The SP10S will do good; won't have the same performance, though.
In any case, the main problem is that primary cells usually aren't optimized for high drain/low internal resistance. This is because it makes little sense to pay for energy at such high price in devices which drain cells fast.
Standard Eneloop/Fujitsu AA or other top brand Ni-MH cells live very long and have very low self discharge rates. They aren't very expensive either, at least if you know where to buy them.
The SF11 will only have issues in the highest mode, if at all. Asked Henrik here, you may want to pay attention. 