Comment by Zak

Hi there! I am a moderator of said subreddit and the maintainer of its recommendation guide, so I think I'll speak up on behalf of the community. Addressing the points in order...

We do, in fact recommend lots of brands that don't pay for space in retail stores and haven't been around for decades. Isn't that the point of asking an enthusiast community for advice?

A while back, lights with lots of mix-and-match bits that could be assembled without tools were pretty popular, especially the Surefire P60 system. These have fallen out of favor for a number of reasons including the increasing popularity of electronic switches over mechanical and an increase in availability of build-to-order lights. DIY stuff is still popular for hobbyists, but usually involves soldering.

Removable batteries are absolutely a consideration for most of the community. A flashlight with non-removable batteries is future e-waste and can't have spares. Lights without removable batteries only make my list when they're a weird form factor (usually very small) and low-priced without good removable battery alternatives. We almost always try to talk people out of routine use of disposable batteries, but many popular models have a disposable option as a backup.

I do not often see people steering beginners toward models with extreme outputs; the opposite is often true. We're constantly talking to people about sustained output versus peak output, color rendering, efficiency, and ultra-low modes.

As for brands that manufacture in the USA, very few people asking for advice come with the sort of budgets those brands usually require. Trying to talk someone looking to spend $60 on a light to walk their dog with into spending $300 on a Modlite or Surefire isn't helpful.