? Best LED Option for Longest Lasting 3C-D Maglite Upgrade

I need less light but a longer lasting adjustable beam light. I have several older Maglites that are 3 C and 3 D cell models. One is newer, with a D starting the serial number. Maybe I will upgrade this with the Malkoff.

More light than the original incan bulb would be good but longevity is more important. And I would like to retain the beam adjustability.

A second question is that I have 2 ?5 - 1/2D cell rechargeable Maglites. I use these the least as they die quickly. Is there a longer lasting LED upgrade for these type bulbs that last longer? I do not need them to be brighter.

aehaas

with this one, do I just screwing it on to the maglite replacing the stock bulb with no modding required? if not, how does it work?

berry580 said:

with this one, do I just screwing it on to the maglite replacing the stock bulb with no modding required?

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Yes that's just how this one works, unscrew the incandescent bulb and screw this one in!

I've upgraded several old Maglites with this unit, and so far they've been very good.

AEHaas said:

I need less light but a longer lasting adjustable beam light. I have several older Maglites that are 3 C and 3 D cell models. One is newer, with a D starting the serial number. Maybe I will upgrade this with the Malkoff.

More light than the original incan bulb would be good but longevity is more important. And I would like to retain the beam adjustability.

aehaas

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This post has some interesting information about different bulbs for the 3D Mag. They work about the same, albeit with a shorter run time overall, on the 3C models.

If you do decide to go with the Nite-Ize 1-watt bulb then keep in mind that there are two different models, the 1-watt and a dimmer one. The dimmer one has a large, 3/8" clear plastic globe atop the metal cartridge while the brighter 1-watt bulb has a smaller, 1/4" clear plastic globe on top of the metal cartridge. That's how you can tell them apart. The dimmer one will not give you much more run times but is substantially dimmer than the 1-watt one, according to reports that I have read here on these forums. I've bought the 1-watt model at Lowe's for around $15 and the dimmer one I've seen at Walmart for about $8.

I gotta say, I would seek out Mag's own 3-cell led module. Runtime is huge, noticeably brighter than stock, reasonable price. Oh, and they reliably work.

Did you follow the link in my previous post? The Nite-Ize 1-watt PR-flange drop-in is brighter than the MagLED module after the thermal circuit has dropped the output due to heat. It's more expensive than the Nite-Ize, too.

A better alternative to the MagLED module for 3 cells would be to use the MagLED module for 4 cells. This is because they run this module at a lower output relative to the voltage so you get even more run time out of your batteries without a real hit in brightness. I know I cannot tell the difference between my 3-cell model and my 4 cell model when used in my 3D MagLite.

Newbie did a write up on the Magled upgrade module a couple of years ago and totally analyzed it.

https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/130861

In there he shows how to change the current sense resistor to get really long run times out of the batteries. You sacrifice some brightness but on D cells you can have a light that runs for a long long time.

The idea intrigued me so I tried it. You have to pull the module apart and you probably should have some electronic and soldering skills to do it.

The point of it was that the Magled upgrade reallly isn't that great of a light compared to what's available today. My thoughts were if you are going to have a big heavy light, it either should be a monster thrower or something that lasts for a long time.

Now I've gotten rid of all my D size Mags because there is just too many better choices out there in my opinion. The Magled upgrade just wasn't designed to handle much heat and as such Mag limits current based on temp and the brightness dims after a few minutes of constant on. I wouldn't bother with the Terrelux or Magled upgrades for what its worth and I'm not trying to offend anyone.

Those upgrades were really popular a few years back when LED lights were coming into place. Now that there are so many options out there these Mag led upgrades are outdated in my opinion.

I just got this back from Maglite:

Thank you for choosing Maglite products. The LED upgrade modules for the 2, 3 and 4 cell Maglites (which had been available for the last several years) have been discontinued. We now offer a 2nd Generation Maglite LED D cell which features a new High Performance LED and a more powerful projecting LED beam that focuses simply by rotating the head.

In order to optimize performance of the next generation MAG-LED Technology, the newly designed D cell does not allow for the interchangeable light sourcing module and no longer requires or offers the spare incandescent lamp in the tail cap.

These are available at your favorite Home Improvement, Sporting Goods, some Police/Uniform Supply Shops, Hardware Stores, Membership Stores etc. as well as at the following web retailers:...

I thank you all for your replies. I sent away for the 4 cell Maglite LED. They still have some of these left at Amazon for $15. Lets see how that goes. Also, I have one newer 3-Cell that I will get a drop-in from Malfoff to get at least one really bright one.Thanks,

aehaas

AEHaas said:

Also, I have one newer 3-Cell that I will get a drop-in from Malfoff to get at least one really bright one.

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...when/if it ever is in stock again.

I like dlrflyer's suggestion. If you read AEHaas post, the MagLED has been upgraded this year and is significantly better than the first generation MagLED.. I think most people should check them out before judging them.

streetkid said:

I like dlrflyer's suggestion. If you read AEHaas post, the MagLED has been upgraded this year and is significantly better than the first generation MagLED.. I think most people should check them out before judging them.

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I can't speak for the 3D versions but I have three MagLED 2D lights. Two of them are earlier MagLites that have the MagLED drop-in, one of these modified with a SSC P4 U-bin. The third light is a 2D Rebel. Is the 2D Rebel brighter than my other MagLites? Yes, it is compared to the Luxeon emitter but my P4 is a draw. Does it have a tighter beam when focused? Yes, it does. What it also does, that I don't like, is it draws 1600mA from 2 alkaline D cells where my older MagLEDs draw around 1000-1200mA on the same exact cells. That tells me that the batteries won't last as long in the newer Rebel MagLED. Since my P4 modded MagLED is about as bright as my Rebel MagLED, it means that I will get a longer run time without the reduction in output, I just won't have that nice tight spot that the deeper reflector gives me. So, speaking from experience, which MagLED would I grab if we experience another major earthquake around here? My Mag 3D with the 4D module! It's not super bright but that thing will run for weeks on the same batteries. I should drop a P4 into that one, too! Oh, yeah, just in case you're interested, that 4D module will pull 50mA from 2 fresh D cells. How's that for a long lasting light?

SuperTrouper said:

Yes that's just how this one works, unscrew the incandescent bulb and screw this one in!

I've upgraded several old Maglites with this unit, and so far they've been very good.

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I have one of the new xp-g malkoff upgrades for mine. wanted to get one for my father in law for Christmas, but it doesn't look like they will be back in stock. This one is advertised at 140 lumins at the emitter, is it a pretty bright light? the maglite reflector throws pretty good, so I was just curious if my father in law would be happy with it or not, I know it isn't going to compare with mine, but I use mine for Law Enforcement work, and he uses his to walk the dog at night.

Bullman said:

This one is advertised at 140 lumins at the emitter, is it a pretty bright light? the maglite reflector throws pretty good, so I was just curious if my father in law would be happy with it or not, I know it isn't going to compare with mine, but I use mine for Law Enforcement work, and he uses his to walk the dog at night.

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The TLE-6EX and TLE-6EXB both seem more than adequate for dog walking, I imagine you'd find them adequate for LE work too if the bulk of the light wasn't a problem.

To the eye I can barely tell a difference in brightness between these and the Rebel LEDs in the current generation Maglites.

They seem to throw very nicely and flood when you want them to do that too thanks to the Maglite's adjustable head still offering focus options with these upgrades installed.

the bulk of the light can be kind of handy sometimes, if you know what I mean

Bullman said:

the bulk of the light can be kind of handy sometimes, if you know what I mean

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Oh believe me I do, in the UK where we're not allowed to carry any kind of weapons for self defence.

I've just heard a few LEOs complaining that longer and heavier torches can be more of a hinderance when running after suspects as they basically just bang against your legs and threaten to trip you, when you likely have other more specialist tools for self defence that won't trip you up.

I work a in rural setting, and lets just face it, the kind of people I deal with tend to want to fight more than run. I don't like to run anyway, too old and fat for that. I may end up getting him that mod for Christmas then, since the Malkoff's are off the market right now.

Bullman said:

I work a in rural setting, and lets just face it, the kind of people I deal with tend to want to fight more than run. I don't like to run anyway, too old and fat for that. I may end up getting him that mod for Christmas then, since the Malkoff's are off the market right now.

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You won't be disappointed, it's like night and day (no pun intended) the difference between the original incandescent bulbs and these Terralux screw in mods. That way the size of the Maglite will still help discourage people from messing with your father in law, and it could also come in handy to help protect his dog from other dogs attacking it.