I haven't used D Maglites in years

I have 2-3 D-sized Maglites and literally do not remember the last time I used one. I may have used one last time in 2008, the one with the Malkoff module. I also have 2 newer 3D Maglites that are not able to accept a module swap and they are essentially as powerful as (older) Malkoff.

with the widespread usage of 18650-based lites that offer both runtime and throw at a small fraction of the weight and bulk, there is no more purpose for D or even C sized mags.

Other than using them as gifts. They make great gifts. J6Ps think they are the ultimate. A new LED based Mag still looks like it's from the 1980's, for a bit of nostalgia (if you don't look at the business end).

Actually I do have a Mag with a Nite-Ize module. The only thing it's good for is extended power outage. And even then I am not sure it's any better than my Malkoff M61LLL running on AA cells, either 2AA or 3AA (Thanks FiveMega) - out of regulation and with lower lumens but increased runtime.

I do have very cool rechargeable D NiMH cells, need to check on their status. I did use them in something else however.

All in all, I think the 2x123 or 1x18650 form factor is one size fits all.

etc said:

I have 2-3 D-sized Maglites and literally do not remember the last time I used one. I may have used one last time in 2008, the one with the Malkoff module. I also have 2 newer 3D Maglites that are not able to accept a module swap and they are essentially as powerful as (older) Malkoff.

with the widespread usage of 18650-based lites that offer both runtime and throw at a small fraction of the weight and bulk, there is no more purpose for D or even C sized mags.
Other than using them as gifts. They make great gifts. J6Ps think they are the ultimate. A new LED based Mag still looks like it's from the 1980's, for a bit of nostalgia (if you don't look at the business end).

Actually I do have a Mag with a Nite-Ize module. The only thing it's good for is extended power outage. And even then I am not sure it's any better than my Malkoff M61LLL running on AA cells, either 2AA or 3AA (Thanks FiveMega) - out of regulation and with lower lumens but increased runtime.

I do have very cool rechargeable D NiMH cells, need to check on their status. I did use them in something else however.

All in all, I think the 2x123 or 1x18650 form factor is one size fits all.

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It sounds like you have not even looked at the newest Maglite much less tried any?

They have come a long way and I am glad that I got a few and they can be very useful despite your assessment here.

The D cell versions in particular can offer the kind of runtimes that no 123 based cell can approach and I do wish that battery advances were also present in the D size as well.

Many rechargeable D cells are not even really D cells except in stature as they actually have AA or smaller cells inside the D case.

It took them a long time to improve but at last they have.

Don't knock them before trying them.

The old D cell and C cell Maglites are still probably the best (reasonably priced) incandescent lights. I have a couple, though I hardly ever use them. Maglite really stopped producing anything of quality after that. All their LED stuff is overpriced, under-powered (most of it), lacking features, lacking durability, lacking tint quality, lacking beam quality, lacking modes, etc., etc. They stopped innovating 15 years ago, and have been behind the curve by years. In 5 years, if they're still around, perhaps they'll make something about as good as what you can buy today.

Good lights for Joe Sixpack that thinks Duracell alkalines are the best batteries availabe. But they really leave flashaholics in the dark (sometimes literally).

I still keep a mint condition final generation digital control Magcharger incan. Tint is great, throw is fantastic straight from the box.

Innovation? Final Gen Magcharger supports high, low, and strobe... and it's an incan! There's been innovation! It's just at a snail..er I mean at a Maglite's pace. Downside? Mag wants you to buy their pack and nobody else's.

Blow your mind? Get some budget lights in the sub-$60 range and see how much a properly focused Maglite stock incan can beat them in throw. No hotwire, mods, or anything. Stock.

more_vampires said:

Blow your mind? Get some budget lights in the sub-$60 range and see how much a properly focused Maglite stock incan can beat them in throw. No hotwire, mods, or anything. Stock.

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Sure, my 4D incandescent Maglite beats the throw on almost all my floody (but very bright) lights. However, when the Maglite is zoomed for throw, it's such a small spot that it's not very useful. Extreme tunnel-vision effect.

I do like the nice warm (and high CRI) tint of incandescent light. Pity that the beam artifacts are all so bad on incandescent lights.

I think I still have a drawer full of old incandescent flashlights, mostly cheap. This topic has made me nostalgic for them, so perhaps I'll get them out and give them a try again. Most have not been used for about 15 years.

AVService said:

It sounds like you have not even looked at the newest Maglite much less tried any?

They have come a long way and I am glad that I got a few and they can be very useful despite your assessment here.

The D cell versions in particular can offer the kind of runtimes that no 123 based cell can approach and I do wish that battery advances were also present in the D size as well.

Many rechargeable D cells are not even really D cells except in stature as they actually have AA or smaller cells inside the D case.

It took them a long time to improve but at last they have.

Don't knock them before trying them.

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Point taken - I realize improvements have been made, incrementally. It's the bulk and the size that's the problem no matter what improvements they make.

If you have some kind of 1x18650 lite, you can always carry a few sets of spare cells, either Li-Ion or 123s and still end up being a lot more compact. There is no way to EDC a D-based Mag. I get the point about extended runtime and even it's laser like beam is not a real problem but an asset in some circumstances. It's just that a Malkoff in your pocket is more useful than a Maglite in your car, or your drawer at home.

My Mags aren't even on my radar anymore. They have sat unloved for YEARS. The following are in a closet or drawer somewhere, waiting for the day I need to give a neighbor a flashlight and don't care if I ever get it back:

3D LED
2D incan with crappy LED upgrade
2xAA incan with crappy LED upgrade
2xAA LED

In all fairness, the 3D LED actually throws pretty darn well due to its large, smooth reflector. But, if I want throw, I'll grab my Barracuda.

WalkIntoTheLight said:

Sure, my 4D incandescent Maglite beats the throw on almost all my floody (but very bright) lights. However, when the Maglite is zoomed for throw, it's such a small spot that it's not very useful. Extreme tunnel-vision effect.

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We are birds of a feather, sir. Everything is a double-edged sword. Get maximum focus for maximum throw and it's like trying to scan 360 degrees looking through a paper towel roll.

My stock Mag incan beat a Utilitech $50 variable focus light (the guts might be a knockoff of Coast, unsure at this time) but the Utilitech won in usability with a wider, more useable throw... even though the Magcharger at tightest focus won in lux on target at range. Utilitech had a garbage tint though, little too cold for outdoor use IMHO. Others will probably be fine with it. Love the incan tint on my Magcharger. If I an find an LED warmer than that, I will buy a roll of those emitters. The Utilitech beat the Magcharger on lack of nasty artifacts in the beam. Unfortunately, neither is perfect (as usual.)

Also to note: You can improvise a spacer to use 18650x2 in a Maglite and install a higher voltage bulb. Yay, hotwire games!

I still keep up such high hopes that Mag will come out with THE 18650x1 light for the next 20 years and dominate everything again. Still waiting. I think it already exists and is called the P60 host. Mag really ought to enter that market, they have enough clout to pay off Surefire, even! Maglite 6P.

more_vampires said:

We are birds of a feather, sir. Everything is a double-edged sword. Get maximum focus for maximum throw and it's like trying to scan 360 degrees looking through a paper towel roll.

My stock Mag incan beat a Utilitech $50 light (the guts might be a knockoff of Coast, unsure at this time) but the Utilitech won in usability with a wider, more useable throw... even though the Magcharger at tightest focus won in lux on target at range. Utilitech had a garbage tint though, little too cold for outdoor use IMHO. Others will probably be fine with it. Love the incan tint on my Magcharger. If I an find an LED warmer than that, I will buy a roll of those emitters.

Also to note: You can improvise a spacer to use 18650x2 in a Maglite and install a higher voltage bulb. Yay, hotwire games!

I still keep up such high hopes that Mag will come out with THE 18650x1 light for the next 20 years and dominate everything again. Still waiting.

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What emitter is in it now? I have some spare neutral and warm xm-l2 dedomed on 20 & 14 mm stars if you're interested.
They both give a nice, clean warm color and fairly good color rendition.
Have one in my upgraded coast and I love it. Use it all the time. Primary bedside light.

Thanks, but the Utilitech has some fit and finish problems. Not sure it's worth the effort on what I feel is an overpriced budget light. I had to return the first one because the digital control would randomly turn the thing on, and adjusting the focus would cause the light to strobe. The second one (that was fine) started doing it after I removed the head and it took a lot of fiddling to make it stop doing it. Something about the resistances of that exact tension... or something. I'm not quite sure why it quit doing it and started working again. Just in case, I leave the batteries out. It has parasitic drain.

In short, I do not trust the driver and digital switch in that Utilitech. It seems junky compared to my better digitals. I knew it, shoulda bought the Coast!

That's what I get for going budget and expecting quality.

more_vampires said:

Utilitech had a garbage tint though, little too cold for outdoor use IMHO. Others will probably be fine with it. Love the incan tint on my Magcharger. If I an find an LED warmer than that, I will buy a roll of those emitters.

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If you like warm tints, get an Armytek light with their 4000K warm XML2 emitters. IMO, they're a little warmer than 4000K (not by much), but still cooler than the incan 4D Maglites with a xenon bulb. But, for a stock light, the Armytek's provide a tint close to incandescent. Lots of models to choose from, including floodies and throwers.

MagLite,..Sleepy warm light, snooze time. 💤


☺

WalkIntoTheLight said:

I think I still have a drawer full of old incandescent flashlights, mostly cheap. This topic has made me nostalgic for them, so perhaps I'll get them out and give them a try again. Most have not been used for about 15 years.

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cland72 said:

My Mags aren't even on my radar anymore. They have sat unloved for YEARS. The following are in a closet or drawer somewhere, waiting for the day I need to give a neighbor a flashlight and don't care if I ever get it back:

3D LED
2D incan with crappy LED upgrade
2xAA incan with crappy LED upgrade
2xAA LED

Click to expand...

I am in the middle of a transition to modern LED flashlights. Rather than hold onto my old incandescent and 5mm LED models, I am donating them to the local thrift store. Hopefully, someone will get some use out of them before they hit a landfill.

I must admit, though, I have mixed feelings about it. As I would not give these lights to a friend, I am not sure I am doing a stranger a favor by keeping these lights in circulation.

Has anyone else that has replied here even tried the current version of these lights?

I only did a month or so ago and if you have not you do not know what you are talking about.

If you have then we just do not agree.

They are not what they used to be even a year ago.

I am pretty certain the current version of these lights has not shrunk any.

It's the weight, and the bulk and the inability to EDC one. Unless your full time job is a position from the movie "Night at the Museum"

It's the size efficiency. I think I would only carry one if it hit 10,000 lumens and had a runtime longer than 8 minutes under that kind of output.

etc said:

I am pretty certain the current version of these lights has not shrunk any.

It's the weight, and the bulk and the inability to EDC one. Unless your full time job is a position from the movie "Night at the Museum"

It's the size efficiency. I think I would only carry one if it hit 10,000 lumens and had a runtime longer than 8 minutes under that kind of output.

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This. All this. The question isn't about output or runtime, it's about the sheer inefficiency of the size. Nobody carries that large of alight around unless they are a security guard or a cop who wants a backup to his gun, taser, pepper spray, and baton. It just isn't viable for daily carry with all the other alternatives out there.

I mean, I'm sure some people feel the same way about the Surefire 6P, but I'm glad they still make it. I can say the same about the Maglite - I'm sure someone out there just really digs the classic multiple D cell design, but you won't find many on this board who EDC a 3D Maglite, no matter how it performs.

My 2 or 3 3D cell mags are loaded with cells yearly and hold bedroom doors open as a chalk of sorts.
Home of a flashaholic I guess, need a beating instrument and their there for that as a bonus, blind with edc, knockometer with MagLite.

If I ever get around to picking up one of the latest 2d models I will probably edc it. I edc my Tk41 and SX25L2T without any hesitation. No I don't need that big of light all the time but I figure I have them so why not, in a leather hammer loop I forget they are there. I will for sure carry a big light if we are going out on the lake, hiking, or traveling as a larger light can be used for more than just a light if it comes down to it.

No mags aren't the latest and greatest compared to most 18650 and even some AA lights but for the average person they are still the best you will find in most stores, except for the coasts in Walmart, and the newer ones are good enough that they make most people look at me as if I have horns when I say mine cost twice what their mag does. I look at maglite as the typical Joe's light. They are sold every where and have always been just good enough to make the average person think they are the best light available. Grant you their first led version was only 160 lumens but when fully focused they threw like crazy and made people believe they were some type of super hero light.

For the average person buying a flashlight they see its a maglite and not knowing any better think it is the best because it's a maglite and for years they were the best plus most people don't edc a light so the size doesn't matter when it's sitting in a drawer or in a car. We flashaholic don't keep them in business, the general consumer does so they aren't worried about what we want. When you actually stop and think about if you weren't one of us and needed to buy a light without doing any research, what light would you buy at Walmart based solely on name and the specs on the package? For 50 bucks their new lights aren't an awful choice for someone who doesn't have a light to begin with.

I use my Maglites to flood the room with light. Just point it up at the ceiling and it's like turning on a lamp. Unless you need extended run times which Maglite does pretty good with, i'll take my other led lights over the Mags. I want to be able to carry a flashlight around with me wherever i go and even the LD41 can work.. just put it on your belt and you get up to 680 lumens with 4 AA Eneloops . Maybe not the best distance on it and the runtime can be short but unless you are on search and rescue team that light puts out quite a lot for what i need. I don't know what the distance is on the new 2D LED Mags, but the 3D Mag has 406 meters.

Mags were, and are good work lights. All mine are older with malkoffs, and still working just fine. Don't use them much anymore since I retired but still maintained. If I were to go back on the road, they would go with me. For now, they are fine sitting in vehicles, tool chests and drawers ready to be used if needed. Understand the new Mags are pretty nice, but, when the old ones keep working no need to change. Be interesting to see how some of newer generations of the flashlights are working when they get 5+ or 10+ years old. And if there is an issue, can they be fixed? The Mags can, well, the older ones anyway, the new ones prob are wait and see as well.