I'm sure when I bought the Cygolite 3-4 years ago, it was rather advanced. The bike lights were just starting to go off of Halogen and onto the LEDs. I've commuted with it, ridden the dark paths, dodging deer and racoons and ice at 15-18mph. Like I said, it does the job very nicely. I think I got it for around $80 - now I see it on the internet for around $60-65.

You're right that the batteries and charger aren't useful for anything else. I'm just sort of pointing out that the Cygolite isn't that much more expensive than a Lowe's task force light when you take into account battery and charger.