LemonKid...Welcome aboard! It has been my experience as a PROUD Surge owner that you should have no trouble getting the manufacturer's stated 3-5 hours run time on a fresh set of alkaline batteries. I can't say if that will vary if you use rechargeable batteries, but I'm sure some of our fellow CPFers can shed some light in regards to other types of batteries. A word of caution...DON'T use lithium AA's because they WILL burn the bulb out!
As far as how a Surge "lights up" against other xenon flashlights such as SureFire and others, IMO the Surge is right up there with them in terms of beam quality and intensity. If you're looking for "bang for your buck", at 22 to 27 bucks depending on where you buy it from, the Surge is hard to beat. A lot of folks on this forum will tell you the same. Keep in mind that a Surge is a different type of light than a Surefire...it's meant to be a dive/utility type light, and SureFire's are designed to be "tactical" lights. Both are GREAT at what they "do"...Another good bang for your buck light is the Brinkmann Legend LX. You'll hear it mentioned a lot around here, also. If you have trouble making up your mind, just do what the rest of us do...BUY THEM ALL
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PJD
...there is nothing in the world more frustrating than a lousy beam...