Ikea batteries went sour


Hi
For many years i used IKEA "AA" batteries (made in GERMANY!)in my portables and remotes.They used to blew away Duracells and the rest and for the price of $1=99 for a 10 pack it was the best deal out there and lasted me 1 week to 10 days with everyday use of 4 hours.On my recent trip to IKEA i bought 10 10-packs as usual but on my evening 2 hour commute to work i noticed a low battery warning on my discman after just one disc.I couldn,t beleive my eyes and the next day the same thing happened with a new pair.I pulled them out and after closer inspection noticed that Made in Germany tag was replaced with Made in China one.
No surprises here.After that I will give China another 10 years to catch up on quality control before i splurge on a blue-lit Shanling or a pair of VR 4jrs.

overhang
Been using the same 2 pairs of Energizer rechargable 9 volt batteries in my phono preamps for 3+ years (use one pair while slow charging the other pair).

A quad of rechargable AA's last a year in my digital camera (after camera duty they are still usable in remote controls and flashlights for another year, or so).

I don't have the energy to purchase and throw away 100's a batteries each year.
Chemistry works the same in China as Germany. Bad workmanship (and it is unwise to assume this about China)would lead to defects like leakage, but I don't think it would affect life.