Maglite Bulb Economics

[letschat7]

May not be the best title but it sounds good I think.

So C and D MagLites use a common 'PR' type bulb which can be found with various gases for reasonable prices online and the Solitaire and AA/AAA MiniMaglites use a proprietary bulb.

Now if you buy a new one of these they typically come with two bulbs.

Now AAA and AA bulbs all types are $5.50 through Mag and even higher elsewhere when the lights that come with two bulbs only cost $7.75-12.75. Is the bulb really a major factor in the cost?

On the used market you might find a set of older Mag bulbs for $15 or higher with shipping when the lights complete, new old stock are in the twenty dollar range.

Why are bulbs so high? When they went from HK to Germany a two pack was a dollar something. I wish I hadn't sold them all in 2013.

 

[alpg88]

It does not make any sence to buy used, when you can get brand new bipin with the adapter from maglite for 7.50.
However i still think the best bulb was magnum star 1, xenon pr with cylindrical envelope, but they are next to impossible to find now.

 

[letschat7]

Not true. You can buy any size.

 

[vicv]

Not true. You can buy any size.

What's not true? Nice collection

 

[vicv]

It does not make any sence to buy used, when you can get brand new bipin with the adapter from maglite for 7.50.
However i still think the best bulb was magnum star 1, xenon pr with cylindrical envelope, but they are next to impossible to find now.

Agreed. They're my favorite too. I've had a 6 cell xenon for a couple years in a 3C and it must have at least 20 hours on it. And a lot of startups. And it's still perfect. I don't think people give enough credit to those mag light bulbs. The bin with adapter are OK, but I much prefer potted bulbs. No filament getting out of alignment.

 

[vicv]

May not be the best title but it sounds good I think.

So C and D MagLites use a common 'PR' type bulb which can be found with various gases for reasonable prices online and the Solitaire and AA/AAA MiniMaglites use a proprietary bulb.

Now if you buy a new one of these they typically come with two bulbs.

Now AAA and AA bulbs all types are $5.50 through Mag and even higher elsewhere when the lights that come with two bulbs only cost $7.75-12.75. Is the bulb really a major factor in the cost?

On the used market you might find a set of older Mag bulbs for $15 or higher with shipping when the lights complete, new old stock are in the twenty dollar range.

Why are bulbs so high? When they went from HK to Germany a two pack was a dollar something. I wish I hadn't sold them all in 2013.

Supply and demand. You and me and 8 other guys on this forum still buy them. And theyre old stock. So they're expensive

 

[letschat7]

They are possible to find and I buy them often, usually kryptons more than xenons. Older pic so doesn't have my latest purchases. I'd like to have 10 bulbs of each type minimum so I can play with my Mags sometime into teh future.

 

[vicv]

They are possible to find and I buy them often, usually kryptons more than xenons. Older pic so doesn't have my latest purchases. I'd like to have 10 bulbs of each type minimum so I can play with my Mags sometime into teh future.

Honestly no offense but do you actually read responses. No one said they couldn't be found. You responded "not true" when no one said anything that wasn't true. Maybe hit reply on the comment you're replying to to avoid confusion and read the comment before responding to it. This strange behavior isn't solely in this thread. And it will make it easier to follow along.

 

[jtr1962]

This reminds me of the market for NOS car parts. My brother has three 1960s cars. Parts are often hard to come by, and cost multiples of what they did years ago, even in adjusted dollars. Simple supply and demand. They're not making these parts any more. Same with most incandescent flashlight bulbs as far as I know. Not enough market to make it worthwhile for a manufacturer. So all you have is NOS.

Now AAA and AA bulbs all types are $5.50 through Mag and even higher elsewhere when the lights that come with two bulbs only cost $7.75-12.75. Is the bulb really a major factor in the cost?

It sounds like Maglight is using the "razor" model of economics. Sell people a safety razor at less then manufacturing cost, but make up for it by selling blades. Same model has been used for inkjet and laser printers.

Also, small incandescent bulbs have always been relatively expensive. I remember the ones used in model railroading often sold at the same price as smaller household incandescents.

 

[letschat7]

Sometimes people post when my post would have been right after. Editing a quote is hard to do on an iPhone.

 

[bykfixer]

What? Hard to edit on an iPhone? Seriously?

I stopped buying bulbs years ago. Back then they were plentiful and didn't cost all that much except Maglite PR base xenon's. Those have always been pricey.

 

[donn_]

"Years ago" (over 16), I bought a 2D Maglite on this forum. I bought it from a member named hodsta, but it had been given life another member who has probably owned more Mags than anybody other than Mr. Maglite himself. It had a custom paint job, and ran 8 AA alky cells, through a fancy gold bi-pin socket and into a Welch Allen 1164 bulb. The resulting 1500 lumens came through a boro window, hotter than a witch's bic.

I think I saw a recent post by that old MMF (Mag Modding Fox). He had a wicked hold on my wallet for well over a decade, and sold me Mags and Mag parts all the way up to a head which was as big as a church bell, and took spot/flood light bulbs with their own built-in reflectors. I bought 2 of that head...one for a spot and one for a flood.

 

[bykfixer]

That must've been a lot of Maglites!!!

 

[letschat7]

What? Hard to edit on an iPhone? Seriously?

I stopped buying bulbs years ago. Back then they were plentiful and didn't cost all that much except Maglite PR base xenon's. Those have always been pricey.

Without a iMac keyboard it isn't so easy to edit quotes and type a longer post. I've been working on using quotes more as to not upset our friend in the north Mr. Vicv.

 

[vicv]

Without a iMac keyboard it isn't so easy to edit quotes and type a longer post. I've been working on using quotes more as to not upset our friend in the north Mr. Vicv.

I wasn't upset. Lol. Just confused.
Btw if you click the 3 dots at the bottom of your post, click edit. It's as easy as that.
With including other posts, click reply on their post. Then you can delete whichever part of their message you want, or keep it all

 

[bykfixer]

I have posted more than 19,000 times without a keyboard. Maybe a dozen posts have been on a computer if that many. Probably 6,000 with an iPhone. Before that it was an Android. Shoot, the setup Mr Ed built is even easier to edit and multi quote than the system before that.
Just sayin'.

Now, buying Maglite 7 cell bulbs can be really pricey if you can find them. Right up there with Pelican Big D hi/low bulbs. (Roar of the pelican bulbs which the hi bulbs are capable of 1000 lumens)

 

[lumen aeternum]

the lights that come with two bulbs only cost $7.75-12.75

where can I get a AA incan for under 8 bucks?

 

[letschat7]

maglite.com for the Solitaire that contains two bulbs.

 

[vicv]

I have posted more than 19,000 times without a keyboard. Maybe a dozen posts have been on a computer if that many. Probably 6,000 with an iPhone. Before that it was an Android. Shoot, the setup Mr Ed built is even easier to edit and multi quote than the system before that.
Just sayin'.

Now, buying Maglite 7 cell bulbs can be really pricey if you can find them. Right up there with Pelican Big D hi/low bulbs. (Roar of the pelican bulbs which the hi bulbs are capable of 1000 lumens)

I'd love to get my hands on a pack of those bulbs. I enjoy my tads 7218 bulb, but would be nice to be around 1000 lumens again since I traded away my solarforce L1200

 

[letschat7]

What is exact name of the bulb and model number so I can start searching for one.