2AA MINI MAGLITE LED OPTIONS...

Hey Everynoe,
my first flashlight was mini maglite 2aa (not led) that my parents bought for me 5 years ago,all the time I thought the mini maglite is the best flashlight,until I bought in the last year,the Led Lenser MT7,and I got a shock
but although Maglites are much less good than led flashlights,I love them.
I want to buy a new Mini Maglite with led,or led upgrade for my Mini Maglite 2AA,so which option is better?

1.buying a Mini Maglite 2AA led:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/AA-MINI-MAGLITE-3-WATT-LED-FLASHLIGHT-with-BATTERIES-and-NYLON-POUCH-SP2201H-NEW-/350551779299?pt=US_Flashlights&hash=item519e83a7e3

2.buying a Mini Maglite PRO:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/MINI-MAGLIT...3787353?pt=US_Flashlights&hash=item4d0013ebd9

3.buying this led bulb upgrade for my Mini Maglite 2AA (Nite Ize-55 lumens):
http://www.niteize.com/collections/flashlights/products/1-watt-l-e-d-upgrade-ii

4.buying this led bulb upgrade for my mini maglite 2AA (Terralux MiniStar2 Exetreme-140 lumens):
http://www.terraluxportable.com/product/tle-5ex/

I am not need my MAGLITE as a primary flashlight,I am only need a tactical back up flashlight,so I am not sure if I am need so expensive flashlight,as the Mini Maglite pro,or I can settle for cheaper option,as a the Nite Ize upgrade...
what are you think?
thanks advance

MT7;
I can give you my experience with MMagLite AAs/drop-in modules:

I got most of mine when they didn't have the brighter, newer, many-mode lights that have appeared in the last 5-7 years. I LOVE the MiniMags!

I aim for 1. Reliability, 2. brightness, and 3. Reasonable run time. Your needs may vary.

I have the MMag LED: Beautiful light, but I don't like the twist on and back off to cycle through the modes . I find Mag's handling of its modes and the "extra" strobe and SOS modes unhandy and overly complicated.

I have the both Nite-Ize and Terralux~ 1 watt modules in my 3 Mmags, which are bright, and approximately equal in performance, give good general duty light, and good run time. I don't feel the need to go with the advertised 140 lumens of the "new" Terralux product. but, your needs are different than mine.

The MiniMag Pro looks like a good light, but still has the twist on/off switch of the Mags, which is a pain, IMO. I think a Kroll or other clicky switch is a definite must add, which raises the initial cost, but the plain vanilla MiniMag like you can buy at WalMart, after adding the LED module and clicky wil be about the same price. I have a Kroll, Nite Ize (not the I.Q), and Terralux clickies, which all work well, with Kroll being my choice, because of its water resistance.

There are several quality lights that don't cost much more than a modified MMag: Fenix, Terraux, and if you have a Cabela's in your neighborhood, they sell a light that is~ MiniMag size, and looks to be a good one.

If you really want a good light, IMO, you couldn't do much better than the Surefire E2LAA. I'm saving my money for one, and Eagle Optics has/had a very good price on them.

Good luck in your search.

There are upgrades for the MM using high output Cree emitters and boost drivers. The difficult part is the small space needed to pack everything into. An easier and less costly solution is to look for budget 1AA & 2AA lights. ShiningBeam and LightHound sites both stock well made AA lights that are head & sholders above the MM and there are plenty of other dealers w/ good AA lights too. Good luck. BTW, if you do a search in the Homebuilt & modified forum you'll find a number of threads about modding MMs.

My honest opinion is that it's not worth it. You can get better lights for a bit more money.

Having said that, if you absolutely have to use that MM then go with the Nite-Ize one. They have great customer service from my experience.

An alternative, though the least logical one, is to have it modified. A drop-in pill would run you $40+ but would turn it into a real sleeper. You can also have it cut down to run one AA. Lots of possibilities, the limit is your imagination and pocket book.

You might as well go with the Mini Maglite Pro or Pro+, it'll cost less than the TerraLUX and be brighter.

I suggest that you wait for a good price on a brand new Maglite Mini Pro+. Amazon shows a price of $25.47 today, although out of stock. At that price, the Nite-Ize and TerraLUX adapters cannot compete.

I have this light and it is OK. Much better than any of the previous Maglite AA lights, and fairly priced. However, there are so many great lights for sale now that you really need to look around. The Maglite is still made in USA and still has the classic Maglite look and feel. That's why I bought it.

I have also bought several different drop-in LEDs for Maglites. In my opinion, these are only attractive when priced very cheap, and when a very bright light is not needed.

I would recommend looking at the rayovac indestructible 2AA at home depot for $15. I don't have one but people say they are decent and cheaper than an LED minimag if you like it.

I'd also recommend considering a very low cost LED upgrade and using the balance of the funds for a newer LED if you are looking for a tactical backup . . too many better alternatives in a lot of different lumen strengths for the price of the more expensive LED options.

Just completed an upgrade to our AA minimag with the NiteIze LED II set (LED, reflector, tail cap) I found at our Lowe's for just under $5. It's only 30 lumens but supposed to last 25 hours. Current draw is ~100mA at the tail cap. I didn't like the tailcap, but I like that it otherwise functions normally. Perfectly fine for use inside the house or tent.

Hi MT7

I upgraded my AA mini-mag of about 25 years service with the niteize upgrade kit last year. I guess there are better value for money options (IIRC I (over)paid about $30AU from a local retailer) but this light has sentimental value for me.

I bought the Niteize kit with the IQ switch and have been very happy with it apart from the drop-in emitter being a little loose and it sometimes (rarely) seems to cut out when bumped. It could just be that my mini is very old and has seen a LOT of use - perhaps wear and tear causes momentary loss of contact but it is always easy just to press the tailswitch to turn it on again.

The IQ tailswitch gives me access to 3 levels of brightness plus 2 beacon modes. It also has a small red locating led which flashes about every 3 seconds as long as the head is loosened. Useful in a tent at night but of course can be disabled simply by tightening the head as was always the way to turn off a mini-mag.

Very subjective - no complicated tests performed - but I feel the LED upgrade is brighter than the older pin-bulb, with a more even beam. No artefacts that I can detect; at least not in the hotspot.

I also have a Nitecore IFD2 (AA) and of course there is no comparison for throw/output but I will say the Niteize is a different tint. In comparison to the Nitecore and a couple of other "cheapies" I own, the Mag now looks a little "greenish". The original bulb looked "pinkish". In practice, you would probably never notice unless you ran them side-by-side.

The drop in is on a plastic base that forces the head to sit "out" a thread turn or two. I can focus, but the head doesn't screw down as much as it did with the original bulb and has some play or wiggle when focussed as a tight beam. It feels a bit strange but this has never caused me a problem.

Battery life is very good (eneloops), especially if you have use for the lower outupt levels and the reflector/head can still be removed and slid over the bottom/switch allowing the light to tailstand as a candle. Useful in a small tent or as a night light at home.

Best of all I never again have to buy replacement bulbs which I used to spend about $10-$15 per year on.

I hope this helps - good luck with your decision.

Trev

I upgraded my 10 year old 2aa mag with a TerraLux LED unit for about £12. Amazing. It's like a new torch.

I believe there is much satisfaction gained when modding a light. And, even if the resulting light is not up to the latest technology, you have the satisfaction of recycling an old light while learning to mod. Some good suggestions offered, but if you are willing to take some chances, you might consider drilling the mini mag head with a 25/32 drill bit and inserting a P60 pill drop-in. With a couple of eneloops, you can achieve some impressive gains while retaining the compact and classic mini mag form. Do a search on P60 mini mag mods for more info.

I just ran across this thread and thought y'all might find it interesting to know that an MT-G2 will fit inside a chopped AA Mini Mag and run off a Qlite driver at 3.01A at the tail for 1345 OTF lumens in mule configuration. 338 lumens OTF in Med and 24 OTF in low makes it a very useful little light.


Satisfying indeed!

How do you create such a beast of a Mini Maglite?

" I've got friends in looow places " lol

Actually, friends with talent...TexasLumens chopped the MiniMag and cut a Texas outline into it in the knurling on 2 sides. He also helped me out greatly by boring the head and went even further by making a pill. All I had to do was fit the pill with driver and cut down the 20mm Noctigon and put it all together! Well, and a little custom work on the inside of the head to get everything situated. I have some IMR14250 cells coming from Efest, right now I'm running it with a pair of the diminutive but very powerful Nukes in 10250 format from MBI. It's pulling 3.01A through a 3.04A Qlite driver with these tiny 80mAh cells! Gotta love it!

The Nite-Ize drop ins are decent, but they are not great throwers. The Terralux drop-in (newest one) is excellent - sort of. It uses a Cree XP-E emitter, but the reflector sucks. It's very bright, but if you focus it to a spot you get more rings than Saturn. Also by the time you focus it, the head is loose. I swapped the Terralux reflector out with the Nit-Ize reflector and got a tight spot with wide spill, and with the head nice and secure. But this wouldn't be very economical unless you already had the parts. I may modify a regular reflector to see how well that works.

The Minigmag Pro and Pro+ are excellent lights. I have a Pro, and it's brighter than some "tactical" lights, though the tint on mine is rather blueish. (Your results may vary) A tailcap switch also makes it more useful. They also don't have the blinky modes which for the most part are useless. The Pro+ does have a low mode which is useful - and it has a rather clever way of activating it.

I brought my Minimag from home about two months ago. I was amazed to find out that I can get new spare parts for free here in Finland. I think last time I tried to fix the light was 10 years ago. Now I've got all parts I've needed but no bulb.

Fortunately, I came across with this thread so I ordered Terralux led upgrade and IQ switch (for about 29$/22eur). I know I could have bought a new light for the money but the light I have has sentimental value. I can't just dump it or leave it laying around without use. Unfotunately, I have to wait for the delivery 2-4 weeks.

I also just picked up the Nite Ize conversion for the bulb. It was $7.99 at Orchard Hardware. I'm usually the one to overspend money in order to re-use an item, I hate throwing working things away also. For $8, I can breathe new life into an old light. The tint is quite nice, pretty white, throw is not so great, just a bit better than those junky multi LED 3xAAA lights that every hardware store has for $3. But I do enjoy reusing an item, so it's worth it to me.

Hi Guys, have you tried this mini Maglite 2aa led upgrade bulb here from TorchUpgrades?

Works a treat.

Hi. First post. I recently dug up three of my old Mini Maglite 2xAA incandescent flashlights, ordered some LED upgrade bulbs (two NiteIze 30 lumen and one TerraLUX 140 lumen), plus one new Mini Maglite LED 97 lumen with multi-mode switch. My ammeter only went up to 200 mA, but here are my test results:

Mini MagLite Flashlight testing:
[All using a pair of fully charged NiMH 2100mAh 1.2V nominal (3.4V nominal total) batteries unless otherwise noted]

Mini Maglite 2AA (MagLite 14 lumen) - drawing >200mA - On 8/12 5:25pm - Off before 8/12 10:17pm so under 5 hrs - replaced one battery - just a faint glow by 8/13 8am - new batteries 8/13 10:51am, off 8/13 before 8pm - Duration under 5 hrs. Re-test with Eneloop batteries - On 8/17 11:49am - Off before 2:25pm - Duration 2.5 hrs. Conclusion: baseline

Mini Maglite 2AA with LED upgrade (NiteIze 30 lumen) - drawing 50mA - On 8/12 5:25pm - Off 8/14 btwn 1 and 7am so about 36 hours - Duration 1.5 Days. Retest with single LifePO4 3.2V plus one 1.3V (mixed chemistries a bad idea, but needed that voltage for short test while awaiting delivery of 0V dummies): Light output noticeably blue and fried LED within a minute. Conclusion: much brighter and far more efficient than incan bulb, but sensitive to over-voltage.

Second Mini Maglite 2AA with LED upgrade (NiteIze 30 lumen) - Same as above but I'd ordered two! Loaned out, but may continue testing if/when it returns.

Mini Maglite 2AA LED (MagLite 97 lumen) - drawing 10mA (so definitely in power-saving mode at less than 25% draw)- On 8/12 5:25pm - Off 8/17 11:40am - Duration 4.5 Days. Re-test with Duracell NiMH 2650mAh at 1.44V (97 lumen at 100%) - On 100% 8/17 11:53am - Dimmed to 25% by 8/17 12:07pm - Duration before dimming 14 minutes (batteries at 1.40V). Conclusion: NiMH rechargeables only facilitate the 25% mode in this light. New alkalines work fine, but non-rechargeables aren't for me. Did retest with one 3.2V LifePO4 plus one 0V dummy load: Begin 2016Aug28 12:03pm - Mag still strong (100% mode) at 12:44pm - Mag dim (25% mode) at 2:05pm, flickering at 3:36pm. Did another retest with 3.7V Li-Ion fresh from charger, but immediately caused blue/purple hue and minor LED damage so removed in under a minute. Conclusion: Nice light, but std rechargeables a no-go and only feasible rechargeable option is a single LifePO4 3.2V plus a 0V dummy load. Unfortunately, LifePO4 have significantly reduced mAh versus NiMH.

Mini Maglite 2AA with LED upgrade (TerraLux 140 lumen) - drawing >200mA - On 8/16 11:05am - 93 deg F - dim (like Maglite 97 lumen on 25%) reduced 65mA and cooler around 1-1:30pm - Just a glow by 1:50pm - Duration 2 Hours. Re-test with Eneloop batteries - On 8/17 9:07am - Very dim by 1:06pm - Duration 3.5 hrs. Retest with one LifePO4 3.2V and one 0V dummy cell: Begin 2016Aug28 12:03pm - Teralux nearly off at 12:44pm. Retest with one 3.7V Li-Ion and one 0V dummy: light output started to turn blue/purple causeing permanent LED damage within a minute. Conclusion: bright output but high current (LED obviously not as efficient as NiteIze 30 or Maglite 97) leads to very short duration.

My overall conclusion: For use with rechargeble NiMH (2xAA), go with NiteIze 30 lumen upgrade LED. Maglite LED 97 lumen has decent output only on disposable alkalines or one 3.2V LifePO4 and one dummy 0V, but reduced duration vs NiteIze 30 lumen upgrade due to LifePO4 much lower mAh than NiMH. TerraLUX 140 has decent output but too short duration on all batteries.

Pro Plus using Energizer Ultimate Lithium cells. All those other drop ins Nite Ize Terra Lux are awful none of them have near the output of the Pro Plus either.