Mag-Lite Flashlight LED Upgrade

Status
Not open for further replies.
R

Rock_Hudstone

Joined
Nov 13, 2007
Messages
1,485
Location
New Jersey
For those of us with incandesent bulb Mag-Lite flashlights I came across these drop-in Rayovac LED replacement bulbs at Walmart the other day.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Rayovac-3VLED-1T-Rayovac-3V-LED-Replacement-Bulb-2-Cell/22086116

Nice upgrade over the standard Xenon bulbs. Bright white light with a hint of blue and a sharp focus circle. Should offer a big improvement battery life as well. Not bad for $3.88

Note: The 2 cell, 30 Lumen bulbs perform better in 3 cell flashlights iver the 40 Lumen, in my experience at least.
 
We have a bunch of Mag-Lites. I think I'd like to try this bulb. Did your note mean that you tried the bulb in a 3-cell flashlight? Thanks for the tip.
 
Hello, By "2 cell flashlights" they're only for 2 C and D cell lights. I've seen very few of those Mag-Lights in my life. The 5 D cell light is very popular. Too bad there's no such cheap replacement for the 2 cell AA (the small, 2 pin bulb). The LED conversion kit for those has to include a reflector and costs ~$15 at the same store. Kira
 
Never seen one for my 6 cell
frown.gif
 
I recently bought one of these for an old Dorcy flashlight. It's a big improvement and certainly worth the price for what it is, but the bulb seems very cheaply made so durability and longevity are unknowns. But again, at this price point, who cares? They are practically disposable.

At the same time, I also installed a TerraLUX LED upgrade for my 2-cell MagLite which seems to be a much higher quality LED bulb but also at a much higher price.
 
Now, this is the price which makes sense. Earlier upgrades were insane in price even though they might have had more lumen.

Those sipiks are phenomenal!
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: Bottom_Feeder
Originally Posted By: Miller88
Never seen one for my 6 cell
frown.gif


It ain't cheap, but...

http://www.terraluxportable.com/product/tle-6ex-cnc/

At 140 lumens, watch your eyeballs.


I got that for my dad's maglight for Christmas. Only $15 or so on amazon and made an incredible difference, highly recommended. I've also used their AA mag lite led conversion which is great as well.
 
Originally Posted By: Rick in PA
We have a bunch of Mag-Lites. I think I'd like to try this bulb. Did your note mean that you tried the bulb in a 3-cell flashlight? Thanks for the tip.

I have 4 cell and 3 cell Mag-lites in D size. The 40 Lumen Bulb worked fine in the 4 cell but was weak in the 3 cell, even though the package states for use in 3 cell also. Instead, I put a 30 Lumen bulb (recommended for 2 cell lights) in the 3 cell and it worked great, seemed as bright as the 40 Lumen in the 4 Cell, albeit with less run time I suppose.

There may be better replacements bulbs out there, but why dump $15 into an old flashlight. For another $15 you can get a new 3 cell LED Mag-lite and Mini-mag combo, with batteries, at Costco and sometimes Home Depot.

These are simply inexpensive upgrades to breath new life into old, but otherwise serviceable flashlights.
 
I've only seen one high lumen Mag Lite from the company, in their package, not needing a bulb upgrade.

It was one of their 2 AA type minis with an >200 lumen (220, I think?
21.gif
) output, for ~$28.00 at HD.

I'm sure that they now make many others, but I've never seen them on a shelf anywhere.

I wish that they would make a better variety of more powerful lights since they are the ONLY ones (besides certain models of StreamLight, and possibly some other 'tactical' flashlights) still made here!
thumbsup2.gif
34.gif
 
I am actually required to carry one for my job. (Guess what that is, lol.) But thwy suxxors unless you upgrade them.

But there is nothing that says I can't carry a second smaller, brighter, more tactical light. I just keep the cumbersome useless paper weight in the trunk. But the upgrade does some good for the light.
 
Originally Posted By: Rock_Hudstone

There may be better replacements bulbs out there, but why dump $15 into an old flashlight. For another $15 you can get a new 3 cell LED Mag-lite and Mini-mag combo, with batteries, at Costco and sometimes Home Depot.

These are simply inexpensive upgrades to breath new life into old, but otherwise serviceable flashlights.


I agree, for most people it probably doesn't make sense to convert to high priced led when you can just buy a new flashlight for a little more money. The only reason I did an led conversion in my dads AA mag lite is because it had sentimental value to him and he wanted to beef up the light output. I got the terralux upgrade for his 4 D cell mag lite because he mentioned possibly getting it in the future, and I was in desperate need of a few more Christmas gifts for him.
 
The LED upgrades are nice for a lot of the older lights. Nothing beats the heft of a 4D MagLight. Not only is it a light but a club.
smile.gif


Seriously there are lots of good upgrades for these lights. Head over to www.candlepowerforums.com for a ton of good info.

If you think those are great lights - you should see the 800+ lumens you can get out of some of the newer LED's. And if you really want it 2000+ lumens!
 
Quote:
I wish that they would make a better variety of more powerful lights since they are the ONLY ones (besides certain models of StreamLight, and possibly some other 'tactical' flashlights) still made here!

I agree. Maglite is largely stuck in the 1980's and is only now, and very slowly at that, come out with newer technology. Other manufactures are matching or exceeding their quality with foreign products and are bested in technology in almost every case.

I recently bought 2 Klarus flashlights and the quality and features are exceptional.
 
Originally Posted By: Tempest
I agree. Maglite is largely stuck in the 1980's and is only now, and very slowly at that, come out with newer technology. Other manufactures are matching or exceeding their quality with foreign products and are bested in technology in almost every case.

I recently bought 2 Klarus flashlights and the quality and features are exceptional.


Yeah - MagLite had so much promise as their lights are very good quality and a very good price. But the LED race has them scratching their heads and the stuff they are putting out is not as good as th others.

I've got a Fenix TK45 and a Nitecore TM15 that are awesome lights - expensive but great quality and phenominal light output!
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

billt460
Inaccurate Lumen Ratings On LED Light Bulbs
2
Replies
30
Views
4K
billt460
1 SX
Upgraded the headlight H11B and reverse light 921 bulbs
Replies
4
Views
3K
guy48065
john_pifer
I Got On a Flashlight Kick
2 3 4
Replies
68
Views
12K
RobbS
M
  • Locked
LED H4 bulbs are close to reaching focus-parity with halogen in reflector headlights.
3 4 5
Replies
81
Views
23K
nutellabc
T
  • Locked
Replaced bulbs in Mag Lites
Replies
17
Views
4K
thescreensavers
Back
Top Bottom