Don, that was great. I've been seeing more and more LED usage, and it seems like a great solution, uses little power, makes little heat and lots of light. And I remember reading about how the invention of the blue LED was a milestone, but beyond that really didn't know what they were about. Thanks for "enlightening" me.

The problem with using LEDs for headlights is reflected (yes, intended) in the way camper's headlamps and flashlights are being sold. If you need bright--but diffused--light for reading or working around the campsite, then LED lights are fine. But they don't seem to "beam" very well, and so for applications where you want a long-distance beam, halogens are still the ticket. Black Diamond even makes a headlamp with both so you can switch between the different kinds of light.

So I extrapolate that LED headlights would face similar problems, but perhaps the laser angle will change that. I would assume that laser pointers use something like an LED for the emitter, since they last a long time on small batteries. But headlight aiming will then be a more serious matter, and we may have to adopt a variation of those Citroen headlamps that self-levelled. Would be a good idea anyway, esp. for SUV's...&^)