This subject deserves being reviewed and reconsidered regularly. Battery technology is changing. As are my needs and desires.

I like lithium batteries. Long life, increased capacity, relative temperature insensitivity are all in their favor. Even minor factors like their light weight are good. Their one major problem is cost.

On the other hand all the strengths of lithium cells are relative weaknesses of alkaline cells. Over time alkaline cells have improved. And even the basic chemistry was a major advance over the old chemistries. Looking back I'm always amazed that anyone got anything done using lead-acid and chloride cells. But they got us through WW2 and Hippies. We used them because they were all we had.

Alkaline cells were a big advance and they have gotten better. The one exception here is that they seem to leak more than they did. A leaking alkaline cell typically destroys whatever it is used in. Something to keep in mind when you stuff them into expensive, or critical, electronics.

But alkaline cells are still a bargain. For about $12 I buy a pack of 30 that lasts me a couple of years. They don't store for more than a few years but rotation is simple to accommodate at home because I have a scad of remote controls, battery powered clocks, and a couple of small flashlights that get a lot of use.

I suspect I will be moving to all lithium cells. In high turnover devices I might use rechargeable cells but recharging is still an issue and rotation of lithium batteries might eliminate much of the need for rechargeable batteries.