I bought a card full of approx forty assorted LR button cells marked
"silver oxide" for a pound (not even two US dollars).

I didn't expect much but to my sheer total astonishment they seemed
to work quite well! So far.

Then I got to thinking that maybe they will leak horribly when
exhausted. So I figured I should see what the designation "LR"
means. As you can see below, I am not much wiser!

Can someone offer some real facts on the difference between LR and SR
button cells.

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I have found lots of contradictory info on the web about the
difference between LR44 and SR44 button cells. Or just LR and SR
cells.

(1) Some say that the LR44 is ALKALINE, others say it is SILVER
OXIDE. Some same it is both!

(2) Another says LR44 and SR44 are designations used by DIFFERENT
MANUFACTURERS. For example: http://www.tic-toc.co.uk/chart.htm

(3) Some say that a silver oxide cell has greater CAPACITY than the
equivalent alkaline. http://www.sr44.com/

(4) Others say that the silver oxide SELF-DISCHARGES quickly other
say slowly. http://members.iinet.net.au/~fotoplot/accbatcc.htm

(5) Some refer to RATE OF DRAIN and say the silver oxide can take a
heavy load. Others say the alkaline can deliver more.

(6) One says that some SR44s are EQUIVALENT to type 357 but that some
different SR44s are equivalent to type 303. Weird.
See http://snipurl.com/lmcf

(7) Most seem to say that the silver oxides deliver a constant
voltage until they pack up whereas the alkalines deliver a declining
voltage.

All that truly confuses me now. Oh dear! What of the above is true?

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