Six of one, half a dozen of the other, in most cases. You'll notice with rechargeables that they start to lose their charge more quickly as you use them (see above regarding "memory effect" ). But, they're more eco-friendly than alkaline: think about how many times you have to recharge your batteries on your favorite gaming remotes, for example, and you'll see how many batteries would wind up in the garbage if they're not rechargeable! It's a matter of preferences and priorities, for most people.