brightest AA/14500

I don’t think anybody has made a brighter 1xAA than Zebralight. That’s well into the range of technically difficult boost drivers.

Highest output production 14500 is probably the BLF X5. It advertises 1400 lumens, but this post says it’s 1100. This light is bulky for the battery type though. If that’s your motivation, there are a few slim lights in the 700 lumen range like the Klarus Mi7 and Thrunite T10 II (yes, I know it says 550; it’s more).