Originally Posted by
mcours2006
I've owned a set of the eBay/Chinese CREE lamps with the separate battery pack. While they were quite bright, the battery didn't last very long, requiring a charge twice a day (once at work and once at home). That in itself was a PITA, but then there was the charging wire that failed which required minor surgical splicing, and then the cable from the battery failed, and again, more surgery. The mounting was also a hassle. In the end I just gave up, or rather, it gave up.
I'm currently running two 'self-contained' units. One requires charging once a day as I run that one at full power. The other at night time flash, and then day time flash. Much simpler.
In terms of how much power you need, more is better.
Great example. I just never wanted to deal with all that hassle. My Expilion 700 light is now going into its 4th season, and I still only have to charge it about once per week, depending on how much I use the night pulse mode. Never more than once per round trip commute.