Maglite 3D mod to Mag85 (Newbie)

Yello there (Thread directed more at manufacturers/builders/suppliers),

I'm a 3 hour old fan of CPF and amazed about the flashlight mods done!

Please help me with my stupid questions or put me in contact with someone that can answer them.

1. I have a LED mag, am I fixed to LED mods only? Are there any good/great LED mods available?
2. What is the way to go...LED or incandescent mods?
3. I'd like a good, not oh my eyes i can't see performance with decent runtime (45 - 60 min) modification.
4. What is the most hassle free solution in terms of batteries? The stacking of 9 AA's or 3 cells?
5. I'm from South Africa...Do any suppliers/manufacturers ship/post to South Africa?

I'm a decent DIY guy so if parts can be shipped to me I reckon i would be able to put it all together no hassles.

Thanks for a great forum.

Johan

Manufacturers, builders and suppliers won't be reading this thread.

So, you have a few options. You can get a variety of upgrades from companies such as Terralux who distribute their mechandise through a variety of retailers. Have a look at Battery Junction.

Malkoff also make a top notch upgrade, but good luck getting one. They are only sold via their website and usually sell out in less than a day once posted. Last time it was less than 6 hours, so I missed out, AGAIN!!

There are also a few modules and drop-ins you can purchase from Chinese manufacturers, see DX and KD. These work, but are not a pinch on the stuff made in the USA. Some of these will need modifying to get them to fit, but they work well for the price.

You can also do your own build, but this requires a bit of know-how and time.

Use the CPF search function next time you have 20 hours to spare and you'll find a lot about mag mods.

Here's a good thread to start with:

https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/193434

As for a "Mag85", that refers to a very specific modification - using your Maglite + a Welch-Allyn WA1185 incandescent bulb + 9AAs/3xLiIon for about 1000 lumens. (You can use 3x LiMn 26650 cells from batteryspace for LiIons)

You'd need to replace the lens and reflector in either case (with a glass lens and metal reflector), and you'd need a bi-pin adapter (either FiveMega's G4 socket or Kiu socket)

It's a great and well known incan mod, bright and throws far.

I'd write more but I gotta run. Someone else should be able to answer your questions, hopefully.