ACE isn't the place, to shop for MAGLITES.

[letschat7]

@ sol man that is a well thought out post.

 

[scalpel_ninja]

…Lack of change is definitely a hallmark of Mag as a company as well...

Last time I went to purchase items in person at the mothership (about a year ago), the order was written down by hand on a carbon copy, perforated checkbook pad. The type with three to a page and spiral bound. My receipt was the yellow layer.

 

[bykfixer]

I suspect / speculate that this is a very, very small % of the total flashlight market. I think our perspective tends to distort the reality somewhat. JMO. I have no numbers, but I also imagine those numbers would prove difficult to determne.

Agreed. My last 4D incan was 2019 made and the SN 74million +. That's just that one model.

 

[alpg88]

They are available pretty much all over the world, most countries i visited, I have seen them, in fishing/hunting stores

 

[IMA SOL MAN]

They are available pretty much all over the world, most countries i visited, I have seen them, in fishing/hunting stores

Where and when, please?

 

[Monocrom]

As a flashaholic, I sometimes feel like a salesman for Maglite. When people ask my opinion, I say it's easy. Just go get a Maglite. It uses common easy to get batteries and puts out good light and has good runtime. The average person doesn't want to deal with rechargeable batteries, greasing O-rings and fretting over which light to carry, and how many spares to carry with it.

Have you seen the cost of batteries nowadays?
Heck, back in the early 2000s when he was still alive, my father bought a bunch of Duracell rechargeable batteries and a charger. Last person I ever expected to embrace such technology. If anything, over 20 years later, it's gotten worse. Almost everyone I know, non-flashaholics, have started using rechargeables in as many devices as they have that take AA and AAA cells.

Button/Coin cell primaries are even worse when it comes to pricing. A neighbor complained to me that his Diabetic testing meter died. He was able to easily access the CR2032 battery it takes. But when he went to buy a new one.... Talk about Sticker Shock! Yeah, they're cheaper online. But at the local pharmacy, one will run you close to $15.oo (ridiculous). Being elderly, and not the sort who buys items online, I told him to call his doctor so he could have his insurance company pay for a new meter. Cost to him? Nothing.

 

[letschat7]

Since batteries are so expensive they pretty much have to be made in Japan, USA, Switzerland, Belgium, etc. for me to pay what they cost. With getting rechargables I hardly ever use disposables nowadays.

Maglites are for sale all over Europe. I frequent online shops every other week and I see all kinds of Mags for sale. Nebo and Coast are there too ruining our national flashlight reputation. Might as well buy Lenser, Varta, or Ansmann and save your money then get American junk.

 

[Monocrom]

Since batteries are so expensive they pretty much have to be made in Japan, USA, Switzerland, Belgium, etc. for me to pay what they cost. With getting rechargables I hardly ever use disposables nowadays.

I look at it this way.... SureFire has put out their own branded RCR123 batteries and their own branded charger for those batteries. The fact that SureFire is acknowledging that it's time, speaks volumes!

 

[letschat7]

I think they made rechargable lights in the 1980s. If not definately in the 90s.

 

[Monocrom]

I think they made rechargable lights in the 1980s. If not definately in the 90s.

Yes, but only a handful of dedicated models. Most of the SF line-up was CR123 primaries based only. And SF actively discouraged using rechargeables in those lights.

 

[swampgator]

Button/Coin cell primaries are even worse when it comes to pricing. A neighbor complained to me that his Diabetic testing meter died. He was able to easily access the CR2032 battery it takes. But when he went to buy a new one.... Talk about Sticker Shock! Yeah, they're cheaper online. But at the local pharmacy, one will run you close to $15.oo (ridiculous). Being elderly, and not the sort who buys items online, I told him to call his doctor so he could have his insurance company pay for a new meter. Cost to him? Nothing.

Harbor Freight sells a set of coin batteries on a large card.
I think it's like $6-8. Anyway it comes with 8 or 10 2032s and a few 2016s and 2025s.
Essentially all the batteries I need at Casa De Redneck for my red dot scopes and various key fobs.
I do end up with a ton of button cells in have no use for but the cost savings of buying them versus a two pack of Energizer or Duracell 2032s at Walmart is worth it.

 

[Monocrom]

Harbor Freight sells a set of coin batteries on a large card.
I think it's like $6-8. Anyway it comes with 8 or 10 2032s and a few 2016s and 2025s.
Essentially all the batteries I need at Casa De Redneck for my red dot scopes and various key fobs.
I do end up with a ton of button cells in have no use for but the cost savings of buying them versus a two pack of Energizer or Duracell 2032s at Walmart is worth it.

Unfortunately no Harbor Freight remotely near me or my neighbors. I know, I got in my car near the start of the year and was hunting for one. I could spit and easily hit a Home Depot. Using Harbor Freight's website, I took off. No luck! H.F. needs to seriously update their website's list of locations. Thought I nailed one! Turned into the massive shopping center parking lot, drove around a corner of the lot.... straight towards the giant orange Home Depot sign.
That was the 4th location on H.F.'s website in mine and the neighboring city. Gave up after that.

 

[bykfixer]

Unfortunately no Harbor Freight remotely near me or my neighbors. I know, I got in my car near the start of the year and was hunting for one. I could spit and easily hit a Home Depot. Using Harbor Freight's website, I took off. No luck! H.F. needs to seriously update their website's list of locations. Thought I nailed one! Turned into the massive shopping center parking lot, drove around a corner of the lot.... straight towards the giant orange Home Depot sign.
That was the 4th location on H.F.'s website in mine and the neighboring city. Gave up after that.

I was looking for a metal detector for work and all the box stores did not carry them but e-searches said Harbor Frieght did....for less than $70 too. So I looked up my local store for the hours and the web site said that store had been closed. I called the number at the site and hear "Harbor Freight can I help you?" I said "yes mam, your web site says this store is closed". She replied "no sir we're open until 8pm today, X to X Monday thru Saturday and X to X on Sunday". I then asked "do you have the BR549 metal detector your website shows?" She said "please hold", comes back shortly and says "sir we have 6 in stock".

Ace was the first place I tried. They said "metal detectors? You mean for finding coins and such?" I said "just metal, I'm looking for a steel rod driven into the ground". He replied "no but have you tried Radio Shack?" The local Radio Shack closed 5 years ago.

 

[swampgator]

Unfortunately no Harbor Freight remotely near me or my neighbors. I know, I got in my car near the start of the year and was hunting for one. I could spit and easily hit a Home Depot. Using Harbor Freight's website, I took off. No luck! H.F. needs to seriously update their website's list of locations. Thought I nailed one! Turned into the massive shopping center parking lot, drove around a corner of the lot.... straight towards the giant orange Home Depot sign.
That was the 4th location on H.F.'s website in mine and the neighboring city. Gave up after that.

Sorry to hear that.
I've got at least 4 within an hour of my house.
But I agree they definitely need to upgrade their website.
I've never understood how major retailers can have such crappy websites.

 

[Monocrom]

I was looking for a metal detector for work and all the box stores did not carry them but e-searches said Harbor Frieght did....for less than $70 too. So I looked up my local store for the hours and the web site said that store had been closed. I called the number at the site and hear "Harbor Freight can I help you?" I said "yes mam, your web site says this store is closed". She replied "no sir we're open until 8pm today, X to X Monday thru Saturday and X to X on Sunday". I then asked "do you have the BR549 metal detector your website shows?" She said "please hold", comes back shortly and says "sir we have 6 in stock".

Ace was the first place I tried. They said "metal detectors? You mean for finding coins and such?" I said "just metal, I'm looking for a steel rod driven into the ground". He replied "no but have you tried Radio Shack?" The local Radio Shack closed 5 years ago.

Guess if I want a metal detector, I'm ordering it from Harbor Freight.... online.

 

[letschat7]

I got an American made metal detector at Wamart.

 

[bykfixer]

Guess if I want a metal detector, I'm ordering it from Harbor Freight.... online.

You get what you pay for but it found the steel rod I was looking for, and a miller lite bottle cap, and a chunk of a can shredded by a lawn tractor, and some other junk. We were looking for a metal pin that is a control point for surveying a road way to confirm a concrete island was built in the correct location. The contractor's satelite technology said it was but we were confirming using the much more acurate Lewis and Clark method. Turns out the satelite was off by 2".