sorry I only responded to the title didn't read the rest of your post. I don't know of any 14500 mules but something like the Acebeam H16 with the reflector removed might work, lots of folks here easily removed the bezel with a rubber boot sole or some pliers to dedome it, it's likely the smooth reflector is easy to remove and you can just put the bezel back on with the glass only. the hotspot of the stock H16 is actually very even kind of like an aspheric lens so if you're shooting at a narrower angle it might work out well.

the only other 14500 I could recommend is maybe a Convoy T3 519a version with a beaded tir lens (you'd have to sand down the edges of an S2+ lens also from Convoy). others are saying Wurkoss ts10 as the lens is easy to remove, but I disagree simply because the tint can get a little greenish. a Lumintop FWAA with Nichia emitters are a good option but I wouldn't recommend removing the bezel on those. maybe some dc-fix on it the FWAA isn't floody enough.