Yow, this is a hard question. All but three of my all-time favorites are modded lights, and I didn’t really start modding until 2014. The following are listed roughly in some kind of order, with the most notable or frequently-used at the top:
Hands-down coolest light: S10 Ti w/ MELD from tterev3 (R+G+B+W+UV)
Best overall EDC: CNQG brass 18650 w/ DC-Fix, Nichia 219B, and custom firmware. (smallest 18650 light around, pretty, tough, good quality)
Other best EDC: Roche F6 triple-Nichia-219B w/ Ferrero Rocher driver and battery indicator lights, from Comfychair. Also came with what is now my primary dev driver, a spare Ferrero Rocher, and I’ve made a few firmwares for it. I particularly enjoy the ramping UI firmware, which on my unit can ramp smoothly from ~0.3 lm to ~1800 lm while indicating realtime voltage under load. From off, it gives instant access to moon, turbo, and last-used level.
Best hotrod (output-to-size ratio) (also, most stylish): Sinner Cypreus 100mm copper w/ triple-XP-L and BLF17DD driver. I’m still refining the firmware though, and planning to give it a nicer tint after parts become available.
Toughest EDC: Convoy S7 w/ Nichia 219B, DC-Fix, custom firmware, and SF L2 clip. Pretty, versatile, and nearly indestructible.
Best thrower: JAX Z1 w/ de-domed XP-G2 and BLF22DD (looks like a light saber against a dark sky)
Best tint / vivid color: Wide-spectrum BlackShadow Terminator (unfinished, still need to give it better firmware)