MagLite news, they will be offering LED lights

[Kenski]

I'll add my own idle speculation...

I think Mag will stick with their familiar form-factors.
<snip>...
Here's why I really think that Mag is finally going LED:

(<snip>... more insightful comments trimmed... </snip>)

So... in a roundabout way, I'm suggesting that Mag may have been forced into this course of action by competition.

I agree. This is almost certainly about economics/competition/maintaining market share, rather than the timing being driven by Mag's engineering for LED flashlights having reached some magic point, or emitters reaching a certain performance level.
I look forward to seeing their offerings, and I also look forward to the effect of greater competition on prices. If we are wrong and they have some super-amazing design advances and wowser-emitters, more the better.

Kenski

 

[ABTOMAT]

I'm sure we're not going to see any multi-LED arrays on the big lights, at least if the company is still operating like normally do. The idea over there is "throw at all costs".

 

[EVOeight]

I have never really liked MAG lights myself. The only advantage to having a MAG light is that it can be used as a self defense weapon in a pinch. They are long and heavy and are very solid. Not too good as a flashlight though...

 

[InfidelCastro]

I'm sure we're not going to see any multi-LED arrays on the big lights, at least if the company is still operating like normally do. The idea over there is "throw at all costs".

That's ok with me. My Mag2C or 2D will light up addresses at a distance my G2 won't.

 

[greenLED]

The only advantage to having a MAG light is that it can be used as a self defense weapon in a pinch. They are long and heavy and are very solid.

[highjack] Red Flag! I'll say it again: unless you are trained to use a baton-like weapon, are trained in defensive techniques, have the right mindset, and frequent practice, a long aluminum tube is going to be worthless as a defense weapon. If the above does not apply, most likely the light will be taken away from you and used against you!

This hapenned to one of my wife's co-workers. He walked down to ask his loud neigbors to quiet down after a party. He had a 2 or 3-celled Maglite with him, which the guys used to beat him up... very badly...
[/highjack]

The amount of Maglite sales suggests to me, that a lot of people consider them good flashlights (which, to a point, they are).



No we return to your scheduled MagLED discussion

 

[357]

How early 2006 will these leds Mags appear do you all think?

 

[TKC]

THAT is REALLY cool!! I can't wait to see what they look like.

 

[Paul_in_Maryland]

Often, when an established Goliath enters an emerging market, the pioneers of that market put on a happy face and claim to believe that the Goliath's entry is a good thing for it will legitimize the market. Sometimes they're right: for example, when Toyota and Honda began making hybrid electric cars. I think it will also prove true when MAG begins selling LED lights. Suddenly, LED lights will be a technology not to be ignored.

Of course, we CPFers will still have to educate people on the benefits of power regulation, lithium primary cells, and lithium-ion cells.

 

[greenLED]

How early 2006 will these leds Mags appear do you all think?

Hope to see them at SHOT!!

 

[MVB]

You just don't understand mag do you? They sell what, about $200 million a year of these same lights. At a wholesale price (my guess) of $9 each, that's 60,882 lights per day, 365 days a year, or over 22 million lights a year.

There's more to any light than performance. Longevity of the light, battery life, marketing, market segment, type of battery preferred, throw, flood, switch type, warranty, quality control, and the list goes on.

There's hardly any mainstream product that outperforms aftermarket. But then again, the reverse applies. There's hardly any aftermarket that is warranted better or costs less than a mainstream item. And don't confuse aftermarket with custom made.

Absolutely! But, as has been pointed out in these forums, one of the best aftermarket deals going on at present is the Nite-Ize drop-in LED module being sold at Walmart for under five bucks. (I think it's $4.87) It is positioned (at least at all the Walmarts I've looked at) right next to the Mini-MagLite that it drops in to. These are getting the attention of non-flashaholics. It helps that Walmart also has the Mini-Mag on special for under $6.

My non-flashaholic friends (the ones that think I'm nuts for spending $50 on a pocket flashlight) have been raving about how great the Mini-Mag is with the Nite-Ize module. And they found this for themselves -- I would have recommended the RiverRock 2xAAA .5W light from Target as having a brighter output for about a dollar less cost (though the runtime will be less due mostly to AAA vs. AA issues).

If a product is made well, the warranty doesn't really matter. (The Mag-Lite semi-drives-over-a-Mag-Lite TV ad is a very effective bit of advertizing, but go look up the forum post about the Fenix L1p that fell 17 floors down an elevator shaft and still works...)

 

[357]

Hope to see them at SHOT!!

When is the shot show?

Anyone think the Mags will be available by early Feb or late Jan 06?

 

[CLHC]

Don't know if this has already been mentioned since there's over 170+ posts and too much to go through again. . .I got an email response today from Mag Instrument Inc. I asked if they will be "farming" out for manufacture on these new MAG LED. They responded by saying that they "will be manufactured right here in Ontario, California, USA," and that they "are committed to keeping it that way indefinately."

Well, we shall see when it hits the market!

 

[tvodrd]

I don't recall seeing Mag at the last 2 SHOT Shows. (I don't recall a lot of things. ) Anyone else that was there recall seeing them? There were a lot of flashlight manufacturers, but I doubt I would have stopped at Mag's booth if they had one.

Larry

 

[ABTOMAT]

I don't think they were at the last couple.

 

[MacTech]

Should be interesting, to say the least, to see what the general Flashaholic verdict on the MagLED lights will be, given our incredibly high standards, can/will they measure up to our mods, or will they be another mundane, generic LED light in the familiar Mag housing style

i may not agree with Maglica's business strategy as i have posted earlier, "innovation via lawyers", but i will be picking up (and apart) at least *one* MagLED product, and will try my level best to see what it takes to kill it.....for research purposes only, you understand, right?

"so MacTech, i understand why you put your MagLED under your tire and drove over it, but did you *really* need to shoot it at point blank range with your 12-gauge, then immerse it in hydroflouric acid?"

 

[NikolaTesla]

Hope they got more lumens than a minimag or a solitare.
:sleepy:

 

[tvodrd]

Even if they only MJLED the 2 AA, it will be a major improvement! I suspect Mag makes a lot of money on replacement lamp sales.

Larry

 

[turbodog]

Even if they only MJLED the 2 AA, it will be a major improvement! I suspect Mag makes a lot of money on replacement lamp sales.

Larry

Would that be more or less than surefire makes?

That's what kept me away (and still does) from SF. I mean, $20+ for a bulb? Oh, I'm sorry.... a "lamp assembly".

So why are we so disappointed in mag? Do we have good cause? I think people just need to complain, and mag is a target because they're out front.

It continues to confound me, the focus "issue". The same people that complain about mag's "ringy" beam, and the ones who want throw. Hello! Turn the head, and you've got throw. If it's still ringy, replace the bulb or reseat the bulb.

Personally, the new mag c/d bulbs are sooooooo focused that they might as well be laser pointers.


Those that complaint about mag, need to take a look at their sacred cow, surefire. SF's got warts also. Specifically, SF's problems are not shared by mag.

But moving back to magled. If they make what I think they will, this will be the first mass-produced c/d cell 3w or 5w led light. I think that whatever they make will be at the forefront. I don't see them being just a "me too" mfg.

 

[ROVER]

My first thought is something like the Ledbeam. I was also thinking 3 or 5W DD off C or D cells in about the same form as their current lights. Of course, they'll advertise peak brightness numbers and unusable runtimes.

 

[AuroraLite]

Now I have a feeling this thread is going to be one of the longest thread in CPF... :laughing:

I had made some 'prediction' on what will going to happen to Mag AA and such, and now after reading all the posts thereafter, here are my new 2 cents(many gathered from the posts above):

For the Mag AA:
--as 'original' as possible. Meaning Mag might want to reuse all the existing parts as much as possible. They possess the know how, cost advantage, and still are doing pretty good with those design. And people always can recognise a Mag AA(brand recognition), so no real apperance change and minimum internal changes.

--module approach. Look at the newbeam selling off the rack like hotcakes, that got me thinking--maybe all they have to do is simply to have something similar(or less powerful, like a single powerful 5mm) installed in their Mag AA with a new reflector. Then on the side, sell more powerful module as an option. Much like the Xenon and halogen bulb in the Mag D.

--minimum circuitry. This make sense...less parts and less parts to fail. So it could still be what I have 'predicted' as something like a SMJ led with a new reflector. Direct drive all the way.

--(hopefully)more waterproofness. I think this could be a spin. Just overall improvement on some part of the design(such as double o-ring) and they have it all.


*********************

As for the shot show, people who are going should definitely show them what real Minimag AA suppose to look like. From MJ, SMJ, sammies(BBNG, MM, MiniPro...etc) to the recent 120 lumens hotwire Minimag AA (ahem, self-ad) :devil: , I think the CPF crowd will have the upperhand. Two hands down, two thumbs up! :thumbsup: