Maglites becoming a bunch of junk in my opinion -short review of the 2AA Mini Mag LED

[bykfixer]

Good pic RD.

Can you elaboarate on 2, 3 and 4 from the right? The bezels, tail caps and the extra button on the red one?

 

[the0dore3524]

Hey, whatever floats your boat...some people love them and some hate them

 

[rookiedaddy]

Good pic RD.
Can you elaboarate on 2, 3 and 4 from the right? The bezels, tail caps and the extra button on the red one?

Thanks mate.
2, 3 and 4 are all stock body except the battery and bulb. the green dot on the red one is GITD sticker . I wrapped the head and tail with silicone self-fusing tape to cushion drops and knocks. I can't explain it but I likes to keep my C and D Mags incan.
the 2-lumen MagLite Solitaire still put a smile on my face everytime I turn it on.

 

[TinderBox (UK)]

I have 2x3C Maglite`s incandescent that i have never used as i hate the reverse clicky the button is really soft compared to the solid feel of the D cell incandescent Maglite`s

John.

 

[Elkins45]

There's a 2AA LED Maglite sitting atop the gun safe in my garage. It has one job: let me look into the rear of the safe in the dark to find one particular pocket knife or magazine. When you twist the head it briefly flashes for just a fraction of a second but otherwise remains dark. I have changed batteries, scrubbed the contacts with an eraser, etc. but that only fixed it for a couple of months. I suppose I could spend $5 to send it back for repair, but that's a good percentage of what I paid for it.

The best warranty is the one you never have to use.

 

[Mr Baz]

Hey, whatever floats your boat...some people love them and some hate them

Used Maglite for years but then that was before the LED tech came along. Always solid torches..the company I think relied more on marketing and rep than innovating in technology. They kinda got left behind. I did a car boot and sold off my last ones. Tried a few LED models not that impressed

 

[bykfixer]

Thanks mate.2, 3 and 4 are all stock body except the battery and bulb. the green dot on the red one is GITD sticker . I wrapped the head and tail with silicone self-fusing tape to cushion drops and knocks. I can't explain it but I likes to keep my C and D Mags incan. the 2-lumen MagLite Solitaire still put a smile on my face everytime I turn it on.

Thanks.

Glow in the dark sticker and bumpers!!! Great ideas. I like the Solitaire incan too.

Although I don't use my XL50 very often I really like that one too. Using Eneloop Pro triple A's in it has provided excellent runtimes. And the timing for two quick clicks for low is flawlessly easy.

There's a 2AA LED Maglite sitting atop the gun safe in my garage. It has one job: let me look into the rear of the safe in the dark to find one particular pocket knife or magazine. When you twist the head it briefly flashes for just a fraction of a second but otherwise remains dark. I have changed batteries, scrubbed the contacts with an eraser, etc. but that only fixed it for a couple of months. I suppose I could spend $5 to send it back for repair, but that's a good percentage of what I paid for it.The best warranty is the one you never have to use.

Try giving the tailcap threads a light scuff with sandpaper or clean them with a de-oxidizer. If your safe is in a non climate controled enviornment that light is subject to a lot of temperature swings, which may cause oxidation quicker than normal.

But sometimes the switch on LED models gets stuck 'open'. Perhaps a tailcap spring stretch will push harder on the batteries adding additional force to the switch and allow the circuit to close.

 

[etc]

I got some over black friday sale, the new 2C and 3C mags, the ones you have to twist with no buttons, I am shocked how low lumens they have. Like something from 2008.

 

[hiuintahs]

Used Maglite for years but then that was before the LED tech came along. Always solid torches..the company I think relied more on marketing and rep than innovating in technology. They kinda got left behind. I did a car boot and sold off my last ones. Tried a few LED models not that impressed

That's exactly how I feel. They got left behind years ago. I, along with others used their hosts to make LED flashlights early on.

I think they were slow to adapt to LED technology because their incandescent lights were still selling and I suppose from a market standpoint, they pushed that for as long as they could get away with it. Now after trying a couple of their LED lights a couple of years ago, I was not impressed. Now maybe they have improved but I was soured on them and not tempted to buy anymore. I suppose if there were threads on CPF talking about them, then it would perk up my interest..........but I don't see it.

I agree Maglite was king in the 80's and 90's and up through the mid 2000's. That simply did not translate over into the LED world.

 

[kj2]

I do think Mag is coming back, with their led versions. Look at the ML300LX. Sure it isn't a fancy light but for simple use, it's perfect. Throw in a couple of 10.000mAh D-cell batteries, and you're good to go for a long time.
Still thinking about buying a ML300LX 2D. Stated runtime is decent for alkaline D cells, let alone, when you put some 10.000mAh batts in it. And the Maglite product prices aren't that bad when you're in the US.

 

[tuelleric]

Here in Germany they still have a very good reputation. In the 80's/90's it was the flashlight to go, nothing else was available here that was comparable, not even close (except Surefire 6P that was not affordable here to anyone...). Every friend of mine had at least a D-cell Maglite and a Minimag. If you had the 6D you was the king.

This thinking is still in the heads of quite a lot of people, they still buy incan Mags and think they get a state of the art flashlight. Just go to the German Amazon site and read the reviews. I wondered that they still sell incans there, strange to me. But why not, if people are happy with it...

To me, the form factor and the very simple user interface of the classic Maglites is really appealing, I still use my old Mags for modding projects and buy some cheap hosts from time to time. But honestly, I would never buy a LED flashlight from them. I think it might just be a matter of time when they will face the same fate as the traditional TV or cellphone makers...

 

[emarkd]

I do think Mag is coming back, with their led versions. Look at the ML300LX. Sure it isn't a fancy light but for simple use, it's perfect. Throw in a couple of 10.000mAh D-cell batteries, and you're good to go for a long time.
Still thinking about buying a ML300LX 2D. Stated runtime is decent for alkaline D cells, let alone, when you put some 10.000mAh batts in it. And the Maglite product prices aren't that bad when you're in the US.

I bought an ML300LX. That's how much I want Maglite to succeed - I'm willing to put my money where my mouth is. Here it is hanging out with some of my other lights:

But honestly, its just not a very good light. The host is great, classic Maglite with a touch of updated design which is awesome. Machining is clean, ano is beautiful. But the really important part - the emission - isn't great. The tint is too cool, the output is quite low, especially for a light of this size, and the "zooming" mechanism is almost a joke - dirty, ringy beam in any position. Plus the UI is very simple (not always a bad thing, but still not a very flexible light).

This is clearly a light that's trying to appeal to everyone -- the "premium light" crowd and the basic walmart shopper. And the result is that its not very good at anything. So overall, a disappointment. I wish I didn't feel that way, but I do. Come on Maglite, impress me again! Please!

 

[kj2]

I like the matte stealthy look Mag went for with the ML300LX. They should drop the zoom feature. That would solve the ringy-beam part. Give it an OP reflector to smooth out the beam, and create a nice all-rounder.
Most of the times 500 lumens on max, is enough for me. 600 > 1000 or even more lumens is cool, but I rather prefer extra runtime. Specially with a light that's been used in- and around the house and in the car.

 

[emarkd]

They should drop the zoom feature.

And quit building for primary-first power. Really those two changes would go a long way, but I don't see Maglite doing it. They want to hold on to those bits of their past, even if they're way past their prime.

 

[Mcgrimes]

In my experience, everyone had a maglite solitaire that came as a £20 add on gift set, pretty useless,

Still, wouldn't like to get beat with a 4D

 

[Sambob]

Well I can understand you're disappointment with the 2AA mini led non Pro ver I started with the Ican, not much better then a lighter but a very well made light, on to their 1st led I believe a 1 watt...miles above the Ican next my first 2AA mini-pro I practically crapped my pants 226lm so In the context of their time these were great little lights.
Comparing them to now anything less than the pro ver yeah... crap ,why are they still around? Because you can get one almost anywhere.

 

[JanezFord]

My first proper flashlight I've bought was the 2AA Maglite incan. I still have it, it has seen a lot of abuse and is about 25 years old. Still works every time I take it of the shelf, mostly just to go down the memory lane. Wish I could say the same for other brands and I have tried manny over the years. So in my opinion maglites are not junk. Maybe not bleeding edge in recent development but definitely not junk.

JF

 

[lumen aeternum]

Around the house, the 2AA Mini Mag gets used 90% of the time.
It fits into my "small" EMT pouch so is always with me.
The cars have 3D with pointy glass-breaker tailcaps, so they can be used as a weapon in two ways.
The Mag-Tac goes in a grab-able location at night.

The twist-head is the only flashlight my wife can remember how to use -- fancy mode buttons, and trying to find a tail cap button, are beyond her desire to learn.

 

[Woods Walker]

I use a 2XAA M@g when doing the cell phone test as a control because the PWM is so awful. I do like the larger D cell M@g as they throw far, can be used to beat down zombies trying to chew on my ankles and are durable. Smashed one on the reloading table like a club because was being stupid. Still worked.

 

[arKmm]

Considering the new generation ML50L and ML300L can be had for about $35/40, they still form a good budget option for the householder or layperson. 600 lumen is more than enough for most things and the focus allows you to get a good throw on. Yes there's better, but those better options cost a lot more.

I use a 2D ML300L at work and have done for the last two years. It's got no failings. The only thing it left me wanting for was higher lux/lumen because I'm a flashaholic and know what's out there. Any normal person would be satisfied. As it uses an XML emitter, I've just upgraded one to XHP50 and it's taken it up to 2500 lumen in a really nice neutral tint.