I'm in the same boat as you Xsavior, I used to carry a MiniMag AA on my belt, but after collecting flashlights for a while...it makes no sense for me to be carrying one of my worst flashlights with me everywhere! I stopped carrying the Solitaire long ago.
FlashlightReviews.com is where I go all the time to look for recommendations. I'm looking for a Luxeon LED specifically simply because of better brightness, and I think I'll end up getting a Streamlight Luxeon JR...sure there are brighter lights out there, but I'm trying to stick to a light that:
A) uses AA batteries, due to cost, availability, size, and longer runtime per cell (than AAA)
B) uses a Luxeon LED bulb due to durability, "lifetime" runtime (of the bulb), and brighter light output than standard LEDs.
C) is fairly conservative size-wise...I plan on carrying this everyday so nothing too bulky, wide, or long.
If you don't mind 123 Lithium batteries yourself (order online, save your money!) then the
Nuwai QIII seems like a good choice. I'm thinking of getting one myself, but 123 batteries are such a pain in my opinion. It uses only one 123 battery so it's quite small, and it comes with a belt sheath and your first battery.
Currently I carry my
Impact II with me all the time as a temporary replacement for the MiniMag AA. It's waterproof, uses easy to find batteries that are cheap, and provides 75 hours of useable light on one set. The pocket clip is really nice, it's not overly tight, but has a lot of surface area gripping the pocket so it's sturdy. It's a twist cap (as most dive-capable lights are) and provides a really clean spot, looks like a full moon. It's not terribly bright because it's only a standard LED, but it's still more reliable and has a better quality spot than a MiniMag AA.
Just to provide some other possible candidates that I looked at, Streamlight also has a great line they call TaskLights that run on Luxeon LEDs. I have the
TaskLight 3AA and am very pleased with it. Nice clean "full moon" spot similar, but brighter than the Impact II. The only thing preventing me from carrying it everyday is the length. There are TaskLights that are shorter, using 123 batteries, but they are wider! Plus my feud to 123 batteries.
I've pretty much settled on the Streamlight Luxeon JR, now I just have to try and find one locally if possible!