"Duracell" D cells trashed my Maglite; what now?

[rc3po]

Unacceptable. These are supposed to be the best batteries in the world, and should be leak-proof after all their advertising hype and "research", according to them. I couldn't care less about voltages, with respect, this has trashed my Maglite.

Duracell's are the only batteries that I buy. I do try to keep a close eye on their charge though. When they get down to 1 volt, I'll use them at my desk for BB circuits until they get down around .7v. Then take them to be recycled.

 

[EternityForest]

I haven't had a battery leak in a long time, because I only use rechargables. Nowadays I mostly only buy lifepo4 and tenergy low self discharge nimh(regular nimh will discharge itself right when you really want to use it)

 

[Dean Huster]

There is no such thing as a non-leaking alkaline, regardless of brand, regardless of charge state. I've bought both Duracells and Energizers with "dates" that were at least eight years in the future that were leaking in the unopened package. Add Kodak alkalines to that list of leakers. I've had the worst luck with "AA" cells, some bad luck with "D" cells and so far, no trouble with "C" cells or 9-volters. But, I'm not dead yet, either. It's just a matter of time in either case. Used to be that the battery companies only covered flashlights (torches) in their guarantee. Now they seem to be doing right by more expensive electronics.

 

[rc3po]

Unacceptable. These are supposed to be the best batteries in the world, and should be leak-proof after all their advertising hype and "research", according to them. I couldn't care less about voltages, with respect, this has trashed my Maglite.

I was watching the nice waveforms from my Arduino on my Oscilloscope and thought about your article and decided to check my 4 D-cell Maglite; and man am I glad I did!
One of the Duracell batteries was starting to leak. It still had 1.41V on it also. The expiration date on them is March 2016.
I will upload a picture of it after the battery in my camera charges up.
Thanks for your article. Had I not thought about it, I may have waited too long and had a major mess in my torch!

 

[Dean Huster]

Update. Out working in the yard yesterday and came across this dumb frog decoration the wife has had for many years. It holds four "D" cells and lights an LED on the frog's tongue that illuminates a bug. It has circuitry to kill the LED during daylight hours. It's a complete waste of batteries. Wifey says to pitch the thing. Before I trash it, I open it up to remove the batteries. These things have been sitting outside in sub-zero weather and 100-plus (f) degree heat, in fog, rain, snow, ice storms, drought for at least 10 years and they aren't corroded or leaking. A bit rusty on the ends is all. They're Energizers. Goes to show that there are odd exceptions one can't explain.