Archangel said:
The head is longer. Anyone know if the reflectors are still smooth?
Yup, the reflectors are still smooth. The guy at the booth who was a big marketing mucky-muck (I got his card, but I don't have it with me, or I'd list his name and title... sorry) found out I was a CPFer and took me into the little room they had for signing paperwork, and we spent about half an hour chatting. Tony (Mag's top guy) insists that the reflectors will always be smooth. He feels that the reflector is perfect, and that, rather than compensate for an imperfect light source (originally the incandescent filament, but now including the LEDs) by "screwing up" the perfect reflector, he'll keep looking for the perfect light source to pair with the perfect reflector, so that no compensation (or compromise) will be necessary.
There will be NO retrofit kits sold for the AA models; the longer head needed is to house the longer/deeper smooth reflector. The only way to get a AA Mini-Mag will be to purchase a new one because of that, and the extra stuff needed for the LED, like the circuitry and the heat-sinking. All the LEDs (AA, C, D) will be 3W Luxeons.
Another nifty thing about the AA version is that Mag will be releasing a 3xAA version in the LED line. The extra battery will be used to provide extra run-time (IIRC), rather than noticeably increased brightness.
There will be retrofit kits (drop-in replacements for the PR-base bulb-- no reflector changes) made available for the C- and D-cell lights, in the 2, 3, and 4-cell versions. The volume for the 5 and 6-cell versions isn't enough for Mag to enter the market.
I also got to see the 2D version put up against its incandescent cousin. Now, remember that the Las Vegas Convention Center was very well-lit, so it was relatively difficult to make accurate judgments. Having said that, though, I thought that the 2-cell LED version did about as well as the 2-cell incandescent one. There were no 3-cell or 4-cell LED versions at the show (yes, I asked), and I've loaned out my 4D TerraLUX conversion to a co-worker, anyway, so it wasn't with me.
I look forward to buying (at least) one each of the 2xAA and 3xAA versions of these lights, as well as a 4-cell conversion. (For the C- and D-cell versions, there will be no difference between a new LED Mag and a retrofitted LED Mag.) I need to see how they compare with the TerraLUX retrofits I already own.
The new lights and retrofit kits will be made available to ALL retailers at the same time, which should be 90-120 days from now, if my little grey cells don't fail me.
He also said that in September, they would be releasing something very big that would knock our socks off... and then he said no more about it. (I think that's called a "teaser" in the business, don't you?)
More later, and possibly in the other SHOT Show reports thread.