4 D Mag LED

[Rusty Joe]

My favorite baton light for work (and just about every other task) is the 4 D Mag LED. I don't know why this light isn't THE standard for all police departments for beat-cops. It is a excellent baton, very bright, focusable, consumes little power, and is durable.

I can't seem to find out how many lumens it has though. Does anyone happen to know the lumen output of the beam? It is quite formidable.

 

[Bunk3r]

I don't know why this light isn't THE standard for all police departments for beat-cops

here are my thoughts on why:

It is a excellent baton

but you can just use a baton as a baton, it works better.

, very bright,

it is bright, but not for its size.

focusable

yep

consumes little power

compared to an incan, yes, but it would consume half the power or be twice as bright if it used an SSC (or Cree) LED.

and is durable

it is indeed, but there are many smaller more practical lights with a similar level of durability.

Don't get me wrong maglites are good, but hopefully my answers will help you see why they are not the best, or "THE standard for all police departments for beat-cops" as you put it.

 

[warlord]

The only thing that impresses me about the Mag LED is the runtime. You get a 4D and you're talking about maybe 2 weeks of runtime. Although Bunk3r is right, you can get better brightness or runtime if you use a Cree or Seoul LED.

If I were a LEO I'd probably stick to something that wasn't bulky. It would need enough light to stun and run long enough to at least cover a shift. There are lots of lights that fit this description still weigh far less than a 4D mag. Even when combined with the weight of the light, mace, asp, etc.

Anyway if you're looking for the brightness of the 4D mag you can just look for reviews of the LED drop in modules. There is nothing different between a led drop in with a incan mag host and a 4D led mag. Also, you should know that with the mag LED's the only thing 4D vs. 3D gets you is extra runtime.

http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/maglite_mag-led.htm

 

[Double_A]

My favorite baton light for work (and just about every other task) is the 4 D Mag LED. I don't know why this light isn't THE standard for all police departments for beat-cops. It is a excellent baton, very bright, focusable, consumes little power, and is durable.

I can't seem to find out how many lumens it has though. Does anyone happen to know the lumen output of the beam? It is quite formidable.

IIRC about 50 Lumens for the incandescent, don't know for the LED.

A number of Police departments will not allow aluminum flashlights or they limit them to 3D size.

A few PD's will dicipline officers using a large flashlight as a baton. Cases have gone to court where the use of a large metal flashlight as a baton became a irritating issue when the Defense asked for proof of training as a baton.

The original incandescent Surefire 6P kicked butt compared to a 4D cell Incandescent Maglight.

Many find a 5-D cell size Maglight better size and swing than a 4-D. A few guys I know used to love them, until the department made them stop using them.

 

[qip]

magled is weak..you need a malkoff and bustacap then the 4d will be worthy :thumbsup: the malkoff 2-3 can do 4 cell

 

[Rossymeister]

+2 for the Malkoff.

Very bright,very reliable,and SUPERB customer service.

-Aaron

 

[LEDninja]

Flashlight reviews measured 59 lumens, 7000 lux, 83 M throw.

http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/maglite_mag-led.htm
http://www.flashlightreviews.com/features/lux.htm
http://www.flashlightreviews.com/features/lightbox_output.htm
http://www.flashlightreviews.com/features/output_vs_throw.htm#lumens

 

[LED-holic]

Police need and deserve the best. Therefore SureFire lights are far better for that line of work than any Maglite.

 

[Gunner12]

The Maglite can be quite a bit brighter with better drop-ins. Just swapping in the current gen LED(the Seoul P4 works best) for the Luxeon III and you'll get double the output.

It's around 60 lumen.

I think having a smaller light and a separate baton might be better, so you can see what you are hitting. The total weight might also be lighter, but then I don't know how much a baton weighs.

 

[qip]

yes its all true he can use a smaller light which would be better but he cant just throw it away and he likes the 4d size ..another cool add on to make a 4D worth its size "Baton handle attatchment"


ooh heres that proper bust a cap website that i noticed

so if you got the $$ that 4D could be pretty nice with the upgrades

 

[NA8]

+1 4D Maglite. The right flashlight for the job.

 

[Rusty Joe]

The reason I find the 4 D Meg LED the best light is because it's the best COMPROMISE, like I said. It's not the brightest, doesn't have the longest battery life, nor is it the easiest to carry or the cheapest, but it's the best compromise between features.

TOO MUCH light, like Surefire lights, tend to ruin your night vision. I've done security long enought to test them all, and I prefer the LED Mag over any myself. It doesn't need to be the brightest. And it has easily long enough battery life. But of course, it's not a 500,000 hour rated thingy either. Doesn't need to be.

It's bulky and not easy to carry, but it's better than a baton and requires one less step to use, and that weight is a BLESSING when you go to unload on someone. The trials where lights have been involved testify to how effective the Mag is as a baton, and I've had police officers tell me the same thing! But they use a baton because it's easier to get on the toolbelt. Plus, the baton is a weapon that requires training. A light is just a light! Defense attorneys don't like it, but hey...!

So again, everything about the light can be improved upon, but all-round, the deal is sealed. It's the best multifunctional light, imo. How can I get a 5 D? I don't they're for sale anymore are they?

And consider the price. Those ridiculously expensive Surefire lights you have to baby and take care of. But if I lose a Mag, it's not that expensive to replace!

 

[Gunner12]

If what you mean by baby is to be careful not to loose the light, then I agree.

You can get even more runtime if you can get a drop-in that uses a current gen LED driven t give the same output(it'll need less then half the current, so more the double the runtime).

I would bring something with an easy to use multimode, so I can have a high when needed, just in case(But you've probably already though of that).

 

[TORCH_BOY]

The only thing I don't like about the 4 D Mag LED is that it dims to almost half brightness after being on for more than 15 minutes, poor heat sinking

 

[Rusty Joe]

The only thing I don't like about the 4 D Mag LED is that it dims to almost half brightness after being on for more than 15 minutes, poor heat sinking

That cannot be true. I have never noticed that. I think it dims about 5%, not half brightness though. Don't all Mag leds have power regulation though? I know that incand. Mags lose half or more of their brightness after around 10 or more minutes.

 

[Rusty Joe]

If what you mean by baby is to be careful not to loose the light, then I agree.

You can get even more runtime if you can get a drop-in that uses a current gen LED driven t give the same output(it'll need less then half the current, so more the double the runtime).

I would bring something with an easy to use multimode, so I can have a high when needed, just in case(But you've probably already though of that).

Yes, I understand, but the point is, it's the best compromise as it is. Having a double switch high/low feature is fine, but that one more thing that can a) go wrong, and b) requires yet another split second to use. You want simplicity for emergency use' sake, imo.

 

[Gunner12]

I understand your point, that's why I try to have 2 lights with me .

What I was talking about is something light the TK10, tighten for high or loosen for low, so even if the light is crushed so much that you can't twist the light for the other mode, it will still produce light (presuming nothing important is broken).

Check runtime graphs here, they do drop quite a bit in output. Our eyes adjust, so the difference might would not seem as big.

 

[Rusty Joe]

Check runtime graphs here, they do drop quite a bit in output. Our eyes adjust, so the difference might would not seem as big.

Yeah, I'd seen that before, but mine has been used nightly for 6 months now and I haven't noticed any significant dimming. The throw of the thing is pretty darn good. It easily matches my Surefire G2, though the type of light is different.

I wonder how come the 3 D LED puts out more light? How's that possible?

 

[NA8]

How does that old song go ? it takes how many times the lumens to get twice the brightness ?

I've run the MagLED at a wall for about 45 minutes to see the famous drop in brightness. It dims, but it's not much to the eyeball. You can notice the difference though by letting it cool down and then seeing it again at full brightness. Actually it's perfect for most people. You get max brightness for about five or ten minutes and then it dims down and runs for about 44 hours with ruler flat regulation (4D) and it's ALWAYS brighter than a krypton bulb.

 

[darknessemitter]

yes its all true he can use a smaller light which would be better but he cant just throw it away and he likes the 4d size ..another cool add on to make a 4D worth its size "Baton handle attatchment"


ooh heres that proper bust a cap website that i noticed

so if you got the $$ that 4D could be pretty nice with the upgrades

I'm no expert on batons, but it just seems like a D-cell Mag wouldn't be balanced correctly to used as a baton with a handle like that. However, it does look like it might work nicely as an alternate handle when using it as a flashlight. And I suppose it could at least make it more practical for blocking a suprise attack if you already happen to have the light out, but again, I don't know much about the proper use of batons....