Need someone to do the math.

Ok... I got a little discussion going on this in a previous thread but I'm either too slow or the info was not conclusive enough for me to decide anything.

BTW, I know there is bike lighting thread but I am hooked on using multiple small LED flashlights because I like the redundancy of having multiple independent lights and no wires.

What I can't figure out is whether or not Lithium researchable cells would give me a substantial improvement in either light output or battery life.

To simplify the math assume two identical lights with Cree emitters like the Fenix L2D.

I'm willing to spend some $$ on new lights batteries and charger if I'd get a significant improvement.

Lets compare size to power. Good NiMh AA, 1.2v, 2500 mAh, 3 watts. Good 14500 battery, 3.7v, 750 mAh, 2.775 watt. So going by that, there shouldn't be any increase in runtime.

But the Li-ion is closer in voltage then the NiMh, so the driver can be more efficient and counter the slightly lower capacity. Well, when you use 3 NiMh AA batteries in series, you get the same voltage as a Li-Ion battery.

It would depend on your setup. The both would work well and be close to each other in output and runtime(output would be much more dependent on the driver you use). If you have the NiMh batteries, go for those. And NiMh ones are easier to find in stores then Li-ion batteries.

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Sharks with frickin laser beams