Duracell batteries suck

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jgwinks said:
Do you know who actually made the Costco ones? I've heard for years that Sam's Club LA batteries were the best bang for the buck and I've bought many there, but that could change if they change suppliers.
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LA batteries are an entirely different issue than house brand alkaline cells, but to your point: Typically Costco FLA batteries are made by East Penn in the USA and are a terrific bargain. The identical East Penn batteries are also sold under the Duracell brand name by big box stores such as Home Depot & Lowes. They are also sold under the Deka brand name as well as NAPA.
 
Flatswing said:
LA batteries are an entirely different issue than house brand alkaline cells, but to your point: Typically Costco FLA batteries are made by East Penn in the USA and are a terrific bargain. The identical East Penn batteries are also sold under the Duracell brand name by big box stores such as Home Depot & Lowes. They are also sold under the Deka brand name as well as NAPA.
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I have never bought Costco FLA but always thought they were made by Johnson Controls? Do they carry the Duracell name or other?
Sams Club, Duracell, are made by East Penn as are NAPA, Alliance ( Freightliner), Deka and I'm sure others.
 
DDW said:
Lithiums seem to be good (other than the price) but for some reason, some equipment says "do not use lithium batteries" in the instructions. Not sure why - higher internal resistance?
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I believe the voltage for lithium batteries is a bit lower than alkaline, and I guess that matters with some devices.
 
twistedtree said:
I take it back. It looks like it's rechargables (NiCad & NMHi) that are lower voltage. So I'm not sure why lithium would be a problem.
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I was lazy yesterday when I read about not using lithium AA batteries so I did a search for their voltage. I saw some references saying lithium AA batteries could be 3.0/3.6 volts which I found odd.

Today, I did what I should have done yesterday, and looked at one of my lithium AA batteries. It is 1.5 volts. Have no idea why one could not use that battery to replace an alkaline AA battery.

Pretty sure I have seen warnings to not use 1.2 volt batteries in some devices. Having said that, we have been using AA and AAA NMHi rechargeable batteries for years without a problem. Finally got around to buying a charge for D and C batteries and we are using those now, but just not as many as the AA or AAA batteries.

Later,
Dan
 
psneeld said:
For a slight detour about lead acid batteries....

If you accept the info...here is who makes batteries for what names....

https://great-american-adventures.com/what-battery-brands-are-made-by-east-penn/
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FYI, Norton told me not to go to that site:
Malicious Site Blocked!You attempted to access:https://dr6.biz/?te=gyzgknddha5ha3ddf43tonrs

This webpage is a known malicious webpage. It is highly recommended that you do NOT visit this page.
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Later,
Dan
 
Before you condem Duracell at least try a couple different brands on several devices. It could be the environment. Try Duracell batteries on device at home also.

pete
 
Pete Meisinger said:
Before you condem Duracell at least try a couple different brands on several devices. It could be the environment. Try Duracell batteries on device at home also.

pete
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Historically I used them everywhere. At home, on the boat, etc. Same issue everywhere. Lots of ruined stuff at home too. I'm not kidding when I say 100%.
 
twistedtree said:
Have you found any particular brand of rechargeable AA and AAA that you like?
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Eneloops are possibly the best and easiest to find
Made by Panasonic

Ladda from IKEA are rumoured to be Eneloops at a lesser price.

Turnigy from hobby king are reportedly very good as well, but hard to get here in Oz

Our Eneloops would be close to 10 years old now.
 
Pete Meisinger said:
Before you condem Duracell at least try a couple different brands on several devices. It could be the environment. Try Duracell batteries on device at home also.

pete
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I will confirm that Eveready are no better. I switched some stuff and have had the same problems. Neither brand had a problem 10-15 years ago. Now both. Home, boat, RV, plane, it makes no difference. Something changed about how they are made.

A problem with using NiCad as replacements is that NiCad self-discharge at about 10%/month. So in standby usage, not real good. Rechargable alkaline are better at around 1%, but still worse than alkaline non-rechargables.
 
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Has anyone tried the rechargeable LiIon replacements for AA cells? For example, there are tons of them on Amazon. They seem to have a DC-DC downconverter built in to get to 1.5V, along with the usual under and over charge protection. I guess, trading corrosion risk for fire risk, but I have pretty much had it with modern alkalines.
 
I figured since alkaline technology is pretty old that all batteries were about the same. Maybe made in the same factory with different labels like 12V LA. So I buy the cheapest ones- usually Rayovac or HX when they have them and don't see much difference.

Maybe I'm wrong and should pay more attention to the marketing.
 
U tube has lots of stories of folks trying to understand the Duracell leak issue. Just saw a guy rigging up a pressure test scheme. Others claim hydrogen gas is the culprit. One even claims non-use is an issue, while another claims dead cells are more likely to leak.

I am done with coppertop. And have converted to lithium primaries or non-duracell brands.
The energizer lithium starts at 1.7 volts, btw. Not usually a problem for most gear.
 
I think I'm going to switch to lithium batteries, as others have done. THere was a stretch maybe a decade ago when I was using them for certain applications and they always worked really well. Not sure why I stopped.
 
Does anyone have a lead on good quality lithium D cells? Those seem to be far less common than the smaller sizes.
 
Simi 60 said:
Eneloops are possibly the best and easiest to find
Made by Panasonic

Ladda from IKEA are rumoured to be Eneloops at a lesser price.

Turnigy from hobby king are reportedly very good as well, but hard to get here in Oz

Our Eneloops would be close to 10 years old now.
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Yep, we have been using Eneloops for many yeas now. There is not a close by IKEA or we would try them.

Had some Amazon branded rechargeables and they did not last long. I don't think we have had an Eneloop battery go bad yet. Now that I said it.... :D

Later,
Dan
 
Got a new flashlight a month ago. I installed two Rayovac and two Energizer AA batteries. I use the light for a few minutes each night. After three weeks it started getting weaker. I just opened it to change the batteries. I found this. The Rayovacs were still showing full charge. I don’t know how old the Energizer were when I installed them, but I’m not happy.
 

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Looks like the bunny sacrificed its life to save the Ray-o-vac(s)
 
HopCar said:
Got a new flashlight a month ago. I installed two Rayovac and two Energizer AA batteries. I use the light for a few minutes each night. After three weeks it started getting weaker. I just opened it to change the batteries. I found this. The Rayovacs were still showing full charge. I don’t know how old the Energizer were when I installed them, but I’m not happy.
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I say again, LITHIUM.
 
I just got some Li Ion rechargables from Amazon that I referenced above. Going to try them out and see what horrors I discover. The have about the same capacity as alkalines, slightly less than lithium non-rechargables, but claim you can recharge them 1200 times.
 
I used to swear by Duracell batteries for not leaking. Now I swear at them. Even ones that are less than a year old. They certainly are not of the same quality level they once were. Bummer.
 
I wonder if it matters where the batteries are made? It seems Duracell is made in several countries.
 

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More than once I have opened a new package of Duracells only to find leakage in the packaging. In each case the batteries were still far from expiring, and had been stored inside a dark cabinet in air conditioned space. IOW, no heat, no moisture and no excuses. No more Duracell for me, thank you very much.
 
I agree, Duracell batteries have become junk. I now use Amazon batteries.
 
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