I think you're contradicting yourself here. You say a home defense situation is only 1-3 shots but I need a flashlight that will handle repetitive recoil?

The plain fact is my $20 flashlights have stood up to lots and lots of recoil on a 12 ga. shotgun firing buckshot and slugs. My experience is different from your speculation.

Also I fire my AR for more than just home defense. I actually practice with it. It gets hot. The vertical grip is no more of a problem than a sling or the 30 round mags sold everywhere. All can get caught on things. And the weight is negligible given the advantages it gives. You can shoot your AR how you like and so will I. I like a vertical grip because it is easier to hold it stable and it protects me from the searing heat of an AR barrel that has been fired more than a few times. I find the hand guards awkward to hold effectively and it's hard to use a sling with the large mag sticking out of an AR IMO. I have tried it both ways. I think a vertical grip gives a clear advantage.

Also I believe I said I had expensive lights. I can afford more of them if I wanted. I find them much more effective for work environments. But on a rifle a cheap one works just fine for me. One last thing. Not all Streamlights are made in the US. Some are made in China and all of their chargers are. But being made in China doesn't always mean low quality. I have a Norinco SKS that has never failed to feed or fire except from bad ammo or a modification I made. I returned the rifle to the stock state after the modification and it went back to working perfectly through many thousands of rounds over 26 years.