4D Maglite and four LED upgrade options for 2011...opinions wanted!

nicodimus22

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Hey folks. I have an old 25-year old 4D Maglite that I want to upgrade. I know some of you would recommend ditching the light and buying a new one since it's so heavy and not competitive light-wise to some of the newer breed of lights. I want to keep this one on my nightstand for defensive purposes, since it doubles as an impact weapon in an emergency. I have used the search function to read up on the topics about 4D Maglite upgrades, but it seems like most of them are from 2006-2009 and not up to date. Here are the options I see:

1. Terralux TLE-300MREX: 500-700 lumens, $50, 1-hour life, available now (Ebay)

2. Fusion 36 LED: 400 lumens, $25, life not listed, available now (Ebay)

3. Malkoff drop-in: 260 lumens, $70, life not listed, out of stock (Malkoff)

4. Terralux TLE-6EX: 140 lumens, $15, 20-hour life, available now (Amazon)


I'm kind of shying away from the #1 because of the extremely short battery life (Edit: I also just found out that it's not compatible with the older Maglites anyway) and also #3 because I don't know if or when it will be available again. I'm a bit intrigued by #2 because it's still crazy bright, fairly cheap, and the battery life is probably better than 1 hour. #4 seems like it would be OK for general use where very long battery life is important, but I'm not sure it's bright enough to be great in a home defense situation. Does anyone have opinions on these, or any additional ideas? Thanks in advance.
 
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cratz2

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Yeah, for general use, I'd go for #4. In fact, I have one and two friends each have two of them at my suggestion.

For home defense, I'd want something brighter and smaller... something 2xCR123 sized.
 

tolkaze

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I went down this path too, and found that with an older model maglite 4D, it is very hard to get dropins made. Even the Malkoff requires the one with a "D" in the serial number, as this is a set internal diameter. The older ones would vary slightly between batches, and from what I gather, are slightly smaller ID.

You could get a custom dropin made, but you would need the maker to make it specifically for your switch, and internal diameter of your light. So unless you send your light to get modded, the next cheapest thing to do is get a standard bulb style dropin. They are brighter than incan, have a cleaner beam, are whiter and is as easy as switching bulbs. No other mods are needed.

Alternatively, a new Maglite 4D is really quite cheap, and you could probably pick up the latest CREE style one cheap too
 

nicodimus22

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A couple of things just occurred to me, after reading these responses and playing with my Maglite. First, I have no way of knowing whether the #2 option is compatible with my old model 4D. Odds are, if the #1 option is based on the newer model, they probably both are. The #4 option would be a nice cheap upgrade, and I'll probably still get it, but I don't think it would be bright enough to really blind an intruder. Also, while the 4D feels AWESOME in the hand, I just tried really swinging it around with one arm and practically broke my wrist off. You pretty much need a 2-hand grip to swing it effectively, or you have to have an incredibly strong arm/wrist. Also, it's slow and I'd have to take the beam off the subject to swing. I think I've changed my mind. I would be better off with a bright-as-heck small light in my off hand, and either pepper spray or my ka-bar in my dominant hand. This would allow me to keep the light in the attacker's face the whole time, while I could use my light weapon in the other hand much more quickly. Thanks for the feedback, you've helped me think this through a bit more.
 

nicodimus22

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If your looking for affordable and bright check out Solarforce L2p with an XML dropin.

Well, I currently have a Nebo Redline (220 lumens on high) so to justify buying another small light, it would have to be a significant upgrade in brightness. I did check out the flashlight you recommended, but I was kind of turned off that it uses 123As. I like to stick with lights that use common batteries, just a preference of mine. I may just end up waiting a little while longer and seeing what advances they make before buying another one.

Fenix makes some nice D cell lights if thats your preference

I wouldn't say it's my preference, I have just had that light for 25 years and I thought I might see about getting it spruced up and using it as an impact weapon in a pinch. 4D is very slow and unwieldy though. After thinking more about it, I would probably be in better control of a situation if I didn't use a big heavy light, especially one that is only half as bright (after upgrading) as the Redline. I do have a Fenix E01 on my keychain, and they make some really nice lights, but often I run into the "takes a weird battery type" issue with their lights.
 

deadrx7conv

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I have a few Maglites with the Terralux. No complaints. Works great.

I'm going to grab a Fusion36 for a friends light once I see them back up on ebay.

Superbrightleds has a 3w PR based drop-in: PR2-3WHP-9V

I'd never bother ditching a Maglite. Great light. Tough as nails. Just keeps on working and working. Many parts available and upgrades too.

For home defense, get a "flash" light that uses gun powder.
 

nicodimus22

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Just to follow up on my old thread in case anyone looks at this for reference in the future...I did end up getting #2 (the Fusion 36) on Ebay. It DOES work in the old model 4D maglite (got mine in 1985 or 1986.) It's a big upgrade from the incandescent bulb. It's very floody, so it would be great for camping or general use. It isn't really bright/focused enough of a beam to use for self-defense. It might make someone squint if you shone it in their face, but it's not going to blind them. I'm just using 4 D-cells in there at the moment, and have not tried it with any of the AA-D adapters. Fairly happy with the upgrade, but not blown away. What you want to use the flashlight for will determine whether it's worthwhile for you.
 
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