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There are still many lights out there that "encourage" alkaleak usage, the stores are littered with 3AAA,4AAA,6AAA,3AA,4AA, etc lights and a few C/D cell lights. I think we pretty much figure that battery manufacturers don't mind creating battery hogs at all, the cheaper the better for them. What is truly sad is the decent rechargeable options are insanely expensive in stores and often use proprietary or not easily replaceable batteries driving up the cost while greatly reducing the longevity/cost in use. For the price/size of 12AAs might as well just make it a 3D cell light IMO.
There is too much profit in alkaleaks for the battery companies to abandon them such that they are propping up the price of them high enough that for in light use devices heavy duty batteries are competitive still. I rarely buy name brand alkaleaks instead I buy generic ones for 25 to 50 cents a battery instead of 75 cents to 1.10 or so each. I even buy heavy duty 9V batteries for some things because they are insanely priced now.
The reason is simple.... economics and ignorance. In order to get a decent price on lithium primaries you have to get a Sam's or Costco membership otherwise they cost about $1.50 or more each with the clubs you get them for about $1.25 each. You can get alkaleaks for about $1 each or in larger packs about 75cents each or a little less and generic alkaleaks are around 25 to 35 cents each. For people constantly buying them they don't do the math and on low drain devices the leakage is shrugged off for the savings as lithium primaries don't have any advantage in cost/runtime. I think when lithium primaries AA/AAAs patents run out then we will see everyone selling them and the price may drop to below $1 in larger packs and it will push alkaleaks down in price just below that in similar sized packs. Until alkaleaks are 6/$1 in dollar stores every day we probably won't see the end of heavy duty batteries any time soon.
They put in a costco here after we have 3 sam's clubs all of which are miles closer to me than the costco is which is about 15 miles away while I have a sam's club at 3-4 miles from here I don't know why they decided to put the costco out of town for most in the second biggest city in the state here.
