i hope you don't have to be as careful buying AAs as you do 18650s.
i just got these from walmart.
they were twice the price of 18650s.
Most rechargeable AA cells are at least decent. I've had a set of Rayovacs I bought from Wally World probably 10 years ago and they still work but what sets apart good ones from mediocre ones is their long term performance.
The Rayovac ones I have still work, but the capacity is diminished, the internal resistance is high and I wouldn't use them for any high drain application. In fact they are basically just around as a back up for my Xbox controllers [emoji4]
Comparatively, I have a set of Eneloops of a similar age and they still perform reasonably well, hold a charge nicely and perform pretty good. I wouldn't hesitate to toss them in a flashlight and go camping for the weekend.
As far as rechargeable AA/AAA Eneloop is definitely the gold standard, as well as Fujitsu cells. However it's been said that Amazon, Ikea and various other brands are simply rebranded Eneloop cells. But if you definitely want the best long term performance with a low self discharge, Eneloop is the way to go.