Maglite are coming out with new LED!!!

[PhantomPhoton]

For cheap and decent brightness try a Terralux dropin from BatteryJunction. How old is the Maglight? Does the serial number start with the letter "D" or is it all numbers?

(It won't matter with the terralux dropin, but for some of the other more expensive dropins that can be had it would matter. Just curious if you have a really old one.)

 

[divine]

If Maglite were actually going to make a bright light... wouldn't they have to redo their entire marketing strategy?

If I were to buy a Maglite, I would not expect it to be very bright, but when I click the button, I expect it to turn on. If I put a fresh set of batteries in it 10 years from now, I expect it to turn on. Even if they put the next generation CREE or Lumileds LED in their lights, I think they would use a circuit to step down the brightness to be good for general everyday use... but run for days or weeks without having to change the batteries. That's what it's made for, general everyday use.

Isn't it? :shrug:

If they were going to make a bright light, I think they'd have to make a new name for their new lights and sell it separate from their current lights. Even if they made a switch that would change the brightness, they'd have to sell it as a different light, cause it's not the same maglite everyone sees when they close their eyes.

 

[Albinoni]

My money is on mediocre.

Mag makes great hosts, terrible flashlights.

MSax

What makes you think Mag make terrible flash light, pls elaborate ?
I've owned tow Mags in my life one a normal AA mini mag and the other a Mini Mag AA LED. I can rest assure their one of the best and sturdiest torches that I've ever used. My most recent torch I've bought is a Led lenser tactical focus V3.0 (Hocus Focus) in which I also like very much, but as its new I cannot comment on it as yet until I use it for a few months or so.

 

[Marduke]

What makes you think Mag make terrible flash light, pls elaborate ?
I've owned tow Mags in my life one a normal AA mini mag and the other a Mini Mag AA LED. I can rest assure their one of the best and sturdiest torches that I've ever used. My most recent torch I've bought is a Led lenser tactical focus V3.0 (Hocus Focus) in which I also like very much, but as its new I cannot comment on it as yet until I use it for a few months or so.

I think you misunderstood. Mags are usually very reliable, sturdy, and well priced (in the US). But.... they are very slow in embracing new tech, and don't listen to consumers. They also spend far too much money on their legal staff suing other companies, instead of on the R&D department.

They make GREAT flashlights.... If you pop in a modern upgrade to bring them up to speed.

 

[Lit Up]

I for one, hope they continue to make the time tested incan version. WHAT?... Think about it. If they change the design radically, what would would we use for mod hosts?

That's just the thing though, with all the advancements coming forth, how much longer is modding a light really going to be relevant outside of a 'gimmick' hotwire?
Plenty of small lights out there starting to get really bright.

Like I stated earlier the thing about Mag with me is durability and the ease of getting the light engine back up incase it fails. If several companies decided to start making PR-based lights available and with heatsink capabilities, (AA form factor would ROCK too.) Mag wouldn't leave much to be desired to be honest. With heatsinking made available from another company, they'd have NOTHING to bargain with.

I know Mag gets a lot of repeat business from Joe Consumer, but even in that event, there's way too much advancement going on in the flashlight world, more than there's been in decades, for Mag to be resting on it's laurels. If anything, it's time to scramble!

 

[PhantomPhoton]

What makes you think Mag make terrible flash light, pls elaborate ?
I've owned tow Mags in my life one a normal AA mini mag and the other a Mini Mag AA LED. I can rest assure their one of the best and sturdiest torches that I've ever used. My most recent torch I've bought is a Led lenser tactical focus V3.0 (Hocus Focus) in which I also like very much, but as its new I cannot comment on it as yet until I use it for a few months or so.

Mags make pitiful flashlights in comparison to their competition. They machine a good piece of aluminum, but the actual use as a flashlight has been sub par for about 10 years now.

 

[infoseeker]

They machine a good piece of aluminum, but the actual use as a flashlight has been sub par for about 10 years now.

i liked this.....



maybe they have enough money to live on even they will not focus again in this industry

 

[Bonky]

Maglight "are" ??

Shouldn't that be Maglight "is" ??

 

[Robocop]

I believe many members feel much like myself as we are looking at Mag from a spoiled point of view. With so many good lights available to us we here at CPF have became spoiled and very hard to suprise.

Mag does indeed make a fantastic light for the average consumer and their most expensive light (Mag-Charger) has even done very well with many officers I know. The main reason I have been very dissapointed with Mag in general is that I was simply expecting much more. I was looking for something to WOW me and sadly as a heavy flashaholic they did not even come close.....If I knew nothing at all about lights then sure their products are reliable and easy to find however very plain and dissapointing to a spoiled Flashaholic.

As much as I hate to admit it I believe Mag will never cater to the high end collector or flashaholic. They have a good thing going and for them to deviate with a totally new design or higher cost (better performing) product would take away from their sales to the average Joe who is used to paying 10dollars for a light.

Honestly around here it is hard to find a totally un-modded Mag as we simply want much more than they offer with a base product. Around the world however there muct be hundreds of thousands Mags totally original and used all the time. Mag is not like Fenix, Surefire or a host of others who we stand in line for their next newest product.

I have said it before that I really was cheering for Mag to blow us all away with some super product that would be easily available at any old Wal-Mart. I know they have the money to make something very nice however sadly they will never be a major player or at least not to those of us here.

I have no doubt they would sale hundreds of the Solitaire should they suddenly offer the public a Solitaire with a Rebel or even a LuxIII emitter. Yep we all would buy one most likely however the rest of the uneducated world towards lights would most likely not buy the light. It would sit on the shelf suffering from the shadow of their low cost previos models.

 

[cal..45]

As other people have said, Maglite hasn't really had a need to innovate, I would bet that at least 25% of US households have a maglite somewhere. Most cops have one or two, either has a primary duty light or a backup that gets buried in the gear bag.

Mr. Smith doesn't know too much about flashlights, but he wants to take his kids camping. So he goes to Walmart or Target and looks at the flashlight selection. He's never heard of a Brinkmann and such. LED, watts, lumens, candlepower, ect mean nothing to him. So he grabs a maglite because it is the only light he's heard of. I think maglite will be selling their original light for many years to come.

That being said, a cool powerful LED would be nice. I hope that is what mag is planning

I couldn't have say it better myself. its all about marketing and "mass acceptance", its exactly the same reason why bose keep on selling their crappy "loudspeakers". though I don't certainly want to compare the quality of a mag lamp with bose, but you get the idea...


regards, holger

 

[Cevulirn]

From looking at a mag, all they would have to do to make a well heatsinked mag LED would be to redesign the (plastic) switch, and maybe reflector. The head and body could stay the same, (And probably will, changing the way it is made is expensive.)

 

[jasonsmaglites]

Mags make pitiful flashlights in comparison to their competition. They machine a good piece of aluminum, but the actual use as a flashlight has been sub par for about 10 years now.

i'd say it's the incandesent bulb that has let us down, not mag-lite.

 

[heckboy]

Like many on this forum, my first good flashlight was a Mag something like 20 years ago. Over the years I've used and abused all kinds of them and even after learning about much more sophisticated lights still keep a 3D mag on the dresser ready to go.

Perhaps to use a firearms analogy which many may relate to...

Mag is to AK-47 as Novatac is to M-16.

I'd love to see what mag comes up with in a new LED. I bet it won't be at the bleeding edge of technology but it will be functional and work with cheap readily available batteries.

Later,
HB

 

[LG&M]

The M-16 was designed in the 50's the Novatac is more like a FN P-90. You do have a point like the AK-47 the mag will work when you need it.

 

[Marduke]

Perhaps to use a firearms analogy which many may relate to...

Mag is to AK-47 as Novatac is to M-16.

So, if the original Mag was the AK-47, and if the MagLED was the AK-74, I would really like to see Mag come out with an AK-101 equivalent.

 

[eyeeatingfish]

A lot of people here complain about maglight not upgrading their stuff but I wonder, Has anyone here ever actually called someone at maglite and asked what the company was thinking?

 

[Hitthespot]

Outside of these forums most people don't know about the recent development in LED lights (yet). I had a friends father just say to me the other day he just got a maglite because he always wanted one but they were always just too expensive. I think he paid $30.00. He was astounded when I showed him my P3D and NDI, but when I told him the price he said no way. I believe as people become more and more aware of the bright LED lights they may move to a more updated light, (rayovac-energizer) but I don't believe the masses are ever going to spend $60.00 and up for an around the house and general use flashlight. I also believe this is why mag has not retooled and kept up with the most recent (and costly) LED.

Bill

 

[metlarules]

For a general purpose around the house flashlight it is pretty hard to produce a better light than mag at the price they are selling them. A
magled puts out more light than most people need and cost under $30 if you shop around. Even at that price most people seem to think that is expensive for a flashlight.

 

[Illum]

I wonder...
As size15s said before, Surefire would tell its customers if a certain product or light is not going to show up because of the inability of the turning center to output it to avoid long lines and anticipation... which often results in jeering consumers.

I wonder what Maglites been up to...
by October 22 this will be a one year old thread...and yet maglites are still maglites on the round pegs on the shelves:shakehead

 

[sORe-EyEz]

I wonder what Maglites been up to...

world domination! :nana: