Battery Life and Battery Type

[SoCalDep]

Eight Aimpoint H-2 optics.

I installed Energizer batteries (I bought them from Target a couple days before the test) in four of them.

I installed Duracell batteries (I ordered them from Battery Junction several months prior and they spent many days in hot car trunks and various conditions over the summer prior to the test) in the other four.

All optics were turned to full brightness (setting 12).

The four Energizers died between approximately 18 - 23 days. I happened to be in an IKEA a day or so after the last one died and noticed the made in China 2032s they carried. I installed them in the four optics that had the Energizers and they lasted between 16 - 21 days. All eight optics have been kept together in the same environmental conditions.

Oh yea... Those Duracells. They are still going. It’s been 45 days.

I know which battery I’m using and recommending.

[Vg247]

Great info thank you. Also Surefire cr123 batteries from Amazon are pretty much crap given they have a 10 year life, I went through my new ones and all of them were dead. This may be through the vendors amazon sells from so just a heads up.

in contrast Streamlight cr123 from amazon have been great and perfect ..ymmv

[daved20319]

Just had a similar experience. I'd purchased 10 Energizers from Amazon, as well as a 4 pack from a local retailer. Only use these in 2 devices, a Holosun 403C RDS and a small motion sensor light next to my wife's bed. Was blaming the devices for being battery hogs, as they both needed batteries AGAIN. Got a little smarter this time and pulled out my battery checker. Had 5 of the ones from Amazon left, and 1 from the 4 pack, ALL were basically dead in the package. I'd stick them in the tester, it would go to full power, then immediately drop to zero within 2-3 seconds. Like you, I'm switching to Duracells. Did email a complaint to Energizer.com, but I'm not holding my breath :rolleyes:. Later.

Dave

[Blades]

One time, I sent dead Energizer batteries back to Energizer and they sent me coupons for free ones. It was a few bucks for the shipping and bubble envelope. I used the coupons to buy lithium AA/AAA batteries.

[SoCalDep]

Hi everyone,

The Duracell’s are still going. They are clearly dimmer than in the beginning but useable in all but bright daylight.

Of course, this test, while fairly consistent (using 8 Aimpoint H-2 optics), there could be variation in results based on the amount of current draw, whether the battery is used to power frequent bursts of energy vs a consistent drain, and environmental factors which weren’t really tested. That said I think it’s clear that Duracell out-performs by a significant measure.

I also found Costco has 12-packs of Duracell 2032 batteries. I forget how much they were but I think it made them relatively inexpensive compared to general retail prices and probably worth checking out.

[frank]

Are you using the new "bitter coating" Duracell batteries? I've had problems with them in my bike power meters, and I realize this is not a firearm but it's an interesting data point. SRAM (manufacturer of the Quarq power meters), sent this update via email:


Battery compatibility notice
The newest Duracell CR2032 batteries are not compatible with SRAM and Quarq power meters.

Use of a Duracell battery with a bitter coating ring will result in symptoms similar to a drained or low battery.

These could include:

No wake or pairing possible
Loss of combined cadence and power for extended periods
No LED function


Duracell 2032 Lithium Coin Battery with Bitter Coating - bitter coating ring added as a swallowing deterrent.

[SoCalDep]

That is interesting information! Hopefully it’s a specific compatibility issue with that equipment and not a diminished performance overall. I have some of the new bitter batteries and can probably get away with installing them in the other four Aimpoints. Maybe I’ll do that tomorrow and we’ll see how it goes.

I will check tomorrow morning when I get to work to see if the ones in the optics already are the bitter coated ones. I bought them in probably April from Battery Junction and the 2032s I have that I ordered in September or October are the bitter batteries.

[Spartan1980]

I just busted open a 10 pack of CR123 Energizers a few days ago. Already depleted one and from the jump my light had noticeably less output. Won't be buying anymore. Back to Panasonics or Streamlights for me.

[SoCalDep]

Not sure if the batteries in the Aimpoints have the bitter taste. I don’t know if there’s anything visible that would indicate they have it and I don’t think these do. In fact, I only think my newest batteries from Costco have it.

[Wayne Dobbs]

Not sure if the batteries in the Aimpoints have the bitter taste. I don’t know if there’s anything visible that would indicate they have it and I don’t think these do. In fact, I only think my newest batteries from Costco have it.

Trey,

Is that similar to the various flavors of crayon?? :D

Thanks for your information on this - I've forwarded to our tech folks for their information. Thanks for the Costco 2032 tip also. Let me know if you have any other useful findings on this or if I can help any of you or your guys.

[peterb]

The new packaging:
62725

https://www.duracell.com/en-us/technology/innovation/lithium-coin-battery-safety/

From a sports gadget website:

Apparently, Quarq power meters don’t like bad tasting batteries any more than young children. Quarq sent out a service announcement last night indicating that Duracell’s new so-called “bitter batteries”, which have a bitter tasting coating to deter young children from putting them in their mouths, can cause issues with the company’s power meters.

Specifically, the CR2032 batteries can cause the LED to not function, cadence and power dropouts (including for extended periods of time), as well as the unit failing to wake up or pair. In other words, basically any type of failure you could conceive of, these batteries probably caused it. About the only symptom not on the list would be ‘power meter explodes’.

Duracell started shipping the new bitter coated batteries on their CR2032, CR2025, and CR2016 batteries this past September. So, if you happen to pick one of those up, beware it will probably dork with your power meter. And realistically, if Quarq is figuring this out – I’m going to take a guess other sensor companies won’t be far behind. It’s simply more likely that power meter users, being the typical Type-A personalities we are, are more likely to notice quirky things than those coming off heart rate straps or other sensor types.

https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2020/11/tuesday-tidbits-quarq-bitter-battery-warning-coros-major-firmware-update-garmin-major-fr245-fr945-updates.html

[SoCalDep]

Trey,

Is that similar to the various flavors of crayon?? :D

Thanks for your information on this - I've forwarded to our tech folks for their information. Thanks for the Costco 2032 tip also. Let me know if you have any other useful findings on this or if I can help any of you or your guys.

I’m not sure... I asked one of my Marine partners and he tried to eat a battery to compare so I gave up on that avenue of pseudo-scientific exploration. (Haha)

That said, two bitter Duracells (from Costco) are in two Aimpoints to compare.

Overall, I’m pretty impressed with the Aimpoints on max with the Duracells.

When we tested the Trijicon SRO it lasted something like 21 days (I’ll have to look it up and check for sure) in locked in max with the factory Energizer battery. That’s comparable to what we saw with the Aimpoints. My Glock’s SRO with factory battery was installed on July 14 and died on Sept 10. Duracell was installed on that day and is still running so we can see how long that goes as well.

[WDR]

I'm interested to see the results for the Costco bitter batteries... I snagged a pack last time I was there, planning to keep a few around in reserve for my Aimpoint's/MRO's.

[Archer1440]

I’ve been running one of the “bitter” Duracells in an SRO (1 MOA) since mid September. It has been fine for a Gunsite 499, a Gunsite range day, and the Gunsite alumni shoot, as well as daily dry fire practice and a couple of dozen range runs, most all with full sunlight and a cranked-up dot.

No objective difference in performance with that particular battery, so far. But I won’t be happy if this turns out to be “a thing” with these, having just bought a couple of six-packs.

[SoCalDep]

Non-bitter Duracell’s are at 75 days. They are dim, and one is getting dim like the Energizers before they died. I’m actually annoyed they’re lasting so long because I’m still trying to check them at least twice a day. I’m going out of town for a week and they have to come along with the paperwork, multimeter and such.

The two bitter batteries are still “very” bright. It’s only been 9+ days so there’s much to be seen, but I’m going to leave them behind in my trip because if they’re dead when I get back next Sat after 17 days we have our answer. I’m hoping to find them still going strong.

[SoCalDep]

The bitter batteries are going strong at 19 days. They still have the bright halo around the edge of the window when viewed indoors, so I expect them to go for a while longer. Going way back to September, the first Energizer died at 19 days and the rest followed suit quickly and the last one died at 23 days. The two optics being used for the bitter batteries are the two optics that had the lowest run time with the Energizers, so at least there's consistency there and the bitter batteries are clearly going to out-perform the Energizers.

As for the original Duracell batteries in the four optics... they're all still going. One is still very dim and much dimmer than the rest, but they are all hanging on here at day # 85. We're at an average of around four times the run time of the Energizers and Ikea batteries.

I installed a bitter battery in my main training 1 MOA SRO tonight just to see how it works in variable current-draw (I usually have it on high at work and it gets dimmed pretty low when I dry fire at home indoors) but I won't be tracking it like the current test.

[SoCalDep]

Oh yea... I licked it too. It is indeed bitter.

[WDR]

Oh yea... I licked it too. It is indeed bitter.

Thanks for the updates!

[Archer1440]

I think this Duracell “bitter battery” “issue” can be put to bed in the context of RDS use. Aside from the one supposed issue with a bike power meter, I can’t find any evidence of issues with any other devices, and so far they are performing perfectly fine in all my RDS.

[SoCalDep]

Quick Update:

The original four Duracells are still going on day # 113. One is very dim, but still going, and the others aren't bright, but don't look like their near death. This test is now more of an annoyance than anything (die already!!!) but it's going to be part of a report, so I want to be thorough. I did take out all the batteries last week and checked them on the multimeter. If memory serves they were all around 1.75 -1.85ish volts after giving them a few minutes to rebound from the current load. The dim one was a little less than the others. When the Energizer and Ikea batteries died they were down between 1.3 and 1.4ish.

The two bitter Duracell batteries are on day 46 and seem to be just a bit lower brightness than the other Duracells at that time (based on looking at my old posts). They are still bright enough to see indoors, but outdoors are very hard to see except in shaded areas. They are still brighter than the other Duracell batteries, which have been sort of stable for a long time now. At this point though, I've had the batteries out in the cold garage and it's been in the 30's in the mornings, so that may have something to do with it. The bitter batteries have certainly shown better performance than other brands tested, so I'm confident in them... that said... still gotta see how it all pans out for that report. I just brought them inside and will check again tomorrow to see if warmer temperature changes anything.

[SoCalDep]

Everything still going at day 117 and 51 respectively.

Went to COSTCO this morning and thankfully there wasn’t a crazy line like last time. The Duracell 2032s are on sale for $8.99 a 12-pack which, with tax, comes out to around $0.80 per battery. I think that’s a pretty good deal.

In non-pistol optic news I also grabbed a 3-pack of Duracell 600 lumen work lights for $19.99. I’m keeping two at home for power outage illumination and putting one in our motor home which I use as a personal locker room at work and stay in during work layovers. Not to sound too much like a Duracell shill (I’m more of a light nerd so I’m a sucker for light stuff) but I’d been using my Streamlight Seige AA lantern in the motor home when I didn’t want to turn everything on just to change in the morning and while I like it, this Duracell will replace it.

The light is a more “warm” LED which I really like and it takes three AA batteries like the Seige. It puts out 600 lumens on high and usable light on low, which is cool and beats the 360 degree 200 lumens of the Siege by far. The Seige seems stronger and that’s one of the reasons (along with 360 degree illumination) why I’ll keep it as an emergency light.

From what my wife tells me, COSTCOs in different areas can have different pricing and availability, but I think this stuff is worth checking out.

[OldRunner/CSAT Neighbor]

Everything still going at day 117 and 51 respectively.

Went to COSTCO this morning and thankfully there wasn’t a crazy line like last time. The Duracell 2032s are on sale for $8.99 a 12-pack which, with tax, comes out to around $0.80 per battery. I think that’s a pretty good deal.

In non-pistol optic news I also grabbed a 3-pack of Duracell 600 lumen work lights for $19.99. I’m keeping two at home for power outage illumination and putting one in our motor home which I use as a personal locker room at work and stay in during work layovers. Not to sound too much like a Duracell shill (I’m more of a light nerd so I’m a sucker for light stuff) but I’d been using my Streamlight Seige AA lantern in the motor home when I didn’t want to turn everything on just to change in the morning and while I like it, this Duracell will replace it.

The light is a more “warm” LED which I really like and it takes three AA batteries like the Seige. It puts out 600 lumens on high and usable light on low, which is cool and beats the 360 degree 200 lumens of the Siege by far. The Seige seems stronger and that’s one of the reasons (along with 360 degree illumination) why I’ll keep it as an emergency light.

From what my wife tells me, COSTCOs in different areas can have different pricing and availability, but I think this stuff is worth checking out.

SCD is this the Dura you speak of > https://www.costco DOT com/duracell-600-lumen-worklight%2C-3-pack.product.100664991.html

[SoCalDep]

SCD is this the Dura you speak of > https://www.costco DOT com/duracell-600-lumen-worklight%2C-3-pack.product.100664991.html

Yep... that’s it.

[SoCalDep]

Update...

One of the original Duracell batteries died on January 2nd. That makes about 124-125 days.

The rest are still going. Originals are at 137 days and the bitter batteries are at 71 days.

The dead battery was at a 1.40v charge a few minutes after removal which is consistent with the dead voltage of the other brand batteries.

[Jim Watson]

My HL Pro earmuff amplification quit in the course of a match last week. I thought the batteries had lasted well.
I opened it up and found the Duracell AAAs heavily corroded.
Wire brush and solvent cleaned up the battery compartment and the electronics still work with fresh (Rayovac) batteries.

Failure of major big brag name brand batteries was disquieting. I will have to set a schedule to look inside even if it hasn't lost power. l

[SoCalDep]

My HL Pro earmuff amplification quit in the course of a match last week. I thought the batteries had lasted well.
I opened it up and found the Duracell AAAs heavily corroded.
Wire brush and solvent cleaned up the battery compartment and the electronics still work with fresh (Rayovac) batteries.

Failure of major big brag name brand batteries was disquieting. I will have to set a schedule to look inside even if it hasn't lost power. l

While Duracell is by far the better 2032 choice, Energizer Lithium or NiMH rechargeable batteries (such as Eneloops or the Ikea white color Ladda batteries) beat any alkaline in a AA or AAA format. They don't leak and the Lithiums will last longer in storage. The NiMHs can be recharged which saves money. I won't use alkaline batteries in anything that I would feel bad being destroyed by corrosion.

In devices that can support them, Li-Ion batteries offer superior performance, but will likely damage devices designed for 1.5v standard AA or AAA batteries - especially when used in multiples. Speaking of multiples... If you don't know what you're doing with Li-Ion batteries in multi-battery devices... then just don't. They provide efficient power but basically become explosive chemical bombs when charged and/or discharged wrong.

I just picked up some Energizer "Ultimate Lithium" AAs today for use in a 450 lumen Eagletac 2 x AA flashlight.

[Jim Watson]

Thanks. I'll get some "ultimate lithium" because I don't use battery power enough to warrant rechargeables.
I was looking at pinup lights to illuminate my way to the reloading room. Some with built in rechargeables. Dumb, have to take the light down to recharge it.

[SoCalDep]

Three of the four original Duracells are still going, though two of them are very near death. We're on day 209.

I stopped the testing of the bitter Duracell batteries after they lasted 125 days (longer than the first Duracell that died) since the point was proven that they performed comperably to the original Duracells being tested. I don't have the paperwork in front of me for ending voltage information, but they still had juice to spare.

I had to give up two of the eight optics to be mounted on patrol rifles, but once the Duracells die I'll be ready for another test. Three Panasonics and three Renatas will go into the six remaining optics to see how they do.

Now I'm curious if the performance in the CR1632 platform follows a similar pattern. I'm going to make some phone calls and see if I can get some optics to test.

[GJM]

Anecdote not data. Several weeks ago I got a 365XL and 507K at the LGS. Installed the battery in the Holosun box. Tonight, the reticle in this new optic started blinking. Tested it and it showed near zero. Replaced it with a Renata. Unfortunately I didn’t test the new battery, so I am unsure whether I stated with a flat battery or my optic has a high draw.

BTW, I have Renata batteries made in Switzerland, some made in China, and others made in another Asian country. My Duracell say made in China.

[GJM]

Just pulled the Renata 1632 out of my wife’s 507K on her 365XL. Battery tester says near zero percent, so we changed it. Both of us have been using circle dot for EDC, and these K optics only have manual, no auto, so I am thinking the combination of manual and circle dot is sucking power.

[md8232]

Just pulled the Renata 1632 out of my wife’s 507K on her 365XL. Battery tester says near zero percent, so we changed it. Both of us have been using circle dot for EDC, and these K optics only have manual, no auto, so I am thinking the combination of manual and circle dot is sucking power.

Any update on the 1632's. I'm going to make an order soon, so might as well buy the most effective batteries available.

[SoCalDep]

To start by directly answering your question, I don’t have any comparative data on 1632 batteries, so I can only go by what I know so far with 2032s and with that, I’d go Duracell.

I have several optics that take 1632 batteries ( couple 509Ts, a 507C, and a 507K) but since they’re not identical, I can’t do a valid test. I’ve been meaning to reach out to manufacturers to see if they’d supply multiple T&E optics for the sole purpose of a battery-life test (no mounting or shooting) but that’s not within the normal T&E realm, so I’m not sure how excited companies would be. Add to that I’ve been really busy with creating this huge report on what has already been done with our optic program and this would not be able to be included until a revision so it’s been pushed back. I’m on vacation this week so maybe I’ll take a bit of that time and reach out.

In other news... There’s one sole Duracell still alive at 243 days. (Two thirds of a year). The other two that were still going died at 218 and 233 days. I used four of the optics to test two Panasonic and two Renata 2032 batteries. They have been installed for nine days so no interesting news there yet.

[SoCalDep]

The last Duracell is still alive at 298 days. The Renata batteries are at 64 days. One of the Renatas is as dim as the Duracell and one is brighter. I’m impressed with the Renatas so far and the Duracell soldiers on…

[Adrianaa3]

I’m not sure... I asked one of my Marine partners and he tried to eat a battery to compare so I gave up on that avenue of pseudo-scientific exploration. (Haha)

That said, two bitter Duracells (from Costco) are in two Aimpoints to compare.

Overall, I’m pretty impressed with the Aimpoints on max with the Duracells.

When we tested the Trijicon SRO it lasted something like 21 days (I’ll have to look it up and check for sure) in locked in max with the factory Energizer battery. That’s comparable to what we saw with the Aimpoints. My Glock’s SRO with factory battery was installed on July 14 and died on Sept 10. Duracell was installed on that day and is still running so we can see how long that goes as well.

Any update on how long the Duracell battery lasted. I’m having the same issues