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Originally Posted by Cigar Mike
I agree, more or less. The one major drawback, however, with LEDs is that when your batteries get weak, either due to use or just age, LED lights will just 'quit.' They don't dim, they just STOP. So, for home or personal defense purposes, if it's a light that might sit waiting for the Bad Guys, you could find yourself in a situation where you'd rather have a _dim_ halogen/incandescent light with weak batteries, than a _dead_ LED light with weak batteries. If it's a weapon that's anticipating immediate and frequent action and the corresponding maintenance, then LEDs are probably the way to go.
Kinda depends on it's intended use. The best intentions to stay prepared might be totally trumped by by a bad or old set of batts.
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Agreed, with a caveat -- A QUALITY LED light is usually much more efficient at using the power it as, so usually the level at which an incandescent dims halfway will still see the LED chugging along at max brightness (at least for a few more minutes). LED brightness and run times have gotten very good in recent years, and it is much more resistant to shock (assuming the electronics were put together well, that's LED's weak point).
But typically this falls under responsible maintenance of your firearm (and all associated components).
You want to be sure your batteries are lithium, and then you setup a replacement schedule appropriate for your usage. Replacing the battery *before* it becomes a problem is key here. So if you think the battery will need replacing every year, then do it every 6 months.
These days the technology gap has gotten a lot better, with rechargeable LSD (low self discharge) batteries like the Sanyo Eneloop becoming a viable alternative to ever buying an alkaline again. Rechargeable batteries, whether lithium or NMh, are great in a duty light that sees use every day (like the FourSevens Quark in my pocket), but if it's a light that sits unused, non-rechargeables lithiums are the best way to go, with a strict replacement schedule, just like when you take out the gun and oil and clean it. Lithium batteries have a VERY low self discharge rate, so it's perfectly reasonable to stuff them in your light, come back in a year, and still be pretty close to full power. Make it an easy day to remember, like your birthday, and you know that "today I need to go change the batteries in the defense lights."