Maglite LED 2nd generation question

Hey everyone. I'm new to the forums and I have a question about Maglites. I'm interested in purchasing a 3 D-cell LED 2nd gen Maglite but I can't seem to find any information about if they come with a spare incandescent bulb in the tail cap or not. I don't want a 1st gen because they don't put out enough lumens and the battery life is terrible and I'm not interested in the 3rd generation for several reasons, so that leaves the 2nd gen. My main reason for purchasing it is reliability and battery life but I've heard things about LED failure after drops and things of that nature. If I knew the 2nd gen LED had a backup lamp or was at least backwards compatible with incandescent bulbs, it would put my mind at ease about making the purchase.

Keep in mind, at this point I am not at all that interested in doing any kind of modifications that require anything technical. If anyone has any experience with this, I'd appreciate your answers.

thanks!

Using Google Custom Search, I found this]. Welcome to CPF. Much good info here for the searching.

Bill

There are far better lights than Maglite you can get for a similar price. Look around the forum recommendations, before buying.

For this price of a second gen you could buy a Malkoff devices drop in for a first gen and have a much nicer and more reliable mag lite. Worrying about drops would be known existent, runtime would be better, and heat sink a lot better. I have one of Gene's drop ins and it's great.

Only the 1st​ gen Mag LED's had the bulb in the tail cap; in fact except for the LED drop-in they were no different than incandescent Mags. The LED drop-ins were also sold separately for upgrading standard incandescent Mags.


The 2nd​ Gen LEDs are not intended to be removed and do not normally need to be replaced. These do not take incandescent bulbs so there is none in the tail cap nor are they easily converted to use incandescent bulbs.


On the plus side, Mag LEDs are generally pretty durable. Check out the ML125 destruction vid:

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?401834-Maglite-ML-125-Destruction-Test

You can get 2nd generation maglite on amazon for around $20. Hard to find a 162 lumen, 80 hour run time light as durable and reliable as a Maglite. Go with the 3 D cell for max run time. If your looking for an EDC this is not the light.

Thanks guys, this is all great information. I'm now thinking about getting the basic incandescent 3 D-cell maglite and updating it with drop-ins so i'll have the ability to switch between LED and incandescent. Now the issue becomes which drop-in do I get? Browsing the forums I've heard of about a million different types including 'Malkoff' which keep popping up. All I want to do is get about the same output as the regular LED model lumens wise, but it's important for me to have consistent light output and 79+ hours battery life without breaking the bank while making modifications. I'm off do more research! any other suggestions or information about drop-ins would be appreciated, thanks!

So while researching a malkoff drop-in, it states on their website as follows..."The run-time is 6+ hours on 3 D Cells at the rated output. It will continue to operate at reduced output for several more hours. The light is great for distance and spotting."

I have no doubt about their superior quality, brightness and improved heat-sink when compared to stock, but to me it also sounds like paying $40 for a decreased run-time from the standard 79 hour rating. With all that money spent after upgrading, I'd sooner buy a different flashlight.

I guess for now I'm back to looking at stock LED mags. I've heard that depending on the date / serial number I might end up with one that has a different emitter such as LUXEON III, LUXEON REBEL, CREE ect... Does anyone know which of these emitters is the most up-to-date? (not including latest 3rd gen Mags) and any way to identify them in store or online based on their serial numbers?


--- EDIT ---


I just read a post from this thread that seems interesting. http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?258764-Actual -lumen-count-for-Maglites-with-Luxeon-Rebel/page2

"Sorry to necromance a thread, but what are the numbers for the Luxeon III 2D (the one that's interchangeable with an incan bulb)?" - by El Camino


So is the Luxeon III version of the 3 D-cell LED maglite reverse compatible with standard incandescent bulbs like the post seems to suggest? If that's the case, does anyone have model numbers for those?

It seems like that would be the best of both worlds. It would mean using an older emitter ( luxeon III still an improvement over incandescent) yet give me the ability to store a incandescent bulb in the cap to use in-case the emitter fails.


--- FINAL UPDATE ---

For anyone who is interested, I think I just answered all my own questions with this link I found.

http://www.led-resource.com/2010/01/maglite-led-flashlight-review-and-guide/

It gives a complete guide of which models have different types of emitters and DOES confirm that the LUXEON III version is interchangeable with incandescent bulbs. You just need to find one that has a DXXXXXX serial number as opposed to DLXXXXXX which are the newer models. This should finally clear up all the confusion X_X

Have you saw a output discharge curve for MagLite before?
Or any other light.
That 79 hours is um, with a diminishing output according to battery voltage, it's not full power to the end.
Unless you only use it for the minutes each time you use that curve up, even then it'll be down a large percentage by twenty hours.
Sorry I've no links to show one, but just throwing some light on that output, it's not all jam all the way.

Edit to add, sorry I'm not trying to rain on your parade friend, just that 79 hour duration will be candle light by the end.

WarRaven beat me to it. While the specs of the stock mag sound impressive with 80 hours of runtime, it's a lie. Yes it will run for 80 hours but as he said it will be just a faint glow at the end. You will only have the 160 lumens or so for about 20 minutes and then output will start diminishing. While you can turn the light off and back on after giving the batteries a chance to recover, the amount of time you will have at 160 lumens will get smaller and smaller with each use.

The Malkoff drop in is regulated and will in fact give you 6 hours at the stated output before it starts to decrease and as they say it will continue to provide light until the batteries are flat. It was worth going with the Malkoff in my opinion as the specs are accurate and the drop in is regulated where the stock led mags are direct drive I believe.

I know you said no modifications, and I get that. But hear me out, besides you came to a forum full of crazies like me who can't leave well enough alone!

FWIW: I own or have owned just about every configuration of Maglites known to man, from bone stock vintage to custom indy flame throwers, FiveMega legos, kyfishguy pocket rockets, OL specials, to T-Macks bug zappers !. lol

At the end of the day: Find a 3D-6D at a yard sale for $5, Get a Malkoff drop in, Ultra Clear lens, and find a FiveMega tail cap switch!

Fivemega has some awesome stuff too. Personally, I don't consider the Malkoff Drop in a Modification per se. It is so simple. They only "mod" necessary is cutting the reflector. I can do it in 30 seconds. If you can't he sells them too.

When people I know ask me for a "good" light on a budget, that is the recommendation I usually give them. I have given so many to family members its crazy. I do a few extra tweaks, and the results are amazing. I gave my Father In Law the exact combo I mentioned for you. He wanted a light he didn't feel guilty for beating up, also one that was less likely to grow legs and walk off.

He said he wanted a sleeper. lol

Cheers my friend.

:welcome:

The ability to use incandescent bulbs sounds great in theory but doesn't work out too well in practice. Properly heat sinked LEDs last pretty much forever and don't need to be replaced. Incandescent bulbs burn out or go out when dropped all the time. Incandescents also give very short battery life compared to LEDs. Except for Malkoff's most of the higher powered drop-in LEDs have poor heat sink which tends to greatly shorten their service life. The Mag Luxeon drop-ins got around this to an extent by keeping lumen levels low (under 50 lumens, I think) and having an aggressive thermal step down after a minute or so.


LED technology is like computers - performance advances very quickly and the old Luxeon IIIs are antiques. The current/latest 168 lumen 2nd​ Gen. Mag with the Cree XP-G2 is a big improvement over the Luxeon drop-in and a great buy for $20-25. The next oldest 3D LED was the 131 lumen Cree XP-E and before that the 104 lumen Luxeon Rebel.


The 3D 3rd​ Gen./ML300 is an even bigger improvement - well worth $35-40; it's far better heat sink allows use of a 625 lumen XM-L2 LED and it has 3 modes/4 programmable function sets. If you want really long battery life, the 58 lumen Eco mode will be brighter and run longer than the old Luxeon III.


BTW the run times Mag uses are ANSI. They are the time until output drops to 10% of max output.....for example the 80 hrs for the 168 lumen 2nd Gen Mag would the time it takes to run down to 16.8 lumens, not moon mode to be sure but a far cry from full brightness.

There are a few things I dislike about the new 3rd generation maglites. The classic bell shape seems to have been altered for one, as well as the knurling no longer being on the head. I also don't like how the aluminum body has been thinned down and overall length shortened a bit. Another issue I have is the electronic switch. I know most all modern flashlights use electronic switches these days but something appeals to me about the simplicity of the older mechanical switch. The price tag of 48$ - 60$ is also a bit high and above what I'm willing to spend right now, because for that price I would sooner get a coast or lenser or something. Lastly, I have mixed feelings about the different modes on the 3rd gens. It's cool to have all those options, but they also complicate an otherwise simple on/off design. If i needed to turn the light on and off rapidly, it would instead cycle through the different options which could be a major annoyance.

I sure do knit-pick and over-think things a lot when it comes to buying a flashlight... x_x All this feedback is really helpful though and I may eventually consider going the malkoff drop in route, or just breakdown and get a 3rd gen. Who knew getting a flashlight would be so involved? The more i learn, the more I think I might be better off getting something completely different than a maglite. D batteries are expensive and nothing else I own uses them. The alkalines leak and don't do well in extremes either. Maybe I should just get something that uses lithium AA's that I can recharge? Does anyone have any recommendations for a bright, reliable and long lasting flashlight that fits the bill and is around 30$?

Perhaps when it comes to maglite, I should just stick with the older 18$ incandescent model for nostalgic and collector purposes and retain the option of upgrading it one day with a malkoff drop in. until then, I sounds better to stick with something more modern that I don't have to modify to make a competitive contender.

All I want is the ultimate one-flashlight solution for around 30$ is that so much to ask? xD

If you can live with the 3D form factor, I think the 3rd​ gen. Mag (which is selling on amazon for under $40 right now) is hard to beat - decently bright, multi modes/function sets, fucusablity with long throw. You can run it on AA Eneloops with adapters for increased versatility.


Mag really did their electronic quick click switches right....unless you do a fast double or triple tap, you never know the 2nd​/3rd​ modes are even there. There is no cycling through modes to turn off; a single click in any of the non momentary modes will turn it off, or if in momentary mode simply releasing the switch will turn it off.


The 272 lumen AA Mini Mag Pro is another option at around $25, offering the simplicity of one mode/twisty operation. Down sides are lack of modes, no momentary function and much reduced beam distance compared to the D cell Mag LEDs.


There is also a multi mode twist operated Mini Mag but it is only 98 lumens on high and a 245 lumen 2 mode Mini Mag Pro+.


Again, if you can live with the 3D form, I would recommend the 3rd​ gen. Mag. with some adapters for the option to run AA Eneloops/Duracell Ion Cores.

The first generation MagLED drop-ins sometimes had the LED separate if the light was dropped.

I have a couple standard incan 3D Mags with Terralux drop-ins (Rebel LED) and they are pretty much the same in terms of brightness (lighting up a dark room by pointing at the ceiling) as the 2nd generation MagLEDs that also used the Rebel. However, the 2nd gen MagLEDs could throw farther because of the deeper reflector.

I must own over 25 D cell Mags in various configurations from stock to full tilt 700+ OTF lumen Malkoff Drop in for the 3/4 cell etc. I was very pleased to see my local Wally World is now stocking the new 3rd Gen 625 lumen 3D. Ive got em all mini mags, the 3 AA mini mags. My Car light is my very first mag its a 20+ year old black originally incandescent that has been converted to the big dog Malkoff with a LOP aluminum reflector to smooth out any artifacts and 4x11000mah Powerex D cells. Stuffed some newspaper in the tube to keep the cells from rattling but the Malkoff route while appealing as hell to a total flashaholic like myself(I swear candela doubled just from sheer output alone)simply get a new 3rd Gen LED either 2 or 3 D is fine. They are plenty bright, have massive beam diameters and as long as you get some good cells (Tenergy Premium etc) you should be pretty well set. Then again add in a charger that will do D size NiMHs and you talking $100. As much as it makes me cringe to just say get a new 3rd Gen LED and use Energizer alkalines to get out the door on the cheap the 3rd Gens are just that good. They still have plastic lenses but have multiple power settings, VASTLY improved switches and the head only needs to be turned a quarter turn for full throw to flood. They throw excellent and have plenty of spill. So far my 2 3rd gens have been dropped on concrete trying for beam shots kicked etc and are fine despite the scratches good luck...

flasherjon said:

There are a few things I dislike about the new 3rd generation maglites. The classic bell shape seems to have been altered for one, as well as the knurling no longer being on the head. I also don't like how the aluminum body has been thinned down and overall length shortened a bit. Another issue I have is the electronic switch. I know most all modern flashlights use electronic switches these days but something appeals to me about the simplicity of the older mechanical switch. The price tag of 48$ - 60$ is also a bit high and above what I'm willing to spend right now, because for that price I would sooner get a coast or lenser or something. Lastly, I have mixed feelings about the different modes on the 3rd gens. It's cool to have all those options, but they also complicate an otherwise simple on/off design. If i needed to turn the light on and off rapidly, it would instead cycle through the different options which could be a major annoyance.

I sure do knit-pick and over-think things a lot when it comes to buying a flashlight... x_x All this feedback is really helpful though and I may eventually consider going the malkoff drop in route, or just breakdown and get a 3rd gen. Who knew getting a flashlight would be so involved? The more i learn, the more I think I might be better off getting something completely different than a maglite. D batteries are expensive and nothing else I own uses them. The alkalines leak and don't do well in extremes either. Maybe I should just get something that uses lithium AA's that I can recharge? Does anyone have any recommendations for a bright, reliable and long lasting flashlight that fits the bill and is around 30$?

Perhaps when it comes to maglite, I should just stick with the older 18$ incandescent model for nostalgic and collector purposes and retain the option of upgrading it one day with a malkoff drop in. until then, I sounds better to stick with something more modern that I don't have to modify to make a competitive contender.

All I want is the ultimate one-flashlight solution for around 30$ is that so much to ask? xD

Click to expand...

makes sense. I didn't even realize these happened with the 3gen mags. Looks like I won't be buying any, not even during Black Friday sales.

yes the 3rd Gen shapes are different but not by much. YMMV but I love the new easy to press switch. Ultimate flashlight solution for under $30 new? Heck even the Coasts are more than that most of the time. My big black 4D Mag Malkoff is the best SHTF light I own. Can use alkalines if needed etc. Originally paid $14 for the Mag in 1995 expecting kick butt flashlight only to get dim dark and disappointing. Years later I discovered CPF next thing I new that old black Mag came right out of the closet and had a glass AR coated lens, aluminum LOP reflector, 700+ OTF lumens and near $80 of batteries in it lol. Oh and a Maha charger for them. It runs for freaking ever I have never seen it step down. Still for the OP my local WM has the new 3D for under $45. Toss in a 4 pack of Energizer alkaleaks and your at $55. Id go on about how good the big Coasts are (HP550/HP17)but they are MUCH more expensive...could try trying to find an HP550 on the bay the light has been out for years and is out standing. Takes 9 AA cells though....

Fyi the maglite 3d 2nd gen runs for way more then 80 hrs on alkalines. It more like 120 hrs of usable light, but it's not near 160 lumens at that point. For around $25 there is no light even close in my opinion. If your looking for a flashlight to be used as a tool for emergencies etc its the best bet for the price.

*** UPDATE ***

Okay, so I finally made a decision. I opted for a simple black 3 D-cell LED Maglite (the current ones right before 3rd generation - 412 meters - 80h - 168 lumens) that uses the CREE XP-G labeled 015 on the emitter. It seems plenty bright and throws very well. It has a nice clean, crisp white light and I'm pretty happy with it. I picked it up at a local LOWES for 31$ and got a 8-pack on alkaline energizers for about 9$ putting the total cost at about $40. I may decide to buy a 3rd generation to play around with and return the one I currently have if I like the 3rd gen more, but so far so good. I will update later to give a review and comparison of the 3rd gen hands-on if i decide to go that route. Thanks for all the input everyone.