I only buy Duracell or Energizer (alkaline) batteries. I've never seen consistent, good performance with any of the other brands or "store brands", with the exception of the Surefire 123s. I guess my shock at the current prices (no pun intended) means that it's been a really long time since I've stocked up on batteries, huh? By the way, welcome to the forums, Flinx. Lots of good info here and we welcome your input and experiences!