The 555!

Idiot Toys friend and regular battery submitter Lee sadly only supplied six photographs of this stunna. We'd have used all 555, had 555 come through. You know that's true. You KNOW IT. We iz 4REAL when it comes to battery coverage.

OPENING PREAMBLE
"Hello! I have a treat for you, in the form of some unusual batteries. Known simply as '555', they don't even sport any English on their bodies or packaging. Their quality surpasses mere language."



"Here they are, in their natural state. Whoever works in the 555 factory needs a slap, as they've made the basic error of not angling the batteries so the name is visible through the blister pack. Perhaps you are now gazing in disbelief at the price? Are they really only 50p? Do you want confirmation?"



"Consider it confirmed! 10p per battery. You literally can't go wrong. The back of the packet has further treats."



"Beautiful layout, including signage indicating where to cut with scissors in order to separate the batteries into their individual sections. There's even more to be gleaned here, as a closer inspection reveals..."



"Yes! They've got a mascot, a bit like the EBF one. In addition, it appears as if at least 16,013 units have been shipped, although thanks to your work against Sony we all know that this does not necessarily mean 16,013 units have been sold. Let's crack one of these bad boys out of its cage."



"Observant readers may notice that the cell is actually a bit deformed. It was, essentially, broken out of the box. The misshape is not due to any lens defect on my camera, and I'll fight anyone that says it is. Still, 10p per battery is a bargain. Unless an even more detailed look will unveil the real reason behind the price..."



"A-ha! The truth. They're past their best. They probably still work a bit, but I'm not willing to test them for fear of having an explosion in my face. I'll keep the rest in their packs 'time capsule' style, for future generations.

"The 555 website is also a veritable goldmine, containing such nuggets as 'Today, a modernized Battery City has been set up in the new factory zone with the area of 170 thousand square meters' and 'We won! We completely won 337 investigation!'

"I hope you enjoyed this little adventure. At 358 words, it's not insignificant - Lee."