Are Incandescent Flashlights Dead?

[d33pt]

I just got a Blackhawk P60 clone with Xenon bulb and I kind of like it. I think I'll keep it.

 

[night.hoodie]

I use my MagLite Solitaire (s) every single night. One has minimag xenon bulb with 3.2v Li-ion cell, the other has either a 2 or 3C&D Mag bulb and 4.2v Li-ion cell, both operate well, provide plenty of satisfying incan light. Granted, they are weak mods, and I wouldn't want to have to rely on them in any sort of extended emergency... but for their and my intended purpose, to provide incan light, they kick the crap out of every LED light ever conceived and arguably that ever will be conceived. LEDs are terrible at providing incandescent light.(a joke, ok? ok.)

 

[masterP]

I've been putting off switching to LED for the longest time until now but I think it's time to switch over. it's getting harder and harder to find replacement incandescent bulbs. battery life is greatly improved with LED's.....no more buying bulbs

the quality of LED's just keeps getting better and better. brighter, more efficient, better tint

I don't want to get left behind. I wouldn't mind getting a few spare incandescent bulbs.....if I could only find them

 

[scout24]

What are you not able to find bulbs for???

 

[masterP]

P60 bulbs for a surefire 6Z....yes, I know I can buy them online but I live in Canada and our dollar is so low right now plus shipping and handling charges make would make it more realistic to just go buy a new flashlight.

amazingly I found a Malkoff dealer in Canada so I ordered the M61 (260 lumens).....that's all they had and will not be carrying any more after all sold

it would cost me almost the same to buy a P60 bulb as it would the Malkoff so the choice is obvious

the Malkoff should be arriving via fed ex today. kinda excited to see what it can really do. this is my first real LED light

 

[cland72]

P60 bulbs for a surefire 6Z....yes, I know I can buy them online but I live in Canada and our dollar is so low right now plus shipping and handling charges make would make it more realistic to just go buy a new flashlight.

amazingly I found a Malkoff dealer in Canada so I ordered the M61 (260 lumens).....that's all they had and will not be carrying any more after all sold

it would cost me almost the same to buy a P60 bulb as it would the Malkoff so the choice is obvious

the Malkoff should be arriving via fed ex today. kinda excited to see what it can really do. this is my first real LED light

I'm willing to bet if you placed a Want To Buy ad in the marketplace section, you'd probably have several members willing to ship you a couple of P60s only for the cost of shipping. This community is good to each other like that.

 

[scout24]

Not sure if Luisma has any left but he was selling them cheap back when the Marketplace was still open. Deals are out there.

 

[NoNotAgain]

The only incan lights that I have left that haven't been converted to LED are the older Surefire weapons lights, M961/962, the M3T and M4 Devastator, and one Ever-Ready clone type magnifier light.

 

[IMSabbel]

Its the 21th century, with over 7 billion people around. NOTHING is ever going to be completely dead.

Just like people enjoy music on vinyl, drive around on unicyles or cure their own leather, some people are going to like incan lights, and as long as there are enough around (which is easy, with modern worldwide shipping and the internet for making connections), somebody is going to make a product to sell to them.

Functionally, though, they are nearly dead and fast on the way. What new models are relased are basically only collectors items. A couple years ago it was still that the cheapest of cheap chinese crap sometimes still had tiny incans, but nowadays even that has changed.

 

[buddyrohr]

maglite parts are available everywhere that will keep maglites a viable option as long as they keep supplying parts. the day maglite goes out of the incan business is the day it starts disappearing but until then its looking bright for incans

 

[TEEJ]

Although it will be a long time before incandescents are completely obsolete (if they ever do become completely obsolete), I think they are largely done as a mainstream technology. They will exist as a specialty product. But given the advantages of LED lights in terms of size, output, and efficiency, they are an endangered species when it comes to the kinds of lights most people use on a daily basis.

A good way to think of incandescents is like film photography. Almost NOBODY uses film anymore. And large manufacturers of film (like Kodak) are leaving the market. But there will always be a few people out there that like to shoot film. And film will continue to exist as a small, niche, specialty market for the few people out there who like to shoot film.

I think you have summed it up nicely here.

There are going to be those who cling to the incans, despite the runtime and output sacrifices...but, as a mainsteam light source, they will be going the way of the 8-track, the VCR, the Victrola, etc. A few affectionados will keep the flames alive, but, they will be largely irrelevant to the majority of the population. Even incan light bulbs for the home are being phased out, etc due to the wasted electricity, etc.

Maglight for example was going extinct, until they replaced the incan main line with LED's...and, suddenly, they are on the upswing. As soon as maglight abandoned the obsolete technology, they became a viable option for consumers.

They went from about 5 historical lumens with a hole in the middle, to ~ 600 current lumens w/o a hole in the middle for example, depending on which mag.

 

[alpg88]

maglite did not abandon their incan line, they still make them. for how long they will continue to do so, is a good question.
http://maglite.com/shop/flashlights/full-size-flashlights.html

 

[sickboy11]

Ditched my incandescent lights long ago. I like the warm light output, LED just works more efficiently for what I use them for. I still see well stocked at the local store I shop.

 

[IMSabbel]

maglite did not abandon their incan line, they still make them. for how long they will continue to do so, is a good question.
http://maglite.com/shop/flashlights/full-size-flashlights.html

Well, they are going to make them as long as people buy them - the factories and production lines exist and are paid for, and they sell them at such a markup that it would be insane to stop.

And seeing that the managed to put the image of a 2D maglight as "THE" flashlight into the heads of people over decades, it might be quite a while until then.

 

[Up All Night]

I certainly didn't get the memo. I'm in the midst of an incan renaissance.

 

[Brigadier]

Incans dead? Never!!! I use incans daily, and do not regret it one bit.

I have tried the high end LED conversions for the M3, M3T, M6 etc, but they just don't do those lights justice.

 

[maglite mike]

I use LEDs for most daily tasks but still prefer the color of Incans for light duty ie reading, checking the basement etc