HID w/Nmh Burn Test

[Corndogg]

I just bought a slightly used Dive Rite HID canister light. It is an HID MR11 I believe. It had a small Nmh battery pack that is taped together, they almost look like AAs. I don't know the exact model of the light but I am told it is only a year or so old.
Anyway, I've used it three or four times now. It always charges up in just a few hours. This last weekend at Wazee I used it on the first dive for an hour, then maybe half an hour into the second dive it shut off. I turned the switch off then in five or ten minutes turned it back on. It lit up but next time I looked it had turned off again. I charged it again in just a few hours and it is now holding at 13.12 V.

I want to burn test it, but want to get more info. The Dive Rite site has some info butt doesn't go into detail about the differences between the three battery types, Nmh, gel cell, lead-acid.

I also don't have a halogen head to test with so I wanted to use any halogen 12 volt bulb or just use the hid and be carefull. Any one got any experience with this?