Mag-Lite Flashlights

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Thanks folks! I have been convinced to look at Pelican. There are so many models to choose from! Their M11 8050 looks good as does the Big D 3850 & M13 6050.

And there are so many other manufacturers! This may take a while & will probably turn into a couple purchases. :)

Why would I want NiMH over NiCad rechargeables?

Oh, & thank you odessit for the link on the candle power forums.
 
NiCD
  • Pros:

  • Handles high current draw.
  • Low Self Discharge
  • Fairly wide temperature operating range, makes it "OK" for outdoors and standby emergency lights

    Cons:
  • Memory Effect. Should be *fully* discharged and than charged
  • Active development stopped (lower capacity)
  • Has Toxic Cadmium



NiMH
  • Pros:

  • Handles medium current draw. (like flashlights)
  • Does not suffer from memory effect
  • Some companies produce low self discharge batteries (Eneloop being the best at this point in time)
  • Fairly narrow temperature operating range (From just below freezing to ~100F)

    Cons:

  • Does not handle high current draw too well (you will not have to worry about it flashlight usage...)
  • Most batteries have high self discharge (capacity goes to zero after lets say 2 year storage for new battery and let's say 1 to 6 months for used batteries)
  • High capacity batteries (2700+ mAh for AA's) are fairly fragile. Too many drops or very high current draw or high charge rates will "age" the battery and speedup the self discharge rates.


Current "gold standard" for AA NiMH is Eneloop AA battery 2000 mAh. They also produce C and D, but they are available only in Asia.
You can use Eneloop in standby lights without worry for a year, but for car usage in cold/hot locales - you better get Energizer Lithium batteries (AA). The shelf life is 10 years and temp range is something crazy.
 
I love the maglite. Its a great flashlight. It is a GREAT PRICE!!


Yes there are some brighter lights out there that police use. They cost so much money. 300-400 bucks!!!!

With a maglite you can drop it in dirt, mud, throw it across a river, toss it in a tool box, ect. . .

When the thing gets beat up you do not care.

Now with the pricey lights, you hold onto tight. You do not want to use it in rain. You leave it in a protective bag to keep it defect free, ect. . .


I think the maglite is the best. You can beat some one with a 6cell maglite and take there police issue one!!!
 
Being that Mag-Lites are not Made in USA that right there knocks them out.

Pelican, Surefire, Princeton Tec (head lamps), Underwater Kinetics, Fulton Industries, & NovaTac are most of the names that are Made in USA, & that I am considering.
 
Originally Posted By: rg200amp

Yes there are some brighter lights out there that police use. They cost so much money. 300-400 bucks!!!!

Yes there are some brighter lights out there that professionals use. They cost so much money. 3000-4000 bucks!!!!

Quote:
With a maglite you can drop it in dirt, mud, throw it across a river, toss it in a tool box, ect. . .

as long as it is OFF or an LED upgraded version, otherwise incan bulb will break.

Quote:

Now with the pricey lights, you hold onto tight. You do not want to use it in rain. You leave it in a protective bag to keep it defect free, ect. . .

Define expensive...
For example - $50 Fenix TK20 is just as rugged (if not more) and waterproof to boot. But I agree that some people will want to make it a shelf queen. This is their preference.

Mags have their heftiness going for them. But Runtime and brightness are weak. Even my home-made (Cree Q5 LED) 2C Snake-light has ~1.5x runtime and brightness of 4C/D Mag.
Many $30-$50 2xAA LED will outshine&outlast Incan Mags as well.

Another advantage to Mag - everybody familiar with them. Many LED lights have many modes that may confuse operator with its user interface - so many twists for SOS mode, pull on a string for a turbo mode... whatever. In an emergency some people MAY get confused with newer types of lights.

Stock LED Mags - they are Ok, an upgrade for sure in terms of runtime/brightness, but Mag should have used a bit more modern LEDs to be the best (like Malkoff Device LED or even TerraLux Mag drop-in).

As stated above - it depends on what you use the light for.
If you need a club with a light bulb - Mag is good
crackmeup2.gif

For compact, high performance & long runtime - there are many other options for only $10-20 more USD.

benjamming - I am pretty sure Mags are US made...
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: rg200amp
Yes there are some brighter lights out there that police use. They cost so much money. 300-400 bucks!!!!


You can get similar performance for $20-$100 if you want. My AK47 has a Fenix T1 mounted on it that's around $76, and it puts out 210+ lumens on high and 45 on low. Great light for the money. The Chinese flashlight manufacturers are forcing the US light manufacturers to be more realistic with their pricing.

The Maglite LED's are now being built with the Lumileds Luxeon Rebel (060 bin) which should put out a fair amount more light. Too bad it's already severely outdated and they were just released, but it's still a significant increase in output over the of Luxeon III lights.
 
odessit & SWHeat,

Mag Lites are not Made in USA as defined by the FTC. Have you looked at the packaging lately? They don't say Made in USA anywhere. They have the US icon, & it says USA manufacturer but Made in USA is nowhere to be found since they import too much.
 
Originally Posted By: benjamming
odessit & SWHeat,

Mag Lites are not Made in USA as defined by the FTC. Have you looked at the packaging lately? They don't say Made in USA anywhere. They have the US icon, & it says USA manufacturer but Made in USA is nowhere to be found since they import too much.

A quote from the maglite website:
Quote:
General Benefits and Features:
All Mag® flashlights are designed, patented and manufactured in the U.S.A. Some Mag® products contain imported components or subcomponents.
34.gif
35.gif
 
BayouTodd,

Exactly my point. Made in USA is a "legal" term that carries significant weight. As borrowed from CandlePowerForum, anyone who says MagLites are Made in USA are putting words into the mouth of MagLite that they never said. Manufactured in USA and Made in USA are not the same thing. Made in USA is a more stringent requirement especially in CA, California Business & Professions Code 17533.7.
 
Try a Fenix light. less than streamlights or surefires but good quality and battery options. PD30 is sweet. cree LED
 
I bought a Princeton Tec EOS flashlight for automotive work. I'll probably buy a couple Surefire flashlights for spotlighting and general use.
 
Originally Posted By: benjamming
BayouTodd,

Exactly my point. Made in USA is a "legal" term that carries significant weight. As borrowed from CandlePowerForum, anyone who says MagLites are Made in USA are putting words into the mouth of MagLite that they never said. Manufactured in USA and Made in USA are not the same thing. Made in USA is a more stringent requirement especially in CA, California Business & Professions Code 17533.7.

too bad the buck converter chips and power led's are not made here.
then mag could claim the product to be "made in the u.s.a."
and the only thing an incandescent maglight is good for is a mod host.
i mill out a heatsink,attach the latest and best power led,shrink fit it into the end of the tube,cut the focus cam off of the reflector and you have a light that throws like a laser or can be run headless for an area light.
 
The Maglites have a lifetime warranty on the if the off/on button breaks.Any Snap On dealer can send them in for the warranty.Plus you can convert the old style bulb to the LEDs on the older maglites.I bought mine from Lowes under $20.00 for the conversion kit and did not take me that long to do the switch
 
Talked to my Snap-On rep, he has the Maglite "LED CONVERSION" bulb on his truck. He said that almost all of them get returned, because the output ends up being weaker than the standard bulb. If you want a solid LED flashlight, buy one that uses LED from the factory. If you want a solid standard bulb flashlight, buy one that comes that way from the factory.
 
I did it to mine and never had any problems yet.In the instructions of the LED conversion kit,it says not to use rechargable batteries.
 
Mag-Lites are way overpriced. MUCH better alternatives for that price range, it was only popular back when metal bodies for flashlights were about as common as golden goose eggs. Now I see just as many metal-bodied lights as I do for plastic ones.
 
Originally Posted By: wafrederick1
I did it to mine and never had any problems yet.In the instructions of the LED conversion kit,it says not to use rechargable batteries.


There is no problem with using rechargeable cells, as long as they're evenly charged.
 
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