Originally Posted by
tatfiend
Even the 1/2 and 1 watt LEDs used in AA and AAA taillights are not run at any where near actual rated power. If they were then an AAA taillight would have a battery life of about 1 hour in continuous mode and 1 hour multiplied by the duty cycle in blinking mode. An AA light would increase this by about 3.5x IIRC.
You are most likely right. However, the manufacturers have to differentiate between their "low" & "high" power models. I own Portland Design's Redbot in 1 Watt version & it produces significantly more light than Planet bike SuperFlash at 1/2 Watt. However the batteries life is also half which is alright 'cause I'm using low discharge rechargeables (Sanyo Eneloops). Used to own Dinotte but that was too much trouble (i.e. low running times), not a one piece unit, pain to attach & the batteries would discharge while not in use (i.e. it was always on). Otherwise, that was a fine light.