30-10-2016, 04:57 PM
(This post was last modified: 30-10-2016, 05:00 PM by Mike Watterson.)
The HP were simply Zinc Chloride version of Zinc because they could be be made as cheaply as the regular Zinc and using same factory plant. The improvement is zero at low current and only significant at higher currents where NiCd or Alkaline would have been cheaper (both available BEFORE the HP cells were released!). Neither UK Ever Ready or USA Eveready were prepared to invest the plant and marketing for the more expensive Alkaline.
HP was almost a con job.
Mallory licensed Alkaline (from Union Carbide / USA Ever Ready?) and marketed it as Duracell, and even with inflated profit margin were able to sell them. USA Eveready belatedly marketed Energizer. UK Ever Ready very belatedly brought out the C range of Alkaline, (C11 etc) and then re-branded Zinc as Silver and Alkaline as Gold. Bad marketing and they were then snapped up and asset stripped by Hanson, who recovered 75% pretty quickly selling Superpilla and Diamon (one or both to Mallory AKA Duracell).
In 1974 the UK Government blocked UK Ever Ready take over of Mallory (Duracell). By 1982 Ever Ready was taken over by Hanson (started in 1981) and the Rebranding to Berec undone. Then in 1992 Hanson sold the name to Purina who had bought USA Eveready/ Energiser in 1986.
So it was all downhill after 1960s. Lack of investment, lack of vision and stupid government interference. The story of most UK Tech industry after the founders died, sold out or retired, or firms became managed by accountants with no vision. Inmos?
Plessey, Ferranti, Marconi, GEC etc became too dependent on Military & Government "pork".
Don't buy ANY battery marketed as Heavy Duty or High Power, unless it's Alkaline. It ought to be illegal on regular Zinc / Zinc Chloride battery labels.
HP was almost a con job.
Mallory licensed Alkaline (from Union Carbide / USA Ever Ready?) and marketed it as Duracell, and even with inflated profit margin were able to sell them. USA Eveready belatedly marketed Energizer. UK Ever Ready very belatedly brought out the C range of Alkaline, (C11 etc) and then re-branded Zinc as Silver and Alkaline as Gold. Bad marketing and they were then snapped up and asset stripped by Hanson, who recovered 75% pretty quickly selling Superpilla and Diamon (one or both to Mallory AKA Duracell).
In 1974 the UK Government blocked UK Ever Ready take over of Mallory (Duracell). By 1982 Ever Ready was taken over by Hanson (started in 1981) and the Rebranding to Berec undone. Then in 1992 Hanson sold the name to Purina who had bought USA Eveready/ Energiser in 1986.
So it was all downhill after 1960s. Lack of investment, lack of vision and stupid government interference. The story of most UK Tech industry after the founders died, sold out or retired, or firms became managed by accountants with no vision. Inmos?
Plessey, Ferranti, Marconi, GEC etc became too dependent on Military & Government "pork".
Don't buy ANY battery marketed as Heavy Duty or High Power, unless it's Alkaline. It ought to be illegal on regular Zinc / Zinc Chloride battery labels.
