# should i open it?



## breadfan (Mar 13, 2015)

this just got delivered to me. factory seals are still intact. copyright date on manual says 1987. Should i open it? Is is worth any more for its age?


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## Hoop (Mar 13, 2015)

That's pretty cool. What do you have in mind for it? If you don't plan on modding it or actually using it I'd say you'd have to come up with some other reason to open it at this point. Is it tempting to find out if it will still work out of the box or if you'll be faced with leaking batteries? Or to see just what 1987 had to offer? :devil:


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## breadfan (Mar 13, 2015)

Hoop said:


> That's pretty cool.


 I KNOW RIGHT!!!!


Hoop said:


> What do you have in mind for it? If you don't plan on modding it or actually using it I'd say you'd have to come up with some other reason to open it at this point.


I bought it for the sheer sake of having it. Had to have it the second i saw it. In the auction photo it looked like the seal was broken...was going to stuff 12xAA in it for a hotwire...but now i don't know if it's worth it!


Hoop said:


> Is it tempting to find out if it will still work out of the box or if you'll be faced with leaking batteries? Or to see just what 1987 had to offer? :devil:


VERY curious about the battery! If it could even still be used, if it hasn't leaked.

Really want to know if i am severely devaluing this by breaking the seals. I see lots of collector photos of 80's C and D [email protected] WITH boxes, but not sure if those were sealed the same way or not.


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## LumensMaximus (Mar 14, 2015)

Most everything is worth more if it's sealed and in original condition. If you plan on selling it that would probably get the most return but.....if you're plan is to keep and enjoy it, then I don't see how you could resist from opening it. My dilemma too sometimes :naughty:


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## Str8stroke (Mar 14, 2015)

If you are afraid to open the seal I have a idea. Send it to me, and I will! :kewlpics:


Sweet score right there!!


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## ven (Mar 14, 2015)

Someone will have to open it or they wont know whats in,could have anything.............

What is value sealed and valued not,if not significant then opened to check working before sold(if decide to). Its certainly going to be very underwhelming in use compared to modern day lights,but will certainly give a great atmospheric walk through some woods at night..............what floats your boat:thumbsup:

Just thoughts:thumbsup:
















OPEN IT


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## breadfan (Mar 14, 2015)

I opened it! 

Everything looks ok...little bit of styrofoam stuck to charger cords.
Dusty metal crap on battery + ? Dunno what to think about that.

Pics soon as i finish resizing them. Google Analytics seems to make PhotoBucket pretty slow.


Here's a few got some more coming.










Dusty metal stuff on battery? Disappears on finger when wiped.












a little styrofoam stuck on wires




ge 78603 bulb. notice the socket protrudes from the slug, i have a police-surplus (read: beat-to-hell) MC from '88 that isn't like that.




o-rings are still greasy :thumbsup:


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## ven (Mar 14, 2015)

look forward to the pics


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## Str8stroke (Mar 14, 2015)

Nice! Wonder what the voltage is on the cell?? Throw a meter on it if got one. ha! Thanks for the pics


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## breadfan (Mar 14, 2015)

(More pics in previous post, if you're only looking at new posts ^^^)

The one manufactured in 1988 has a serial # that starts with 3191, so this one was probably made in early 87. I'll contact Mag to find out for sure, but I do irritate them quite a lot asking odd questions.:devil:






Sorry guys, PhotoSuckit is not cooperating with me this morning. Keeps jacking up ratios when i try to resize and crop.






No panther on bezel.


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## breadfan (Mar 14, 2015)

Amazingly, the battery reads 0.95v! :huh:

I think I'll leave it as is, for nostalgiac purposes. It obviously has never even started its useful life, and it would be nice to keep it that way.

This is impessive to me, i got shipped a used battery that came at 0.0v. I charged and cycled it and it works fine.


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## ven (Mar 14, 2015)

Cool pics,thanks for sharing

PS- the useless bucket of photo ,if you post the pic as is,now the site re-sizes for you and makes life so much easier:thumbsup:


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## ZMZ67 (Mar 15, 2015)

Thanks for sharing! I seem to have too many lights to count these days but only a very few are sealed in their original packaging.New in a sealed package increases the value of lights I suppose but it takes the fun out collecting for me and there are leakage concerns if batteries are installed in the light.I like to be able to handle the light and try it out even if it is something that is obsolete by today's standards.


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## sween1911 (Mar 16, 2015)

Great score! Hoping ABTOMAT chimes in here, he's got quite the old Mag/Streamlight/Kel-lite collection and can add chime in with more details. Love to see those old Mags.


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## Sadsack (Mar 16, 2015)

Nice Find. The MagCharger was my first real super bright flashlight. I think I paid a little over $100 for it in 1986 which was a lot of money back then. Still have it somewhere.


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## kj2 (Mar 24, 2015)

Whoohaa!! That's is cool  thanks for sharing.


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## newbie66 (Mar 24, 2015)

Wow, 1987! Awesome!


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## breadfan (Mar 24, 2015)

So Maglite says this one was made on 8/25/1988 (note serial 3181375).
I have that other police surplus MC that was manufactured on 10/7/1988, its serial is 3191995.

Either they made 10,000 of them in 42 days, or serial numbers are non-sequential.


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## breadfan (Mar 24, 2015)

Sadsack said:


> Nice Find. The MagCharger was my first real super bright flashlight. I think I paid a little over $100 for it in 1986 which was a lot of money back then. Still have it somewhere.



Interestingly that's right close what i payed for this one with shipping. And they are still ~$100 for the latest model. Crazy how inflation hasn't made any difference there.


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## maglite mike (Mar 24, 2015)

No price increase in 30 yrs and they are still made in USA..


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## bladesmith3 (Mar 28, 2015)

did you charge it and test it?


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## breadfan (Mar 28, 2015)

No never


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## ABTOMAT (Apr 2, 2015)

That's the old logo. Think they stopped using that in the '90s. I have a book from 1984 that's full of Magcharger ads--that was the year it came out. The MC and the Streamlight SL-20 basically killed every other police flashlight overnight. I still think the MC was the best. Somewhere in the last 5 years they changed the design a little bit to make it cheaper to produce.


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## Grijon (Apr 15, 2015)

Thanks for sharing, breadfan!


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## dreadmeat (May 23, 2015)

This is awesome, you found it online somewhere?

Also +1 for your username breadfan


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