Fiddleback said:
How would a Lion Cub compete with these, and what do they cost?
I think the LionCub competes very well, from a performance stand point. It has a nice user interface, offering many options. I love the side switch.
My LionCub replaced my HDS as my pocket light for quite some time. It won't strobe like an HDS, but it does have two really cool user interfaces to choose from, one with 64 brightness levels, the other with 5. It can use primaries in a pinch, but requires rechargeables to get the full brightness. It's not regulated (neither is the Orb Raw) but does run a good time and is quite bright on the highest setting. It's got a degree of waterproofing/resistance.
When it comes to accessories, the LionCub has some nice ones. The LionHead, which I think is a modified Maglite head, will allow the Cub to throw a tight beam, like a lightsaber some say. You can also get battery tubes for the Pila 168 and 150, for extended runtime. There are more accessories, I think, but can't remember them all.
As to availablity, no one has them new anymore, Lighthound was the last place that did. BST board here, or FlashlightForums would be the place to look. The Cub was made in bare aluminum, brass and HAIII. A few Ti ones exist, but they are rare and pricey. I'm not sure what the others go for in resale these days, but they were $175 when new for the bare alum. at Lighthound, if memory serves.
You might also check out the Chameleon, the successor to the Cub. It's got lots of options, includeing the ChamelHead (same as a LionHead), plus a slim head and tube that make it about the same size as a Cub. If you can find them, there are battery tubes. The Chameleon allows you to choose the current drive level to the LED, there are five settings, starting at 350ma to something like 1.1(Edit: it's 1.2). The awesome auto lockout feature is gone due to this taking up a lot of programing. That's my biggest problem with the Chammie, I miss the auto lockout.
Sorry to ramble off-topic from the original post.