Duracell not so Durable?


For years I've bought Duracell batteries because I thought they tended to be more durable; they seemed less likely to leak. But some recent experiences are making me rethink that.

The first case happened with a battery in a guitar that leaked. Now the battery was not at the "Use By" date they stamp on them - which tend to be years out - but it had been sitting in the guitar for a year or two. I wrote that off as an unhappy accident (and removed all the batteries from all the guitars!)

But today I went to use my wireless mic, and it didn't turn on (which was a bit odd as I'd tested it only a few days before and it had worked.)

Then I noticed that the unit had been left on (which I thought was the reason the unit wasn't working.) I opened it up to replace the batteries and there was liquid all over the cradle that holds the batteries. - YUCK!

Now I know that the batteries had been in there for less than two months (and that's being conservative, I'm pretty certain they were put in more recently.) They have a date of DEC 2023 stamped on them too. The unit was left on - in a camera bag in an air conditioned office. Could it have overheated and caused them to leak?

Thankfully, I cleaned everything off with a paper napkin - which is all I had - put in some new batteries, and the unit still worked. YAAH!


Now I just have to figure out what sort of batteries to buy instead. Or was it operator error? I can't believe the unit got that hot...


NOTES:
Looks like I'm not the only one. And Duracell may replace the device - if it's damaged - maybe.

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