maglight flashlights . toss them or ?

[SC Maintenance]

In addition to my LED converted Mag's I have about 5 sofirn LI lights. There extermely nice, extremely bright, and last a long time on a charge. However I have already had 2 fail after just a few years of easy use. My maglights are all mechanical, just converted to an LED. There is still an extra incandescent bulb in foam behind the bottom contact spring.

For everyday use the Sofirn's are easier. My Mag's normally don't even have batteries in them. However if a Hurricane was coming and you told me I could only keep one, it would not be a circuit board / IC controlled light. And you can tell me I am old fashion if you like, but I have been putting electronic controls in some of the harshest factory environments there are for 3 decades. Murphy and IC's are besties.

 

[Carmudgeon]

I like your terminology. Why is this a thing now? Kirkland batteries damaged several items in my house. Duracells seem to be ok for me currently.
I don’t remember batteries being like this years ago.

Not my terminology, but a common derisive term used by flashlight junkies.

It has reached the point where I've had brand new, unused cells leak inside their packaging, and not just Duracell/Costco brand.

How did they not evolve?

They rested on their laurels, and couldn't compete with the Chinese, who were also hungrier, on cost for the low-cost junk, and features for the higher cost segments.

MLs are basically three types of sausage, large D, medium C, and small AA, cut to different lengths. I don't know if they still make AAA, like the Solitaire.

Simple aluminum tubes with a plastic reflector, clicky switch, and PR bulb. Not like they had to do a lot to sell them, starting at $10/15/20 a pop, based on their reputation.

Solid and robust, yes, but they competed more on build quality than performance. Certainly nicer than the typical Rayovac/Eveready/etc. mass market stuff, and easy to use. Multi-mode flashlight UIs still confuse a lot of people, never mind something like Anduril, which I haven't even bothered to fully memorize.

Those who seek out lights, as more than something to have around just in case, have found that the budget Chinese brands offer a lot of bang for the buck. They're not the ultimate in build quality, nor durability, but still plenty good enough for casual use. The secret it to buy them direct, not on Amazon with their Marketplace tax factored into the price, unless their customer service is a necessity.

Will they last as long under duty conditions? Probably not, as they don't have potted electronics and QC can still be inconsistent, so that still leaves a place for the Surefires of the world, albeit at a certain cost. Another brand that has been slow to adapt, but they have a more loyal niche.

But they iterate and iterate, and work at a faster pace, so they've gone farther, despite starting later.

 

[Sequoiasoon]

I have some 2D Maglights in my cars. I don't recall if I bought with LED or converted. The 3D and larger are better for smack if needed but even the 2D has some good weight to it.

I also have in each car a Pelican 3410 that swivels to right angle, has a magnet on clip, glows in the dark and has 2 different LED choices. It runs off 3 AA and lasts a while.

My old Magcharger used to be good for that spare at home always plugged in. I replaced battery a couple times over the years. It didn't work great with LED IIRC. When fully charged with new battery it lasted awhile and was much brighter than other regular flashlights with incandescent bulbs back in the day.

 

[Cruisin'n5thgear]

I've recently gotten back into Maglites, they are a great emergency light. Mail 'em to me and I'll pay for shipping

They get 20 to 30 bucks each on Ebay.

 

[Cruisin'n5thgear]

Not my terminology, but a common derisive term used by flashlight junkies.

It has reached the point where I've had brand new, unused cells leak inside their packaging, and not just Duracell/Costco brand.



They rested on their laurels, and couldn't compete with the Chinese, who were also hungrier, on cost for the low-cost junk, and features for the higher cost segments.

MLs are basically three types of sausage, large D, medium C, and small AA, cut to different lengths. I don't know if they still make AAA, like the Solitaire.

Simple aluminum tubes with a plastic reflector, clicky switch, and PR bulb. Not like they had to do a lot to sell them, starting at $10/15/20 a pop, based on their reputation.

Solid and robust, yes, but they competed more on build quality than performance. Certainly nicer than the typical Rayovac/Eveready/etc. mass market stuff, and easy to use. Multi-mode flashlight UIs still confuse a lot of people, never mind something like Anduril, which I haven't even bothered to fully memorize.

Those who seek out lights, as more than something to have around just in case, have found that the budget Chinese brands offer a lot of bang for the buck. They're not the ultimate in build quality, nor durability, but still plenty good enough for casual use. The secret it to buy them direct, not on Amazon with their Marketplace tax factored into the price, unless their customer service is a necessity.

Will they last as long under duty conditions? Probably not, as they don't have potted electronics and QC can still be inconsistent, so that still leaves a place for the Surefires of the world, albeit at a certain cost. Another brand that has been slow to adapt, but they have a more loyal niche.

But they iterate and iterate, and work at a faster pace, so they've gone farther, despite starting later.

Maglite has finally gotten to the 1,000 lumen class with their 4 D cell unit. Way larger than the lithium Chinese models. A couple Maglite advantages: Long-term battery stability for storage (5 -10 years) and long run time.

 

[97prizm]

i am digging through and cleaning up . found 3 3 D cell aluminum flashlights form years ago. Don't know what to do with them . Could put D cells in them and use it as a club .

Any thing interesting that can be made with them? or just toss them

I think maglight has led replacement kits for the halogen bulbs. Maybe a battery pack replacement as well?

 

[shortyb]

Kept one of the 4D units my agency was about to trash when we went to Streamlights. We had several documented reports where officers broke out car windows with them as well as using them for "persuasion". Very effective. Did a LED conversion and upgraded switch years ago and kept it as a back-up. Pick the nicest one and keep it around for an emergency.

 

[repairman54]

As a pro flashlight user, on site tech, the Maglight was my first and only choice. 2D cell versions. Still have a couple factory LED versions around the house and in vehicles that are old and leftover from my retirement. D cells had hours of run time and zero issues finding replacements not to mention cost. I used them to hold up appliances to adjust leveling legs on them as one example of abuse.

 

[NYEngineer]

I have a 4 D cell maglite in the door pocket in my truck. It's long dead and you can't even get the batteries out. But that's where it lives.

 

[willbur]

There used to be a class of hobbyists who took specific interest in modding MLs.

The OE LED retrofits with the Luxeon Star emitters were actually pretty decent. Better than the Nite-Ize retrofits or other cheap aftermarket stuff. I still have a 5D version.

Their performance is no match for a modern Li-powered light, but when you need light, they still provide it, and D cells are readily available everywhere.

Contrary to the current flashlight marketing promising a bazillion lumens, most tasks don't actually require that much light, and the turbo modes on which those claims are made don't last more than a couple minutes before lights have to throttle down to prevent cooking themselves and you.

A typical small, inexpensive tube light powered by an 18650 and a linear driver really only sustains a 200-300 lumens for extended periods and gradually diminishes as voltage drops. Those with a regulated driver won't dim, but are still limited by thermodynamics, and don't have enough mass for heat capacity.

Tossing the MLs in the trash would be wasteful. Toss them in the trunk of your vehicles, where they can serve as emergency lights and also self-defense clubs. I wouldn't store the cells inside the light though, given the poor quality of modern alkaleaks.

Yes, and the super bright lights cause glare that makes working on stuff very difficult bc of "too much light". IMO, ppl equate super high light output as the standard to judge a flashlight by. If in the deep woods or search mode they are acceptable but not for close up work.

 

[crashz]

Something blasphemous about throwing out a working flashlight to me. Now if the batteries have leaked and it turned into a corroded mess, then yeah, throw it out. But otherwise any flashlight is good when the power is out.

 

[Pablo]

Yes, and the super bright lights cause glare that makes working on stuff very difficult bc of "too much light". IMO, ppl equate super high light output as the standard to judge a flashlight by. If in the deep woods or search mode they are acceptable but not for close up work.

Exactly. And pay good money, and two settings and even low is super glare blindness.

I'm going to suggest LED conversion because no one else has.

 

[Bottom_Feeder]

LED conversions, even cheap ones, are worth it to bring some new life into old trusty Maglites. I bought a Maglite-branded LED conversion for a three D-cell Maglite a long while back and it made a huge difference even though it wasn't putting out 5000 lumens. Just the color temperature and brightness were hugely improved which is all I wanted/needed. I eventually got a 3rd-party LED upgrade for a two D-cell light which was far cheaper and worked great.

I currently have a few two AA-cell Maglites with cheap LED conversions scattered around along with a two C-cell factory LED model in my nightstand. Again, they are just nice things to have.

The one thing I like about Maglites is that they (usually) are just ON or OFF. I have a few other smaller, cheaper LED flashlights that have three brightness levels, a strobe and an SOS feature. I absolutely hate that feature. Yes, I understand it only costs pennies to integrate that functionality into the cheap electronics these things use now but I hate that I can't turn it off.

 

[burbguy82]

There will always be a soft place in my heart for MAGLITE. They are the originators of high quality flashlights.

When everybody else was making junk, MAGLITE was manufacturing "lighting instruments" in Ontario, California, USA.

i agree.

Today tactical flashlights are the norm, and some think they are better. But better for what? Sure blinding a person, but for a light....I see many disadvantages with cr123 powered torches.

there is nothing wrong with a maglight, unless you mount it to a shotgun and shoot a bunch. in those cases, they are not good.

I have the same set of Maglites for the last 20 years, and the all think work.

 

[OilUzer]

Old Maglites are like dino. I switched to synthetic!

Cheaper to get new LED flashlights and the C or D batteries are not cheap and are bulky and heavy.

All my LED flashlights and headlamps use AA or AAA and some are also rechargeable. I have an older LED flashlight that uses 3 or 4 D or C battery and it's collecting dust.

 

[Starving Electrician]

LED convert them and they work decent as lights but great as improve weapons. I used go to school in a rough neighborhood. I carried a 6 cell maglite in my truck. Along with a bandana and a pad lock. They are all great improve weapons that your can have at school. The lock and bandana stayed in my back pack. Never had to use it but didn't hurt to have.

 

[Carmudgeon]

Maglite has finally gotten to the 1,000 lumen class with their 4 D cell unit. Way larger than the lithium Chinese models. A couple Maglite advantages: Long-term battery stability for storage (5 -10 years) and long run time.

As with all summarized nutrition panels, FL1 charts shouldn't be read at face value, but with an understanding of the test conditions and context of what they represent.

As with cars and horsepower, lights are sold with peak lumen figures quoted in the specs to help them sell, but it's not the whole story, and the real work isn't done at peak output, or at one specific RPM.

I suspect that when put to the test, with runtime graphs as documentation, they might perform similarly to an average LED light, and stand out only in terms of size (good or bad depending on your need) and bonkability factor.

 

[shurguywutt]

Maglite has finally gotten to the 1,000 lumen class with their 4 D cell unit. Way larger than the lithium Chinese models. A couple Maglite advantages: Long-term battery stability for storage (5 -10 years) and long run time.

Curious why the 4D cell ML300L has more lumens (1002) than the 6D cell ML300L (694). The description says 1000 lumens though.