Can a 2 AAA mini maglite be upgraded still?

Astro

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I have upgraded a 2 AA mini maglite with the TerraLUX TLE-5EX and am really pleased with it - brighter whiter and still zoomable with longer battery run times.

I have a really nice 2 AAA mini mag too, but it seems I have missed the boat with the TerraLUX TLE-20 upgrade kit for it. (If any of you have one -let me know!). Is there an easy and affordable way to convert the AAA to LED?
 

chewy78

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Possibly. But to me, not worth the time and effort, there are better options out there.
 

NeonLights

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I've been looking around for more of the Terralux TLE-20 kits as well, as I've converted several AAA MiniMags to LED with the kit (for myself and gifts) and really liked it, but it appears to be out of production, and the suppliers I've bought from in the past no longer carry them.
 

Astro

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Thanks. There do seem to be some great alternative low cost options to replace the light, its a shame though as it is in an attractive mettalic purple.
 

Chicken Drumstick

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I too like the size design of the AAA Mini Mag. I upgraded mine recently (end of last year) with a dropin off eBay from Hong Kong. £4.50 inc shipping.

The claim is 18 lumens and while it massively increases to output over stock, it's still not overly bright compared to newer alternative lights. That said it does make it quite usable as a house light or for reading. I'd say it has a comparable or slightly better output than a standard incan AA Mini Mag, less throw but probably slightly more light. It does have a somewhat blue tinge to it too.

Possibly not all that helpful, but a beamshot on a cream wall from about 4 feet away.
MiniMagLiteAAA18lumenMedium.jpg


As a reference this is the same camera settings and distance for a £10 Tesco CREE AA flashlight:
TescoCREEAAMedium.jpg


I bought 2 of these drop ins. The first worked fine for over a months worth of EDC'ing. Then it started playing up. It did this a couple of days after I switched from regular alkaline AAA's to lithium primaries. I don't know is these caused the issue or if it was the twisting on/off of the head that broke the drop in (a tail clicky would be good imo).

I've now got the 2nd drop in installed and it's seemed fine, but I'm running it on Eneloops and I'm not EDC'ing it any longer. Suspect the quality isn't great and the ebay seller has been less than helpful, so I probably wouldn't buy from them again. Although that said, at £4.50 to turn it into a usable light, it's justifiably worth it.
 

Astro

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Hi Chicken Drumstick, I have seen an unbranded upgrade on eBay that claims to allow zooming. Is this the one you got? Does it allow zooming, and use of the original reflector? I presume it dims as the battery fades? 18 Lumens is fine - in fact preferable - for my intended use (in car map reading torch).
 

Chicken Drumstick

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Hi Chicken Drumstick, I have seen an unbranded upgrade on eBay that claims to allow zooming. Is this the one you got? Does it allow zooming, and use of the original reflector? I presume it dims as the battery fades? 18 Lumens is fine - in fact preferable - for my intended use (in car map reading torch).
I believe that might be the one. Have a look at this ebay item: 110794940830

It basically just has two pins on the bottom fits as a normal bulb would (although it is polarised). It requires no mods and retains the stock reflector. It does allow the focusable head, although it works best on a tight focus tbh, you just end up with a donut otherwise.

For a map light it would be an ideal brightness tbh. Just be gentle when turning off and tightening the head, as I believe it crushes the dropin.
 

sween1911

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Interesting thread. I've long played with my Minimag AAA and wondered if there was an upgrade. It works pretty well still, I carried one as my EDC for years in the mid to late 90's.

But yeah there are so many great offerings in that size, like the Streamlight Stylus line, that blow it away in terms of value and functionality. One thing I will say, it's still cool to see a non-flashaholic who is familiar with the incan Mags when they pick up an LED-upgraded model and turn it on, how amazed they are. I've picked up the Nite-ize modules for my old 2AA Minimag and I love it.
 

Astro

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Just ordered one from eBay - seems they have just brought out an upgraded version which in the pics appears a little more crush proof, and comes with a bigger LED, slightly brighter (20 Lumens quoted) and a new refelector. Will report back once I get it presumably in a few weeks (free shipping from Hong Kong).
 

Chicken Drumstick

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Just ordered one from eBay - seems they have just brought out an upgraded version which in the pics appears a little more crush proof, and comes with a bigger LED, slightly brighter (20 Lumens quoted) and a new refelector. Will report back once I get it presumably in a few weeks (free shipping from Hong Kong).
I look forward to seeing what you think of it.
 

bon1

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Upgrade from incandescent mini maglite

Hi guys, I've been using an incandescent mini maglite for well over a decade. It's always worked flawlessly, but the quantity of light (lumens?) it provides is very small and its runtime is rather short as well (maybe something like 3 hours on random AA batteries?). I like how simple the on/off switch works, but the "zoom" feature ended up being more annoying in practice than I first thought. Also, this flashlight provides too few lumens for most of its running time, thus not very useful for work. The length and diameter(s) of this mini maglite are good for handling, but it's too long for pocketing it in a comfortable way.

I'm not looking for the brightest light (thus, short runtime), but for a new flashlight that provides a lot more lumens than my current incandescent mini maglite while at the same time can significantly increase its running time--all with the same or better reliability than my current mini maglite.

Thus, I need a new flashlight that provides:
  • More light around me than my current mini maglite while at the same time it should throw a beam down to at least 50 meters (100 m or plus would be better).
  • This torch should also be protected against the rain.
  • It's got to be as reliable and long lasting as my current incandescent mini maglite.
  • It must be able to use off the shelf AA batteries--I'm considering rechargeables, but standard alcalines are a must.
  • Included accessories like an useable clip or lanyard are certainly welcome.
  • The user interface must be simple and obvious to whoever gets to use the flashlight.
  • No maintenance--I've never done anything to my current mini maglite other than changing the bulb every now and then.
  • The main uses for this flashlight are going to be: outdoor work, blackouts, personal light, blackouts, etc.
So I've been surfing the Internet where I found two possible candidates:
  • Mini Maglite LED Pro+
  • Sunwayman V20A (alternatively, V10A).
I have not been able to gather much information about this Mini Maglite LED Pro+, but I found a lot of positive comments about this Sunwayman V20A and its sister V10A.
Given my requirements, what do you guys advice me to get? I welcome any other alternatives as long as they fullfill my requirements. The single AA flashlights seem very pocketable, but I'm worried that they may not hold enough juice without having to replace the battery right in the middle of some task.

Eventually, I'd need to know in what online store I can get the best shipped price to Europe for the selected flashlight. For the Sunwayman, I found this website hkequipment.net but I don't know if there's any better offers out there.

Thank you in advance! :)
 

hiuintahs

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Re: Upgrade from incandescent mini maglite

Hi, You will find that anything you get will be better than the Mini Mag. There are so many good choices these days. I don't have the Sunwayman V20A, but I looked up the price and its a little more expensive than 2AA lights I have. May I suggest you buy something less expensive so that you can buy 2 lights............a single AA light and a 2xAA light.
 

bon1

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Re: Upgrade from incandescent mini maglite

Thank you for your advice, Sir! But could you please give me brands and models I should look for? There's so many choices out there that I do not really know what to look for. Also, the only reason why I selected that Sunwayman model is because of the reviews I could find online pointing to its overall good quality and easy of use.
 

CarpentryHero

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Re: Upgrade from incandescent mini maglite

+ 1 for the Sunwayman V20A, Sunwayman makes great lights.
Eagletac P10a2 would also fit the build really good.
Fenix LD20 Q5 has a great throwy beam. The new R5 has the smooth reflector and that has a bit of a donut hole beam.

Quark Turbo AA2, might be worth a look too.
 

bon1

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Re: Upgrade from incandescent mini maglite

Thank you, Sir!

I've seen pictures of the Sunwayman V20A where the threading on the LED side of the battery carrier seems very short. Is this an issue?
 

NeonLights

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Re: Upgrade from incandescent mini maglite

Since you like the simplicity and form factor of the Minimag and you already own one, I'd suggest getting a dropin upgrade for it like the one from Terralux for starters. Cheap and simple. I still use my LED upgraded Mag's frequently, even though I have many other more expensive and more powerful lights in my arsenal to choose from.
 

booky

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Re: Upgrade from incandescent mini maglite

+1 on the Terralux upgrade. It is simple to do, and you get to keep the Mini Mag body that you are accustomed to.

I just recently did it myself and I am quite happy with the results. Part name is Terralux tle-5ex Ministar2 Extreme
 
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Ualnosaj

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V10A XML is good if you're going that route. The XML versions give you more "around you" light as you want. Else there are likely more durable and cheaper options.


___________
Posted from my phone.
 

hiuintahs

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Re: Upgrade from incandescent mini maglite

Personally, I wouldn't bother with the Terralux upgrade. I'd take this opportunity to buy a flashlight that is designed for LED. That way you will get multiple modes, better switch, better heat sinking and better reflector. Don't get me wrong, the mini mag upgrades had their day in the sun 5 years ago but its outdated now because there are so many better options that are available now.
 
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