Tests and reviews of different batteries to help you find the Right One…
Time for another quick deja-vu with our second attempt to test the 9V Maxell Zinc battery as the last time we have tried over 5 years ago the battery we received was past its expiration date and although we tested it we did not include the results in our test for comparison with other batteries. This time around the battery we got was a fresher one with expiration date 08-2020, so close to a year and a half left, so not going to skit the results this time around.
We started with a deja-vu this post as the usable capacity of the 9V Maxell Zinc battery we got this time was almost the same as with the expired battery we have tested a while ago. At 95 mAh capacity in our 0.05A constant current discharge test the results are not great, but it is to be expected from a Carbon Zinc battery anyway. So apparently even at the end of its shelf life you can expect similar performance to the one at the middle and maybe not that much different even with freshly produced battery of this model… if properly stored of course.
The performance of the 9V Maxell Zinc batteries in our tests:
– 95 mAh at 0.05A load
– 0.690 Wh at 0.05A load
We are not big fans of Carbon Zinc single use batteries as a cheaper alternative to alkaline batteries, but from time to time we still pick up some cells to test and reaffirm that we do not like them. Carbon Zinc batteries are designed to be used on devices with smaller power consumption and they do not offer as much capacity as their alkaline counterparts, but they do come cheap and are widely available in various stores. We are giving the 9V GP Powercell Heavy Duty another chance as we have tried to test one of these a couple of years ago, but it has arrived with at the end of its shelf life. The one we received this time is slightly fresher with 10-2019 expiration date, so this time with half a year left of its shelf life we have decided to include it in our test results.
As expected the 9V GP Powercell Heavy Duty Carbon Zinc battery did not do much better than our previous try, it has managed to give out just 32 mAh capacity at our constant discharge test with 0.05A. The previous test of expiring 9V GP Powercell Heavy Duty battery with just one month left was a bit better with 38 mAh, but this can be a result of different storage conditions. Anyway, we warn you once again to be careful when buying Carbon Zinc batteries to always check the expiration date and always go for fresh ones (never buy these online if the expiration date is not stated!), or better yet – go for alkaline batteries instead.
The performance of the 9V GP Powercell Heavy Duty Carbon Zinc batteries in our tests:
– 32 mAh at 0.05A load
– 0.234 Wh at 0.05A load
The 9V Sony Ultra Super Carbon Zinc batteries we test here are rated with up to 3 years shelf life and are marked for use up to 11-2015. The Sony website does not have detailed specifications about these batteries, so we have to check them out by testing the actual capacity we can get out of these. Considering the fact that we are talking about a Carbon Zinc battery we don’t have very high expectations, even though Sony labels these batteries as Ultra Super.
To test the capacity that 9V Carbon Zinc batteries can provide we are using a constant current discharge test with 0.05A load (50 miliampers) due to the fact that the total capacity of these batteries is not that high and they are not intended for use in situations where high current loads can be expected. The 9V Sony Ultra Super Carbon Zinc battery we have tested here managed to provide 151 mAh capacity before hitting the 5.4V cutoff voltage and that is actually quite normal performance for a 9V Carbon Zinc battery as these usually provide less capacity than Alkaline batteries and are a bit cheaper compared to Alkaline.
The performance of the 9V Sony Ultra Super Carbon Zinc Batteries in our tests:
– 151 mAh at 0.05A load
– 0.998 Wh at 0.05A load