Mag-Lite bulb choices

Hello, In a non-flashlight forum, flashlights were being discussed in a thread and it was mentioned by a member that he recently purchased a 3 "D" cell LED Mag-lite at Lowes that was very bright so during my visit the other day I bought the same light and WOW...... what a difference in the light between my old double "C" cell Maglite and this new one. Now when a local bear starts rumbling around my garbage can at 2:00 AM I can actually see him!

Now my situation that perhaps some of you folks can shed some light on..........

Now being spoiled by the bright LED light from the new flashlight I want to upgrade my older light BUT the internet is chock full of places to buy Maglite "LED upgrades" and just as many sites with warnings of how you will void your warranty on your Maglite if you use those new LED's.

Reading all this I visited Mag-Lite's website and see that while they are selling new LED flashlights they do not discuss any LED upgrades for existing flashlights BUT they talk about their replacement bulbs, the Xenon and Krypton bulbs as if they are the brightest things this side of the sun so needless to say I'm totally confused and a friend suggested posting on this forum for some help and based on what I see so far you folks would know the answer to my situation.


My two part question........

Does anyone know if Mag-Lite's "Magnum Star Xenon" bulb or the "White Star Krypton" bulb are as bright as the LED's in their new LED flashlights and if not, where might be a good source to purchase an LED that is compatible with the Mag-Lite double "C" cell flashlight I have?

To make this a three part question…… It appears that one could easily get hooked on collecting different flashlights so should I run away now while I still have a chance or stick around for a while and get hooked?

If you respond please keep in mind to keep answers plain enough for a dummy to understand because the ONLY things I know about flashlights so far is that you replace batteries when the bulb goes dim and replace the bulb when it doesn't light up, other than that I know nothing whatsoever!

Thanks,
George

texatdurango said:

[...]Does anyone know if Mag-Lite's "Magnum Star Xenon" bulb or the "White Star Krypton" bulb are as bright as the LED's in their new LED flashlights and if not, where might be a good source to purchase an LED that is compatible with the Mag-Lite double "C" cell flashlight I have?[...]

Click to expand...

Running a 2D/C or 3D/C Magnum Star or White Star is not likely to blow your socks off.

Non of the standard Mag bulbs,krypton or xenon,are going to be as bright as a new LED version and any bulb run on two standard C cells is likely to be a disappointment.There are incan mods for the two C cell Maglite that are impressive but they require different batteries and some modifications to the light.The TerraLUX TLE-6EXB is a decent LED upgrade for the 2C for general use and if you want something more impressive the Malkoff 2C cell drop in is available if you are willing to spend the money.You should probably run now because there are many more impressive lights than Maglites! :welcome:

ZMZ67 said:

You should probably run now because there are many more impressive lights than Maglites! :welcome:

Click to expand...

Heed the advice above Keep your wallet closed and leave and forget about this forum

I've used a Fusion 36 drop-in in my old Maglite 2C for fun and old times. It was nice, but I wasn't impressed. Generally if you spend this kind of money, you can easily (and with quite a low budget) find something better than a Maglite.

2x 18500s and 6 cell xenon bulb

the original bulbs are nothing,
aftermarket Krypton bulbs - in case of 3 cell light: 3.6-4 V / 0.8 A - are much better than the Maglite bulbs

but in that light class, You will always be better off with a led light.
for starting, try this cheap, entry-stage one:
http://www.dealextreme.com/p/unique...en-led-flashlight-black-2-16340-1-18650-33550
+ get 2 pc. "protected" 18650 Li-Ion cells
+ get charger for them
... all offered at the site linked

keep the host light for extreme power with a BRIGHT bulb - search for "ROP"