Here's a pair of 1x aaa lights from the past with kubatan aspect.
Top is a PK Design Lab PL-2 circa 2016
Bottom is a Bushnell circa 2014
The PK light was a light idea from his days at SureFire that never made it past the design point and in 2014 when he started PK Design Lab a prototype was developed. It went into production in 2016. At 110 sustained lumens from an ultimate lithium battery meant for about 27 days it was the worlds brightest triple a flashlight.
The Bushnell was a Wal Mart purchase that came in a limited edition twin pack one year at the holidays. It also included a 2x 123 light. It has a bit of a Klingon flare to it. At 55 lumens it was pretty bright at the time.
The PL-2 is a twist head with a low option of about 12 lumens. It's regulated to hold steady at wide open until the battery cries uncle. It starts on high and is considered water tight due to dual, oversized o'rings that also prevent accidental pocket turn on. It's a 1.5 volt light.
The Bushnell is a forward tailcap clicky, 1 setting light that dims as the battery depletes.
Now, it's not very thirsty so it does seem to hold the beam much better than many of the unregulated lights of the time that seemed to look dimmer in seconds.
The Bushnell was not very pocket friendly due to the many course areas at each end. The PL-2 looks mean but edges are not course, yet are squared enough to be a very effective kubatan. Niether light tail stands. The PL-2 has a keychain aspect, possibly a primary light where the Bushnell was more of a backup light.
The Bushnell appears pretty bright because it's floody where the PL-2 hides its ability by being more of a thrower, which is part of my it could be a primary light in a dark alley.
The PL-2 used a novel coating called PVD that was pretty tough without being electrocuted to the body. It was a bonding process to apply layers of coatings where the Bushnell used a conventional anodize method.
PK said he conceived the PL-2 at a time when their were no triple a batteries with enough horsepower to drive it. The ultimate lithium was the catalyst that brought it to reality. Soon after lots of products came about that touted even more output, but quickly fell back to about 2/3 of the PL-2 output.
