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by Sohcahtoa82 39 days ago
> where the commodity store brand is significantly worse than alternatives (batteries).

Kirkland batteries actually last longer than Duracell. They're some of the best alkaline batteries you can get, especially considering the price. Sure, lithium batteries will last longer, but the mAh per dollar is lower, so they'll still cost more.

https://youtu.be/8VumAfhdhAI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQ_tGjXm0Ng
2 comments
jonhohle 39 days ago
It’s probably my own battery hygiene, but I’ve had so many Kirkland batteries leak over the years that I no longer trust them. I still buy batteries at Costco, but haven’t had the same issue with the name brand leaking.
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Sohcahtoa82 39 days ago
Wild. I wonder what could cause that?

I don't use a lot of AA/AAA batteries, so I'll buy a pack from Costco and it'll sit in my drawer for 5+ years without issue. They go into a TV remote or bathroom scale or whatever and last a couple years with no issue.

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olyjohn 39 days ago
The only time this happens to me is when there is a drain on the battery over a long time, or when you have two cells that don't have matching voltage and the lower one gets over-discharged. I've never had one go bad from sitting in a drawer or a box.
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jonhohle 39 days ago
It’s always in a device. Typically low power, long duration (remotes, etc.)
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Marsymars 39 days ago
I've actually had a whole pile of Duracell CR2023 batteries from Costco leak inside the packaging. (You can google for various reports/pictures of the problem.)
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queuebert 39 days ago
That has not been my experience at all. I think Kirkland batteries have less capacity than the premium brands. Also the point of lithium batteries is that they don't leak, not that they last longer.
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Sohcahtoa82 39 days ago
> I think Kirkland batteries have less capacity than the premium brands

If you're comparing alkaline to alkaline, it's simply not true. The two videos I linked showed people testing it.

> Also the point of lithium batteries is that they don't leak, not that they last longer.

Well, they DO last longer by a significant margin. Again, this was tested in the second video I linked. The description in the video has a link to the spreadsheet of their data: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1KwTt0lu7_aytity4IE3S...

Kirkland Alkaline was on par with the Rayovac Fusion+ and Duracell Powerboost. Only Rayovac Fusion was noticeably better (oddly, the non-plus version was better), and even then, it's not significantly better considering the price.

In terms of dollars per mAh, Kirkland is #2, only behind AmazonBasics.

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Kirby64 39 days ago
> Also the point of lithium batteries is that they don't leak, not that they last longer.

Not leaking is part of the point, but it's definitely not the only point. Alkaline batteries have half the capacity (roughly) compared to lithium cells. They also have lower voltages over time vs. lithium cells and are capable of less current. For certain applications (high current draw intermittent, or long life low current) they excel, and leaking isn't really part of that conversation.

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