Maglite in cold weather

Anyone have any experience with maglites in cold weather(Mine is a 3D)? I keep mine in my vehicle and the other day I went to go use it... it was probably about 20F outside. It worked fine at first and then shut off.. When I went to cycle the power and turn it back on the switch was making it light up when it was halfway pressed, but as soon as it "clicked" on it would go back off. Now that it's inside my house and warm it works just fine.

I'm running a terralux led conversion in it(seoul) and I'm not sure if that is causing the problems or if it's the switch. The fact that it would turn on when playing with the switch and pushing it halfway down makes me think it's a switch issue.

I'm going to put the magled dropin back in and see if it makes any difference.

-tibim

It might be the batteries. Alkalines do not work as well in the cold.

I mainly USE lights that I carry on my person. These are AA, AAA and one 123.

I keep a M*g 3C with a M*gled in my truck for "emergency" use. A set of alkalines leaked and nearly ruined it. I tubed it with 3/4 CPVC wrapped at the ends with duct tape and run lithium AAs in it.

I might recommend something similar for Alaska use.

I thought it may be the batteries... however when i could get it to turn on by playing with the switch it seemed pretty bright... Are there any D size batteries that are better for cold weather use?

I suspect some metal in the switch shrunk because of the cold and could not make proper electrical contact.

It is possible that some ice formed inside the switch reducing metallic contact or the ice may have melted and cause some water interference with the contacts.

ltiu said:

I suspect some metal in the switch shrunk because of the cold and could not make proper electrical contact.

It is possible that some ice formed inside the switch reducing metallic contact or the ice may have melted and cause some water interference with the contacts.

Click to expand...

This seems the more likely possibility. Cold weather doesn't cause alks to work sporadically; it just significantly reduces their capacity and current capability. If you were getting very poor runtimes and/or weak output, that would probably be the batteries.

I keep a krypton 2D in my trunk, and it's worked fine at 0 F. Now the car gets run and warms up and blah blah, but it's worked every time i've needed it, i change the batts once a year and use energizer alkies. But i rarely grab it b/c whatever is in my pocket is more convenient and brighter.

Suggestion: Isolate the batteries from the switch (variable wise) by leaving the light outside (or in the freezer) and the batteries inside. Put warm batteries inside a cold flashlight. Symptoms subside = problem batteries. Symptoms persists = problem light.

Back a few years ago, I did a lot of cold weather camping and hiking. I learned the hard way that alkaline batteries do not like the cold. AAs were worthless, C cells handled the cold better, but still had reduced brightness and runtime, while D cells usually worked, but at the expense of runtime. My experiences then were all with incan Mags. I have not tried the Mag LEDs in below zero weather, but suspect that they may perform a little better.

Today, Energizer lithium e2 AA batteries handle the cold and work extremely well with most of today's LEDs, so they are now my first choice for cold weather. For a car/truck light the lithiums offer the additional advantage of a 10 year leak free life.

Might I suggest that you acquire a light like the Rayovac 2AA (Walmart) or the River Rock 2AA (Target) that have push/twist tailcaps and run Lithium AAs in the light? Only thing a M*gled has over these it absolute throw.

But both of my 3W 2AA and my 1W 2AA are FAR more usefull than a big M*gled for actual use.

If in fact the M*g switch is being messed up by the cold no battery in the world will help. Doing away with most of the moving parts makes a LOT of sense!

I really like my Terralux Mag 4D but now I'd rather just have a Fenix T1. I hate carrying the 4D when I want to use it! I EDC a P2D CE and Surefire E1e but I carry the Mag when I want throw or might need a club.

PlayboyJoe is on the right track. Carry a AA light or similar upon you and keep the larger light in the car. In the winter I'd suggest something other than aluminum.

I used to keep a Maglite during the wintertime for a vehicle light but now use a Energizer HardCase LuxIII light. It's pretty much identical to the beam pattern the MagLED gives, although its body is composed mostly of sturdy plastic. It helps with less transference of cold to the batteries than aluminum and much better on holding with a bare hand.



Wouldn't mind seeing one of these in a Cree/Rebel version soon...

Good ideas above to try to isolate the issue to get to the problem.

I keep a Mag LED 3D (previously standard incan 3D bulb :thumbsdow ) in my car all season, hot and cold and have to say I've never had that intermittent light problem you described, in either weather, with either bulb setup. However this winter I began to EDC a light in my coat pocket after one night of using the Mag for an hour in single digit weather - no gloves! Metal flashlights retain the cold temperature VERY well! BRRRR!!!! Have since wrapped mine in hockey stick tape (and keep a Q5'd SF G2 in my coat!).

lithiums with a AA>D converter?
maybe heat up the batteries first like in your pocket

Tibim: A twist-head switch 2AA Maglite, particularly with a TLE LED conversion, has worked for me down to -30C ( -10F). My guess is that metal inside your Maglite click switch is contracting in the cold such that it no longer makes contact. Headlamps with a separate battery pack and a cord, so that the batteries are kept warm under your clothing, are the way to go. LED's work superbly with cold batteries as they require less power to light up. I have had reasonable luck with 3AAA Petzl Tactikka headlamps even with their tiny batteries, at -30C for a couple of hours or so.

enlightenment!

NiteIze makes the Grip-N-Clip which is a neoprene cover for AA, C, and D Mags. Makes cold weather lights more comfortable to carry. These also make for better grip on a wet flashlight and they have a strap that you can slide your hand or a few fingers under so you have a very good grip on the light. They will not help stone cold alkalines or lights with problems related to condensation.

I'm guilty of it too, but when the temp drops it's probably smart to bring the alkaline and rechargeables inside and stick to lithium powered lights if for no other reason than dependability. While things might improve after the vehicle warms up, I'd never stake a life on a really cold alkaline powered flashlight. For me, it either has to be kept warm or running on a lithium.

I had a Matterhorn that wouldn't light up after sitting in my mailbox in the cold for hours.
A D cell mag should work in cold temps. I have no trouble with mine when I go out at night to walk the dog in the cold. It was 7F last night and it worked fine, but came from a warm house.
I keep a Mag in the car, but in a tool box. I also usually keep a small lithium powered light in the glovebox, just in case.