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IrelandTechnology Connections wants alkaline batteries to borrow carbon-zinc's "diaper"
Alec Watson's load tests show store-brand alkalines keeping pace in low-drain gadgets, and then a drawer of decades-old remotes makes his real case.
Technology Connections
Story of No. 65 on the daily chartNo. 3 on the Science chart
Why this story? One of the most watched videos since yesterday, with 675,313 views.
Alkaline batteries are obsolete — but not for the reason you'd think
Things we can learn from the video
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- 1:02How alkaline batteries replaced carbon-zinc, sold as "super heavy duty," as the standard disposable cell.
- 4:37Under a 1-watt load, Duracell outlasts Energizer Max, Rayovac and Great Value by hours.
- 9:21Drained slowly, Menards and Dollar Tree alkalines deliver 85 to 97 percent of Duracell's capacity.
- 15:07Panasonic carbon-zinc cells collapse after about 1 hour 22 minutes at 1 watt.
- 23:11Carbon-zinc's real advantage: alkaline cells leak potassium hydroxide and ruin electronics.
- 24:52Disassembly shows carbon-zinc leak protection; he wants alkalines built the same way.
Alec Watson spends the first half of his new Technology Connections video showing that the battery you pay extra for often isn't worth it. He spends the second half arguing for a battery almost nobody buys anymore.
The video, "Alkaline batteries are obsolete — but not for the reason you'd think", has drawn about 675,000 views since yesterday, and the reason in the title turns out to be leaks. Before he gets there, he sets up electronic load testers. Pull a steady watt from four AA brands and Duracell lasts nearly half again as long as Walmart's Great Value. Drain them slowly, though, and cheap cells from Menards and Dollar Tree come close to the premium brand.
The difference is power density versus energy density: how quickly a battery can deliver its energy, and how much it holds. Only power-hungry devices care about the first, and he points out that those mostly run on rechargeables now. "If you're putting disposable batteries into anything but low-drain devices in 2026, you're making a mistake."
Then come the carbon-zinc cells, sold as "super heavy duty" and feeble under load. Any alkaline beats them handily, he says, in blunter words than that. Yet a computer mouse runs happily on one his tester has already drained, and a 2005 DVD remote still works on its original Sony batteries.
That is where his real argument starts. Alkalines leak potassium hydroxide as they age, a habit he calls "incontinence," and he says he has been burned by every brand. When he cuts carbon-zinc cells open, he finds end caps and wrapping layers built to contain leaks. He asks manufacturers to give alkalines the same protection, even at some cost in capacity. "There's wisdom in the past, you know."
The joke viewers repeat most comes in the first minute, when he says he never cared for the name alkaline because it is "far too basic." Others greet him as the powdered detergent guy, a nod to his dishwasher video, the second most watched regular upload on the channel. Many also caught the hook near the end: nickel-metal hydride rechargeables are promised a video of their own.
Published on Trari
Where next?
What viewers say
1:04 "Alkaline batteries... I've never cared much for that name, because it's far too basic." That had me actually laughing out loud alone in my room. Kudos.
@07m07See it on YouTube'Because it's too basic!,' he declaimed acidly.
@jimbarchukSee it on YouTube18:47 "Game Boys Color" Thank you, that made my day.
@55404xSee it on YouTube
7 more comments
Spent the whole time watching waiting for mention of NI-MH and it's a hook for the next episode. You got me Powdered Detergent Guy, I'll be back for the next one.
@circuitsalsaSee it on YouTubeRemember big "portable" stereos that took some obscene number of D-cells to run for...a day?
@MagiTychoSee it on YouTube1:10 "Do you like chemistry jokes?"
"Na"@PatrickRyanSee it on YouTubeUpdate: that Dollar Tree cell made it about 3 days in the mouse.
Which I'm actually a little relieved about since I was questioning how drained the tester actually got them!@TechnologyConnectionsSee it on YouTube"I'm the powdered detergent guy, remember?" - Yes dishwasher man, we remember
@SovietVenturesIncSee it on YouTubeThis made me remember that there was a time when if I wanted music on the go, it took either 8 C or 6 D batteries and an arm/shoulder workout.
@JMccoverySee it on YouTube"Come back zinc, come back!"
@TuesdayTacoSee it on YouTube
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- Channel
- Technology Connections
- Subscribers
- 3,220,000
- Channel views, last 7 days
- 1,139,441
- Channel views, pace per day
- 416,312 (on a normal day: 156,716)
- Video published
- October 30, 2026
- Video views so far
- 675,313 (less than a day online)
- Video views, pace per day
- 1,047,608
The numbers
A half-hour battery essay that drew a large audience within hours of going up.
💡 Test your knowledge
How many AA batteries did the original Nintendo Game Boy take?
The original 1989 Game Boy ran on four AA batteries. The later Game Boy Color needed only two.