3xAA Maglite to replace my Dorcy Metal Gear?

thematrix

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Hello-

I love my Dorcy Metal Gear 1W light, but after about a year's use, it's falling apart, and I'm hesitant to drop another ~$30 on one.

I've been reading reviews and comparing charts all afternoon, but I'd like some "real world" advice.

Has anyone here used both the Metal Gear, and 3xAA Maglite? Which did you like better, and why?

Thanks.

-TM
 

DonShock

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Light output wise, the 3AA MagLED outperforms the Metal Gear in both total output and throw. Personally, I like the longer/thinner/smoother form factor of the Mag. I only used the metal gear for a short while because I found it to be too large and awkward to carry.
 

Brighteyez

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If you don't mind the length of the 3AA MiniMag LED, it's a far superior light. In addition to more output, you'll get better run time, and you don't have to worry about losing that flimsy battery carrier. The one additional inconvenience is the turning of the head to turn the light on, which requires two hands (most of the time), but it's much easier on the LED versions as you can pretty much remember where you need to set the focus as it generally only requires about 1/2 to 1 turn depending upon your preferences for the focus to flood-spot or just spot. It has a very nice flood with a nice hot spot.
 

cobb

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Ive got a grey one laying around if you are interested. Mines use to cause a battery to die. I thought it was cool when it came out, but shortly afterwards I got a 5 and 3 watt led that make it look like nothing.
 

Lit Up

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get the Mag 3xaaa if you don't mind the extra length. The Dorcy's tint was much bluer. Not sure of the runtime comparisons though. I ended up giving my Dorcy away. I hate battery carriers.
 

Skyclad01

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thematrix said:
Hello-

I love my Dorcy Metal Gear 1W light, but after about a year's use, it's falling apart, and I'm hesitant to drop another ~$30 on one.


Im sorry to say, but you overpaied for your metal gear, Walmart has them for $18 each
 

Bror Jace

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Skyclad01, that's $18.83 ... and US dollars.

In Canada? That might be pretty close to $30.

Of course, I don't think I'd buy one at $12.
 

Skyclad01

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Bror Jace said:
Skyclad01, that's $18.83 ... and US dollars.

In Canada? That might be pretty close to $30.

Of course, I don't think I'd buy one at $12.

My bad, I didnt realize he was in Canada.
 

thematrix

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Thanks for all the replies!

No, I'm not in Canada. New Jersey actually. When I got my Metal Gear, it was ~$25 at Walmart, I see now they're at $18.

I got the 3xAA Maglite there (Walmart) earlier today, and like it so far.

One thing I don't like though is the lack of a little clip. I usually clip my Metal Gear inside my left pants pocket so it doesn't slide around. I vaguely remember one of my old 2xAA (bulb style) Maglites coming with a little metal clip that went around the barrel, and added vertical pocket clip functionality. Are the new LED Maglites the same diameter as the old ones?

-TM
 

bruddamoke

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My preference would be for the MG, since I'm running mine w/ a single 18500. Got a nice tint on mine.

I hate battery carriers, and generally prefer lights with 2 or less cells. Easier to carry spare batteries, since you need a lot less. Most of my mini-mags are cut down jobs running either a single 14500 or RCR2 with the TLE-5 or nite-ize modules.
 

scott.cr

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The light that replaced my Metal Gear is one of the 7W Golstons from Dae. I bought it with four RCR123s and a charger... real nice, useable, bright and tough piece of kit for not a lot of money. (I paid like US$45 shipped.)

In the meantime I put a red Luxeon star in my Metal Gear for nighttime nav to the bathroom hahaha.
 

thematrix

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scott, I'm not clear on what you mean by "7W Golston from Dae". Is there a URL?

Thanks.
 

Bmccue1964

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I still like my Metal Gear light. My daughter discovered that the head is removable (unscrew it) and you can actually use it in a candle mode. Run time is decent. My informal light test against my mini-Mag LED (2-AA) is that the Dorcy's output is about 80% as bright as the mini-Mag.
 

scott.cr

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thematrix

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What's the runtime on that? I couldn't find any reviews for it at flashlightreviews.com.
 
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