I'm sick of Alkaline (Alkaleak) batteries...............

after just reading these brief posts. At least enlightenment for me. That is, alkalines today are like Extra-Heavy Duty Zinc batteries of yore. The great question is, why do the masses still use them? The answer: because they haven’t been educated about the other types of vastly superior batteries out there.

We here on BLF know better. And because we know better we really have only ourselves to blame the most for using this POS outdated electronic device destructive technology considering the other superior alternatives, to wit smarter-choice alternatives we have at our fingertips out there. Bottomline IMO, we’re being sold deliberately defective product. Which is a consumer-safety issue just as much as and more than a bunch of other so-called items that have been recalled. That’s BS.

Yup, “Stubid is as stubid does.”

Lumatic, question for you. I’ve been using a 6xC cell radio at work since March 2010. I usually have the radio on 7-8 hrs a day in my work vehicle. When I use AA Eneloops w/ C spacers, I have to change them out about every 2 days. When I use 5000 mAH Tenergy NIMHs, I change them out every 3-4 days. But when I do use alkalines, I go about 10-12 days. I’m not a fan of changing them out too often. Have you any suggestions? Also, I usually use Duracell or CVS brand C alkalines. Never not once, have I had a speck of leakage. I am inclined to stay the course. But curious if you do have a suggestion. Lastly, my company work trucks have no DC power outlets…

My intuitive hunch if ya wanna call it that, is that the more an alkaline is ‘exercised’ the less propensity it has to leak. At least this has been my experience. Therefore, IMO you’re fine. However if that radio were to sit turned off for any as of yet determined period or temp range then IMO all bets are off. In that case I most definitely would go to anything but an alkaline. This is borne from experience as well.

And btw supportive to my own conclusions, your Post #1 and encompassing this thread in general, is also borne-out as factually-based by your own direct experience.

HTH…. H)

BTW, I bought some Ray O Vac alkalines on special at Home Depot on Black Friday. I just looked, and the AAAs say Made in USA, but the AAs say Made in Belgium. What the? Can’t recall ever seeing Made in Belgium on anything except chocolates at the Cost Plus WorldMarket stores…

:smiley: :open_mouth:

Oh, ok. That makes sense. I reckon I’m not giving them a chance to leak w/ my immediate use and disposal. I think I’ll stay the course. I usually buy them on sale etc., so at roughly 65 cents a piece, I figure I’m at 35 cents a day average for 7-8 hrs use. Thanks again…

There are quite a few awesome guns that hail from Belgium, and one certified bada$$ named Jacky Ickx.

:)

I guess I am really lucky, from the sounds of it. I remember, when I was a kid, my grandparents always had the cheap plastic flashlights with Alkalines in them. They always left them sit around forever and when they finally went to use one, it was always corroded. That's probably when I figured out to change them every 6 months and only use them on low drain. Like I say, I have only ever had one go bad and it was due to the fact that I left it in too long (a year). I only use Alkalines for low drain, like wall clocks. Anything high drain like a camera uses NiMHs. If a flashlight is 3AA or 3AAA, I use NiMHs. If a flashlight is 1D, I use 3 NiMHs.

The 2AA Maglites are a different story, because I want the voltage, but don't want to use the LL batteries (Lethal Li-ion). So, I use two Alkalines to get 3v (for a little while), but I never leave them in a light and if I use the light much, I change them when the light gets to between 25% and 50% dimmer than turn on (visual guesstimate).

If NiMHs were 1.5v I would never ever use Alkalines for anything.

I never have had an alkaline leak on me in lowdrain devices like mice or remotes. I’ve never tested it, but I use alkalines in remotes until they are totally dead, and I never have any leaks. Only time i’ve ever seen them leak is when someone leaves them in a device for like over a year, with rarely using the device, or not using it at all.

Anyone ever noticed how mechanical pencils are ridiculously crappy nowadays? Like half the papermates won’t feed out of the box, it’s rediculous. I’ve bought the same kinds of mechanical pencils for years, and the past two years, they’ve been terrible quality, atleast the papermates and bics (the cheap ones that are like 4 or 5 bucks for a dozen).

From what I have heard about NiMH batteries, if they are of the HSD variety (such as Tenergy Premiums), you lose 20% of the capacity in the first day. So if you are using Tenergy Premium 5000mAH C batteries, you might not be getting the most out of them (unless you use them in something that drains them in a day). Combine this with the fact that the Premiums actually seem to have little more capacity than the Centura LSD batteries, and it seems like LSD batteries (such as the Tenergy Centuras) would probably work at least somewhat better for you. Maybe you could get 4-5 days out of them. But admittedly, you probably won’t get 10-12 days out of them. But ask yourself this: is it really SO hard to change out batteries a little more often? I personally would MUCH rather change out NiMH batteries twice as often rather than having to constantly buy SIX new C batteries every 10-12 days. After all, even if leaking is probably not going to be a problem in this timeframe, just having to spend that money on something that shouldn’t cost money is enough for me.

Speaking of leaking alkalines, I’m certainly no expert on them. But I just have to wonder if there is something about the chemistry itself that makes leaking a problem. NiMH, Nicad and Ni-Zn are actually alkaline batteries as well (insofar as they use a potassium hydroxide electrolyte - we just don’t call then alkalines to avoid confusion with Zn/MnO2 primaries). But they don’t leak. I’m not sure if the other components are simply corrosion prone, and tend to get eaten through with time. On the other hand, maybe the fact that the nickel alkaline rechargeables are meant for multiple uses means that they are better built than a throwaway battery.

They make some nice weapons…

:open_mouth:

Lumatic, I understand and sympathize with your rant. Duracell is nothing but a cash cow for P&G because it's not in their core business. They were after the shave equipment when they bought Gillette (used to be a shareholder), not batteries. I don't think they've done any real R&D since the acquisition. I for one am done with them. If you want to have some small effect - let P&G know how you feel:

My kitchen wall clock which got around two years on an alkie ran for about a year and a half on the first charge of a black-topped Duracell.

I haven’t bought any non-rechargeable batteries other than a coin cell or two, 9V’s for the smoke detector, and what came included with gadgets since before the millennium….

When I heard about “Dura-Lock” ‘technology’ earlier this year I thought it was going to take care of the leaking problem, but no dice of course.

WOW Ralf, thanks. Sounds to me like an Eneloop AA should not run out of power if I change them out 2x a year w/ the time changes…

I don’t feel I was hosed just my lights and was fairly compensated. The problem is I had to go through all the steps of getting it replaced which I would have rather had my old light working instead.

I have not found problems with alkalines in items that are used everday in items like a radio as the previous poster because they are being expelled. It is in those items that do not get used often and sit around that the problems arise.

My wife left two AA alkalines in a Christmas decoration and when I got it out this year….leaked cells. She also left three Ni-MH in another and it still worked. Besides the leaking it is the cost of replacing alkalines that can leak yhe money out of your wallet. :money_mouth_face:

Most definitely. That Coast HP550 (with its 9 AA batteries) comes to mind here. If someone was to use this light on any kind of regular basis with alkalines, it would cost a fortune to keep that thing fed in the long term. But honestly, based on my experience, I think things are even worse with alot of those 3 AAA lights. I have another light by Coast, the PX25. It’s small and puts out a good deal of light. But it BURNS through batteries. A set of Duraloops is done in about an hour. And even black top Duracells are done in about an hour and fifteen. That means that a set of batteries might last one evening walk. If I used alkalines, that would make walking a rather expensive affair. Especially if I changed them early because I didn’t want to put up with dimness.

My feelings exactly! I have been saying the same thing. I have had many batteries leak over the years. If they can send a man to the moon why can’t they make a battery that doesn’t leak? The battery companies can get away with it because most people who have their equipment ruined don’t do anything about it. Not me. The past two times I have had batteries leaked and my stuff damaged, I have contacted the companies and got them to reimburse me for the damages. If enough people did this, they would have to change.