Really I have no vendetta or anything of that nature. There is simply a lot of misinformation floating around about cell setup born from years of 3V emitter use with FET based drivers.
Now that we are starting to move past these old times I think it is time to put some of those myths to rest.
I did see the pictures of the MT03 and it is a buck driver for sure, although how the buck driver is setup I do not know but I can assume some things.
Please note, I am not calling you out or picking on your personally at all with these next statements, I am simply using them as examples.
Myths about cell setup:
Myth: 4s1p will have less runtime then 2s2p
Truth: Both setups have exactly the same amount of stored energy (about 45-50 watt hours depending on cells used). The only variable is how bright the LED is / how much power you are feeding it. So in low mode it might last a few days but in turbo it could only last 30-40 minutes. Given equal brightness they will have exactly the same runtime (well technically the 2s2p will have slightly less due to higher losses in the circuit but not enough to really matter).
Myth: 2s is safer then 4s?
Truth: I honestly do not even know if this is what you were meaning? 2s vs 4s is exactly the same when it comes to safety, the chances of getting shocked by either is basically zero. If you are talking about the 4s ability to run at full power until empty, this light has thermal regulation anyways and it will knock the power down as it heats up anyways. So I honestly do not know what this comment was in reference to?
Myth: 4s will create more heat then 2s
Truth: 2s will actually cause more heat in the driver then 4s due to higher amperage and larger losses in the driver. Amps is what causes heat in the circut, voltage has very little effect on heat inside the circuit.
In these particular lights which use a buck driver and have thermal regulation there is no reason to not use the 4S, I stand by this. These lights will be limited not be the cell setup but by heat anyways and the thermal regulation will step the power down to the same level in either setup to maintain those temps.
The difference is that the 2s will start dropping below the highest maintainable temp due to voltage sag but the 4s will maintain it throughout the entire cell life.
If people see this as a bad thing, then why not simply turn the power level down to medium and get the same or longer runtime with the 4s setup?