pol77

I am sorry but if I understand this correctly, then the comparison means nothing. You need to have both types of battery in the exact same state to compare as fuller batteries will provide more voltage and on this unregulated driver more voltage means more brightness. If you want to compare, charge one set of cells fully, let them rest for a specific and measured time and test and then do the same with the other set of cells. A lux meter would be very helpful of course, but even the manual settings on your camera can reveal a difference if it is high enough.

Yes, I measured everything using the included batteries. Did you measure the improvement? The included batteries have an internal resistance of around 120mΩ which is not the greatest, so better batteries with lower internal resistance may provide a higher turbo output in this direct drive configuration. Other than that, as I mention in the review, each of the Sofirn 18650 batteries can provide about 10A and as the light draws less than 17A on turbo, all 3 batteries can provide more than enough A. If you want to have fun for the fun of it, enjoy yourself. Practically, the limiting factor is heat. The light is already small and powerful and heat builds up quickly and becomes the limiting factor in output. Using better batteries with smaller internal resistance and less voltage sag will give you more maximum brightness but there will be a cost: The light will get hot faster and step down. It may be that the provided batteries are a very good option, to limit the light a bit so it has a more balanced and functional output and heat management. Look what happens with fresh of the charge versus rested cells in the review. Fresh of the charge batteries have more voltage and provide more power so higher turbo output but the light gets hot (and possibly there is more voltage drop?) and steps down quicker. Then dips lower for some time. So in the very important usage time of the first 20 minutes, the fresh off the charge batteries only provide and advantage for less than 2 minutes and the rested (with less voltage) provide more light for the entire duration. All that is based on the scenario that you use the light on turbo and keep it there until thermal step down, which is very rarely a real world scenario. I took the light for a walk in the night and found that a very modest output was actually needed that could be sustained and heat was not an issue. Turbo was used in short bursts, to check something or just for the fun of it. After a 30 minute walk, the batteries were still over 4V. I hope I have helped with your questions.