LED lights compared to MAG lights?

[Gomer]

Ok, I have played with Luxon in a few projects, but ashamed to say that I have NEVER had my hands on a high powered LED flashlight. I do have a 5mm LED flashlight that must have cost $0.10 to make though

I was looking at some of the CR123A Fenix lights and wondered, how do these or other Cree compare to Mag lights? I have a 2xAA and a 3xD battery mags for reference.

Any beamshots/info etc before I spend some cash?

I mainly use flashlights when I go camping for both getting around at night and also reading a book in the tent.

many thanks for any advice etc

 

[Badbeams3]

No beamshot...no camera...but I do have a 3 D led Mag and a L1D. The Mag can be focused tight...and way outthrows the L1D. The spill is wider on the Mag too...but I don`t think its as bright (spill)...close. I imagine the spill brightnes would definantly be brighter than the Mag with 3 volts.

A multi level light sounds like your ticket for camping, reading in the tent.

 

[FASTCAR]

We have lights the size of a thumb 5-10x brighter and more overall light then most mags

 

[TORCH_BOY]

You will like the newer Led lights, I have both the M@GLed 2AA and 3AA lights
thy are a great improvement over the incandescent lights.You can also get Led dropin
modules for the M@G, Terralux make a Luxeon K-2 version for the3-5 Cell M@G its
much more efficient and brighter than the stock Bulb

 

[HarveyRich]

Since it's early in this thread, I'll put in my .02, which has been all over the Board anyway. I have both the Magled 2AA and 3AA which was in my earliest forays into the LED world (about 9 months ago). I still like them. The beam from the 3AA version does throw a nice amount and is nicely focused; it can be made more floody as well if you like. However, recently I've acquired a Fenix L2D-CE. This is a two AA battery flashlight and is about the same size at the Maglight 2AA, that is smaller than the MagLED 2AA, which itself is less bright than the 3AA Maglight. Granted, this light is more than twice as expensive as the Maglights ($55 at the Fenix-Store), but has 135 lumens output on turbo mode and 80 on high. The Mags have been reviewed at 34 and 51 lumens. The L2D-CE also has a low, medium, strobe and SOS mode. You may not need all those modes, but this is a very well crafted light which is highly versatile. It has a considerably longer run time on medium--a mode which is just as bright as the 2AA MagLED. This is a much better, more powerful and versatile light than the Mags.

 

[GeorgePaul]

Any beamshots/info etc before I spend some cash?

Take a look at http://www.flashlightreviews.com/. Lots of beamshots and useful information there. Also, http://www.ledmuseum.org/.

 

[LEDninja]

Get the maglight 3 cell LED upgrade mpdule for your 3D mag.
http://lighthound.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=1898
http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/maglite_mag-led.htm

 

[byron8]

Yup, pay $18 and you will be surprised that you got a brand new 3D cell 3W LED Mag. I bought mine at Home Depot and very impressed with my mag 3D now.

 

[EngrPaul]

Comparing Seoul/Cree to stock incandescent...

Spot

Flood

 

[cratz2]

Hrmm... Well, I've all but abandoned stock Mag lights so I don't have many beam cmparisons.

I think the big consideration will be whether you mostly use your light at distances of more than 20 feet or less than 20 feet. For all its faults, a 3D or 4D Mag throws impressively well. There are a few speciality LED lights that can get in the neighborhood, but most Fenix-type lights just can't get anywhere NEAR that type of throw. But where the Fenix lights shine, pardon the pun, is from 1 foot to maybe 30 feet or so. If you compare a 3D Mag focused down to the thightest hotspot vs a Fenix at, say 15 feet, the hotspot of the Fenix covers a much larger area. For work like this, there is very little doubt... the Fenix is a more usable light.

On the other hand, for taking a light to check on something in the modest-sized backyard (ours is about 100 feet deep), either will light up eyes from a raccoon or possum or cat. But the 3D Mag will much more clearly show what animal it actually is.

And if you live in a rural area where possibly you have a barn 200 or 300 feet from your home, the Fenix will not be in its element at those distances.

What is excellent at those distances is a decent LED in a 3D Maglite. I don't own any of the Mag-brand LED lights, butI have several modified Mags and I'd expect them to be in the same ballpark and in fact, I'd prefer a Mag with an LED vs a Mag with a krypton or Xenon bulb.

Here are a couple beamshots that might help show the differences. Obviously something like the P1D-CE will be about 2.5 to 3 times as bright as the Fenix, but as far as type of beam, they will be roughly similar.

Mag 3D with a Xenon bulb at 52 feet:

Fenix L1P:

Modified LED (UX1L at 937mA):

 

[cratz2]

And as far as comparing the 2xAA Minimag to a Fenix, I don't actually have any beam shots of a stock Minimag, but here's something close:

This one compares a Minimag to an Inova X0. Again, the Fenix light will be considerably even more impressive, but this is just to whet your appetite.

Minimag at 15 feet:

Inova X0:

 

[cratz2]

And a last pair of shots. This is at about 17 feet. This compares a UK 2xAAA light (which is definately superior to a 2xAA Maglite) to a Fenix L1P and then to a

UK 2xAAA Light:

Fenix L1P:

A Fenix P1D-CE would look closer to this:

 

[redskins38]

You might want to look at some of the surefire led lights if your willing to spend the money as well. Maybe the L1 or E1L both are great lights.

Stock mags are not that great compared to most lights. They have a good build too them but there beam is not that great. Remember as well you are comparing LEDs and incandescents as well. Fenix is a great choice i dont have any experience yet with Crees but i know they have good lights. Go to flashlightreviews.com like Georgepaul said. Find the lights you are interested in and compare the outputs. That should give you a good idea. There is also the beam shots on the site as well. Thats my two cents anyway

 

[cratz2]

Also, once you upgrade to a Fenix or whatever light, one thing you can try to get some more brightness out of the 3D light, is to cram (and you will need to CRAM) 4 C cells in place of the 3 D cells. Put in a new Krypton bulb (NOT Xenon) and that should be about two to three times as bright as the 3 cell bulb on 3 cells. The bulb will be a bit more delicate and a moderate bump while turned on might blow it. Still, for only $2, a VERY impressive upgrade and fully reversible.

 

[Gomer]

Thanks to all. I am sold :-D