I noticed the $2000 plus dollar detectors that have been getting all the play on the forums lately are powered by Li Ion battery packs. Lithium-ion batteries are incredibly popular these days. You can find them in laptops, PDAs, cell phones, and now detectors. Whites is using them in the TDI detector.
Here are the claims made for the Lithium-ion battery. They are a low maintenance battery, and don't have a memory problem, which means that you do not have to completely discharge them before recharging. They are generally lighter than other types of rechargeable batteries and they hold their charge because they don't have the self discharge problem that most NIMH packs exhibit. Li Ion batteries also operate at a higher voltage than NIMH batteries while being used. My research shows they should be good for 1000 deep charge/discharge cycles. These are general claims I found on the Internet.
I decided to get the RB AW 2200 Li-ION battery and do a field test. These batteries will work in all Whites models that use the 8 AA packs. The first thing I noticed when I unpacked the box was the packs are bright red. The case is shaped so the pack can be removed from the detector, using your thumb and finger, without having to tip the coil in the air. This saves you from accidentally sticking the coil in the ceiling fan.
My first test was to see if the AW2200 was lighter than my NIMH packs. I put the AW2200 mah pack on my scale and found it was 3oz lighter than my Whites 1800 mah NIMH pack. RB claims the AW2200 saves even more weight when compared to the Whites 2200 heavy duty pack. Since I don't own that Whites pack I could not test this claim.
This test is done. They are lighter than the NIMH.
The second test I wanted to run was to see if there was a problem with self discharge. The Li ion packs are suppose to charge in two hours. In less than 2 hours the charger's red light changed to green and the pack had a full charge. I left on my trip but was disappointed to find I couldnt do any hunting. I checked the battery voltage today and it was 12.51 V. This was after 5 days of sitting.
This test will be on going but shows they are definitely low self discharge. I'm going to let this pack sit and check it after 2 weeks. That will be enough idle time for me. I'll post this result later.
A second pack I loaded in my V3i to test how many hours it would run in my Spectra. It had a 12.51V starting voltage after sitting for 5 days. I will keep a log of running time until the battery quits and post the results.
RUN TIME TESTBattery Charged and let sit for 5 days.
First hunt lasted 4.25 hours. The starting voltage was 12.51v. The ending voltage was 11.23 v.
The last test I want to perform is to see how much using the car charger can extent the run time of the pack. We all have to eat, so my test will be to use the charger for 30 minutes while taking a lunch break. I plan to do this test after I finish the first run time test.
If you have any tests for me to try let me know.
"Everyone has an opinion, but mine is free"
"You might very well think that; I couldn't possibly comment..."
CTX 3030, 
V3i, 
Cibola/modified