What Is The Purpose Of A 12 AA Cell Large Flashlight ?

[bobdoo]

I put an LED in my 5 D-cell maglight. Honestly, it was a waste of money. Less light, and a horrible beam. My RovyVon A1x *keychain* light is brighter, whiter, and has a smooth, wide beam.

For $15, you can get an absolutely incredible new LED flashlight. Rechargeable NiMH for lights that use 1.5v, or 3v with 2 cells in series, or head-melting lights using one or more LiIon cells at 4.2v each.

 

[Pablo]

I put an LED in my 5 D-cell maglight. Honestly, it was a waste of money. Less light, and a horrible beam. My RovyVon A1x *keychain* light is brighter, whiter, and has a smooth, wide beam.

For $15, you can get an absolutely incredible new LED flashlight. Rechargeable NiMH for lights that use 1.5v, or 3v with 2 cells in series, or head-melting lights using one or more LiIon cells at 4.2v each.

Not arguing because you are absolutely correct about the small lights. I have many.

I do disagree on the 5 cell comment. Absolutely no way is it "less light" - At least the one I bought is bomb more light. Still, not perfect but way way more bright.

 

[billt460]

Not arguing because you are absolutely correct about the small lights. I have many.

I do disagree on the 5 cell comment. Absolutely no way is it "less light" - At least the one I bought is bomb more light. Still, not perfect but way way more bright.

I ordered a 2 pack of the LED bulbs you posted Pablo. I will report back after they arrive, and I install them. I'm glad you asked for the picture. Now I know how to take it apart, remove the bulb, and reassemble it. I've never had it apart since I bought it...... Except to replace the batteries.

I cleaned and lubricated all the threads and O-Rings with some Super Lube grease. That thing was pretty tight and "scratchy" after sitting around for over 40 years. Now it's smooth as silk.

 

[billt460]

I'm liking this 2 cell extender for "D" Cell Maglites, along with a hardened steel tipped glass breaker. That would increase my 6 "D" Cell to 8 Cells, and almost 2 feet long. And give it another pound or so in weight. Just the ticket for smashing through windshields... Or hard headed assailants.

Battery / Body Extension for D Model Maglites

Aluminum battery / body extension - 1 or 2 cell increase - Increases Power Output

littindustries.com

Maglite Glass Breaker for D Models

- Machined from 6061 Billet Aluminum - Hardened Steel Tip - O-rings Pre-installed

littindustries.com

 

[billt460]

The only thing that bothers me about that place, (littindustries), is they won't take Visa or Mastercard for payment. No can do.

 

[PandaBear]

These bigger sizes were really invented before rechargeable and lithium were popular. You can't really find a rechargeable C or D just adapter for AA. I think using smaller sizes also makes it easier for people to use rechargeable batteries or in emergency, replace only some of them or pick out AAs from toys and remotes for flash light.

 

[bobdoo]

I own a DigiSense 20250-00 Lux meter. It measures light intensity at one small spot in the overall beam of the light. (To measure Lumens, you need to collect all the light coming out of the light, and reflect it back to a lux meter, then calculate the lumens).

Here's the Lux of each of these lights. The Maglite has a very small beam spot. About 5' wide at 60'. The 370 lux Frog's beam is 20' wide at 60'. The 1264 lux GT Nano's beam is 3' wide at 60'. The MT35Mini's 8010 lux is concentrated into a 2' beam at 60'.

So the Frog paints a 20' wide beam at 370 lux, while my 5-cell Maglite with LED bulb only manages 409 lux into a 5' wide circle. The Lumintop Frog puts out almost almost the same lux/intensity, but over FOUR times the area.

Maglite, Mateminco MT35Mini, Mateminco TK04, Lumintop X9L.
Lumintop GT Nano, Ultratac K18, Lumintop Frog, Olight i1R, Nitecore TINI2.

 

[Pablo]

So basically your initial "less light" statement was unclear. We are not and I certainly was not talking about compared to other flashlights.

What was the lux - SAME Maglite with incandescent bulb v. cheapo LED bulb in the very same flashlight? I don’t have any form of light meter but at the same distance, same wall in the dark in my office the $8 LED “bulb” was much brighter than the old incandescent.

 

[Greasymechtech]

Tenergy D 10,000mAh NiMH Rechargeable Battery

D Battery - High Quality & Capacity Battery. Save $100's over using Alkalines Batteries. Up to 1000 Cycles. Replace Alkaline Batteries in: Baby Equipment, Toys, Radios, Flashlights, More.

power.tenergy.com

 

[billt460]

The biggest problem with all of these things, is there are too many different ways of measuring their output. And most ALL of them are overly optimistic about their actual light output. And as this video below shows, Amazon is probably the worst regarding false advertising on these things.

Many are overrated by as much as 98% or more. So it really doesn't matter how much "research" you do before you buy, you're pretty much being misled and lied to at every turn. And are totally at the mercy of luck, as to the brightness you actually get with one of these things.

Still, overall the larger models tend to be somewhat brighter than the smaller models...... And ALL of them are a whole lot brighter than what was available for the same cost just a few years ago. So all things considered, most are very bright for the money. Buy the one you like, shine the thing in your backyard at night. If you're happy, you made a good purchase. That's the bottom line.

And all of this is why that it just makes sense to replace the old incandescent filament bulbs on well built flashlights, (like the older Maglite's), with new, modern, low cost LED bulbs.

I was just at Harbor Freight yesterday, and picked up one of these below. It's well made for the money. Extremely bright. And it's light, and nicely sized for the center console of my Jeep. That's all I need to know or want.

You can overthink a lot of this. And when you're stuck on the side of the road at night, you're not going to be arguing with yourself about getting the one with 2.00067% more light output per dollar. You're going to be happy you have it, and it works. And that's pretty much going to depend on the quality of the batteries you put in it.

https://www.harborfreight.com/750-l...waterproof-tactical-led-flashlight-58568.html

 

[bobdoo]

So basically your initial "less light" statement was unclear. We are not and I certainly was not talking about compared to other flashlights.

What was the lux - SAME Maglite with incandescent bulb v. cheapo LED bulb in the very same flashlight? I don’t have any form of light meter but at the same distance, same wall in the dark in my office the $8 LED “bulb” was much brighter than the old incandescent.

I'm sorry! I misunderstood your post. YES, the LED is brighter than the incandescent lamp bulb!

However-the beam pattern is just awful. Same reason LED's don't work in auto headlights - the LED is a flat surface, the bulb is a wire extending toward the distance.

 

[john_pifer]

A good modern LED flashlight is not all that expensive, and those who get introduced to them are often astonished at what a "real" light can do, and fall into that rabbit hole.

This was me, a year ago.

Being in aircraft maintenance, I need a good light, and I have been relying on lights similar to what Bill posted, “Harbor freight specials”.

A lot of the guys at work, carry the Streamlight, but I did not want to pay over $100 for a flashlight.

Then I discovered that there are a literal myriad of brands of flashlight, that are made in China, that are awesome flashlights. Modern LEDs, lithium ion, rechargeable, batteries, most of which have built-in charging via USB-C port.

what you can get for even 40 bucks, is incredible.

I encourage everyone to check out brands like Sofirn, Wurkkos, and Convoy (there are many others, of course, but, those are the brands that led me down the rabbit hole.).

as a result of getting interested, and actually becoming somewhat of a little hobby for me, I actually just ordered my first $100 flashlight, a Convoy L7.

 

[billt460]

My LED bulbs arrived a while ago, and I installed one of them in my 6 "D" Cell Maglight. It made a big improvement. The light is much brighter. It can also be focused much more accurately.

By that I mean the light can be adjusted over a broader range, because there is far more of it. The incandescent bulb was also much more "orange / yellow" in color, and washed out. The LED is a bright white, daylight type of light.

If you have an older "C" or "D" Cell Maglight, don't hesitate to replace the bulb with one of these aftermarket LED bulbs. It really makes a big overall improvement in the usefulness of the flashlight.

 

[billt460]

I've been fooling around with this new LED setup in my Maglite. Turning it off and on. Leaving it on for extended periods. (Up to 15 minutes). Just to see how it holds up to heat. Then cooling it off and turning it on again.

Everything is good to go thus far. I think this flashlight is going to have really good running time with an LED bulb, and a total of 6 "D" Cells. And I think these new LED bulbs are going to last.

I noticed the lens and head stays cooler with these new LED's, than it did with the "Krypton" filament bulbs, when left on for several minutes. So that's always a plus.

 

[4WD]

I've been fooling around with this new LED setup in my Maglite. Turning it off and on. Leaving it on for extended periods. (Up to 15 minutes). Just to see how it holds up to heat. Then cooling it off and turning it on again.

Everything is good to go thus far. I think this flashlight is going to have really good running time with an LED bulb, and a total of 6 "D" Cells. And I think these new LED bulbs are going to last.

I noticed the lens and head stays cooler with these new LED's, than it did with the "Krypton" filament bulbs, when left on for several minutes. So that's always a plus.

But is it tactical ?

 

[billt460]

But is it tactical ?

Giant 6 "D" Cell flashlights aren't tactical. They're more comical...... And dangerous, if you were to drop them on your foot while wearing sandals.

 

[mrbreezeet1]

Makes for a good weapon for hitting someone in the head.

That's why LEO's hold them on there shoulder!

 

[mrbreezeet1]

But is it tactical ?

Do you really have those oil bottles in your profile picture, or did you just find the picture on the internet? Those are cool! I'd like to have those!

 

[mrbreezeet1]

Depends on how the cells are connected. I doubt they're all in series for a total of 18V. Most likely it's closer to 4.5V or 6V.

OP, how is the removable pack arranged? Is it 3 levels of 4AA cells each? Or is it 4 levels of 3 AA cells each? Would 3 D cells fit inside the flashlight?

EDIT: Found a video. It looks like 4s3p, but it could also be 3s4p, so total voltage is either 4.5V or 6V at rest, depending on how it's wired inside. Easy enough to check with a DMM. Looking at the proprietary connectors, replacing the battery pack with regular C or D cells is not going to work.

serries AND parallel too probably!

 

[mrbreezeet1]

The Anker LC90 is a pretty serious budget flashlight, IMO. Few different brightnesses plus flashing, $35

Looking into one of them now!!
How is it holding up for you though?