What is the oldest, operational light in your collection?

I bought my first Maglite 4D flashlight back in 1993 and I still have that light to this day. It's actually leaning up against my bed post as I type this thread. It's got little dents and dings everywhere, tons of scratches, the paint is very worn, the lens is so marred that the beam actually looks like a spiderweb against a wall, and I'm still running the original backup incan bulb.

I recently started my collection of new-fangled LED lights, but call me sentimental...I prefer to keep the Mag exactly the way it is...completely stock. This thing is built like a tank...17 years and still going.

So, out of curiosity CPF'ers, what is the oldest, operational light in your collection that you still use?

Red Maglite 3D bought back in 1998, switched the incand bulb to the stock Mag drop in and its still being used around the home by whoever needs it.

I have an old rayovac 2D roughneck incan I modded to use a magLED dropin sitting here next to my computer.

I still have my original maglite 4D from back in the early eighties. Still works fine though it gets almost no use now. I also have my orange Eveready Dolphin from about 1968 though I can't be bothered buying those big batteries for it anymore. I also know that somewhere I've stowed my Eveready Big Jim from the seventies but I can't for the life of me remember where. They are the only torches I've held onto, many many more were thrown away when they started to exhibit minor faults or cracked lenses.

MX991/U was given to me from my brother in the mid-80s. It was GI surplus at the time so its probably a bit older than that.


A coleman spotlight from that same time frame.


Both lights still work

Those cheap Eveready 2xD incan way back 2000.

2 C-Cell Maglite. Was given to me Christmas of '92 if I remember correctly! Still have it. Still works. Still use it for work around the house! The rubber insert that covers the switch is missing and it has some scratches on the body and the lens, but it is in surprisingly good shape for it's age!

Maglites are like the Energizer bunny of the flashlight world...they may not be the brightest, may not be the smallest, but they sure do take a licking and keep on ticking.

Depends on what you mean by "operational".I have a 6V Star railroad car inspector's lantern probably from the 1950s that works but it was never a light I used.My original 3D Mag, purchased about 20 years ago is still in great working condition.The Mag is probably the oldest light that I used extensively.I have various working lights from the 70s and 80s but they were aquired used after the 3D Mag.

I remember long ago when cell phones were the size of bricks, computers still had black and green screens, and the brightest flashlights you could buy ran off those ridiculously large, rectangular-shaped batteries. Anyone remember those? Maybe I'm dating myself. If any of them actually held up, I would've kept one.

A AAA minimag from about 92 or 93 in pewter.

A Minimag 2AA given by friends back when i was studying forestry in 2002 or 2003.
Still works, only on its second bulb.
Gotta find a drop in for this thing.

That would be my first generation MiniMag from sometime in the late 1980's. If I dug around long enough I might find one of those freebie plastic 4D lights that Radio Shack used to give away in the 70's.

Geoff

not sure of the year, because I had like... 4 of them between 1988 and the early 90's but it would have to be one of my dolphin torches. Second oldest functional torch in common usage would be my 4D maglite purchased about 1993

Well, I've a few for practical and sentimental reasons.

I have 2 of my Grandfather's torches from the 1930's - one is a focusable 2D with a momentary switch made by Trehawk of Great Britain. The other is a 3D fixed focus, also with a momentary switch, made byEver Ready in England.

Both have the original bulbs as far as I know and are in working order - albeit a battered state - they have been through a lot - he was a Fireman.

Also I have on my desk and in very good order - a 1935 doctor's magnifying torch made by Beck of London - It's called a 'Luminex', I have seen a couple of these on eBay recently - kicking myself for not getting them as they are superb. I use this regularly as it has a 10x optic on it and the quality of image is unsurpassed IMHO. I even EDC this on occaision.

I also have a flat bodied fish eye torch from Ever Ready - I haven't been able to identify it yet - but it's old - ONLY has a momentary switch. Looks a bit like a hip flask.

I'll post pics when I can.

I don't now remember which one I got first; but it's either my black Minimaglite 2AA or the black 6D. I bought these around 1997-98.

Regards, Patric

It's my 3D Maglite that I got for Christmas some 15 or 16 years ago. I've swapped the normal buld for a MagnumStar one but other than that it's stock.

Guess what, another Maglite. A Green Maglite Mini AA from the late 80's. Still works great, feels sturdier than those I recently bought to mod. Actually just found it in the storage after getting into flashlights again. Put a new bulb and batteries in it and it works like new. Is now my bedside light.

For my it's a green 2AA MiniMag which I bought when I was about 5 years old .

rayman

My red Minimag from 1990 gets used alot, as does a bullet bodied Ray-o-vac from the 30s with a magnumstar 5cell bulb and 6 eneloops in it.