Do you use the Mini-Maglite butt cap lanyard hole?

IMA SOL MAN

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I have a handful of Mini-Maglites, and I don't use the lanyard hole in the butt cap on any of them. So I'm wondering if MAGLITE is doing an unnecessary machining operation to make it. I would be just as happy with a regular round butt cap, maybe even more so. That lanyard hole is not needed, in my opinion. What do you think? Do you use it? Would you be fine if the butt cap was plain like on the large Maglites? Maybe make the lanyard hole butt cap an optional purchase, like a glass lens? Let me know what you think.
 
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The ten year old in me is giggling about "butt cap."

But to answer your question, I don't use lanyards on any tail caps. I actually prefer a good clip. Maybe a lanyard would be useful if I was working at heights or slippery material was on my hands and tools. Usually in those situations, I use a headlamp anyway.
 

IMA SOL MAN

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I use wrist straps attached to it via jump ring.
Plus the shape of it can be a kubatan device for self defense. Tony could have easily drilled the tailcap for a lanyard without the cut out but chose that shape as a martial arts tool.
Kudos to Mr. Maglica for doing that, but as a former martial artist myself, I think a plain cap with reeding like on the C and D Maglites would work fine. In a fast encounter, I'm not going to have time to orient the shark fin in my response. A plain round cap with reeding is going to hurt. Yes, the shark fin could do more damage, but like I said, I'm not going to have time to orient it. I doubt most buyers even consider using it in that manner. OC seems to be the weapon of choice for those not packing a handgun. Tactical knife backup. I don't want to get into a whole thread about tactical preparedness and response, SO PLEASE FOLKS, DON'T GO THERE!

My thinking was that based on my non-use of the lanyard holes, that most owners don't use it, and if the machining process to do it was eliminated it could save Maglite some time and money, and make the light cheaper to make and perhaps lower the retail price to the consumer, and make the product even more competitive with foreign and domestic competition.

Mike, would you please post a photo of how you set up your wrist strap on your Mini-Maglites? Maybe I'm missing the boat here.
 

aznsx

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I use wrist straps attached to it via jump ring.
Plus the shape of it can be a kubatan device for self defense. Tony could have easily drilled the tailcap for a lanyard without the cut out but chose that shape as a martial arts tool.
I'm not sure how to describe this, but my new MiniMag tailswitch from LITT is essentially cross-drilled strategically through the housing and thus does not have the cut-out you mentioned like the stock cap. The cap is essentially perfectly smooth all around. Therefore, it's there if I choose to use it, but it's barely noticeable visually, and almost can't even be felt with the fingers. Best of both, I guess. Plus, I HAVE A PROPER SWITCH NOW!!:)

As an aside, many employees at the factory I recently left, most of whom carry and frequently use flashlights nearly-constantly (as I do) as a required part of their duties, generally use wrist strap devices. If they drop those things, it is more likely than not that they will land in a VERY bad place - such as under some part of a giant extrusion press or in the oil pit below it, or into the breech of the press, or other places where dropping a flashlight into such could literally be dangerous...... (it's a hard-alloy aluminum extrusions company). Many used MiniMags, and many of those have probably been replaced by LED MiniMags by now. You'd find lanyard things on practically all of them I imagine.

If I drop my at the wrong time (and I'm exposed to even more and worse places to drop one than they are), it might (for example) go straight into a huge, ~100 ft. deep quench or rinse tank in the ground (directly under a ~100 ft. tall heat treat furnace (not to mention off the top of said furnace or oven with people on the ground around it). It would never be seen again by man or beast! Then there's stuff like riding the catwalk bridge of an overhead crane across the production floor area many feet up with people potentially underneath me. If I drop anything, I could be in very serious trouble.

That said, do I use them? Never. I find that while they could save my light in some situations, they are also a handling liability for me in practice, thus I don't like the tradeoff. When I've tried they were always either hanging up on something themselves, or getting other things entwined in them to even worse effect. They can of course also become hung on or entwined in moving machinery / parts; the kind of place I am not generally allowed to work, but sometimes must. People have had hands / arms pulled into some nasty machinery in industrial environmenats by such things as a lanyard, with horrible results. That's a heavy industrial example though, and most reading this aren't functioning in an environment anything like that.

However, that's why they come with a such a hole from the factory. You and I may never use them, but many people certainly do.

Always bloody tradeoffs, and often situation-dependent!

EDIT: Perhaps oddly, I do use the wrist straps on my small point-and-shoot cameras though.
 
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aznsx

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addendum: FYI: When I recently 'discovered' that mint 90s MiniMag in my stuff, which has now been modded, I also saw what I thought was another one, only well-used. Although visually almost indistinguishable, it turned out to be one of the Brinkmann clones of the day. I didn't know I had one, or where it came from. Anyway, I just checked it, and Brinkmann did not copy the tailcap of the MiniMag. it is drilled directly through the center of the cap just at the end, and also is hardly noticeable when handling the light - although it does make it easy to get purchase on to thread off. Otherwise, it all feels flush and smooth. That gives it the optional attachment point, but is less obtrusive than the MiniMag design. (I'll have to open it up and see what else is different, just for grins:). Aside from the tailcap, it is externally indistinguishable from the MiniMag to my unaided eyes.
 

aznsx

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Whoda thunk!!??

Right after posting the above, an e-mail popped into my Inbox announcing a sale at LITT.

I clicked, and wouldn't you know it - they've now revised the AA MiniMag switch I was trying to describe, which is this one:


The newly revised switch looks like this (and is incorporates momentary-on): EDIT: The earlier version does not have momentary-on, but momentary-off instead (a 'reverse' switch). I dig momentary on. I may get one of the newer type for one of my couple of Minis!


Just for the record.....
 
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bykfixer

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I'm not sure how to describe this, but my new MiniMag tailswitch from LITT is essentially cross-drilled strategically through the housing and thus does not have the cut-out you mentioned like the stock cap. The cap is essentially perfectly smooth all around. Therefore, it's there if I choose to use it, but it's barely noticeable visually, and almost can't even be felt with the fingers. Best of both, I guess. Plus, I HAVE A PROPER SWITCH NOW!!:)
The Brinkmann and Minimag are practically the same light. Many (but not all) parts are interchangeable.

IMG_9820.jpeg

Minimag's outfit'd with Maglite wrist lanyards.
 

IMA SOL MAN

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Thank you for posting the photo. If it works for you, that's great. The way I carry mine, in a belt sheath/holster, it just wouldn't work for me, and it would just get in my way. I can see that for some it can be an essential piece of equipment though.
 

aznsx

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Just to add re: those LITT switches: Note that the switch listing on that axxx site (which I do my very best to avoid doing business with) says:

"Only to be used for ORIGINAL Maglite, not to be used for look-alikes!"

That's classy.
 

IMA SOL MAN

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Just to add re: those LITT switches: Note that the switch listing on that axxx site (which I do my very best to avoid doing business with) says:

"Only to be used for ORIGINAL Maglite, not to be used for look-alikes!"

That's classy.
The LITT page had contradictions, too. Like not for MM with LED, and then it said it would work with MM Pro 2. What is a Pro 2? The Pro+ ? Very confusing. I would have to phone them to clarify, and as for the big river site, their price is higher than LITT's site price. I don't know why you gave a link to the site you avoid doing business with.
 

aznsx

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The LITT page had contradictions, too. Like not for MM with LED, and then it said it would work with MM Pro 2. What is a Pro 2? The Pro+ ? Very confusing. I would have to phone them to clarify, and as for the big river site, their price is higher than LITT's site price. I don't know why you gave a link to the site you avoid doing business with.

Because I'm not aware that that newer version switch is listed on LITT's site. If I knew that, I'd have (happily) listed that link instead. That's why. Did you look sir? Send me a URL when you find it. I'd like to order one, but prefer to get it directly from LITT. They're practically next door to me (as well as being classy).

I'm not saying they're perfect, nor do I know. I only said they're classy, which that is IMO. I'm also currently totally unfamiar with the current gen LED MInis - I only use tailswitch lights in that size category.

I've not been interested enough to check, so I'll take your word that they made an error. I made one today myself, because I guess I'm not perfect either.

BTW, I really like both the switches and LED retrofit 'drop-in' I'm using from them very much so far.
 

letschat7

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I hadn't made a point yet.

I have a Philips AA that has a better switch than Streamlight or Brinkmann. I think modding a Mini is pointless and you should make the leap to Strion or something.
 
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