I have two PAL's. What is now refered to as the "Survival" version.
They hit the market before Pak-Lites.
I like investgating new light toys so it's not like I'm dissatisfied enough to get a refund but...

A couple of things bug me about PAL's. The "always on" mode in which the led is just barely illuminated seems like a waste of battery life. No other light I can think of has this feature and I've managed to survive without it for decades. It's also a pita to have to toggle through all modes; low, high then strobe just to turn it "off" every time I use it. You're pressing the button four times EVERY time. And even then, it's not really "off". I also have problems with the switch not responding so when I think it's "off" it's really in strobe mode. This could kill a battery in short order if I throw it in my pack and need the light a week later.

My second PAL has a red LED and only has a high power setting. This at least is a savings of button pressing and an elimination of the "strobe?" or "Off?" problem.
But even this one has the "always on" mode.

Since I'm kind of paranoid about battery life and damage caused by possible chemical leakage, I've taken to storing my PAL's with the battery turned around so it's not connected to the terminals. I leave metal band off because this would be yet another pita layer.

On reflection, these are silly things to have to do for a tool that's supposed to be a flashlight. So what's happening is all this adaptive behavior on my part. The tool is not serving me, I'm adapting to it's shortcomings as I perceive them.

I've noticed an expanded product line for PAL lights so some or all of these issues my have been addressed by now. I don't know. If nothing else, the are cheaper than Pak-Lites.

In comparison:
What appeals to me about the Pak-Lite is the switch function. You can switch directly to High or Low. I also really like the idea of the Pilot's version which has both a red and white LED. Strange as it seems there have been a number of occasions when I've needed this very feature. Obviously durabilty could be an issue since there is no rubber case like a PAL but the upside is much smaller size as mentioned by AFLM.
Now if Pak-lite would make a Pilot's version with a glow top and cut the price by about $8.00 I'd jump right in.