MagLite

Question: I searched though the first 3 pages of this section and see no mention of MagLite, does this forum have something against MagLite? :laughing:


Anyway I've had a 310 lumen MagLite MagTac for the past 4 years, it has been serving me well. I use CR123A LiFePO4 rechargeable batteries in it.



They must have heard a lot of users were using rechargeable batteries in them as they now make a new 533 lumen MagTac that comes with a LiFePO4 battery.

TechGuru,
It's a long story, and I can't remember all the reasons why, but there has been a tradition of using terms such as "M@g", or "M*g" (without the quotation marks), to refer to Maglite. Try using those two 3-letter terms to search, and the results should increase exponentially. Welcome to the forum!

Thanks for the video. I remember wanting a MagTac after my XL50. However IMHO they are a bit behind in terms of tech progress. For the size of the CR123A MagTac, I could get a 18650 tactical light with more functions & output and IPX-8 waterproof rating for less $$. Not bashing good old mag though, I genuinely believe it's a good brand, and many fellow forum members have Mag housings with their own mod/drop-ins.

I use maglites daily. They are catching up with the competition and make functional lights. I don't care about 5000 lumen lights. I want durability, run time, simplicity, common batteries etc. I also have some malkoff lights but find them over kill for my needs.

At this point I don't buy light's that are under 1000 lumen , when mag busts the 1000 mark I would not mind a new one i still have a bunch in my collection that were dscontinued, what kind of batrery life do you get with it ?

The MagLite collectors are here on candlepowerforums as well. Much respect to them.

Last week our son and I went to the grand opening of Cabelas in Albuquerque, NM. Nary a single MagLite could I find, but plenty of Streamlight and house brand...

If you remember mags competitor way back when legend basicly a mag light with rubber grips on the body still got some of them to, they never competed in large lights just medium ones in odd colors like golden brown and bronze.my 9 call mag is sill king of the I want a flashlight that will pull my pants down just for holstering it.

A 9 call Maglite? That is probably pretty rare.

There are lots of Maglite owners here. But the LED section mainly consists of topics about the latest tech and Maglite tends to produce lights with slow movement in forward progress.
Not talked about a lot for that reason, yet part of the reason many still own them. Their conservative approach to new ideas is seemingly lacking in todays "image is everything" world.

Liked by most, just not something folks brag about.

Guy 1; "woah dude that light is bright, what brand is it?"

Guy 2; "cough-maglite-cough".

I wanted a modern Maglite that could fulfil the criteria I needed but I couldn't find it so I had a custom job put together.

As such, my main torch is a Maglite ML300L 3D, with the LED swapped for a XHP50 with extra heat sinking and a new driver which means it'll do about 3000 lumen, but the new cam-focus system is maintained so I can use it anywhere from flood to throw. It's running off 26650s so gives a good run time.

I also have a number of Maglite 4Ds which have had a simple XPG-2 dropin put in place of the bulb which I use for keeping in the back of the car or by the nightstand.

Maglite isn't mentioned on the LED forums because they have been very very slow to adapt to the ultra competitive market. Maglite still makes a durable, dependable, fantastic light but they are only now competing with technology from 4 or 5 years ago. I'm a YUGE Maglite fan and always will be. I love collecting their older lights and I have a handful of their new lights. However, most folks that are into new lights want something cutting edge and high tech and aren't going to reach for a Maglite which is why you see little discussion outside of the incan/collector boards.

Maglite at one time was an innovator in flashlights. They were very slow to adapt to LEDs and even still don't match heat sinking and beam tint that are found in most new lights. They rest on their name and durability to sell lights which is unfortunate because they could offer so much more without losing their great features. I think a lot of it has to do with Tony's advanced age and his less of a desire to compete in the market. Mag sales are down for sure but from what I hear they still turn a heck of a profit.

maglite mike said:

I use maglites daily. They are catching up with the competition and make functional lights. I don't care about 5000 lumen lights. I want durability, run time, simplicity, common batteries etc. I also have some malkoff lights but find them over kill for my needs.

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milehigher said:

At this point I don't buy light's that are under 1000 lumen , when mag busts the 1000 mark I would not mind a new one i still have a bunch in my collection that were dscontinued, what kind of batrery life do you get with it ?

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I don't want to have to use welding goggles to use a flashlight under a sink, lol. If I want a searchlight I'll buy a searchlight..

Battery life totally sucks right now because the rechargeables I'm using are 4 years old now. Time for new ones. I basically have it on the same charging schedule as my cell phone, just charge daily.

^^ Well put Lift'd

Whenever my friends, family, coworkers or neighbors ask me "which brand of flashlight" I tell them Maglite, then we talk about size, features and other details.

1) they are available locally at big box stores
2) they typically end up wanting something fairly bright, easy to operate and made in the US.
3) because nearly everybody has heard of or has owned one at some point.

My favorite question is "where can I get a light bulb for my Maglite?" Then they show me a 20+ year old one.

maglite mike said:

I use maglites daily. They are catching up with the competition and make functional lights. I don't care about 5000 lumen lights. I want durability, run time, simplicity, common batteries etc. I also have some malkoff lights but find them over kill for my needs.

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I agree. Don't get me wrong the high lumen lights are useful for some and sure are fun as heck but when it comes down to 300 lumens are the sweet spot for me. Perfect for working on my truck or using at work without blinding yourself or anyone else. I just wish Mag or Malkoff would throw a Nichia in one of their lights for better tint. The Malkoff Mag drop ins have an ok tint but the stock Mag LEDs are really lagging. The blue and yellow tints just really throw me off.

LiftdT4R said:

I agree. Don't get me wrong the high lumen lights are useful for some and sure are fun as heck but when it comes down to 300 lumens are the sweet spot for me. Perfect for working on my truck or using at work without blinding yourself or anyone else. I just wish Mag or Malkoff would throw a Nichia in one of their lights for better tint. The Malkoff Mag drop ins have an ok tint but the stock Mag LEDs are really lagging. The blue and yellow tints just really throw me off.

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I know I'd lose some lumens but it would be nice if I could find a replacement lens for my MagTac that would bring the 6500K down to 5000K.

Still waiting for the 625 lumen multimode electronic switch D models to appear at stores in my country.

Boy is it sloooooow. Been wanting them for a long time.

My first higher end flashlight is my 1999 Maglite 2D. It remains stock (but with an optimized glass lens) in all its glory with perfect CRI.

I prefer to remember them that way.

milehigher said:

If you remember mags competitor way back when legend basicly a mag light with rubber grips on the body still got some of them to, they never competed in large lights just medium ones in odd colors like golden brown and bronze.my 9 call mag is sill king of the I want a flashlight that will pull my pants down just for holstering it.

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I own a 7C Maglite, quite a few sealed in the original plastic 5C Maglites, some 6C Maglites...but have never heard mention of a nine cell Maglite. Do you have any more info on it? To my knowledge, the largest cell count for the "C" and "D" series is seven cells in series.

I have a 3D LED version. I keep it loaded with alkalines and I check it often for leakage. In the event of a sustained power outage, I like the idea of around 79 hours of runtime. And with an initial 131 lumens in a tail-stand, it would provide adequate lighting if needed. I bought it a few years ago for $6.50 (NIB) at Home Depot...

JohnnyBravo said:

I have a 3D LED version. I keep it loaded with alkalines and I check it often for leakage. In the event of a sustained power outage, I like the idea of around 79 hours of runtime. And with an initial 131 lumens in a tail-stand, it would provide adequate lighting if needed. I bought it a few years ago for $6.50 (NIB) at Home Depot...

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Funny story but this exact model is what drove me to CPF. Mine had an alkaline leak mid tube. I cleaned it up, put new cells in, and it still didn't work. I forgot about the warranty and started googling, ended up here.
The funny part is that I bought another one to fill the void, then as I was comparing, I realized that Rayovac alkaline cells had a button too wide to make contact on the head end. I switched to Energizer and the light worked again. Annoying, and caused it to get relegated to the back of the drawer. Gave the other one away to a friend who I knew would use it.
And that's another nice thing about Mags... put batteries in and you're good. No 18650 cell safety lectures, heat related talks, drop concerns... they just go. (With cells other than Rayovac on this particular model)

LEDAdd1ct said:

I own a 7C Maglite, quite a few sealed in the original plastic 5C Maglites, some 6C Maglites...but have never heard mention of a nine cell Maglite. Do you have any more info on it? To my knowledge, the largest cell count for the "C" and "D" series is seven cells in series.

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It was something they made for a brief time, until the government figured out with or without cells this was a formidable weapon to be on the receiving end ,mag and the government agreed to end its manufacture and production , I wanna say this was around '86ish , they thought it would sell well to LEO it didnt , too heavy unwieldy and yes you could defend yourself with it but what do you do with when cuffing a perp, it was more a liability then a tool at the time the expandable aluminium PR 24 side handle was just coming out to replace the poly ones Monadnock had been churning out , they are still very common out west but most departments phased them out in favor of ASP and many departments don't even carry sticks just Tasers.