Maglite ML50LX or ML300LX ... 2 or 3 Cell

Guitar Guy

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I really like the grip design on the LX Mags, and really like the matte green & matte black. Yes I use my modern small 1k Lumen lights for edc, but I like and collect some big old Mags, and do not have any 3rd​ gen yet, so I'm considering an ML50 or 300 LX. It boils down to D or C, and 2 or 3 cells.

As I compare brightness and runtimes, I'm leaning toward the 3C, ML50LX. Just wondering if anyone has used any of these models, or compared the different ones. I'm also wondering if the beam has been improved over the 2nd gen LED lights, which was not great.

JT
 

bykfixer

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dan05gt

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I have both the 50L and LX (only in 2 cell) and 300L as well including 2 and 3 cell variants. While I like all 4, I like the 2 cell 50 better due to smaller barrel diameter and shorter length.

I have not done any scientific testing, but from what I have read, the 2 cell versions of the 50 and 300 have similar lumens, but the 300 with the D cells has less then half the battery life so my guess is the light maintains much better brightness for longer. Interestingly the 3 cell of the 50 and 300 have similar run times so again I am assuming the 300 stays brighter longer since the D cell has more capacity. The wild card is the driver and LED since this assumes similar efficiency, which I am not sure is the case.

I think the beams are better, but I gave away all my older maglite so I can't take any pictures for comparison sake, but the new ones still have some rings, but I am kind of a snob with rings since I am use to Surefires. The 50LX does seem to have a little cleaner beam then the 300L (less noticeable outer rings).

Hard to beat them for price and reliability.
 
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maglite mike

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The beams are substantially better on the ML 50 and ML 300 Maglite series then it's 2nd Gen predecessor. There is no more donut in the middle. It's a nice beam. Floody and can still get a nice tight beam just not as tight as the 2nd Gen in my opinion. Great bang for the buck . Plenty bright and amazing run time.
 

Pellidon

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I have a bunch of new and old Maglites in D&C flavor and find I like the C size lights better. At work I have a ML50L and ML25LT and prefer the smaller ML25LT slightly over the three cell ML50L.
 

gurdygurds

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I have the ML50L and it's great but the 3D lights always seem to have more "Mag-ness" to me.
 

xxo

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It pretty much depends on the size and weight and what happens to float your boat.

3 cells have better runtimes and are probably the way to go if you will be running alkalines.

2 cells are obviously lighter/more compact but they draw a lot of amps on full power and are probably best running on quality NiMH's.

D vs C boils down again to size/weight along with some other things like D's having much more energy (although alkaline C's have about 40% as much power as D's they usually cost the same). If you are interested in running AA Eneloops in adapters, since AA's and C's are the same length it is easy to make your own adapter out of anything from a piece of PVC pipe to some rolled up news paper - D cells need proper adapters but have an advantage that you can get ones that will hold 3 AA cells instead of just 1.
 

Guitar Guy

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Thanks for the input folks. I'm glad to hear positive things, especially that the beams have improved over 2nd gen. I'll mostly be buying it just because I like Maglites and want to experiment, and will use it "some". I'm not expecting it to take the place of my Malkoff and Fenix edc lights, but I'm glad to see the Maglite company move forward, and I'll support them by buying a new light.

Thanks for the old thread "byk"... I read it and it did answer a few questions I had about the switch.

"xxo" Thx, and yes I'll be using Tenergy Centura NiMH cells. I recently got a bunch of Cs and Ds for fooling around with the Mags.

I'm pretty much still leaning toward the 3C ML50LX. I've been carrying some of my old 3c, 2c, 3d, 2d lights around the last couple of days as I walk to my different houses, buildiings, check heaters, furnaces, etc., testing the sizes, and the 3C feels great. I had forgotten how easy it is to find the switch, as I did for many years inspecting homes, putting the Mag in and out of my back pocket, bezel up. I can grab it, pull it out of my pocket, and turn it on in one motion, easier than my tacticool lights. I guess that's the tradeoff for electronic interface & switching.

Now I gotta find one on sale.

JT
 

Urzza

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The beams are substantially better on the ML 50 and ML 300 Maglite series then it's 2nd Gen predecessor. There is no more donut in the middle. It's a nice beam. Floody and can still get a nice tight beam just not as tight as the 2nd Gen in my opinion. Great bang for the buck . Plenty bright and amazing run time.
I was looking at ML50LX lights, and both the two and three cell lights I played with had dead spots in the center when twisted all the way to flood mode. It sounds like this is a known issue?
 

bykfixer

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The 3 C cell is very similar in length to the old 2C cell light(s) Maglite used to make. Very portable 'big' light.

You can produce a hollow spot in the beam but in use it requires rotating it to a maximum spread. A slight twist towards spot provides lots of flood without the hole.

I bought all 4 available prior to the latest 4 D version and use the 50's for convenience. The 300's are used for the extended runtime. My favorite is the 2 cell 50. The 20-ish 'eco' setting is very useable and touts long, long run times. On high you get that old fashioned Maglite throw but a huge amount of spill is also there, even in spot mode.
That is all four models in question of this thread.

I read folks here and there raise a toast to the new Mags. And when the thought of another Malkoff module started entering my brain I thought "eh, why not try those 50's and 300's?"
Wow!!! I was not disappointed.
Sorry Gene, but after trying a 2 cell 50 Tony got the rest of my money.
 

CelticCross74

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Both. I just cannot find my red 2 C cell ML50LX to include in the photo at the moment. All lights have glass up front and Nyogel applied to the new style rubber O-ring on the tail caps. These are some of the best large LED lights I have ever used. Also have the new 1000 lumen 4 D cell ML300L and the 6 D cell ML300L.
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maglite mike

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I was looking at ML50LX lights, and both the two and three cell lights I played with had dead spots in the center when twisted all the way to flood mode. It sounds like this is a known issue?
The donut hole is not as prominent on the ML series except for the ML150 rechargable which has the classic donut hole. The donut hole is not noticeable if the widest flood beam is utilized close up. Personally I like the ML 150 optics since it allows for a nice floody beam close up and throws farther when tightened.
 

xxo

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I am getting a lot of use out of my 2C ML50LX (The LX option is well worth a couple extra $ if you like the look) - great little light! I run the 2C ML50 on NiMH's either AA Eneloops or Tenergy Centuras or soshine NiMH C cells, I don't think I have ever had a alkaline in it. The 2C ML50 might not have all of the lumens or throw of the bigger 3D ML300, but works real well if you don't need the extra throw (you probably won't notice the lumen difference unless you compare them side by side). The quick focus works great, the doughnut only appears at the very end of the focus adjustment. The 2C ML50 is a nice size to drop in your winter coat pocket or the back pocket of your jeans for work around the house. Mag managed to get outstanding run times out of the 2 C cells in the ML50, especially in the eco mode which is about perfect for these lights; I prefer the lower 23 lumens of the ML50 to the higher 58 lumens of the ML300.

The bigger 3D ML300 is great when size and weight are not as much of an issue.
 

CelticCross74

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I can understand using AA to C or D cell adapters with good NiMH cells and especially Energizer Ultimate Lithium AA cells for when it is below freezing. That being said Mag has said specifically the 3rd Gen XML2 lights are designed to run the best on cheap alkalines. Which is of course just fine and actually impressive. The driver in these new Mags is outstanding.

Still cannot find my red 2 C ML50LX so got a new 2 C cell ML50LX in black this time. I have brand new glare coated glass lenses in the ML50LX C cell lights finally. Worth it and then some. Remember that an Energizer alkaline C cell has 8000mah. So even the little 2 cell ML50LX has a combined 16000mah. Run times. Mags will always have such a crazy run time advantage vs anything else.
 

xxo

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I can understand using AA to C or D cell adapters with good NiMH cells and especially Energizer Ultimate Lithium AA cells for when it is below freezing. That being said Mag has said specifically the 3rd Gen XML2 lights are designed to run the best on cheap alkalines. Which is of course just fine and actually impressive. The driver in these new Mags is outstanding.

Still cannot find my red 2 C ML50LX so got a new 2 C cell ML50LX in black this time. I have brand new glare coated glass lenses in the ML50LX C cell lights finally. Worth it and then some. Remember that an Energizer alkaline C cell has 8000mah. So even the little 2 cell ML50LX has a combined 16000mah. Run times. Mags will always have such a crazy run time advantage vs anything else.

mAh does not get added in series, Voltage goes up but Ah remains the same, You may be thinking of Watt hrs. which is added with each cell. For example a alkaline C typically has about 9 Watt Hrs of power with a .1 Amp load, which is how they get the insanely long run times on a couple of C cells (18 Watt hrs for 2 cells) in eco mode, unfortunately alkalines don't do well at higher loads.....at 1 Amp a alkaline C cell drops to about 3.4 Watt hrs. per cell. NiMH's do much better under load, a 4000 mAh Tensai NiMH cell has about 5.9 Watt hrs with a .1 Amp load and 5.7 with a full 1 Amp load.

BTW AA Eneloop 2450 mAh Pros give about 3.1 Watt hrs with a 1 Amp load, nearly as much as a Alkaline C under the same load!
 
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bykfixer

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The eneloop pro cell is pretty amazing. Pricey but worth it. Under load they stay pretty consistant too.
I use them in a direct drive battery guzzling Coast HP7 where with alkalines you see it start to dim in about a minute. With the pro's it holds steady for like 10 minutes.
 

xxo

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The eneloop pro cell is pretty amazing. Pricey but worth it. Under load they stay pretty consistant too.
I use them in a direct drive battery guzzling Coast HP7 where with alkalines you see it start to dim in about a minute. With the pro's it holds steady for like 10 minutes.

I remember paying a lot when the Eneloop pros first came out (called XX's originally), but they can now often be found for much better prices when wearing a amazon basic, lkea ladda, duracell Ion core or Energizer recharge plus wrapper...even the fujitsu branded ones can sometimes be had for cheap on sale from time to time. Some people complain about short life of these cells, but havn't had this problem - my xx's are still going strong after more than 200+ charge cycles, I think that charging them too fast might shorten their life.
 

CelticCross74

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as mentioned above flashlightlens.com as far as I know is actually OUT of the 52.1mm D cell Mag UCL lenses. They have the borofloat. They finally got the 46.33mm wide 1.9mm thick UCL that will fit the ML50LX. They also now stock the acrylic version with glare coating that also fits the ML50LX as well. My ML50LX UCL lenses in those lights=perfect. NO artifacts.

Borofloat. Borofloat is extremely tough stuff and much more scratch resistant than UCL. Borofloat Mag lenses are also 2mm thick though. This extra tenth of a mm DOES cast an artifact around the beam profile making it look out of focus to some.

UCL and DO get some spray eyeglass cleaner and micro fiber cloths for the UCL lenses. Need to stay on top of keeping the above average anti glare coating clean. Either way UCL or borofloat are still better than the plastic Mag puts into their lights.
 
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