# Eveready or Energizer?



## jayflash (Mar 12, 2004)

First there was the Eveready brand with its electrified cat jumping through the #9. Next came the alkaline Eveready Energizer. Then it was just Energizer. Now there are both brands available. Nostalgia for the old kitty hoping to reel in us Baby Boomers? Anyone know what's up? They're both made in St. Louis. Wasn't Burgess made in St. Louis? What ever happened to Union Carbide. Did they slink away after the Bopahl chemical plant disaster?

BTW Duracell originally was Mallory, then Mallory Duracell. This merry-go-round of name changes is like a cat chasing its tail.


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## gwbaltzell (Mar 12, 2004)

Disclaimer first, even though I'm in St Louis I've nothing to do with Energizer. All info. here will be from memory (faulty) and not confirmed.

Eveready for most time I can remember was a division of Union Carbide. Sometime after Bopahl they sold it to Ralston-Purina headquarted in St. Louis. It was spun off as a separate company Energizer. Then bought by one of the razor blade companies.

Duracell was likewise a long time product of P. R. Mallory who I belive invented the alkaline cell. Mallory was a big R & D company with product in several fields. I think they no longer exist. Duracell was the only remaining portion and now has been bought by the other razor blade company.

The Energizer label, at least in recent times, has been applied to alkaline cells & batteries. What the new Everyready brand is applied to is *heavy duty carbon zinc* cells & batteries. Mallory never made carbon zinc cells.

I only remember what Burgess looked like not where they were made.

Ralston-Purina is now part of Nestlé.

Edit: OK, decided to look up a little about Burgess. Was from Madison, Wisconsin. At least part of the time was made in the Ray-O-Vac plant.


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## jayflash (Mar 12, 2004)

The Evereadys I have are alkys. 

Re. Burgess, no kidding, I didn't know they were made here in WI by Ray-O-Vac. Thought I also remembered (maybe) they came from Illinois.


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## idleprocess (Mar 12, 2004)

Other than the fact that "heavy-duty" batteries tend to be cheaper than alkalines, what's the difference between the two?

I imagine that carbon-zinc isn't as potent as alkaline, or has some other downside, thus the lower price.


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## gwbaltzell (Mar 12, 2004)

Carbon - zinc is almost the oldest form of cell. Even in heavy duty has about half the watt-hour capacity of alkaline. Alkaline are more expensive to build, require a stainless steel case and a tight seal.


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## Steelwolf (Mar 12, 2004)

While we're at it, I think I remember someone saying something about the Energizer Bunny USA (pink furry battery-operated bunny, started out with beating drums, now runs races, climbs mountains, etc.) being the Duracell Bunny in almost all the rest of the world. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif


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## gwbaltzell (Mar 12, 2004)

[ QUOTE ]
*jayflash said:*
The Evereadys I have are alkys. 

... 

[/ QUOTE ]

Told you it was from memory! From their web site. Energizers AA have a capacity of 2850 mAh (25mA load discharged down to 0.8V) 7 year shelf life, slightly better life under heavy drain.
Eveready Gold are alkaline with a capacity of 2707 mAh (same conditions) 5 year shelf life. Eveready (standard) carbon-zinc are black and silver with the cat and have a capacity of 1107 mAh. The actual capacity and behaviour of the cells is likely to vary a lot (a note from me).


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## gwbaltzell (Mar 12, 2004)

The bunny commercial was based on a very succesful one by Duracell (I think) showing various toys running with only the ones with right brand still going after an elapsed time. And a memory stirs that this was after an ad for National in Japan (which would be Panasonic in the US) that had two toy firefighters climbing ladders and only the right one makes it to the top to put out the fire.


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## Empath (Mar 13, 2004)

We had a related thread a little while back. I found some interesting information and posted it. Actually the whole thread was interesting.

It wasn't actually Ray-O-Vac making Burgess batteries. It was the French Battery Company, which later became Ray-O-Vac. At the time they were the French Battery Company, didn't yet have the expertise to succeed. Burgess and French joining forces enabled each to grow and fight of the litigation happy Eveready battery company. Eveready claimed patent rights to the batteries chemical system. Burgess ended up developing a new formula that was better, and even Eveready had to end up licensing it's use from Burgess.


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## gwbaltzell (Mar 13, 2004)

Thanks Empath. I'd missed that. Had some later info. on Burgess I'd not come across. Wasn't part of Gould sold to Energizer? I see the remainder of Gould is now GNB. Forgot that Kraft Foods owned Duracell for a while. And I think Exide has changed names! I can't keep up. Can't even take notes.


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## Doug Owen (Mar 13, 2004)

[ QUOTE ]
*jayflash said:*
First there was the Eveready brand with its electrified cat jumping through the #9. 

[/ QUOTE ]

As long as we're 'waxing nostalgic' here, I recall the cat as part of the 'battery with nine lives' advertising. It used to say '9 lives' on it. They also typically had 20c (twenty cents) printed on them, much like potato chips today......

Doug Owen


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