I'm still addicted to the old Maglites

[vicv]

I've kinda given up on the old Mags at this point. But I do want to get my Magcharger working again. Selling the old Maglites I don't use should get me a new charging cradle and a battery. I wish they still had the old Nicad batteries though, the newer NIMH ones don't last.

You should make your own. Or find a local battery place that can make you one. That's what I did for a streamlight ultrastinger battery.

 

[ampdude]

You should make your own. Or find a local battery place that can make you one. That's what I did for a streamlight ultrastinger battery.

The charging cradle quit working and it caused the NIMH battery to go dead because of it.

 

[vicv]

The charging cradle quit working and it caused the NIMH battery to go dead because of it.

No, but you said you wish you could find the old NiCd batteries. That's what I meant. Just make one. I was just going by that you had said that the new NIMH did not last as long. Obviously, you will need to buy a new cradle charger though.

 

[ampdude]

No, but you said you wish you could find the old NiCd batteries. That's what I meant. Just make one. I was just going by that you had said that the new NIMH did not last as long. Obviously, you will need to buy a new cradle charger though.

Yea, there's places around here that can make battery packs, like Interstate Battery. I remember the first time I used a Magcharger after using regular Mags for so many years.. I was work security and shined it across the Senate floor in the dark and I was like WHOA... We had a Streamlight (SLX?) or something, but I didn't like that as much. It was around the mid-2000's when LED's were starting to become a thing.

 

[vicv]

Yea, there's places around here that can make battery packs, like Interstate Battery. I remember the first time I used a Magcharger after using regular Mags for so many years.. I was work security and shined it across the Senate floor in the dark and I was like WHOA... We had a Streamlight (SLX?) or something, but I didn't like that as much. It was around the mid-2000's when LED's were starting to become a thing.

I can imagine seeing that thing light up next to a normal mag. I've never gotten the pleasure of using a mag charger, but I know I like my ultrastinger.

 

[ampdude]

I've always wanted and Ultrastinger TBH.

 

[ABTOMAT]

Aren't cheap Magcharger NiCds still all over the internet? Like $19 on Amazon. Only caveat is that they technically take the same batteries as the Streamlight SL-20X, but Magchargers only work with ones that have projecting positive terminals. Batteries with very low pos terminals won't work in a Magcharger.

I have spare Magcharger lights and probably some spare cradles here somewhere. Would trade for anything I can use in my collection.

Also yeah, the Magcharger was an outstanding flashlight. One of the best flashlights ever made in context. Keep in mind they came out in 1982. Its engineering was miles ahead of anything else on the market. Only real competition was the Streamlight SL-20, and that was a 1975 design with some amateur hour quirks to it. Streamlight didn't update until the SL-20X in 1986. Even then it wasn't as elegant as the Marcharger.

 

[ABTOMAT]

I've always wanted and Ultrastinger TBH.

Ultrastingers are great, too. Streamlight has always done "simple" better than Mag-Lite and the Ultrastinger is a good example of that for a variety of reasons. I wish SL made an Ultrastinger Classic LED the way they did with the Stinger, since I'm not a fan of the Ultrastinger LED's exterior design.

 

[vicv]

I've always wanted and Ultrastinger TBH.

I have a spare. But no battery. So you would need to source your own if you were interested. But more than likely you are not in Canada so shipping would be the real issue. Sorry not trying to turn this into a sale thread. It's just a spare one I have.

 

[ABTOMAT]

Speaking of that, if anyone has a Super Stinger they're dumping I'd be interested in it. One of those lights they didn't sell very long.

 

[ampdude]

Hehe thanks. I'm just trying to get the Magcharger back up and running right now.

 

[ampdude]

Does anyone know if the Magcharger bulbs evolved over time? Mine has older ones, and I see different packaging for them all the time. I'm wondering what are the brightest if they have changed lately. I saw that Maglite sells them in lots of 6 on their website. I'm assuming those are the brightest and newest ones if they have upgraded them over time like with the other incan Maglites. The gray one is the classic packaging I always remembered seeing. I don't know if it's packaging revision, or revision to the bulb, because one says 1993, one says 6/06 and one says 3/09 on the back. I sent an inquiry to Maglite about it, hopefully hear something back next week.

 

[ABTOMAT]

I haven't seen any ads or packaging mentioning new models or improved brightness or anything, like they did with the primary cell lights. Be interesting to know. I do know halogen bulb technology didn't go through the kind of rapid changes the PR bulbs did. Actually, there was one change to the Magcharger a long, long time ago. The first few thousand Magchargers appear to use a bulb that's sealed at the tip rather than the base (or were otherwise shaped differently.) I've never seen one of these bulbs--I have some lights like that but they all came bulb-less. The sockets don't have a hole for the "tail." Many of these also had plastic lenses before they switched to glass.

Mag didn't used to quantify their light's output, but Streamlight did. Their figures changed over time for a similar 6v halogen flashlight, although I don't know if it was related to bulb changes, improvements in the wiring/battery, or just measuring technique. The SL-20 was advertised as 20,000 candlepower in 1975. By the early '90s the SL-20X was being sold as "up to" 30,000 candlepower with an identical looking bulb. When it was discontinued in 2014 or so it was "up to" 38,000 peak beam candela.

 

[vicv]

And the ultrastinger is 65000 candela. Take that, maglite! Lol

 

[gurdygurds]

As a teen we used to skateboard in a concrete ditch near a farm unless the lady that lived on the property saw us. You knew when she did. We wore really short shorts back then in summer and usually no shirt.

Sometimes you'd hear "POW" and a couple seconds later hear stuff flying past. She shot at us with rock salt. Man that stuff sure does hurt. And if you're sweaty.... yikes it burns. Soon after a cop would show up. Not to arrest her for shooting at kids but to chase us off.

She's long gone. There's a shopping mall on her farm now. And the ditch has a Golden Corral built over top of it.

My mom had a 4C. My dad called it a girl's flashlight, but he probably used it more than she did.

Golden Corral……f'ing up skate spots since 1973. We should all get together and watch The Search For Animal Chin.

 

[bykfixer]

Golden Corral……f'ing up skate spots since 1973. We should all get together and watch The Search For Animal Chin.

It started out as a Ryan's steakhouse, then Western Sizzlin for a while, then the Great American Steak and Buffet and now Golden Corral. They piped in the ditch and buried it but built another one nearby in about 1989. To my knowledge nobody has ever ridden in that one. These days it has at least a foot of mud from end to end. We used to sweep the old one after every rain.

Back in the day we didn't care how many candlepower a Maglite put out. We just knew you push the button, and light came out, with no wacka-palm required. 👍

 

[letschat7]

I understand the original charging cradle was vastly different, they at first used PR bulbs before going bipin and the bipin now is better than say the 90s. All internet rumours tho.

 

[ABTOMAT]

I understand the original charging cradle was vastly different, they at first used PR bulbs before going bipin and the bipin now is better than say the 90s. All internet rumours tho.

As far as I know the charging cradle was largely unchanged until recent years, when they went with the cheaper snap-in style they sell with the current LED version. At some point in the 2000s they did change to a coaxial power connector instead of the ancient Amphenol type. I don't think any commercial production Magchargers used PR bulbs.

 

[letschat7]

Any weird bulbs hiding in tailcaps?

 

[ampdude]

I haven't seen any ads or packaging mentioning new models or improved brightness or anything, like they did with the primary cell lights. Be interesting to know. I do know halogen bulb technology didn't go through the kind of rapid changes the PR bulbs did. Actually, there was one change to the Magcharger a long, long time ago. The first few thousand Magchargers appear to use a bulb that's sealed at the tip rather than the base (or were otherwise shaped differently.) I've never seen one of these bulbs--I have some lights like that but they all came bulb-less. The sockets don't have a hole for the "tail." Many of these also had plastic lenses before they switched to glass.

Mag didn't used to quantify their light's output, but Streamlight did. Their figures changed over time for a similar 6v halogen flashlight, although I don't know if it was related to bulb changes, improvements in the wiring/battery, or just measuring technique. The SL-20 was advertised as 20,000 candlepower in 1975. By the early '90s the SL-20X was being sold as "up to" 30,000 candlepower with an identical looking bulb. When it was discontinued in 2014 or so it was "up to" 38,000 peak beam candela.

Could also just be higher capacity batteries over time pushing the bulbs harder.