Zebralight quality has been a big disappointment

[Derek Dean]

Again,I use leakers every day all day long and have yet to have a leak at all.

I use them a lot and use them up quickly and it is not always practical for someone to use other batteries whether you understand this or not.

Maybe not ideal but hardly a waste,they pay their own way for sure and then some.

Yes, you've had no leaks because you use up the cells quickly, then put in a new one. The problems generally come when you let alkaline batteries sit in (anything) for an extended period, especially without using it.

I've got a ZL SC52 that I've had for years, and one reason I bought it was expressly for the fact that it COULD use alkaline AA batteries "in a pinch", meaning that if I had no other lithium or NiMh cells available, at least I'd be able to stick in pretty much any alkaline cell and get some light, but I would NEVER leave an alkaline AA cell in the light for an extended period.

Lithium batteries, however, are perfectly acceptable, and I use them in many different lights that I have stashed places, like in my car, or at work, and yes, in my SC52 which is my Go Bag. I know they won't leak, and they won't lose their charge for many years, so the light will work when I need it to.

As to the original poster's problem, I'm curious, and not that it makes a huge difference, just curious, as to what brand of cells you were using? Secondly, I've got a feeling that the reason you were experiencing an issue with ZL, and not other AA lights, might have to do with the tiny amount of current that is being used by the ZL to keep the electronic switch active. It's my understanding that this can be a catalyst for alkaline cells leaking.

bkpdle,I'm sorry you've had such bad luck with your Zebralight lights. I can only tell you that I've been using Zebralights at my night job for many years, and have never had an issue, and I certainly don't baby them. They are robust, reliable, and elegant to use, and to be honest, have ruined me for any other brand of lights. Anyway, best of luck with whatever new lights you end up purchasing.

 

[AVService]

Yes, you've had no leaks because you use up the cells quickly, then put in a new one. The problems generally come when you let alkaline batteries sit in (anything) for an extended period, especially without using it.

I've got a ZL SC52 that I've had for years, and one reason I bought it was expressly for the fact that it COULD use alkaline AA batteries "in a pinch", meaning that if I had no other lithium or NiMh cells available, at least I'd be able to stick in pretty much any alkaline cell and get some light, but I would NEVER leave an alkaline AA cell in the light for an extended period.

Lithium batteries, however, are perfectly acceptable, and I use them in many different lights that I have stashed places, like in my car, or at work, and yes, in my SC52 which is my Go Bag. I know they won't leak, and they won't lose their charge for many years, so the light will work when I need it to.

As to the original poster's problem, I'm curious, and not that it makes a huge difference, just curious, as to what brand of cells you were using? Secondly, I've got a feeling that the reason you were experiencing an issue with ZL, and not other AA lights, might have to do with the tiny amount of current that is being used by the ZL to keep the electronic switch active. It's my understanding that this can be a catalyst for alkaline cells leaking.

bkpdle,I'm sorry you've had such bad luck with your Zebralight lights. I can only tell you that I've been using Zebralights at my night job for many years, and have never had an issue, and I certainly don't baby them. They are robust, reliable, and elegant to use, and to be honest, have ruined me for any other brand of lights. Anyway, best of luck with whatever new lights you end up purchasing.

Pretty much exactly what I am saying except that I consider the use of Alkalines a feature and not something to fear.

I am aware of the way they work and they work better for me than most others and I get tired of most here suggesting otherwise.

I do not let them sit in a light unused either.

As with most things tech.
YMMV

And the O. P. told us that he uses Duracell.


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[bykfixer]

I used to think Maglite put something in the minimag to cause cells to leak because my alkalines only leaked in Maglites. Sounds like ZL uses the same magic ingredient? Eh, just kidding.

Seriously though, the ultimate lithiums have come down in price and come in quantity of as many as 12 these days.

 

[archimedes]

Pretty much exactly what I am saying except that I consider the use of Alkalines a feature and not something to fear.

I am aware of the way they work and they work better for me than most others and I get tired of most here suggesting otherwise.

I do not let them sit in a light unused either.

....

I hear what you are saying, but I like to think of it as more experienced members trying to look out for the less experienced members :shrug:

Something similar often happens when topics related to Li-Ion safety comes up.

Highly knowledgeable and experienced hobbyists (such as yourself) may have different practices than might be appropriate for more casual battery users.

The rate of leaking seems to vary so much among individuals also (some seem to get this constantly, others almost never) that I have wondered if even environmental-type factors may play some role ? Ambient temperature and fluctuations, humidity, or some such ?

Anyway, glad to hear that alkaline AA cells work well for your particular usage pattern.

But I am glad to have a range of alternative options too (with increasing availability, improving capacity, and even decreasing cost) these days

 

[Lynx_Arc]

Regarding alkalines: how about the new claimed leak free models?

There is no leak free alkaline battery. If you read the package fine print it says that "if it leaks" they will repair or replace etc just like the packages that don't claim leak free. If they were to make a claim that if it leaks we will pay you DOUBLE your expenses I would consider them serious about them being better than normal alkaleaks.
Essentially if you want to use alkalines figure they may leak and damage items and either get them with good warranty against damage or pay less for cells without a warranty and take your chances.

 

[Lynx_Arc]

Personally, I no longer use alkaline batteries in anything.

Well, to be fair ... in 99.9 (+) % of situations, those where I have found a reasonable alternative.

I have had new alkalines leak, old alkalines leak, full alkalines leak, empty alkalines leak, alkalines still in package leak, leaks in high drain devices, low drain devices, leaks during use, leaks while being stored, leaks in items exposed to large temperature fluctuation, leaks in items at constant temperature, every brand I tried leak, and ... what am I forgetting ?

Maybe that covers it.

You forgot them leaking when you turn your back while you are not looking
The only logic I can think of regard to leaks is certain things increase the likelihood of leaks such as:
Environment/temperature
Treatment in shipping (hard knocks etc)
Age, my experience is higher leakage chance when cells are from 2 years from expiration date and older
hard use in high drain devices that can also heat the cells up from nearness to a heat source
seasons of extremes from freezing to very hot can affect the seals of batteries
devices drain batteries dead (vampiric drain), dead batteries seem to leak more often
batteries in series having one or more cells drained and reverse charged by remaining cells
looking crosseyed and swearing at them in Swahili on Friday the 13th

 

[Lynx_Arc]

Primary lithium batteries are not a waste for certain applications by any means: infrequent use, extreme cold, etc.
Some people do not want to have to recharge batteries.

In high drain devices lithium primaries can actually save you money over alkaline as runtime is a lot longer for them so the cost per minute use could be a lot cheaper plus the bonus that lithiums almost never leak.

 

[AVService]

I do not really disagree with any of the logic about the use of Alkalines here except when it is suggested that we should never use them.

If I am in an Attic with my ZL AA Headlamp and it starts going dead I am sure going to slide a fresh Leaker right in there as needed!
I do ALWAYS carry at least one backup and usually more than that and if I need to cycle through 4 or more in a day I am also going to do just that.
These lights were designed to use an AA battery and I am pretty well versed in the possible pitfalls and chances that I am taking and am OK with this when I do.

If a light is not used in this way then I will not use it in this way as well and that goes for battery type too.

I can see where this banter about Alkaline Batteries could be confusing to newer members here or to those so environmentally concerned that they can not see another point of view about this but this is my reality,I am fine with it.

Using recharging batteries or Lithium Primaries is simply not always a viable option for me in a work light and I am done being "Green Shamed" about it too.

Luckily I gave up swearing in Swahili long ago too but I can see now where I might have stopped this too soon.

 

[archimedes]

....Using recharging batteries or Lithium Primaries is simply not always a viable option for me in a work light and I am done being "Green Shamed" about it too....

Although I know that others have raised environmental issues in regard to alkaline batteries elsewhere, I don't see any "green shaming" being done in this thread.

My take on the few posts mentioning "waste" was that damage to expensive electronic equipment can be costly, and yes, wasteful (not specific to the environment but generally) ... and potentially avoidable by using batteries of alternative chemistry (statistically less likely to leak)

Without this thread getting too political, lithium, cobalt, and nickel (among others) aren't especially environmentally friendly, so tradeoffs aren't always as obvious as they may seem.

I am glad your system works well for you, but I have had a lot of battery leaks, and it is inconvenient and expensive for me to have to clean / repair / replace items I've had damaged by leaking alkalines :sigh:

 

[Lynx_Arc]

I do not really disagree with any of the logic about the use of Alkalines here except when it is suggested that we should never use them.

I don't say never use them, I just strongly warn people of the hazards of using alkaleaks

If I am in an Attic with my ZL AA Headlamp and it starts going dead I am sure going to slide a fresh Leaker right in there as needed!
I do ALWAYS carry at least one backup and usually more than that and if I need to cycle through 4 or more in a day I am also going to do just that.
These lights were designed to use an AA battery and I am pretty well versed in the possible pitfalls and chances that I am taking and am OK with this when I do.

If a light is not used in this way then I will not use it in this way as well and that goes for battery type too.

When I can't afford or can't use lithium primaries as backup to rechargeables I have a limited supply of alkalines also.
I just don't recommend them at "first choice" to use in anything now.

I can see where this banter about Alkaline Batteries could be confusing to newer members here or to those so environmentally concerned that they can not see another point of view about this but this is my reality,I am fine with it.

Using recharging batteries or Lithium Primaries is simply not always a viable option for me in a work light and I am done being "Green Shamed" about it too.

I've upgraded/replaced most of my lights/devices with ones that I can use rechargeables in to avoid the damage
alkalines can do to them. I've never "green shamed" anyone about battery use, I'd rather appeal to your pocketbook and try to convince you that when a device supports recharging you may find yourself using it more often and find yourself going years without buying batteries once you have enough chargers and rechargeables. A light that takes 2 batteries you end up bying 8 to 10 of them or more to use it on alkalines while 4 nimh will suffice if you don't drain the batteries constantly and the advantage of rechargeables is that you can top them off anytime and be assured of 100% runtime while alkalines you have to either use one with unknown runtime or put a new battery in it.

Luckily I gave up swearing in Swahili long ago too but I can see now where I might have stopped this too soon.

I never mastered it myself.... best I could do is a Mutley imitation of swearing. I think the most frustrating about alkaline leaks is when you have brand new batteries still in the package found spewing their guts when you do need them that are still within expiration range.

 

[alpg88]

we are steering away from the topic, why did every single cell in every ZL light OP has leaked, and why has no cells leaked in other lights. yes alks do leak, but in this case it looks like something else going on, not so much cells related

 

[AVService]

I was not really speaking to your post specifically which is why I did not quote it but was just responding in more general ways to the replies I get every single time I profess my unwavering use of Alkaline Batteries.

I obviously also use and recharge batteries of all kinds but there are times that this is just not practical for me and my work.

I think telling new people to not use Alkalines as the new light will be killed by them is too simplistic for me to get behind especially since I have learned a way to use them without the White Death that works well for me.

Knowledge about the possibilities of this can only be a good thing too.

Anyway I agree that it does not sound normal to me that the O.P. should have this bad experience with Duracell Batteries only in every ZL that he owns and it seems like there is another reason somewhere to look for?

I think that trying the Lithium Primaries for a little while to see if they have any issues at all seems like a reasonable first step as well and this is probably what I would try first.

I don't say never use them, I just strongly warn people of the hazards of using alkaleaks
When I can't afford or can't use lithium primaries as backup to rechargeables I have a limited supply of alkalines also.
I just don't recommend them at "first choice" to use in anything now.
I've upgraded/replaced most of my lights/devices with ones that I can use rechargeables in to avoid the damage
alkalines can do to them. I've never "green shamed" anyone about battery use, I'd rather appeal to your pocketbook and try to convince you that when a device supports recharging you may find yourself using it more often and find yourself going years without buying batteries once you have enough chargers and rechargeables. A light that takes 2 batteries you end up bying 8 to 10 of them or more to use it on alkalines while 4 nimh will suffice if you don't drain the batteries constantly and the advantage of rechargeables is that you can top them off anytime and be assured of 100% runtime while alkalines you have to either use one with unknown runtime or put a new battery in it.

I never mastered it myself.... best I could do is a Mutley imitation of swearing. I think the most frustrating about alkaline leaks is when you have brand new batteries still in the package found spewing their guts when you do need them that are still within expiration range.

 

[Lynx_Arc]

I am glad your system works well for you, but I have had a lot of battery leaks, and it is inconvenient and expensive for me to have to clean / repair / replace items I've had damaged by leaking alkalines :sigh:

If I were to pay myself minimum wage for the time spent cleaming up after alkaleaks and got back all the capacity of the batteries that leaks ruined and the money needed to replace devices destroyed by leaks I could probably buy ALL my rechargeables, my lithium primaries, and chargers and even a light or two with that money. I've had dozens of leaks and spent a total of days cleaning up after them all plus losing dozens of batteries that are either barely used or never used at all.
Alkalines only save me money when I cannot afford better, in the long run they end up too expensive to use.

 

[alpg88]

would be a start if OP or anyone who owns aa ZL, measured cell current on high.

an xml2 takes about 700ma to make 300lm, that is what ZL claims for max output for AA headlamp, so the driver needs to put out 2,9-3v at 700ma, that would be about 2+ amps from AA cell, that is quite a lot for a AA cell.

 

[archimedes]

.... I have learned a way to use them without the White Death that works well for me ....

You have already mentioned that you don't let alkaline cells "sit" in a flashlight ( batteries removed after use? )

Do your lights tend to be run on lower outputs mostly, or on high / max frequently, or a mix of low and high ?

 

[AVService]

You have already mentioned that you don't let alkaline cells "sit" in a flashlight ( batteries removed after use? )

Do your lights tend to be run on lower outputs mostly, or on high / max frequently, or a mix of low and high ?

When working usually on high for the duration of the work.

And yes I am vigilant about not letting leakers stay inside a light when not in use.

On the other hand I also know that if relying on my having charged up batteries ready to work it would be pretty dark too often!


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[dotCPF]

we are steering away from the topic, why did every single cell in every ZL light OP has leaked, and why has no cells leaked in other lights. yes alks do leak, but in this case it looks like something else going on, not so much cells related

There are too many possible variables to accurately give an answer to this over the internet. Could be the brand of cell, the individual batch, maybe they were out of date or subjected to extreme heat without OP's knowledge...... Perhaps the parasitic drain of the e-switch encouraged the leaking, but in general, it's just safest to assume it's because Alkalines leak in *everything* indiscriminately, there's not much to be gained by speculation.

I've had D-cells from the same actual box, loaded in two Defiant-brand "maglites"- one of the lights had the cells leak everywhere, the other still worked a good 7 years after I put the cells. It's more or less just rolling dice.

 

[Swedpat]

There are too many possible variables to accurately give an answer to this over the internet. Could be the brand of cell, the individual batch, maybe they were out of date or subjected to extreme heat without OP's knowledge...... Perhaps the parasitic drain of the e-switch encouraged the leaking, but in general, it's just safest to assume it's because Alkalines leak in *everything* indiscriminately, there's not much to be gained by speculation.

I've had D-cells from the same actual box, loaded in two Defiant-brand "maglites"- one of the lights had the cells leak everywhere, the other still worked a good 7 years after I put the cells. It's more or less just rolling dice.

We can conclude following: alkalines are not reliable in this respect. Some will leak before expiry date, and even when still in the package(I have personal experience of that). Other will not leak even after use and beyond expiry date.
The only sure thing is: they will leak sooner or later. When, or if, you use alkalines check the cells regularly.

 

[alpg88]

yes we know they leak, in my experience about 1-2%, but it still is not an explanation why every cell, in every AA ZL op has had cells leaks, and none other AA lights that used same cells had them leak. since he has several lights, and seems like this phenomenon happened over period of time it is pretty safe to assume OP did not use same batch cells for all his ZL lights. it is also interesting that no other AA ZL owners reported same experience. it seems to be unique to the op. i wonder what temp he stores them at, and what elevation he lives at.

 

[Dan FO]

Alkaline batteries should only be used in cheap kids toys that you don't want to last.