FIx/Upgrade a sentimental AA mini maglite

[stepdads]

Hi, I found my wife's dad's old AA mini maglite. It was one of his few personal items that she now has and he has his name hand etched on the side.
He passed away recently and I'd like to fix it up and make it something she can use and enjoy.

It is standard black and the etching is on the body of the handle. So that's really the only part that definitely has to stay intact.

Price is pretty flexible. I would be willing to spend up to say a hundred bucks all in.

I was originally going to do a TerraLUX MiniStar2 upgrade, but they don't sell them any more. I then found this forum and got a little overwhelmed by the options!

The end goal is a nice, usable, day to day flashlight that will touch my wife's heart.

I'm willing to do some soldering, but nothing more complicated than that.

Thanks for pointing me in the right direction!

 

[xxo]

I don't know about all of the LED upgrades available, but Nite-Ize makes one that works well - only about 30 lumens, but still a good bit brighter than the old krypton bulbs. This usually comes with a cheap push button tail switch, which I would not recommend bothering with.

For batteries, you never want to use alkalines - they will leak eventually and will likely damage the light. Get some enegizer ultimate lithiums, they will last longer and they won't leak. If you prefer rechargeables, get some Japanese eneloops or fujitsu NiMH's and a smart charger such as the panasonic BQ cc-17.

 

[hsa]

Just to add, the Nite-Ize upgrades are available at Leowes and Home Depot for about ten bucks. Mine has worked for years including the tail switch.

 

[Icarus]

I modified several Mini Maglites. Take a look here. There's a link in the first post the some other mods as well.

 

[bykfixer]

Welcome to the site. Sorry about your pa-n-law but kudos for the rehab of a keepsake.
Like others mentioned the NiteIze module aint bad. Below is a how to vid.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2denWzWMK0
Pretty simple once you know how.
You may have to buy the NiteIze module online as many brick and mortar stores sold out and never restocked them.

Now if you ever change your mind and want to go back to the light bulb, my favorite Maglite parts store zbattery. com sells xenon bulbs for the minimag. Another upgrade they sell is a glass lens that will let more light pass through and is more scratch resistant than the stock one. You can get new o'rings etc there as well and if the stock switch gives you grief they have those too. You can easily find a how to for swapping out a switch if need be.

And like others said, put some ultimate lithiums in the light. Not all alkalines leak, but enough do to warrant not taking the chance with your heirloom flashlight.

Enjoy.