Hi, choosing among your dozens of torches (I only have 44) which torch would you put in your European emergency kit? and why? 
For emergency kit I will choose flashlight which use AA batteries because it can be found everywhere.
From my collection of lights I will put Zanflare F2, Convoy T2 or T3, Wurkkos WK05.
This flashlights works with every battery which you can put in it and haven’t parasitic current drain.
Carbon zinc, alkaline, lithium AA,Ni-MH, 14500 li-ion works in T2, T3, WK05, Zanflare can’t use 14500.
For emergency kit good solution is to have LSD NiMH like eneloop or better Lithium AA which have a long expiry date.
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Unfortunately “everywhere” will be gone pretty quickly in an (end time) emergency. Li-ion have a higher energy density and are easier to recharge.
In my opinion flashlights are less important than water, food, shelter, safety.
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I agree that AA option is optimal for emergency, but here’s other approach to subject - 1x18650 flashlight with built-in USB-C charging + power bank. That is rather for bigger setups, like bugout backpack. Or even flashlight that can be used as powerbank - like Wurkkos FC13. In emergency bags / bugout backpacks I like things that serve dual purposes. AA batteries don’t have much juice, but also they are small and even 4xAA battery case doesn’t take much space.
From what I have I’d choose:
18650: Wurkkos FC13, Wurkkos FC11C, headlamp: Wurkkos HD15, maybe Zebralight H600 or ArmyTek Wizard
AA: Sofirn SP10 Pro, Loop SK03, headlamp: Zebra H53Fw, Skilhunt H150
Always with compatible diffuser
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18650 maybe 21700 headlamp
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A long running AAA for around your neck around the house, a AA headlamp and pick up some AAA to AA adapters and/or a AAA headlamp, a long running quality AA flashlight.
AAA to AA Battery Adapters
k=AAA+to+AA+Battery+Adapter&i=electronics&crid=1TT5TQ5ESVQ9W&sprefix=aaa+to+aa+battery+adapter%2Celectronics%2C155
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it’s certainly less important, but it’s better to have a light source…I suppose a small dual fuel torch like the reylight pineapple, or an s2+ (with the T3 driver) could be more useful than a big 4*18650, less light but also less consumption and dual fuel
PS: but a big torch could be more useful for defending yourself
I don’t know…I may be unlucky but I have 4 black eneloops that I charge with their specific charger and 1 of them after 3 years already seems to be dead
I was given 2 of these as a gift a couple of years ago, the plastic broke while I was trying to turn them on 
The ability to charge from a USB source is important, not just for using a power bank but the authorities and everyone will be very focused on having phone charging stations which means there will just about always be USB charging available.
What kind of “emergency”? Natural disaster? Colombian cartels coming after you? Nearby pole-pig burst into flames? Staying near or in the home? On the run out in the forest? Actively avoiding being scooped up and dumped into internment camps? So many questions…
Local blackout doesn’t require as much prep as expecting to survive The Zombie Apocalypse™.
In/around the home, a few rechargeable lanterns should be fine. Out in the boonies escaping hurricane destruction requires something else.
Point being, there’s no one-size-fits-all answer. You do you.
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I have about 8 halfway decent 18650 flashlights in my earthquake supplies, both hand-held and headlights. I also have 4 SK68’s that run on 14500 or AA. Finally I have 6 AAA headlights that I got from Costco or Walmart. To top it off I have a hand-crank flashlight that I was given as a present years ago.
I store 20 18650 laptop pulls and 15 AA/AAA Eneloops for those lights. Since the lights are useless without charged batteries I keep 4 chargers (dual lion and NiMh) and 2 solar panels in my supplies. Worse case I can charge them with my gas generator 
But water is way more important so I keep 200 gallons stored as well as several water filters, chemicals, and a device that generates chlorine and sodium hydroxide.
I think I have a few thousand dollars invested in my supplies 
My fondest hope is that I’ll never have to use them of course.
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Exactly. “Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst.”
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This is the most important question to answer first.
Really any single cell 18650/21700 light will do for most short term scenarios, bonus points for a headlamp so you can use your hands.
It’s important not to get caught up in the mindset of simply collecting gear, gear can only take you so far.
Skills weigh nothing and allow you to improvise and adapt.
Think about the specific emergency scenarios you want to prepare for are, run through scenarios in your head and jot ideas down on paper.
There are plenty of guides online for “prepping”. Most governments have very similar lists, start with a government list and go from there, adapting it to your specific circumstances.
I would stick with what I know and use the most. 18650. If you had to leave the house for a bit. A few handheld and a few headlights. And a few of them need to be C rechargeable. You may need to hand some out temporarily or permanently. As for aa stuff. I would never want to assume that any store would have them or will be open. And I’m probably not going to want to go to those places. I would rather rely on a candle and a lighter than an aa light. That’s just me.
Seriously, you should ignore that outdated notice of 3 days and shoot for a bare minimum of 10 days and preferably 2 weeks.
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I also assume that few, if any others, are prepared for a major earthquake (which is what I’m preparing for). I live in San Francisco so perhaps others in less urban areas are better prepared for emergencies? When I’ve tried talking to my neighbors they usually laugh and say that their emergency plan is…me 
I tell them that’s not going to happen. Too many people think that the govt will run in and make everything good in a few days, but I consider that delusional in a major disaster.
I also would invest in a portabe solar panel, a car 12v to 110/220v converter and those portable water filters, like the Sawyer.
I would not carry only 1 light, but 3, like a Convoy T2 XPG (very good performance with AA), a T6 with SFT25R, a wurkkos TS22 xhp 70.2 or sofirn sp33s with battery adapters, because they have the most efficient drivers and leds I know.
Personally I’m good for well over a year by a wide margin, as for other people I think we have seen examples of even advanced nations governments taking longer to get help in order than we used to think, so I suggest to people to use the 2 week minimum to allow for any bumps or delays before the system can start helping you, besides, 2 weeks of self sufficiency is very comforting to have when watching the news or the lights go out.
Two weeks gives a person time to think and adjust and for the governments to overcome any problems that might be delaying their reaching your area with supplies, or getting the system operating again.