Maglite durability, old vs new.

Hi all, I was wondering about how the latest generation of Maglite's compare to they're older counterparts. I've heard it mentioned that they are using thinner gauge aluminum in the newer lights. That, plus he new electronic switches, make me wonder if they might not be as bombproof as the older ones. Has anyone here abused any of the new ones? I have an ML300 which I'm planning on putting through some paces, so I'd be interested in hearing other peoples experiences.

I have an older LED Maglite that took some heavy abuse. The emitter died before the abuse as it was flickering too much and it stopped working. When trying to get the emitter assembly out I dropped it 7 feet onto concrete. Then I dropped it several more times, it's got a scratch on the lens and there's a dent/scratch mark on it. It also has some stripped threads on the tailcap but not bad enough for it to be useless. So I'd say besides the defective LED so far it's doing well.

I can't comment on the new ones but I know in the old ones, aside from battery leakage, the most common problems I see are worn plungers/clickers and corroded electrical contacts. No light is completely bulletproof and depending on how you use your Maglite it might last forever or as little as a couple years. I've had my 3D incan since 2001 and use it 3 to 4 times a week on constructions sites and camping trips. Sometimes more, sometimes less. And I've worn out the following:

About a dozen bulbs before switching over to Nite Ize Drop In (still works) and then a Malkoff Drop In
3 or 4 plastic lenses before switching to a boro glass lens, the lenses didn't break but were so cloudy no light came through
2 plastic reflectors before switching to a KAI aluminum one, the plastic reflectors must have deteriorated due to heat from the LED because they almost crumbled when I took them out
3 switches, I'm on my fourth now, the plunger/clicker wears eventually and rounds off to wear it can't engage and the plunger electrical contact wears out and makes poor contact

I should note that all of these items were from normal operation. I've dropped, kicked, run over, and tortured this light a lot of ways and never had it fail from abuse.

I keep up with the light because I love the long run time, because it's hard to lose due to it's size, and because it makes a great improvised club/hammer in a pinch. I also really like slinging the light under my arm while I work which I can't do with a smaller light. A Surefire 6P and other similar lights are a much simpler design with far less moving parts and I've never had a switch fail on my on one of those but they have other drawbacks like run time.

Too soon for me to tell if my ML50's and 300's will be as durable as my 1990's Mag's.

I'd speculate the C size is more tank proof than the D size due to the laws of physics making a narrower tube of same thickness as a larger diameter tube.

But the way the ML25 is constructed is definitely going to be less prone to stop working because of switch failure. It's minimag/solitaire simple with a sliding contact that is forced closed by tension of the spring and circuit is broken when tension is released.
I keep the tailcap slightly rotated loose on my ML25's. Partly because I found a beam I like and leave it there. Then break contact via tailcap. If rotated loose just right you can momentary signal with it too. 18 hour runtime on the 3 cell version aint no joke either.
To me the ML25 series was the most dependable Maglite since the 1979 original, then the 1984 minimag.

With the electronic switches, breaking contact via loosening the tailcap turns the light off at the switch. You have to turn it back on via the switch. Great for stopping parasitic drain, but makes it not possible to signal like the classic Maglites could.


Some sizes for reference.

A 2xaa, a 2c BoyScout light from the 70's, a 1 setting 2x 123 light, a 2cell ML50 and both sizes of the ML25.
That's a Stinger anti-roll device on the 3 cell ML25 btw.

[digidude] said:

Hi all, I was wondering about how the latest generation of Maglite's compare to they're older counterparts. I've heard it mentioned that they are using thinner gauge aluminum in the newer lights. That, plus he new electronic switches, make me wonder if they might not be as bombproof as the older ones. Has anyone here abused any of the new ones? I have an ML300 which I'm planning on putting through some paces, so I'd be interested in hearing other peoples experiences.

Click to expand...

The 3rd Gen Mag LEDs do have thinner barrels so they are probably will not make as good of a improvised club or hammer, but they are still pretty tough:




I do not anticipate any issues with the electronic switches, they should last even longer than the mechanical switches since the only moving part is the switch button itself which is basically a spring that flexes to activate the light.

bykfixer said:

Too soon for me to tell if my ML50's and 300's will be as durable as my 1990's Mag's.

I'd speculate the C size is more tank proof than the D size due to the laws of physics making a narrower tube of same thickness as a larger diameter tube.

But the way the ML25 is constructed is definitely going to be less prone to stop working because of switch failure. It's minimag/solitaire simple with a sliding contact that is forced closed by tension of the spring and circuit is broken when tension is released.
I keep the tailcap slightly rotated loose on my ML25's. Partly because I found a beam I like and leave it there. Then break contact via tailcap. If rotated loose just right you can momentary signal with it too. 18 hour runtime on the 3 cell version aint no joke either.
To me the ML25 series was the most dependable Maglite since the 1979 original, then the 1984 minimag.

With the electronic switches, breaking contact via loosening the tailcap turns the light off at the switch. You have to turn it back on via the switch. Great for stopping parasitic drain, but makes it not possible to signal like the classic Maglites could.

Some sizes for reference.

A 2xaa, a 2c BoyScout light from the 70's, a 1 setting 2x 123 light, a 2cell ML50 and both sizes of the ML25.
That's a Stinger anti-roll device on the 3 cell ML25 btw.

Click to expand...

The Mag twisties sometimes get a little sluggish when grit or pocket lint works it's way in, causing the light to flicker or fail to come on. I have not had this happen with a ML25 as of yet but it has happened many times with Mini Mags and Solitaires, both incan and LED.....easy to fix with some compressed air though.

If you want to signal with a ML300 or ML50 just set them to one of the function sets with momentary, and you are good to go!

So it seems like it might take a few more years for us to see if these hold up as well as the old ones. I guess for "normal" use they'll be more then adequate. One of the reasons I want a big Maglite is for its potential as an improvised impact device, so now I'm wondering if I should pick up an older one and get an LED drop-in for it.

[digidude] said:

I've heard it mentioned that they are using thinner gauge aluminum in the newer lights. That, plus he new electronic switches, make me wonder if they might not be as bombproof as the older ones.

Has anyone here abused any of the new ones? I have an ML300 which I'm planning on putting through some paces, so I'd be interested in hearing other peoples experiences.

Click to expand...

:thumbsup: I've abused several newer ones ... 3D Maglites that is. About the thinner body, I don't think it reduces durability much for the everyday abuser, unless you're really running over it with heavy trucks. I believe that change was around 25 yrs. ago, and I've gone through 6 or 8 since then - in rock bands, camping trips, Blackwater 100, under truck seat, and they all held up as well as the older pre letter ones. I've never even had a failure, as mine all got lost, stolen, or alkaleaked before I could wear them out.

I haven't used the ultra new ones since the removal the USA reference. I've wondered too how they will compare regarding the switch, electronics, etc., so let us know after you bang it up. I feel pretty confident that the quality will be similar to the lettered Mags, though not quite as "bomb proof" as the original.

Nice lights, byk.

Edit: I just saw the post about 3rd gen being made even thinner. I did not realize that - I'm still stuck in the last century. Interesting vid, wow! Thx.

JT

[digidude] said:

So it seems like it might take a few more years for us to see if these hold up as well as the old ones. I guess for "normal" use they'll be more then adequate. One of the reasons I want a big Maglite is for its potential as an improvised impact device, so now I'm wondering if I should pick up an older one and get an LED drop-in for it.

Click to expand...

If you want the thicker incan body, you could just get a 2nd gen 3D cell Mag LED, currently 168 lumens, single mode, pretty much the same construction as the D serial prefix incan Mags with the same mechanical switch.


or maybe Malkoff an old incan Mag.

xxo said:

The 3rd Gen Mag LEDs do have thinner barrels so they are probably will not make as good of a improvised club or hammer, but they are still pretty tough:




I do not anticipate any issues with the electronic switches, they should last even longer than the mechanical switches since the only moving part is the switch button itself which is basically a spring that flexes to activate the light.

Click to expand...

Great video. I have three of these maglite ml 125s rechargables. I think this is the most durable maglite ever. I like the fact it doesn't have to battery rattle issue with the rechargable battery in it. You can find these for around $45 on line now since it's l" older technology ". Personally I like the lower powered led with more run time.

Any word on the ML150 MagChargers?

(Maglites first one to reach the 1000 lumen bar)

bykfixer said:

Any word on the ML150 MagChargers?

(Maglites first one to reach the 1000 lumen bar)

Click to expand...

I emailed maglite and they said end of 2017/ beginning of 2018. I'm guessing late spring.

maglite mike said:

Great video. I have three of these maglite ml 125s rechargables. I think this is the most durable maglite ever. I like the fact it doesn't have to battery rattle issue with the rechargable battery in it. You can find these for around $45 on line now since it's l" older technology ". Personally I like the lower powered led with more run time.

Click to expand...

They're a good buy at that price, I think they used to be over $100 when they came out. Great for someone who needs up to 5-6 hours of runtime before recharging.....not as bright as the newer ML Mags but the ML125 still throws well and the lumen difference is not as noticeable as the numbers would suggest and the ability to run on alkaline C cells in a pinch is a plus as well. I think that Mag was hoping the ML125 would cut into the Streamlight Stinger series market, but the fact that the ML125 requires the battery to be removed for charging, instead of the popular Mag Charger set up is my guess as to why the ML125 didn't catch on......the ML150 fixes this, I guess we will see if it catches on when it comes out.

I see an ml150 for sale on the bay already

Ive had a ML300LM 3D 625lm for about 3 years now and I hasn't let me down. I just gave it its first partial tear down for cleaning and greasing and it feels better than fresh out of the box. Compared to my ~1987 3D Mag its is lighter, thinner, shorter and sleeker but I don't feel that it is "weaker." Save for the unlikely event it should fall off a balcony into traffic I feel it will handle 99.9% of what it is put through by 99.9% of users. And its definitely not going to bend or break if needing to be used as an impromptu weapon.

On another note, I am so glad y'all discussed the ML25LT. I was willfully ignorant to their design. I had not realized they were twisty-switches! Ive seen them in stores and online but honestly I glanced over them thinking they were just C-cell variants of the D-cell LEDs and I haven't had much interest in C-Cells(I dont know why. Ive got two older 3-c and 4-c on the resto backburner for a looooong time). I just may have to run out and get one for the collection. Its disappointing, i think, the run time on the 2-cell is only 2hrs where as the 3 gives you 18hrs. That's a no-brainier. Here is hoping the next generations have multi-mode twistys like the 2AA MiniMag and MiniMagPro+....maybe with some IPX7 ratings....

I don't miss not having a low mode on the ML25's like I do on the Mini Mag Pro; with the ML25's you get a huge spill just bright enough for anything you need to see up close with a hotspot that can be focused for a lot of throw. On the Mini Mag Pro the hot spot is bigger, but not as intense (less throw) with a smaller, brighter spill beam which I find too bright for up close, which is why I much prefer the Pro Plus with it's added low mode.

I'd prefer the ML25lt to have an eco/low mode for run times. Plus with an alternate mode of 5-25lm would be enough to give good light in near total darkness.
And I agree with the letdown of the MiniPro. For one, at all the big box stores, it's really all you see on the shelves. I think that's the case because either mag is pushing them or box store inventory purchasers are sticking to the lumen war and only stocking big output numbers instead of big versatility.
I had a standard LED MiniMag for about 2 years and it was great. Survived a few 10+ foot drops and kept on working. It got lost and I haven't seen another in stores since. Only the Pro. I've had the XL200 for 3 years now as an EDC and has been just as tough.

GasganoFJ60 said:

I'd prefer the ML25lt to have an eco/low mode for run times. Plus with an alternate mode of 5-25lm would be enough to give good light in near total darkness.
And I agree with the letdown of the MiniPro. For one, at all the big box stores, it's really all you see on the shelves. I think that's the case because either mag is pushing them or box store inventory purchasers are sticking to the lumen war and only stocking big output numbers instead of big versatility.
I had a standard LED MiniMag for about 2 years and it was great. Survived a few 10+ foot drops and kept on working. It got lost and I haven't seen another in stores since. Only the Pro. I've had the XL200 for 3 years now as an EDC and has been just as tough.

Click to expand...

I run my ML25's on AA Eneloops mostly, so runtime is not a huge issue for me with these lights, but yeah a "plus" version with an added low mode would be nice.


If you like the standard LED Mini Mag, you might be interested in the new warm white version:

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...pectrum-Series-in-warm-white-and-colored-LEDS

Yeah, I've seen those and I'm very interested. I'm sure I'll be picking one up soon. I'll prbably get it more for the collecting aspect.

What I'm going to ask....I'm not sure if this is even possible. I'm search for an older mini Maglite and believe that there is a good chance it will be corroded inside.

• If it is corroded, is there a way to bring it back to life by disassembling and soaking some parts in white vinegar (or something similar)?
• If corroded, can I replace internals with new parts or can I swap out all the internals entirely?

Just really trying to understand what I might need to do once I get this mini Maglite. I'd like to get it in perfect condition, or at least be able to make it as close as possible.

All comments and suggestions welcome!

Best,

Michael