The Magled 2xAA is an ackward size for me personally... I tend to jump from single AA- or 123-sized lights to a modded 2C Mag.
But in the range of the 2xAA lights, within your budget and assuming you only want/need on level of output, my favorite is probably the Inova Bolt 2xAA light. It's about $5 more than the Mag LED, but I think it's a better light in every single category except throw which you listed as a prime goal.
To my eyes, the Mag throws about 30% better, but the Bolt is very impressive... It just has quite a bit larger hotpost. I'm estimating that the Bolt probably puts out at least 25% more total light... the hotspot is larger, the spillbeam is both wider AND brighter. With two fresh NiMH cells, it pulls 580mA vs 480mA on the Minimag LED so runtime will be
roughly 20% less.
The light is considerably shorter than the Mag and it's so solid it feels like a solid piece of matte finished aluminum... Makes the Mag feel a bit like a toy in comparison. But, the Maglite absolutely throws better.
Here's a thread with some more comments and beamshots.
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/162167