I love the new Mini-Mag LED

[nick__45]

It has very usual strobe and SOS along with a Low and High Mode. For hiking, the low mode is perfect to preserve night vision while providing a extremely wide flood area. The SOS mode is super bright and accurate. I am definitely going to keep this puppy until Maglite decides to come up with a 6Watt LED version. I just retired the regular Mini 2 nights ago. The puppy served me 12 years, 4 of which it was my campus security guard duty light. that was used for several hours each night walking students back to their dorms from the library. I am going to use the new Mini for hiking now. Considering the package deal, I think this light comes out to be $10. I would love to have the large Maglite to have SOS but I don't think it does. I just discovered the Mini has multi mode while playing with it on my hike tonight.

Thank you Maglite for continuing making great lights at very affordable price.

 

[KD5XB]

I would love to have the large Maglite to have SOS but I don't think it does.

Interesting statement -- if someone flashed out an SOS to you, would you recognize it? How many people do you know that would?

And could you reply in Morse "I WILL BE RIGHT THERE 7 3 SK" ?

 

[bansuri]

Interesting statement -- if someone flashed out an SOS to you, would you recognize it? How many people do you know that would?

And could you reply in Morse "I WILL BE RIGHT THERE 7 3 SK" ?

So only someone who Is fluent in Morse Code can read and understand SOS?
Your logic is flawed.
Morse code is no longer a standard but SOS will remain a standard distress signal.
Even my children know what SOS means, they teach it in public school.
As for the inclusion of SOS patterns in flashlights, I think it's a great idea but appreciate it when manufacturers keep it off the main group.

 

[CGD08]

Hi again Nick! :wave:

Interesting statement -- if someone flashed out an SOS to you, would you recognize it? How many people do you know that would?

Yeah I'm sure the it'd be your luck; the person you flash the SOS at is a complete idiot who asks: "That's so annoying, why is he flashing that light at me?" Some people can be really stupid.

And could you reply in Morse "I WILL BE RIGHT THERE 7 3 SK" ?

Sure here you go:

.. / .-- .. .-.. .-.. / -... . / .-. .. --. .... - / - .... . .-. . / --... / ...-- / ... -.-


Reminds me of PT109. "They were expendable". RIP JFK.

Even my children know what SOS means, they teach it in public school.

They were? Great, cause not many schools do. I was never told or taught SOS in school. I learned it myself, and then with my dad.

 

[ninjaboigt]

Well...i dont know the morse code alphabet, but since i have a fenix i now know what the morse code for SOS is..

heres a question for you all..

If you were hiking, broke ur leg and cant move, would the people looking for you most likely know what the SOS singal would be? or if the S and R team asked some other hikers " did u see any flashing lights or hear any rythmic noises?" the hikers could atleast say yes and point them in the right direction if they ddint know what the sequnce of lights ment.

what if u were boating, and lost at sea, and had ur SOS light going off. do you believe the other sailors would know what the light ment?

What if u were skiing..and the search and rescue saw the SOS light...

i must agree that probably alot of the world's population wont know what SOS means..but i believe its better to have SOS on a light when ur out in the wilderness or on a boat. etc etc. ur chances of survival just increased...

 

[KD5XB]

The REAL problem is that most of these flashlights don't send the proper prosign, they flash out separate letters for S O S

Properly done, the three characters are all run together with no spacing between the letters, and the three dahs in the middle are drawn out much longer than normal at whatever speed you're sending at.

CQD is no longer used, BTW, but the silent periods are, at least on 2182 khz USB. 500 khz CW is "out of business", you might say, as are most of the former Radio Officers who knew how to operate there.

QRT QRT QRT SP SP...

 

[bansuri]

Earl, if you think S O S is bad I've got a cheapie that puts out
S O S O S O S O

At some point ANY flashing light is better than nothing but I'd rather have LOL than S O S O S O.

 

[Dude Dudeson]

I'd have to agree with the notion that any search and rescue personnel would recognize even a botched SOS signal for what it was.

Heck, if they're actually out there looking for someone even a straight beam would be investigated.

"Regular" people though, I doubt many would take any special notice of such a thing unless they were already aware someone was missing in the area.

 

[f22shift]

yeah. looks like they did a good job with the update. a definite recommend for someone looking for a small carry dept store bought flashlight.

i wish more companies would play with the idea a focusable beam.

 

[Dude Dudeson]

yeah. looks like they did a good job with the update. a definite recommend for someone looking for a small carry dept store bought flashlight.

i wish more companies would play with the idea a focusable beam.

I don't, I think the concept is heavily overrated.

I used Maglites for decades, extensively, in all kinds of conditions, outdoor and indoor.

I was always setting them for the most perfect balance of throw and flood I could get - yet that was still a compromise of either. It was VERY seldom I'd actually adjust the light once I'd found the sweet spot.

A modern non focusable light achieves a far better amount of both throw and flood simultaneously than any focusable thing I've seen of similar power.

Of course there may be focusing methods out there that do the job way better than the Maglite method...

 

[CGD08]

Well...i dont know the morse code alphabet, but since i have a fenix i now know what the morse code for SOS is..

heres a question for you all..

If you were hiking, broke ur leg and cant move, would the people looking for you most likely know what the SOS singal would be? or if the S and R team asked some other hikers " did u see any flashing lights or hear any rythmic noises?" the hikers could atleast say yes and point them in the right direction if they ddint know what the sequnce of lights ment.

what if u were boating, and lost at sea, and had ur SOS light going off. do you believe the other sailors would know what the light ment?

What if u were skiing..and the search and rescue saw the SOS light...

i must agree that probably alot of the world's population wont know what SOS means..but i believe its better to have SOS on a light when ur out in the wilderness or on a boat. etc etc. ur chances of survival just increased...

SOS is supposed to be the universal call sign for help. idk.

The REAL problem is that most of these flashlights don't send the proper prosign, they flash out separate letters for S O S

Properly done, the three characters are all run together with no spacing between the letters, and the three dahs in the middle are drawn out much longer than normal at whatever speed you're sending at.

CQD is no longer used, BTW, but the silent periods are, at least on 2182 khz USB. 500 khz CW is "out of business", you might say, as are most of the former Radio Officers who knew how to operate there.

QRT QRT QRT SP SP...

So what most flashlights with SOS are actually spitting out:

... / --- / ...

instead of

...---...

Interesting stuff. You know a lot about SOS lol :thumbsup:

A modern non focusable light achieves a far better amount of both throw and flood simultaneously than any focusable thing I've seen of similar power.

Interesting... I've seen several flood-to-throw lights on DX, and still not a perfect one. Although Romisen recently made one in warm.

yeah. looks like they did a good job with the update. a definite recommend for someone looking for a small carry dept store bought flashlight.

i wish more companies would play with the idea a focusable beam.

I have my dad's old blue Mini-mag incandescent. In the LED one, which LED are they using? In-house Maglite LEDs?

Earl, if you think S O S is bad I've got a cheapie that puts out
S O S O S O S O

At some point ANY flashing light is better than nothing but I'd rather have LOL than S O S O S O.

ROFLMAO

 

[f22shift]

I don't, I think the concept is heavily overrated.

I used Maglites for decades, extensively, in all kinds of conditions, outdoor and indoor.

I was always setting them for the most perfect balance of throw and flood I could get - yet that was still a compromise of either. It was VERY seldom I'd actually adjust the light once I'd found the sweet spot.

A modern non focusable light achieves a far better amount of both throw and flood simultaneously than any focusable thing I've seen of similar power.

Of course there may be focusing methods out there that do the job way better than the Maglite method...

i think led lenser does an okay job with the focusing.

say for example you have 2 lights that both do the same lumens in the center hotspot. then you try to focus for throw on a long distant object. because one has spill the farther object will be harder to distinguish with the area around the flashlight holder being lit also.

i'm thinking more fine tuning to fit the necessary task just like multiple output modes. or you can looking at it being more efficient concentrating the light to where it's needed.

of course one more moveable part means something else to break and another water entry point.

i would like to see an aspherical small carry light. for an even flood and focusable to a center point.