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From Cecil's Mailbag by the Straight Dope Science Advisory Board
Dear Straight Dope:
Can you put this question to rest so I can sleep at night without
having
little pink bunnies pounding around my room? Which last
longer--Energizers or Duracells? --Benjamin Rice
SDSTAFF Karl replies:
As with most things in the real world, the answer is not clearcut.
According to the Dec '94 Consumer Reports, which sports a picture
of
their battery testing rig looking like a something out of a 1950's
B
movie produced by General Electric, recommends that you should "buy
alkaline batteries by price, not brand" because "Actual sale price
differentials far outweigh any performance edge our tests turned
up".
They have another helpful battery hint: "Alkaline batteries have a
long storage life, so you can stock up on whichever tested brand
happens to be on sale." The high point of the article? "Of the 4
nicad D cells tested, only the Radio Shack is a true D. Cutting
open
the others reveals a C-sized battery in a D-sized shell."
Oh well.
--SDSTAFF Karl
Straight Dope Science Advisory Board
Cecil's Mailbag is researched and written by members of the Straight Dope Science Advisory Board, Cecil's online auxiliary. Although the SDSAB does its best, these articles are edited by Ed Zotti, not Cecil, so accuracywise you'd better keep your fingers crossed.
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