Batteries FYI

[TroubleShooter]

Just a FYI, I opened a 16 pak of AA batteries with still two years left on the date....Dead in the water, the engerizer bunny must have smothered....I remember buying them because they were on sell at walmart for 8 dollars, I normally buy Duracells but the kids keep bugging me for batteries, so I would just give them the engerizers instead of my Duracell stash........If you measure the voltage it is good, but in a high draw toy they fail, they will work in remotes or clocks but will not work in a led headlamp, flashlight or PS3 game controller......

[ak474u]

I've had that happen before, not much but it does happen. It's amazing to me that something so cheap to buy and obviously so cheap to make for the manufacturer has the quality that it does to start with. I've always bought the batteries we go thru quickly at the .99 cent store here in town, usually rayovac brand or Sony, but they never sit for more than 6 months except when they are in a BOB or GHB. We go thru lots of batteries with a 2 year old running around, so those work in unimportant household items, but I've always bought Lithiums for the things that our lives may depend on. We use a stupid amount of batteries between the kid's toys, and my work that requires a flashlight all day every day, so rotation hasn't been an issue up to now. Also, it's a great idea to write the purchase date on a pack of batts for your own rotation schedule. I have to do that cause they all look alike.

[Gunfixr]

Energizer bunny notwithstanding, Duracells are better.
There are actually different grades of batteries. There is a letter code on the battery that tells what grade it is, and amperage varies with grade.

[Stormfeather]

Energizer bunny notwithstanding, Duracells are better.
There are actually different grades of batteries. There is a letter code on the battery that tells what grade it is, and amperage varies with grade.

Really? any chance you can expound on this for us?

Ive taken to buying nothing but rechargeable batteries. This is much more efficient for me and my family, and I think it saves us money in the long term.

[helomech]

Really? any chance you can expound on this for us?

Ive taken to buying nothing but rechargeable batteries. This is much more efficient for me and my family, and I think it saves us money in the long term.

Rechargable work fine in some things, but are horrible in others.

[Stormfeather]

What items would you say they work bad in?

My primary uses for them are remote controls, game console controllers, small talkabout style radios, ect ect.

[helomech]

What items would you say they work bad in?

My primary uses for them are remote controls, game console controllers, small talkabout style radios, ect ect.

They don't last long in my game camera's, or flashlights, most high drain items. Remotes and such they work fine.

[bacpacker]

I was ust thinking anything that pulls a heavy current draw. Rechargeables don't work well in that enviroment. Camera Flash unit, flashlights, HT radio's with heavy transmit use. They just cant stand the fast draw.

[AlphaTea]

Energizer bunny notwithstanding, Duracells are better.
There are actually different grades of batteries. There is a letter code on the battery that tells what grade it is, and amperage varies with grade.

Wow, thats news to me! What kind of batteries are you speaking of? Mine all have only a lot number and a 'best by' date. I think you mean the mAh.

The mAh (mili-Amp-hours) will vary between brands and between batteries in the same lot.
The old Carbon Zinc batteries were about 1500mAh for a AA battery. You dont see a lot of those any more
A Lithium AA will have about 2900-3000mAh capacity
A typical AA (Alkaline) will have from 2500-2700mAh capacity.
A typical AA (Ni-MH) rechargeable will have about 2000-2300mAh capacity

Rechargeables dont have the capacity, but they can be reused.
Lithiums have a slightly higher capacity and can handle a higher current draw, they are much lighter and cost a lot more, but also have other problems. Some can go into a runaway current overload and actually melt down or catch on fire. They can also explode if short-circuited. If you drive a nail or other metal object thru one you have in a sense made a very short (instantaneous) fused grenade. Please do not test or experiment with that statement for yourself, you should take my word for it. There is a reason you dont see C or D cell lithium batteries. I still prefer Lithiums for long term storage. Most of my flashlights use 123A batteries.
Lithiums will have a pretty much constant voltage output while being used and suddenly just drop off exhausted.
An alkaline will go down in voltage the whole time it is being used.
All batteries (except capacitor bank batteries) use a chemical reaction for electrical generation. From the day they are manufactured they are self discharging, hence the shelf life. Rechargeable batteries have the ability to reverse the chemical process by pushing a higher voltage into them than they are able to produce.
Yea, I know a little about batteries...

[rentprop1]

, HT radio's with heavy transmit use. They just cant stand the fast draw.

can you provide further info to back this up, almost every person I know in AM radio uses rechargeables in HT's