Maglite 6D battery question

Hi Guys
I have a Maglite 6D with a Terralux TLE-6EX drop in bulb that does the job that i need it to do. I want to put rechargeable batteries in it. My question is will i loose any brightness if i use NiMH batteries as they are only 1.2V compared to the alkaline which are 1.5.

I currently use 6 x D alkalines which total 9V
If i use 6 x D NiMH the voltage will only be 7.2V

what are my options??

I tried using AA to D adapters but found them to be very unreliable and i struggled to get the contacts to connect more ofthen than not so that idea has gone out the window

Thanks in advance for your input suggestions

no, you wont loose brightness, tle 6ex made for 4-6 cells, 6-9v, 7,2v is within the range.

phoenix01 said:

I tried using AA to D adapters but found them to be very unreliable and i struggled to get the contacts to connect more ofthen than not so that idea has gone out the window

Click to expand...

Want to use your stack of NiMH AAs without shelling out for Ds? You'll get less power in the light, but it'll be fairly lightweight this way:


6 AAs is 300mm long and 14mm diameter.
6 D cells is 370mm long and 33mm diameter.

Sounds to me like you need 6 AAs, a 70mm of 1/2 inch threaded rod for a AA-size spacer, and a few sheets of paper wrapped into a tube to make a spacer. Finish it off with a quarter (Or other metal disk) so the back AA won't slide through the center of the spring. That's how I run 18650s in my D mags, and that's nearly the same problem.

Decent AAs are 2 amp-hours at about $1.50 each. Decent D cells are 8-9 amp-hours at about $6 each. Consider the tradeoffs and go for what's best.