How are MagLites like cockroaches? Let me count the ways!

I had a couple of strange happenings involving MagLites, and they got me thinking that, really, they are very much like cockroaches.

The first was finding THREE of these lying about that I didn't know I had. Two were the minis, but one was the 3xD - how could I miss that?

Then I lost one of the 3xD's, and it took me two weeks to find them. Cockroaches are hard to find, too!

Then I decided to count all the maglites around here, and found out I had 9 (that I know about). So now the MagLites are also MULTIPLYING like cockroaches.

No wonder they are an extremely successful flashlight company, even though many (especially among the CPF'rs) think they are generally inferior quality products. If they can get you to buy their products and you don't even know you are doing it! Your money is flowing into their coffers silently, but continuously.

How did it come to this?? I think they have good marketing, and good placement for their products - go into any hardware store for anything, and there they are. Costco, Sam's Club,... They are there too.

So, does this ring true for any of you, as well? Or am I just very easy to influence?

flashy bazook said:

No wonder they are an extremely successful flashlight company, even though many (especially among the CPF'rs) think they are generally inferior quality products.

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Mag produces sturdy, reliable lights at reasonable prices.

And, unlike a certain manufacturer of expensive lights much ballyhooed on CPF, Mag knows how to make decent click switches.

I have Mags well over 20 years old which have seen a *lot* of use, and their switches still work perfectly. Click the switch and light streams forth. No uncertainty, no drama, no sending the light back to Mag for service, no long waits for replacement switches to be shipped.

Mags may be rather boring, but boring isn't always a bad thing. My Mags are all boringly reliable.

I have taken apart mags and they use the exact same style of switch SF uses just with less tolerance.

Funny thing how they multiply....I have a collection of SF lights but it seems that my mag collection grows too...and fast. I had to restrain myself from picking a mini aa at Wally's the other day.....I really want it....it's Magenta! Cool color! :naughty:

It is funny how they appear. I have a 2AA and a 2AAA that I don't remember buying.

They're also highly resistant to radiation and have hard outer exoskeletons.

ynggrsshppr said:

They're also highly resistant to radiation and have hard outer exoskeletons.

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ROTFLMHO!

After reading this I think I need to buy another mag.

65535 said:

I have taken apart mags and they use the exact same style of switch SF uses just with less tolerance.

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Surefire copied Mag's switch design?

Didn't know that. Apparently they didn't copy it well enough to match the reliability of the original.

I have to chime in here, too.

I keep finding Mags that I know I didn't buy. A silver one, a camo one, a black one...my old blue one that I dropped off a catwalk and bent in half, then bent back and hammered back out to round....

I have a black 3D that desperately needs a new life. Can't decide what to do with it, though....

There's alot of people that don't like Maglites for various reasons. I can understand that.

But when a person basically says they are crap, I know then and there that they don't know what the hell they're talking about.

Yeah, but will they EVER improve the blasted beam pattern? I don't know how many Mag's I have but I don't understand why they haven't made an OP reflector or even try to improve on that ugly black spider web look you always get.

I have Mags all around the house. Years ago a mini turned up in the drawer of the computer cabinet. It still worked. I like that they focus.

At least one of my Mag clickies failed. And one of my brothers as well. The number one Mag killer is leaking batteries, and I don't really blame them for that. But the clickies can fail!

While I'm not a huge mag fan, I've had a minimag for about 19 years. Had batteries leak in it, cleaned up the threads and it worked again.

Switched to Nite-IZe led a couple years ago, and just recently switched to an smj led with kroll switch. It still lives!

I have had a mag in the car for years too. Just put in a glass lense and magLed drop in.

Wish I could do something about the beam patterns without dropping $$ for a better reflector (not in the right state of mind to try sputtering mine yet).

So, yes, mags, like roaches, can last a very long time!

In any case, still waiting for my Fenix and Jetbeam to arrive...

65535 said:

I have taken apart mags and they use the exact same style of switch SF uses just with less tolerance.

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Well... not doubting you or anything. But um...
Why is it that SF clickies tend to have the reputation of being unreliable. While you usually dont hear aobut that in mags much? (genuinely curious)

gunga said:

While I'm not a huge mag fan, I've had a minimag for about 19 years. Had batteries leak in it, cleaned up the threads and it worked again.

Switched to Nite-IZe led a couple years ago, and just recently switched to an smj led with kroll switch. It still lives!

I have had a mag in the car for years too. Just put in a glass lense and magLed drop in.

Wish I could do something about the beam patterns without dropping $$ for a better reflector (not in the right state of mind to try sputtering mine yet).

So, yes, mags, like roaches, can last a very long time!

In any case, still waiting for my Fenix and Jetbeam to arrive...

Click to expand...

If you want a better beam pattern, try sticking a piece of matte finish tape over the end of the lens. It'll smooth out some of the artifacts.

flashy bazook said:

So, does this ring true for any of you, as well? Or am I just very easy to influence?

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I totally agree, and I'm sure every CPF'ers will agree with you. Maglites make about a 1000x more money than Surefire and all the other 'niche' companies (such as Fenix) combined. Simple - we have only a few hundred CPF'ers who buy from these smaller companies. Maglite on the other hand is MASS marketed around the world to MILLIONS of consumers. Their manufacturing/cost efficiency is high-tech which allows them reasonable price with excellent quality (the construction of Maglite is FAR more consistent and better than Fenix, and can rival Surefire). Maglite made in USA is a force that has been on the scene for many decades and has seen off many failed clones because Maglites are cheap and great.

I may be alone in this but I have found that in England, one actually needs to search for somewhere that sells Mags and the spares (e.g. lamps). On the whole, I think they are pretty expensive (for the price of the last MagLed 2aa I saw, I could buy a couple of Fenix L2Ds) and haven't pervaded this part of the World anywhere near as much as it sounds like they have in The States. Lots of people I know seem to have the cheap Everready plastic things (if they even have a torch) and a Mag is a luxury!

Perhaps cockroaches don't like the UK

I also believe that cockroaches have not changed or evolved in thousands of years maybe even millions of years so again much like Mag in that way also....hehe

On a good note they are very hard to kill as well and Mag is also much like that. Many people will look at the roach and say they hate them however most people have them somewhere in there home....once again much like Mag.

There may be complaints about the beam profile, but MagLites are so common that lots of modifications are produced for it. An orange-peel replacement reflector would be easy to find, and sort it out. I'm guessing Mag are aware of this, and so don't bother producing their own.

I've enjoyed MagLites for many years,and they form a substantial part of my arsenal. The only reason I thought to defect was that they did not do an LED option at the time, leading me to CPF.

In the UK, spare parts for niche flashlights are pretty much non-existent. I can ALWAYS find parts for MagLites

As I've said before, I intend to upgrade my 6D.