Unintended test of a Maglite 2AA

About 2 months ago i bought a 2AA maglite (to use as an improvised kubaton/yawara stick, i have a surefire if i want real light) i had it clipped to my belt one afternoon when i went to work on some landscaping at my house. WHen i returned to my house the light was missing, subsequently i spent about an hour looking for it and gave up. The next day i bought a new one.
Yesterday a person i hired to do landscaping found the light under about two inches of soil. It was covered in mud. I completely diassembled the light, took out the batteries, and bulb and let it soak in a jar with hot water. Twenty minutes later i dried it off with a blow dryer and reassembled it. The flashlight now works as good as new.

Mayby maglite cant make a bright flashlight, but the construction is top of the line and will withstand an extened stay in mud or its use as an improvised kubaton to wack someone over the head.
That light was worth ten bucks

Reasonably priced, okay constuction, water proof... only thing is that the bulb is not as bright as we want it to be. Maybe they should improvise on the reflector too...

I think that is the general consuses here, and that is why us flashoholics get mad at Mag.

The physical mag-lite flashlight is incredibly top rate, number one, state of the art, whatever, just the best. The light beam itself sucks!

And, with the revenue they make, they should do some R&D and make better lights.

Heck, if they just came out with a pop in kit that improved the light, they would sell millions!

And the other sad thing, is that, for "non-flashoholics" that have purchased mag's, they spent 20-30 bucks thinking that they purchased the best light available, and just accept the light output.

You said it, BuddTX.

I used to think the Mag was the best "consumer grade" flashlight you could buy within a reasonable price range. After visiting these forums and buying some of the lights discussed here, it just isn't the case.

Mag needs to improve their product line. It's stagnant and uninteresting except to the uninformed.

- Brian

My $20 Brinkmann LX has a better beam!..improvements must be made--especially to the wimpy Solitare.

The boys at Maglite aren't totally asleep...why i just saw a spiffy new color at my local Target store. Sort of a metallic forest green. Quite nice looking. I'll probably get a 2AA Mini Maglite, and a 3D, for my collection, when they go on sale. Drop a Brinkmann Nextar lamp in the 2AA, and halogen lamp in the 3D, and I'll have....well, an identical light to about a dozen other 2AA, and 5 or 6 3D cell Maglites. They are nice lights, and well made, but damn, I just wish they'd improve their lamps, and make the reflector like the orange peel, or textured type found on my SureFire lights. If they just *offered* the textured reflector as an aftermarket item, for those who want it...

Hey Gandalf, where do you find the Nextar lamps? I checked my local Wally World but didn't see them in the flashlight spare bulb section. I guess I might have missed them..... I saw other bi-pin bulbs, but none with the word "Nextar" on the package.

Thanks,
- Brian

I think they should make NewBeam style conversions for the C and D lights, maybe 7 or 10 LED versions.

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<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">Not quite a NewBeam ,but interesting: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1854972984
Regards,
Greg

I agree completely with BuddTX. A little R&D for the lamp assemblie/reflector would make Mags a ton better. There physical construction and durability is first class, but if the beam is weak it doesn't matter. Back in the day before when I was a "non-flashoholic" I purchased several Mags thinking they were the best there was. Then I found SureFire, became a flashoholic, and am not getting rid of most of my Mags.

-Mike

Just think how much profit and "fame" Maglite would have gotten if they were the ones who made the NewBeam conversion. I think they should make NewBeam style conversions for the C and D lights, maybe 7 or 10 LED versions.

Heck, Opalec would have to asleep if they weren't making a kit to fit the 2 and 3 C/D maglites, as well as other flashlights...

Guys!

Originally posted by Ratso:
Just think how much profit and "fame" Maglite would have gotten if they were the ones who made the NewBeam conversion. I think they should make NewBeam style conversions for the C and D lights, maybe 7 or 10 LED versions.

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What they really need to do is fix the 2AA mini-mag. They've already lost the market for full size police flashlights - who carries a 2C or larger mag anymore as a duty light? Law enforcement knows it has a bad beam, and it's way too heavy. Plus, pepper spray makes a much better non-lethal weapon.

If they don't fix the mini-mag, it's going to be killed by LED flashlights. What they should do is offer the newbeam guy a lot of $$$, buy his design, and start making the flashlight that way to begin with. Mag certainly isn't going to compete with rayovac on price, they better be able to do it with quality.

Some things are good, though. Mag has opened up the market for lights by ignoring part of the market, which has been filled by some great companies like ARC. Capitalism is cool sometimes.

Originally posted by Albany Tom:
They've already lost the market for full size police flashlights

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<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">Yeah, right.

who carries a 2C or larger mag anymore as a duty light?

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<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">Ever heard of the MagCharger?

Greetings,
Velcro

Originally posted by Velcro:
</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">Originally posted by Albany Tom:
They've already lost the market for full size police flashlights

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<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">Yeah, right.

who carries a 2C or larger mag anymore as a duty light?

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<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">Ever heard of the MagCharger?

Greetings,
Velcro</font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">Yep! Almost bought one about 15 years ago. I suppose I shouldn't speak for the whole world, just those parts of the US I'm familiar with. The training here, at least what I've taken, is very hard on the dark spot in the middle, to the point of it being one of the exercises I took. There's also been the switch to semi-auto handguns in the last few years here, along with the required extra ammo, plus a radio, cell phone sometimes, pager. Mags have become very unpopular here, both because of weight and tactical disadvantages.

So what do the LEO's in your area carry then? Btw, sorry if my first post was a bit harsh.

Greetings,
Velcro

West Coast has never been a big area for Mag in terms of the Police Market, which is dominated by Streamlight. My 2000 member Department is now issuing Stingers as standard equipment, and most Officers purchase their own SL-20X, and the 20XP is gaining quickly. I've only seen one Officer with a Magcharger, adn Surefire's are a very rare breed. I know of four or five Officers who carry a SF as a secondary light, not including myself.

As for Mag....Mr. Maglica has made a fortune with his light, and as long as it sells, he isn't going to change a thing. It's a adaquate light, and is good at what it does. Of course it could be improved, as most anything can, but there is not a demand for a LED or Tactical Maglite. Regardless of what's written at CPF, the hobby aspect of the flashlight is tiny in comparison to everything else flashlight related.

--dan