Dorcy 3 D Cell 1 Watt Luxeon

There it was. Hanging on a display rack right next to an assortment of aging M*glites. A three D cell 1 watt Luxeon, crafted of black aluminum, with a focusable beam! ($29.99) Could this mean the ultimate demise of M*glite? Do I hear "Taps" playing?

Where did you see it? What store?

Its not on the dorcy website, not in target or walmart, not anywhere known, so please tell us more /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinser2.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

If this is not a joke (sry), then M g(edit:censorship important), better release your LED lights quick before dorcy fills walmart and target with luxeons.

Pics? did you buy it, Indenial? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/evilgrin07.gif

First off, this is not a joke.

Second, I didn't buy one so no pics.(It wouldn't take much to persuade me to do so, however.)

It is being sold at Orchard Supply Hardware, a small hardware chain owned by Sears located in Northern California. Perhaps Sears carries it, too??

BTW, I recall the packaging saying it had a 100 hr. runtime. That's all I know.

Hmmm, let me see if my Orchard Supply Hardware store has it. Thanks for the info indenial.

I bought one from OSH a few weeks ago. It looks remarkably like a 3 D mag from a distance. The differences are more appearent when closer. The Dorcy has simple lines and fewer curves.

The light that it produced reminded me of an Everled. It was bluish and not overly bright. On my faux integration box, I get 33 lumens when I turn it on, but that dropped to 22 within 60 seconds. I think that's from heating of the LED, though it could have been battery sag.

I was not overly impressed. The LED does look like it can be replaced easily. I have not dis-assembled it yet to see if it's DD, resistored or regulated. I have not done any run time type of test.

Daniel

I actually bought one of these things today and to my dismay, when I turned it on, it only took about a minute the most till the HD emitter started to flicker. I'm not sure if I just got a dud or this thing does not have adequte heatsinking. I was pretty impress by its brightness though and just the fact that it actually uses a pretty bright and white High Dome emitter.

Try cleaning the threads on the battery end to get rid of the flicker. After the lights are made there always seems to be some kind of oxide mixed with oil on those threads.

Hello haveblue,

Thank you very much for the advice, but I already tried cleaning it and I'm sad to say that it didn't work. So, I think I might have to return this one...

Dorcy, while not the very best lights on the market, has gone a long, long way toward introducing the white LED to the mass market.

For the record, there are *no* Maglites at my local Target store. They clearanced them all months ago.

Profits must really be dripping at Maglite when Target (and I know some Target stores still have them, but it's a sign of things to come!) stops carrying them.

With all their millions, Maglite could have easily first made a relatively inexpensive 3 or 4 5mm LED Mini Maglite, and then a whole line of Luxeon Maglites. But they are too stubborn, too stupid, or both, IMHO. It just boggles the mind. Is their whole R&D dept. one illerate half-time high school drop-out?

Oh yes: The local Target carries 3 Dorcy Led flashlights.

Eat THAT, Tony Maglica!/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/poke2.gif

Maglights are named after some guy? I never knew that. I assume he's the founder and/or big kahuna there?

http://www.maglite.com/index.asp

http://www.mitchells.net.au/lighting/maglite.htm

"Mag Instruments Inc. is the brainchild of Anthony Maglica, born in New York during the depression.

With only $125, he started a one man machine shop, which grew steadily primarily producing an assortment of precision tools and parts for private enterprise and the U.S. Government.

Mag Instruments was incorporated in 1974. Mr. Maglica then designed and manufactured a high quality machined aluminium flashlight, which he patented and introduced in 1978. The Mag-Lite flashlight was highly successful and quickly became recognized as the flashlight of choice by professionals. Not resting on past success, Tony designed new products with unique features. One such product - The Mini Maglite - introduced in 1984, took the industry by storm and rekindled the flashlight market. Its success allowed Mag Instruments to double its size by 1986.

The Mini Maglite Flashlight has been touted in Money Magazine as "One of the 99 things that America makes best" as well as Fortune Magazine and American Style ( a book depicting classic American product designs )."

So now M*g's recipe for mediocrity is to attempt restraining the technological advancements of its competitors? What a shame the amount of effort and money, used to stifle competition, wasn't put into R&D.

Huh - thanks, PhotonBoy. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/huh.gif
Never knew that!

It's frustrating to see them continuing to push 1970's technology though. It seems as if they're just coasting on their previous reputation and not doing much to keep up with the times.

That seems to the the common concensus - resting on their laurels.

[ QUOTE ]
idleprocess said:
That seems to the the common concensus - resting on their laurels.

[/ QUOTE ]

No, they're sitting on their a**es, watching thir company go down the toilet...*IF* they are even bright enough to *watch* the industry, which doesn't seem to be the case, IMHO. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smoker5.gif

About the only good thing I can say about Mag is that they are a good machine shop that can turn out decent Al flashlight bodies for relatively little $$$. They make good hosts for many mods, one of the easiest being buying a WA 3 cell bulb, and next dropping a hotlips or similar heatsink in and adding a Lux III. I don't own a single un-modded mag except an old solitaire that I can't get the head off of because it was crushed (doesn't work).