For those of you who bought the little lanterns that came in either blue or red (I’m too lazy to look up the url on them) and have not changed the batteries, please go and do this immediately.
@tinamarie1974 The batteries have corroded big time. It was my fault for not changing them. But one of them, bless its little heart, worked for about 20 minutes before it gave up the light.
Hm… it takes a while to go through a couple of hundred orders.
Yes, I know it’s been over 4 years, but if you are like me and bought these, put them away until you “needed” them (yeah, I needed them last night), and NEVER changed the batteries; you will probably find the batteries a nasty, corroded mess.
@Barney They are not cheap but consider picking up a set of the blue package Energizer Ultimate lithium batteries for those lanterns, especially if those power switches are mechanical. AA and AAA available, they almost never leak (I’ve never had one leak and have used many of them through the years). And they will last for many years without losing most of their energy.
The only downside is if the lanterns have electronic switches, where the battery is actually being used to power electronics even if the lantern is off… the lithiums still last longer than alkalines but you won’t get years of ‘rest’ time out of them.
@Barney Funny…I think that specific lantern may be cursed wrt batteries. I have one with a different brand on it (but exact same lantern) I’ve had forever, and even with high quality Duracell batteries inside, it still makes them leak eventually. Weird. I haven’t ever had the same level of consistency with batteries leaking inside any other flashlight or lantern!
@Barney I had those right on my desk shelf for a couple years then put them somewhere safe. Last year I bought a similar one at a flea market figuring the safe ones would come out of hiding. Nope, still haven’t found them. Now I really need to hunt them down. Thanks.
@Barney use the Meh batteries in things you use often; for me thats my EDC flashlight (every day carry in my pocket), remote controls, game controls, etc. Get some lithium cells for the lanterns, and things you use rarely but have to work when you need them, especially if they are not electronic-switched.
Its worth it to know that lantern you haven’t used in a couple of years will still work and be undamaged when the power fails.
@Barney I have those also & I got 2 for my Mom too. I actually got a lot of use out of them. I like you, put them in my pantry, until I needed them. I’m hoping that mine are ok & I’ll definitely call my Mom & give her a heads up. Thanks for the post, I’ve got some flashlights from Woot, ( that I got back in the day, when it was " The Original Woot " ) that I loved & was so bummed when I opened them up to use & they were totally corroded. I got a ton of use out of them, but was sad to see them go. I found the dates of when they sold them before and I’ll post them next. I’m not very good at this stuff and I rarely post, so bare with me but I will put them on here for anyone that might be interested in seeing what we’re talking about.
@Barney Sorry about that … I literally had the two links, I just needed to figure out how to get them on here. As I said I don’t post very much I’m here. I also didn’t see that someone had already posted both links.
I fell asleep while I was doing it. Everything takes me a little longer than normal, I had a stroke a few months back and my brain just doesn’t work the way it did before. It will … I’m confident of that but I just wanted to let you know, that I’m not a flake, when I say I’m going to do something, I really try to do it.
I don’t know if this goes on the Main feed I never did know how it worked. I wanted to write you a few times but I didn’t know how to do it so it just came to you. I am definitely a voyeur on the site in the Forum. A lot of the posts on there make me laugh and your purple post always make me smile and that is my favorite color also. People sent me cool and wacky stuff all the time that’s purple and I always think of you but I don’t ever send it.
It’s a trip on the Forum here, because I am totally outgoing and have no problem ever talking to people anywhere, in real life or online. But for some reason this feels like the cool kids club and that only certain people are allowed. It reminds me of high school & college, in my sorority days, how it made me so uncomfortable when people weren’t picked or allowed to be a part of. I didn’t understand why everybody wasn’t welcome. It’s actually been good for me because I never had this experience anywhere until I got on woot and then here at meh. I know it sounds crazy but I got to see maybe how other people had felt during different periods of my life when they weren’t included or they just kept quiet because they didn’t so welcome or possibly word nervous about reaching out. I know probably people might think that I’m overthinking it but I don’t think so. Is all sorts of different ways of bullying and I just feel and I’ve always felt that it’s not fair and unnecessary. I always had a ton of friends in school and in college and since then and I’ve always been for the underdog and I always would tell my friends they’re coming with us invite them places where they normally wouldn’t be invited because I just couldn’t figure it out I was like what’s different about them except for that they’re not in our group they need to be included. Everyone has their story and their way that they got to where they are today and so often we have no idea what people have been through or what people are going through right now and just a little kindness and inclusivity sometimes goes a long way. Anyway … if this goes on the Main feed so be it oh, I’m sure there’s quite a few people out there that feel the way that I do, it’s life and this business of life is not easy sometimes for any of us as I’m sure you know. Anyway sorry for the brief novelette but I didn’t know how to write just to you. Thanks for making me smile on a daily basis with all your Perpetual purple stuff and your quick wit and sense of humor. My boyfriend always says to me at night so what did Barney the purple dinosaur say today because so many things on their make me laugh I always of course tell him about it. Sincerely @Amila99 (~~Amy )
@Amila99 I love having new people around- stop by and join in! if anyone gives you a hard time let me know- I’ll make fun of them.
(And if you like games check out the broadcast at the top of the forums around 11 eastern weekdays. There’s even a prize!)
I played with one for a bit, cycling through the different modes, turning it on and off several times…
I opened the battery compartment (I can’t remember why I did, but it’s damn good that I did) and the first of the 3 batteries was very hot!
I noticed that the little spring that makes contact with the negative end of the battery was flattened out.
I assumed that this was the cause of the heat (maybe too small of a contact point with the battery causing resistance or arc?).
I did my best to reshape the spring, then I swapped the still warm battery with one of the other two, played with the flashlight again for a bit, and when I checked the batteries again, they were cool.
Can alkaline batteries explode? If it had been a lithium battery, I’d have been pretty freaked out.
I have yet to check the other 3 flashlights that came with my order, but the first one was packaged with a tab that interrupted the battery circuit, so no power would flow until it was removed, so I assume the other 3 are safe for now.
Still going to check them out though, make sure the battery terminals are all in good shape.
If you bought these flashlights, you might want to do the same.
Thank you for your attention.
Little lanterns? Can you be more descriptive, Barn?
There has been a couple of little flashlights that fit that description Barn
Why? What happened?
@tinamarie1974 The batteries have corroded big time. It was my fault for not changing them. But one of them, bless its little heart, worked for about 20 minutes before it gave up the light.
@Barney oh no! Hope it didn’t make an acid mess!
@tinamarie1974 The one lantern cleanup up rather easily, the other was a pain in the butt.
Unfortunately, I have two more at Mom’s house and knowing my luck they will be messy.
@Barney just be careful!
@tinamarie1974
I’ll be careful.
You’re going to make me go and look for 'em aren’t you?
OK, give me some time. I’ll give it a try.
@Barney This one https://meh.com/forum/topics/4-pack-flashlight-glowsticks or this one https://meh.com/forum/topics/2-for-tuesday-magnetic-flashlightworklight?
Hm… it takes a while to go through a couple of hundred orders.
Yes, I know it’s been over 4 years, but if you are like me and bought these, put them away until you “needed” them (yeah, I needed them last night), and NEVER changed the batteries; you will probably find the batteries a nasty, corroded mess.
@Barney Silly, silly me. I thought they would be a recent purchase. Thanks for the heads up Barn!
@therealjrn To me, it was only yesterday.
@Barney They are not cheap but consider picking up a set of the blue package Energizer Ultimate lithium batteries for those lanterns, especially if those power switches are mechanical. AA and AAA available, they almost never leak (I’ve never had one leak and have used many of them through the years). And they will last for many years without losing most of their energy.
The only downside is if the lanterns have electronic switches, where the battery is actually being used to power electronics even if the lantern is off… the lithiums still last longer than alkalines but you won’t get years of ‘rest’ time out of them.
@duodec I’d do that but Meh sold me a whole bunch of AA batteries and we all know how good the batteries are that Meh sells. cough cough
Actually, I kinda like these batteries. There must be something wrong with me. Then again, I just proved how good I am with batteries.
@Barney Funny…I think that specific lantern may be cursed wrt batteries. I have one with a different brand on it (but exact same lantern) I’ve had forever, and even with high quality Duracell batteries inside, it still makes them leak eventually. Weird. I haven’t ever had the same level of consistency with batteries leaking inside any other flashlight or lantern!
@PooltoyWolf Thanks for the info. I’ll have to (try) to remember to keep an eye on them.
@Barney Haha no problem!
@Barney I had those right on my desk shelf for a couple years then put them somewhere safe. Last year I bought a similar one at a flea market figuring the safe ones would come out of hiding. Nope, still haven’t found them. Now I really need to hunt them down. Thanks.
@callow Yeah, I have a lot of stuff that I’m keeping “safe”.
@Barney use the Meh batteries in things you use often; for me thats my EDC flashlight (every day carry in my pocket), remote controls, game controls, etc. Get some lithium cells for the lanterns, and things you use rarely but have to work when you need them, especially if they are not electronic-switched.
Its worth it to know that lantern you haven’t used in a couple of years will still work and be undamaged when the power fails.
Why wasn’t this titled a purple service announcement?
@narfcake I don’t know, why wasn’t it @FLP?
@Barney You mean @TheFLP, right?
(Extra blame!)
@narfcake Damn that goat he keeps screwing with my typing skills.
I opened my 2
one had no batteries in it, lol, so useful
other was not bad, will play with it another day
i have one from a couple years after that is different but similiar, i will check that too
I would say everyone check all your battery operated emergency lights
night night
/
@Cerridwyn If I can save just one person from having corrosive batteries, my life will be complete.
@Barney I have those also & I got 2 for my Mom too. I actually got a lot of use out of them. I like you, put them in my pantry, until I needed them. I’m hoping that mine are ok & I’ll definitely call my Mom & give her a heads up. Thanks for the post, I’ve got some flashlights from Woot, ( that I got back in the day, when it was " The Original Woot " ) that I loved & was so bummed when I opened them up to use & they were totally corroded. I got a ton of use out of them, but was sad to see them go. I found the dates of when they sold them before and I’ll post them next. I’m not very good at this stuff and I rarely post, so bare with me but I will put them on here for anyone that might be interested in seeing what we’re talking about.
@Amila99 Take your time. We’ll be here when you get them posted.
@Barney Sorry about that … I literally had the two links, I just needed to figure out how to get them on here. As I said I don’t post very much I’m here. I also didn’t see that someone had already posted both links.
I fell asleep while I was doing it. Everything takes me a little longer than normal, I had a stroke a few months back and my brain just doesn’t work the way it did before. It will … I’m confident of that but I just wanted to let you know, that I’m not a flake, when I say I’m going to do something, I really try to do it.
I don’t know if this goes on the Main feed I never did know how it worked. I wanted to write you a few times but I didn’t know how to do it so it just came to you. I am definitely a voyeur on the site in the Forum. A lot of the posts on there make me laugh and your purple post always make me smile and that is my favorite color also. People sent me cool and wacky stuff all the time that’s purple and I always think of you but I don’t ever send it.
It’s a trip on the Forum here, because I am totally outgoing and have no problem ever talking to people anywhere, in real life or online. But for some reason this feels like the cool kids club and that only certain people are allowed. It reminds me of high school & college, in my sorority days, how it made me so uncomfortable when people weren’t picked or allowed to be a part of. I didn’t understand why everybody wasn’t welcome. It’s actually been good for me because I never had this experience anywhere until I got on woot and then here at meh. I know it sounds crazy but I got to see maybe how other people had felt during different periods of my life when they weren’t included or they just kept quiet because they didn’t so welcome or possibly word nervous about reaching out. I know probably people might think that I’m overthinking it but I don’t think so. Is all sorts of different ways of bullying and I just feel and I’ve always felt that it’s not fair and unnecessary. I always had a ton of friends in school and in college and since then and I’ve always been for the underdog and I always would tell my friends they’re coming with us invite them places where they normally wouldn’t be invited because I just couldn’t figure it out I was like what’s different about them except for that they’re not in our group they need to be included. Everyone has their story and their way that they got to where they are today and so often we have no idea what people have been through or what people are going through right now and just a little kindness and inclusivity sometimes goes a long way. Anyway … if this goes on the Main feed so be it oh, I’m sure there’s quite a few people out there that feel the way that I do, it’s life and this business of life is not easy sometimes for any of us as I’m sure you know. Anyway sorry for the brief novelette but I didn’t know how to write just to you. Thanks for making me smile on a daily basis with all your Perpetual purple stuff and your quick wit and sense of humor. My boyfriend always says to me at night so what did Barney the purple dinosaur say today because so many things on their make me laugh I always of course tell him about it. Sincerely @Amila99 (~~Amy
)
@Amila99 I love having new people around- stop by and join in! if anyone gives you a hard time let me know- I’ll make fun of them.
(And if you like games check out the broadcast at the top of the forums around 11 eastern weekdays. There’s even a prize!)
Oh no! I think one of those is in my kid’s room! My careless online shopping has put my child in danger!
@medz Bad daddy! You need to be shamed.
Strange coincidence, but yesterday I received my flashlights from this sale: https://meh.com/forum/topics/2-for-tuesday-magnetic-flashlightworklight
I played with one for a bit, cycling through the different modes, turning it on and off several times…
I opened the battery compartment (I can’t remember why I did, but it’s damn good that I did) and the first of the 3 batteries was very hot!
I noticed that the little spring that makes contact with the negative end of the battery was flattened out.
I assumed that this was the cause of the heat (maybe too small of a contact point with the battery causing resistance or arc?).
I did my best to reshape the spring, then I swapped the still warm battery with one of the other two, played with the flashlight again for a bit, and when I checked the batteries again, they were cool.
Can alkaline batteries explode? If it had been a lithium battery, I’d have been pretty freaked out.
I have yet to check the other 3 flashlights that came with my order, but the first one was packaged with a tab that interrupted the battery circuit, so no power would flow until it was removed, so I assume the other 3 are safe for now.
Still going to check them out though, make sure the battery terminals are all in good shape.
If you bought these flashlights, you might want to do the same.
@DennisG2014 No, alkaline batteries sadly don’t explode. You most likely have 1 battery that is now much lower in voltage than the rest tho.
@tightwad Sadly? lol
As exciting as that might be, I’m happy to hear it.