I like AA lights, if only to keep around for emergency use in case I’m out and about and dont have a way to charge my 18650 lights. I can always buy a cell at the store if necessary. I rarely actually use AA lights anymore, since getting my lumintop hl3a. When I’m out on the town or for other occasions when I want to have my light be as small as possible and not noticeable, I go for an Aaa light.
It all comes down to size to ability ratio, and what I’m using it for. The HL3A hits all the right spots for me since it’s so small, thin, and uses 18650 cells. The form factor, even though I wasn’t too sure about it before buying, has proven to be perfect. Putting the LEDs on the side of the battery tube and the switch and driver on that same end was IMO the perfect solution to the tube-in-a-tube switch contact and girth problem. The HL3A is much smaller in diameter than the FW3A, with the very tip of head being the only thing that is as large in diameter. It tapers down from that point to .875”. The thing really does disappear in a pocket.
The fact that it is still an ‘end switch’ design makes it easy to find the switch. The magnet makes it super useful as a work light, more useful than a traditional cylindrical flashlight because you can aim it 360° while stuck to something magnetic.
Now, if they designed a light like the HL3A but scaled down to take AA/ 14500 and running a simple ramping U/I like a stripped down anduril with double click to turn on (one click does nothing) and a small (no bigger than 19mm) head using only 2 LEDs instead of 3, then I would probably buy that. It could be TINY if built that way.
The advent of super minimalist LI-ION chargers with flexible leads and magnets makes it easy to take a charger with you. I would rather have that than a built in charger that adds to the size of the light.
And sometimes when carrying aa or aaa lights I just throw an extra battery in the other pocket for peace of mind.