Oddly enough, my most pleasing light(s) this year are a pair of humble Skilhunt M200s that I picked up on a sale a while back - basically, they’re an H03 made in a straight line with a more throwy beam.
They are pure function; not especially pretty, especially powerful or especially anything, but they feel rugged in my hand, the UI suits me, and they appear so far to be utterly reliable despite numerous bumps and drops.
I find myself reaching for them first and leaving the much more ‘gracious’ lights on the shelf.
1st: Jaxman E3 w/ Nichia 5700 90CRI. 'Cause I'm weak when it comes to fine & rugged 1xAA lights.
Runner-up: FW3A WW. It's said that one always remembers their "first"; this is my first Anduril, first BLF collaboration, first pocket rocket, first time I've waited years for a flashlight.
Headlight:
1st: Acebeam H40 SST 20. See above my weakness for 1xAA. Also has the overhead strap. One around-the-head strap is a deal killer for me regardless how good the light is.
Runner-up: YLP Panda 2M CR. 'Cause very good floody, high CRI. If it had somehow, miraculously been 1xAA it would have taken 1st.
D4 sst-20 4000k updated with custom buck driver, then updated with fd2 tint LEDs. Pocket daemon convinced to work all 2019 as a amazing illumination tool.
Well, I hate to be unoriginal, and a copycat, but these are my exact two favorites of the year as well, exactly as RC categorized them. If I had to be a little more specific, I would say FW3A with XPL HI, and D80v2 with SST-40.
New to flashlights, but got some great lights this year. Hard to chose, but the winners are:
D4Svn and LT1.
Thanks to all of you for informing and helping us find what we need and like.