maglight led's on sale rebel 2d or 3d? or mini?

http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/showthread.php?t=203300

this thread about the mag led's being on sale at Lowe's during Black Friday makes me wonder if I should get one (or a few) for a utility flashlight. I searched and I can't really figure out much about the 2D vs. 3D with the rebel emitters used in the new models, and how they compare to the mini led's.

I don't know if the sale lights will be rebels (you have to know how to tell the difference), but I can hope that they will be.

I have the Rebel MiniMag, 2D and 3D.

Here's a beamshot comparison between 2D and 3D.

The Rebel Mag D's definitely have more throw due to the larger head but the Rebel MiniMag is decent relatively speaking.

Are all the parts swapable with the incan 2D, 4D, etc.?

I was thinking of getting a drop in LED, but may just get the whole light.

Thanks for the heads-up!

The rebal mags use different internals then the Maglite incans, so you won't be able to swap them

With the old Luxeon MagLED versions, the 3D model was noticeably brighter than the 2D. Upchuck's link suggests that this difference is smaller with the new Rebel versions.

Regardless, I have the Rebel MagLED 2D and its output stomps either of the Luxeon versions. And I like having to use only two cells rather than three.

Gunner12 said:

The rebal mags use different internals then the Maglite incans, so you won't be able to swap them

Click to expand...

OK, silly question then: Why is there a spare incan bulb in the tailcap of the LED lights?

ab1ht said:

OK, silly question then: Why is there a spare incan bulb in the tailcap of the LED lights?

Click to expand...

there is no spare incan in the newer rebels..

ab1ht said:

OK, silly question then: Why is there a spare incan bulb in the tailcap of the LED lights?

Click to expand...

The Luxeon ones were a simple swap out module, and had a spare bulb in the tail cap, the LED itself is contained in a "can" that looks just like a normal bulb, and the light itself is identical to normal incan Maglites, so you can swap between incan and LED.

The newer, Rebel ones are redesigned, not simply a module with an LED on it, and thus don't have the holder base, or a spare bulb anymore.

tnforever said:

The newer, Rebel ones are redesigned, not simply a module with an LED on it, and thus don't have the holder base, or a spare bulb anymore.

Click to expand...

OK, now I get it. Thank you for clearing this up.

According to a shopping forum, the LED 2AA will be $10.97 and the 2 or 3D will be $14.97 on black Friday at Lowes. I hope the 2AA is the updated led version.

chasing_the_night_away said:

http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/showthread.php?t=203300

this thread about the mag led's being on sale at Lowe's during Black Friday makes me wonder if I should get one (or a few) for a utility flashlight. I searched and I can't really figure out much about the 2D vs. 3D with the rebel emitters used in the new models, and how they compare to the mini led's.

I don't know if the sale lights will be rebels (you have to know how to tell the difference), but I can hope that they will be.

Click to expand...

My brother has a 3D rebel. I honestly don't see what all the hype is about these. They have a very pronounced dark doughnut hole in the center when the bezel is rotated to anything other than a tight spot.

Just a little heads up

kramer5150 said:

My brother has a 3D rebel. I honestly don't see what all the hype is about these. They have a very pronounced dark doughnut hole in the center when the bezel is rotated to anything other than a tight spot.

Click to expand...

They ain't perfect, but for $15 try finding another light that's built like a tank, throws that well, runs on "consumer" batteries, and can be used to hammer in nails. That's the appeal of Mags.

kramer5150 said:

My brother has a 3D rebel. I honestly don't see what all the hype is about these. They have a very pronounced dark doughnut hole in the center when the bezel is rotated to anything other than a tight spot.

Just a little heads up

Click to expand...

Besides what pipspeak said, yeah, maglites have two modes IMHO, focused and useless.

To be fair, you can also use it as a floodlight and a candle. I find it pretty useful as an indoor floodlight... though mine's a Lux3

kramer5150 said:

They have a very pronounced dark doughnut hole in the center when the bezel is rotated to anything other than a tight spot.

Click to expand...

Welcome to the world of Mag flashlights since ... ever.

I always use mine as fixed focus lights.

kramer5150 said:

My brother has a 3D rebel. I honestly don't see what all the hype is about these. They have a very pronounced dark doughnut hole in the center when the bezel is rotated to anything other than a tight spot.

Just a little heads up

Click to expand...

stipple the beam even slightly and they become very useful focusers. a little clear spray paint on the reflector should do it.

pipspeak said:

They ain't perfect, but for $15 try finding another light that's built like a tank, throws that well, runs on "consumer" batteries, and can be used to hammer in nails. That's the appeal of Mags.

Click to expand...

Provided whether they have or have not yet addressed the switch/contact issue in the newer Rebel versions. If not, there's really no deal to speak of at any price point.

Lit Up said:

Provided whether they have or have not yet addressed the switch/contact issue in the newer Rebel versions. If not, there's really no deal to speak of at any price point.

Click to expand...

Gah... I've not heard about that. Dodgy switch would make them kinda useless.

mine has been 100% in the 6 months or whatever i've had it.

Gunner12 said:

The rebal mags use different internals then the Maglite incans, so you won't be able to swap them

Click to expand...

But they are the same internals as the 4-mode minimag, so you can swap them.

Dropping the 3D's module in a 4-mode makes for the start of a very sweet 14670 EDC light, and dropping the 4-mode's guts into the 3D's switch assembly and putting the whole thing in a 2D makes for a good "hurricane light". (Reassembling the leftover bits leaves you with a 3D incan, ready for e.g. a 3x26700 Mag85 build.)

If 14670s aren't to your liking, you could do a direct swap between the 4-mode mini and a 2D, but the 2-cell modules are less efficient and lower output. I think you can adapt the 3D module to work in a 3xAA mini wzith one piece out of a 2xAA 4-mode, but I'm not 100% certain -- it's been a while since I figured this stuff out.