The Interesting Maglite 7D

[LiftdT4R]

I think it would be very difficult to get Mag to start making these lights again on a mass production scale. Even during the 6C hey days they sold 600,000 units between 1981 and 2003. That translates to about 27,000 lights per year. 3Ds for example were selling into the 3 and 4 million mark per year. Mind you this is when incans were king. Even if you were able to place an order of 5,000 6Cs my guess is that it would take you 10 years to sell them.

I'm always hoping and have suggested to Mag to do a small run of certain lights to keep enthusiasts happy and excited about the brand. What would it cost to make a run of 500 Vari-Beams or 5000 6Cs? Probably very little and used models sell for $100 plus on flea bay. It's a niche product for sure but in limited quantities the profit margin could be quite high. It's no different than how Red Wing puts out their heritage boots or other brands have their niche lines. If nothing else it provides some cheap publicity.

Always tough to keep enthusiasts happy while selling a mass market product line. The two segments usually have completely different priorities.

 

[bykfixer]

I was hoping to see more 40th anniverssary products. Heck even 40th t-shirts. Maybe by the 50th………

Now what would really cool would be a scale replica of a 7 cell Maglite inkpen with a little LED bulb that lights when you push the tiny scale switch on the side. Inkpen exposed by removing the head that fits over the tail end like the old candle mode function does on vintage Maglites. It could potentially be fueled by triple a batteries.

 

[Grimaldus7]

Ohh very interesting, I had no idea about the different color 7D's. Thank you for sharing all this info!

Very cool!! Can't believe I missed this thread. You have a very very awesome 7D. It's a super low serial, 1979 model, from the very first year of production. Mag has very poor records from back then so if you send them the serial they likely won't even be able to date it.

Also, to answer a few questions:

Yes the 7Ds did come in colors. A couple small lots were done in red and blue.

They are brighter than a 6D, 151 lumens vs. 100 in a standard Krypton bulb but only 63 vs 61 lumens in a vacuum bulb that they came with at the time. They do have less candlepower so some folks think they aren't as bright. Mag used to advertise candlepower instead of lumens in old ads.

They weren't really made for any specific profession or hobby. PR20s were the highest voltage bulb available at the time so naturally Kel-Lite and Maglite both made a 7 cell variant to accommodate this bulb. Sales were very poor with only 18,000 sold from 1979 to 1982 so they were discontinued. They were popular with outdoorsmen though, most of the ones I have in my collection came from hunters in the midwest or northwest. To date I've only received 1 7D that came from law enforcement. A 7D would have been very cumbersome to carry on a duty belt. Most officers preferred a 3D or 4D or C models.

Also, Maglite requires a minimum order of 10,000 lights for custom stuff so I don't think you'll be seeing them again anytime soon. However you can easily and cheaply make your own! Adventure Sport sells a 2D extension and 5D Incans are still readily available. Here's one I made last year:

 

[ampdude]

I believe my original question to Maglite was asking if they planned on doing another run of 6C and/or 5C lights again in the near future. I received a response from Maglite today concerning a run of 5C/6C lights, best read from bottom to top:

Actually, it was discontinued in 2003, so you were very close. : )


---------- ORIGINAL MESSAGE ----------
TO : Mag Instrument, Inc. Web Site (www.magmail.com)

Thank you I was under the impression that the 6C Maglite was produced until 2002 is this incorrect?

________________________________
From: [email protected]

Im afraid we discontinued this model back in the early 90s and we dont see it in the near future. My recommendation is to ck the websites under 6C Cell Maglite for sale and see if anyone is selling them. Thank you

 

[ampdude]

Maybe if we get enough interest we can set up a group buy, but I don't know if we can raise enough interest for 5,000 units. People are just interested in 1AAA lights these days it seems, so it's kinda disappointing and depressing. It doesn't seem like there's enough hobbyists out there anymore. And that's what this is all about.

 

[Grimaldus7]

I think the "Golden Age" of incandescent lights is firmly over and done with. It's a shame really. Even regular 100W incandescent bulbs are staring to disappear. I've stocked up on PR series bulbs for my maglites. There are some Surefire lights I really regret selling along with some older maglites as well.

Maybe if we get enough interest we can set up a group buy, but I don't know if we can raise enough interest for 5,000 units. People are just interested in 1AAA lights these days it seems, so it's kinda disappointing and depressing. It doesn't seem like there's enough hobbyists out there anymore. And that's what this is all about.

 

[bykfixer]

It's easy to lose a 1aaa flashlight.

Not so much with the 7D Maglite.

 

[ampdude]

It's easy to use a 1aaa flashlight.

Not so much with the 7D Maglite.

LoL, for some reason I read your post the first time like this.

 

[LiftdT4R]

LoL, for some reason I read your post the first time like this.

Lol, this is true as well! Way back in the early 2000s I used a 6D daily for about a year on the job. I tried again recently and I have no idea how I managed that. I still use a 3D daily but even that has fallen out of favor for my Malkoffs and Lumens Factory E series.

I am surprised Mag even knew that much about the 6Cs and 5Cs. They modernized them and then did a very small run of letter serials in 2003 that aren't super desirable now very tough to come by.

 

[LiftdT4R]

https://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?27214-7D-Cell-Maglite

Here's an oldy but goody. I read this old thread when I first started collecting and before I was a member here. There's a lot of info, some accurate and some urban legend but it's a treasure trove from back in the day.

 

[bykfixer]

"Urban legend"

Very tactful sir

 

[325addict]

MagLite incan mods (I expect) are the most popular of incan mods, but I haven't heard of a Screw-in-bipin adapter, where a female bipin socket is sunk into a Mag screw socket. That should be a thing. Also, mini 3500lm 30A 26v halogen bipins should be a thing.

Actually, these HAVE been available from FiveMega. You could use your WA-bulbs in it, and screw the whole assembly into any standard Maglite, just like any other PR-based bulb. This way I use the WA1274 bulb in a 2D Mag, along with a 6AA to 2D adapter. Load with 6 high quality NiMH cells and off you go!
BUT!! YOU MUST USE A MORE HEAT RESISTANT REFLECTOR AND LENS!!

Alternatively, a great alternative to this is the current line of MagNum star II bulbs, original by Maglite. These are WAAYY brighter and better than the old style "white star" bulbs. Try a 5D or 6D cell MagNum star II in a 2D cell Mag, and add that 6AA to 2D cell adapter... now you got the light of a 6D with the best bulb out of 2D size! A GREAT mod! No other reflector or lens needed...

 

[etc]

I wonder what the runtime would be with that Nite-Ize LED upgrade module. Which runs forever in a 3D Mag so a 7D is like 3D squared runtime-wise roughly speaking. /joke

 

[snapon dan]

Hey all, I thought I'd share one of my rare and interesting lights. This is a Maglite 7D. I believe they were produced for 3 years in the late 70s and early 80s.

Here's the 7D compared to a 6D and 2D. The button on the 7D is slightly to the rear compared to the newer mags and there's a "PATEN PENDING" stamp on the older 7D that is not present on the newer mags. The total length of the 7D is 22 inches. One thing I'd definitely say is that the anodizing has held up remarkably well for a 40+ year old light.






Here's a close up of the serial number. It seems to be stamped on rather than laser engraved when compared to the newer mags.



Here's a pic of the bulb and reflector. Whoever owned it before me took care of it.





Anyone else own one of these? I plan to add a 3D, 4D, and 5D to my collection to complete the set 😆

Best.

I have a red 7D that I would sell, ser. number 70015261 that I would sell.

 

[knucklegary]

Does the 7D have Snap-on etched on barrel ;-)
Sent PM...

 

[Ocelot808]

7D Mag? [ Dr. Frankenstein idea forming ]

Didn't know there existed anything beyond 6D.
7 is a really magic number, because....

In theory, if you had a bipin adapter to fit a G6.35 base, you could direct drive 7 26650 cells (in series) to beautifully overdrive a 24V Osram 64657 HLX bulb (which are still easily obtainable for only $6) to around 300 Watts. Cranking out about 10,000 100CRI brilliant white incandescent glory for about 25 minutes total runtime.

It's absolutely crazy insane, a tribute to the old LarryK from ages long ago. But it's POSSIBLE!
Fivemega need be consulted.

The 300W 7D FrankenMag, I LOVE IT ❤️ 😍

 

[alpg88]

I agree that the threat of lawsuits helped sound the death knell for six and seven cell Mags, especially after the Rodney King episode. In real life, one could do just about as much damage with a two cell Mag, mainly because of the sturdy construction of all Mags.

As far as police use, i would think weight and size was the reason it was not popular with PD, As far as using it as a strike weapon, 3D are most practical, if you have especially strong forearms maybe 4d but not 5 or 6, they are too long, swing speed is too slow, you will hit harder with 3D rather than 5 or 6.

 

[ABTOMAT]

7D police flashlights prior to Mag-Lite were the practical limit (there were 8D models but very few sold.) But these lights had external switches, so they were the same length as a 6D Mag with its internal switch. 7D Mag was 2" longer than its competitors. Going from 6 to 7 cells didn't really buy you much, so everybody discontinued their 7D lights in the early-mid '80s, Mag-Lite included. Even 6D lights were rare after that time period except for Mag. They won the aluminum flashlight war, so they could afford to keep making those to the present day. I imagine the main selling reason for decades has been people wanting a really big flashlight rather than more utilitarian reasons. That's why I bought a 6D Mag in 2003. That brought me to CPF, actually.

Police had leaned heavily into shorter rechargeables by the late 1980s regardless. Everything went to 12" models using 1/2D 6v sticks. The only "long" modern police flashlight was the Streamlight SL-35X and they killed it around 2005. I assume slow sales plus the LED revolution sealed the deal.

 

[raggie33]

lol 65 lumens

 

[Guitar Guy]

Anyone else own one of these? I plan to add a 3D, 4D, and 5D to my collection to complete the set 😆

Nice light. That's definitely an early one. Nice condition too.

My 7D and 7C also have the early "Paten Pending" mark, and stamped bezels.

I did the same thing - added all sizes of the early "pre-letter" models of D and C sizes to my collection. No reason not to, if you like Maglites. A couple of them aren't easy to find, and you may have to pay a few bucks for them. If I remember correctly, the 5C, maybe the 4C, were a bit rare.