Looking for some advice from the light builders, please.
I have an MJ-836 DX light, like this:

It has given good service for a number of years, but needs some TLC, and there are a number of things I am interested in trying to fix at the same time:

1. The plug connector is playing up, so I would like to replace it, preferably with something good quality and corrosion resistant. What do people recommend as a replacement?

2. The original charger takes all day to recharge the battery pack, and the indicator LED has stopped working. What are the best options for a replacement? Given that I’m going to replace the connectors, as described above, I would be open to looking at different charging options, e.g. I think people have recommended RC kit on this forum?

3. I am interested in improving the run time of the lamp. Am I likely to get a useful gain by upgrading the stock cells in the battery pack, and if I was going to do this, are there any particular cell models that people recommend?

4. I came across this page:
http://www.nicobaumgartner.ch/blog/?p=110
which recommends adding a load balancing wire for use with a suitable charger. Is there any merit in rewiring my light like this while doing the other fixes listed above?

I see Deans connectors being recommended by some people, but they don’t look very substantial. Can you run them OK without waterproofing?