Maglite XL200

[Robin24k]

The light was first previewed at SHOT 2011 (there's a thread about it in CPFMP), and it combines the XL100's modes with the XL50's click sequence. Accelerometer is still used for brightness/strobe adjustment. The stored brightness setting applies to all modes, including Nite Lite (XL100's Nite Lite always returns to 100%).

​

Here's the link to my review: Maglite XL200 Review on LED-Resource.

Probably the highest performance 3AAA light so far...performance is comparable to many rechargeable flashlights, including the Streamlight Strion LED and Pelican 7060.

• 172 ANSI lumens
• Cree XP-G LED
• 890mA (tailcap, NiMH)
• 1h runtime on NiMH before dimming
• Beam is smooth with good spill, more flood than throw

MSRP is $59.99. The XL200 is targeted at the sporting goods market and won't be replacing the XL100, so it won't be sold at Home Depot or Target. Bass Pro, Zbattery, and Amazon will be starting to sell it within a couple weeks.

I have found my next EDC light. :thumbsup:

Runtime Test

Interesting to note is that after 12 minutes of runtime, the XL200 reduces output to 50%.

If the XL200 is operated with an 80% duty cycle (12 minutes on, 3 minutes off), maximum output is maintained for a shorter amount of time.

 

[WriteAway]

Sounds like a solid improvement in performance over my XL50. Now if they could only get the accessories geared up for the XL line! It will be on my to-get list...

 

[StandardBattery]

Interesting light, sounds like a good move. I still see some issues. Once locked out, it appears the flashlight is dead, so if the person that picks it up is not familar with the light they might get very frustrated. On the XL-100 even opening up the light will not disable the lock out; it's easy to forget that it has been enabled when you have a lot of lights. A better lockout system would atleast do a short duration flash to indicate it is locked out. I'm not sure what the best answer to this issue is yet, but I'm not a big fan of the electronic lockout. A better lockout that removes the parasidic drain is to loosen the tail-cap, but you have to turn it quite loose which may be problematic depending on how the light is being stowed.

I'll be interested if the light uses a little more radius to go from low-to-high. it was a bit too tight on the XL-100 I found.

The review is a good summary but a little too enthusiastic. This light hardly "rivals" the current CR123A lights, and contrary to the statement "with a stunning 172 lumens of output", the output is decent, and very decent for 3xAAA, but no longer stunning when it comes to pocket flashlights. A ZebraLight SC600 is 'stunning'.

The "with memory" statements in the summary "Pros" column should be in a "subjective" column, to me the memory is a definite "Con". The Plastic window should also be in the summary as subjective, leaning towards a Con. It's not clear if the max 172 lumens is an ANSI measurement, or something else. The lifetime warranty is interesting, as they won't even be making these LEDs in a few years, so I'm guessing it will amount to a refund or replacement with what ever is current.

It still does not seem like a good EDC for a flashaholic, but it will probbaly help get more powerful lights into the hands of the average consumer.

 

[Csp203]

Any word on the min-mag with the xp-g?

Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk

 

[Robin24k]

It's not clear if the max 172 lumens is an ANSI measurement, or something else.

It's ANSI FL-1, Maglite sends their lights to a third party lab for testing.

 

[Derek Dean]

Thanks for the thoughtful review, Robin. I still have the 3 D cell Maglite my brother gave me in 1979. It's not all that bright, but it still works perfectly and seems to run forever on a set of batteries, and let me tell you...... that light has been severely abused, not on purpose, but just through the course of being an around-the-house and in-the-car light for 30+ years.

Even though I've never been a fan of the 3xAAA format, I'm happy to see Maglite putting some interesting new products out there. I hope these are good sellers for them, and I'll be interested to see if these new additions can live up to the Maglite reputation for extreme reliability.

By the way, that's a very nice website 🙂.

 

[ebow86]

Adding the blinking modes was unnecessary and only adds confusion to non flashaholics and annoyance to those who find the modes worthless.

 

[Robin24k]

The blinking modes don't really get in the way because the light stays constant on until you stop clicking. If you don't use signal or SOS, you won't need to click more than three times.

 

[ScaryFatKidGT]

Like I said in another thread I'd rather have a 172 lumen XL50 with 3 modes of brightness and hold for strobe

 

[WoodMan]

Adding the blinking modes was unnecessary and only adds confusion to non flashaholics and annoyance to those who find the modes worthless.

A constant, and in my mind unwarranted, criticism of the XL100 was that the blinking modes were too difficult to access. With the XL200 the criticism seems to be that the blinking modes are too accessible. Seems like a manufacturer can't win around here!

 

[ringzero]

Thanks for another nice review, Robin24k.

Very interesting light with an amazing UI. A little too big for EDC for me, but I'll probably get one anyway.

My favorite features are the memory and the lockout - just an outstanding design.

Maybe I missed it, but don't see in your review - how low will this light go?

Who would have believed just a few years back that Mag would be releasing a light as advanced as this?

Unfortunately, there are those on CPF who just won't give Mag a break no matter what.

Doesn't matter what models Mag releases, now or in the future.

Doesn't matter how good a warranty Mag offers.

Doesn't matter that you can walk in and buy one off the shelf, all across the USA.

Unfortunately, Mag Derangement Syndrome seems rather common on CPF. ;>

.

 

[Robin24k]

The low mode is 8%, so it should be 14 lumens.

 

[ScaryFatKidGT]

Thanks for another nice review, Robin24k.

Very interesting light with an amazing UI. A little too big for EDC for me, but I'll probably get one anyway.

My favorite features are the memory and the lockout - just an outstanding design.

Maybe I missed it, but don't see in your review - how low will this light go?

Who would have believed just a few years back that Mag would be releasing a light as advanced as this?

Unfortunately, there are those on CPF who just won't give Mag a break no matter what.

Doesn't matter what models Mag releases, now or in the future.

Doesn't matter how good a warranty Mag offers.

Doesn't matter that you can walk in and buy one off the shelf, all across the USA.

Unfortunately, Mag Derangement Syndrome seems rather common on CPF. ;>

.

lol I got a XL50 I just don't like the shaking and overly complicated 1 button UI on the 100 and 200.

 

[ringzero]

The low mode is 8%, so it should be 14 lumens.

Thanks, Robin24k.

Wish they'd have made that low a bit lower, maybe 2 percent yielding 3 to 4 lumens.

14 lumens is OK for a general utility light, but this light is intended for use in the great outdoors where a lower low level would be appreciated by many users.

.

 

[CarpentryHero]

Not sure if this is a step in the right direction or a lateral step to push triple AAA lights.
I like that they've stepped up the brightness, but three User Interfaces in the same size format in a company that prefers to mass produce over keeping up with current technology ? I hope that they step up with a 2D cell maglite with 250 lumens or more. That'd give a better balance of runtime, brightness and throw. Or an XML light pushing 400-600 lumens.

 

[Robin24k]

The three UI's is probably so that the XL50 could be an entry-level product, and my guess is that the XL100 be discontinued seeing that the XL200 is currently selling at the same price as the XL100.

 

[Overclocker]

interesting light! i'm not buying it though but it's still interesting

how low does the NiteLite mode go? the 0.2lumen of my ZL SC60 is just about right for a night light, any brighter and it's not gonna work as such, and ZL says it would operate 41 days straight at 0.2 lumens so you practically don't need to turn if off.

in the end i think the 3xAAA is still a poor choice. the batt compartment space is mostly taken up by the battery carrier and air.

as for the argument that it's a consumer oriented light, the way i see it, triple As come in a pack of 4. the light needs 3. mismatch right there.

maglight should do a 2xAA instead

 

[ringzero]

in the end i think the 3xAAA is still a poor choice. the batt compartment space is mostly taken up by the battery carrier and air.

as for the argument that it's a consumer oriented light, the way i see it, triple As come in a pack of 4. the light needs 3. mismatch right there.

maglight should do a 2xAA instead

Mag already does 2AA lights, and is about to release another model.

The compact XL series is quite different than a traditional 2AA format - much nicer EDC for most people than a longer 2AA format light.

3AAA does seem an odd choice for a modern flashlight. 3AAA is most commonly used by the headlamp manufacturers, probably because of the smaller form factor of 3AAA over 2AA for an integrated headlamp. Also the better efficiency of a buck converter over a boost converter.

I'm guessing that Mag's original concept for the XL series was for a flashlight compact enough for comfortable pocket carry, but bright enough to make an average first time user say "WOW, this thing is bright!"

Typical customers of the Big Box stores - where most XL series lights will be sold -aren't all that hard to impress. ;>

Mag could have designed the XL series around 1AA format while keeping the overall compact form factor. Why Mag decided on 3AAA instead of 1AA, I don't know, but I'm guessing it may have to do with competing with similar lights in the Big Box stores.

At Lowes, for example, Mags are displayed on racks right next to Led Lensers. Top of the line Led Lenser flashlights sold at Lowes are 3AAA format and offer VERY bright hotspots. When I see a shopper at Lowes try out one of those Led Lensers, he is always impressed by the bright hotspot.

Now along comes Mag with a similar compact 3AAA format in the XL series. Undercuts the Led Lenser price by quite a bit, but still offers quite a respectable level of brightness.

The good news is that the 3AAA format won't be that bad for an average user - if the high output level is reserved for occasional use the cells seem to last a long time.

After using my Mag XL50 a fair amount, probably 30 minutes a day for over a month, it's still running on the original Duracell alkies that came with the light.

Low level is more than sufficient for walking around the yard and the neighborhood, so that's what gets used most of the time. Only an occasional burst of high level to spot things at a distance. Low level still seems just as bright as with new cells.

High still produces a bright hotspot with throw maybe not quite as good as with new cells, but not far off. Still projects a bright hotspot out past the boundaries of my back yard (over a hundred feet) when I light up coons, possums, foxes, and other critters.

I think the Mag XL series, especially the lower priced XL50 model, will be great lights for the average consumer who just wants a compact, bright light.

.

 

[Overclocker]

Mag already does 2AA lights, and is about to release another model.

The compact XL series is quite different than a traditional 2AA format - much nicer EDC for most people than a longer 2AA format light.

3AAA does seem an odd choice for a modern flashlight. 3AAA is most commonly used by the headlamp manufacturers, probably because of the smaller form factor of 3AAA over 2AA for an integrated headlamp. Also the better efficiency of a buck converter over a boost converter.

I'm guessing that Mag's original concept for the XL series was for a flashlight compact enough for comfortable pocket carry, but bright enough to make an average first time user say "WOW, this thing is bright!"

Typical customers of the Big Box stores - where most XL series lights will be sold -aren't all that hard to impress. ;>

Mag could have designed the XL series around 1AA format while keeping the overall compact form factor. Why Mag decided on 3AAA instead of 1AA, I don't know, but I'm guessing it may have to do with competing with similar lights in the Big Box stores.

At Lowes, for example, Mags are displayed on racks right next to Led Lensers. Top of the line Led Lenser flashlights sold at Lowes are 3AAA format and offer VERY bright hotspots. When I see a shopper at Lowes try out one of those Led Lensers, he is always impressed by the bright hotspot.

Now along comes Mag with a similar compact 3AAA format in the XL series. Undercuts the Led Lenser price by quite a bit, but still offers quite a respectable level of brightness.

The good news is that the 3AAA format won't be that bad for an average user - if the high output level is reserved for occasional use the cells seem to last a long time.

After using my Mag XL50 a fair amount, probably 30 minutes a day for over a month, it's still running on the original Duracell alkies that came with the light.

Low level is more than sufficient for walking around the yard and the neighborhood, so that's what gets used most of the time. Only an occasional burst of high level to spot things at a distance. Low level still seems just as bright as with new cells.

High still produces a bright hotspot with throw maybe not quite as good as with new cells, but not far off. Still projects a bright hotspot out past the boundaries of my back yard (over a hundred feet) when I light up coons, possums, foxes, and other critters.

I think the Mag XL series, especially the lower priced XL50 model, will be great lights for the average consumer who just wants a compact, bright light.

.

side by side 2xAA i mean

 

[cplusplus]

Overpriced Why would anyone get this??? I'm finally happy to see that Maglite is finally shifting to Cree instead of Luxon though.