Maglite XL100 Owner's Club

[Robin24k]

Accessories are said to be coming soon, but I wouldn't count on it. There are many generic holsters that can hold a 1" diameter light.

[Zelandeth]

Goodness, seems that Mag are getting through quite a lot of these judging from these s/n's!

XL100 000011995 here picked up at the end of May and just run through my review procedure.

I picked up on the PWM issue when first examining the light, and proceeded to forget to note it down - will make a point of getting something about that added to the review shortly, definitely may be an issue for anyone likely to be using the light around moving machinery.

The flimsy lens aside, really seems to be a good light. Really glad that I stumbled across it in Target when I was on holiday now!

[Juggernaut]

I’ve had one for quite awhile, but finally got around to posting, 000042303.

[o0o]

I just got mine.

I do NOT see a Serial number anywhere on it.

Where should I be looking???

[Robin24k]

Unscrew the head and look below the O-ring.

[o0o]

^Cool, thanks

What an odd spot to put it

Reminds me of the S&W 686 Plus where you have to open the cylinder to see the s/n

[LightGiver]

I was intrigued by the UI of this light and after learning all about it (GREAT work Robin24k!) I decided to pick one up at the local Target last Sunday.

Mine is XL100 000016132.

And after playing with it, I think the UI is just absolutely brilliant for a consumer grade light, and a welcome change for me. Its about time MagLite broke ground into something new.

I also really like that the output can be rapidly adjusted from dim to bright and vice versa without having to loosen/tighten the head. My previous favorite "dog walking" torch was the Maratac 9290, but adjusting the output required both hands and it was slow.

And anyone else notice that this light seems to be a good deal brighter than 83 lumens? Its noticeably brighter & throws farther than my 9290 with a 14500 in it!

[Robin24k]

If you are using lithiums or NiMH rechargeables, the light would be putting out a good deal more light than rated. The ANSI specs are pretty conservative.

(Glad you liked my review! )

[LightGiver]

I am using lithium's, but a 4 pack at my target apparently only cost $2.38!!
Cheaper than a pack of their alkaline AAA's! I think its a price error or something, the AA's were similarly priced, so I bought 8 packs of both.

But I'm planning to go with NiMH now that I know that they'll be safe to use. Why do you think Mag advises against it in the instruction booklet, though?

[Robin24k]

It's for legal reasons, the circuitry was designed with alkalines in mind, and the ANSI specs are also based on alkaline performance.

[Boudreaux]

Great review!
Black XL100 000046936

[Juggernaut]

I was at a Bass Pro Shop and they have a pretty wide arrangement of flashlights “they even got Surefire M6’s!”. Anyways I was browsing the local inventory and noticed a guy doing the same, he kept picking up lights thinking to him self and putting them down. Eventfully “and while I restrained my inner flashaholic self“, I ended up telling him the XL100 in his hand was a good light. He said he was either going with that or the Streamlight PolyTac. It’s not that the PolyTac is a bad flashlight but I asked him if he understood were to get batteries for it “CR123’s” and he didn’t seem to understand, also while I love incandescent, a nonflashaholic will often be better suited to LED for their abusive uses. So in the end with a little help from me, he chose the Mag XL100. I figured it would serve him well for years. Also the PolyTac was $74! A lot compared to the XL100’s $40 price.

[jdmaxima89]

Do I win for the highest serial number? I had my dad swing by Home Depot on his way home from work and get me one... I didn't think about them having multiple colors and just told him it was black. When he got it to me and I opened it, I realized it is one of the gunmetal grey ones!

XL100 000182594

[Robin24k]

It's usually the lower was better, but I guess you have the highest number in CPF...for now.

I think the first few were only in black, but I've ordered myself a grey one as well, so we'll see. My black one is 16XXX and I got it direct from Maglite.

[JNewell]

It's usually the lower was better, but I guess you have the highest number in CPF...for now.

I think the first few were only in black, but I've ordered myself a grey one as well, so we'll see. My black one is 16XXX and I got it direct from Maglite.

I know what you mean, but with electronic goods, the early ones are often just betas...

[Robin24k]

Sorry, JNewell, my grey XL100 arrived today, with S/N 216XXX.

[JNewell]

Sorry, JNewell, my grey XL100 arrived today, with S/N 216XXX.

Why be sorry??? I'm waiting for the flash firmware update that will let me play .mpgs on mine.

[Robin24k]

Really? Hmm...maybe that's what the MicroUSB port on the side of the tailcap on mine is for. Looks like I have to go give it a shot...

[Hellbore]

Whoah Mag came out with a new flashlight, one designed specifically for LED? Crazy...

When did this happen?

Also... umm, this is a pretty non-traditional UI and design... Doesn't anyone else think it's weird that they stuck by their traditional designs for so long, only opting for drop-ins in existing light designs (albeit with outdated LED emitters), without coming out with anything new and up-to-date, and now, we go from that, to this... a very unusual and risky design compared to what they have done in the past?

A light light this seems really unexpected from them... Did the company change ownership or something??

Oh and what emitter does this light use? Don't tell me it's an old Luxeon 1 or something LOL, that would be so like them... Actually I guess it has been enough years that they could maybe have switched to something newer like a Cree XR-C? haha...

[Robin24k]

I assume you haven't read a review about the light, it was released back in February. Click on my sig pic to read my review.

The drop-ins are discontinued now, and they've also tweaked the D-cell lights to be more optimized for LED. All of their LED lights use the Luxeon Rebel, except for the upcoming ML125.

[Hellbore]

I assume you haven't read a review about the light, it was released back in February. Click on my sig pic to read my review.

The drop-ins are discontinued now, and they've also tweaked the D-cell lights to be more optimized for LED. All of their LED lights use the Luxeon Rebel, except for the upcoming ML125.

Wow really? I have been out of the loop. Well I'm impressed! Way to go Mag Instrument

[Robin24k]

Yup, there's a few new lights to be released soon as well, so stay tuned!

[Chadder]

Yup, there's a few new lights to be released soon as well, so stay tuned!

I thought mag was announcing new lights at the Summer Outdoor Retailer Show. I have not heard any information and the show has been over for a week now. Whats the deal with that?

[JNewell]

I have to admit, I bought one mostly out of curiosity (and because of this thread!). I wanted to see what they were up to.

Perfect light? No, it doesn't exist. But it is GREAT to see Mag, an American company, thinking along new lines and doing some innovation. I think some of what they're doing with this light will turn out to be dead ends, but I'm glad they're thinking and doing new things, and I am very happy to support that with a purchase.

BTW, even though I think some of the bells and whistles are silly, the features that I do use are very well done on this light. So even just as a light, it's a good product, forget what it says about keeping the company moving forward. That's all IMO/YMMV...

Whoah Mag came out with a new flashlight, one designed specifically for LED? Crazy...

When did this happen?

Also... umm, this is a pretty non-traditional UI and design... Doesn't anyone else think it's weird that they stuck by their traditional designs for so long, only opting for drop-ins in existing light designs (albeit with outdated LED emitters), without coming out with anything new and up-to-date, and now, we go from that, to this... a very unusual and risky design compared to what they have done in the past?

A light light this seems really unexpected from them... Did the company change ownership or something??

Oh and what emitter does this light use? Don't tell me it's an old Luxeon 1 or something LOL, that would be so like them... Actually I guess it has been enough years that they could maybe have switched to something newer like a Cree XR-C? haha...

[rontaki]

Having had S/N 000008267 for a few months (black body, from Home Despot), I like the dimming feature the most. It is great to go from max to moon and anywhere in-between.

I've given it some underwater illumination duties at parties, used it to time how long an object takes to reach the hard cement from the height of my arm (approx. 1.0 Klunk), and it still keeps ticking! I didn't know flashlights should tick...

I, too wish it had a real glass lens, or at least something harder than it has now. I keep it in my pocket face-down to avoid scratching the lens. This is how I learned to use the lockout feature. Keeps the pocket temps reasonable.

Mods - I super-glued a bit of foam from a new earplug to the knurled part of the tail cap parallel to where the switch fin is located, to provide better feel in the dark of the dim-mode index than the fin gives me.
However, this wore off rather quickly. I'll play with gluing other things there when I get inspiration (and my hands unstuck from the flashlight).

I want to find a way to run this flashlight with a Li-ion cell, as the AAA batteries just do not provide full power for very long. The Li-ion is in the right voltage range for the light it seems to me. The hard part will be dealing with the way the battery-holder connects with the tail cap and the head, I guess.
Has anyone tried this or another battery mod?

Ron A
EagleTac M2XC4, various Maglites incl. XL100, and a 98¢ (plus $10 shipping) UltraFire that has not caught on fire. Yet.

[Robin24k]

For Li-Ion, you'll need to use a 10440 and a wire to short the end across the other two bays. Don't know if capacity will improve though. The light will overdischarge the battery though, so you'll definately want to get a protected cell.

[ebow86]

I still don't understand why mag won't release these lights with glass lens already installed. I understand they are trying to keep cost down but this is 2010, shouldn't a glass lens be standard by now? It's a shame there is a bit of risk and difficulty removing the lens from the xl100, would be nice if it was as easy as swaping it in the 2AA.

[Robin24k]

I think it has to do with reliability, unless you have very thick glass, it will break easily if the light is dropped. If you follow the directions in my review thread of the light, it should be pretty easy to do.

[ebow86]

I think it has to do with reliability, unless you have very thick glass, it will break easily if the light is dropped. If you follow the directions in my review thread of the light, it should be pretty easy to do.

True but basically every other manufacturer has been using glass for quite some time. Surefire undoubtly makes the most rugged and reliable lights made and they have a glass lens so I don't see why mag can do the same. Thick borofloat or pyrex is stronger than you might think.

[Robin24k]

You're going to see a price increase for sure, and while we may not mind it at all, their target market, general consumers, might.