I was wondering if there was a power difference from the battery and say the cigarette lighter? If i took a 12v light that was wired to the cig lighter and hooked it up directly to the batt, would that make a difference? It just seems to me that a lil 12v bulb would explode if i hooked it up to the terminals of a car batt. Is there a difference in amps? could i light a 74 bulb straight from the battery?

yes. there is really no difference. I'm sure you will find lots of members that use the lighter for power for neons, swiches, ect. If you are worried about a voltage drop or surge either use a relay or an inline fuse for saftey.

the thing you have to worry about is the gauge of the lighter wire.

Its not a very thick wire; So if you pull too much current through it, the wire might melt.