Bring your old maglite into the 20th century

[Member 5605]

Why MagLights or equivalents?

I couldn't post this last night but this is why..

The blue flashlight I've had for the last 13 or so years.

The right flashlight is my 90/130 lumen Rayovac that runs on two AA batteries, has an extremely thick case (1/4") and is almost indestructible.

What about the black one? I found the black one on the side of the road. No joke, that light is beat to hell because it fell out of somebody's vehicle at 60 mph and survived the tale. Batteries were low when I got it so I replaced them. I was heading down to visit some family and I saw what appeared to be a flashlight, I turned around and scored an LED maglight.

Plastic tactical lights don't hold up like that when flipping end over end down a highway. I'll keep my aluminum housing lights with fresh batteries. Great for walking at night when a stray dog comes barking.

 

[IronMonster]

Yeah but.

This is a Fenix aluminum body two cell light that probably has more output than those three combined (1000 lumens) and will fit in your front pocket
$44

There are good, reasonable replacements for bulky Maglights

 

[Member 5605]

Yeah but.

This is a Fenix aluminum body two cell light that probably has more output than those three combined and will fit in your front pocket

There are good, reasonable replacements for bulky Maglights

View attachment 288486

If a light has an aluminum, titanium etc housing I'm all for it. I also have sensitive eyes so anything too bright does me more pain than good. I wish I could have bright lights but at night... It's no Bueno. Must be soft light.

Really, I am envious of the new portable powerhouses.

There are places for small lights and night ones that double as defensive units. Backpacking: small of course. EDC: small

 

[tac]

I'm sure I'm not the ONLY ONE who has a maglight for its bulk as well as light output.

Yup. A Maglight of the appropriate size can effectively put lights out, as well as on.

tac

 

[Doc In UPlace]

I have 2 and 3 D cell and yes, I would like to know what your friend uses.

I'll find out and post back.

 

[JCKelly]

Don't toss that old beast. Unbelievable. I just woke up and learned that they mfg add-on LEDs that will turn your tired old Maglite into a raging beast. High power, low battery drain, high drag (put that in for you operator types) state of the art flashlight. I went looking for my old one and think I sadly may have given it to Goodwill. For $11 bucks you can upgrade it. You have a brighter light and the longevity of batterys that we use to dream about. This post is for the old dinosaurs who don't know this, evidently they've been available for quite some time. Wish I'd known. Clearly I must be living in a cave. The only caution is that there have been several iterations/models of Maglites, make sure you get the correct version for you as some will not work on certain models and some do.

Bulb only replacements:
http://www.amazon.com/LED-UPgrade-Bulb-C-D/dp/B00HF8IR8W?ie=UTF8&keywords=nitetube led conversion&qid=1460738732&ref_=sr_1_fkmr0_1&sr=8-1-fkmr0

Terra also makes one for @ 16-$18 and it's said to be less desirable than the less expensive Nitetube version which I linked.


They make them for Surefire if you have one on your weapon. $6 bucks and you get a stunning 650 lumens. http://www.amazon.com/Surefire-Flas...qid=1460738961&sr=8-4&keywords=led+conversion

Lastly, full on drop in kits are also available if you want to blind the neighbors. You simply unscrew the end of the Maglite and put on the replacement conversion kit. Fusionlite, Malkoff, Terralux and make them. The Fusionlite costs much less, at $26 bucks.

http://www.thefusionlite.com/fusion-36magli361.html

http://www.amazon.com/Terralux-TLE-310M-EX-MiniStar31M-EX-Conversion-MagLite®/dp/B007843698/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1460739065&sr=8-10&keywords=maglite+led+conversion

By the way, regarding the thread title, I know what century it really is...was just playing on my own ignorance of which it appears there are many Hope this can be of some assistance to some of you.

 

[JCKelly]

You reckon they'll come out with another upgrade, for the 21st century?

 

[Doc In UPlace]

I have 2 and 3 D cell and yes, I would like to know what your friend uses.

OK got it:
The conversion is Terralux, 700 Lumen 4 to 6 D-Cell here: http://www.amazon.com/Terralux-LED-Upgrade-Maglite-Cell/dp/B002X3IESM
Insanely bright.

 

[Doc In UPlace]

They can also be used to drive tent stakes when a big rock is not available.

And with the proper NFA form, make a pretty nifty suppressor too.

 

[Joe13]

I keep a 3 D cell next to my safe to use for light and a club.

I bought a 2 AAA led mag light for my EDC bag because it was maybe $12-14.

Bought some flashlights at Walmart for $2 each and they all still work and throw decent light here a few years later.

I'd love a nice EDC 1 AAA surefire or something nice but $15 < $50+.

 

[Hamilton Felix]

Maglite a dinosaur? Does Kel-lite ring a bell? I have Kel-lite and Bianchi B-lite. Even recall a Herret's Hi-lite.

We have 3D Mags (the handy bludgeon size) clipped at the head of our bed. Hers is a first gen LED, mine has an LED conversion bulb. We wanted something big and easy to find in the dark. Also, just turning them on in their clips during a power outage is adequate light for the room. Our tactical lights are brighter, but these big lights have their place.

Mag is usually behind the curve on performance, but the new third gen LED lights are good. We have 3rd gen 3D lights clipped by each exterior door. The tube seems slimmer and I don't know if they are as rugged as the original, but they really reach out across a field. They blow previous Mag LEDs out of tne water, and they'll work on NiMH batteries.

I would not put huge money into an LED drop-in for an old Mag when I can buy a new third gen Mag.

If you are serious about lights, join candlepowerforums and share the knowledge.

 

[mjbskwim]

Way back maybe 10 years ago I bought a three LED conversion for a 5 D cell mag light, I think the conversion head was around $130 and put out like 200 lumens. A few weeks ago I bought an $8 Cree flashlight that uses three AAA batteries that puts out 800 lumens and three or four of them would fit inside the old mag light.

Pretty soon at the rate of change flashlights have shown in the last decade you will have a 10,000 lumen light that runs off a hearing aid battery that cost $1, shipping included

About what was going to say. For less money you can get a lighter flashlight with all the lumens you want.
And you can carry it in you pocket without scarring the women and children

 

[clearconscience]

I did the led and push button upgrade to my 2 AA maglight. And couldn't have been more disappointed. I left the LED in but threw the push button away. The LED wasn't any brighter than the original bulb, but of course would last longer

 

[Member 34319]

On a more serious note, not like my first post, I liked maglites back in the day.

Now I make bulk Amazon purchases for the little cree lights they have for 3 bucks. They take 1 double A and take a licking. I've been beating the crap out of them for a while. At 3 dollars, when they fail, I just toss them. At 3 bucks, and being fairly durable. I keep them everywhere.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B011Y...flashlight&dpPl=1&dpID=41BBUlEZw1L&ref=plSrch