Oh how right you are. My experiences are purely anecdotal but there seems to be a recurring theme. Note: All Rayovac batteries used were confirmed to be alkali

Oh how right you are. My experiences are purely anecdotal but there seems to be a recurring theme. Note: All Rayovac batteries used were confirmed to be alkaline batteries and the Sunbeam batteries it appears are not alkaline. This may have been the reason for the subpar results I experienced yet I question why the Rayovac alkalines I used produced very similar results to the allegedly non-alkaline Sunbeams. Xbox 360 controller: I've used Sunbeam and Rayovac AA batteries from the dollar store and CVS, respectively. They barely last a week and when I hit the dashboard button to check the state of charge it still shows 2 and sometimes 3 bars but the controller kept disconnecting. Tried 3 other controllers and 3 other battery packs to verify it wasn't a controller/battery holder problem. Same results. Switched to Duracell and not only do they last almost a month but they go all the way until the battery icon is empty and then they cut out. I now use Energizer rechargeable NiMH batteries and they last almost as long as the duracells but I can swap them out quickly. Paintball marker: I have a relatively high end (it was top of the line back in 2007) paintball marker that I'd been experiencing problems with where it would turn off in the middle of games. At the time I was, again, using either Sunbeam or Rayovac 9V batteries from the dollar store or CVS. I found an old duracell 9V and tested it. It had about half a charge left, perhaps a little more. I put that in and it went strong for a few months and many games before finally crapping out. Ditto same results for my paintball loader which takes 6 AA batteries or 2 9V batteries. Sunbeam and Rayovac barely worked for a little while but Duracells kept on trucking for a long time. Ham radio: I have an AA adapter pack for my handheld ham radio but this time it was a 3 way comparison with Sunbeam and Rayovac again taking a distant 3rd place, a rechargeable Maha battery taking 1st and Duracells nipping at the heels of the rechargeable battery for signal strength and general usability when I needed it most. All that being said and taking into consideration those experiences, all the smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors in the house have Duracells in them as I'll be damned if I'm going to take a chance on the generic batteries again. P.S. I still can't convince my mom to buy Duracells as she insists on getting the generic batteries and then keeps complaining to me that dad gets frustrated that the TV remote "doesn't work like it used to!" (Note: It had Duracells in it for a while before they finally died and were replaced with...Sunbeams!)