Energizer Lithium Problems

I've put out several trail cams around the property late last month and today when I went to remove the SD card from one I noticed that it was not powered up and would not power up. I pulled the battery tray and checked the total voltage and it was only a little over 7V. I removed all the batts and checked the voltage of each batt and 3 were just showing millivolts and the other 5 had 1.3 to 1.4. I checked some new ones and they are 1.8.

I called Energizer and they are sending me a check for the bad batts. Anybody else had any issues with these batts ?

battery

I run a couple cellular cams and had nothing but bad luck with lithium batteries ive found that regular alkaline batteries work just as long for 1/2 the price

Several years ago, I bought some of the Energizer Ultimate Lithium size AA batteries to try in my trailcams. They cost two arms and two legs for the price of them back then. The fact is that they didn't even last as long as the regular Duracell Copper-Tops back then so I will never use anymore of them. After testing the Duracell Copper-Tops vs the Duracell Quantum AA batteries, I have gone exclusively with the Quantum batteries since they perform much better than anything else for me and I do check every battery both when they are brand new and also after use to see just what performance that I have achieved with them. I keep a very detailed logbook of all of those details for each of my current 33 WGI cameras in use too.

I have come to the conclusion that it is a waste of time and money to buy anything but Duracell batteries for cams.

I had a set of lithium batteries do the same thing recently and figured something was wrong with the camera. I do know a lot of trail cameras do not show the correct battery life available when using lithium. So it may show 10% life remaining when you really have much more.

rayjay said:

I've put out several trail cams around the property late last month and today when I went to remove the SD card from one I noticed that it was not powered up and would not power up. I pulled the battery tray and checked the total voltage and it was only a little over 7V. I removed all the batts and checked the voltage of each batt and 3 were just showing millivolts and the other 5 had 1.3 to 1.4. I checked some new ones and they are 1.8.

I called Energizer and they are sending me a check for the bad batts. Anybody else had any issues with these batts ?

Click to expand...

livetohunt said:

I had a set of lithium batteries do the same thing recently and figured something was wrong with the camera. I do know a lot of trail cameras do not show the correct battery life available when using lithium. So it may show 10% life remaining when you really have much more.

Click to expand...

X3....my Handheld GPS went dead within a an hour or two on the last set of batteries....they too were bunny lithiums

When ever you have a set of batts showing low voltage you should always check them individually with a good multimeter. It's very common for only 1 or 2 or 3 to be weak and the rest are just fine. Not the same voltage as brand new but still plenty of juice left when used. I have a box of good used AAs that I use for clocks other stuff that. Just match them up. As long as they show 1.3v I save them.

Rayjay is absolutely correct as all it takes is a very inexpensive Multimeter (FREE at Harbor Freight from time to time and I still have a new one in the package) to check your batteries and that way, you know exactly what voltage is left in any battery. The truth is that I actually test every NEW battery right out of the package and I did have a problem a few years ago as I found two Duracells that were dead when brand new. When I contacted their customer service, they immediately sent me a free coupon for two of their largest packages of AA batteries. I could get either (96) 48 X 2 Coppertops or (72) 36 X 2 Quantums. I took two of the 36 packs of Quantums that I normally buy at Sam's Club. I also had reminded them I had spent several hundred dollars with them over the past few years and I still had every receipt from Sam's Club and I would be glad to email those receipts to them if necessary. (By the way, there are super small code numbers on every Duracell battery and Customer Service can tell you every detail about which plant it was manufactured, what day of manufacture and what production shift that it was manufactured as well and can trace their shipments that way also. I was amazed at all of this information available from just a battery that you had to use a strong magnifying glass to read these numbers).

I have included a photo of a 16 lb bag of used batteries waiting for disposable and also one of my Multimeters that works like a charm for me. It tells me the "true voltage" that is also remaining in each battery. Most of the time, when my cameras get down to only "one bar" left, I go ahead and change them out then as I don't want to miss any photos if possible. Most of the batteries in this photo still have from 1.15 volts up to 1.20 volts left in them but they are now of no use to me at those levels. I have learned that most cameras will not function nearly as well when they get down closer to 1.20 volts or less.

Also see just how simple that it is to check each of your batteries as you can see the voltage listed on the Multimeter Digital screen as 1.62 Volts when these Quantums are brand new.

Also if you zoom in on the photo of my batteries, you can see the actual date of installation on every battery in this bag. I put a small piece of scotch tape on the "positive end area" because the ink will dry quicker and will work great in the woods as I change the battery at the tree. This is also how I easily keep a log book on every camera and know exactly when I changed the batteries on each camera and can also review my notes and know exactly just how many photos were taken on each set of batteries as well. Yep, it is alright to call me crazy and I admit to that but I believe in making sure all of the details are correct when I perform a job task.

EAGLE EYE 444 said:

After testing the Duracell Copper-Tops vs the Duracell Quantum AA batteries, I have gone exclusively with the Quantum batteries

Click to expand...

That's all I use. Lithiums are way over rated and too expensive. I can get 6 months out of the Quantums on my Browning Strike Force cams. Good is good enough.

My apologies to everyone for resurrecting an old thread but I thought this was timely and needed mentioning. In October 2020 I purchased an 18 pack of Energizer Ultimate Lithium AA batteries at Sam’s Club in Hiram. Batteries did not last even three weeks in my trail cams. My other cams are running energizer Max and they are still working fine. Be careful on the energizer Ultimate Lithium Batteries

NWS said:

My apologies to everyone for resurrecting an old thread but I thought this was timely and needed mentioning. In October 2020 I purchased an 18 pack of Energizer Ultimate Lithium AA batteries at Sam’s Club in Hiram. Batteries did not last even three weeks in my trail cams. My other cams are running energizer Max and they are still working fine. Be careful on the energizer Ultimate Lithium Batteries

Click to expand...

Energizer lithium is what I use in my Reveals. They work great for me

I use EUL's in my Ridgetecs and haven't had a problem with them. They aren't temp sensitive and their output is consistent until they die, so no fading IR flash as the batteries lose power output.

I had the same problem at the beginning of the season, first for me. Switched out batteries and cameras started working.

I no longer use Duracell. I have had too many leak and destroy my electronics. I have been using Rayovac and not one has leaked.

I run Energizer Lithiums in 18 cameras, changed out the first batteries after two years, last weekend. This was in a camera I've been running video mode on. I'm sold on them.

I buy nothing but energizer lithium batteries. Generally speaking they last at LEAST 4 times longer than alkaline batteries. Like everything else, can you get a bad bunch? Sure but very few.

Deerhead said:

I no longer use Duracell. I have had too many leak and destroy my electronics. I have been using Rayovac and not one has leaked.

Click to expand...

Well..... I have a 60 pack of rayovacs and just noticed yesterday I have leaking batteries in the factory packaging. Thinking about calling them and see if they will replace them. Have also had several leak in my cams. Have to keep a close watch on them.

Couldn't tell you how many duracell and energizers I have had ruin good flashlights from leaking. I think all alkalines are prone to leaking. I have to come to the conclusion, any electronic device that isn't used much, remove the batteries until you need to use it.

Rosewood

rosewood said:

Well..... I have a 60 pack of rayovacs and just noticed yesterday I have leaking batteries in the factory packaging. Thinking about calling them and see if they will replace them. Have also had several leak in my cams. Have to keep a close watch on them.

Couldn't tell you how many duracell and energizers I have had ruin good flashlights from leaking. I think all alkalines are prone to leaking. I have to come to the conclusion, any electronic device that isn't used much, remove the batteries until you need to use it.

Rosewood

Click to expand...

Maybe I'm just lucky but I have used nothing but the Energizer LITHIUM, not alkaline, for two yrs . the only problem I had was in one batch I had 2-3 reverse polarity!! NEVER had any leak. Now Duracell yes a few, Rayovacs a few. But NEVER the Energizer LITHIUM. Pricey? YES but I get 3-4 months plus on a set in my spy points sending pics immediately!!

I prefer the Energizer Lithiums for their longevity and have been using them for about three years. But I have had a couple of instances of single batteries going dead even though others in the camera had plenty of juice remaining. Maybe a quality control issues or something else, who knows. Have had that same problem with other brands so I chalk it up as another of those vagaries of life we have to live with.

I do wonder about those AA lithium. Alkaline batteries run 1.5 volts, ni-mh run 1.2 volts, ni-cads run 1.25 volts (I think). Lithium ions run 3.7 volts. So I wonder if those Lithium have a voltage regulation circuit board built in that lowers the voltage from 3.0v to 1.5v. If so, those boards may go bad causing a dead cell.

Rosewood