip the learning curve there and take your suggestion.
Oh hey,Have you found any god deals on line or do you just get them at the store?
COSTCO is my friend… That is where I found the best deal and I keep a spare in my meter all the time.
I wish Costco would carry the lithium batteries, I have 3 ping pumpers in my house, we used to use cozmo pumps, which used regular batteries. Regular batteries die much to quickly in the ping, but the $10 a month battery bill makes me a bit crazy, especially when I forget we need to buy them, and can’t find them for a decent price. Office Depot sells 8 packs for $19.99, best price, and largest qty of the lithium batteries I’ve found so far!
I spent 2 hours looking for a good deal. Costco didn’t even have them. But I found the 2 pack for $4.98 at Walmart. About the same price you’re getting at Office Depot.
Wow Jacky. You have 3 Ping pumpers. Please share your story with me.
Oh and how many batteries does it use at a time and approximately how long does your battery last?
Jacky,
I bought a 12-pack of the Energizer Lithium Ultimate AA batteries at Costco in South San Francisco, California last week. I didn’t hang on to the receipt but I’m sure the price was competitive.
Terry
Excellent info for a soon to be new Pinger.
Thanks for asking and thanks for the replies.
Good info, and timely too because I need to pick some up. One point though - mine uses AA batteries, not AAA. I don’t think there a difference between US model and Canadian.
My Ping takes 1 AA but my meter remote takes 2 AAA. Use The Enegizer Ultimate Lithium in the pump but use regular Alkaline in your meter. The meter can’t tell when the lithium is going dead so you have no warning that the batteries are low.
just to add to the thread below a little… on my son’s pump when we ran out of Lithiums we used Alkalines for a while… I couldn’t believe the difference. A “good” Energizer Alkaline would last maybe 1 to 1.5 weeks in his pump. Lithiums last us WEEKS… upwards of 4 or more! It’s worth every penny… going Lithium only in his pump from now on.
We buy them at Sam’s Club here in Colorado for a reasonably competitive price - not sure if there’s a major cost advantage to it but it’s nice to have a big pack around.
Agreed… I think I got maybe 6 days out of the alkaline I used in my pump… but in a pinch you do what you have to. With the lithiums I’ve been getting 6-7 weeks, easy. My current battery was changed before THANKSGIVING and it’s still going strong… it even shows full bars.
I use regular alkaline AAA’s in my meter and they seem to last longer than my pump’s battery. I’ve had my ping since September and I’ve only changed meter batteries twice.