from 94 till i got a sharp zaurus pda in the noughties i used pdas like psion and palm/visor that required aa or aaa batteries. i tried duracell/energizer and at a pinch generics. i never had a duracell or energizer leak. the extra money was worth the peace of mind. using generics in other cheaper equipment was risking leakage.

as to power levels. when energizer came out for the first month or two they were better than duracells in terms of amount of power drawn by the psions (i kept a spreadsheet of mw) but i put that down to the supply chain not having stock languishing in warehouses for a new product shortening the length of the supply chain.

i eventually switched ti nicd and then nimh batteries and even lithium batteries originally meant for emergency torches. but with modern devices i really miss not been able to drop in 1-2 cheap batteries in a pinch or when far from the grid. it be nice if there were a modern smartphone/pda that could run off alkalines.