Alkaline batteries suck.

Huss · Jun 28, 2021

We all know - right? - to avoid those alkaline 1.5v button cells that fit in so many of our cameras. Get the silver oxide versions. Stable voltage throughout their life span, longer life, and do not do weird things like swell/leak/explode..

Exhibit A:

Less than a year ago I needed LR44s on the road. The one time I didn't pack spares.. The local hardware store did not have silver oxide, only alkaline. But they are Duracells, so they'll be ok, right? Cuz Duracell! Not some knock off brand.

Anyway:

They had been used for a few rolls, then taken out of the camera and stored in a drawer, room temp. Not hot. This is what they look like maybe 9 months later. I'd hate to think these could still be in a camera.

BobD · Jun 28, 2021

I agree about alkaline batteries in general. I've seen countless cameras, flash units and other electronics damaged by their leakage. I finally stopped using the alkaline AA, AAA , etc and other size batteries.

Nicholas Lindan · Jun 28, 2021

I have encountered counterfeit batteries on ebay. They didn't swell, but they only lasted a few weeks of shooting instead of a few years. Now I only buy batteries through DigiKey or Mouser. Electronic distributors like these, and Arrow, Farnell/Newark et al., supply electronic components with a chain-of-custody trail from the manufacturer. Distributors are probably the most uneconomical source around, well, except for the corner drugstore. I'm a real fan of Panasonic batteries. I've had very few problems with Duracell, a few more problems with Energizer. Kirkland/Costco batteries are really cheap but do start to leak by their expiration dates.

BTW, battery leakage is exacerbated by equipment that puts a constant very low micro-amp level load on the battery.

George Mann · Jun 28, 2021

The best alkaline batteries I have used by far have been Rayovac Ultra Pro's. Never seen one swell or leak.

Huss · Jun 28, 2021

Nicholas Lindan said:
I have encountered counterfeit batteries on ebay. .

These Duracells were bought from a big chain hardware store.

Jim Jones · Jun 28, 2021

Big chain hardware stores also have made-in-China hardware that varies widely in quality. Some of it is nearly useless.

Huss · Jun 28, 2021

Well this is cute

John Koehrer · Jun 28, 2021

Just adorable!

Patrick Robert James · Jun 28, 2021

I think technically that battery is more blow than suck...

I suspect that at this point there is only one or two button battery manufacturers and they just rebrand them.

Duracell used to have (maybe they still do?) a policy that if their battery leaked they would repair/replace the item. I got a fat check from them for a Sekonic meter that a Duracell battery blew up in. The policy was buried on their website about a decade ago. With all the Chinese stuff now I doubt they still do it.

BobD · Jun 28, 2021

I have bought old radios from the 1950s-60s with decades-old zinc-carbon batteries that are long dead but still look like new with not a bit of leakage. Current zinc-carbon "heavy duty" batteries don't seem to leak either. They don't last as long as alkaline but are dirt cheap and, if you don't mind changing them more often, they can be more economical than alkaline.

AgX · Jun 29, 2021

Patrick Robert James said:
Duracell used to have (maybe they still do?) a policy that if their battery leaked they would repair/replace the item

I got a still virgin blister pack of 4 "leak-proof" alkaline AA's by a reputable manufacturer with a stated guarantee to come up for damage of an appliancy in case of leakage.
They leaked already within the blister pack.

MartinCrabtree · Jun 29, 2021

Seeking items not made in China is a task. Batteries especially. I quit leaving batteries in place a few years ago after something like posted above happened.

wiltw · Jun 29, 2021

I have generally found that I can leave alkaline cells in place in a device, if I merely break the circuit by shielding one terminial to break connectvity with thin plastic strip or even a layer of mylar adhesive tape on the battery terminal.
That is my general technique for flashlights that are used only durng electrical blackouts, or for radio remote transmitter/receiver trigger units that get pulled out once per year at best. The technicque is no different than electronics which come from the manufacturer pre-loaded with battery/cell, with a pull tab to activate.
The on/off switches in many devices do not open the electrical circuit, but very low current is used to monitor someone pressing the momentary contact switch, and that is when cells leak, under constant drain.

Chan Tran · Jun 29, 2021

Huss said:
Well this is cute

Yup many Duracell now made in China and thus I buy Ray0Vac which is cheaper and there are more of them made in USA.

Chan Tran · Jun 29, 2021

MartinCrabtree said:
Seeking items not made in China is a task. Batteries especially. I quit leaving batteries in place a few years ago after something like posted above happened.

While it's not an easy task and made in China are not all bad I do urge that we avoid buying made in China stuff.

MartinCrabtree · Jun 29, 2021

I picked up a pack of Energizer MAX that are made in Singapore. While their social policies rub me the wrong way I trust them to follow environmental laws and integrity with regards to proper manufacturing processes. Ironically because of their strict social order. So far so good.

mshchem · Jun 29, 2021

Huss said:
Well this is cute

Licensing the brand, also referred to as "Whoring the Meatball" like Polaroid VHS cassettes or Kodak picture puzzles. I try to find Japan, USA, German. etc. Non slave labor made. It's hard in USA to find good button cells.

Jim Jones · Jun 29, 2021

I've found Duracells to usually be reliable. On the package: "Contains batteries from U.S. or foreign countries, as marked on battery." On the battery: "Assembled in U. S. A." This sounds like corporate obfuscation. I still don't know if they are made in countries with a reputation of poor quality control. or if Duracell has tight quality control on their products.

Snowfire · Jun 29, 2021

Battery leakage has indeed seemed to get worse over the years. I routinely find batteries that have leaked in their original blister pack whereas this used to be an extreme rarity.

If you don't mind the expense, you can purchase the disposable lithium cells--they almost never leak and last many times longer than alkaline anyway.

Huss · Jun 30, 2021

Snowfire said:
Battery leakage has indeed seemed to get worse over the years. I routinely find batteries that have leaked in their original blister pack whereas this used to be an extreme rarity.

It definitely seems way worse now. I literally never had a battery issue even 10 years ago. I thought I'd avoid it by buying the famous big name (and expensive) brand, but obviously they are playing us for chumps now.

Snowfire said:
If you don't mind the expense, you can purchase the disposable lithium cells--they almost never leak and last many times longer than alkaline anyway.

I do not mind! Better than losing a camera! I already use the lithiums in my M7, but some of my cameras don't stack the cells, but have them side by side.
That is a very good suggestion. I was saving them for my M7 and R7, never thought about using them in my other gear.
THANKS!!!

MattKing · Jun 30, 2021

I expect part of the reason we are seeing more battery leakage is that the manufacturers are trying to make alkaline batteries more "powerful and long lasting" than the batteries of old.

reddesert · Jun 30, 2021

Just because a brand like Duracell has stuff made overseas, doesn't mean they are a "shell" brand like Polaroid. The original Polaroid company no longer exists and it's just a name to be licensed and slapped on the cheapest batteries, VHS tapes, or other storage media, which were never part of the original company's core business.

It is now essentially impossible to buy an integrated circuit or electronic component that is not made in Asia. All of your cell phones and computers that you're reading this forum on are made of Asian-made components and largely assembled in Asia. That doesn't make them bad. The quality of a part made in an Asian factory depends on the QC that the factory applies and the parent company demands.

Batteries leaking was a problem 10 or more years ago, as well.

CMoore · Jun 30, 2021

mshchem said:
Licensing the brand, also referred to as "Whoring the Meatball" .......

Never heard this term before.....have others.?
Your post makes the meaning obvious, but a quick search on Yahoo turned up nothing.

mshchem · Jun 30, 2021

CMoore said:
Never heard this term before.....have others.?
Your post makes the meaning obvious, but a quick search on Yahoo turned up nothing.

I probably misspelled whoring. Believe me it's a well known term. GE sold off their electronics brand decades ago to, I believe, Thomson electronics. They slapped the GE logo on everything. I worked in the appliance industry, it's rampant. If you go to Target, look at Kitchenaid branded junk hanging on hooks. All licensed.

The Meatball is the logo. The whoring is obvious.

mshchem · Jun 30, 2021

reddesert said:
Just because a brand like Duracell has stuff made overseas, doesn't mean they are a "shell" brand like Polaroid. The original Polaroid company no longer exists and it's just a name to be licensed and slapped on the cheapest batteries, VHS tapes, or other storage media, which were never part of the original company's core business.

It is now essentially impossible to buy an integrated circuit or electronic component that is not made in Asia. All of your cell phones and computers that you're reading this forum on are made of Asian-made components and largely assembled in Asia. That doesn't make them bad. The quality of a part made in an Asian factory depends on the QC that the factory applies and the parent company demands.

Batteries leaking was a problem 10 or more years ago, as well.

Good point. I buy Samsung phones, maybe has a little less forced labor. But who knows. Nikon moving everything to Thailand or sourcing products from China is disappointing. I will pay more for a product made in Japan than one made in China. Your point is well made, impossible to avoid low cost country products.

Alkaline batteries suck.

Huss

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Huss

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Huss

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Alkaline batteries suck.

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