[...] no more alkies, lithium primaries for flashlights in the car and nimh for everything inside.
I'm with you on that. I've simply stopped using alkaline batteries altogether and don't miss them at all.
I sincerely hope you both have a long run with that
but I've been there already and lost/still losing
They all leak eventually and at random, be they top dollar brand name, cheapies, dodgy knockoffs, high tech, latest tech, 'advanced tech' oooh...
Star Fleet endorsed, blah..
it's still the same old game of battery leak russian roulette
with our pockets the loser on trashed gear, unpaid/wasted time repairs, inconvenience due to device failure, especially under emergency conditions,
and if the gear somehow miraculously survives with nothing major eaten, vaporized, or corroded beyond recognition,
there's yet another battery purchase on top to get the ball rolling again..and repeat the pita vicious circle
The deal is batteries are encased in devices packed with other electronic components that emanate their own chemical odors
and under pressure, temperature variations, little to no air flow,
as well as whatever is going on inside the battery itself,
and the metal battery terminals are rubbing up on the device terminals which who knows what sort of cheap/cheapest plating it may be etc etc
That said, it may not be just the batteries to fully blame for all the disasters.
Whatever the reasons, it's the battery manufacturers PAID JOB to R+D and sort this out ASAP, and so less of their sub par product goes into the landfills before their time,
which is another byproduct of leaking batteries they are responsible for,
not the urban battler who forgets to check their torch and multimeter, loaded up with bunny endorsed
big dollar batteries
Sooner or later, hopefully MUCH LATER..any battery will pop and leak somehow
The manufacturers today are too busy bean counting, back patting, perving at profit pie charts,
partying hard and doing that thing with the Xerox photocopier or flogging the business to the next lot of cashed up clueless corporat raidertards,
so in the meantime they advertise hard with circus styled ads,
hoping connedsumers buy and use them up asap, toss, and buy new ones = no problems for them
i.e. if you've got gear you can't afford to replace or have it fail at the wrong time/danger etc DO NOT TRUST ANY BATTERIES for unattended long term, period.