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Old 9th Nov 2021, 12:36 pm   #1
high_vacuum_house
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Default C and D cells being phased out?

Good morning,
I bought a nice bench multimeter at Golborne on Sunday which requires 6 C cells. I went into my local Morrison’s who only stocked AAA, AA and PP3 sized cells along with some button cells. I popped into B&Q last night which had the same variety with no C or D cells. This morning I went into the Derby ASDA superstore expecting something there but there were none there either. Screwfix and Toolstation do have some but only a very limited number.

Are the C and D cells now slowly being phased out now as they used to be commonplace in torches, tape recorder, toys, clocks ECT

Christopher Capener
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Old 9th Nov 2021, 12:49 pm   #2
McMurdo
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Default Re: C and D cells being phased out

CPC have copious amounts of both types if you're short!
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Old 9th Nov 2021, 12:52 pm   #3
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Default Re: C and D cells being phased out

I very much doubt that they are being phased out Christopher. Market forces dictate the availability of such items. With the global reliance on items such as Maglite torches (now mostly LED) and radios such as the Roberts revival DAB range I can not see these being phased out. Large retailers are probably thinking more about shelf space and reducing certain lines. After all, PP9 batteries are still available and find uses in many types of equipment.
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Old 9th Nov 2021, 1:00 pm   #4
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Default Re: C and D cells being phased out

I'm not so sure IKEA (My go to for Batteries) are phasing out all non rechargeable batteries and they don't seem to have made provision for C and D sizes.

https://about.ikea.com/en/newsroom/2...teries-by-2021

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Old 9th Nov 2021, 1:01 pm   #5
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Default Re: C and D cells being phased out

The JVC "Boombox" my neighbour bought for his son earlier this year needs 8 "C" cells in order to work on the mains. I guess there was more demand for the larger cells for torches before LED torches became widepread, and I think a modern alkaine AA cell has a similar Ah capacity to the old blue U2 LeClanche cell.

I only use C cells in my 1980's radio cassettes. I use D cells in the old lantern I keep in my car and the old Ever-Ready cycle lamps that are now only used as torches. I also use four in a battery holder fitted with a flying lead that powers my bedside transistor radio. The lead works well as an aerial, meaning I don't need to extend the built-in telescopic one for FM. I have been getting my batteries from CPC since Maplin closed.

Last edited by emeritus; 9th Nov 2021 at 1:19 pm.
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Old 9th Nov 2021, 1:07 pm   #6
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Default Re: C and D cells being phased out?

I usually look in Home Bargains first for ordinary batteries, though never seen pp9 there, they are the cheapest on the high street - or retail park, though last time I wanted AAs rather annoyingly they only had them in multiples of ten or more
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Old 9th Nov 2021, 1:07 pm   #7
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Default Re: C and D cells being phased out?

They are certainly less widely available than they used to be, but I can't see them becoming unavailable anytime soon. I was in Poundland yesterday and they were still stocking Cs and Ds, though admittedly in much smaller quantities than AAs.

My other source of cheap batteries is Primark. They have never stocked anything other than AAs and AAAs.
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Old 9th Nov 2021, 1:10 pm   #8
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Default Re: C and D cells being phased out?

I sometimes use AA to C convertors like these if I don't have any C cells.
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Old 9th Nov 2021, 1:23 pm   #9
paulsherwin
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Default Re: C and D cells being phased out?

You can make your own C converters from bits of old washing machine hose or pipe lagging. Ds are a longer length though, so you need proper commercial converters for those.
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Old 9th Nov 2021, 2:18 pm   #10
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Default Re: C and D cells being phased out?

How many NEW things actually still use C and D cells?

As noted above, all my torches are now LED and use AA or AAA, or have an integral rechargeable battery.

The only ones that spring to mind are the (now ubiquitous) touchless alcohol gel and soap dispensers we've used at work for a few years now.

Those aside, the only Cs and Ds I've bought recently are for the (old) bathroom radio, and some homebrew drive units for my slave clocks.
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Old 9th Nov 2021, 4:31 pm   #11
barrymagrec
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Default Re: C and D cells being phased out?

Component suppliers such as RS still do a wide range of C and D cells but if retailers aren't stocking them it's because customers aren't buying them.
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Old 9th Nov 2021, 4:40 pm   #12
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Default Re: C and D cells being phased out?

C and D cells do seem to be becoming less popular - I only have one flashlight (a LED rubber covered one bought from Tesco a few years back) that still uses D cells. Everything else is either AA or has built-in rechargeable batteries.

The coming of LEDs and Li-ion cells has really changed the dynamics of portable lighting.
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Old 9th Nov 2021, 4:46 pm   #13
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Default Re: C and D cells being phased out?

Using AA rechargeables fitted with converters to replace 'C' cells is fine as long as the system being powered can tolerate the lower overall voltage. High end AA rechargeables are a lot more powerful now than they typically were in the late 70s / early eighties.

The 'C' cell battery box on my Yaesu FT290R2 is full of converter-fitted AA NiMHs, and it goes for quite a while on those.
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Old 9th Nov 2021, 5:35 pm   #14
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Default Re: C and D cells being phased out?

I agree that the phasing out of C and D cells is most unlikely.
They are still widely used.
An alkaline D cell is nearly 20 AH ! no affordable rechargeable cell in the same size comes close to that.

For many applications long run time is important, and a D cell costs about twice as much as an AA but runs for eight times longer.

I consider a bulk pack of D cells to be a sensible preparation for emergencies and disasters in general.
Both in ones own home and elsewhere.

Battery fan, uses 6 D cells and runs about 30 hours.
Battery area light, 1 watt LED runs 100 hours on 6 D cells.
LED Maglite HUNDREDS of lumens for 15 hours on 3 D cells.

I used to make and sell an LED battery light for long term emergency preparedness, on the highest setting this ran for several weeks 24/7 and on the lowest setting ran for about 2 years, 24/7 on three D cells.

The highest setting was enough to read by, the lowest sufficed for safe movement in familiar surroundings and with dark adapted eyes.

This IS NOT an advert, I don't sell these now. Easy to make your own though.
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Old 9th Nov 2021, 8:05 pm   #15
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Default Re: C and D cells being phased out?

I know at work one of our soap dispensers has a mix of AA cells and carboard to make up the difference as I wasn't going to wait for some C cells.
I've also seen PP3 batteries either get more difficult to find or a lot more expensive unless brought in bulk.

Naturally as Alkaline batteries have become the standard larger batteries are not as necessary as they would have been in the days when Zinc batteries were the norm, plus a lot of higher powered portable devices just have rechargeable Li-On batteries if high capacity batteries are needed.

As for Alkaline vs. Ni-MH, for higher current devices Ni-MH batteries usually have much longer run time as Alkaline batteries lose a decent amount of capacity as the current draw goes up.
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Old 9th Nov 2021, 8:53 pm   #16
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Default Re: C and D cells being phased out?

I don't see them being phased out, but harder to get hold of yes. Our Home Bargains certainly had some JCB branded ones last time I was there.

But boy are they expensive now. My MiL had a lantern, with a flourescent U tube that used 4 D cells. Got sent back to me as it wasn't lighting up properly. Checked the cells and they seemed a bit low but not bad enough to make it not work. I looked how much a replacement set of four would be, given there was a risk that it might be the inverter or tube failing. Then I remembered we had our owne very similar model in the cupboard so thought I'd use the batteries in that to test hers. Unfortunately one word, Duracell. Not just leaked, but disintintegrated. Luckily the battery contacts must have been stainless as a quick wash in water and they were fine.

Anyhow, happened to be in B&Q and they were having a clearance. They had an LED version of the lamp. Rechargeable LiIon, with mains and car charger, and also able to run on 3 AA alkalines which were even included. And all for not a lot more than the cost of a four pack of D cells.

So I checked out the flourescent versions using my bench supply and they were fine, next stop charity shop.

I do hope they really don't dissapear. Our wireless doorbell uses 4xC cells. It came with an adaptor to use AA but those didn't last so long. The C's are doing well. I bought a second one to put near the back door for when I'm outside, and the seller kindly included the C cells. Well actually they were selling two transmitters and receivers, so two sets. I didn't pay that much more than the two sets of C cells would have cost. BUT Duracell.

One of the pair is with the previously mentiond LED lanterns being used to summon someone in the night if assistance is needed. Saves the shouting.
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Old 9th Nov 2021, 8:54 pm   #17
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Default Re: C and D cells being phased out?

I got my last batch of (assorted) cells from GranadaBatteries.co.uk
Chose Panasonic. No complaints yet, and a long time to expiry date. Because of this it worked out cheaper than blister packs from the high street or shopping centre.

(Thanking about it in ecological terms, phasing out any of the (5) most popular sizes would not be a positive step given the amount of WEEE it would create.)

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Old 9th Nov 2021, 9:06 pm   #18
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Default Re: C and D cells being phased out?

In the last year we bought a cat toy that uses c type also a Kit Cat Clock that uses the C type
I get them from my wholesalers who supply procell . Personally I don’t think they are the best . I was in B & M earlier and they had Duracell C size but not D type.
Some of the cheep versions are so light I think they must have almost nothing inside compared to a better so called brands Andy
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Old 9th Nov 2021, 9:30 pm   #19
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Default Re: C and D cells being phased out?

TLC have rechargeable types Hp11 + HP2

Amazon have both types listed different makes
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Old 9th Nov 2021, 9:40 pm   #20
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Default Re: C and D cells being phased out?

Echos of 1970's consumer NiCds, where the D cells and C cells both had a 1 2Ah capacity, from memory, the same as the capacity of the physically smaller tagged cells that were the about the same size as the individual cells of a No.8 battery.

Professional SAFT D cells were 4Ah.
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