4d maglite bulb replacement

[greyling22]

my boss has several 4D maglites and wants to make them better. I know that malkoff seems to be highly regarded, but $70 bucks for a replacement led seems steep. are there any other good options that would be a huge improvement over what he has, but maybe not be top of the line? terralux has this oddball 3 led gizmo that drops in that's expensive too.

 

[Swordforthelord]

The absolute simplest upgrade is to replace the Whitestar krypton bulb with Mag's Magnum Star xenon bulb. A modest upgrade but dirt cheap. Option B is to buy Mag's LED upgrade module, if you can still find any. None of these can touch a Malkoff, from my understanding, but they are considerably less expensive.

 

[Dole]

https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/238641

Here's a step by step P7 mod

 

[ltiu]

There comes a point in-time when getting new replacements makes more sense than upgrading.

Get the new 3D Mag LED with the Rebel LED. Those guys are bright and costs less than a Malkoff. Plus you get brand new lights.

 

[Probedude]

There comes a point in-time when getting new replacements makes more sense than upgrading.

Get the new 3D Mag LED with the Rebel LED. Those guys are bright and costs less than a Malkoff. Plus you get brand new lights.

Agreed. I hear you can get the 3D Mag Rebel LED with the 2AA Mag rebel LED with batteries for ~$26 at Costco. 2 flashlights WITH batteries!
I've been using my 3D Rebel Maglite and have been quite impressed with the throw.

 

[Locoboy5150]

Good luck finding one of the Malkoff Devices drop in bulbs for your Maglites. They have been listed as out of stock on their website for a long time now.

If you're interested in the Terralux TLE-300M-EX drop in, my opinions on mine are listed in this topic:

https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/246672

Though that thread is about the 6 D cell Maglite drop in options, the same Terralux unit works in the 4 - 6 D cell Maglites.

Note that in general just about any drop in LED bulb for a Maglite is not what I'd call "cost effective." By the time that you put the money into an incan Maglite for the LED drop in, heat sink modifications, lens upgrade, battery modifications, etcetera you're out a lot more money than just buying the latest Maglite Rebel LED model or another more modern LED light from another manufacturer.

Based on my admittedly limited experience, you modify an incandescent Maglite because you enjoy the modification process, not because you're looking for a cost effective lighting tool.

 

[Ray Tseng]

Agree that it might not be worth it to update that host.

While there may be some preceived value in reusing the existing flashlights, there's really not much value of the mag body, especially considering if you are planning on budget is going to be in the range of $50+ or more/light.

One question to ask, if you were to disregard imagined "cost savings", would your boss pick the Mag4D body again for some other factors (maybe you have a stockpile of batteries)? LEDs are now efficient enough that CR123 or smaller battery type will give you a brighter and longer runtimes than incan. Mags all in a much smaller lighter package.

Point is, if you're going to spend in the range of $50/light don't feel that you should reuse the 4D bodies because reusing something is supposed to be cheaper.

If price is a concern driving the upgrade, probably take a look at dealextreme or kaidomain for some relatively inexpensive lights that use modern LEDs.

In the long run, if these lights are going to be used at all, it's the batteries that should end up being your main cost. Take a look at choices that have multimode as using low mode will extend runtime==less batteries==less cost.

 

[greyling22]

I agree that a more modern flashlight is a better light. heck, a dbs or even a spear clone would smoke it, but he's an older guy, had mags forever, and would not have to deal with new lithium rechargeable batteries. in effect, I am willing to pay more to give him familiarity. besides, a bigger light is harder to lose.

 

[petersmith6]

i would up grade the 4d maglite.i have a selection of lights i use for work hid,tk-30 (love it ) mini mag 2 level led but i like my 3d maglite with its led up grade. the colours alot more use, no fillament to break but more importantley if you on your own at night its nice to have something with a little thumpabilaty in your hand.last month some one tryed to mug me, one zap of light and a thump later im ok,mugger has maglite size bruse. the police were trying to tell me off but were too busy laughing.

maglite 1 6inch knife 0