JCB batteries.

[Till Eulenspiegel]

How about this? A pack of JCB AA cells. A customer bought them from the local Co-op.
" Suitable for low drain devices"
Learn more: http://www.jcbbatteries.com

Till Eulenspiegel.

[Michael Watterson]

Probably just ordinary Chinese Zinc Carbon presumably licensing the brand. I've been buying packets of 14 for €1.49 from Dealz (curiously labelled as 12 + 2 free), which is the Irish subsidiary of Poundland. Regular HT packs use 60 and the B137 uses 120

They recently stopped selling them and have a lot of over priced "Simply Duracell". They also though have Sony (branded) PP3 Layer cells, Kodak (branded) Alkaline PP3 (I don't buy them for battery packs as they are too fat), Polariod and the "Ford" branded batteries since the JCB batteries ended.

I seriously doubt Kodak make any batteries or Sony make those Zinc Layer cells. Sony unlike Ford, JCB, Polariod, Grundig and Kodak do make some kinds of batteries. Curiously my no-name Chinese made bought from USA reseller replacement Lithium pack I got just last week appears to have Sony batteries. At least it tells the lap top that they are Sony. Most of the Lithium packs I've opened have actually been Sony.

I have used Kodak Alkaline D and AA and also Kodak Zinc Chloride AA (a marginal improvement on Zinc Carbon at 10mA HT). Ever Ready "HP" were Zinc Chloride.

I weigh batteries and this tells me what taking apart confirms. ALL the Zinc Carbon I have dismembered, no matter brand have much less battery than in the 1970s. They use a fat hollow plastic bung to seal rod & case top instead of card disc and thin layer of tar. But they have taken to putting TWO of them!

Same on AA cells.

The Alkaline are still filled

Top is Alkaline (case is positive!) the cap is the negative base
Bottom is Zinc carbon with the two bungs and positive carbon rod to top cap removed (case negative)

The metal work in older sets is usually negative. The Alkaline cells have a very thin easily pierced shrunk on plastic film and thus short.

Actually even the Zinc Carbon have poor case insulation. Accidental shorts to torch bodies or each other is so much easier today.

AA bungs ...

[Mike C]

Utter rubbish these things are and I don't know how such a well known and respected name can be put to them. I had a lantern battery from them and it did not last three days I used it to test a Pifco lamp and it died and it was well in date, infact it was brand new. I opened it up and all the cells had leaked. I did not leave it in the lamp either and I never left the lamp switched on.

There Oxi range for cameras is dreadful they to died on me and I now use Duracell rechargeable 1700 mah and there so much better. There zinc carbon range are not good as they don't last and there cases are so thin but there alkaline range are ok but that's about it for this brand sadly. I have never tried there rechargeable range though.

The Hyundai greens you don't see many of but I got a few packs of these in Parthcawl when on holiday there as there was a cheap shop, these to did not last but there other range is ok. If your buying cheap batteries go for the alkaline.

Powercell is another cheap brand from poundland, great for a test supply but don't expect them to last, even in torches. Panasonic and Kodak fair the best, even there zinc carbon range. A lot of these batteries are cheap and made in china possibly in Guandong province but different labels are put on but they are the same product underneath.

Ford have a range of these things out now. I was impressed with the Cegasa range from BQ stores, these are Spanish and I also when I went to Spain got a few packs. You can tell a lot by the weight of a battery and if you can squash the case with your fingers.

[Hybrid tellies]

I bought a packet of 4 JCB alkaline batteries from a shop in Teignmouth a couple of years ago I fitted them into my power hungry ITT Colt portable radio and have found these batteries have lasted really well and are still in use.

[Mike C]

The Alkaline ones are ok as are most Alkaline batteries, even the Kodak ones but the JCB zinc range I was not impressed with and there on a par with those Powercell batteries and they don't last. My JCB zinc 6V lantern battery should have lasted longer as it did not get much use. It died and leaked after a few weeks which I find strange as I did not store it in the damp either. I took it apart and my first thoughts were a cell short out but could not see any evidence of this. The Oxi range did not last in my camera either. The zinc range have very thin cases, so much so I can squash them with my fingers, that's another way to spot a cheap battery as the Powercell ones are like this.

[Michael Watterson]

I'm considering pocket weighing scales when I go shopping. The poorer they are the lighter.

[Mike C]

That is so true and Alkaline cells are always more weighty than zinc carbon. Those Chinese batteries hardly weigh anything due to thin cases and not much chemical composition inside either in some cases. Powercell are like this to.