The Opalec Maglite Conversion?

I know Maglite has a terrible beam quality and is usually hated here. But....I still have several AA Maglites and I figure I might as well make it as good as possible. Is the Opalec LED conversion unit a good aftermarket product?

http://www.all-maglite-4-less.com/detail_mag_ledmod.html

The Opalec Newbeam is generally considered one of the best Minimag accessories ever made. All the review sites just rave about it. You'll get a much cleaner beam, and much more runtime, but less throw (distance coverage) because of the wider LED beam. There are also some other LED upgrades available such as the Luxeon sandwiches from www.anlighten.com/shop which might interest you. The Luxeon upgrades are a lot brighter than the Newbeam, but will have far less battery runtime, they cost more, and they make battery changes a little bit finicky.

You could also just throw away those Minimags and get some nice LED flashlights instead of upgrading what's become something of a turkey.

everyone needs at least one Opalec! Go ahead and get one! It takes all of two minutes to install! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

yes. a search of this forum will turn up a lot of information.
here's some esteemed member's opinions:
sean's page

LED Museum

there are others but that will get you started. i say buy an opalec for runtime and a badboy or madmax for sheer brightness. you're mags will never have been so good.

Roy, it took you two minutes? what did you do, stop to go to the bathroom? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif

Yes the Opalec NewBeam is a very worthwhile conversion. The NewBeam will give you about 8-10 hours of constant brightness and then after the red LED comes on it will still run for awhile depending on the type of batteries.
Another good conversion would be a Sandwich from The Sandwich Shoppe. The Sandwich will be a lot brighter, but with reduced runtime. depending on which Sandwich and the type of batteries they usually run 1.25 to 2 hours. The Sandwiches are Luxeon LEds. You can get a Sandwich here.
http://anlighten.com/shop/default.php
I would also recommend that you get a mineral glass lens & a Kroll switch. These are available at The Sandwich Shoppe.
You can read reviews of both lights at Quickbeams site, here
http://flashlightreviews.home.att.net/index1.html

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You could also just throw away those Minimags and get some nice LED flashlights instead of upgrading what's become something of a turkey.

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For simple tasks, the mags work well enough (plus they've been reliable). I will be getting an Arc AAA or two and other higher end flashlights for daily carry, but I don't consider the Mags completely useless.

357,
Welcome to CPF!
If you put in Sandwiches & NewBeams they will be far from useless. If you go to The Sandwich Shoppe Forum and read up on the BadBoy and MadMax Sandwiches you will have a better idea which to choose. You might also want to use the search function to learn more. Did you notice that there were no negative comments? If you go to the Review Forum there are Run Time Plots that show the runtime for these lights.

Gentlemen, thanks for all your useful input. I appreciate the feedback.

Opalec and a Sandwich, as they always say here: buy them both!

The Opalec is definately an excellent product. I got one for my Maglight and I doubt I will ever use it as an incandescent again. It's excellent for close range work and has great battery life. Plus, if your Minimag gets damaged or corroded, you can probably just take out the LED module and put it in another Minimag.

Get one. You'll love it.

Hello 357,

An other option you might want to check out is the InReTech drop ins for the AA Mini Mag.

Do a search on InReTech for more information, or visit the web page at www.inretech.com

Tom

Another recommendation for InReTech...I use mine with lithium batteries. Simple installation, bright, long runtime (several hours), and good long-term storage in cold weather (car). Rechargeable batteries don't work well in it though.

I also have a BB400 with a kroll switch...it is great with rechargeable batteries with similar brightness to my InReTech light with lithiums. @2 hours runtime....I use it alot around the house, and recharge the batteries when it dims. Regular batteries back up the rechargeables.
Jim

I have before me one MM with Opalec, and One with Madmax+.

The Opalec makes a nice smooth beam, but is somewhat overwhelmed by ambient light. At night or in dark places in my house it is GREAT! It has very very good runtime too.

The Madmax KILLS the Opalec! It is at least 4 times brighter. This comes at a pretty severe reduction in runtime at around 2 hours continous. Used as my EDC it would easily do a couple weeks on NimH used maybe an hour a week or so. I kept a couple alkalines in my truck as backup.

It isn't TOO bright for task use, but allows illumination at distances and in ambient light that would render the Opalec useless.

In summary, the Opalec will make a Minim*g at least 75% better, the Madmax takes it to a whole new level! Mine has a slightly purpleish tint, making me think it's being driven a might hard!

Decide which level of brightness/runtime you like and go for it. But I really think you gotta follow the CPF motto...

BUY THEM BOTH!!!

I have both an Opalec and an Inretech, I far prefer the Opalec. With brand new batteries the Inretech is brighter for a while, in every other category the Opalec wins.

look at the Opalec and Inretech runtime plots in the Run-Time Plots thread in the Review Forum.

I've owned the Opalec and Inretech. The Opalec isn't very bright, but plenty for use where there's no ambient light. Typical of Nichias, it's on the blue side.
The Inretech...both were horribly green. I gave both away, and one was given back to me, if that tells you anything.
Also gave away the Opalec, as it just didn't put out much light for it's size. My mother keeps it in her glove box for an emergency light, now.
May try a BB400 or 500 with a Q3J or similar, soon, as I've got a pewter MM sitting here with nothing in it.

Love my Opalecs. Got two of 'em. Definately keepers.

Same here. Love 'em! I've got three, each with the MM head epoxied on, a Kroll switch, and Mineral Glass lens. Also, I painted the inside of the MM housing and the Opalec trim ring white, for improved cosmetics and (probably microscopically) increased brightness.

That little red LED telling you it's out of regulation . . . how cool is that?? Why doesn't everybody do that? I even keep a couple "almost dead" AA's around to show off that feature. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Dave