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Battery life shorter?

Tia

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I am wondering if anyone else has noticed a shorter battery life lately? Have been going through AA batteries it seems a lot quicker then before. In a wireless computer mouse, TV remote, and son's XBox control. At first thought it was maybe off brand but latest have been Duracell and Energizer.
 

Phydeaux

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Nope. Same old same old here.

What I've noticed has changed radically are small appliance electrical cords. When did China start using old barbed wire taken from a bone yard in their cords instead of the more pliable copper wire? Remember when cords were pliable, and you could actually wind them up?
 

Ty1on

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I am wondering if anyone else has noticed a shorter battery life lately? Have been going through AA batteries it seems a lot quicker then before. In a wireless computer mouse, TV remote, and son's XBox control. At first thought it was maybe off brand but latest have been Duracell and Energizer.

Is it possible your son is swapping out batteries with other devices to keep his battery-munching controllers going? I find myself doing that for my daughter's xbox controllers.
 

davidvel

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We primarily use rechargeable (AA/AAA) batteries. But even these start to degrade over the years.
 

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I haven't noticed any significant changes recently. FWIW, my nephew recently did a science experiment with battery life. He tested national brands and generics and found that Energizer was the top performer followed by Duracell. Ray-O-Vac came in last place after several generics like CVS. I've found Energizer to be the most reliable so that's what we use.

I try to squeeze a little more life out of batteries by switching them around in the device. You can usually do this at least 2x and get at a few more months worth in the case of a TV remote.
 

vacationhopeful

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Tia ... dang, you are all wrong to 'give the best batteries to the kid'. Make the kid earn battery power ... my youngest nephew LEARNED the world does not 'go round' due to Gameboy or xBox. He learned to work starting when he was 4yo and started getting "pay checks" when 5yo. .. took his mother 5 months to get him to give up the check so she could CASH IT for him.

As for recharging batteries .. they last longer use life if they get fully charged before each use. Half charges tend to decrease their overall life.
 

Tia

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Okay must be my imagination. The xbox user has bought batteries for the house too that I've used and seemed they just are not lasting. Thanks
 

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Okay must be my imagination. The xbox user has bought batteries for the house too that I've used and seemed they just are not lasting. Thanks

If the batteries aren't working for you, it's not your imagination. It's possible that by removing the batteries frequently the contact points may be weak. Before I started using my phone as my primary camera, I had a handheld camera that ate batteries like crazy. It would take fewer than a dozen pix then demand new ones. :doh: After of throwing away $$$ of brand new batteries I put a little piece of metal spring between the battery and contact points and the problem was resolved. One last bit of battery trivia to share, I found that not all battery brands are a uniform size, so some just don't make contact. Provides a nice revenue for the battery companies at a great cost to consumers.:rolleyes:
 

Passepartout

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I haven't noticed any significant changes recently. FWIW, my nephew recently did a science experiment with battery life. He tested national brands and generics and found that Energizer was the top performer followed by Duracell. Ray-O-Vac came in last place after several generics like CVS. I've found Energizer to be the most reliable so that's what we use.
I'm impressed. Out of curiosity, did he test Kirkland (Costco) batteries? We usually buy those instead of the Duracells they also sell.
 

pedro47

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Look on the box and find out where the batteries were made. I like batteries made in the USA and Germany. All Duracell batteries are not made in the USA.
 
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pittle

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I always write the date on my batteries with a permanent marker when I put them in - even been know to put labels on them. :eek: Most last at least a year. I tend to use Duracell or Energizer.
 

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I'm impressed. Out of curiosity, did he test Kirkland (Costco) batteries? We usually buy those instead of the Duracells they also sell.

No, sorry. We don't have Costco near us. I wouldn't be surprised if the Kirkland brand turned out to be Energizer in disguise since so many products just receive different labels.
 

Tia

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Look on the box and find out where the batteries were made. I like batteries made in the USA and Germany. All Duracell batteries are not made in the USA.


Very interesting, will check that out
 

Sugarcubesea

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I am wondering if anyone else has noticed a shorter battery life lately? Have been going through AA batteries it seems a lot quicker then before. In a wireless computer mouse, TV remote, and son's XBox control. At first thought it was maybe off brand but latest have been Duracell and Energizer.

That has been happening to me with my mouse and TV remote. The weird thing is I switched over to the Dollar Tree batteries and for some odd reason they seem to be lasting longer...go figure...LOL
 
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