Old Maglite Conversions

Hi guys.
I have a couple old AA Mini-Mags I want to convert to LED. I don't know what to get.
There's a Nite-Ize LED kit for around $16 that includes an end cap clicky. But it's only 30 lumens. Seems kind of weak, considering the stock xenon/krypton bulb is 14 and the new updated AA LED Mags are 69 or 97 or 272 lumens(big difference from 30L). All the new mags only run about $30.
Then there's Terralux. They advertise 140 or 150 lumens(depending on new stock). They run $16 also(no clicky).

I know instinct tells me to get the Terralux 150. I don't really want the clicky, I like the tassel and I don't think the new ends have a hole.

Is there anything I should consider? Quality? battery life? Or how these new components will work with Eneloop Rechargeables that are only 1.2 volts.

Thanks.

I have three aa maglites with the nite-ize led upgrade that gives 30 lumens for 25 hours. I am very happy as I only use the mini maglites around the house for chores and whatever else pops up. I purchased mine for eight dollars on ebay. Around the homestead my maglites see more action than my surefires.

The nite-ize led upgrade allows you to keep the adjustable flood and spot focus of the original maglite. I like that feature a lot. For its brightness the throw is better than you would expect but still not great.

Good luck!

^^ Agreed.

I tried both the TerraLux and Nite Ize. Whoever from TL said the thing does over 100 lumens was smoking crack or something.

The Nite Ize is worth the coin. The Terra Lux is not in terms of stated outputs. And yes it's still not going to compete with those big numbered mini mags but you will see a big difference.
Eneloops play nice with the mini mag LED'd or stock.

Welcome to the site.... both of you.

Thank you bykfixer, i'm glad to be here.

I've lurked for years and find CPF to be a great resource.

Me too! I found 4 mini's at "Good- vibe" for 2$ each. Upon getting them home, found one had a leaked battery and destroyed the end cap getting it opened. The battery would not budge even with my trick of drilling, screwing and slide hammering. Oh well, threw that one in the scrap. Then went to Lowes for the Nite Ize, times 3. After adjusting the existing twisty switch (bending tab slightly) they each worked perfectly. The conversion kit comes in 2 levels, I got the one with the tail cap switch. I believe both come with a new reflector. Lowes price ~$ 8. So I've got dependability which is my primary goal for just over $10. each times 3. Yeap I'm satisfied...

Thanks for the Lowes tip. It's only 7.50. I was just about to get it on Ebay at $16. It looks like there's enough meat on that tail cap to drill a tiny diagonal hole for a tassel. I hang it up, so I want the tassel.
If 30 lumens is a huge improvement over the stock 14, then the 270 lumens of the newest AA Pro must be insanely blinding.

I think I'm going to get the Nite Ize double D bulb too. I have a Fulton anglehead I keep strapped to a roll bar in the Jeep.

Hi all,
Just out of curiosity, I'm understanding that you (OP) are rather going the upgrade route, as opposed to buying new. If correct, may I ask why ?

Also, you guys, who are currently, I presume, at least for the large majority, living in the US, can buy new LED maglites for around 20$, I would think it's a no-brainer. The same models here in europe go for at least twice that price, and up to almost 70€ (yeah, euros). Hence a good reason to "upgrade" rather than to buy new.

Glad to see a thread on this subject.

Cheers.

Hey kewrock,
Yes it has plenty of meat to drill for a lanyard or tassle. Thing is drill with a 5/64th (or similar) bit at a right angle to the light in about an 8th of an inch. Then repeat at right angle from that until the bit meets the other hole. You can oversize the hole to 1/8th inch bit no problem. Using a toothpick will push then pull the cord through.

Yes the 2D LED will breath new life into that right angle light.
Check out Fulton Industries to get their upgrade kit. A nice LED that has a way better beam than the TerraLux and a pair of D to aa adapters. While there you can get a lens kit too. Comes with new gaskets, a set of lenses and a new light bulb.

bykfixer said:

Hey kewrock,
Yes it has plenty of meat to drill for a lanyard or tassle. Thing is drill with a 5/64th (or similar) bit at a right angle to the light in about an 8th of an inch. Then repeat at right angle from that until the bit meets the other hole. You can oversize the hole to 1/8th inch bit no problem. Using a toothpick will push then pull the cord through.

Yes the 2D LED will breath new life into that right angle light.
Check out Fulton Industries to get their upgrade kit. A nice LED that has a way better beam than the TerraLux and a pair of D to aa adapters. While there you can get a lens kit too. Comes with new gaskets, a set of lenses and a new light bulb.

Click to expand...

Thanks bykfixer.
One thing that always bothered me about the Fulton. It's military spec(for the 1960's), and still issued today. So you would expect it to be decent quality. It's crap. The threads are cut crooked in the tailcap which makes it grind when oneping and closing. And the worst part is the reflector is a satin silver, rather than chrome. Which makes the throw very weak. I have a dollar store flashlight that shines twice as much with the same bulb and batteries. It's genuine too, I got it at the Patrick Air Force Base PX in Florida.

I have the Nite Ize LED conversion in a old AA Mini Mag and I would say for $8 or so it was worth it to me, considering I already had the incan Mini Mag. Not the greatest by any means but OK for use around the house. The clicky switch is kind of cheap and doesn't seem very water resistant, but you can always use the original tail cap/twisty operation. 30 lumens is good for indoor use and about doubles the output from the old incan bulbs. Sometimes the LED works its way loose when using the clicky, switch causing a flicker, but this is easily fixed by tightening the head to shut it off which will reseat the LED.

If you are spending more than $8-10, I would recommend getting a Mini Mag Pro PLUS....much brighter with a added low mode.


Dorcy and Rayovac both make (pretty much identical) LED drop ins for 2 cell lights that take the PR style bulbs, these also put out about 30 lumens and sell for around $5....I have one of these in my old incan 2D Mag and it works great.

I have had many Mini Mags. The Terralux flat out blows. It comes with a much more shallow than stock reflector and the output as stated above is nowhere near what is advertised. The Nite Ize with the clicky is the way to go. I have found that it is hit or miss when it comes to how good the clicky switch is. I got one kit where the switch was a mushy mess and another where it was nice and tight with great tactile feel.

Update: I found the Mini - Pro at Wally World for just under $20. So I had to get one for comparison... Yeah, much brighter at the advertised 272 Lumens, at least 3 - 4 times brighter. This, of course, is because our eyes perceive brightness variation on a logarithmic scale.
So coffeecup66's statement
"living in the US, can buy new LED maglites for around 20$, I would think it's a no-brainer."
does have merit, at least for the average guy. 3 - 4 times the brightness for twice the price. But I moved one of the clicky switch over to the new Pro and that works perfectly. I've never been a fan of the twisty...

electronFarmer said:

Update: I found the Mini - Pro at Wally World for just under $20. So I had to get one for comparison... Yeah, much brighter at the advertised 272 Lumens, at least 3 - 4 times brighter. This, of course, is because our eyes perceive brightness variation on a logarithmic scale.
So coffeecup66's statement
"living in the US, can buy new LED maglites for around 20$, I would think it's a no-brainer."
does have merit, at least for the average guy. 3 - 4 times the brightness for twice the price. But I moved one of the clicky switch over to the new Pro and that works perfectly. I've never been a fan of the twisty...

Click to expand...

Hi electronFarmer,
My "statement" was in fact really intended as a question, an appeal for opinions. Happy you took the time to share yours :thumbsup:.

Cheers.

coffeecup66 said:

Hi all,
Just out of curiosity, I'm understanding that you (OP) are rather going the upgrade route, as opposed to buying new. If correct, may I ask why ?

Also, you guys, who are currently, I presume, at least for the large majority, living in the US, can buy new LED maglites for around 20$, I would think it's a no-brainer. The same models here in europe go for at least twice that price, and up to almost 70€ (yeah, euros). Hence a good reason to "upgrade" rather than to buy new.

Glad to see a thread on this subject.

Cheers.

Click to expand...

Sorry CoffeeCup. didn't mean to ignore your question. Yes. Going with the Mini Pro is a no brainer if I didn't already have the light. I only bought this one a couple years ago. When I thought the kit was $16, I was undecided. But finding them at Lowe's For $7.50. I would rather that, than spend $25-30 for a new Pro. Plus you get the clicker.

So I was in Lowe's today, and got the kit. It works OK. Not very, very bright, but definitely an improvement. The clicky button cover is loose and sloppy. But the actual mechanism under that cover is solid. It's definitely not made to the same level of quality that the Maglite was made. But it works.

Right now the latest version (272L) of the Pro is over $25 on ebay. But looking at recently sold items, a few went as cheap as $16. It's in my followed searches. So if one comes up that cheap, I'll buy it.

If you look at the numbers on the package the 97 lumen version does a better job at a distance than the 111 lumen version... and has better runtime. Plus they are less expensive than those newer ones.
If throw is what you seek those C size mini mags are absolutely amazing.

I use the 97(perhaps 98?) lumen mini mags at work at night for lighting shadows in artificial lighting and for the money they are hard to beat.
Yet for around the house, finding something in the shed etc the NiteIze conversion is fine n dandy. Plus it really increases the life span of the batteries in lights out cases.

I got the Nite-ize kit. It's a typical LED blue-cast light. Not crazy about that color temp. I find that whatever you're looking at loses it's depth and definition, as compared to the warmer color of incan. Definitely brighter though. I drilled a tiny diagonal hole for the lanyard in the tail. It came perfect. Definitely a nice, cheap upgrade.
I also bought an LED Solitaire while I was out. It's got a really nice color temperature. It not blue cast like most LED. It's got some yellow in it. It looks like incan, but much brighter. Perfect.
I'm still waiting for my green Solitaire to arrive from Ebay's Ecop. For some reason, it's been tied up at my local post office for a couple days.

I have to check the specs for the Nite Ize Mini Mag kits I got. I remember there were three different versions when I bought them. The first one didn't have a lumens rating from what I remember. It required the removal of the Mag reflector since this particular Nite Ize kit used 3 small LEDs. The second one I got I think was supposed to be 30 lumens and is called LED Upgrade II. That one came with a shallower reflector that you used in place of the original Mag reflector. The third one I got was similar but it's called "1 Watt LED Upgrade II" and this one is listed as 55 lumens.

Both Upgrade II kits are better than the original 3-led Nite Ize. Without a side by side comparison I'm hard pressed to tell the difference between the 30 and 55 lumen versions while lighting up a dark room.

I also have the Terralux MiniMag kit. I got mine years ago so I think it's actually different from the current Terralux MiniMag kit. Though rated at 140 lumens the Terralux is very similar to the Nite Ize LED Upgrade II kits (30 or 55 lumens). Terralux's kit also has a shallower reflector.

A MiniMag LED or Pro will outshine the Nite Ize and Terralux kits. The Nite Ize and Terralux are more for upgrading incandescent MiniMags that you already own.