The batteries showed up ahead of schedule. And they look exactly as shown in the picture. And that is the only good news. The first sign of trouble is that the 'Use By' date is left blank. My Radio Shack battery tester indicated they came in on the low side of the 'green' area on the tester (meaning replace soon). I am using them to replace the battery in the remote control key for my car. And when I used one of these 'new' batteries, my car warned me immediately that I need to replace my battery soon in my remote control key. Not very useful for a new battery. So if you want to buy cheap batteries almost immediately needing replacement, these might be your idea of a good purchase. For all others, buyer beware. Sony Lithium 3V Batteries Size CR2032 (Pack of 5)
I ordered these batteries from Cybermansez specifically because they were Sony and had an expiration date of 2017. In reality they are cheap batteries made in China with a shelf life of 2 years.
You have been warned.
Got my 5-pack of individually sealed Sony batteries from the vendor, National Brand distribution for a very attractive price. As noted by others, the use by date is not stamped on the package - it's left blank. See some of my other reviews on batteries if you want to compare. These batteries are somewhat stale, but for the price do present a reasonable value. I tested the open voltage on them and they are all very close to 3.20 V at 23 C. That qualifies as a new battery, but it is not fresh as a new shipment of (Duracell's, Energizer's, etc.) from the local department store. Great batteries start out with open voltages around 3.35 V. The significance of the 3.20 V value in this case is that either they are a year or two old, or were stored less time but in a warm place (or they meet a lower spec).
Overall, these Sony CR 2032's are a good value considering the price and the lower voltage would not indicate to more than 20% loss and still exceeds the manufacturers spec sheet claim (which is purposely a conservative claim). It is a good deal. I like the fact that all of my Sony's were consistent at 3.2V. I also bought 5 Maxell CR 2032 from Best Price Mirror and tested them side by side with the Sony's; and also against new Energizers and new Duracell's. The Maxell's were packaged similarly as the Sony's in 5 attached on a perforated card with individual sealed blisters. However, they cost about $1.00 more for the 5 and their open voltage was only 3.07 V on the average. Unfortunately for the Maxell's, there was variation among the batteries - this is not as good and was not the case with the Sony's. The Sony's beat them hands down.
I recommend this Sony CR 2032's 5-pack, individually packaged from National Brand Dist. if my shipment was representative of all the sales. I've reviewed other cheapies and have not recommended any of them ... this is a first. I hope yours works out as well as these seem and that there are no other issues! It will be nice: Good luck!
The packaging says Sony, but I should have been suspicious when the package had the expiration date blank. These batteries ran down ridiculously quickly. They last a week, tops, in my kitchen scale, when the battery that came with it lasted for months. I don't know if they're rejects or counterfeits or what, but they're definitely not worth buying.
National Deals sent the 5 Sony cells exactly as pictured. The one I put in the outdoor digital thermometer works fine. The original lasted about 7 months. Seems reasonable for these teeny batteries, but that's why I wanted several. We'll see about this one.
added March 18, 2011, 9 months later:
The outdoor battery lasted about 6 months. It gave up on a dead cold day in winter. The cold drops battery voltage, so the battery is about the same as the original (a Maxell). I'm about 3 months into the second. I figure I'm way ahead compared to buying locally.
As for why no date code: Manufacturer's will sell in bulk to OEM's the same product manufactured in the same facilities as the retail product, minus the warranty, sometimes for drastically less. For one thing, distribution is the main cost when a particular store only sells maybe a dozen of the item in a month. Even in two-packs, these batteries cost drastically less than singles at the local grocery store.
People, consider that Amazon is grouping all revues of this product together regardless of seller. - Battery - Watch Battery - Lithium Batteries - Button Batteries'
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