# Nominate your "Crapiest Battery" brand **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 28, 2005, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nominate-your-crapiest-battery-brand/292338 "2005-02-28T20:33:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2005, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nominate-your-crapiest-battery-brand/292338/1 "2005-02-28T20:33:37Z")
Every time need and/or circumstances have brought me to purchase [these](http://www.panasonic.com/industrial/battery/oem/chem/carb/index.html) Panasonic batteries (for use in my portable cd player), I have been blown away by how quickly they die. Yes, they’re cheap, so my expectations shouldn’t be too high, but they are out-performed by plenty of other cheap alternatives, imho. ---
**Author:** ![FatBaldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecd19e/32.png) [@FatBaldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FatBaldGuy)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2005, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nominate-your-crapiest-battery-brand/292338/2 "2005-02-28T20:55:15Z")
Well, if you’re buying carbon-zinc batteries (as shown in your link) and expecting them to last anywhere near as long as the alkaline batteries which are almost exclusively sold these days, you’re definitely bound to be disappointed. Carbon-zinc is very old technology and has been around virtually ever since there have been flashlights. The newer alkaline batteries were developed specifically to increase the life of the battery. ---
**Author:** ![Cyros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a698b9/32.png) [@Cyros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cyros)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2005, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nominate-your-crapiest-battery-brand/292338/3 "2005-02-28T21:34:55Z")
All alkaline batteries I have tried have worked equally well, regardless of whether they are no-name batteries, purchased from the $ store or I am forced to buy Duracell or Energizer. No difference whatsoever. If I recall correctly, Consumer Reports found this to be the case as well. As the other poster mentioned, if you’re buying carbon (so called “heavy duty”) batteries, think of them as “one (short) time use” and not for heavy-drain electronics. They are essentially garbage. /Ms Cyros ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2005, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nominate-your-crapiest-battery-brand/292338/4 "2005-02-28T21:39:55Z")
Almost every battery I’ve ever had leak in use was a Ray-O-Vac. The one exception was an Everready that messed up my Mini-Maglite. ---
**Author:** ![ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2005, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nominate-your-crapiest-battery-brand/292338/5 "2005-02-28T21:43:11Z")
Good to know. I think my first experience with them was after getting some as a stocking-stuffer for Christmas from my Grandma. Ever since the initial disappointment it has been a self-fulfilling prophecy of “These suck. They’re gonna suck. Oh look…they sucked.”, but I only buy them when there’s no other choice. Like when all of the stores in Atlanta are sold out of bread and milk and batteries because a couple of snow flakes were spotted in the sky… ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Scrappy\_Hero\_Pup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ea5d25/32.png) [@Happy\_Scrappy\_Hero\_Pup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Scrappy_Hero_Pup)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2005, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nominate-your-crapiest-battery-brand/292338/6 "2005-02-28T21:45:21Z")
Plenticell batteries. Bought two for a dollar on the N train at Queensboro Plaza. Put them in my Discman. They didn’t make it to 14th Street. I know it was only a dollar, but I still felt cheated. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2005, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nominate-your-crapiest-battery-brand/292338/7 "2005-02-28T22:59:57Z")
Most store brand non-alkalines. Radio Shack alkalines suck, too. ---
**Author:** ![VarlosZ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d78d45/32.png) [@VarlosZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VarlosZ)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2005, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nominate-your-crapiest-battery-brand/292338/8 "2005-02-28T23:43:07Z")
> [@Happy Scrappy Hero Pup](#): > > Plenticell batteries. > > Bought two for a dollar on the N train at Queensboro Plaza. Put them in my Discman. > > They didn’t make it to 14th Street. > > I know it was only a dollar, but I still felt cheated. Ahh, Plenticell. Otherwise known as “used up batteries that have been given a new cover.” You got ripped off, by the way (more than you know, even). I first ran into them on the subway, like you, but I got 8 for a dollar. Figured it was worth a shot, right? Wrong, a ripoff even at that price. My favorite thing about Plenticells: they’re designed to look just like Duracells, to the extent that they even have a battery tester painted on. It would be like buying a cheap car and, instead of having a radio, there’s a sticker that looks like the front of a radio. Funny stuff. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2005, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nominate-your-crapiest-battery-brand/292338/9 "2005-03-01T03:32:06Z")
Ray-O-Vac Even their alkalines suck.