Alkaline flashlight batteries.

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the reason that happens is one battery has more or less internal resistance, than the others. throwing every thing out of balance. the LIPO bats used in my RC cars is VERY picky about the internal resistance. and need specl chargers that do what they call balancing.
 
The only practical suggestions I have:
1. Be sure to use 3 batteries bought at the same time, preferably from the same package.
AND
2. Since you have a voltmeter, check the voltage on each battery. You might get a 4-pack where 3 of the batteries each read, say, 1.58 volts, & the 4th is different by 0.05 volts or more. If so, use the batteries that "match".

Still no guarantee it'll prevent your problem, but it costs nothing & should be worth a try.

Re: Harbor Freight batteries- I currently have 2 HF alkaline C-cells in my surprisingly bright Task Force flashlight, & they seem to be holding up as well as any others I've used. Look for the coupons that knock the price down to $3.99/pkg of alkalines(that's a plastic box of 24 AA/AAA, 6 C/D, or 4 9V). That gets 'em pretty cheap. I've read that IKEA stores have a house-brand AA(maybe AAA too) alkaline that performs well & is usually priced at $0.10/battery. If you have any use for that size & an Ikea store nearby probably worth trying- too bad no Ikea store here. I keep a small stock of mostly AAs, mostly for use in portable radios.
 
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simple.
the capacity of cells even consecutively produced are never the same.
the first to drop gets reversed.that will often be a leaker later on.
i often wonder why folks still tolerate alkalines with so many good rechargeables on the market.
 
Originally Posted By: kc8adu
simple.
the capacity of cells even consecutively produced are never the same.
the first to drop gets reversed.that will often be a leaker later on.
i often wonder why folks still tolerate alkalines with so many good rechargeables on the market.


Simple, rechargeable do not put out a true 1.5 volts. I use rechargeable for many uses but for camera's alkaline is the way to go IMO.
 
I'll stick to the Eneloops for my AA and AAA.
Also smart charger (Maha & Powerex).
Never had a Eneloop leak in a device.... yet

A good conditioning/testing smart charger should help weed out the weaker cells.
 
+1 on the Sanyo eneloops for the AAA 3 LED lights especially. I have some of them for years and so far only 2 batteries have failed to hold a charge. I must have 20 AAA and 16 AA's. I use the AA's for photography flashes etc. For some reason most remote controls don't like them. They must be severely voltage sensitive since NIMH batteries are 1.25v. Oh yeah, odd but only one of my 3 portable radios around the house don't work with them. An old Radio Shack. The Sony's work just fine with them.
 
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