Best LED upgrade for 4D Maglite out of these 3...

I bought a 4D Maglite the other day off eBay and i got it yesterday, but i don't want to keep the standard bulb that came with it, i want an upgrade

The 3 LED upgrades are;

TerraLUX Maglite TLE-6EX (Ministar5) (£14.96) -

TTS-3WCR90 - (£13.50)

TTS-3WCREE 3 Watt CREE (£12.25) -

Ebay links removed.


So anyway, i asked the seller which is the best and they replied with this; "Hello, I would go for either the TTS-3WCR90 or the TTS-3WCREE. They're slightly brighter as we source these direct."

The seller didn't mention the TerraLUX for some reason, could be because it might be a bad LED, or it could be because it's not directly off the seller (the seller has a website and the two "TTS..." LED's are stocked by them, and the other one is brought in from TerraLUX, so the seller might be being biased).


But anyway, i provided the links so you could possibly check out the specs and maybe spot something i've missed. I need to know the differences other than the price.


Thank you for taking the time to look at this and thank you if you reply

Hi Gas From my limited experiance and a bit of reading they look to be the same thing they both put out 180 lum just seems a bit of a gimic to me put the same thing up and use different teminoligy to discribe it and pay and extra 75p.
On second glance it looks like the cheaper is old stock and a slightly different make, but all in all the same led with the same output.

Hope this helps.

I feel that there are better choices if you want to upgrade your Mag. Among them are:

1. Fusion 36 'Showerhead' - This is probably one of the best budget choices when it comes to upgrades for C/D Mags. You can buy these all day long on ebay for $26 shipped. And since they are already shipped from China, I wouldn't imagine that shipping is any more of a problem to the US vs the UK. Light output is supposedly 400+ rather floody lumens - this is NO thrower. But it will work GREAT when it comes to lighting up a trail on a nighttime hike.

2. Malkoff XPG - This drop-in uses a single XP-G emitter for 260 'out the front' lumens. And at $39 (before shipping), it's significantly more expensive than the Fusion. But Malkoff drop-ins are of very high quality. One of the best things about them is that they are properly heat sinked. This cannot even be said about Mag's own LED offerings. The only caveat is that they want $40 (as much as the drop-in) to ship it.

3 Malkoff XML - Basically the same as the XP-G, but with an XM-L instead. Output is improved accordingly, at 700 lumens. And so is cost at $69. But if you want the absolute best drop-in for a 4D Mag, this is THE best choice. Also, being an XM-L, this drop-in NEEDS NiMH to run at its best. It will run on alkalines. But you won't realize its full capabilities unless you use NiMH.

Of these three, the Malkoff XML is far and away the best. You get 700 lumens, along with the quality of a Malkoff drop-in. Of course, the downfall is the price, especially when you consider shipping costs. If this is just too much for you, the Fusion 36 would be a good way to go. It's quite cheap. And everyone who has had one seems to like it. ESPECIALLY if flood is more important to you than throw.

I just purchased several items at different times from malkoff one being the drop in 2d maglite @$39.00. The other being a xml drop in for the 3-4d maglite at $69.00. I bought several other items like the clear lens and the modified reflector and the spacer for the older version mags. In my opinion the prices were spot on and shipping was never over charged. I think in both instances shipping was less than $10.00. If you want the best bang for your buck do not hesitate and get the malkoff drop in.

The problem is that Malkoff charges $40 to ship outside of US.

I've only just seen these replies, for some reason i've only just got the reply email. I'm new to this site and i never knew the eBay links would be removed, sorry

Anyway, thanks for the replies, they're all great ideas.

Are all these simple to install or do i have to do anything skill-required, because i'm not great at stuff like that. I like the fact that i can focus the flashlight, with these mods, will it still be focusable?

I like the sound of that 'Fusion 36' drop in, great price and great output. Will this just go in and that's it? Or will i have to put some different batteries in it? At the minute it's just using the standard Duracell D cell batteries.

Gas said:

Are all these simple to install or do i have to do anything skill-required, because i'm not great at stuff like that. I like the fact that i can focus the flashlight, with these mods, will it still be focusable?

I like the sound of that 'Fusion 36' drop in, great price and great output. Will this just go in and that's it? Or will i have to put some different batteries in it? At the minute it's just using the standard Duracell D cell batteries.

Click to expand...

The fusion works pretty well with standard alkaline D batteries. (I actually made my own shower head from 48 led torch that used 4xAAA). The fusion 36 actually has its own website now, google thefusionlite.

As for focusing, the Ministar from Terralux probably give you the tightest spot but I had one of the earlier models which really suffered from running in long periods. The LED would overheat and turn purplish. The later models may be different but heat sinking was a problem. The Malkoff XP-G is other one that runs pretty well on alkalines, especially the 4D or higher.

I bought the TTS-3WCR45 Maglite Torch Flashlight CREE XPE LED Bulb Upgrade for 2/3 C/D Cell from the torchshop on ebay. Cost me £13.50
It works really well and is a massive upgrade from the nite ize LED I had fitted, that was about as powerful as the standard bulb.
I'm new to all this and am amazed by the difference it made.
Dunno about the others but it was very easy to fit. Just unscrew the head and then unscrew the shield type thing holding the bulb in.
I ordered a TTS-2AA for my Mini Maglite. Looks good in the pics, will find out soon.

Gas said:

I like the sound of that 'Fusion 36' drop in, great price and great output. Will this just go in and that's it? Or will i have to put some different batteries in it? At the minute it's just using the standard Duracell D cell batteries.

Click to expand...

There are a couple of 'catches' with the Fusion 36. First of all, you lose all focusing ability with it. Unlike a single emitter, there really isn't a way to focus a showerhead. Secondly, it's pretty much all flood. This drop-in was made to light up an area rather than throw a long distance. If you want a thrower, this is not for you. But it would be GREAT for lighting up an area while hiking on a dark trail.


As far as alkalines, I have heard that the Fusion works okay with alkalines. It draws around an amp, which is so-so on alkalines. But naturally, performance will be better with NiMH or Li-Ion.

on-topic, by a hijack anyway...

I've got a 2D Mag, 3D Mag, and a 3D Streamlight Excalibre.

I had a Terralux drop-in, but it was not the bulb type...it was a screw-on type that has since died.

I liked the LED light so much I decided I wanted an EDC torch, so I got a Shining Beam S-Mini and 2x18650.

Now, besides losing/misplacing the S-Mini, I've got the 18650 charger and some batteries, and all these old D-Cell Mags.

Will any of the above mentioned drop-ins NOT be able to run 2x OR 3x 18560 in series?

I'm thinking of running 18650 with sleeves in all of them, and running everything from the Fusion 36, Terrelux MiniStar 31, and Malkoff Drop-In. That'd be $140+batteries for all these old Mags!