3 ms·

I would be wary of counterfeits. I got counterfeit Duracell 9V batteries from a well-known online retailer who co-mingles inventory. They dropped to about 5.5

I would be wary of counterfeits. I got counterfeit Duracell 9V batteries from a well-known online retailer who co-mingles inventory. They dropped to about 5.5V after a month of use and, on closer inspection, were made of subtly different materials.

DaveExeter 3y ago
Not an issue if you buy unbranded, although I don't think there is anything special about "Duracell" batteries in terms of construction or quality control.
newaccount74 3y ago
Store bought Duracell AA batteries (unlikely to be fake) have a tendency to leak and destroy devices in my experience.
massysett 3y ago
Do you have any more details on how you identified them as counterfeit? I guess they looked good enough at first glance, so the details must be quite subtle. I’m not confident of my ability to identify counterfeit goods so I have greatly curtailed purchases from that well-known retailer that commingles inventory. Pretty much anything that might risk health or safety is something I’m scared to buy from them, which eliminates most items that use electricity - even in low voltages, as batteries can have hazardous failure modes.
- ericbarrett 3y ago
  The battery died very quickly so I was inspecting the "best by" date to see if I had a bad batch. I then compared it to some new batteries bought at a physical store. I noticed the font and some small details were subtly different. The base plate (opposite the terminals) was plastic with a fine texture on the real product, and simple black cardboard on the fake. The stamping and forming of the metal cover was more crude on the fake as well, and the trademark copper was duller. However, there's no way I would have noticed any of these without a genuine comparison, especially if it was still in the wrapping. This was for a smoke detector, so definitely a safety issue!

3 ms·

I would be wary of counterfeits. I got counterfeit Duracell 9V batteries from a well-known online retailer who co-mingles inventory. They dropped to about 5.5

by ericbarrett 3y ago

DaveExeter 3y ago
Not an issue if you buy unbranded, although I don't think there is anything special about "Duracell" batteries in terms of construction or quality control.
newaccount74 3y ago
Store bought Duracell AA batteries (unlikely to be fake) have a tendency to leak and destroy devices in my experience.
massysett 3y ago
Do you have any more details on how you identified them as counterfeit? I guess they looked good enough at first glance, so the details must be quite subtle. I’m not confident of my ability to identify counterfeit goods so I have greatly curtailed purchases from that well-known retailer that commingles inventory. Pretty much anything that might risk health or safety is something I’m scared to buy from them, which eliminates most items that use electricity - even in low voltages, as batteries can have hazardous failure modes.
- ericbarrett 3y ago
  The battery died very quickly so I was inspecting the "best by" date to see if I had a bad batch. I then compared it to some new batteries bought at a physical store. I noticed the font and some small details were subtly different. The base plate (opposite the terminals) was plastic with a fine texture on the real product, and simple black cardboard on the fake. The stamping and forming of the metal cover was more crude on the fake as well, and the trademark copper was duller. However, there's no way I would have noticed any of these without a genuine comparison, especially if it was still in the wrapping. This was for a smoke detector, so definitely a safety issue!