..to think that screwing up battery compartments is annoying and possibly dangerous

[5Foot5]

This is one of my pet peeves at any time but it crops up more often at Christmas with new gadgets about the place.

Why on earth is it these days that in so many things requiring batteries you can't just slide open the battery compartment you have to unscrew the bloody thing? I can only guess that there is some sort of so-called safety regulation that assumes it is better this way.

Well if so IT DOESN'T WORK. Especially when they fasten it with one of those teeny tiny cross head screws. I mean, it can't just be me who has trouble locating such a screw driver just when you are desperate to get the batteries in some toy or gadget. How many times do people end up resorting to the tip of a small sharp knife or similar? I know I do and that is probably more dangerous then any supposed risk from being able to get the batteries out easily.

If manufacturers are worried that a child can get the batteries out and swallow them or something then why don't they at least use a sort of screw that any normally equipped household has the means to tackle.

Grrrr

We have a set of tiny screwdrivers which i strategically placed on the mantlepiece on xmas eve...also i opened all the packaging of presents from us and put the batteries in before wrapping them...

[smug]

However, having recently bought things second hand which didn't have screws and were dripping with leaked battery acid when I opened them I have to say I prefer that the majority screw on.

YABU

It isn't the battery compartments that are dangerous it is the doughnuts who think it is okay to unsrew them with a sharp knife.

I think it's to stop children removing the batteries and putting them in their mouths.

This is particularly dangerous with rechargeable batteries because, apparantly, they release a high charge if you put them in your mouth!

So YABU.

Get a screwdriver ready on xmas eve next year!

I would have agreed with you (especially the annoying noisy things where you can't stop them...) until a couple weeks ago. Ds aged 15 months can now open the average battery compartment and thinks batteries are fun to suck. Cue another round of babyproofing...

I always use a normal phillips screwdriver to open them why do you need a tiny one?.

I must say I prefer the ones that you need to turn with a coin - much easier - but they only seem to come on baby toys.

I would think a set of screwdrivers IS something you'd have in a normally equipped household. Suggest you buy one for £1 and keep it in a kitchen drawer!

Get a toolbox, you would not believe how much easier your life will be with some basics to hand.

Very silly to use a knife to attempt to unscrew something.

I spent half of Christmas morning hunting for the screwdriver when I had by far better things to do (like drinking Egg Nog) I must be better prepared next year!

What do you think they put screwdriver sets into crackers for?

I was going to say exactly what Confuddled said. I have a cracker screwdriver in my box of replacement batteries.

Do you not have Christmas crackers in your house?? Every year I get a new set in a cracker that is useful for such tasks. It's seen me through many a laptop upgrade and toy repair

Read the thread Rockbird, read the thread

I actually wish they would put them on remote control battery compartments. We have more than one remote with tape holding the batteries in