M@g vs. Mag ??

Just curious... is there a reason some people always refer to Mag-Lite products as M@g something or other? I'm always careful about this when I use search and I make sure I use both terms as not to miss any relavent threads.

I believe it is as a sort of protest to Mag's business practices, which seems at times to involve being rather litigious. Someone with more info will chime in I'm sure.

It's an insult. IMHO a purely pointless one, since everyone gets the idea and it makes searching for information impossible.

I consider it to be along the same lines as someone writing M$ or Micro$oft to refer to Microsoft. It's supposed to be an insult but just makes it harder to find information. Why not just use the real name?

Symbol substitutions are commonly used when someone wants to swear online and get it past the site's filters (sh*t, for example . Hence M@g, M*g, etc ... the implication is that Mag is a dirty word.

Not quite sure what the beef with Mag is ... business practices have been suggested, and they certainly can be a little holier-than-thou in their promo literature. But I suspect the main reason is that flashlight enthusiasts resent the success Mag has had in convincing the general public that they are the best. I guess some find it rather demeaning when they pull out their $300 Surefire and someone says "cool minimag".

But for all that, they certainly set the standard for inexpensive consumer lights.

Some feel M@g is similar to the ineffable L@rd V@ldemort.

I thought it's because Mag wants to sue anyone who uses their trademark name while representing something that is not a Mag creation such as the ROP, or "Mag 85"---> M@g 85.

To avoid legal conflict with the giant,

You'll figure it out when Fenix gets sued for putting their name around the bezel of their flashlights.

Gag and M@G have always been used every since I've been a member. My impression has always been that the reason is a combination of protest for legal practices and the uneasy feeling one gets in the stomach when turning on a mag. I tried to search this before posting but I seem to recall someone posting that the orange twirling rings of disorganized photons creates a Halloween effect that brings back memories of eating too much candy at Halloween making one want to puke. Unfortunately my searches will only go back about two years so I can't find the post. I think mag has earned a lot of respect now that they have discovered LEDs.

Because of Maglite litigation against a small flashlight company familiar to CPF, many CPFers started using euphemisms like gaglite etc so search engines were less likely to pick up things said here on CPF about such a wonderful company. :sick2:

It is funny I was at Sportsman's Warehouse the other day to pick up some Surefire batteries in the 12 packs. Some guy was joining a security crew and his boss took him to look for a flashlight. He told the new guy to get a good flashlight, and he said Streamlight and Surefire are the better brands with Surefire being the absolute best you can get. The new guy saw an M3 Combat with Turbo Head and said, "$300 for a flashlight, thats ridiculous". He said I'll just buy one of the bigger Maglites. Maglites are the best anyway he said. His boss told him he was making a very unwise choice.


I overheard this conversation and simply told the guy there is a reason why a SF costs hundreds of dollars and Maglites only cost $20. I told him that the $300 flashlight he was looking at is much much more powerful than even the largest Maglites. I told him you have to see a Surefire beam to completely understand the price tag. Its just a perfect beam of light free of those silly rings and shadows that Mags have. If you really want to see something in the dark you use a Surefire. Using a Mag in a serious confrontation is almost like being blind. His boss concurred with me and said that is way he recommended Streamlight and Surefire. I also told him that if he tried doing stuff that the M3 CL was designed to do with a Maglite, he is going to end up with a broken flashlight. I finally convinced him to get a 6P. I told him that even the small 6P is more powerful than a 4D flashlight, while being much smaller and lighter. This just shows how well Maglite's marketing has worked at convincing the public that they are the best. I always hear comments that Maglites are the best and that you can't go wrong with them. As a general use light they aren't half bad if you can get past the artifact filled beam. For serious use I stick with Surefire.

I hadn't turned on my Minimag for years and when I compared it the other day to my L2T, L2 and well just about every other Led light I own I was amazed at how I ever got by!

No one's going to get sued for using the word "Mag" in conversation. They don't care, it's fair use. Mag-Lite knows about CPF, anyway. Stuff like "Mag85" is more slang for a design than anything else, not a commercial product. Juan got notified because he was marketing his version with "Mag" as part of his own brand name.

I've always used "M@g85" or "M*g85" simply because that's the way I've always seen it written. I hate writing it that way, but I assumed there was some legal issue. If it's just to get a dig in, then I'll stop doing it.

No one in the flashlight business has spent as much money as Anthony Maglica sueing people.

No one's going to get sued for using the word "Mag" in conversation...

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That's not the point. The point is that that will make your posts easy to search for -- and it's the rest of your post that you may get sued for.

As far as 'fair use' and other obtuse legal concepts go, right and wrong, legal and illegal have no bearing whatsoever if someone with a legal team and a couple hundred thousand dollars of disposable income wakes up one morning and decides he wants to take you to court and wreck your day -- or year -- or for however long you can afford to fight. I'll pass on that one, thanks.

Maglites are awesome! They are a premium host for modding. I have so many modded Maglites on my shelf and I love them all. So keep saying the word "Maglite" as long as you want... And keep modding those hosts.
IMHO: The average Joe has a greater chance of getting struck by lightning than being sued by Maglite.

This topic has run its course.

-dan

Why do people seem to dislike Maglite ("M@g")?

I've come across "M@g" several times on CPF.

What's with this apparent dislike of Maglite? Is it bad enough that saying "Mag" or "Maglite" is somehow a problem? Can someone explain this to me?

I did read this thread, but it's very old. Has anything changed about this?

—DragonLord