Maglite ml300l- possibly a newer version? help-what do I have? will it work for me?

ranger2131

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Newb here. I've been lurking recently looking for a pretty bright light (>500 lumens) with long run times and easy off shelf batteries being high on importance. I'm well aware of maglite falling behind the times, but given my requirements you can see why the latest 3 D-cell versions had some appeal. I certainly haven't scoured every bit of knowledge here (and question the maglites run times vs output over time) but I finally read enough generally positive reviews I decided to grab an ml300l last week. Unfortunately my local walmart was out. I debated waiting for them to re-stock or ordering online the past couple days, so when one showed up last night so I snagged it. That is where my question comes in.

Only after I got home and opened it (doh!) did I notice the package specs were slightly different.... different from the ones I had previously seen at walmart, amazon, and mentioned in posts here. They're actually 'better'- but I've learned enough on this forum to know in the brave new world of led flashlights not everything is as it seems. Then I did some more looking and the last part of model # is also slightly different (not obviously visible on packaging). It's not on the maglite website either. Just wanted to see if anyone had seen one like this, if it was a newer version or actually an old model, what the specs likely mean, etc. All help would be appreciated!

Normal specs on ml300l 3D model I see everywhere are:

ml300-s3016 625 lumens/16hr, 130 lumens/77hr, 58 lumens/117 hr 406m 41200 cd



my flashlight says:

ml300l-x3016 627 lumens/29hr, ? lumens/77hr, ? lumens/242 hr 410m 41987 cd (sorry, can't find lumen listings for low and eco modes anywhere on package or documentation, nothing on website)


any ideas?
 

bykfixer

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Probably has an updated driver that gives better fuel mileage.

Sometimes the specs of electronics can change to a 'newer' set up while the advertising still remains the previous statement. It sounds like that is the case here. Mid-year upgrades are not unusual in todays ever evolving world of LED lighting tools.

Maglite gets a bad rap about being behind the times. Some manufacturers choose to stay with time tested ideas and change those ideas slowly to continue the tried n true reliability of their products. Others are forced to always push their products with the notion that their vast amount of change means theirs is better. Otherwise they would remain somewhere in the vast world of same old same old.
Maglite chooses to continue down a path that has worked for them since 1979. Reliable products that don't cost a lot of bread. Real value in todays fast paced world.
The word value is not always glittery, but in 2017 it is still a notion many find appealing.
 
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arKmm

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The ML300L is a viable tool. You can get better but you have to pay a lot more.

600 lumens is enough for almost all tasks, and the focusing allows you to get a viable throw for distance work. Plus as you said, it runs off easy to get batteries that give a very long runtime. You can also buy LSD (Low Self Discharge) NiMh rechargeables if you don't want to buy disposables.
 

maglite mike

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Newb here. I've been lurking recently looking for a pretty bright light (>500 lumens) with long run times and easy off shelf batteries being high on importance. I'm well aware of maglite falling behind the times, but given my requirements you can see why the latest 3 D-cell versions had some appeal. I certainly haven't scoured every bit of knowledge here (and question the maglites run times vs output over time) but I finally read enough generally positive reviews I decided to grab an ml300l last week. Unfortunately my local walmart was out. I debated waiting for them to re-stock or ordering online the past couple days, so when one showed up last night so I snagged it. That is where my question comes in.

Only after I got home and opened it (doh!) did I notice the package specs were slightly different.... different from the ones I had previously seen at walmart, amazon, and mentioned in posts here. They're actually 'better'- but I've learned enough on this forum to know in the brave new world of led flashlights not everything is as it seems. Then I did some more looking and the last part of model # is also slightly different (not obviously visible on packaging). It's not on the maglite website either. Just wanted to see if anyone had seen one like this, if it was a newer version or actually an old model, what the specs likely mean, etc. All help would be appreciated!

Normal specs on ml300l 3D model I see everywhere are:

ml300-s3016 625 lumens/16hr, 130 lumens/77hr, 58 lumens/117 hr 406m 41200 cd



my flashlight says:

ml300l-x3016 627 lumens/29hr, ? lumens/77hr, ? lumens/242 hr 410m 41987 cd (sorry, can't find lumen listings for low and eco modes anywhere on package or documentation, nothing on website)


any ideas?

Those are some pretty nice improvements. I'll take extended run time over sheer lumens any day
 

bykfixer

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Those are some pretty nice improvements. I'll take extended run time over sheer lumens any day

Especially when it was already plenty bright.
Personally I'd like to see some flashlight makers back away from the lumen wars and focus on quality beams and survivalist oriented runtimes from the current and future crop(s) of efficiency proven LED's.
 

ranger2131

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Probably has an updated driver that gives better fuel mileage.


Uggghh. The problem is this is exactly my concern.


I NEED a light that gives me 600+ lumens for several hours. I don't care if it steps down hard and then only runs briefly before dying after that. I'm not a total newb at quality lights, but I'm not a 'flashaholic' either. So my problem is I can guess at what these specs mean but I don't know for sure, which is why I was wondering if anyone had experience with this exact flashlight or could offer a better educated guess than mine.

From what I've gathered at this forum, a $40 malkoff drop in will do exactly what I need (6 hrs of full power brightness before stepping down), except it doesn't provide enough lumens for my needs at roughly 320-ish. I need 600 or so, and more is better for my usage. I honestly still don't know if the 'old' ml300l will do this (full power for multiple hours), but I've read enough reviews that indicate the ml300l is better than the malkoff drop-in that I decided to give it a chance.

However if the 'new' ml300l does what I am thinking (less runtime at full brightness, step down sooner and then run longer at a lower output) as compared to the 'old' one, then it is a HUGE step backwards given my needs from the flashlight.


Thanks for all the replies so far, and if anyone knows anything regarding my specific concern that would be great!
 

CelticCross74

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umm..hmmm lets see I have all the Malkoff drop ins and all the 3rd Gen XML2's. OP for you I would invest in a 3 D cell ML300LX. The X designation being that of the thicker body and thicker anodization. Yes the 700+ OTF Malkoff is VERY nice but in order to run it right you need good 10000mah+ NiMH cells
 

JanezFord

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If you have it, why don't you just test it for yourself to see when it steps down :) ... maybe better runtime on full is also due to new led which consumes less power at 620 lumens. The led could also be capable to deliver more lumens but maglite decided not to push it for more lumens to prevent overheating thus eliminating the need for temperature regulation circuit. Maglite does not advertise which led is being used so we can only guess. You can also just write an email to the maglite support for more detailed info on stepdown procedure. I have good experience with maglite support but could not say the same for some other brands.
 

arKmm

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Matt from AdventureSportFlashlights was able to modify an ML300L for me with a few things, but one of them was modifying the driver resulting in no thermal protection. It'll run straight until you turn it off or it runs out.
 

ranger2131

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If you have it, why don't you just test it for yourself to see when it steps down :) ... maybe better runtime on full is also due to new led which consumes less power at 620 lumens. The led could also be capable to deliver more lumens but maglite decided not to push it for more lumens to prevent overheating thus eliminating the need for temperature regulation circuit. Maglite does not advertise which led is being used so we can only guess. You can also just write an email to the maglite support for more detailed info on stepdown procedure. I have good experience with maglite support but could not say the same for some other brands.


I wondered all those things regarding a potential new led. I presume that is unlikely since it's still named as the same basic model, ml300l, but I don't know for sure. The only difference being the suffix at the end where mine is -x3016 instead of -s3016. Seems to me they'd want to make a bigger deal if they switched to a new led that was much better, rather than an obscure model number change that isn't even obvious on the package.

As far as running it down to check myself, that's totally fair question and I've considered it. For one thing I'm not sure if I'll notice in my garage when and how badly it begins to dim down the same way I'll notice it on a pitch black night along the border. Mainly I just preferred to ask the experts here first because I didn't want to play with it a whole bunch if I ended up wanting to return it. It remains an option.

Good to hear that about maglite support. I have several old D body incandesecents and have never needed their support (a vote of confidence for their quality, too). But their website is a total disappointment when it comes to finding info- my specific flashlight doesn't exist yet :laughing: I will certainly try emailing or chatting with them. But in my experience even when a company has good support it's often futile to chase down technical oriented information like I'm after. I've tended to get more generic answers over the years "it's 20% better than old model!", etc. I will try though.
 
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ranger2131

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arKmm- that sounds interesting. How much for the mods? Do you know how much for JUST the driver mod? or is it necessary to do other things as well in order to do the driver mod? (hope that made sense) and thanks again for responding!
 
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ranger2131

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umm..hmmm lets see I have all the Malkoff drop ins and all the 3rd Gen XML2's. OP for you I would invest in a 3 D cell ML300LX. The X designation being that of the thicker body and thicker anodization. Yes the 700+ OTF Malkoff is VERY nice but in order to run it right you need good 10000mah+ NiMH cells


I've seen your posts about your collection of maglites- you're one of the folks I was hoping to hear from! Have a few questions for you.

No, I definitely wanted to stay away from the 700 lumen malkoff due to both it's price and need for expensive batteries. In fairness I was too harsh in my assessment of the 'lesser' malkoff. I guess I don't really NEED 500-600+ lumens as I've gotten by with less in the past. I'd just PREFER them if they are available :D. I actually love the maglites for decent output and long life- and my "new version" ml300l is perfect for that with a 242 hr eco mode according to package. It's just that my main use for this light is a case where more is generally better. But like others have said 325 lumens is nothing to sneeze at.

In your experience, does the 325 lumen malkoff really run for 6+ hours at that level? That might be worth getting for one of my other old maglites in the future.

Also, are any of the other drop ins worth it? Do they come close to matching the 325 malkoff? What about at least matching the older model 3D rebel? (on amazon I see terralux, LITT industries, ABN, etc. and wondered which, if any, was the best) I've got 2-3 potential 'host' bodies for led's, but I don't have the funds for malkoffs for all of them. If it's that much better I could wait and upgrade slowly though, I guess.

Most important, in your experience how long does the ml300l run on full brightness? Can I expect at least 20-30 minutes at full brightness before I notice dimming? And can I simply turn it off and back on and get full brightness for another 20-30 minutes? While that wouldn't be as nice as the malkoff, it might be worth the hassle to me for the double increase in lumens (627 vs 325, since 700 lumen malkoff is out of picture).

Thanks in advance!
 
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xxo

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I would give the ML300 a try, I think you will like it, I know I like mine!

I wouldn't sweat the step down....if you notice it (which I doubt when actually using the light) you can quickly cycle it off and back on and it will come back at full brightness as long as the batteries have enough power. The step down is not all bad since it prolongs battery life and reduces heat build up (though I don't think over heating is much of an issue in the Ml300 given it's excellent heat sink).
 

ranger2131

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I would give the ML300 a try, I think you will like it, I know I like mine!

I wouldn't sweat the step down....if you notice it (which I doubt when actually using the light) you can quickly cycle it off and back on and it will come back at full brightness as long as the batteries have enough power. The step down is not all bad since it prolongs battery life and reduces heat build up (though I don't think over heating is much of an issue in the Ml300 given it's excellent heat sink).

Thanks, this is the kind of info I'm looking for. Although if it begins dimming after 5-10 minutes and drops to half power by like 15-20, I assure I will notice that given my usage. I have certainly noticed it in some other high end lights I've borrowed (that used 18650), some that cost way more than the ml300l. But if turning it on and off restores it, that's probably good enough for me to try it at this point. I think I'd probably like the lower end malkoff a bit better with regards to step downs, but I've heard too many people say they like this light somewhat better than that specific malkoff, it has more lumens overall and they cost the same. I will probably get that malkoff in the future for another of my old maglites.

I have one of the cheap nite-ize drop ins from home depot (about $8) in another old mag. It's disappointing, but it's still easily as bright the original incandescent and I'm sure will run way longer.
 

xxo

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The original ML300's step down to something like 75% over the course of an hour or so before leveling off on NiMH's, if I remember right. Most people have a real hard time discerning a 30% difference in output by eye. For instance, doubling the lumen output will not make a light look twice as bright, you need about 4X the brightness to appear twice as bright. Personally, I wouldn't notice gradual a 25% step down that takes an hour. And if I am running it for an hour or more straight I am probably going to want longer battery life over a few lumens anyway.


Please let us know how the ML300 works out for you; I don't think you will be disappointed. :)
 

GasganoFJ60

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Normal specs on ml300l 3D model I see everywhere are:

ml300-s3016 625 lumens/16hr, 130 lumens/77hr, 58 lumens/117 hr 406m 41200 cd



my flashlight says:

ml300l-x3016 627 lumens/29hr, ? lumens/77hr, ? lumens/242 hr 410m 41987 cd (sorry, can't find lumen listings for low and eco modes anywhere on package or documentation, nothing on website)


any ideas?

Do you happen to have model numbers from the packaging?
 

CelticCross74

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ydnsuoz.jpg
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You scored well OP! Sorry about the off angle photo of my forest green ML300LX but YES! The LX is the CURRENT top dog C and D cell version of the new Gen XML2 LED Mags.

I have custom ground borofloat glass lens in EVERY MAG I OWN which is somewhere around 31 of all cell sizes and incan LED Mags. In my opinion even WITHOUT the good glass the LX are the HIGHEST VALUE C and D LED lights currently on the market. For almost the same price as the L! I have 4 LX and the new 6 D ML300L as well.

I took more photos but the new 6 D L XML2 is still like a foot and a half long and a bit difficult to edit for now. Will post more later. YES the output numbers for the LX ARE indeed THOSE posted above. I would snap pics of the manual but I have SO many lights I have STACKS of manuals going back 21 years lol.
The finish and the grip are in my opinion MUCH BETTER for rough conditions especially requiring gloves.
 
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GasganoFJ60

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If you get a chance to share the model number with the rest of the class it'd be appreciated. I've tried looking for a model with that lumen description online and in the box stores with no luck.
 

DoinStuff

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I recently ran across these too, wondering if anyone got their hands on one yet? The head is different, most current "upgrade" parts won't fit, I wonder if front bezels will fit or tail caps? I found a chart, there are different versions (or different modes I'm not sure), if I could post the .jpg I would, not sure how... I think I can do a link here, cross my fingers: https://c1.neweggimages.com/ProductImage/A10V_1_201609141237441253.jpg
 
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