Why I Buy Maglite

[lovenhim]

Hello everyone. This is my opinion based upon my experiences. I am not a gadget dude. I am not in to bleeding edge. I am the "stands the test of time" and the "less is more" dude. It was my dad and his Maglite work flashlights that made me a Maglite fan. Yes, they are not bleeding edge and yes they are behind on technology. I am ok with that. Over the years I have tried inexpensive poorly made lights….and they were junk. I have tried other more popular brands of newer technology flashlights. I always go back to Maglite. The reason for me is simplicity, extremely reliable, and very durable. It always works and will last decades, nit just a few years. I chuckle when I read things such as "my brand X light still works after three years". When you reach thirty years, then we will talk. I have my dad's thirty year old one million mile Maglite. Still works like a charm. The light was his five day a week van flashlight from 1992-2010. Traveled one million miles in his autoparts work van. It was used five days a week for eighteen years. I have the 4D cell ML300L and I like it. My EDC is the 2AA mini Mag warm white LED and the Solitaire warm white LED. For my use, that is all I need. My FourSevens and Fenix no longer work. Not one of my Maglits has broken. I am in the minority I know, but if ut is not broke…..😁

 

[bykfixer]

I grew up at a time when houses had 1 tv and you watched whatever the grownups were watching except for Saturday morning when they slept late. We had crappy flashlights mostly. Then came the Maglite and all that changed.

When I had grown up and started a family I was in WalMart or some other store one day and saw a minimag light. I bought it and used it for a couple of decades. I had other lights too but that minimag was always there when I needed it to be.

When I learned LED lights were brighter than a light bulb, one of the first LED flashlights I bought was a 2D like my daddy had only it was an LED version. I tried a bunch of brands and use some of them regularly, but the fabled Maglite still takes up a lot of space in my regular users.

My favorite Maglite is the maxi-minimag ML25, but I'm also a fan of the warm aaa minimag and warm solitaire.

To brag about a Maglite at a flashlight enthusiast forum is akin to bragging about your Toyota Corolla at a Corvette forum, but one thing is certain, a Corolla is a long lasting car and a Maglite is a long lasting flashlight.

 

[aznsx]

My favorite Maglite is the maxi-minimag ML25, but I'm also a fan of the warm aaa minimag and warm solitaire.

I just looked that up to be sure I knew which one you were referring to, and the ML site price shows $20. That's fairly remark-able. That thing's just GOTTA be worth $20. I wish everything I bought was worth what it cost!

 

[bykfixer]

When the maxi-minimag first showed up at Wal Mart, Home Depot and Lowes stores I had been anticipating their arrival based on word of this new C sized flashlight. They were a throw back of sorts. Available in 2 or 3 cell LED or incan versions. That was in fall 015 spring 016. I was not disappointed. Back then Maglite web site sold the LED versions for $39!! Wal Mart etc $20 for the 2 cell, $25 for the 3 cell.

The 2 cell LED was around 175 lumens with a stated 2 hour runtime. Ok so two big ole C cells driving a 177 lumen LED and only 2 hours? Turns out it was 2 hours at 177 lumens. Not 177 with a taper to whatever but rock solid output until the batteries gave out, which was around 2 hours. Then it would decline to really dim over the next 15 minutes or so.

The 3 cell stated 17 hours. About the same output but 7 times more runtime with one additional battery? Well yeah. That one slowly dims to around 50 percent. Maglite has upgraded the 2 cell version to about 190 lumens with an optional low setting that appears to be nearly high but expands runtime from a stated 7 hours to 72 stated. I have not run any tests to see how that one performs but I seriously doubt it's 7 hours at a rock steady 192 lumens.

The magic of the ML25 series is the throw. That's the throwback part. Easily lights objects a football field distance away. I set mine to the beam pattern I like and use the tailcap for on/off or in the case of the gen 2 version of the 2 cell hi/lo. It starts on hi.

The incan versions? Well they weren't so hot. They were like an incan 2 or 3D Maglite using a xenon bi-pin bulb. But toss in some 18mm cells and a 5 cell bulb and you really had something to crow about. The incan versions sold about as well as sand in the desert but can still be found online at a place called zbattery. I bought a few back when and received really low serial numbers.
One was #oooooooo17!!!

Zbattery is good souce for older versions of Maglite products like the throwey 37 lumen solitaire or 87 lumen triple a minimag. And parts like switches for a broken minimag. When Maglite put out the spectrum series I bought black tailcaps for my warm solitaires and minimags there.

 

[besafe2]

I grew up at a time when houses had 1 tv and you watched whatever the grownups were watching except for Saturday morning when they slept late. We had crappy flashlights mostly. Then came the Maglite and all that changed.

When I had grown up and started a family I was in WalMart or some other store one day and saw a minimag light. I bought it and used it for a couple of decades. I had other lights too but that minimag was always there when I needed it to be.

When I learned LED lights were brighter than a light bulb, one of the first LED flashlights I bought was a 2D like my daddy had only it was an LED version. I tried a bunch of brands and use some of them regularly, but the fabled Maglite still takes up a lot of space in my regular users.

My favorite Maglite is the maxi-minimag ML25, but I'm also a fan of the warm aaa minimag and warm solitaire.

To brag about a Maglite at a flashlight enthusiast forum is akin to bragging about your Toyota Corolla at a Corvette forum, but one thing is certain, a Corolla is a long lasting car and a Maglite is a long lasting flashlight.

Hello everyone. This is my opinion based upon my experiences. I am not a gadget dude. I am not in to bleeding edge. I am the "stands the test of time" and the "less is more" dude. It was my dad and his Maglite work flashlights that made me a Maglite fan. Yes, they are not bleeding edge and yes they are behind on technology. I am ok with that. Over the years I have tried inexpensive poorly made lights….and they were junk. I have tried other more popular brands of newer technology flashlights. I always go back to Maglite. The reason for me is simplicity, extremely reliable, and very durable. It always works and will last decades, nit just a few years. I chuckle when I read things such as "my brand X light still works after three years". When you reach thirty years, then we will talk. I have my dad's thirty year old one million mile Maglite. Still works like a charm. The light was his five day a week van flashlight from 1992-2010. Traveled one million miles in his autoparts work van. It was used five days a week for eighteen years. I have the 4D cell ML300L and I like it. My EDC is the 2AA mini Mag warm white LED and the Solitaire warm white LED. For my use, that is all I need. My FourSevens and Fenix no longer work. Not one of my Maglits has broken. I am in the minority I know, but if ut is not broke…..😁

Absolutely could not agree more.

 

[KITROBASKIN]

Thanks fixer, for mentioning zbattery; ~450 listings for Maglite! Some persuasive prices there as well.

I still remember your kindness towards us with the Mini Maglites I Yujified (replaced stock incan with Yuji LED). I owe you.

Might you be able to describe the difference between the cooler (4500K) Yuji with the warm white Mini Mag? How much more light? How different is the color temperature? It is understandable if you don't have a Yuji available. I was considering getting a warm Mini Mag for just the head to put on a body you gave us.

 

[Hooked on Fenix]

I think what lasts are the bigger Maglite C and D incandescent flashlights. They were built to last. Had replaceable parts and bulbs to keep an old light operational. I think with modern l.e.d.s and their focusing mechanism, there are limitations with heatsinking that limit either the lifespan and/or brightness of the l.e.d.. I've also had several 2 and 3AA lights have electrical contact issues so had to spray each new one with deoxit gold to keep them working. No light is really built to last except the ones made to be able to replace old parts. I've seen failures from a Surefire G2X Pro, Fenix E01, Lumapower Encore, Streamlight Polypro 4AA, Princeton Tec Eos headlight, etc. What I don't expect to really ever fail are my old C and D Maglites and my Surefire 6P (l.e.d.).

 

[idleprocess]

Thread made me realize that Maglite has indeed evolved their offerings since the LED came along but dear lord their website is badly organized - not interested in paging through dozens of variants on the same model in order to get an idea of their lineup.

 

[Hooked on Fenix]

Let me simplify it for you:
1AAA, 2AAA- pocket carry/edc
2AA, 3AA- holster carry
3AAA, 2 123A- Tactical, but not tactical
C, D-

 

[idleprocess]

Let me simplify it for you:
1AAA, 2AAA- pocket carry/edc
2AA, 3AA- holster carry
3AAA, 2 123A- Tactical, but not tactical
C, D-

Wikipedia has a terse summary of their lineup - something that Maglite should have front and center on their website with combos and special editions rolling up to the base platform page.

TL;DR seems to be that there are new sub-models for their classic platforms in addition to newer 3xAAA and 2x123A platforms.

 

[bykfixer]

Maglite's web site is like diving into the ocean in North Carolina in January……it takes some getting used to.

I'm so used to the changes I forget others here have not looked at Maglite products for years. I remember a couple of years back folks shouting for joy about the ML50's and 300's and how bright they were, while my brain was stuck on "$35 for a 2C Maglite? $50 for a 2D?, no thanks"……meanwhile I was paying upwards of $100-150 for other brands.

Then in 2020 they had a huge sale that lasted nearly the whole month of December so I spent my rent money on those Maglite products and the new mini-magcharger models the ML150's.

Prior to that I had been digging on the maxi-minimag and the 2 speed 2D classic LED along with some spectrum warm classics the aaa minimag and solitaire.

Speaking of spectrum warm, left is a warm Yuji, right is a warm aaa minimag.

 

[KITROBASKIN]

zbattery has 2 C cell incandescent Maglites for $20 (if I remember correctly) and the larger ones not much more. Get a Malkoff conversion for this host and what a nice, durable flashlight.

Thanks fixer for the image and PM!

 

[Megalamuffin]

Maglite's web site is like diving into the ocean in North Carolina in January……it takes some getting used to.

I'm so used to the changes I forget others here have not looked at Maglite products for years. I remember a couple of years back folks shouting for joy about the ML50's and 300's and how bright they were, while my brain was stuck on "$35 for a 2C Maglite? $50 for a 2D?, no thanks"……meanwhile I was paying upwards of $100-150 for other brands.

Then in 2020 they had a huge sale that lasted nearly the whole month of December so I spent my rent money on those Maglite products and the new mini-magcharger models the ML150's.

Prior to that I had been digging on the maxi-minimag and the 2 speed 2D classic LED along with some spectrum warm classics the aaa minimag and solitaire.

Speaking of spectrum warm, left is a warm Yuji, right is a warm aaa minimag.
View attachment 21593

I just ordered a warm minimag and can't find much info about them. I am hoping the tint is very close to an incan. Thanks for the pics.

I wish they offered a warm LED in a 4D. Nothing beats a warm flashlight.

 

[bykfixer]

Here's some numbers as per Amazon sellers

The 2x aaa ^^

The Solitaire ^^

The 2x aa ^^

The XL 50 ^^

 

[Megalamuffin]

I did a quick backyard comparo with the new warm minimag and 6P with M61WLL and a 16650. Brightness was very comparable between the two, with slightly more hotspot for the mag. The mag is also slightly more warm. To the eye both looked around 50ish lumens, and the mag's low looks around 15. Nice useful modes.

I am definitely a fan of maglite with my first one.

 

[bykfixer]

I did not realize the warm AA minimag has settings until looking for the outout numbers at amazon sellers last night.

 

[Bicycleflyer]

I cannot contribute to the history, but Ahhh the memories..

As I remember, back in the early 80s the AA mini mag was the first decent AA format flashlight. Seriously, most AA formats before the mini mag were horrible. When I came back from the Army I had one and my dad hated the idea of me going to the woods with it. He would always try to push on me his D cell metallic Rayovac light, which you had to slap in your hand five times before it would switch on. He was convinced I was better off with that D cell, despite the reliability issues. But in time he came to see how good a light it was. The AA mini mag was so good, that I essentially went from my old sealed beam lantern to that. It didn't have the same throw, but it was much easier to carry and focusable.

While the FAA mandated a 2 D cell format for all air operators under FAR 121 and 135 most of my peers used a mag light and it kinda became the defacto standard. Many still use it to this day. I was the exception, I used one of those military Bent-neck flashlights. I still have it, it still works and back around 2009 I installed an "Everled" which it has to this day. But for some reason, I have never owned a mag light larger than the 2 AA model. Not sure why, I just never needed one I guess. I still don't have one.

 

[mpetry912]

that military right angle flashlight (with interchangeable gel filters) had a big clip so you could clip it on your ejection harness and shine light on the panel with both hands free.

Before the mag-light there was the B-Light (made by Bianchi) and the K-Lite (KelTec). Heavy aluminum tubes with batteries in them make serious weapons for our boys in blue.

that was then and this is now

/markp

 

[The Hawk]

Hello everyone. This is my opinion based upon my experiences. I am not a gadget dude. I am not in to bleeding edge. I am the "stands the test of time" and the "less is more" dude. It was my dad and his Maglite work flashlights that made me a Maglite fan. Yes, they are not bleeding edge and yes they are behind on technology. I am ok with that. Over the years I have tried inexpensive poorly made lights….and they were junk. I have tried other more popular brands of newer technology flashlights. I always go back to Maglite. The reason for me is simplicity, extremely reliable, and very durable. It always works and will last decades, nit just a few years. I chuckle when I read things such as "my brand X light still works after three years". When you reach thirty years, then we will talk. I have my dad's thirty year old one million mile Maglite. Still works like a charm. The light was his five day a week van flashlight from 1992-2010. Traveled one million miles in his autoparts work van. It was used five days a week for eighteen years. I have the 4D cell ML300L and I like it. My EDC is the 2AA mini Mag warm white LED and the Solitaire warm white LED. For my use, that is all I need. My FourSevens and Fenix no longer work. Not one of my Maglits has broken. I am in the minority I know, but if ut is not broke…..😁

I understand exactly what you are saying. I recently bought a Maglite 300ML300L. It is a beast. I retired from a career in law enforcement. We were issued Maglites and they never let us down.

 

[Megalamuffin]

I did not realize the warm AA minimag has settings until looking for the outout numbers at amazon sellers last night.

Yeah I could do without the blink and sos modes but they can be ignored fairly easily. Does the standard led minimag have those modes?