[sdiy] several questions

[Mountain Man]

A small spate of questions for y'all  :)

 - I'm doing powersupply repairs on my Xpander.  I'm wondering if I
should change the backup battery while I have the case open - given that
the synth is about 15 years old.  The battery (a 3V panasonic lithium)
looks in fine condition, and I read over 3 volts on the meter.  It would
be a bit of a pain to replace, so if its not called for, I'd rather
not.  Opinions?  If I do replace, are there special precautions I need
to take to prevent losing data?

- I'd like to get some tips on quality of different manufacturer's
components.  I'm ordering aluminum electrolytics.  I notice that
nichicon components are at least twice the price of xicon, even though
the specs seem similar.  Since the ones I'm replacing are nichicon, I'm
spending the extra cents, but I wonder in general should I pay for
higher priced components?  Is there a "comsumer reports" for electronic
components?  :)

- I want to get some switches to put in-line on wall warts for units
that have no switch of their own (a rocker switch, I guess).  I looked
through my handy Mouser catalog, but didn't see any "standalone"
switches (i.e., not for mounting).  Can someone point me to something
good?

Thanks all,
Elby