Here's a little bit of information on WHY Li-Ion cells are quite superior for things such as LED sabers... and even for most devices in general!
Li-Ion battery technology is present everywhere. The cell phone you currently use has a 95% chance of being Li-Ion... and a 100% chance if the phone is <5 years old, heheheh!
LED sabers require a LOT OF AMPERAGE, or amp draw. This, by the way is NOT the same thing as "mAh" ratings you will see on a cell. "mAh" is milliamperes PER HOUR, based on a 1A DRAW. In other words... it is an estimate + measurement ~
over time~. So, just by having a cell that reads: "1200mAh" does NOT mean that the cell can deliver "1200mA" to a device (in this case, an LED). Keep that in mind! Maximum amp output can be totally different.
Triple A ("AAA" Alkaline, etc.) cells are small... but they do not allow for a high amp draw. If you don't know what that means--it just translates to the fact that it is hard for AAA cells to maintain brightness. In fact, that is why you'll see "dimming" on your saber when the batteries start to wane. This is often referred to as a "discharge curve", measured over time, where the voltage of a cell decreases as it is used.
Li-Ion battery chemistry/technology does NOT have this issue. In fact, a Li-Ion discharge "curve"... is a lot more FLAT vs. most any other cell type. Further, as you may all know now (or not?)... a single Li-Ion cell presents 3.7v of power... whereas a single Alkaline is 1.5v and a single rechargeable Ni-Mh cell is 1.2v. Ni-Cad is HORRIBLY outdated, and we won't bother speaking of it... that technology is OVER.
Additionally, Li-Ion cells allow for much greater amp draw, and are almost always coupled with a protective circuit to prevent all sorts of issues. In fact--they are MUCH safer to use than most people realize. Mostly due to the protection circuitry.
Li-Ion cells are better for the environment (depending on how you look at it, but really--overall, they = better) as compared to alkaline, and they are slightly better when compared to Ni-Mh (Nickel-Metal Hydride). They are WAAAAY better than Ni-Cad (Nickel Cadmium) and of course... legions better vs. LEAD-ACID (car battery), lol.
Finally, Li-Ion cells are EXTREMELY lightweight. Makes sense--lithium is the lightest metal on the periodic table of elements. Lead, alkaline and cadmium... ummm--not so much.
There you go. Hopefully the lesson is learned: Li-Ion goes a LONG way forward with battery chemistry.
To me, it's actually a travesty and a disaster that alkaline cells (non-rechargeable) are still floating around out there. It's a friggin' waste.
