Yes, you're right it is a MBI hidden in the Atoms.
I'm part tint snob and part beam snob. I like the Nichia and XPG2 neutrals. But I also like nice beam profiles without artifacts. The Dereelight has a great beam profile, but don't use it for white wall hunting because the tint is a little green. But in real life use outside, you appreciate the beam profile and don't notice the tint.
I like the Oveready Peaks for a few reasons. You can get hi cri or neutral tints in different head styles (mule, regular, ultra) and you can different bodies. I sometimes carry the Nichia mule on a 10180 body and keep a 10440 (AAA) body as backup. The Oveready delrin caps make extra bodies into spare cell capsules. Just put the head on a new body and go. The QTC works for me. Not perfect, but efficient.
The Tain Ottavino V2 AAA twisty is always in my pocket. A beautiful light with a nice UI, tint and beam profile. Runs on an Eneloop with good runtime and output.
The modded Maratac copper AAA is a fun light. Vinh put in a neutral/warm XPG2. The whole body gets warm on high with a li-ion 10440. And output is impressive. Some of the other AAA lights will run on li-ions, but copper conducts the heat and has more mass.
The ThruNite Ti Xmas edition with the XPL is nice. I like the sequence and spacing. The tint leans to green. But I've heard it isn't that hard to swap emitters. I run mine on an Eneloop, but it may unofficially support li-ion. Check on that before trying.
All lights are a compromise. AAA lights give you a small package and you give up some things. Don't expect a thrower in an single AAA format. The latest emitters can give you decent output or runtime depending on the engine and set up. There are many nice AAA lights out there. Just don't panic.
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