I was rereading reviews again before making my decision and yes, I think some of them were about the battery. I don't see that as such a big deal. How hard is it to forget to unplug it unless you charge it in the basement out of sight somewhere?
I remember reading something that said it really wasn't that bright for the money but the reason I hesitated is I saw the Trail Rat Select and the 2.0 but could not find much about the Select which was at Nashbar. I read so many reviews of so many different lights, I was getting overwhelmed. I ended up ordering the Cygolite Rover extra from REI. That doesn't have the smart charger either but I'll plug it in when I get home from work at 4:30 to have ready for the next morning at 5.
I'm thinking about making something for next spring. How hard would it be to learn how to solder over the winter? I've seen a lot of posts mentioning that so I assume that is how you connect everything?