What to do with incan 4D mag lite?

[N8N]

Good afternoon,

been a while since I've been on here, but yesterday I had a great thrift day, picked up both a 4D Mag-Lite a Dazor desk lamp (gonna post another thread about that one) as well as some unrelated stuff, a couple great books, an Amprobe clamp meter with all probes for $4, etc.

So the question. I already have a very old LED Mag that I bought new back when they first came out. The one I just picked up appears exactly the same except has an incandescent bulb in it instead of the LED module. I'm sure there are better options now than the old Mag LED module, but what should I buy? I'm a sucker for high CRI so if anyone makes something with a Nichia 219 or similar I'd be all over it. I've just been out of the flashlight "scene" for quite a while.

I found a 74 lumen Nite Ize drop in that I assume I have because there was a twofer deal when I bought them for some much older flashlights to turn them into practical emergency lights. It says that it will work in 2 to 6 cell lights and is working but I'm just curious if there is something out there significantly better.

 

[hsa]

There's this.

Malkoff 4D-6D Size Maglite Adapter – Malkoff Devices

This is a Drop-In LED Upgrade Conversion for the old school incandescent Maglite® 4D-6D Size Flashlight. The MDMLA will allow you to use our M61HOT (4D only, DO NOT USE in 5D or 6D), M61, M61N, or M61W in your 4D Size Maglite® flashlight. The Adapter is constructed of CNC machined structural...

malkoffdevices.com

 

[hsa]

Or this.

LED upgrades for Maglite!

5,000 Lumen upgrades for Maglite, instant conversion kits.

lumencraft.com

 

[alpg88]

For high cri, plug and play drop ins, and still be able to run alkalines, probably not much available.

 

[bykfixer]

For high cri, plug and play drop ins, and still be able to run alkalines, probably not much available.

There is the option of 4 eneloops in series in D cell adapters. Run time is not anywhere near 4 D cells but using a Malkoff drop in like an NL will provide decent runtime.

800 Lumen Firefly LED Conversion for Maglite 3-6 D cell, Luminus SST40 Emitter | eBay

Luminus SST-40 LED Emitter Cool White. Screw the head of the Maglite back on to the body until it is "snug". FIREFLY 800 INSTALLATION.

www.ebay.com

Or this one

 

[alpg88]

There is the option of 4 eneloops in series in D cell adapters. Run time is not anywhere near 4 D cells but using a Malkoff drop in like an NL will provide decent runtime.

800 Lumen Firefly LED Conversion for Maglite 3-6 D cell, Luminus SST40 Emitter | eBay

Luminus SST-40 LED Emitter Cool White. Screw the head of the Maglite back on to the body until it is "snug". FIREFLY 800 INSTALLATION.

www.ebay.com

Or this one

sure, all possible, however there is a weak point in maglites if you run power hungry drop in, (i'm not even touching the aspect of most AA holders having way to much resistance), stock bulb tower has a spring that current runs thru on a positive side, it is inside the bulb tower, for stock 800ma it is enough, but anything higher will have a choke point there. i mean 1-1.5A wont be noticeable much, but the higher the current the higher the loses there, the switch itself is actually pretty good. So if you running high current drop ins, take that bulbtower apart, and bypass that spring with a copper braid. for 5000lm drop in linked above it is essential.
There is also a lack of high cri mag drop ins available from anyone nowadays. pretty much most are cw, makoff had ww nw, SF drop ins (thou not necessarily high cri) but not available now.

 

[knucklegary]

Malkoff currently is using SST20 4000k
Good info about tower spring bypass 👍

 

[alpg88]

You are right, it does, for some reason i thought grayed out option boxes meant not available. now i see if i click them they get darker as in available. thou it is a 3V dropin. 1300ma draw. (probably do not need to bother with a bypass at that current) malkoff adapter, 2 d cells and 2 dummy cells or a spacer, would work. would actually make a lighter 4d. thou you'll pay around $120 for 300lm drop in.

 

[knucklegary]

Agreed, after the Malkoff dropin, that's one pricey Maglite

 

[hsa]

The 800 lumen Firefly was recently on sale at Lumencraft for about 40 bucks. Last week I converted an old 2D Mag to a 4D with Matt's extenders. I'm using Eneloops in adapters and it turned out just fine.
I was after the 300 lumen medium setting and the run time isn't bad at that level. Beam is a little narrow at about 8 or 9 degrees and it isn't adjustable but it really throws.
I just wanted to upgrade the old Mag and I'm glad I did.

 

[Stress_Test]

Eh, I've looked at various LED drop-ins for old Mags but as people have said, it just didn't seem cost-effective to spend big money just to convert it to LED when the same money could buy a (usually) more capable separate light. I tried a fairly cheap 2-mode drop-in (I think it was "LiteFluxx" or something) and it's okay, but it has a huge step down over about 10 minutes on high, and low is PWM controlled with a bad strobe effect. None of which was stated in the info, of course.

I've pretty much decided to just do incan stuff with the old Mags, since I've already got plenty of LED lights anyway.

I've got a 4D Mag too. It's got the newer 4-cell bi-pin bulb, and sometimes I'll run it with 5 AA NimH cells, which gives pretty good output. I cut and re-bent the tail spring to be shorter but otherwise it's an easy change. I put the AA into Eneloop AA to C adapters and then add some rolled up paper around the battery stack to keep it centered inside the light.

To me the stock beam profile is one of the biggest negatives. You can use either some Scotch tape or similar on the lens, or use some very fine sandpaper or Scotch-brite pad (or similar) to lightly rough up (more like buffing) the plastic lens and make it a mild diffuser. This cleans up the beam profile a lot but still allows some throw.

 

[Poppy]

picked up both a 4D Mag-Lite for $4, ...
<SNIP>
I found a 74 lumen Nite Ize drop in that I assume I have because there was a twofer deal when I bought them for some much older flashlights to turn them into practical emergency lights. It says that it will work in 2 to 6 cell lights and is working but I'm just curious if there is something out there significantly better.

Honestly, I'd just use that drop in, and stoke the 4D maglite with alkaline cells.
I'd have the mag on hand as an emergency light, and rarely use it. Maybe keep it in the car.

I wouldn't put a lot of money into it to upgrade, the dinosaur of a light that it is.

 

[N8N]

Honestly, I'd just use that drop in, and stoke the 4D maglite with alkaline cells.
I'd have the mag on hand as an emergency light, and rarely use it. Maybe keep it in the car.

I wouldn't put a lot of money into it to upgrade, the dinosaur of a light that it is.

I have some 3AA to D adapters, I was thinking of putting some NiMHs in it whatever I do.

I may do just that or leave it by the front door. I don't live in a bad neighborhood, but it is less threatening than a baseball bat or piece of sprinkler pipe.

 

[hsa]

Strangely enough, it really is a piece of sprinkler pipe. That's what they used in the early days.

 

[chillinn]

I think that trying to make anything what it is not is going to result in poor performance and dissatisfaction, when you can always keep it incan (need an aluminum reflector for the G6.35/G4 socket, and lamp) and do things with it no LED Mag will ever do. Plus, Highest CRI, perfect 100, of course. And far better throw than any LED Mag.

 

[hsa]

I just installed the 800 lumen Lumencraft drop in and came up with 54,000 candela 8 or 9 degree beam. That's about 450 meters of throw. I don't know what can be done with an incan. modification but that's pretty hard to beat.

 

[alpg88]

you can stick mr16 into g 6.35 socket. i've done it with 12v bulb, used 4x18650. if you get long life bulb, you can overdrive it with 5 cells, reflector and often glass is already a part of the bulb. and it fits into mag head.

 

[chillinn]

That's about 450 meters of throw. I don't know what can be done with an incan. modification but that's pretty hard to beat.

I get 2km with WA1185 in a KT4. That's as far as I can shine here unobstructed, which is across the river from next door. Greenbean, who let me have the setup, told me 2mi. (3.2km). fwiw, fivemega has two WA1185 potted for Mag for sale. If you don't care about melting the plastic reflector and lens, no mod necessary other than 3x Li-ion ( 3x 18650 and a 61mm dummy spacer for Mag 4D). But Mag owners will love it, so get the Al reflector and boro lens. I should mention, the lamp was well used when I got it, and I've been running it since Sept. 2020 through dozens of cell swaps waiting for it to die. I finally picked up a LF IMR-13 so I can save the WA1185. Other than fivemega's 2 potted, they can no longer be found.

 

[hsa]

That's amazing. Oh, well I've got forty bucks in this thing and it will run on 4 alkalines and I've been using it every night for a while now. That"s still amazing though.

 

[chillinn]

I very nearly just talked myself into a Mag setup. Priced a couple NOS 3C Mags for dirt cheap, already have the G4 socket and Al reflector (also from Greenbean), just need a glass lens. But then... dang, large capacity IMR26500 cells are 18 bucks a piece. That's over $100 for two 3x cell swaps, and I'd need a charger for them. This will have to wait. So close. My secret: I really wanted fivemega's potted WA1185 for myself, but I don't like to let projects sit. Who knows when I could afford those cells.