Maglite

[Sjvalleydave]

Hi all, let me be the first to say I know next to nothing about flashlights. I joined this forum for the batteries. I have a little business diagnosing and rebuilding power tool power packs, so everything about batteries I like to know about. When I was growing up, real Maglites were the bomb for flashlights. Today, are they still considered to be a good light, or are they history? Thanks..

 

[3_gun]

They still are good lights but far from being "the bomb" when it comes to today's offerings. They do make good hosts for some major steps up from stock, many using drop-in parts

 

[Poppy]

I can't give a history lesson on maglites, but I agree, that back in the day, they were the bomb.

Today, they still have the qualities that made them the bomb, but there is a lot more competition now. IMO they are still a good functional flashlight, they come on when you want them to, and they light up what you point them at.

 

[bykfixer]

Maglite flashlights are like Levis jeans and Converse all star shoes. Still adorned by a lot of people, though not as many as they once were due to competition.
Maglite's are still built in the US.

 

[thermal guy]

They are very popular in 80's movies 😁

 

[knucklegary]

@Sjvalleydave, are you able to successfully convert old nimh battery packs to li-lion?

I have a couple Panasonic Ey9231a 15.6v packs. Used intermittently, unfortunately they will no longer hold a charge

 

[The Hawk]

When I started my law enforcement career in the 1980's, we were issued Maglite flashlights. They were well made and dependable. There was not much competition from other brands. Now there are several well made flashlights that are just as good or better. I feel they are still good flashlights though. I keep a Maglite in each vehicle as well as one under my bed.

 

[knucklegary]

Everybody should have a Maglite in their homes. I stow one at my backdoor shelf, and near bed at arms reach.

 

[The Hawk]

How could I have forgotten my latest Maglite purchase? I bought a ML300L. It runs on 4D batteries. On the highest setting, it puts out 1002 lumens. On the ECO mode it lasts for 434 hours. This is more than enough light for me.

 

[jabe1]

Maglites are good flashlights, but no longer ahead of the curve.
They use primarily cool white LEDs while many newer brands offer choices, or are leaning toward warmer and higher CRI ones; they still focus on alkaline battery power, which, as too many have discovered, can lead to ruined flashlights due to leakage. Preferred power is lithium ion in one of its many forms.
I still use maglites, but most have been modified in some way.

 

[Sjvalleydave]

@Sjvalleydave, are you able to successfully convert old nimh battery packs to li-lion?

I have a couple Panasonic Ey9231a 15.6v packs. Used intermittently, unfortunately they will no longer hold a charge

I have converted a couple of NiMH and NiCd 18v packs to Li ion. A Craftsman 19.2v NiCd and a couple of Dewalt NiMh packs. The old packs had 15 sub C NiMH or NiCds. The challenge for me is that 14 sub C's stand vertical and the 15th is vertical on top of the others so it goes up into charging neck. A person also has to get a new charger for the Li ion batteries. By the time the customer bought a charger, got Li ion batteries and my time to convert, he wished that he had just gotten new NiMH. I have a good supplier and the new batteries can be up to 500 mAh bigger than the originals.

 

[xxo]

Maglites are still my favorites, particularly the ML25, ML50LX's and the ML300's. I run them all on Li-ions in 3D printed adapters, so there's no leaky alkalines to mess with.

 

[Humpy]

I lost several 3 cell Mags Lites from leaking D cells with the old bulbs. The last one I got is a LED. I have a ML150 inbound from them as they now have a trade in for the older lights. I found a new Mag Lite Rechargeable laying in road about 99 and bought a charger for it. It was good but the LEDs came out and I just sent it to Maglite on a tradein/upgrade program they have.

I think I found a way to protect them from the old batteries. I rolled three batteries in Saran wrap and slid them in together and they have not had any problem.

About 8 years ago my best buddy gave me a Streamlight and it was great but I apparently left it when we were on vacation in Myrtle Beach and missed it when I got home and unpacked and it was not in car. I called the place we were staying and apparently the clean up people figured they had a good find and kept it. I replaced it with a Streamlight Stinger DS which I really like. It now has my name engraved on it. It also has a serial number on it.

I am a volunteer fire fighter and I like the Mag lite for working traffic at scenes at night as I have the outside covered with 3M red and white reflective tape like you see on tractor trailers to get approaching drivers attention at night.

Speaking about red and white reflective tape, the 3M is the best. I just made a mistake of ordering a long roll of tape on ebay that was not 3M and looking at them at night the 3M is much more visible than the off brand I got as the 3M is about 4 times more than the off brand but much better and lasts for years.

 

[knucklegary]

I have converted a couple of NiMH and NiCd 18v packs to Li ion. A Craftsman 19.2v NiCd and a couple of Dewalt NiMh packs. The old packs had 15 sub C NiMH or NiCds. The challenge for me is that 14 sub C's stand vertical and the 15th is vertical on top of the others so it goes up into charging neck. A person also has to get a new charger for the Li ion batteries. By the time the customer bought a charger, got Li ion batteries and my time to convert, he wished that he had just gotten new NiMH. I have a good supplier and the new batteries can be up to 500 mAh bigger than the originals.

SJ, I did not consider the added cost for a new charger. You are correct, most likely it'll cost as much as a whole new drill setup..
I hate to retire this old Panasonic. Although it is large and weighs more than new.. Motor is still in very good shape, and chuck is USA keyless Jacobs, it works flawlessly.
I can use a couple replacement NiMH packs. I'll shoot you a pm for your supplier contact info..
Thanks!

 

[letschat7]

Growing up in the 90s and early 00s Maglite was THE flashlight to have. If you feel the need to get a new one make sure it is a Spectrum White.

Spectrum Series

While Cool White LED’s offer a great resource for most situations, colored light offers the flashlight user the opportunity to meet the need of a specific condition. Maglite believes in having the right tool for the job and in this spirit we are introducing a series of colored LED flashlights...

maglite.com

People bash this brand often but what else is of it's quality that is USA made are you gonna buy in hardware shops and the like?

Light for light I have far more Streamlights or Led Lensers than Mag-Lites nowadays but that is just how things are.

 

[CZ Eddie]

I've got a huge/long multiple D-cell maglight from way back in the day.
It hasn't been used in 20+ years but I keep it for home protection.
To whack someone over the head with!

One of these days when I have spare time, I'll research conversion kits for it and bring it back into use.
Not in any rush right now. But someday!

 

[letschat7]

Maybe not a good idea to use a flashlight as a weapon. It could hurt the hobby's reputation. Use a firearm instead.

 

[choppers]

Not sure they were ever"the bomb" flashlight. It's definitely a household name or at least it used to be. It was my first flashlight as a kid. Back in the day they were an awesome base for an incan mod. I built a few roughly 20 years ago and they were awesome. Tough and durable. In today's world, there are so many stock options that are insanely bright and I'm not sure maglite ever really changed with the times.

 

[Poppy]

Not sure they were ever"the bomb" flashlight. It's definitely a household name or at least it used to be. It was my first flashlight as a kid. Back in the day they were an awesome base for an incan mod. I built a few roughly 20 years ago and they were awesome. Tough and durable. In today's world, there are so many stock options that are insanely bright and I'm not sure maglite ever really changed with the times.

If your first flashlight was a maglite, then you probably didn't have the experience of working with and using the 2 D cell lights that came before it. Many of them required one to occasionally tap it on it's side, or bang it to keep it lighting because the spring inside the cap wasn't strong enough to keep the battery in constant contact with the bulb.

The Maglite was a leap forward for mankind in the flashlight world.

 

[hsa]

You nailed it. A reliable switch alone was enough to make it a rockstar. We didn't ask for much then.