LR 44/357 Batteries 8 for $1.00

[sprkt01]

I know a lot of people on here use the LR 44/357 batteries, found them tonight at Dollar Tree in 8 packs. Wife thought I had lost my mind for grabbing a handfull. Those cheap calipers love them.

[Boucher]

It is not just the cheap calipers that love them. I have a Starrett #722 that eats 386's two at a time in very short order. It is a pain in the back side to put new batteries in it. I have others that run a year on one easy to change battery. Made in the USA is sometimes not anything to brag about. Starrett was disappointing to deal with and I won't ever do that again. End of Rant!

Thanks for the heads up. I picked up some cheap battteries at HF some time back and they are working fine.

[ahidley]

FWIW the LR44 are alikline and the SR44 are silver oxide. The SR44s last 3 x longer. They are the same phiscal size. I cant spell fer $hit but my facts are correect!!

[Ken_Shea]

More annoying then dead batteries are tools that have no auto cut off circuitry or no on/off switch.

Have Greenle electrical tester with no means to shut it off but it does have a constant red light that show if the battery is dead or not and a Fowler digital caliper that has no provisions to shut it off, this is a $1400 caliper (trust me I did not pay that for it).
It's setting over there right now with the LCD all lit up, till I need it.

I mean, how much could a dang on/off switch cost.

[tumutbound]

I bought a lot of 50 LR44 from an eBay seller for $15.
The packaging says Maxell but the spelling/grammar used makes me think they're fakes.

Work OK though.

[Black_Moons]

Reminds me I need to replace the batterys in my height gauge.. Not that I use it so much.. Its just embarassing showing it off when I can't get it to turn on..

[tumutbound]

More annoying then dead batteries are tools that have no auto cut off circuitry or no on/off switch.

I mean, how much could a dang on/off switch cost.

The on/off switch on the cheap calipers/scales, only turn off the LCD display. There's a continuous, small current drawn even when there's nothing showing on the display.

[Ken_Shea]

Had heard that before on the display being all that was switched off.

There has to be another consideration besides cost that no switch is installed.

[ahidley]

Cryst.. Your LCD watch runs 24/7 for a year before the battery goes dead and your not complaining of the on/off switch on that.

[bruto]

I've had varying luck with the quality of dollar store batteries, but they certainly are handy to have around and often as good as anything else. However, if you have a Big Lots nearby, keep an eye out there for their 5-packs of Sunbeam silver oxides. The supply of different sizes is intermittent, but when they have them they're $1.90 a pack, and I've never had a dud.

[kc5ezc]

Please correct me if I am wrong. Lr44 is an alkaline battery. 357 is a silver oxide battery of the same size.
My calipers still work with a low lr44, but are not accurate.

[gnm109]

I have a 6" digital caliper that will go dead in a month just sitting on the shelf with the regular LR44's. I changed to the 357's and it's still going strong after a year.....can't figure it out.

[gmatov]

I'd think the LCD is the biggest current draw, and, as it shuts off when it sits more than a couple minutes. But, when you click the on button, your last measurement is still there.

If the circuit was entirely shut off, every time you turned it on you would come up with Zero, have to close the jaws and rezero it.

I buy all sizes of button cells at a local flea market, 10 for a buck. Most are Alkalines, some are Lithium. Don't believe I've found Silver Oxides, there..

Cheers,

George

[macona]

A LCD uses almost no power. A static charge is enough to activate a segment.

Alkaline batteries have a quicker voltage drop off as they are used. Silver oxide keeps a pretty steady voltage curve until it dies.

[whitis]

I have a 6" digital caliper that will go dead in a month just sitting on the shelf with the regular LR44's. I changed to the 357's and it's still going strong after a year.....can't figure it out.

LR44's are the wrong battery for calipers. Some are more forgiving than others. Some will run for about a year on either a LR44 or a good battery; others will last a year on a good battery and 2 months on an LR44.
I posted an explanation for this back in January.
http://bbs.homeshopmachinist.net/showthread.php?p=514898#post514898

EPX76 is the best if you don't like having to change batteries. LR44s can be cheaper if you buy in bulk and don't mind changing monthly, but then don't complain about your caliper eating batteries.

If the $1/8 batteries aren't even worse than your normal LR44, then it might be a good deal. Just remember it takes 4 LR44's to make a real battery so you are really only getting $1/2. But a real battery can cost $5 retail.

LR44s can apparently be had for 2 cents a piece, in serious quantity:
http://slickdeals.net/forums/showthread.php?t=1807195
And DX has $5/50
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.60

[bruto]

Please correct me if I am wrong. Lr44 is an alkaline battery. 357 is a silver oxide battery of the same size.
My calipers still work with a low lr44, but are not accurate.Yes, but the Sunbeam silver oxides I've been getting are SG13, with sub label saying it replaces AG13, SR44,SR1154, V357 and SR44W. I've been using these in cameras with good results. Alkalines are fine for a while, but their voltage falls off as they age, so you may not know when they have dropped out of range unless you either test them or toss them on a schedule. S-O, like mercury and some other types, stays pretty well at the same level until it drops dead.