# "Disposable" Polaroid Pola Pulse flashlight batteries still going 10-15+ years. How? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 20, 2016, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disposable-polaroid-pola-pulse-flashlight-batteries-still-going-10-15-years-how/752727 "2016-04-20T14:49:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2016, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disposable-polaroid-pola-pulse-flashlight-batteries-still-going-10-15-years-how/752727/1 "2016-04-20T14:49:10Z")
I have one of these and it’s still going after almost 19 years. Why is this battery tech not used in other things? [http://www.flashlightmuseum.com/Polaroid-Flashlight-Grey-Black-Disposable-Pola-Pulse-Squeeze-Light-Mint-On-Card-1997](http://www.flashlightmuseum.com/Polaroid-Flashlight-Grey-Black-Disposable-Pola-Pulse-Squeeze-Light-Mint-On-Card-1997) > [@](#): > > Patti > I LOVE my P. flashlight but the battery seems to be out. Is it really replaceable or disposable? Thanks! > Jun 10, 2012 - 11:15 PM > Ruth Woodrum > Mine is still working and I have had it since 1997. I keep misplacing it,so it has’t been used all that much. I just found it again this morning and it works just like new. Love it.Make more. Great invention. > Jan 26, 2012 - 2:12 PM > HMM… > GRANTED…THE SHAPE IS COOL…VERY STREAMLINED…I JUST DONT LIKE DISPOSABLE STUFF…(OUTSIDE OF TOILETPAPER) SUCH A WASTE FOR OUR LANDFILLS…THIS LIGHT SHOULD TAKE REPLACEABLE (TRIPLE A BATTERIES) 3 OF THEM…INSTEAD OF THE THROWAWAY GEL BATTERY…THEN IT WOULD BE A WINNER IN MY OPINION…BUT…COOL LOOKIN LIGHT NONE THE LESS… > Jun 13, 2011 - 12:56 PM > joe > I bought a package of these at Pace Warehouse Club many years ago. All of them still work today, 2011. Several have been left in my car the whole time, experiencing freezing and summer heat and still work fine. The most reliable flash light I have ever had. I wish Polaroid would make more. > These are so reliable they need to make these for the military. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2016, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disposable-polaroid-pola-pulse-flashlight-batteries-still-going-10-15-years-how/752727/2 "2016-04-20T14:54:11Z")
It is used in other things. The key to your question lies in the fact that you’ve hardly used it. What you’ve observed is essentially the shelf life of the battery. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2016, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disposable-polaroid-pola-pulse-flashlight-batteries-still-going-10-15-years-how/752727/3 "2016-04-20T15:09:40Z")
My guess is that they combined a small lithium battery (like a CR2032) with a very intermittently used LED light. So you get extreme shelf life (15-20 years) combined with very, very little draw on the battery from the light. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2016, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disposable-polaroid-pola-pulse-flashlight-batteries-still-going-10-15-years-how/752727/4 "2016-04-20T17:48:33Z")
Polaroid is, of course, out of business (The current “Polaroid” is legally distinct from the old company, and doesn’t service the old one’s products), but until a few years ago you could obtain the equivalent flexible PolaPulse batteries from other manufacturers. Now, alas, that has ceased as well. I had a flashing bike light that used one of those batteries. This site, however, claimsd to still have them: [http://users.rcn.com/fcohen/Polaroid.htm](http://users.rcn.com/fcohen/Polaroid.htm) You can also find batteries on eBay: > **[Polapulse Pola Pulse Polaroid 6volt 6V Battery OEM P80 for sale | eBay](https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=Polapulse%20Pola%20Pulse%20Polaroid%206volt%206V%20Battery%20OEM%20P80)** > > Get the best deals for Polapulse Pola Pulse Polaroid 6volt 6V Battery OEM P80 at eBay.com. We have a great online selection at the lowest prices with Fast & Free shipping on many items! ---
**Author:** ![SmellMyWort](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SmellMyWort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmellMyWort)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2016, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disposable-polaroid-pola-pulse-flashlight-batteries-still-going-10-15-years-how/752727/5 "2016-04-20T17:52:23Z")
I have a small, digital travel alarm clock that’s had the same AAA Duracell battery in it since I got it in 2000. The alarm is used daily. The expiration date on the battery is 2004. I don’t think I’ve ever had a battery last so long. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2016, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disposable-polaroid-pola-pulse-flashlight-batteries-still-going-10-15-years-how/752727/6 "2016-04-21T13:44:08Z")
Huh… apparently I was wrong. The PolaPulse batteries were developed to power the SX70 cameras (which were powered by these batteries in the film packs), and even there, were more than what a typical film pack needed. They’re a sort of flat, flexible LeClanche zinc chloride cell. So they’re probably just total overkill for a little tiny LED light, which probably needs tiny voltage and current to actually work. I doubt the battery would work for powering a Polaroid SX70 camera by this point though. > **[The Polapulse Battery](http://lateralscience.blogspot.com/2015/02/the-polapulse-battery.html)** > > Main Menu - click above This battery consisted of four wafer-thin Leclanche cells. They were used for Polaroid cameras, Sinclair Microv... ---
**Author:** ![RedSwinglineOne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a9adbd/32.png) [@RedSwinglineOne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RedSwinglineOne)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2016, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disposable-polaroid-pola-pulse-flashlight-batteries-still-going-10-15-years-how/752727/7 "2016-04-21T16:47:21Z")
In my experience, battery life is tied more to the device the battery is in than the battery itself. Put batteries in a cheap plastic flashlight and they will be dead in a month, even if left unused. Put the same batteries in a good Maglite and they last for many years. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2016, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disposable-polaroid-pola-pulse-flashlight-batteries-still-going-10-15-years-how/752727/8 "2016-04-23T18:34:33Z")
> [@RedSwinglineOne](#): > > In my experience, battery life is tied more to the device the battery is in than the battery itself. Put batteries in a cheap plastic flashlight and they will be dead in a month, even if left unused. Put the same batteries in a good Maglite and they last for many years. That’s sort of how it works… but only if your device has a constant current draw. All normal batteries (i.e. not thermal ones) have a finite lifespan- basically they self-discharge at some tiny rate even when not being actively used to provide current. For your average ca. 2016 alkaline battery, that lifespan is roughly a decade under normal conditions. Lithium batteries have an even longer lifespan- like 15-20 years, unused, and can provide more power overall and/or keep the voltage up (I don’t recall exactly WHAT they’re better at) longer. They’re overall better than alkalines, but you pay for it. Zinc chloride batteries are typically the shortest lifespan- maybe 2 years. And they don’t provide much energy either, but they’re super-cheap. Apparently the Polapulse batteries have a longer than listed shelf-life, and the flashlights probably draw so little juice that they don’t significantly draw the battery down, nor do they need much battery capacity left to continue to work. ---
**Author:** ![Isilder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@Isilder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isilder)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2016, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disposable-polaroid-pola-pulse-flashlight-batteries-still-going-10-15-years-how/752727/9 "2016-04-24T03:42:37Z")
zinc chlorides… these have the electrolyte soaked into Manganese Oxide … it hasn’t got the charge density in it for use in place of lead acid or Li ion. These Polaroid flat packs don’t have metal encasement, its the metal which fails on the AA,AAA, B,C,D metal cells… Duracell might have had the bright idea to plastic coat theirs at some stage… seems that one is … a long lasting version…perhaps it was sold as such. You do realise that Duracell, Energiser, etc, sell based on peak performance (runs your high power draw device for longer.) rather than Amp Hours (which is how to measure performance for a low draw usage ) or shelf life … (BTW, you’d think government would regulate … to ensure that such things met minimum shelf life… that would save the environment wouldn’t it ? ) Basically , the alkaline cells can produce the Amp Hours (or if voltage is changed too, you can measure the charge in Watt Hours, or Volt Amp Hours for ease of comparison ) even when the draw is high… the thing is the Zinc chloride’s waste the power if the draw is high, you see ? if you drain higher current out of the zinc chloride’s you don’t get the rated Amp Hours… So the zinc chloride was fine for the hand held torch use… Not so good for powering your room or street light. (the total size would have to be huge, and then you are wanting rechargeable to avoid having to replace such a huge thing every week … ) ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2016, 9:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disposable-polaroid-pola-pulse-flashlight-batteries-still-going-10-15-years-how/752727/10 "2016-04-24T09:14:57Z")
I had a toy called a “glow worm” that I got when I was nine months old. The batteries may not have been original, but they weren’t replaced for at least 20 years, and still worked. But all it did was light up when you squeezed it, and the light itself was rather weak. And it hasn’t been used much in those 20 years. If that can happen to plain Duracell batteries, it could easily happen to others build differently.