Something most people don’t know about Costco is they have very strict standards on what they sell. Products they sell have to be as good or better than name brand or they won’t sell them. Advertisement is what keeps most people buying name brand, when a lot of off brand stuff is as good or almost as good for a lot less. Videos like this prove it!
The only times I use name-brand products is when I need to make sure the battery is of good quality and won't risk exploding. For example, for the BIOS battery in a PC or laptop, I'd rather pay 2-3 times the price once every 5-10 years, than risk having the battery set the PC/laptop on fire.
One of the distinctions is that Duracell provides a warranty that their batteries won't leak and will pay to replace any item damaged by a leaking battery. That may or may not be worth something to people.
People love to make fun of Kirkland, but Kirkland isn't a "brand" it's a "private label." Those batteries likely came off the exact same factory line with the only difference being the very last step - the label. Costco doesn't pay any money into advertising and retains what is basically the best quality assurance and testing teams and scientists in the industry using the money that they save. If it gets the "Kirkland" name on it, it's pretty easily the best or as close to (depending on partnerships) that there is in any category. Kirkland shampoo and conditioner, the exact formulation, in bottles often less than half the amount, can cost nearly $80 USD in some boutique shops. The Kirkland ones are like $10 USD. I worked for Costco for a few years, and basically buy everything from there if I can. It really is some secret weapon. What's funny is that people still poke fun or don't belive me outright. Some crazy negative stigma surrounds it, but Kirkland "brand" anything is basically the best in terms of manufacture quality, ingredient quality, and quality in testing.
Costco pretty much states that Kirkland branded goods are supposed to be equivalent quality as the same competing product sold under the premium brands. Kirkland is intended to be 'premium' quality.
That's the Marketing budget saved, I understand from the Business Breakdowns podcast by Colossus. That and Duracell say Duracell and Kirkland say Kirkland on them and have different disclaimer zoology (also marketing and practice.)
I used to trust Duracell for longest lasting and no leaks. BUT, no longer. Duracell will leak just sitting there. They don't make anything like they used to any longer.
My mom briefly worked in a battery factory in her early 20s. Growing up we only ever bought the cheap brands bc she would constantly tell us her factory made them all and they just had different labels.
FYI: Kirkland batteries are made by Duracell. The difference in charge is when you buy them and how long they've been sitting on the shelf waiting to be bought after manufacturing, they're exactly the same. They're a private label sitting on top of a brand manufacturer. Most things are like this, all store brands are just private labels made by a bigger brand.
Do you have a source for that or are you just guessing? If there is a source that maps store brands to the ghost manufacturers making them I would be really interested in it.
I've switched pretty much exclusively to Eneloops or their equivalent NiMH cells as rechargeable batteries for things that use AA or AAA batteries. Duracell _USED_ to be good, but over the past 20 years or so have really fallen off a cliff reliability-wise. I don't know if it's the cost cutting bean counters in charge or changes in chemistry made due to environmental regulations (suspect some of each), but I've had more things damaged or destroyed by leaking Duracells (should call the damned things Corrodacells instead) in the past 15 or so years than I had ever had in my life before with all other batteries combined. I've seen them leak unused in their packaging while still several YEARS short of their 'use by' date. Then occasionally I'll get my hands on an old piece of equipment and open it to find stone dead but still non leaking Duracells from the 80s/90s. They've definitely gone to crap in my experience, and I won't buy them any more.
@@TheFunnyCarpenter My pleasure. I first learned about the Eneloops about 11-12 years ago on a photography forum - flashes have a voracious appetite for batteries, and people there raved about them. They were originally manufactured by Sanyo, and are now made by Panasonic. I've also recently gotten some made by Fujitsu; they too seem to work very well. They're not cheap, but in my opinion make up for it first by being reusable and more importantly based on the fact that so far, none of them have ever leaked and spewed forth corrosive nastiness to ruin my things. Unfortunately they don't make the Eneloops or Fujitsus in any forms other than AA and AAA; I wish they'd also make them in C and D cells, but for now have to be satisfied with the small ones. Definitely worth a look in my opinion if you use a lot of AA and/or AAA cells.
Duracells are the worst for leaking and messing up whatever they’re in. Especially things like clocks, remote controls, or thermometers that are low drain.
@@patmx5 Agree totally. Long life is far less important than keeping my things undamaged. I used to never install batteries that came with remotes and other things instead opting to put in duracells. My thinking now is the cheap batteries that come with stuff can't be any worse than those leaking duracells.
@@mikespunchlist If anything, I've found the batteries that come with remotes to be BETTER than the Corrodacells, at least as far as leaking and damaging things. I've had remotes that died after years of use, and opened them up only to find the ancient batteries are dead, but no leakage to be seen. Energizers aren't much better. I recently had to clean up a differential scope probe that came with Energizers when I bought it new; being lazy and anxious to play with my new toy I just popped them in. Went to use it again a few months later and found leaking batteries and corroded contacts. Luckily I caught it early and was able to use some vinegar to neutralize the glop, but it now has a set of Eneloops.
I went off Duracell a long time ago, not just because of lifetime but also because they seem to leak so badly when exhausted, despite Duracell’s claims to the contrary.
Last year I had to dump several large packs of AAA & AA Duracell from Costco with expiration dates 2024 because of large number of them became defective ,I should have tried returning them . Also Duracell flashlights , several models,became defective in a very short time. I now buy only kirkland's batteries. To bad they don't make other sizes. As for flashlights brands, I find Coast brand from home depot best for its light output per battery type and unit size.
@@jorgewatanabe3478 Yep. Several years ago I took a new pack of Duraleaks with an expiration date of 2023 back to Costco, as unused batteries, new, and still in the package were leaking. :-( As someone else here mentioned, I heard that Kirkleaks and Duraleaks are made by the same company. Don't know that for a fact, but I do know as a fact that they both leak.
Switched to Eneloops years ago and haven't regretted it. No worries about batteries leaking and its a simple swap and recharge when they die (because charged ones will hold a charge for YEARS without substantial self-discharge). Added bonus: no worries about disposing of dead single- use batteries properly (most people just throw them in the trash)
So, I use to actually work at the Bunny factory. They never stopped the production line when switching the labels between SNB and NB batteries. They only time we did anything different was when we were "making" Fugi batteries they were more closely checked for leaks. Everything was the same anode and cathode mixture, same welding and crimping method, unless it was lithium they were all the same.
My experience with Kirkland was repeated leaking. Some leaked in the package (not expired yet). Got tired of ruining devices or spending time cleaning corrosion out to the battery compartments. Switched to energizer brand, and have had far fewer issues with that.
Have to disagree. The best part of this vid is that now that I've seen the pathetic attempt at "testing", I realize there is no scientific validity and thus do not have to watch any other "testing" by this channel. Such a waste of time.
Engineer here: take a look at the data sheet. It has some useful information. You tested capacity at a low drain. But high drain devices might show different results. Also over temperature extremes. Voltage and ESR (series resistance) are both important. ESR is a value that predicts how much the voltage sag out under load. Low ESR means better for high drain devices.
@@Dpaq13 Maybe a more appropriate example would be how the cells perform in a high power tactical flashlight camping in bitter cold weather, or if they burst and leak if left in a hot summer car.
@@power-max As to the last one, I can guarantee that Duracell do. Pretty badly, too. Their so-called "guarantee" isn't worth the ink they print it with either.
@@dlevi67 Dave (EEVblog) actually tried to get alkiline batteries to leak but wasn't able! He tried a bunch of different things, deep discharging them, even reverse charging them... It seems to be a time based phenomenon as the pressure slowly builds after being deep discharged over the course of months to years.
I really like the approach you take to making a video: You don’t have a long and drawn out intro with some obnoxious theme music, you don’t beg us to smash that like button and to turn on notifications, and you balance in some funny clips through your a-roll. Well done sir, consider me subbed.
This seems reasonable and I suspect the variation in duration is due to cell variability and/or the small but detectable difference in extra resistance created by possibly a hotter device post 16 hrs use or change in ambient temperature for the Duracell stickered cells.
yeah you really need to know what brand makes what because you could end up getting scalped by 5 times or more the price. The really good thing about having a name that you can trust is that if you're on holly day and really need to buy something that you know will work (in the long run) you should always go with the trusty name, if it's just a matter of a day or two, fuck it and save you money. That's usually the story for most consumable items, there's no point in over paying when there are some good brands out there, or rebrands of good brands. This is what I learned from my dad who works for a big chemical company, they will make one batch and sell 4-5 different "brands", the top clients ALWAYS buys the "Duracell" of their products because money is no question, but quality is always expected to be top notch, even though they must know it's basically the same thing, they just buy the "best" to be sure, I guess if anything goes wrong they can get compensated and state that they paid $5M for that last shipment and it ended up bad, so they are entitled to at least $5M+losses. But when it comes to hardware that's where you really need to be careful. you'll often pay just under half or 1/3 the price, but get 1/10 the life time.
Work for costco. Can confirm they are made or at least shipped by Duracell. If you walk into a warehouse and look at the wrapped pallets they have Duracell printed on the manufacturing labels that are on the outside of the wrapped pallets. They are also palletizing in the exact same way. The only way I can tell them apart is by reading the item number on the pallet.
Wanna know what's even more mind blowing, I have twenty rechargable AA batteries I've had for ten years and although I had more at one time, they are bound to eventually give up ever taking a charge again. They actually hold a decent charge duration and the money saved over that time is uncountable..
I've had past issues with rechargeable, particularly self discharge and uneven charge capacity even among the same batch. This causes the device to go dead long before the other batteries are 'dead', all it takes is one low capacity battery and there is very low run time. It is also unpredictable, one can't depend on gettign decent run time. This was helped quite a bit by low self discharge Nimh batteries and a quality charger that charges each battery individually. Those past issues still appear from time to time but are much less than it used to be and only in the past 2 years that I have found rechargeables actually practical (meaning dependable enough).
I've had the same bad experience with Costco batteries as some of your other commenters. I like Costco for most everything, but I've had a lot of their alkaline batteries start leaking, so I've gone back to Duracell or Energizer. I also put Lithium batteries in anything really valuable, like camera equipment. They last a LONG time and NEVER leak. They're expensive, though. I keep a spreadsheet with dates when I install batteries, what the voltage was, when they'll expire, and a date when I want to test them again. I have a continuous rotation of checks I do so the voltages don't get too low, like below 1.35V per cell for instance. I almost never have battery leakage problems now that I've been doing these things. Still, even doing that, I'd see a little leakage starting on some Costco alkalines, even before the voltage got low, so I've given up on them.
I’ve had this same issue with Kirkland batteries leaking in anything that is low draw like remotes, thermometers, wireless mice, etc. so I use Duracells in those. If they were being used in kid’s toys or something like that I’d say absolutely use the Kirklands.
I put long life brand name lithiums in all 10 or so of our smoke detectors. Supposed to last 10 years. 3 of them died within a year. Replaced those with alkalines and they're still fine 3 years later. Costco Alkalines are made by Duracell. I've had Duracell leak too.
@@brucefulton I don't know who actually makes their batteries. It could even vary at times? All I know is I've been carefully tracking voltages and testing times for over 70 devices on a spreadsheet for years now and I have the leakage damage under control. Still, even doing that, I've seen several Costco cells start to leak well before expiration date and with decent voltage still showing in my testing. So I've given up on them. I haven't see Duracells leak early. Only after being discharged too long.
@@brucefulton I think I've had a few bum lithiums, but I've never had one leak, bulge, or otherwise damage a device. I use them in computer mice because they weigh significantly less than alkalines.
I stopped using Duracell years ago and use Kirkland. I use to show battery brands on TH-cam but many of the audience were 'triggered' when they saw Duracell. People thought I was getting a kick back for showing the brand. Over the years I have used many batteries and sadly what I don't like is how they all leak. Once they leak your electronics are destroyed. Anyway it's not rocket science to understand the price of Duracell, it's all the advertising and media push they do to get into the buyers minds.
Alkaline batteries leak like crazy. They should only be used as emergency batteries, because of their long shelf life. Use nickel metal hydrate or lithium for your expensive electronics. Way less of a chance of damaging your equipment.
Voniko batteries rarely leak despite being "ultra alkaline". Not sure if they're as good as the Kirkland or Duracell batteries, but at least the leaks are not a problem for these.
This video should be the gold standard for similar videos. A small into. A small discussion. A small discussion on the method. Results. 3:19. No junk we all have to fast forward through… just the thing we came to see.
Electronics designer here: It's not all about how long the battery lasts in use on ONE particular device, there are things like discharge curves (how long does the battery retain it's output voltage when it's discharged at DIFFERENT rates) and every device has different cut off voltage where they can't no longer work and every device discharges the battery at different amperage that can affect when one battery "dies" on you. And many high end batteries (obviously, not all reach what they claim, no matter the brand) have expiration dates that are well above cheaper ones. This means you can store them unused for much longer than cheap ones. Expensive ones can also be less susceptible to leaking over time or if you use them on a device that has very,. very low power requirements, they can very well outlast cheap batteries since they don't degrade over time as much even if their total energy stored might be less... So it's not as simple as you think.
The massive cost of advertising and gift wrapping the brand worked for a while for these manufacturers , with today’s TH-cam independent studies this gouging the customer is slowly coming to an end .
@@TheJttv But it will spread from person to person. Someone will watch this and talk about it to their family,friends and coworkers. Then it will spread.
Wrong. There will always be brands with gift wrapping. A large segment of the market (consumers) thrive on name brand. They won’t even buy refurbished because it doesn’t have the retail “wrapping”.
You should also test with a higher draw item. I've used Dollar Tree batteries before and while they're great for low draws it's the high draw that kills them.
Yep. It's the same for Duracell compared to Energizer. Duracell seem to work better in things with motors, but Energizer seem to work better in things like digital cameras or very bright lights.
@@jublywubly I have had the worst luck with Energizers on remote controls and small items. The Duracells always have lasted longer than the Energizers on those.
I had the same thought, but if both brands come off the same assembly line, it probably won't make a difference. The cheap batteries at dollar general however, do seem to die quicker in devices with higher draw. I swear that they feel lighter than brand name AAs as well.
At one of my kids’ science fair one kid tested like 5-6 different brands, and Kirkland signature significantly out performed every other brand, in every test, I was shocked as hell
Surprising results. Definitely would have thought the same thing. I run a green line laser pretty much all day every day. Jumping to the 12V Dewalt was totally worth it.
@@TheFunnyCarpenter Its a little heavier for sure. But I still use it on corner beads all the time, no issues, the magnets are very strong. Ive put some painter’s tape over them for when attaching it to hollow metal frames as it’ll scratch the paint.
Anecdotally, I've seen a number of posts on social media talking about Kirkland products, including the batteries. It's been suggested that Kirkland batteries are made by Duracell,which would explain the near identical results.
I've been using Milkwaukee for a long time because I have their batteries. But I now have a couple of Ryobi 18V batteries now for their air pump and fan. I'll keep them in mind next time I get a power tool.
And here I've always stayed away from Ryobi products because I thought they were the "cheap brand". At the very least, they looked lesser quality then some of the other power tools I was looking at in comparison. Hmmm, more research now needed.
I believe that many in-house labels are simply big-name brands with different packaging. Many years ago I worked a summer job in a Carnation condensed milk plant in the UK and I can tell you that almost every can of condensed milk bought in the UK came off that production line, we simply swapped out the rolls of labels when told.
I recently watched a video about replacement cellphone batteries; the guy in the video bought some off Amazon or whatever, and they were advertised to be so many milliamp-hours, long lasting, better than original equipment. He then hooked them to some fancy test unit, and found the capacity was way less than was advertised. In some cases, he peeled off the outer label, only to find the original labeling underneath. One of the batteries turned out to be 7 years older than the outside label said it was. Most of them were NOT the capacity they claimed to be, and many of them had false labeling on the outside and were actually made by another company when you found the original labeling underneath. Makes me wonder if all the stuff about donating or recycling old cellphones is just an entry point into some weird black market of used battery selling and reselling,
I know some people who worked at a factory that made sticky tape. During QA the rolls that were perfect got the name brand label and the ones with slight (cosmetic) defects got the generic brand label. The only major difference would be slight oscillation in the sidewall and the label.
I wish I had the equipment to do testing at different power demands on batteries. I buy both Kirkland and Duracell. I have some little candle tea light type things that the Kirkland keeps running longer however the Duracell way outlasts the Kirkland in my oculus rift controllers. So how batteries last is definitely dependant on current consumption.
All I know is I have never had a duracell battery explode in my remotes or other devices and this happens all the time with Kirkland. I am not sure just amount of energy discharge is the best metric for battery quality. but with that said, love the videos, love the humor and approach. Big fan. Cheers
THIS! I've avoided Kirkland batteries for exactly this reason: too many destroyed devices at the hands of these Kirkland cells. Big fan of Costco and the Kirkland brand, but in this case... no way even if they gave them away.
They might be cheaper but I've had a countless number of Kirkland batteries leak. We've stopped buying them entirely as of a couple years ago and haven't had any Duracells leak. I'd rather pay more and feel fairly confident I wasn't going to encounter a crusty mess in everything I put my batteries in.
I have had more 'Leakers' in the last 5 years. A goodly number of Kirkland (AAA, AA) started leaking in the package (and they were not past the date), But I have also had a few Duracell leak that were not even weak. I also have Duracell "D's" way past the date that are still fine in both Voltage and not leaking.
I've read, and personally experienced, that Duracell are leaking in devices a lot more than they used to. I actually found this online when searching because I kept experiencing it. They have a higher priced line now, and some people think the regular line is now made to lower standards. I've lost a couple of keyboards and mice, a few flashlights (not cheap ones, either), and two sets of weather sensors to Duracell in the past 5 or so years. I've switched to high quality (based on videos like this) rechargeable, except in devices that say not to. Then I mostly use Energizer Lithium, which are expensive but have never done me wrong.
Mainline Duracell has been a major disappointment when it comes to leaking. It seems they are far more likely to leak than Energizer, Kirkland, or the Amazon branded batteries. It’s become so prevalent that lower use devices like my leveling lasar and such I remove the batteries after each use because clean up can be challenging and worst case the device could be junk. The one Duracell battery line that seems better is the Industrial line, I’ve had fewer leaking cells over a long period compared to the mainline batteries. I too have had good luck with the Energizer lithium’s but have found some devices don’t like them.
Your device isn't always lost when you have a leaker. I've saved many a remote control, mouse, and flashlight. The less sensitive the electronics the more your chances will fare - flashlights are hence the easiest. You just need a base to counteract that acid - a water/baking soda slurry is always good.
@Split your wig You should do that anyway to be honest. If I know a device is not used often I always take the batteries out regardless of the brand of battery. There are some batteries that will leak with use though. Those are the ones to watch out for. I learned the hard way when I bought a new TV and I used the cheapo batteries in the remote. It wasn't but a month later the remote started acting up. I figured the cheapo batteries finally died, but once I opened the compartment I saw that they had leaked pretty heavily. I used baking soda, water, and alcohol to clean it, but for a bit there I thought I lost the remote to my new television. I never use the cheapo batteries now.
I like what Big Clive did when he tested batteries. He wired the batteries to a dummy load, in parallel with a wall clock set to midnight. That way he could easily see exactly how long they lasted without having to continuously monitor the setup.
It was a great scientific test in my humble opinion. I never would have guessed the Costco batteries would be just as good as Duracell. I would love to see further research. How about testing EverReady's Energizer brand and Walmart's store brand. That would sum up about 90% of the market.
Good review. The worst part of Duracell batteries is the leakage from AA and AAA batteries. These batteries are not constructed the same as they were years ago. The damage done to electronic devices further increases the cost of using these batteries. I’ve never had any other brand leak.
I have had really bad luck with the AA and AAA Kirkland over the years leaking and I do not put them in anything that is low drain. Kirkland certainly have just as much or more power as the name brand batteries and the price makes them very attractive, but I will not put them in my TV remotes anymore and if I can remember I always take them out of other devices and tools after I am done using them. I want to see how full batteries and maybe half-drained batteries do in some sort of leak resistance test. I have only had problems with Duracells leaking when they are well past there "expiration" date or have been left in a hot car or in my garage during the summer (the heat again is the problem or seems to be).
I just recently found two devices that contained Duracell (DuraCrap) batteries that leaked all over my Sony remotes. The expiration date was 2025. Now I never put any AA or AAA Alkaline batteries (DuraCrap or others) in anything. You’ve confirmed my suspicion about Alkaline batteries. Thanks Aaron. They’re probably all made in the same factory anyway. I have switched to AA and AAA Lithium batteries that have never leaked in anything. Yes they are more expensive but last longer too.
Good one. The thing is with batteries: they are often made for different situations. Not sure if you compare apples with apples. That laser is rather a low-drain application, or low to medium. Interresting now would be to run both brands in a high drain application. Cheaper batteries usually perform less good at high drain. High drain = high current (A)
Not running a discharge test on every battery, you can generally feel difference in weight. Duracell has declined over the last decade. I don't trust Duracell in remotes controls because they've leaked and caused issues. I used to freelance as professional photographer, and the only batteries I'd run in my flashes and backup power were Kirkland. I tried Eneloop and the IKEA equivalents but the lower voltage of NiMH caused lower recycle times which is not ideal for fast paced photography work. Kirkland has proven to me to be reliable and cost effective. Thanks for sharing!
Speedlights are a tough item to feed. I was working a fashion show with a lot of fill lighting, so my strobe was going constantly. The only battery that could hold up to the abuse were the lithium primary batteries. At the time, I was using the Energizers. They get really hot under heavy use, which sort of bothered me. The SB800 speedlight I was using at the time had no problem with the higher terminal voltage, though. Double-check your equipment before trying it!
@@jaymzx0 I actually went back to the SB-800s. I don't get how the SB-900 felt like a step backwards. I used to run Engergizer Lithium primaries as well. Excellent performance, high price but certainly an asset in low temps. I managed to heat up the underside of the flash head, just under the xenon tube assembly with the Engergizers: melting the housing. Surprisingly, I tested and checked every component on the boards and nothing was damaged, just melted the housing. I know now to take it easy whilst running the 5th battery cover WITH the SK-6(A) power bracket WITH the SD-8/9... apparently too skookum.
@@ALAPINO Indeed. The cells are skookum but the housing is not. Also, getting primary lithium batteries that hot is really sketchy. I only kept a couple sets in my bag for events that needed them. for casual shooting I went with Eneloops. Cycle time is much slower and the light complains about the lower terminal voltage but unlike the Costco _or_ Duracells, they don't leak if you forget to take them out of the light before putting it on the shelf. Not many things ruin your day like finding fuzzy batteries in your $400 speedlight. I started putting a piece of pink gaffer's tape on the head as a reminder to toss the batteries after a shoot.
I'm honestly amazed that disposable AA/AAA batteries still exist. I bought a LOT of AA and AAA eneloops and a pair of very clever chargers, between 2012-2014 and they're still in use (never bought an AA or AAA again). No more worries about the leaking mess, and they surely costed me less than 7+ years of standard batteries, chargers included.
These standard AA and AAA batteries from Kirkland, available at Costco stores are manufactured by Duracell, as revealed by the Craig Jelinek, CEO of Costco.
I took Electronics Engineering in College and did a study on batteries. We found that most batteries of the same type perform pretty much the same. The extremely cheap dollar store batteries did not hold up but most others performed just as well if not better than the name brands.
Dolor store batteries are usually carbon zinc. Pretty much only useful in transistor radios. They'll power lots of things but they work best for a continuous low current draw.
Duracell has been very aggressive at marketing their garbage batteries, and the public has caught the bait. The batteries are very expensive, but the quality is average. I usually buy supermarket-brand batteries for wall clocks and Panasonic PowerPro (ProPower?) for more critical applications.
I now buy the carbon-zinc batteries from Dollar Tree they are fine for clocks and remotes and any other low drain devices. I replace them either when they die or after two years and I never had one leak.
I use mainly rechargeable also for same reason. Some devices such as wall clocks, remotes or smoke detectors still fine for alkaline since they are long use time with low power draw. You can get LSD NIMH batteries now though that hold decent charge up to a year, but around 20% lower initial capacity.
Not in my experience. I've used most types of rechargeable AAA batteries in a reading lamp (as one example) and none of them last more than about six hours before the light begins to get dull. Decent single-use batteries tend to last about eight hours before there's any noticeable difference.
@@jublywubly Good NiMH AA have around the same MAH rating as good alkaline. Their starting voltage is a bit lower, but they have a much flatter voltage curve, so on average, similar voltage. Alkaline also have substantially lower runtime if using any sort of load. At a load of 1C, they can lose around 75% of their capacity. Alkaline offer similar, or very slight advantage in low drain situations, but put any sort of load on them, and they drop off a cliff. Rechargeable battery capacity varies a lot by brand, can range from 1200-2600 MAH, but some cheap Chinese cells can be lower, and any quality cell being at least 2300MAH, unless LSD, then 2000+.
@@xeridea Interesting. Rechargeable batteries that state they're 1.5 volts tend to drop down to 1.2 volts about half way through their usage cycle. That's what makes them so rubbish in my reading light. I don't know if that's all rechargeable batteries, or just all the ones I've tested. If I recall correctly Lithium Ion batteries run at 1.2 volts from the start. Incidentally, I tried out a pack of four Aldi rechargeable AAA batteries, last year. I went to use them about 12 hours later, and found they had all lost a substantial amount of charge. The best had lost about 10% of charge, without even being used or installed in any device. The worst had lost 50% of its charge, over the same time.
@@jublywubly NMH batteries only produce 1.2 volts when fully charged. Lithium produces 4-4.2, which is why you don't see that chemistry in any AA or AAA batteries, since the voltage is too high to be used in devices designed to run off of 1.5.
A major factor is how "fresh" the batteries are. The Costo ones are most likely less than a month off the production line (Costo sells a LOT of batteries and they turn over stock VERY fast). The brand name ones you get from a typical store may be anywhere from a month to a couple of years old, there is now way to tell that I know of. I have also used "Amazon Basic" batteries and in my experience they are just junk.
@@TheFunnyCarpenter But then again, since Costco generally turns their inventory some 19 times a year (last I remember) those Duracell packs should also be pretty fresh, no? (if you tested the ones bought there)
They might buy them from the same manufacturer, but the Kirkland batteries might be rejects from Duracell. No idea, but there is SOME difference. All I know is that many dozens of my Kirkland AAs have leaked where I haven't had any Duracells leak.
@@paulkim1011 That doesn't negate my hypothesis. Made in the same plant by Duracell, but Duracell rejects a portion of the batteries they make for any number of reasons, but they're still decent batteries, and they sell them to Costco at a reduced price and Costco brands them with Kirkland wrappers. Also note the number of other commenters saying the same thing, that Kirkland batteries leak while Duracell do not.
Very surprised with the outcome... Wish I had watched this before buying a 48 pack of Duracell like 2 hours ago. Literally right next to them was Kirkland and they were about $12 less. Lesson learned, thanks for posting this
I have a lock picking channel and this is also the case with some padlocks. Don't always believe what the packet tells you. I always buy Kirkland batteries and never realised they stood up so well against Duracell. I knew they were good but didn't realise they were that good. Cheers for the video 🙂👍🏻
The sheer amount of AA batteries that I throw away weekly due to lasers on site has made be change all my lasers to built in rechargeable lasers, namely dewalt and milwaukee 12v. Might cost more initially but hopefully in the long run itll be cheaper, less inconvenient and better for the environment
But the manufacturer must leave out some seals or something, as Kirkland AA cells *always* leak, while Duracell AA cells rarely do. For example, a wall clock stops ticking, take it down and the Kirkland AA cell has already made a crusty mess, even if the clock just stopped ticking the same day. Ikea makes better AA cells; almost as cheap as Kirkland but I've not seen any leaking yet.
@@JxH when I’ve used Kirkland occasionally over the last few years (usually just in cheap flashlights) they haven’t always leaked: just frequently enough to make me avoid putting them in cameras and radios. It was that one experience when every single one leaked that turned me off.
Take a look at the bottom of the batteries. Unless they've changed, both Duracell and Kirkland batteries have two dots. Similarly Rayovac and Panasonic batteries have the same base.
I do electrical component testing for a living. I’m not trying to be critical but a sample size of 1 is statistically not good. You could have randomly grabbed the best Kirkland and the worst Duracell. But having said that, I don’t think so. The discharge is a chemical process and hard to affect that process significantly through the chemistry. The Anode and Cathode could be made of better less resistive material but I wouldn’t think the difference between the best and worst Anode and Cathode would affect the life by more than 10% at most. So basically I’m not too surprised by your result. There is one thing else to consider on a battery. That is storage. You may get a longer storage life from a better battery. This would be true if it’s components are more resistive and there are fewer leakage paths for the current to flow from Anode to Cathode. I buy my batteries in bulk from Amazon.
They pretty much live up to the data on the packs ...... just compare amphours (or milli amps ;o) ) As you say the chemistry is the same and the size is the same so you would not expect a big difference! There may be a bigger difference with higher load devices though as the internal resistance of the cell would play a bigger part!
I worked for a computer company and one of my clients was Duracell. The computer that I serviced was used to test the longevity of not only their batteries but other manufactures also in a variety of ways, on constantly, on then off like a flashlight... Over the years I have also learned that it depends on what device you put the batteries in. I had a small transistor radio (showing my age) that if I used Duracell batteries, they would not last half as long as some off-brand batteries, whereas in other devices, the off-brand wouldn't work very long and the Duracell was the overachiever.
I love Costco's stuff, but their Kirkland batteries tend to leak when left in a device for extended periods of time. Duracell's don't. That alone caused me to change over from Kirkland to Duracell.
The problem with the Kirtland batteries is they will start to leak if you leave them in a device for any length of time causing huge problems. I haven't seen that with the Duracell's over the same period of time. You should check that.
My Kirk's started leaking. Happened enough times with different packages that I've switched back to the Duracell (also bought at COSTCO). Not sure if they switched vendors or what, but use to use them all the time without issue. Might try them again. Still love the Kirkland RUM though. 😉
Preciously why I stopped using Kirkland batteries. It happened far too many times and was quite annoying, so I switched back to Duracell and happily paid the extra price. Life is too short to be cleaning battery terminals and ruining electronics. If you use Kirklands in a device that sits most of the time, remove the batteries.
@@sciampa8127 Same experience I had with Kirkland. Takes about a year though, so I usually see it in TV remotes, or something I haven't used in over year. Open the battery door and you get nasty white crumbles caked over corroded metal contacts inside the device. That's why I stopped using Kirkland and went with Duracell.
I was lucky in that early on in my life, around the early to mid 90s I had a game boy and went through tons of AA batteries... I learned very quickly that the Kirkland batteries are just as good and often better than the big name brands. I always go for them now for the past 25 or so years haha. Would be cool to test them or the big name brands against the Amazon batteries though
☝️ what he said. In general most capacity tests show Duracell, Energizer and Rayovac neck & neck, with Duracell Quantum edging above the 3. But then there's batch to batch, manufacturing location and other anomalies that make it back and fourth. I grab the one that's closest to my hand.
My son did a science fair experiment testing out AA batteries. We used a voltmeter and a load resister. We drew enough current that the batteries didn’t overheat, and it still took almost 3 1/2 hours to drop the voltage to 1.1 Volts (generally the point where most digital devices stop working but still able to weakly power a flashlight.) Duracell and energizer alkaline batteries lost to Costco and Amazon basics brands with similar performance but vastly different prices. “Super Duty batteries” (non alkaline) are complete trash and die in less than an hour at the tested load. Lithium AA are spectacular performers but cost more than 3x than the Duracell Alkaline batteries. Lithium is best for when the show must go on (more than twice as long as alkaline) using high drain current devices and your wallet is quite flush.
Lithium batteries are also better performers in more extreme temperatures. This makes them a better choice for something like weather stations in colder climates.
@@nickschaf9962 More a mandatory choice. Alkalines can't handle a northeast winter. Rechargeables are even worse. So lithium it is for those cheap weather stations.
@@Robbedem “super duty” batteries are made of carbon and zinc (1860’s tech updated in the 1960’s). Advantages? Dirt cheap. Might work well in that flashlight you turn on once a year. Disadvantages? They deplete very rapidly in use and are prone to leakage. They fall into the category of “better than nothing” but not by much.
The only thing you tested is that your laser cuts out at a specific voltage. At that point there is still a lot of energy left in the batteries, it is just inaccessible to the device. You have not tested if other devices have better voltage boost converters and can operate at the lower voltages drained batteries provide. However, if you are mainly using batteries for exactly this application (your laser), then your test is valid and very useful , albeit limited to your specific use case.
We call Kirkland batteries " Leakers". I've had brand new, unopened packs start leaking at less than a year old. I've also had several devices damaged by them even though the batteries in them were new and unused. No more " leakers " for us.
When I lived in the US I think I pretty much only ever used Kirkland batteries and never had a problem. Maybe the ones your store sourced were manufactured somewhere else? Then again, that was a decade ago, so maybe my information is just outdated.
@@pwilkinson18 Then I'd be taking a lot back, as about a third of them leak. And Costco won't replace the devices that their batteries have damaged. Had three packs in a row with leakers before we stopped using them. The fact that not all of them leak screams poor quality control. Duracell may be more expensive, but in this case you get what you pay for. The only Duracells I've had leak were past their use by date, or were left in the device after they were run down.
It's pretty common knowledge that Duracell makes Kirkland AA's. The casing details are identical and unique to those two brands. I gave up on both because they both leak prematurely. They even leak in the package a few months after purchase and years before their expiration dates. I have had Eveready batteries go years beyond their expiration dates without leaking. Eveready's are all I use now.
Great video. In addition to capacity shelf life is the other consideration when determining battery quality. This is unfortunately hard to test as it would take over a year or 2 to do. I’ve read reviews that said Kirkland (also Amazon Basics) may have more capacity than the name brands when new the degrade on the shelf faster. But if you’re not storing batteries for a long time then it doesn’t matter. Just remember to rotate your emergency supply if you have one.
Every Duracell battery I’ve used has leaked into whatever device I’ve used and at a short life . The Kirkland brand lasts longer and they’ve never leaked !
I used to only buy the Kirkland brand batteries but found they would leak and corrode in my devices quickly causing a mess. I had to locate and swap out all devices using them, also had to clean the battery compartments which was no fun. I stopped using them a couple years ago so not sure if they fixed that issue. I have not had that problem with the name brands.
I've had Duracell batteries leak and ruin a camera, a flash, a voltage tester, a moisture sensor and a flashlight over the years. And I've had many leak just sitting in my drawer unused.
I have had that problem with many different types of batteries. I cured some of that in my less used devices by storing the batteries separate or in reversing the batteries in the compartments.
Hell, I use harbor freight batteries when I can. In something like a rarely used flashlight, electronic deadbolt, even a tv remote, they last well over a year. In something that sees more continual use, I do think the bunny brand lasts longer, but I still wont pay that price. Been using Kirklands for years now in those applications.
I use alot of batteries and have given up on any of the heavily advertised brands. They seem to be worst for leaking. I've had very good luck with the Harbor Freight Thunderbolt Alkaline batteries. I don't doubt that the advertised brands will give more power in high drain devices but that extra power comes at a cost. The Thunderbolt Alkaline batteries shouldn't be confused with the cheap Carbon Zinc Thunderbolt batteries, which have alot less power or the Thunderbolt Edge batteries, which I have no experience with.
In some devices such as t.v. remotes and small flashlights you can significantly increase the life of these batteries by opening the remote and spinning the batteries while still in the housing. It ain't stupid if it works
There is a film that develops on batteries inside remotes etc; if your batteries conk out on your remote you can take them out of the device and clean them top and bottom, also inside unit. 9 times out of 10 I can get another 2 weeks out of them.
The difference is mostly in shelf life. Most batteries will have similar run-time between brands. However, a lot of the off-brands will lose a lot of run-time if stored too long. Other things that differentiate the different brands is how use effects run-time. Duracell doesn't last as long as Energiser in a flashlight, for instance - though the difference is small. Whereas Energiser needs to specify the ones that do well in electronics, since their O.F. would have 25% less total run-time when cycled the way some electronics do. However, the difference here is small as well. The differences in discharge rates, shelf life, draw tolerance, cycling tolerance, etc. lies almost exclusively in the difference in manufacturing processes, including quality control, since the basic chemistry is the same. From brand to brand.
Another issue with the Duracell is leakage and the resulting damage to the device. I would be curious to know the long term storage of the Kirklands concerning the leakage issue. I have changed to Eveready solely because they seem not to leak.
@@reggievangleason9511 Like you', I've had a rash of leaky Duracells in the last 4-5 years. At first I thought it was because I was buying them in bulk from Micro Center and suspected they were "counterfeit" Duracells. The the "genuine" Duracells I've bought from local hardware stores and from Costco commenced leaking also! I've given up on Duracell batteries completely and have switched to Energizers or rechargeables, despite the higher costs. They're more reliable than the Duracells, last as long (power-wise, that is) and don't entail the added replacement costs for damaged equipment (yes, I know that Duracell will replace things, but I haven;t usually got 4-6 months to kill waiting for them to respond).
that’s interesting. the 20min difference in run time means that they’re practically the same... i’m curious to see what differences there would be with a more in-depth test than what this was. in my mind such a marginal difference could be due to multiple factors; were you sitting there watching it the entire time the laser was on, or did you leave the room and when you came back it had died? it was super late at night after all.
Friendly tip. If you don't know that already that is. Ikea batteries are rebranded SANYO Eneloop batteries for fraction of the cost. Eneloops are highly regarded as one of the best out there
I did some capacity testing on a bunch of AA batteries and never actually got around to Duracell but the carbon zinc batteries that say like super heavy duty have like 1/4 the capacity of alkaline and my advice is buy the cheapest alkaline you can find and that's probably the beast deal I didn't see a huge difference in alkaline
That’s because the carbon zinc batteries are made for higher current draw. But they do come at the cost of a lower capacity, so they’re kind of a catch 22. That’s why they’re not really mainstream any more.
@@r100curtaincall I'll have to look back on my testing because just because I tested amps on a short circuit test I did not monitor the voltage sag or anything else but I believe the alkaline did better there too
The heavy duty batteries has less capacity. But are designed for toy cars etc that runs shorter times at high load. The alkalines are way better for electric watches etc where you have a low load but for a very long time. The alkaline batteries also has less self-drain so you can store them for a longer time.
@@perwestermark8920 in my testing they aren't any better than alkaline for current draw infact they are worse I think they are just around because they are cheap and not everyone knows they suck so they still make money one them
@@james10739 Kinda sorta. They're cheaper, and they work better in short high-draw burst applications, and they work better in hot environments, as they don't degrade as fast under stress internally. For people who need to run things in short bursts but have a high draw, they tend to be better as they can deliver their full capacity. Alkalines lose a lot of their capacity as heat at higher draws for longer periods, but when they are run very lightly (like as a backup for a clock or something, they actually last quite a bit longer. There are definitely a lot more cases where the alkalines win out either way though now, especially as modern alkalines are far superior to old ones that were made back in the day when carbon zinc batteries were the norm. Especially in common everyday uses. They've gotten them down to a science now. You get similar contrasts from NiCd vs NiMH. NiCds have much lower capacity, but they also have far lower internal resistance and are very rugged to abuse and harsh temps, but NiMH are generally superior in capacity and most common uses, and are not as toxic, but they are also fragile and hate extreme temps. So there are a few rare cases where NiCd is actually still better, such as charging capacitor banks for flashlamps for example, or other high discharge systems where you need brief amounts of huge currents, like car starter packs, or AEDs. They also used to be used as ship or aircraft batteries for the longest time, and still are in cases for their ruggedness. They can be beneficial and more tolerant of the harsh discharges and environments and such, where as lithium is kind of a middle ground, with some of the best of both worlds. It's actually a common question I get at work sometimes, which is why I have an alkaline flashlight not a lithium one. I have rechargables for it as a work light, but as an emergency light it runs longer on alkalines than a lithium, and it gives me the luxury of replacing them at any time if the mains isn't handy to charge it. As with most things in life, the answer to what's best is 'it depends'. The lithium will run it for slightly longer at full brightness, but on alkalines on a lower brightness it will far outlast the lithiums several times over as D batteries have a far greater capacity per cell. (12Ah vs about 3 on the lithiums and the alkalines also keep longer.) You can really get into the weeds on this stuff if you really want to. it all depends on what you need as well as what you can afford. (edit: also, short circuit testing is poor testing methodology, and is dangerous. you shouldn't do that. it makes it impossible to compare things as all batteries behave differently. you need a constant load to be able to make comparisons, often at different draws. you'll find many batteries perform differently at different draws due to their specific properties) :)
I’m a born cheap-ass and called Duracell’s bluff years ago. Then, there was a bad batch of Kirklands that leaked acid into my electronics. Seemed a widespread problem to judge by what I read on the web at the time. Might be long in the past (probably over ten years ago) but Duracells never did that to me at the same scale, and I have a long memory. I still buy batteries at Costco, but usually take the Duracells.
Bill I had the same problem with the Kirkland batteries about two years ago. Someone said they are the same battery, with a different label. Looking carefully at them showed me that they may be produced by the same company, but they did not appear to be the same. They were not identical in appearance.
"there was a bad batch of Kirklands that leaked..." Bad batch? You mean, like every single one made for about the past decade? I'm so tired of them attempting to ruin my gadgets that I refuse to buy them at any price. Ikea AA cells are better.
Honestly a lot of Kirkland brand stuff is pretty good. I recall an article one time where they looked at different brands of Olive oil, and they saw that so very few were actually legit, Kirkland being one of them.
I used to work at Radio Shack in the 90s and their private label batteries were all made by Eveready which makes Energizer. They even came shipped to the stores in an Eveready box with the private label batteries inside. The green and reds were carbon batteries but the golds were alkaline and exactly the same as an Energizer. Some people didn't believe they were as good as Duracell or the real Energizer but they were usually better because the stock would turn over so quickly vs Duracell packages sitting on a shelf in a department store.
Oh btw to be honest the difference between them is enough to possibly be within the margin of error. If you do that 3 or 4 times its possible they both have nearly the same capacity which is awesome and a win for costco!
I tried the Kirkland AA batteries and found that they leaked, ruining some of my electronics. There are much better batteries out there. I've converted to rechargeable batteries and always keep them charged and ready for use. Keep the landfills free of these single use batteries and save your money by not purchasing these types of batteries.
I didn’t need to test the copper tops against the Kirklands to find out. I had been purchasing the copper tops for more years than I can say at my age of 76. I noticed the copper tops going dead much quicker than the Kirklands did just using them in my Comcast remote control when I noticed the copper tops getting bad much sooner. One more thing I had been finding brand new unused copper tops being either almost or dead right out of the package. The copper tops also in some instances either leaked acid while in the packaging but also in somethings I used them in. The copper tops I used in my very expensive battery lantern that took 10 D size batteries leaked ruining it roughly 3 months after I installed them but the lantern was only turned on to test it so I knew it would work in an emergency. No more copper tops for me regardless of the types. Thanks
Congrats, you confirmed the common knowledge that the capacity of normal battery's only depend on shelf live, and not on brand-name. So, only buy batteries were the do have a big turnover to ensure to get new ones.
Leakage and degradation over time is a factor. I prefer Duracell too, and noticed a while ago a smoke alarm in a caravan I have, but had not used for years was peeping, after 4? years. In rentals, real estate people ask that batteries be replaced every 6 months in smoke alarms, mainly because (a) some people forget to do it every time, and (b) some batteries don't hold their power well over time, even if unused. Duracell seems to have a much longer *shelf life* over cheaper batteries, even though their total power output is similar when new.
In my rental, I replaced the smoke detectors that you had to replace the batteries every year with the detectors that contain lithium batteries that last 10 years. After that time you should replace the detectors so you throw the whole thing out and put in new detectors. Sometimes I get more than 10 years and sometimes less. But, at the price of premium 9-volt batteries, they pay for themselves.
I haven't done a new test in twenty years of battery brands, but leaking and ruining my devices back then was the prime concern, not how long the battery lasted. Saving a couple dollars on a battery when it is your 20, 40 or higher priced item using the battery had to be replaced was a no brainer for me. Back then I bought a bunch of cheapo flashlights, left them on for a couple of days till they ran out of power, not tracking which went first, then left them for a year. The Duracell were the only ones at the time that didn't leak after the year. And the only ones I've bought since. There have been a couple of Duracell that did leak over the years, but it was a very small amount and was easily cleaned with no permanent damage.
Kirkland AA will eventually leak; for heavy use, that's not a problem. For low drain use, you'll be spending time scrapping crusty battery acid out of whatever you use them in. Ikea AA are vastly better in this respect.
This is why dollar stores are one of my favorite places to visit. They have many off-brand products, or "defect" products that are hella cheap to grab (for example a misprint on a quality tshirt) , which have on par performance as the original.
Nice comparison, I've been using Kirkland AA's for years and never had an issue. I sometimes leave them unused in a device for months (e.g. handheld sailing electronics, flashlights) and never had a leak. They have a "best before" date, my most recent batch is 2028 - good enough for me.
This is a cool experiment. There are many factors that make a "good" battery though. It mostly depends on your application. Other factors to consider are voltage consistency across the life of the battery, peak current output, stability over temperature, etc.
I have a few questions.. 1: What is the load for the laser guides? 2: What did the temp graph of the room look like during both tests? (More interested of the last 2 hours to be honest) 3: What are the performance profiles of higher loads. 4: What were the cut off parameters for the guide to turn off the laser. 5: What were the manufactured date of the set of batteries?
Hi mate from England, I lived in Canada in the early 90s and got a fire safe from costco put in kirkland batteries and they worked for many years, I know safe draw little power but the interesting thing is they never leaked. A few years ago back here in blighty I paid 160 pounds for a dewalt laser level and left duracell batteries in it and they completely destroyed my level by leaking, I also had the same problem with an expensive torch, now I get cheap Amazon batteries and have had no problem
They did a test in the UK Ham Radio Today magazine, back in the early 1980's. National High Top batteries outlasted Duracell by 9 to 10 hours, in walkie talkies.
The expensive part of a battery is not the caustic chemicals that cause the reaction inside, its the metal tube and plastic wrap that stops those chemicals from leaking out. My landlord bought a big pack of those Kirkland batteries for use in new networked smoke detectors being used in each room. About a year later, they all start to die at around the same time, but on closer inspection, most of them have burst and spread corrosion all over the nice new wifi smoke alarms. Some of them had even begun to drip through the housing and onto the board inside. The power contained in a battery is not the only metric of quality.
@@dtibor5903 Because other people say something is never a good reason to believe them. An assembly line does not produce a consistently perfect product. In manufacturing, things get "binned". The good ones go in this bin and get sold for full price, and the not quite perfect ones go in the half price bin.
Project Farms series on rechargeables changed my game.
Stay tuned for a Video called: Rechargeables Project Farm Lite! 😂
@@TheFunnyCarpenter lol
Yip project farm came up with energizer as the winner.
the IKEA rechargables are/were rebadged Eneloops and cheaper.
Switched over to rechargeables years ago
Something most people don’t know about Costco is they have very strict standards on what they sell. Products they sell have to be as good or better than name brand or they won’t sell them. Advertisement is what keeps most people buying name brand, when a lot of off brand stuff is as good or almost as good for a lot less. Videos like this prove it!
The only times I use name-brand products is when I need to make sure the battery is of good quality and won't risk exploding. For example, for the BIOS battery in a PC or laptop, I'd rather pay 2-3 times the price once every 5-10 years, than risk having the battery set the PC/laptop on fire.
Kirkland batteries leak…
One of the distinctions is that Duracell provides a warranty that their batteries won't leak and will pay to replace any item damaged by a leaking battery. That may or may not be worth something to people.
According to the comments both batteries are made by Duracell^^
@@ogopogodragon All batteries leak...so do Duracell.
People love to make fun of Kirkland, but Kirkland isn't a "brand" it's a "private label." Those batteries likely came off the exact same factory line with the only difference being the very last step - the label. Costco doesn't pay any money into advertising and retains what is basically the best quality assurance and testing teams and scientists in the industry using the money that they save. If it gets the "Kirkland" name on it, it's pretty easily the best or as close to (depending on partnerships) that there is in any category. Kirkland shampoo and conditioner, the exact formulation, in bottles often less than half the amount, can cost nearly $80 USD in some boutique shops. The Kirkland ones are like $10 USD.
I worked for Costco for a few years, and basically buy everything from there if I can. It really is some secret weapon.
What's funny is that people still poke fun or don't belive me outright. Some crazy negative stigma surrounds it, but Kirkland "brand" anything is basically the best in terms of manufacture quality, ingredient quality, and quality in testing.
A local boutique applesauce company near me supplies for Kirkland, and of course the closest Costco is like 2 hour away
"KIRKLAND is a name you can TRUST" lol
Costco pretty much states that Kirkland branded goods are supposed to be equivalent quality as the same competing product sold under the premium brands. Kirkland is intended to be 'premium' quality.
Kirkland is a city in Seattle. Headquarter . My friend has child born in Kirkland and he always says he got her from Costco.
That's the Marketing budget saved, I understand from the Business Breakdowns podcast by Colossus. That and Duracell say Duracell and Kirkland say Kirkland on them and have different disclaimer zoology (also marketing and practice.)
I used to trust Duracell for longest lasting and no leaks. BUT, no longer. Duracell will leak just sitting there. They don't make anything like they used to any longer.
Yep. Even their "Pro Cells" leak. I have lost a few flashlights because of Duracell and I don't use them anymore.
@@FlugPoP Procells are literally the same batteries, just marketed to a different sector.
Kirkland battery are Duracell
@@trevorlambert4226 yep. TV and radio used them for all their wireless mics
@@waltersobchak7275 yes Duracell makes Kirkland.
My mom briefly worked in a battery factory in her early 20s. Growing up we only ever bought the cheap brands bc she would constantly tell us her factory made them all and they just had different labels.
FYI: Kirkland batteries are made by Duracell. The difference in charge is when you buy them and how long they've been sitting on the shelf waiting to be bought after manufacturing, they're exactly the same. They're a private label sitting on top of a brand manufacturer. Most things are like this, all store brands are just private labels made by a bigger brand.
Do you have a source for that or are you just guessing? If there is a source that maps store brands to the ghost manufacturers making them I would be really interested in it.
FALSE!!!! Just internet rumor.
@@Hurlamania the dark roast actually says starbucks on it so its actually a starbucks product with a kirkland label.
@@jldpittman a claim of proof without evidence is as useful as a claim of false without evidence... 🤷♂️
Kirkland Signature coffee is roasted by Starbucks in Tacoma where both of their HQ’s are.
I've also switched to Kirkland vodka after a highly scientific test revealed that the bottle contains exactly the same amount of vodka as the Titos.
Not as good though I bet...Tito's is worth the money. On the other hand...both will get you drunk!
@@eyellgeteven9928 Having tasted both I would happily choose Kirkland. If you drink a mixed drink it’s hard to tell whatever the Vodka.
@@bobcervante3801 I drink it straight. I don't think Cosco sells vodka in this state...you have to buy it at a state run liquor store.
@@eyellgeteven9928 And you live in the land of the free!
I wish l could buy Kirkland liquor in our Costcos. Sigh...
I've switched pretty much exclusively to Eneloops or their equivalent NiMH cells as rechargeable batteries for things that use AA or AAA batteries. Duracell _USED_ to be good, but over the past 20 years or so have really fallen off a cliff reliability-wise. I don't know if it's the cost cutting bean counters in charge or changes in chemistry made due to environmental regulations (suspect some of each), but I've had more things damaged or destroyed by leaking Duracells (should call the damned things Corrodacells instead) in the past 15 or so years than I had ever had in my life before with all other batteries combined. I've seen them leak unused in their packaging while still several YEARS short of their 'use by' date. Then occasionally I'll get my hands on an old piece of equipment and open it to find stone dead but still non leaking Duracells from the 80s/90s. They've definitely gone to crap in my experience, and I won't buy them any more.
Thanks for the info Pat
@@TheFunnyCarpenter My pleasure. I first learned about the Eneloops about 11-12 years ago on a photography forum - flashes have a voracious appetite for batteries, and people there raved about them. They were originally manufactured by Sanyo, and are now made by Panasonic. I've also recently gotten some made by Fujitsu; they too seem to work very well. They're not cheap, but in my opinion make up for it first by being reusable and more importantly based on the fact that so far, none of them have ever leaked and spewed forth corrosive nastiness to ruin my things.
Unfortunately they don't make the Eneloops or Fujitsus in any forms other than AA and AAA; I wish they'd also make them in C and D cells, but for now have to be satisfied with the small ones. Definitely worth a look in my opinion if you use a lot of AA and/or AAA cells.
Duracells are the worst for leaking and messing up whatever they’re in. Especially things like clocks, remote controls, or thermometers that are low drain.
@@patmx5 Agree totally. Long life is far less important than keeping my things undamaged. I used to never install batteries that came with remotes and other things instead opting to put in duracells. My thinking now is the cheap batteries that come with stuff can't be any worse than those leaking duracells.
@@mikespunchlist If anything, I've found the batteries that come with remotes to be BETTER than the Corrodacells, at least as far as leaking and damaging things. I've had remotes that died after years of use, and opened them up only to find the ancient batteries are dead, but no leakage to be seen. Energizers aren't much better. I recently had to clean up a differential scope probe that came with Energizers when I bought it new; being lazy and anxious to play with my new toy I just popped them in. Went to use it again a few months later and found leaking batteries and corroded contacts. Luckily I caught it early and was able to use some vinegar to neutralize the glop, but it now has a set of Eneloops.
I went off Duracell a long time ago, not just because of lifetime but also because they seem to leak so badly when exhausted, despite Duracell’s claims to the contrary.
Agree, if any battery I have is going to leak it'll be a Duracell. They are expensive rubbish as far as I'm concerned.
Same problem here. I buy energizers when Costco isn’t open/near by.
Last year I had to dump several large packs of AAA & AA Duracell from Costco with expiration dates 2024 because of large number of them became defective ,I should have tried returning them . Also Duracell flashlights , several models,became defective in a very short time. I now buy only kirkland's batteries. To bad they don't make other sizes. As for flashlights brands, I find Coast brand from home depot best for its light output per battery type and unit size.
@@jorgewatanabe3478 Yep. Several years ago I took a new pack of Duraleaks with an expiration date of 2023 back to Costco, as unused batteries, new, and still in the package were leaking. :-( As someone else here mentioned, I heard that Kirkleaks and Duraleaks are made by the same company. Don't know that for a fact, but I do know as a fact that they both leak.
I've had Kirkland double a batteries leak on several occasions but they're still the best bang for the buck.
Switched to Eneloops years ago and haven't regretted it. No worries about batteries leaking and its a simple swap and recharge when they die (because charged ones will hold a charge for YEARS without substantial self-discharge). Added bonus: no worries about disposing of dead single- use batteries properly (most people just throw them in the trash)
So, I use to actually work at the Bunny factory. They never stopped the production line when switching the labels between SNB and NB batteries. They only time we did anything different was when we were "making" Fugi batteries they were more closely checked for leaks. Everything was the same anode and cathode mixture, same welding and crimping method, unless it was lithium they were all the same.
My experience with Kirkland was repeated leaking. Some leaked in the package (not expired yet). Got tired of ruining devices or spending time cleaning corrosion out to the battery compartments. Switched to energizer brand, and have had far fewer issues with that.
I agree with Jeff the Kirkland leaked in several of my devices which never happened even with Duracell.
Same here. They leak even in the package
Same issue here in the UK. Because of this I won’t buy Kirkland batteries again.
#truth
Buy the Duracell. Quality is worth the price of not ruining your devices from leaks
@@marktheshark7754 But Duracells leak too.
Arguably the best part of the vid is the final words, “I don’t care”. Thanks for doing this test brother! Keep up the good work.
Did the little guy care when he found out he had 5 bucks coming his way. You did pay him dad didn't you?
Have to disagree. The best part of this vid is that now that I've seen the pathetic attempt at "testing", I realize there is no scientific validity and thus do not have to watch any other "testing" by this channel. Such a waste of time.
Engineer here: take a look at the data sheet. It has some useful information. You tested capacity at a low drain. But high drain devices might show different results. Also over temperature extremes. Voltage and ESR (series resistance) are both important. ESR is a value that predicts how much the voltage sag out under load. Low ESR means better for high drain devices.
what is this for? a pc run on batteries in the artic?
@@Dpaq13 Maybe a more appropriate example would be how the cells perform in a high power tactical flashlight camping in bitter cold weather, or if they burst and leak if left in a hot summer car.
@@power-max As to the last one, I can guarantee that Duracell do. Pretty badly, too. Their so-called "guarantee" isn't worth the ink they print it with either.
@@dlevi67 Dave (EEVblog) actually tried to get alkiline batteries to leak but wasn't able! He tried a bunch of different things, deep discharging them, even reverse charging them... It seems to be a time based phenomenon as the pressure slowly builds after being deep discharged over the course of months to years.
@@power-max Consumer packaging do not contain relevant specs, if they had a significant real world advantage, they would not "hide" specs!
I really like the approach you take to making a video: You don’t have a long and drawn out intro with some obnoxious theme music, you don’t beg us to smash that like button and to turn on notifications, and you balance in some funny clips through your a-roll. Well done sir, consider me subbed.
Thanks Waylon, I hear you on the long intros!
@@TheFunnyCarpenter: And, you don't pop up on the screen waving and shrilling, "HIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII, GUYYYYYYYYYYYYS!!!!!!" Thank you 😆
They are the same batteries, made by Duracell, labeled as Kirkland.
This seems reasonable and I suspect the variation in duration is due to cell variability and/or the small but detectable difference in extra resistance created by possibly a hotter device post 16 hrs use or change in ambient temperature for the Duracell stickered cells.
yeah you really need to know what brand makes what because you could end up getting scalped by 5 times or more the price.
The really good thing about having a name that you can trust is that if you're on holly day and really need to buy something that you know will work (in the long run) you should always go with the trusty name, if it's just a matter of a day or two, fuck it and save you money.
That's usually the story for most consumable items, there's no point in over paying when there are some good brands out there, or rebrands of good brands.
This is what I learned from my dad who works for a big chemical company, they will make one batch and sell 4-5 different "brands", the top clients ALWAYS buys the "Duracell" of their products because money is no question, but quality is always expected to be top notch, even though they must know it's basically the same thing, they just buy the "best" to be sure, I guess if anything goes wrong they can get compensated and state that they paid $5M for that last shipment and it ended up bad, so they are entitled to at least $5M+losses.
But when it comes to hardware that's where you really need to be careful. you'll often pay just under half or 1/3 the price, but get 1/10 the life time.
Definitely not made by Duracell.
Work for costco. Can confirm they are made or at least shipped by Duracell. If you walk into a warehouse and look at the wrapped pallets they have Duracell printed on the manufacturing labels that are on the outside of the wrapped pallets. They are also palletizing in the exact same way. The only way I can tell them apart is by reading the item number on the pallet.
BULLSH*T
Wanna know what's even more mind blowing, I have twenty rechargable AA batteries I've had for ten years and although I had more at one time, they are bound to eventually give up ever taking a charge again. They actually hold a decent charge duration and the money saved over that time is uncountable..
I’d say you’ve save about 200$ depending on how many batteries you use in a year. 🍻
I've had past issues with rechargeable, particularly self discharge and uneven charge capacity even among the same batch. This causes the device to go dead long before the other batteries are 'dead', all it takes is one low capacity battery and there is very low run time. It is also unpredictable, one can't depend on gettign decent run time. This was helped quite a bit by low self discharge Nimh batteries and a quality charger that charges each battery individually. Those past issues still appear from time to time but are much less than it used to be and only in the past 2 years that I have found rechargeables actually practical (meaning dependable enough).
I've had the same bad experience with Costco batteries as some of your other commenters. I like Costco for most everything, but I've had a lot of their alkaline batteries start leaking, so I've gone back to Duracell or Energizer. I also put Lithium batteries in anything really valuable, like camera equipment. They last a LONG time and NEVER leak. They're expensive, though. I keep a spreadsheet with dates when I install batteries, what the voltage was, when they'll expire, and a date when I want to test them again. I have a continuous rotation of checks I do so the voltages don't get too low, like below 1.35V per cell for instance. I almost never have battery leakage problems now that I've been doing these things. Still, even doing that, I'd see a little leakage starting on some Costco alkalines, even before the voltage got low, so I've given up on them.
I’ve had this same issue with Kirkland batteries leaking in anything that is low draw like remotes, thermometers, wireless mice, etc. so I use Duracells in those. If they were being used in kid’s toys or something like that I’d say absolutely use the Kirklands.
Same here, Jeff.
I put long life brand name lithiums in all 10 or so of our smoke detectors. Supposed to last 10 years. 3 of them died within a year. Replaced those with alkalines and they're still fine 3 years later. Costco Alkalines are made by Duracell. I've had Duracell leak too.
@@brucefulton I don't know who actually makes their batteries. It could even vary at times? All I know is I've been carefully tracking voltages and testing times for over 70 devices on a spreadsheet for years now and I have the leakage damage under control. Still, even doing that, I've seen several Costco cells start to leak well before expiration date and with decent voltage still showing in my testing. So I've given up on them. I haven't see Duracells leak early. Only after being discharged too long.
@@brucefulton I think I've had a few bum lithiums, but I've never had one leak, bulge, or otherwise damage a device. I use them in computer mice because they weigh significantly less than alkalines.
I stopped using Duracell years ago and use Kirkland. I use to show battery brands on TH-cam but many of the audience were 'triggered' when they saw Duracell. People thought I was getting a kick back for showing the brand. Over the years I have used many batteries and sadly what I don't like is how they all leak. Once they leak your electronics are destroyed. Anyway it's not rocket science to understand the price of Duracell, it's all the advertising and media push they do to get into the buyers minds.
Alkaline batteries leak like crazy. They should only be used as emergency batteries, because of their long shelf life.
Use nickel metal hydrate or lithium for your expensive electronics. Way less of a chance of damaging your equipment.
brush your contacts with vinegar then with 90% isopropyl alcohol.
now you know
Duracell makes the Kirkland batteries for Costco.
Voniko batteries rarely leak despite being "ultra alkaline". Not sure if they're as good as the Kirkland or Duracell batteries, but at least the leaks are not a problem for these.
@@SergioSBloch Yes you are right i googled it.
This video should be the gold standard for similar videos. A small into. A small discussion. A small discussion on the method. Results. 3:19. No junk we all have to fast forward through… just the thing we came to see.
Electronics designer here:
It's not all about how long the battery lasts in use on ONE particular device, there are things like discharge curves (how long does the battery retain it's output voltage when it's discharged at DIFFERENT rates) and every device has different cut off voltage where they can't no longer work and every device discharges the battery at different amperage that can affect when one battery "dies" on you.
And many high end batteries (obviously, not all reach what they claim, no matter the brand) have expiration dates that are well above cheaper ones. This means you can store them unused for much longer than cheap ones.
Expensive ones can also be less susceptible to leaking over time or if you use them on a device that has very,. very low power requirements, they can very well outlast cheap batteries since they don't degrade over time as much even if their total energy stored might be less...
So it's not as simple as you think.
Nice to see a fellow engineer in the comment section
The massive cost of advertising and gift wrapping the brand worked for a while for these manufacturers , with today’s TH-cam independent studies this gouging the customer is slowly coming to an end .
truth
You over estimate how many people watch these videos.
@@TheJttv But it will spread from person to person. Someone will watch this and talk about it to their family,friends and coworkers. Then it will spread.
Wrong. There will always be brands with gift wrapping. A large segment of the market (consumers) thrive on name brand. They won’t even buy refurbished because it doesn’t have the retail “wrapping”.
People still buy Tylenol.
Lol, about your son! That would be my kids, always honest. Gotta give them credit for being authentic!
😂I got a kick out of that as well!
I came down to see this ❤️
You should also test with a higher draw item. I've used Dollar Tree batteries before and while they're great for low draws it's the high draw that kills them.
Sunbeam batteries are good! Alkaline that is... not the "heavy duty" carbon garbage.
@Huo Shing probably getting into water supply and lakes/streams
Yep. It's the same for Duracell compared to Energizer. Duracell seem to work better in things with motors, but Energizer seem to work better in things like digital cameras or very bright lights.
@@jublywubly I have had the worst luck with Energizers on remote controls and small items. The Duracells always have lasted longer than the Energizers on those.
I had the same thought, but if both brands come off the same assembly line, it probably won't make a difference. The cheap batteries at dollar general however, do seem to die quicker in devices with higher draw. I swear that they feel lighter than brand name AAs as well.
At one of my kids’ science fair one kid tested like 5-6 different brands, and Kirkland signature significantly out performed every other brand, in every test, I was shocked as hell
Surprising results. Definitely would have thought the same thing.
I run a green line laser pretty much all day every day. Jumping to the 12V Dewalt was totally worth it.
How does that unit stick to corner beads?
@@TheFunnyCarpenter Its a little heavier for sure. But I still use it on corner beads all the time, no issues, the magnets are very strong. Ive put some painter’s tape over them for when attaching it to hollow metal frames as it’ll scratch the paint.
Anecdotally, I've seen a number of posts on social media talking about Kirkland products, including the batteries. It's been suggested that Kirkland batteries are made by Duracell,which would explain the near identical results.
Not buying it. My use of the Kirkland in my GPS hiking device doesn’t last a hike . Duracell will last a couple hikes.
@@dougdekuiper3194 Being made by the same company doesn't mean being made in the same factory.
"how many other things am I purchasing that I'm just paying for the name brand?"
*Ryobi has entered the chat*
😂
Ryobi and Milwaukee are made by the same company. In some cases the internals are the same.
The more you know........
I've been using Milkwaukee for a long time because I have their batteries. But I now have a couple of Ryobi 18V batteries now for their air pump and fan. I'll keep them in mind next time I get a power tool.
@@TheBluegoatman and AEG. But the top of the line Milwaukee is still great.
And here I've always stayed away from Ryobi products because I thought they were the "cheap brand". At the very least, they looked lesser quality then some of the other power tools I was looking at in comparison.
Hmmm, more research now needed.
I believe that many in-house labels are simply big-name brands with different packaging. Many years ago I worked a summer job in a Carnation condensed milk plant in the UK and I can tell you that almost every can of condensed milk bought in the UK came off that production line, we simply swapped out the rolls of labels when told.
I recently watched a video about replacement cellphone batteries; the guy in the video bought some off Amazon or whatever, and they were advertised to be so many milliamp-hours, long lasting, better than original equipment. He then hooked them to some fancy test unit, and found the capacity was way less than was advertised.
In some cases, he peeled off the outer label, only to find the original labeling underneath. One of the batteries turned out to be 7 years older than the outside label said it was. Most of them were NOT the capacity they claimed to be, and many of them had false labeling on the outside and were actually made by another company when you found the original labeling underneath.
Makes me wonder if all the stuff about donating or recycling old cellphones is just an entry point into some weird black market of used battery selling and reselling,
I know some people who worked at a factory that made sticky tape. During QA the rolls that were perfect got the name brand label and the ones with slight (cosmetic) defects got the generic brand label. The only major difference would be slight oscillation in the sidewall and the label.
Somebody on TH-cam did the same research on canned corned beef. They’re all pretty made by the same company in Brazil.
I wish I had the equipment to do testing at different power demands on batteries. I buy both Kirkland and Duracell. I have some little candle tea light type things that the Kirkland keeps running longer however the Duracell way outlasts the Kirkland in my oculus rift controllers. So how batteries last is definitely dependant on current consumption.
A cheap multimeter and a selection of different resistor values will only cost you a few bucks.
Alot of the newer Nimh/Nicad chargers will also do drain tests with programmable currents.
All I know is I have never had a duracell battery explode in my remotes or other devices and this happens all the time with Kirkland. I am not sure just amount of energy discharge is the best metric for battery quality. but with that said, love the videos, love the humor and approach. Big fan. Cheers
Thanks for the info Ryan
I just had a duracell leak in my jet air cleaner remote.
I've had Duracell and Energizer both explode both in devices and while just laying on the counter.
THIS! I've avoided Kirkland batteries for exactly this reason: too many destroyed devices at the hands of these Kirkland cells. Big fan of Costco and the Kirkland brand, but in this case... no way even if they gave them away.
For remotes and similar I use Panasonic Eneloop. They may actually outlast your device and never leaks!
They might be cheaper but I've had a countless number of Kirkland batteries leak. We've stopped buying them entirely as of a couple years ago and haven't had any Duracells leak. I'd rather pay more and feel fairly confident I wasn't going to encounter a crusty mess in everything I put my batteries in.
Good points Tom, thanks for adding to the discussion
Me, too - Kirklands leak.
I have had more 'Leakers' in the last 5 years. A goodly number of Kirkland (AAA, AA) started leaking in the package (and they were not past the date), But I have also had a few Duracell leak that were not even weak. I also have Duracell "D's" way past the date that are still fine in both Voltage and not leaking.
And if they leak now than I'm sure they leak when they get into a landfill where most of them end up
Yes, kirkland's batteries leak! Almost kill my remote!
I've read, and personally experienced, that Duracell are leaking in devices a lot more than they used to. I actually found this online when searching because I kept experiencing it. They have a higher priced line now, and some people think the regular line is now made to lower standards. I've lost a couple of keyboards and mice, a few flashlights (not cheap ones, either), and two sets of weather sensors to Duracell in the past 5 or so years. I've switched to high quality (based on videos like this) rechargeable, except in devices that say not to. Then I mostly use Energizer Lithium, which are expensive but have never done me wrong.
Mainline Duracell has been a major disappointment when it comes to leaking. It seems they are far more likely to leak than Energizer, Kirkland, or the Amazon branded batteries. It’s become so prevalent that lower use devices like my leveling lasar and such I remove the batteries after each use because clean up can be challenging and worst case the device could be junk. The one Duracell battery line that seems better is the Industrial line, I’ve had fewer leaking cells over a long period compared to the mainline batteries.
I too have had good luck with the Energizer lithium’s but have found some devices don’t like them.
Your device isn't always lost when you have a leaker. I've saved many a remote control, mouse, and flashlight. The less sensitive the electronics the more your chances will fare - flashlights are hence the easiest. You just need a base to counteract that acid - a water/baking soda slurry is always good.
@Split your wig You should do that anyway to be honest. If I know a device is not used often I always take the batteries out regardless of the brand of battery. There are some batteries that will leak with use though. Those are the ones to watch out for. I learned the hard way when I bought a new TV and I used the cheapo batteries in the remote. It wasn't but a month later the remote started acting up. I figured the cheapo batteries finally died, but once I opened the compartment I saw that they had leaked pretty heavily. I used baking soda, water, and alcohol to clean it, but for a bit there I thought I lost the remote to my new television. I never use the cheapo batteries now.
I like what Big Clive did when he tested batteries. He wired the batteries to a dummy load, in parallel with a wall clock set to midnight. That way he could easily see exactly how long they lasted without having to continuously monitor the setup.
Big Clive gets up early in the morning for no one!
It was a great scientific test in my humble opinion. I never would have guessed the Costco batteries would be just as good as Duracell. I would love to see further research. How about testing EverReady's Energizer brand and Walmart's store brand. That would sum up about 90% of the market.
Good review. The worst part of Duracell batteries is the leakage from AA and AAA batteries. These batteries are not constructed the same as they were years ago. The damage done to electronic devices further increases the cost of using these batteries. I’ve never had any other brand leak.
I have had really bad luck with the AA and AAA Kirkland over the years leaking and I do not put them in anything that is low drain. Kirkland certainly have just as much or more power as the name brand batteries and the price makes them very attractive, but I will not put them in my TV remotes anymore and if I can remember I always take them out of other devices and tools after I am done using them. I want to see how full batteries and maybe half-drained batteries do in some sort of leak resistance test. I have only had problems with Duracells leaking when they are well past there "expiration" date or have been left in a hot car or in my garage during the summer (the heat again is the problem or seems to be).
I just recently found two devices that contained Duracell (DuraCrap) batteries that leaked all over my Sony remotes. The expiration date was 2025. Now I never put any AA or AAA Alkaline batteries (DuraCrap or others) in anything. You’ve confirmed my suspicion about Alkaline batteries. Thanks Aaron. They’re probably all made in the same factory anyway. I have switched to AA and AAA Lithium batteries that have never leaked in anything. Yes they are more expensive but last longer too.
Good one. The thing is with batteries: they are often made for different situations. Not sure if you compare apples with apples. That laser is rather a low-drain application, or low to medium.
Interresting now would be to run both brands in a high drain application. Cheaper batteries usually perform less good at high drain.
High drain = high current (A)
But, of course: If you just wanted to find the best battery for you laser - spot on then.
Bonus would be the testing is going to be quicker 😂
I was looking for this comment, should've also tested them in something with a motor in it (like a fan, an air mattress pump, etc)
Not running a discharge test on every battery, you can generally feel difference in weight. Duracell has declined over the last decade. I don't trust Duracell in remotes controls because they've leaked and caused issues.
I used to freelance as professional photographer, and the only batteries I'd run in my flashes and backup power were Kirkland. I tried Eneloop and the IKEA equivalents but the lower voltage of NiMH caused lower recycle times which is not ideal for fast paced photography work.
Kirkland has proven to me to be reliable and cost effective.
Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for checking out the vid!
Speedlights are a tough item to feed. I was working a fashion show with a lot of fill lighting, so my strobe was going constantly. The only battery that could hold up to the abuse were the lithium primary batteries. At the time, I was using the Energizers. They get really hot under heavy use, which sort of bothered me. The SB800 speedlight I was using at the time had no problem with the higher terminal voltage, though. Double-check your equipment before trying it!
@@jaymzx0 I actually went back to the SB-800s. I don't get how the SB-900 felt like a step backwards.
I used to run Engergizer Lithium primaries as well. Excellent performance, high price but certainly an asset in low temps. I managed to heat up the underside of the flash head, just under the xenon tube assembly with the Engergizers: melting the housing. Surprisingly, I tested and checked every component on the boards and nothing was damaged, just melted the housing. I know now to take it easy whilst running the 5th battery cover WITH the SK-6(A) power bracket WITH the SD-8/9... apparently too skookum.
@@ALAPINO Indeed. The cells are skookum but the housing is not. Also, getting primary lithium batteries that hot is really sketchy. I only kept a couple sets in my bag for events that needed them. for casual shooting I went with Eneloops. Cycle time is much slower and the light complains about the lower terminal voltage but unlike the Costco _or_ Duracells, they don't leak if you forget to take them out of the light before putting it on the shelf. Not many things ruin your day like finding fuzzy batteries in your $400 speedlight. I started putting a piece of pink gaffer's tape on the head as a reminder to toss the batteries after a shoot.
I'm honestly amazed that disposable AA/AAA batteries still exist. I bought a LOT of AA and AAA eneloops and a pair of very clever chargers, between 2012-2014 and they're still in use (never bought an AA or AAA again). No more worries about the leaking mess, and they surely costed me less than 7+ years of standard batteries, chargers included.
I couldn't agree more. The IKEA ladda are very similar, and actually hold more power, even after several charge cycles.
Never heard of them.
These standard AA and AAA batteries from Kirkland, available at Costco stores are manufactured by Duracell, as revealed by the Craig Jelinek, CEO of Costco.
Really? I never knew that.
@@maj0072 Yup..the only leak was not the battery but the ceo at costco. :)
LOL i lost it when the kid said at the end: I Don't Care 🤣
I took Electronics Engineering in College and did a study on batteries. We found that most batteries of the same type perform pretty much the same. The extremely cheap dollar store batteries did not hold up but most others performed just as well if not better than the name brands.
i prefer energizer lithium batteries I get a month out of them in my mouse..
@tthams73 exactly. Same chemical compounds just difference in quality of material used in manufacturing.
Dolor store batteries are usually carbon zinc. Pretty much only useful in transistor radios. They'll power lots of things but they work best for a continuous low current draw.
@@Michigan_Tactical they sell alkaline as well under the sunbeam brand
Duracell has been very aggressive at marketing their garbage batteries, and the public has caught the bait. The batteries are very expensive, but the quality is average. I usually buy supermarket-brand batteries for wall clocks and Panasonic PowerPro (ProPower?) for more critical applications.
I now buy the carbon-zinc batteries from Dollar Tree they are fine for clocks and remotes and any other low drain devices. I replace them either when they die or after two years and I never had one leak.
@@Norm475 There you go.
The rechargeables last longer and cost about the same... plus they're rechargeable. I don't think disposables should be on shelves anymore.
I use mainly rechargeable also for same reason. Some devices such as wall clocks, remotes or smoke detectors still fine for alkaline since they are long use time with low power draw. You can get LSD NIMH batteries now though that hold decent charge up to a year, but around 20% lower initial capacity.
Not in my experience. I've used most types of rechargeable AAA batteries in a reading lamp (as one example) and none of them last more than about six hours before the light begins to get dull. Decent single-use batteries tend to last about eight hours before there's any noticeable difference.
@@jublywubly Good NiMH AA have around the same MAH rating as good alkaline. Their starting voltage is a bit lower, but they have a much flatter voltage curve, so on average, similar voltage. Alkaline also have substantially lower runtime if using any sort of load. At a load of 1C, they can lose around 75% of their capacity. Alkaline offer similar, or very slight advantage in low drain situations, but put any sort of load on them, and they drop off a cliff. Rechargeable battery capacity varies a lot by brand, can range from 1200-2600 MAH, but some cheap Chinese cells can be lower, and any quality cell being at least 2300MAH, unless LSD, then 2000+.
@@xeridea
Interesting.
Rechargeable batteries that state they're 1.5 volts tend to drop down to 1.2 volts about half way through their usage cycle. That's what makes them so rubbish in my reading light. I don't know if that's all rechargeable batteries, or just all the ones I've tested.
If I recall correctly Lithium Ion batteries run at 1.2 volts from the start.
Incidentally, I tried out a pack of four Aldi rechargeable AAA batteries, last year. I went to use them about 12 hours later, and found they had all lost a substantial amount of charge. The best had lost about 10% of charge, without even being used or installed in any device. The worst had lost 50% of its charge, over the same time.
@@jublywubly NMH batteries only produce 1.2 volts when fully charged. Lithium produces 4-4.2, which is why you don't see that chemistry in any AA or AAA batteries, since the voltage is too high to be used in devices designed to run off of 1.5.
This is the calmest youtube review I’ve watched in years. Liked and subscribed in case I need a relaxing therapy in the future.
A major factor is how "fresh" the batteries are. The Costo ones are most likely less than a month off the production line (Costo sells a LOT of batteries and they turn over stock VERY fast). The brand name ones you get from a typical store may be anywhere from a month to a couple of years old, there is now way to tell that I know of. I have also used "Amazon Basic" batteries and in my experience they are just junk.
Excellent point Wayne
@@TheFunnyCarpenter But then again, since Costco generally turns their inventory some 19 times a year (last I remember) those Duracell packs should also be pretty fresh, no? (if you tested the ones bought there)
In Europe, batteries have to have a 'use-by' date.
Literally ANYTHING ‘Amazon basic’ is going to be utter trash, stay away.
@@chrispop99 they have the same in the USA, use by dates
FYI. Kirkland buys their batteries from Duracell and puts label on it... it's it's exact same battery for both brands
Great info, thanks😎😊😎😊😎
That is hilarious. The two batteries sit right next to each other in the store. One twice the price, goes to show you the power of advertising!
They might buy them from the same manufacturer, but the Kirkland batteries might be rejects from Duracell. No idea, but there is SOME difference. All I know is that many dozens of my Kirkland AAs have leaked where I haven't had any Duracells leak.
@@tcj226 nope made by Duracell. Yahoo finance has an article about it
@@paulkim1011 That doesn't negate my hypothesis. Made in the same plant by Duracell, but Duracell rejects a portion of the batteries they make for any number of reasons, but they're still decent batteries, and they sell them to Costco at a reduced price and Costco brands them with Kirkland wrappers. Also note the number of other commenters saying the same thing, that Kirkland batteries leak while Duracell do not.
Kirkland batteries ARE the Duracell brand. Just like generic, store-brand foods are made by Name Brand companies.
@Jannie Kirsten I used to work for Duracell
Just like Costco vodka is Grey Goose, and the diapers are Huggies, Stearns & Foster mattresses ….
Very surprised with the outcome... Wish I had watched this before buying a 48 pack of Duracell like 2 hours ago. Literally right next to them was Kirkland and they were about $12 less.
Lesson learned, thanks for posting this
I have a lock picking channel and this is also the case with some padlocks. Don't always believe what the packet tells you.
I always buy Kirkland batteries and never realised they stood up so well against Duracell. I knew they were good but didn't realise they were that good. Cheers for the video 🙂👍🏻
The sheer amount of AA batteries that I throw away weekly due to lasers on site has made be change all my lasers to built in rechargeable lasers, namely dewalt and milwaukee 12v. Might cost more initially but hopefully in the long run itll be cheaper, less inconvenient and better for the environment
I’m gonna guess that Duracell makes the Kirkland batteries. Costco doesn’t have a battery factory.
Most of the Kirkland batteries come from Varta. German company, likely made in China (like everything else).
But the manufacturer must leave out some seals or something, as Kirkland AA cells *always* leak, while Duracell AA cells rarely do. For example, a wall clock stops ticking, take it down and the Kirkland AA cell has already made a crusty mess, even if the clock just stopped ticking the same day. Ikea makes better AA cells; almost as cheap as Kirkland but I've not seen any leaking yet.
@@JxH when I’ve used Kirkland occasionally over the last few years (usually just in cheap flashlights) they haven’t always leaked: just frequently enough to make me avoid putting them in cameras and radios. It was that one experience when every single one leaked that turned me off.
Take a look at the bottom of the batteries.
Unless they've changed, both Duracell and Kirkland batteries have two dots.
Similarly Rayovac and Panasonic batteries have the same base.
Just because they are made by Duracell does not mean they are the quality
I do electrical component testing for a living. I’m not trying to be critical but a sample size of 1 is statistically not good. You could have randomly grabbed the best Kirkland and the worst Duracell. But having said that, I don’t think so. The discharge is a chemical process and hard to affect that process significantly through the chemistry. The Anode and Cathode could be made of better less resistive material but I wouldn’t think the difference between the best and worst Anode and Cathode would affect the life by more than 10% at most.
So basically I’m not too surprised by your result.
There is one thing else to consider on a battery. That is storage. You may get a longer storage life from a better battery. This would be true if it’s components are more resistive and there are fewer leakage paths for the current to flow from Anode to Cathode.
I buy my batteries in bulk from Amazon.
They pretty much live up to the data on the packs ...... just compare amphours (or milli amps ;o) )
As you say the chemistry is the same and the size is the same so you would not expect a big difference!
There may be a bigger difference with higher load devices though as the internal resistance of the cell would play a bigger part!
I worked for a computer company and one of my clients was Duracell. The computer that I serviced was used to test the longevity of not only their batteries but other manufactures also in a variety of ways, on constantly, on then off like a flashlight... Over the years I have also learned that it depends on what device you put the batteries in. I had a small transistor radio (showing my age) that if I used Duracell batteries, they would not last half as long as some off-brand batteries, whereas in other devices, the off-brand wouldn't work very long and the Duracell was the overachiever.
I love Costco's stuff, but their Kirkland batteries tend to leak when left in a device for extended periods of time. Duracell's don't. That alone caused me to change over from Kirkland to Duracell.
The problem with the Kirtland batteries is they will start to leak if you leave them in a device for any length of time causing huge problems. I haven't seen that with the Duracell's over the same period of time. You should check that.
Duracell's what?
My Kirk's started leaking. Happened enough times with different packages that I've switched back to the Duracell (also bought at COSTCO). Not sure if they switched vendors or what, but use to use them all the time without issue. Might try them again. Still love the Kirkland RUM though. 😉
Preciously why I stopped using Kirkland batteries. It happened far too many times and was quite annoying, so I switched back to Duracell and happily paid the extra price. Life is too short to be cleaning battery terminals and ruining electronics. If you use Kirklands in a device that sits most of the time, remove the batteries.
@@sciampa8127 Same experience I had with Kirkland. Takes about a year though, so I usually see it in TV remotes, or something I haven't used in over year. Open the battery door and you get nasty white crumbles caked over corroded metal contacts inside the device. That's why I stopped using Kirkland and went with Duracell.
Kirk's what?
I was lucky in that early on in my life, around the early to mid 90s I had a game boy and went through tons of AA batteries... I learned very quickly that the Kirkland batteries are just as good and often better than the big name brands. I always go for them now for the past 25 or so years haha.
Would be cool to test them or the big name brands against the Amazon batteries though
Just buy eneloops once and save yourself a ton of time and money.
Kirkland is a top brand I say. Never been disappointed.
Me. I WATCHED THAT THING. It was "recommended" earlier this evening. Now I'm subbed and hooked.
Thanks a lot for checking out the channel:)
@@TheFunnyCarpenter Thanks for the time and effort, and engaging useful vids!
After 44 years as an electrician I found that the best batteries were Energizers
I find it switches back and forth
☝️ what he said.
In general most capacity tests show Duracell, Energizer and Rayovac neck & neck, with Duracell Quantum edging above the 3. But then there's batch to batch, manufacturing location and other anomalies that make it back and fourth. I grab the one that's closest to my hand.
My son did a science fair experiment testing out AA batteries. We used a voltmeter and a load resister. We drew enough current that the batteries didn’t overheat, and it still took almost 3 1/2 hours to drop the voltage to 1.1 Volts (generally the point where most digital devices stop working but still able to weakly power a flashlight.) Duracell and energizer alkaline batteries lost to Costco and Amazon basics brands with similar performance but vastly different prices. “Super Duty batteries” (non alkaline) are complete trash and die in less than an hour at the tested load. Lithium AA are spectacular performers but cost more than 3x than the Duracell Alkaline batteries. Lithium is best for when the show must go on (more than twice as long as alkaline) using high drain current devices and your wallet is quite flush.
Lithium batteries are also better performers in more extreme temperatures. This makes them a better choice for something like weather stations in colder climates.
@@nickschaf9962 More a mandatory choice. Alkalines can't handle a northeast winter. Rechargeables are even worse. So lithium it is for those cheap weather stations.
Aren't super duty batteries ment for high loads ?
Might explain why they didn't perform well in your sons low load test. ;)
@@Robbedem “super duty” batteries are made of carbon and zinc (1860’s tech updated in the 1960’s). Advantages? Dirt cheap. Might work well in that flashlight you turn on once a year. Disadvantages? They deplete very rapidly in use and are prone to leakage. They fall into the category of “better than nothing” but not by much.
To draw any conclusions, you would have to run the test at LEAST 3 times. I would like to see Energizer in the test also. Thanks
Fair points
The only thing you tested is that your laser cuts out at a specific voltage. At that point there is still a lot of energy left in the batteries, it is just inaccessible to the device. You have not tested if other devices have better voltage boost converters and can operate at the lower voltages drained batteries provide.
However, if you are mainly using batteries for exactly this application (your laser), then your test is valid and very useful , albeit limited to your specific use case.
I have been using Kirkland batteries for several years now and I consider them to be good value for the money. Thank you for the video.
We call Kirkland batteries " Leakers". I've had brand new, unopened packs start leaking at less than a year old. I've also had several devices damaged by them even though the batteries in them were new and unused. No more " leakers " for us.
When I lived in the US I think I pretty much only ever used Kirkland batteries and never had a problem. Maybe the ones your store sourced were manufactured somewhere else? Then again, that was a decade ago, so maybe my information is just outdated.
@@StarkRG You'd have to ask Costco that. Just about all you can get anywhere is second rate Chinese junk.
So take them back to the store if they leak. Costco has an unconditional guarantee. You probably can’t remember where you bought the Duracells!
@@pwilkinson18 Then I'd be taking a lot back, as about a third of them leak. And Costco won't replace the devices that their batteries have damaged. Had three packs in a row with leakers before we stopped using them. The fact that not all of them leak screams poor quality control. Duracell may be more expensive, but in this case you get what you pay for. The only Duracells I've had leak were past their use by date, or were left in the device after they were run down.
It's pretty common knowledge that Duracell makes Kirkland AA's. The casing details are identical and unique to those two brands. I gave up on both because they both leak prematurely. They even leak in the package a few months after purchase and years before their expiration dates. I have had Eveready batteries go years beyond their expiration dates without leaking. Eveready's are all I use now.
Great video. In addition to capacity shelf life is the other consideration when determining battery quality. This is unfortunately hard to test as it would take over a year or 2 to do. I’ve read reviews that said Kirkland (also Amazon Basics) may have more capacity than the name brands when new the degrade on the shelf faster. But if you’re not storing batteries for a long time then it doesn’t matter. Just remember to rotate your emergency supply if you have one.
Excellent points Bill
01:44 that cute smile on your wife when she said yes. She was so positive 😀
Every Duracell battery I’ve used has leaked into whatever device I’ve used and at a short life . The Kirkland brand lasts longer and they’ve never leaked !
I used to only buy the Kirkland brand batteries but found they would leak and corrode in my devices quickly causing a mess. I had to locate and swap out all devices using them, also had to clean the battery compartments which was no fun. I stopped using them a couple years ago so not sure if they fixed that issue. I have not had that problem with the name brands.
I’ll have to keep an eye out for that!
I've had Duracell batteries leak and ruin a camera, a flash, a voltage tester, a moisture sensor and a flashlight over the years. And I've had many leak just sitting in my drawer unused.
Ironically it’s the opposite for me. I too live in the 416 and Duracell leak everywhere and were terrible. Kirkland I had no issue.
I have had that problem with many different types of batteries.
I cured some of that in my less used devices by storing the batteries separate or in reversing the batteries in the compartments.
Yes they leak
Hell, I use harbor freight batteries when I can. In something like a rarely used flashlight, electronic deadbolt, even a tv remote, they last well over a year. In something that sees more continual use, I do think the bunny brand lasts longer, but I still wont pay that price. Been using Kirklands for years now in those applications.
I use alot of batteries and have given up on any of the heavily advertised brands. They seem to be worst for leaking. I've had very good luck with the Harbor Freight Thunderbolt Alkaline batteries. I don't doubt that the advertised brands will give more power in high drain devices but that extra power comes at a cost. The Thunderbolt Alkaline batteries shouldn't be confused with the cheap Carbon Zinc Thunderbolt batteries, which have alot less power or the Thunderbolt Edge batteries, which I have no experience with.
In some devices such as t.v. remotes and small flashlights you can significantly increase the life of these batteries by opening the remote and spinning the batteries while still in the housing.
It ain't stupid if it works
There is a film that develops on batteries inside remotes etc; if your batteries conk out on your remote you can take them out of the device and clean them top and bottom, also inside unit. 9 times out of 10 I can get another 2 weeks out of them.
another trick is to use a pencil eraser on the ends. I've seen that bring dead batteries back to life.
The difference is mostly in shelf life. Most batteries will have similar run-time between brands. However, a lot of the off-brands will lose a lot of run-time if stored too long. Other things that differentiate the different brands is how use effects run-time.
Duracell doesn't last as long as Energiser in a flashlight, for instance - though the difference is small. Whereas Energiser needs to specify the ones that do well in electronics, since their O.F. would have 25% less total run-time when cycled the way some electronics do. However, the difference here is small as well.
The differences in discharge rates, shelf life, draw tolerance, cycling tolerance, etc. lies almost exclusively in the difference in manufacturing processes, including quality control, since the basic chemistry is the same. From brand to brand.
Great video. The time difference is called "marketing". It happen with everything, cars, consumer products, everything.
Another issue with the Duracell is leakage and the resulting damage to the device. I would be curious to know the long term storage of the Kirklands concerning the leakage issue. I have changed to Eveready solely because they seem not to leak.
Still some Kirkland batteries I bought in 2017. Haven't leaked any yet 🤷
I have had MANY Duracell coppertop leaks. Eveready forever!
@@reggievangleason9511 Like you', I've had a rash of leaky Duracells in the last 4-5 years. At first I thought it was because I was buying them in bulk from Micro Center and suspected they were "counterfeit" Duracells. The the "genuine" Duracells I've bought from local hardware stores and from Costco commenced leaking also! I've given up on Duracell batteries completely and have switched to Energizers or rechargeables, despite the higher costs. They're more reliable than the Duracells, last as long (power-wise, that is) and don't entail the added replacement costs for damaged equipment (yes, I know that Duracell will replace things, but I haven;t usually got 4-6 months to kill waiting for them to respond).
I've had opposite experience. Kirkland leaks like hell, Duracell's dont.
@@nlflint I think they both make from the same manufacturers. Sometimes there are bad patches that happens to shipped out.
that’s interesting. the 20min difference in run time means that they’re practically the same... i’m curious to see what differences there would be with a more in-depth test than what this was. in my mind such a marginal difference could be due to multiple factors; were you sitting there watching it the entire time the laser was on, or did you leave the room and when you came back it had died? it was super late at night after all.
Test them in something with more demand, higher draw
That's where the $ per cell makes the difference.
The CEO confirmed their batteries were made by Duracel.
Friendly tip. If you don't know that already that is. Ikea batteries are rebranded SANYO Eneloop batteries for fraction of the cost. Eneloops are highly regarded as one of the best out there
I did some capacity testing on a bunch of AA batteries and never actually got around to Duracell but the carbon zinc batteries that say like super heavy duty have like 1/4 the capacity of alkaline and my advice is buy the cheapest alkaline you can find and that's probably the beast deal I didn't see a huge difference in alkaline
That’s because the carbon zinc batteries are made for higher current draw. But they do come at the cost of a lower capacity, so they’re kind of a catch 22. That’s why they’re not really mainstream any more.
@@r100curtaincall I'll have to look back on my testing because just because I tested amps on a short circuit test I did not monitor the voltage sag or anything else but I believe the alkaline did better there too
The heavy duty batteries has less capacity. But are designed for toy cars etc that runs shorter times at high load.
The alkalines are way better for electric watches etc where you have a low load but for a very long time. The alkaline batteries also has less self-drain so you can store them for a longer time.
@@perwestermark8920 in my testing they aren't any better than alkaline for current draw infact they are worse I think they are just around because they are cheap and not everyone knows they suck so they still make money one them
@@james10739 Kinda sorta. They're cheaper, and they work better in short high-draw burst applications, and they work better in hot environments, as they don't degrade as fast under stress internally. For people who need to run things in short bursts but have a high draw, they tend to be better as they can deliver their full capacity. Alkalines lose a lot of their capacity as heat at higher draws for longer periods, but when they are run very lightly (like as a backup for a clock or something, they actually last quite a bit longer. There are definitely a lot more cases where the alkalines win out either way though now, especially as modern alkalines are far superior to old ones that were made back in the day when carbon zinc batteries were the norm. Especially in common everyday uses. They've gotten them down to a science now.
You get similar contrasts from NiCd vs NiMH. NiCds have much lower capacity, but they also have far lower internal resistance and are very rugged to abuse and harsh temps, but NiMH are generally superior in capacity and most common uses, and are not as toxic, but they are also fragile and hate extreme temps. So there are a few rare cases where NiCd is actually still better, such as charging capacitor banks for flashlamps for example, or other high discharge systems where you need brief amounts of huge currents, like car starter packs, or AEDs. They also used to be used as ship or aircraft batteries for the longest time, and still are in cases for their ruggedness. They can be beneficial and more tolerant of the harsh discharges and environments and such, where as lithium is kind of a middle ground, with some of the best of both worlds.
It's actually a common question I get at work sometimes, which is why I have an alkaline flashlight not a lithium one. I have rechargables for it as a work light, but as an emergency light it runs longer on alkalines than a lithium, and it gives me the luxury of replacing them at any time if the mains isn't handy to charge it. As with most things in life, the answer to what's best is 'it depends'. The lithium will run it for slightly longer at full brightness, but on alkalines on a lower brightness it will far outlast the lithiums several times over as D batteries have a far greater capacity per cell. (12Ah vs about 3 on the lithiums and the alkalines also keep longer.) You can really get into the weeds on this stuff if you really want to. it all depends on what you need as well as what you can afford.
(edit: also, short circuit testing is poor testing methodology, and is dangerous. you shouldn't do that. it makes it impossible to compare things as all batteries behave differently. you need a constant load to be able to make comparisons, often at different draws. you'll find many batteries perform differently at different draws due to their specific properties) :)
I’m a born cheap-ass and called Duracell’s bluff years ago. Then, there was a bad batch of Kirklands that leaked acid into my electronics. Seemed a widespread problem to judge by what I read on the web at the time. Might be long in the past (probably over ten years ago) but Duracells never did that to me at the same scale, and I have a long memory. I still buy batteries at Costco, but usually take the Duracells.
They leak an alkaline substance now.
Acid batteries are really old school.
@@patmcbride9853 How base of you.
Bill I had the same problem with the Kirkland batteries about two years ago. Someone said they are the same battery, with a different label. Looking carefully at them showed me that they may be produced by the same company, but they did not appear to be the same. They were not identical in appearance.
"there was a bad batch of Kirklands that leaked..." Bad batch? You mean, like every single one made for about the past decade? I'm so tired of them attempting to ruin my gadgets that I refuse to buy them at any price. Ikea AA cells are better.
@@JxH I have never had any brand of alkaline battery that did not eventually leak.
Non rechargeable batteries are a scam. Same capacity but thousands of times more expensive when you consider being able to recharge
Honestly a lot of Kirkland brand stuff is pretty good. I recall an article one time where they looked at different brands of Olive oil, and they saw that so very few were actually legit, Kirkland being one of them.
I used to work at Radio Shack in the 90s and their private label batteries were all made by Eveready which makes Energizer. They even came shipped to the stores in an Eveready box with the private label batteries inside. The green and reds were carbon batteries but the golds were alkaline and exactly the same as an Energizer. Some people didn't believe they were as good as Duracell or the real Energizer but they were usually better because the stock would turn over so quickly vs Duracell packages sitting on a shelf in a department store.
Oh btw to be honest the difference between them is enough to possibly be within the margin of error. If you do that 3 or 4 times its possible they both have nearly the same capacity which is awesome and a win for costco!
I've had MANY Duracells leak in several different devices. Stopped using them and went to Energizers. Not alot of experience with the Kirkland brand.
Kirklands leak too.
I tried the Kirkland AA batteries and found that they leaked, ruining some of my electronics.
There are much better batteries out there.
I've converted to rechargeable batteries and always keep them charged and ready for use.
Keep the landfills free of these single use batteries and save your money by not purchasing these types of batteries.
I have had same (bad) experience with Kirkland batteries, those do seem to leak more than other brands I've used
I didn’t need to test the copper tops against the Kirklands to find out. I had been purchasing the copper tops for more years than I can say at my age of 76. I noticed the copper tops going dead much quicker than the Kirklands did just using them in my Comcast remote control when I noticed the copper tops getting bad much sooner.
One more thing I had been finding brand new unused copper tops being either almost or dead right out of the package. The copper tops also in some instances either leaked acid while in the packaging but also in somethings I used them in. The copper tops I used in my very expensive battery lantern that took 10 D size batteries leaked ruining it roughly 3 months after I installed them but the lantern was only turned on to test it so I knew it would work in an emergency. No more copper tops for me regardless of the types. Thanks
Congrats, you confirmed the common knowledge that the capacity of normal battery's only depend on shelf live, and not on brand-name. So, only buy batteries were the do have a big turnover to ensure to get new ones.
Leakage and degradation over time is a factor. I prefer Duracell too, and noticed a while ago a smoke alarm in a caravan I have, but had not used for years was peeping, after 4? years. In rentals, real estate people ask that batteries be replaced every 6 months in smoke alarms, mainly because (a) some people forget to do it every time, and (b) some batteries don't hold their power well over time, even if unused. Duracell seems to have a much longer *shelf life* over cheaper batteries, even though their total power output is similar when new.
In my rental, I replaced the smoke detectors that you had to replace the batteries every year with the detectors that contain lithium batteries that last 10 years. After that time you should replace the detectors so you throw the whole thing out and put in new detectors. Sometimes I get more than 10 years and sometimes less. But, at the price of premium 9-volt batteries, they pay for themselves.
Yes, but in my personal experience the Kirkland batteries often LEAK if left on and are fully discharged. The Duracell’s seem more likely to not leak.
I haven't done a new test in twenty years of battery brands, but leaking and ruining my devices back then was the prime concern, not how long the battery lasted. Saving a couple dollars on a battery when it is your 20, 40 or higher priced item using the battery had to be replaced was a no brainer for me. Back then I bought a bunch of cheapo flashlights, left them on for a couple of days till they ran out of power, not tracking which went first, then left them for a year. The Duracell were the only ones at the time that didn't leak after the year. And the only ones I've bought since. There have been a couple of Duracell that did leak over the years, but it was a very small amount and was easily cleaned with no permanent damage.
In my experience every battery that leaked and ruined the device was a Duracell battery.
Kirkland AA will eventually leak; for heavy use, that's not a problem. For low drain use, you'll be spending time scrapping crusty battery acid out of whatever you use them in. Ikea AA are vastly better in this respect.
This is why dollar stores are one of my favorite places to visit. They have many off-brand products, or "defect" products that are hella cheap to grab (for example a misprint on a quality tshirt) , which have on par performance as the original.
Nice comparison, I've been using Kirkland AA's for years and never had an issue. I sometimes leave them unused in a device for months (e.g. handheld sailing electronics, flashlights) and never had a leak. They have a "best before" date, my most recent batch is 2028 - good enough for me.
This is a cool experiment. There are many factors that make a "good" battery though. It mostly depends on your application. Other factors to consider are voltage consistency across the life of the battery, peak current output, stability over temperature, etc.
I have a few questions..
1: What is the load for the laser guides?
2: What did the temp graph of the room look like during both tests? (More interested of the last 2 hours to be honest)
3: What are the performance profiles of higher loads.
4: What were the cut off parameters for the guide to turn off the laser.
5: What were the manufactured date of the set of batteries?
Hi mate from England, I lived in Canada in the early 90s and got a fire safe from costco put in kirkland batteries and they worked for many years, I know safe draw little power but the interesting thing is they never leaked. A few years ago back here in blighty I paid 160 pounds for a dewalt laser level and left duracell batteries in it and they completely destroyed my level by leaking, I also had the same problem with an expensive torch, now I get cheap Amazon batteries and have had no problem
They did a test in the UK Ham Radio Today magazine, back in the early 1980's. National High Top batteries outlasted Duracell by 9 to 10 hours, in walkie talkies.
The expensive part of a battery is not the caustic chemicals that cause the reaction inside, its the metal tube and plastic wrap that stops those chemicals from leaking out. My landlord bought a big pack of those Kirkland batteries for use in new networked smoke detectors being used in each room. About a year later, they all start to die at around the same time, but on closer inspection, most of them have burst and spread corrosion all over the nice new wifi smoke alarms. Some of them had even begun to drip through the housing and onto the board inside. The power contained in a battery is not the only metric of quality.
Just check the other comments, it is actually made on the same production line as Duracell batteries.
@@dtibor5903 Because other people say something is never a good reason to believe them. An assembly line does not produce a consistently perfect product. In manufacturing, things get "binned". The good ones go in this bin and get sold for full price, and the not quite perfect ones go in the half price bin.