The answer to your question lies in the use you have planned for the flashlight. If you are thinking of getting the brilliance of a Surefire you are in for a disappointment. If you think the half hour life of the lithium batteries in a Streamlight Scorpion is sufficent then you will think you died and went to heaven with the 120-150 hour full duration performance of some of the LEDs. Bulb life is relatively short with the conventional batteries when compared to the 100,000 hour life of the LED. I have three LED flashlights and two are used for hiking and one is a Photon II. Lumination is just great out to about 20 feet. One of the LED flashlights, a NOVA X-5 has about six LEDs and cranks out a blue-white beam that is more than adequate for non-tactical uses. This technology is now flooding the market and there are many to choose from. Just define your need and you will do just great.