warranty? The flashlight will not turn on consistently. I do not have the original packaging; does Energizer have a warranty on these?

As noted, it is because it is an energy hog.This light will cook your batteries in a matter of a few hours.I returned 4 lights, after using the Energizer batteries included in the original package, with the same symptoms.DOA after 15 minutes.Energizer sent the flashlight(s) back with a $10 coupon for Energizer batteries, stating the lights functioned normally.If I didn't need the rubber surround for gripping purposes and have a virtually unlimited supply of batteries(we use our for workplace inspections, sometimes 15 minutes per incident for maybe 2.5 hours total per day, I get about 2 days on a set)I would have ditched this long ago.

Yes. "Includes 2 Energizer® MAX® AA batteries" http://www.energizer.com/flashlights-lighting/professional-flashlights. This is a great flashlight. I had one at work, then I bought one for home too.

I am blind. Is the task flashlight skinny, button on the base/bottom? Can someone describe this to me?

The flashlight is small enough to fit in your front pocket. The on/off switch is on one side. It would feel obvious even to a blind person. It's just under the "head" of the flashlight.