>It's more about the fact that realistically this shit over the counter is triple or quadruple marked up.

So what I think you're saying is... You don't like that the retailer is making money while selling to you... even though every product you've ever bought from any store EVER has been marked up.

So instead.... you want to play with chemicals that are toxic as shit, will f*cking kill you or severely injure you in ways that will disable you for the rest of your life, AND once you put electricity to them could explode (literally) if your home-engineered design isn't perfect.

You already said electrical theory wasn't your thing even at the his school level (very basic).

THIS PROJECT IS OVER YOUR HEAD. The chance of severe injury far outweighs the slim possibility of the battery successfully working and you saving some money.