Mag love or hate?

R.W.D.

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Do you love mags or hate them? And why.

I would think no matter what maglite is one of the top selling lights hated or not.
Most floshoholics hate mags for what they are but love them for modding in some cases.
Lately I've been using my AA minimag stock it's 20 years old and I've had it forever after replacing the lens reflector O rings and put new batts in it I've been using it and I still like it. Granted I'm still carrying my p3x fury at 1000 lumens just in case I can't tell if I'm looking at Bigfoot or a mossy tree because the heavy giant eye like dim rings from the mag.
But hell the bulbs are now xenon and are a nice white.
I think the only attachment I have is that it's a classic and it's Incan and everything is moving to led. One day it will be extinct like laser disc, betta tape, VHS, tv repairmen, and so on (yes I see those references delt with tv crap..) I'm just saying one day Incan mags will be gone and they paved way for other lights and shouldn't be considered crap.
I find the AA mini is bright enough for general use and can take a lot of poop without worrying that a driver gave up.. Throw it, beat on it, drop it and it will take it all it will need if even is a new bulb which happened to be my favorite thing about mag, they held a spare bulb in the tailcap which I never got with my Surefires -.-
 

ven

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I dont hate them ,thats for sure,just going back to 1991 and a HGV app mec,3D maglite was the muts nuts :) to some they may still be..........
It was not cheap too ,off mr snap on man,iirc around £50 so $80 ish 23yrs ago:huh:. I did loose it(or it got pinched) many years ago............

I do hate the solitaire AAA though,will all good reason :laughing: other than useless amount of light,poor run times ............horrible light .

So its mixed for me,right now i cant see me buying another being honest as i dont think they have done anything innovative recently or even in the last decade. Costs for replacement leds out weighed getting a new light altogether a while back(could be different now) and bare in mind my opinion is influenced by UK prices of maglite being so high.........
aaa maglite solitaire are equivalent to $12-$15 at best right now.
I can add though it still works............i honestly cant remember how long i have had the AAA but its got to be 20yrs at a guess.

Certainly see the mod potential though and respect/appreciate that,its just not for me right now:)

Sorry i cant add anything more,no awesome drop in pics to add:(
 

Poppy

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I neither love nor hate them.

Like ven, I had one (actually a few) back in the day when they were the BEST light on the market. Perhaps due to that fact, they still carry my respect. Last year, I bought a 3D LED, and a 2AA LED (four mode- high, low, sos, (and I think strobe)) in a $39 combo pack. IMO a great deal. I like the feel of the 2AA, and I gifted the 3D to my dad.

It delivers a focused hot spot that he uses for seeing unlit corner street signs.

Also there is a lot to be said for the capacity of 3D cells. 85 hours run-time ceiling bounced during a power outage, is as good as a siege lantern, or other similar 3D lantern.

BTW... 3 Ds are about equivalent to 9-12 AA batteries! I have a 6-AA light... IMO too many batteries!
 

Grijon

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First real post on CPF!

I recently bought a number of Maglites, my first flashlight purchases in many years (I used to buy lights all the time as a kid, ha ha): a MiniMag 2AAA LED and a combo pack of another 2AAA LED with a 2D LED - the biggest light I've ever owned! I also replaced a pair of incan 2AA MiniMags with a ~2010 2AA MiniMag LED. All of these lights have absolutely blown me away with their combination of throw and flood, battery runtime and the knowledge that I'll never NEED to replace the LED.

TL;DR is that a lifelong interest in and enjoyment of flashlights combined with very recent LED Maglite purchases is how I've ended up on this incredible forum!

So I love Maglites, but I probably won't be buying another one until I get to modding, ha ha!
 

DaveG

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I agree with whats said,I have more than enough lights to last me and my family for the rest of my life and then some.But the two lights hanging by the basement door are a 3 and 4 cell mag with mag drop in leds.The 4 cell is 25 yrs old still works fine.
 

cland72

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I don't hate them, but I certainly wouldn't buy one. They are antiquated hosts with updated technology inside, but the real problem is that updated tech isn't even the latest and greatest tech.

For example, as you can see from the chart reppans posted, there is absolutely no regulation. What light these days DOESN'T have regulation?
 

Poppy

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I find their marketing practices to be kind of cheesy

https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3822/12117917026_7ca591a119.jpg

Oh reppans, I agree, and have often said so, not particularly aimed at maglight alone, but all (perhaps most) manufacturers of unregulated lights. That's how, many of the lanterns, post such crazy long run-times... they squeek in under the 10% cut-off for ANSI, OR don't even claim adherence to ANSI specifications.

I did a run-time test of a 3D Ozark Trail lantern, and the 3-Ds actually performed quite well; better than I had anticipated.

There was the BIG drop off during the first few-five hours but then it leveled off at somewhat respectable levels.

Initially the lantern pulled 700 ma high, and 390 ma low. ~210 lumens, and 130 lumens.
At the end of the first hour it was down to about 175 lumens
And at the end of the fifth hour it was just above 120 lumens.
For the seventh through seventeenth hours it was between 100 and 110 lumens.
Hours 18-28 it was between 80-95 lumens.
Hours 29-40 were between 70-80 lumens.
Hours 40-55 were between 40-63 Lumens
 
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reppans

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For example, as you can see from the chart reppans posted, there is absolutely no regulation. What light these days DOESN'T have regulation?

Oh reppans, I agree, and have often said so, not particularly aimed at maglight alone, but all (perhaps most) manufacturers of unregulated lights.

hehe... actually guys, I think that qualifies as near "perfect" regulation - to game the ANSI standard ;).

No regulation/unregulated would appear as more of a diagonal line.
 
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Poppy

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hehe... actually guys, I think that qualifies as near "perfect" regulation - to game the ANSI standard ;).

No regulation/unregulated would appear as more of a diagonal line.

Yeah... but since I gifted the 3D mag, I can't test it, BUT at their site they list it as 131 lumens, and a 79 hour run-time. ANSI standards would thusly allow a 13 lumen cut-off. If you look at the run time/output numbers I posted above, you can see that the 3D mag could easily fall within a similar diagonal curve, stay within ANSI specs, and post 79 hour run-times.

I don't think I have seen any run-time/output graphs for current LED 3D maglights.
 

cland72

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hehe... actually guys, I think that qualifies as near "perfect" regulation - to game the ANSI standard ;).

No regulation/unregulated would appear as more of a diagonal line.

Touche. :thumbsup:
 

reppans

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Yeah... but since I gifted the 3D mag, I can't test it, BUT at their site they list it as 131 lumens, and a 79 hour run-time. ANSI standards would thusly allow a 13 lumen cut-off. If you look at the run time/output numbers I posted above, you can see that the 3D mag could easily fall within a similar diagonal curve, stay within ANSI specs, and post 79 hour run-times.

I'm actually OK with unregulated ANSI claims and diagonal output/runtime graphs - that's just manufacturer incompetence (although, some folks like it ;)) combined with lousy industry rules in a buyer beware world. It's the deceitful marketing practices that make my skin crawl. Like the above XL50, and certain manufacturers that carry their sub-lumen ratings out 2 decimal points and then are off by factors of 4X++ (I'm a sub-lumen snob). I got the new Thrunite Neutron V2 claiming ~800 lumen-hrs (11 lms x 72 hrs) efficiency from a 2400 NiMh, and my runtime/output test puts it less than 200 lm-hrs (~5.5 lms x 35 hrs) on a 2000 NiMh (which is perfectly respectable efficiency, BTW)... too bad, because it is an awesome light otherwise.
 

onetrickpony

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Love em'. Just like my wife, they aren't perfect, but if you're willing to put in a little work, they are endlessly rewarding. :D
 

Poppy

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I'm actually OK with unregulated ANSI claims and diagonal output/runtime graphs - that's just manufacturer incompetence (although, some folks like it ;)) combined with lousy industry rules in a buyer beware world. .

I think you hit the nail on the head... lousy industry rules!

I guess I can't blame the manufacturers from playing the game within the rules. THE RULES SHOULD BE CHANGED!!!

IMO, actual runtime/output graphs should be published with the lights.
 

cland72

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I think you hit the nail on the head... lousy industry rules!

I guess I can't blame the manufacturers from playing the game within the rules. THE RULES SHOULD BE CHANGED!!!

IMO, actual runtime/output graphs should be published with the lights.


I completely agree, especially about the part in bold. If Maglite went out of their way to regulate this specifically so it would adhere to ANSI standards, that is complete BS. In fact, if someone familiar w/ drivers and electronics can chime in and confirm whether or not this output "curve" is by design, I would appreciate it.
 

Timothybil

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I think you hit the nail on the head... lousy industry rules!
I guess I can't blame the manufacturers from playing the game within the rules. THE RULES SHOULD BE CHANGED!!!
IMO, actual runtime/output graphs should be published with the lights.

Never happen. Whose alkaline cell would be the reference alkaline? Same for NiMH, Lithium primary, Li-Ion, etc. What happens when one of the reference cells is discontinued or changes specs?
Also, it is one thing when our learned and experienced fellow mavins discuss differences and problems with testing methods. Instead, you would have every geek with his $10 VOM and his cracker jack EE degree arguing about how accurate the curves were and why they are wrong and they should have used this cell instead of that one and ad nausem. I would be happy if they would just set realistic endpoints for the run time and throw measurements, instead of 10% of initial and .25 lux. Maybe the throw at both start and end of run time as well. Now that would be useful!
 

mcnair55

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They will always hold a place in my memory as the first type of light that looked a true "gadget" and i threw my light away by accident after over 25 years of ownership.But i hate Maglite the company for there arrogant stance producing the same old same old when the world has moved on by leaps and bounds.

To Joe Public it is the only brand they have heard if and they still buy the rubbish by the skip full.
 

mudcamper

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Love or hate? No. Respect. For literally most of my life, (mostly during the Pre-Internet Age) there were only 2 kinds of affordable flashlights: cheap crap lights that always failed, and Maglites. The Maglites worked. They worked well. They were reliable.

Sure, there were those cop lights, like SureFire and Steamlight, but those were expensive. And where did you buy a light like that in the Pre-Internet Age? You couldn't. And you didn't.

And sure, now Maglite has been out shined by all the recent innovators. And that's good. But there is still a place for Mag. The average Joe can still pick up a Maglite in every hardware store or drugstore or Walmart anywhere, and it will serve him well.
 

R.W.D.

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Love or hate? No. Respect. For literally most of my life, (mostly during the Pre-Internet Age) there were only 2 kinds of affordable flashlights: cheap crap lights that always failed, and Maglites. The Maglites worked. They worked well. They were reliable.

Sure, there were those cop lights, like SureFire and Steamlight, but those were expensive. And where did you buy a light like that in the Pre-Internet Age? You couldn't. And you didn't.

And sure, now Maglite has been out shined by all the recent innovators. And that's good. But there is still a place for Mag. The average Joe can still pick up a Maglite in every hardware store or drugstore or Walmart anywhere, and it will serve him well.


Id have to agree mag has a place still and a while ago was a great light. I don't like the company for their customer relations but I like the lights for their simplicity and durability.

Now I will say I'm ONLY REFERRING TO INCAN MAGS.. I won't buy an led mag I'm disinterested in those when I have other smaller brighter longer running lights. So just as an Incan light what do y'all think of them? I get that mag would rather dig through a mountain than cross over it to get to better ideas which is stupid so as it stands is an Incan mag considered decent anymore?

I will say my 2 D cell mag has a 6 cell magnum star in it with three lithiumm just for kicks and I find that it's pretty effective as an Incan not that it's a regular setup but its using a mag bulb and I didn't "mod" it just some cardboard and lithium cells and a quarter xD
 

Pixel Hunter

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40-something years ago, my dad used a 4D Mag as his go-to light while trucking. It was a light, baton for checking his tires and whacking things, and a defense weapon! I think he still has that light. 20+ years ago, I bought some 3Ds and various AA and AAA mini Mags because they were the lights to have then. I still have all of them too.

While shopping for new lights, I completely dismissed Mag from consideration. While they have "evolved" by offering LED, the basic design of their lights hasn't changed in decades. My biggest gripes with my Mags are how quickly they dim and how poor the beam pattern is from the twist adjustable head.
 
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