So I finally saw it happen...

[DaveP]

9V batteries are the worst, given that they have the poles on the same side, right next to each other. For some unfathomable reason they are used in smoke detectors, so people buy a bunch of them, change the batteries in the smoke detectors, and toss the rest of the batteries in a drawer.
Then a fire starts when something shorts a battery. I don't think that was the point of the smoke detectors. They should be redesigned to use safer batteries.
The flat 4.5V battery has been discontinued for use in new devices, because it was so easy to short (and enter the wrong way). The 9V needs to go too, or at least be sold with a plastic cap on each individual battery.

Being a musician, especially a guitar player, I've always had 9V batteries in my gig bag. I'd keep them wrapped as they came from the store and toss the dead ones in the trash. I agree that side by side terminals are generally a bad idea.

Technology has replaced foot pedal use for many of us. Nowadays, many amps have such good effects we don't need them, although lots of players still carry a boxful of floor effects around just because they've paid big money for them and continue to prefer them. Once you have a stack of effects it makes sense to mount them in a case and buy a 9V power supply and hookup cables to replace all those batteries.

Technology will lead to the death of the 9v over time. I use a tube hybrid amp that has something like 23 effects that rival the best of the standalone stompbox and rack effects. I'm done with 9v batteries on stage or at home, except for the 9V that's in the Carbon Monoxide detector in our house.

 

[Thegodmouse]

I think the biggest issue nobody seems to be addressing is, why aren't these people researching vaping before getting into it? I understand that some sources neglect to promote battery safety, but for the most part, any kind of RDA, or Mech mod bought from most reputable dealers have disclaimers from the vendors to prevent any legal mishaps on the vendor's part. Item for advanced purposes only kinda thing. It is still a shame that, for the most part, you have to seek the education before you'll need it, or else you'll end up with missing fingers and hands.

 

[SmokinRabbit]

I think the biggest issue nobody seems to be addressing is, why aren't these people researching vaping before getting into it? I understand that some sources neglect to promote battery safety, but for the most part, any kind of RDA, or Mech mod bought from most reputable dealers have disclaimers from the vendors to prevent any legal mishaps on the vendor's part. Item for advanced purposes only kinda thing. It is still a shame that, for the most part, you have to seek the education before you'll need it, or else you'll end up with missing fingers and hands.

I don't disagree with you, but I see it from the other side too. You can start researching vaping and see some pretty cool devices and want to order them well before you encounter warnings or education on batteries.

Good example... I loved how mech mods looked well before I knew anything about them. A little research led me to order my first. I knew enough to get batteries with a good reputation, not knock-offs. I bought a good charger, not a cheapo one. I thought I was being safe, especially since not sub-ohming.

It was at least a month later that I found out you shouldn't run the battery completely dead in a mech. Luckily I hadn't done that anyway, but I had no idea you could run a battery "too low" and that it was bad for the battery, or even dangerous to do so. I do not think the average person would know this at all, especially since most devices that use lithium batteries control this for us, without us having to think about it.

And don't call me stupid for not knowing. I stand by what I'm saying that this is not "common sense" and may even be a bit unique to the vaping community (and other hobby communities that utilize raw lithium batteries).

 

[Shotglass]

See Poe's Law
Poe's law - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Waaaaaaaaay tooooooooooooo much time involved with researching stuff like that for me to even begin to ask how this became recognized as a "law"

 

[AndriaD]

I think the biggest issue nobody seems to be addressing is, why aren't these people researching vaping before getting into it? I understand that some sources neglect to promote battery safety, but for the most part, any kind of RDA, or Mech mod bought from most reputable dealers have disclaimers from the vendors to prevent any legal mishaps on the vendor's part. Item for advanced purposes only kinda thing. It is still a shame that, for the most part, you have to seek the education before you'll need it, or else you'll end up with missing fingers and hands.

Why aren't they researching vaping??? Are you serious? 90% of people act like reading is a fatal disease, to be avoided AT ALL COSTS. There are people in the world using CHAIN SAWS who haven't read one word about the proper use of that tool, or even how to avoid cutting off their own appendages.

Safety instructions can AND SHOULD BE included, for the few souls that will actually bother reading them, but expecting the vast majority to read the instructions ON ANYTHING is a drastic overestimation of human intelligence. I once saw someone try and serve a bowl of soup by putting THE ENTIRE CAN into a pan of boiling water -- a guy at my husband's work once tried to warm up a pizza by putting the entire thing into the oven... CARDBOARD BOX AND ALL. Just "normal human intelligence" at work.

Andria

 

[Asbestos4004]

90%? I don't think that's accurate ....but you seem to be exposed to the bottom of the scale! Hahaha. Some of those pizzas would taste better cooked in the box. Maybe he was intuitive.

 

[OlderNDirt]

I'd even be willing to bet that while most everyone knows the term "short" has something to do with electricity and/or batteries, only a minority of those people know what the term "short" actually means and what the consequences are.

Without the descriptive "electrical" in front of it, several things come to my mind before considering "short" having anything to do with electricity.....

The most obvious is as a reference to a person's height, or lack thereof. Brings new meaning to the statement "I got a short here somewhere".

There is the length of something, as in being too short. Used to be an old saying about the carpenter saying "I've cut it off 3 times and it's still too short". Probably best if I stop with that example.

Before money started growing on trees, is wasn't uncommon for a friend to ask to borrow a 5 spot cause they were a little short this week/month.

And darn it! I was upset that Wisconsin came up a bit short last night. But, it looked like they might have been a little short of breath late in the game.

I could go on, but as you can see there are a plethora of uses for the word "short" totally unrelated to electricity. That relationship requires additional verbage prior to or following its use, or at least preceding it with the descriptive "electrical".


NOTE: In the interest of clarity, please take this post with the sarcasm and humor intended.

 

[Shotglass]

Why aren't they researching vaping??? Are you serious? 90% of people act like reading is a fatal disease, to be avoided AT ALL COSTS. There are people in the world using CHAIN SAWS who haven't read one word about the proper use of that tool, or even how to avoid cutting off their own appendages.

Safety instructions can AND SHOULD BE included, for the few souls that will actually bother reading them, but expecting the vast majority to read the instructions ON ANYTHING is a drastic overestimation of human intelligence. I once saw someone try and serve a bowl of soup by putting THE ENTIRE CAN into a pan of boiling water -- a guy at my husband's work once tried to warm up a pizza by putting the entire thing into the oven... CARDBOARD BOX AND ALL. Just "normal human intelligence" at work.

Andria

It all goes back to laziness - too lazy to care about their own well being: "Hmmm, lemmethink here, I'm about to do something that I've never done before. Maybe first I should get some information on how to do it correctly. Naw, I'll be ok, that kinda stuff only happens to them other idiots. I'm too smart to cut off my arm with this chainsaw. OOPS, I'm gonna miss that foot."

 

[AndriaD]

90%? I don't think that's accurate ....but you seem to be exposed to the bottom of the scale! Hahaha. Some of those pizzas would taste better cooked in the box. Maybe he was intuitive.

Nah... it's just, I see all the time about how intelligent humans supposedly are, but frankly I keep wondering how homo sapiens survived to build steam engines, telephones, and the internet. We do seem to be pretty good at inventing stuff, but expecting people to read the directions for using all that stuff is really asking a bit much of the vast majority who'd have any interest in using it. I've been asked over and over and over "how'd you know that?" about PCs, Windows, the internet... well duh, how'd they think, it came to me in a dream? No, I READ IT... in a book, online, wherever. This is the exact reason that the ANTZ's war on us is proving so effective... they include the horrible hazard in the headline, nevermind whatever the article says, because they know full well that 90% won't read anything but the headline -- hence all the idjits constantly with the "you know that's worse than cigarettes!" crap -- they read it in a headline somewhere -- even if the article below the headline is a total contradiction of the headline, that's irrelevant -- because 90% won't read it.

Andria

 

[beckdg]

Thanks, Andria.

Now i have the reading rainbow theme song stuck in my head.

 

[AndriaD]

Thanks, Andria.

Now i have the reading rainbow theme song stuck in my head.

Heh. Well you know that other little TV gem, about a mind being a terrible thing to waste? I really think that most people stop listening before the last 2 words.

Andria

 

[caramel]

I'd have to say that even if they're not fatal, Tazers must surely fall into the "cruel and inhumane" category.

Aka "approved for government's use".

 

[caramel]

Why aren't they researching vaping??? Are you serious?

Hey, some people are paid tens of millions of dollars to research vaping and they're still not doing it (they're instead running "we don't know what's inside" adverts).

 

[wesson]

...Tazers must surely fall into the "cruel and inhumane" category. Andria

Aka "approved for government's use".

Both of you could be correct , but I understand that they usually hurt a lot less than a 9mm piece of lead

 

[caramel]

Except they have to have a good reason for using lead. Tazers they seem to be using "casually".

Robert Dzieka

 

[Joseph Swint]

a guy at my husband's work once tried to warm up a pizza by putting the entire thing into the oven... CARDBOARD BOX AND ALL. Just "normal human intelligence" at work.

Andria

But that's how you get the grease soaked into the box to reinvigorate the stale pizza!

 

[WattWick]

It's Karma. "Do you know your battery safety?". ----> Pants on fire.

 

[jkress]

I dont want to live on this planet anymore.....

I am liking how you think!

 

[jkress]

What seems like common sense to me is apparently NOT for some.

Common sense to me says that anything which stores energy and has an exposed positive and negative terminal shouldn't me thrown into a situation where said terminals can come in contact with something conductive.

I'm all for battery safety, and I know where vaping is concerned, battery safety can be a confusing subject.....but come on. Isn't this common sense? Or am I being too critical of those who aren't considered "mechanically inclined"?

Fact is, we can't completely idiot proof everything. There will always be that one person who's stupidity challenges all reasonable explanation, no matter how simple you make things.

I find common sense...not that common. But that's really nothing new...lol
Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former. - Albert Einstein

 

[KDCart]

UPDATE!!!

First of all, I had no idea that my story about my coworker would spark such a discussion!

Secondly, my coworker has obtained new, undamaged batteries, and has a new respect for them. He has also asked me and one of my vaping buddies several really good questions, and seems to want to educate himself. This might be a case of "the burned hand (pocket) teaches best..."