heavy duty batteries

[mjr evil]

I have been using heavy duty batteries for some time now and was recently told by a friend that alkalines last longer.I always thought the heavy duty batteries were supose to last longer but apparently not.man if this is true i can save more money in the long run buying alkalines.Let me know if any of you have any feedback on this matter.

 

[audioguru2]

Hi M. Junior Evil,
"Heavy Duty" battery cells are lousy and use old carbon-zinc technology. They have a very low capacity and current driving ability and self-discharge (then leak) in about 1 year even if not used.

Alkaline battery cells are much better, especially at high currents. The ones I bought yesterday (with a discount coupon, of course) have a "best before" date of 2011.

I recently did a survey from Energizer, about their new AA lithium battery cells. They claim that they can take 568 digital camera pictures while "ordinary" alkaline cells take only 70 pics. (Heavy Duty battery cells might take 10 or 20 pics if you're lucky!) A big difference. The survey wanted to know how much I am willing to pay for a pack of 4. Packs of 2 now sell for $10.00CAN, about 5 times the price of alkaline cells. They want your money now, instead of later.

If you frequently replace batteries each month you should be using rechargeable Ni-MH cells. They are still good after about 1000 cycles and have about the same capacity per charge as alkaline cells. You can't leave them lying around, because they self-discharge in about a month or two. Also don't use them in the dark in a flashlight if you are up a ladder. Their charge lasts until the very last second then all will be dark!
Energizer have a lot of technical info on their website. Click on "Technical Info" at the top right of their home page.
www.energizer.com

 

[mjr evil]

I totally understand the deal with rechargables.The problem i have with it is that most of the batteries i use are for stuff of my 6 yr old sons.And he is in the habbit of throwing batteries away when they no longer work.So until he gets older i will have to use alkalines.I put some in his game boy and so far they are still going strong.

 

[audioguru2]

Hi again Evil,
If you put those expensive lithium cells in your son's Game-Boy, then found it a month later under his bed still turned-on and the battery dead, you might cry! ;D ;D

I just noticed that Energizer is owned by a razor blade manufacturer. Duracell is owned by the other razor blade manufacturer. Do they use batteries to power the machines that make razor blades? ;D ;D

 

[Yevgenip]

In Israel,(Probebly in other places too), there is a blade poweres by Duracell batteries which make the Razor Vibrrrrrate.

 

[Jonesy22]

I always used heavy duty also in my mp3 player thatI workout with but I got tired of replcing the batteries every week. So i bought some alkalines and so far i'm replacing them alot less often

 

[mjr evil]

oh yea it sucks to have batteries die right at the wrong times.I had the batteries die in my controller of my rc nitro truck after a few hours and all i could do is watch my truck run aways until it crashed.At a price tag of $300 and at speeds of 45mph + that really sucked.

 

[ante1]

evil,

You should never run RC-toys without a radio battery fail safe system!

Such a circuit is much cheeper than any crash! 8)

 

[audioguru2]

I agree, Ante,
A simple circuit can detect a low receiver battery voltage and cutoff power to the main motors. I thought all RC systems had such an arrangement.
What would have happened if someone was in its path and didn't see it coming? OUCH!
An RC airplane might be worse than a car if someome's face is in its path.

 

[ante1]

Yes, that would bring a full days work to a surgeon and a dentist for sure!

I don

 

[audioguru2]

Hi Ante,
Hopefully you would hear it coming.

I attended a model airplane show and its highlight was a very expensive model jet plane with a real miniature jet turbine.
It looked, sounded and even smelled like a full size jet plane. It flew its max speed of about 500km/hr and you couldn't hear (or see) it coming but it made a loud roar and whine when it went by and it disappeared again quickly.
If it ever hit someone at that speed.............

On the web is a video of a guy getting hit by a pretty big model Boeing 747 (propellors, not jets). Luckily he wasn't too badly injured. He was its pilot and owner! A dumbo guy?

 

[ante1]

;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D Well if you are stupid it can be painful!
Yes, I have seen these small jet turbines too and I am quite impressed by there performance. It

 

[mjr evil]

Yea i dont use heavy duty batteries anymore.This holiday my relatives ended up having to use alkalines from me couse there heavy duty batteries died.

 

[radar1]

please dont tell me you fell for the trap thinking that couse its name said heavy duty that it was better? Well as you have finally found out heavy duty batteries deffinatley arent heavy duty at all.Alkalines are definaltey better.

 

[JackM78]

I didn't even know people still use those heavy duty types of batteries. Truthfully I think they should phase them out because they are no where as good as alkaline batteries are. I guess it's true that when people people see the words heavy duty they automatically think they're better. The ironic thing is that alkaline batteries are heavier by weight and density and do their "duty" (more stable and longer lasting charge) better than those "heavy duty" ones.

 

[spongebob1]

i never knew there was a difference until recently. i alwyas just bought whatever i saw on the shelf. but i know now to buy alkaline. guess i had to learn the hard way. at least i know now though

sponge bob

 

[mjr evil]

yes i agree if heavy duty battieries are out dated and we have something better than they should definatley get ride of them.But then again there are alot of people out there that still think they are better and spend alot of money on them.wish everyone would realize they suck and stop buying them.then they would definatley go away.

 

[audioguru2]

Many people also buy cheap "alkaline" batteries that are made in a country that they never heard of. Who knows what is inside those batteries or how old they are?
My Energizer alkaline battery cells that I got cheaply at an after Christmas sale are USA-made and are stamped with a "best-before" date of 2011.

It is not fair. I was one of the first people in the food store when it opened. At the cashier, the guy in front of me bought all the batteries that were there. I had to go to a car-parts store to buy them at a slightly higher price.

 

[JackM78]

Thats the thing with alkaline batteries though is that they have a really long shelf life. I doubt you'll see any heavy duty batteries with half the experation date of an alkaline battery.