Night Vision Public Service Announcment - Remember, don't use cheap batteries

[TheGerman]

And I got reminded why you don't, just a little while ago.

Went out at night to hunt, and nothing but Energizers ever go into any of my NV units.

However, I took an electronic caller with me that takes 10 AA batteries. Decided I wasn't going to burn through my good ones and crack open a brand new gigantic pack of Kirkland/Costco batteries my wife bought last weekend for random crap around the house.

Get out there and after 10 minutes on the first stand, the electronic caller starts acting weird and then wont turn on. I messed with the batteries making sure one didn't move around or something and nothing. Say screw it and I'll just use my manual coyote whistle - all of a sudden I hear something that sounds like when you open a can of soda but don't open it all the way and then a little pop, coming from the battery bank of the electronic caller.

Open it up and can feel a little bit of liquid so I figure a battery broke. Found one that didn't just leak, it blew the entire metal cap off of the negative charge side. Thing wasn't used for more than 2-3 minutes total and had a catastrophic failure.

 

[hic28]

You should complain to the electronic caller company cause it’s clearly their fault....

 

[PinesAndProjectiles]

Take the caller and battery mess to Costco and let them know their shitty batteries fucked up your caller.

 

[ballistic1]

Coyote sabotage

 

[Strykervet]

I try to use the Energizer Lithium AA batteries when at all possible. They last a long time, long shelf life, and the chemistry is different (although Lithium batteries can take a magnificent shit and explode too, although usually with cheap ones again).

 

[RNWRKNP]

Had the same thing happen with a Foxpro and energizers only I wasn’t using it and unaware that there was a problem. Call never worked again and it wasn’t cheap?

 

[deersniper]

I only use Surefure 123s and Enegizer AAs and take them out after each use.

Ebay seems to have the cheapest price. Sometimes Amazon has good deals.

 

[W54/XM-388]

Once you have made the decision to ditch the crap batteries for good and only go with the Lithium disposables, sometimes you really don't want to be using up your good batteries for cheaper rarely used stuff.

Something you might want to consider since you (or at least your wife) obviously shop at CostCo, is wait till they have a sale on these:
https://www.panasonic.com/global/consumer/battery/eneloop.html

Costco often has sales where it's like $15 or so for the charger, and a 8 pack of AA with a 4 pack of AAA

They work really well and have an energy discharge rate that is competitive with the Lithium batteries (but just not for nearly as long).

I use that for all the stuff that I don't want to keep blowing through lithium batteries on & have been very happy with them. I swapped my headlamp that I use every day to using those batteries (same set) for the past 2 years.

I use the standard Silver ones, but if you have a high drain device, get the black ones. (I wanted the silver ones for the 2100 recharge cycles vs the 500 for the blacks)