That's some good info (especially that linked article Bald Paul ) Thanks guys!

It seems my lights are just the product of lots of use and minimal (realistic?) care. The lights do have that protective feature - shutting off before they're totally drained. But, when out in the dark and the light just turns off... yeah, I have forced it try harder by turning it on several times. That does work - the lights come back on for brief periods. I've even planed that use, i.e. "I'm safe here, but will need the light for that intersection... and ON!"

So, I'm sure I've beaten up the batteries doing that. I'm also guilty of storing the lights in the garage - temps range from 30-110 degrees. Oh, and I do not recharge to 50% for optimal non-use storage.

So, what I've learned is that:
A. Both lights are shot.
B. They may have lasted longer if I managed/cared for them better.
C. I probably won't
D. I'll have to buy a new light a bit more often
E. I think I'm okay with D