Maglite 2D bright mod?

[user1016]

In recent times, my younger brother has bought his first car. Naturally I wanted to give him a good torch to stick inside it. We picked up two of those $5 AAA Tomcats available from K-Mart (Australia only as far as I know) as my dad relies on one, however, after using one for a few months myself, I found that the reliability dropped and eventually the blasted thing never turned on properly. We switched to the AA tomcat model which is bloody bright.

I bought my brother a Maglite 2D with an LED in it. I figured it would still be reasonably bright, however to my surprise, the AA cell Tomcat puts out a brighter beam. If anything I was surprised (and a little disappointed) at how dim the Maglite 2D with an LED seemed, especially considering a cheap asian-made torch on AAs could put out a brighter beam (I will get some beamshots tonight). Even the throw on focus for the 2D doesn't extend beyond about 25 yards. I'm glad I didn't spend $60 on a Maglite 2D from king of knives, but rather $20 from overseas.

Is there any good drop-in mods I could put into the 2D that give a good brightness and runtime? I picked a 2D for my brother as he didn't want a 4D or anything "too big". I was looking at this:

http://www.lighthound.com/Terralux-...3-cell-C-or-D-Maglite-Flashlights_p_2144.html

Says it puts out 140 lumens (as opposed to say, the standard 30-50 lumens that a Mag 2D LED puts out right?). So it looks like an interesting choice.

 

[looky]

Get a Malkoff drop in module and you'll like the results. I have one for my Mag 3D light and really enjoy it. There is sometimes a wait for the modules as they are frequently sold out. Look at this website: http://www.malkoffdevices.com/shop/.

 

[LEDninja]

Which version of the MagLED do you have?
With the older 3W version you can change the bulb easily. (you can identify this version by the spare incandescent bulb in the tailcap)
With the newer REBEL version you can not.

The 50 lumens of the MagLED dropping to 30 lumens after 10-15 minutes is out the front.
The 140 lumens of the Terralux is at the LED for a 3 cell Mag.
With 2 cells expect a bit less maybe 100-120 LED lumens.
The efficiency of the Mag optics is very poor allowing only 65% of the light out. So you are probably down to 70-80 OTF lumens.
BTW the Terralux also drops to 1/2 output after 10-15 minutes.

I keep thinking of getting the Terralux for my 2C MagLED but have not pulled the trigger. By the time I add up international shipping ($20), tax (13%), brokerage fees ($5) I can not justify the cost.

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The Malkoff at 260 OTF lumens for a 3 cell (maybe 200 lumens for a 2 cell) is significantly brighter than the stock MagLED. The Malkoff is also heatsinked to the body meaning no brightness dropoff after 10-15 minutes.
Unfortunately:
There is always a wait for the modules as they are always sold out.
Malkoff ships international orders by courier (2X shipping, 4X customs brokerage compared to USPS)

Get a Malkoff drop in module and you'll like the results. I have one for my Mag 3D light and really enjoy it. There is sometimes a wait for the modules as they are frequently sold out. Look at this website: http://www.malkoffdevices.com/shop/.

BTW the Terralux is sold out at both Lighthound and Battery Junction. LED Replacement is charging $32 but will ship USPS so total cost is the same.