# RARE MAGLITES



## willrx

I'll start with a 3D Mag made in March 1981. Notice *"PATEN PENDING"* stamped on the barrel.


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## will

Interesting - I wonder if anyone out there collects 'rare' Maglites. The 2AA group tends to be mostly color, and color variations, collectors. There are a few who go after the old Ontario stamp on the bezel. Maglite does not keep records of all the variations they have manufactured over the years.


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## swampgator

One of these came up for sale on the 'bay recently, no bids with a $19.99 BIN. I saw the old box in the picture and emailed the seller regarding the serial number. The said it was a no "D" serial number. Mysteriously the price jumped up to a $29.99 BIN. While it would have been nice to have a pre-D, I just couldn't justify that much for another 3D Mag.

Interestingly, that a 3/81 3D is marked "PATENT PENDING". My 2C manufactured in July 81, according to Maglite, is stamped "PATENTED MADE IN THE U.S.A." I wonder when that changed? The bezel is stamped identically to the 3D you posted.


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## ABTOMAT

The non-D models were from before 1990.

The "Paten pending" models were from before early 1981.

I have one of the very first designs from January of 1980, with a large bulbous switch cover. You don't see many of those.

Also have a 7D from the mid '80s, and a couple of Vari-Beams (sold to auto garages and inustrial outlets) from the mid '80s.


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## willrx

That's the kind of interesting information that makes these threads fun. 

swampgator, let's see your 2C. Maybe the cutoff was between March and July '81. Or maybe the C and D cell lights were issued patents at different times?

ABTOMAT, a fresh set of pictures of your bulbous Mag would suit this thread well.  I received a new Vari-Beam bezel recently. Now to search for the rest of it.

Mag doesn't have as extensive a line up or as many variations as Surefire for example, but enough to make it interesting. Keep 'em coming folks. All Mag products welcome.


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## ABTOMAT

I don't know about the actual patent times/dates, but the C and D cell lights used different tooling for the markings. I have a 3C from February 1981 that says "PATENTED MADE IN THE U.S.A."


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## willrx

Is it possible that Mag had several hundred or thousands pre-stamped with paten pending and used them up before stamping the new ones? Hopefully someone can find the actual patent dates and share that here? I'd also love to know how many were stamped with the incorrect spelling before it was caught.:thinking:


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## donn_




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## willrx

Now those are certainly RARE. Thanks for posting those Donn.


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## rockz4532

will said:


> Interesting - I wonder if anyone out there collects 'rare' Maglites. The 2AA group tends to be mostly color, and color variations, collectors. There are a few who go after the old Ontario stamp on the bezel. Maglite does not keep records of all the variations they have manufactured over the years.


 the ontario stamp is rare? all three of my mags have them


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## donn_

Here's another very rare finish on a Mag:






It's called "Merlot!"


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## willrx

Great, I remember that one from a while back. HA right?


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## donn_

Yep. Mil-Spec HAIII.


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## swampgator

willrx said:


> swampgator, let's see your 2C. Maybe the cutoff was between March and July '81. Or maybe the C and D cell lights were issued patents at different times?


 
As soon as I get time to take some!


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## willrx

C'mon, how about some 6 and 7 cell C's and D's. I know someone has an HA 6C w/2" deep reflector.


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## donn_

Top to bottom:

6D, 3" FM head, 64633.

6C Stretch, 64623.

6C HAIII-BK host.

I have a 2" deep dish in HAIII-BK coming, and it may well go on this host.


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## willrx

Dueling 7D's....


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## toby_pra

Crazy how long these are...


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## CdBoy

you can just imagine....PRE-surefire...its the Mag-Lite that reigned supreme. even until now it is still a hot item. i got 6D cell type i bought from a store in california.


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## willrx

Certainly the shiniest in my collection. Heavy too-6.5 oz with no batteries. 24K Gold Plated Mini-Mag (brass underneath).


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## Guy's Dropper

Where did you get a 24k gold plated Mag?oo:


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## american lockpicker

Is a 7 cell C and D krypton bulb rare? Also its not like the normal ones it looks like the Maglite xenon ones. Also the package was marked 1985, came with a spacer and is made in Mexico.


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## willrx

With regard to the gold Mini-Mag they were put out by Mag Instruments in the early to mid 80's. Possibly as a promotion for the now ubiquitous Mini-Mag that is found just about anywhere. Notice the patent information on the brochure. One rep with Mag remembers them being sold to Neiman Marcus stores among others. There is surely a wealth of information here at CPF somewhere about them-likely in the Mini-Mag collecting forum.

7 cell bulbs are harder to find than others due to the lights being produced in smaller numbers. The early Magnumstar bulbs being referred to are interesting to say the least, I haven't been able to get a decent beam from them. The standard Krypton bulbs or the newer Magnumstar bulbs are a definite improvement. 6 cell bulbs are much easier to find-and brighter.


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## Pontiaker

Here's one I got from our shop back in the late 80's sometime. Its was my ridealong for many years, mainly for protection if I ever needed it. I was already carrying SF's by then but I always had a big Mag around to.I kept the paper insert inside to keep the batteries quite.
Matt


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## Pontiaker

donn_ said:


> Here's another very rare finish on a Mag:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> It's called "Merlot!"


That looks like a csrewed up black coating:~) All my old Streamlights used to look like that!


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## willrx

Matt,
Thanks for sharing the old 4D. There are some stories engraved in that one I can tell.


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## Toohotruk

Cool thread! Interesting that there was a typo in the stamping of some of the early Mags.


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## Haz

nice maglites!


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## austin mahler

wow very nice need some more picks


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## ElectronGuru

Here's a 6C









​
A 5C





And a few other C's


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## willrx




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## donn_




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## Boudreaux

Very Cool! Thanks for sharing with us!


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## austin mahler

wow were do you guys get these nice lights at?


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## airstream

Can any one tell more about my 7c maglite?
serial number 0024057
Possibly the age of this model.


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## willrx

Sending Mag Instruments an email with the serial number will get your 7C indentified.


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## swampgator

willrx said:


> Sending Mag Instruments an email with the serial number will get your 7C indentified.


Ester Soto from Maglite was extremely helpful a few years back providing me with manufacture dates as well as warranty registration.


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## merrimac

*4AA mini mag ontario, ca. and copy of mini mag by brinkman -4AA is 1 piece barrel*


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## Caesis

*Re: 4AA mini mag ontario, ca. and copy of mini mag by brinkman -4AA is 1 piece barrel*

That 7C is just ... woah ... how's she do in use?


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## willrx

Thanks for sharing. What's the story behind the 4AA Maglite?


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## merrimac

found it at Huston gun show 1985, it is a 1-piece barrel with the earliest tail cap small hole for xtra bulb, however the factory bulb last .5 second, retro fited a U/K 4AA bulb and works fine, must have been made on lunch, or poss. R&D dept. Has Ontario bezel, talked to Mag about it, they wanted me to send it to them so they could check it out, "No thank you" not sure I would get it back...mac




DIXIE


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## Toohotruk

Bet that baby is worth something! :naughty:


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## swampgator

willrx said:


> Thanks for sharing. What's the story behind the 4AA Maglite?


 
Never saw a 4 AA before. Though, my father in law does have a 2 AA Brinkman "lawsuit" light.


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## greenLED

merrimac said:


> ...however the factory bulb last .5 second...


Really strange that the factory wouldn't supply the right bulb. 

Could it be a aftermarket part of some sort?


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## merrimac

I think some employe made just for fun or poss R&D dept. i got it in 1985, some one would have seen one by now if after market part - and all parts early production,merrimac


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## berry580

those super long maglites just reminds me for the american muscle cars....


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## Flash-lite

I bought this two maglites in germany.i even want to know the age of the 5c but i don't know where i can get the answer:thinking:...The solitaire flashlight in gold is from 1993. i really want to have an old 7d or 7c but in germany you can't get one of this beautiful lights...this link bring you to my flashlights:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/3878650090/


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## Toohotruk

Click HERE and send your serial number to Mag and they'll tell you how old your lights is.


:welcome:


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## airstream

It looks like this wasn't a maglite, it had a maglite lens cap. It might be a streamlight I guess. The head looks like a kel lite, but the switch doesn't. Sorry could get the picture attachment to work.
Thanks

08-13-2009 08:07 PM
airstream*Re: RARE MAGLITES*
Can any one tell more about my 7c maglite?
serial number 0024057
Possibly the age of this model.


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## Raoul_Duke

Thought i had more online images :thinking:

Still here one of my 'edc' 7C's gobbling up 5 emoli.

The other 2 x 7C's are much better condition, one with just a few light scratches, but still a good 98% 
and the mint only comest out of the box for short periods, because it starts singing Barrry White songs to me ,

http://i927.photobucket.com/albums/ad116/Raoul_Duke_photos/09052009361.jpg

Here is the Minty 7C with a few of my 6C's ( old photo ) Hasn't been liberated from the box for a while now.





http://img399.imageshack.us/img399/7303/dsc01166bj2.jpg


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## donn_

How many can it eat?



Raoul_Duke said:


> Thought i had more online images :thinking:
> 
> Still here one of my 'edc' 7C gobbling up some emoli.
> 
> http://i927.photobucket.com/albums/ad116/Raoul_Duke_photos/09052009361.jpg


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## Raoul_Duke

donn_ said:


> How many can it eat?



5 exactly; My theory was when I went on the hunt was that
( 1 x 26700 = 70mm) 5 x 70mm = 350mm.
( 1 x C alks = 50mm) 7 x 50mm = 350mm.

But I think the emoli are slightly longer.

I use the FM SS tailcap, as it makes the tail end heavier than the old stlye short 7C tailcap, and it takes the tension out of the spring. I guess I could cut down the tail spring or mod for a more stock look.

I can get 6 x A123 M1's in a 6D...


BTW Donn, You should have 'hotmail' ( but I cant see it in my sent folder :thinking: )



( sorry for the slightly too large images, I have tried hard, but i'm a Baffoon when it comes to photos, and coulden't shrink it down right. I shall remove them if its over the limit....( I'm so dumb I cant even tell if they are too big or not)


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## J3004

Oh no.. I became ill. The flashaholic-virus :twothumbs


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## willrx

Nice.:twothumbs


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## Boudreaux

WOW, J3004, you have a really bad case with all that orange and lime green.....

I always suspected that H1N1 might be related to NiMH.

Seriously, since many of us are elder flashoholics, please do not forget or procrastinate upon getting our "Seasonal Flu Immunization" and "H1N1 Flu Immunization" as soon as it is available. Contact your PC Physician or your local county Health Agency.


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## Toohotruk

Got my seasonal today. 



Any big plans for all those new Mags? :naughty:


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## Black Rose

Nice orange and lime Mags :thumbsup:

There is a store here that regularly carries 2D to 6D mags, but they are either black or blue, no other colours.


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## DM51

6 posts have been deleted. This is not the correct place to conduct sales.


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## greenLED

J3004 said:


> Oh no.. I became ill. The flashaholic-virus :twothumbs



I remember seeing a bunch of those now "odd color" D-cell Mags at WalMart years and years back. I wasn't as much of a flashaholic back then, and only walked out the store that day with a purplish 3D cell. Wish I had grabbed a couple of green ones.


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## swampgator

Toohotruk said:


> Any big plans for all those new Mags? :naughty:


 
Take one of each to a Miami Hurricanes game?


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## Flash-lite

willrx said:


> Certainly the shiniest in my collection. Heavy too-6.5 oz with no batteries. 24K Gold Plated Mini-Mag (brass underneath).


I got also one of this gold plated 24k mini maglite,but i don't have any paper for it and you can't really good read the inscription on the head.
On this link are some picture of it.
I had found this Maglite last month in a little store,so i don't know how old it is.:shrug:.
The Inscription on the head is:Maglite- Mfg by mag instrument,so i think it is from 1990 or earlier.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/?saved=1


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## vestureofblood

Hey all,

Just wandering if this qualifies? I recently purchase a new Rebel Magled. I opened the light (now I wish I hadent) and upon futher inspection I noticed that there was somthing missing..






The serial numbers... Not sure how rare this is though maybe I could get some feed back here?


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## Toohotruk

That's cool! I wonder how many of them escaped stamping? :thinking:


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## willrx

Interesting. I wonder if they've stopped numbering them all together?


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## merrimac

where did you buy Mag, would like to check them out ?


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## vestureofblood

Toohotruk said:


> That's cool! I wonder how many of them escaped stamping? :thinking:


That's why I decided to post here, I wish I would have realized this sooner so I could have checked for more.



willrx said:


> Interesting. I wonder if they've stopped numbering them all together?


 No they did not stop all together, I thought that may be the case, but I have since seen several of the new version with numbers, and so far no others without.



merrimac said:


> where did you buy Mag, would like to check them out ?


I picked this up at Loews on black Friday.


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## Robin24k

I doubt they stopped numbering, looks like QA failed in your case...


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## souptree

Updated "Americana" collection w/ completed Inaugural set.


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## merrimac

It just doesn't get any better than that, home run SOUP


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## willrx

Home run indeed. I must have that Marines soli.:devil:


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## Toohotruk

WOW! Cool collection! oo:


How does one get their hands on "inaugural" Mags?


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## souptree

Thanks, guys.  I am really excited about "completing" this little set. It took me close to 4 years!!



Toohotruk said:


> How does one get their hands on "inaugural" Mags?



There have been 3 special edition Maglites produced for and given away at Presidential inaugurations. The first was the black 2xAAA from 1989 which was originally intended to symbolize the "thousand points of light" that George Bush made famous in the campaign. When President Bush 43 was inaugurated, they made the red (2001) and blue (2005) as commemoratives and gave 40,000 of each away to attendees. As Mag founder Anthony Maglica is a rabid Republican, it is likely that if any future inaugural lights are to be made, they will only be made for a Republican, which is why there are no lights for the Clinton or Obama inaugurals. I may have been the only person in the world hoping McCain would win just so I could get a flashlight. 

As for how you get them, Ebay is where I got my blue 2005 and I have seen the red 2001 there as well, although I got my 2001 from a Presidential memorabilia website. They typically run between $75 and $200 (there is a lot of variance in asking prices on Maglites).

As far as the 1989 light goes, from my experience, it is EXTREMELY rare. This is the only 1989 inaugural light I have ever seen. In fact, after 3 years of VERY active searching, I couldn't even find a photo of one so I'd even know what I was looking for! The only reference I could find to it existing in the first place was in the corporate timeline on the Mag website, which only states they were made. I didn't even know what color they were! Fortunately, I got crazy lucky when another CPFer received this light as a gift from a relative who was one of the original recipients at the inaugural and posted it in the MiniMag Collections thread (one of THE BEST threads on CPF if you haven't seen it yet ). I offered what I thought was a pretty generous trade, and the rest is history.

That 1989 inaugural is the centerpiece of my Maglite collection. It is my most special and favorite Maglite out of close to 200 shakehead :tinfoil: :twothumbs), and is one of 2 or 3 favorite lights in my whole collection (it's kinda hard to top LunaSoup).

lovecpf


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## Toohotruk

Thanks for the background for some very cool lights! :thumbsup:


I'd definitely hang on to that collection with a death grip!


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## Hack On Wheels

It isn't possible to still buy the 5C and 6C Maglites, is it?

Those 7C Maglites are pretty awesome too! I'm definitely envious of some of these collections...

Raoul_Duke, what are those 5 Emoli cells running? I'd love to make a Mag C hotwire, much nicer form factor than the Mag D lights, IMO.


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## jcvjcvjcvjcv

J3004 said:


> Oh no.. I became ill. The flashaholic-virus :twothumbs




Beautiful!! Where did you get them? And when :naughty:


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## Raoul_Duke

Hack On Wheels said:


> It isn't possible to still buy the 5C and 6C Maglites, is it?


If you can find them. I walked ito a hardware store last year and saw one so bought it. I think there are still some in some shops hiding out somwhere.

Try posting a WTB add in the market place, and keep looking daily and you may find one. I just seemed to get lucky, I've only had them 2 or so years. there were quite a few 6C's a while back and the odd 5...the 7's are not so common.



Hack On Wheels said:


> Those 7C Maglites are pretty awesome too!


 They are a nice form factor, I went nuts for them a few years back :duh2:



Hack On Wheels said:


> Raoul_Duke, what are those 5 Emoli cells running? I'd love to make a Mag C hotwire, much nicer form factor than the Mag D lights, IMO.


 At the minute they have a long term storage charge on them, as they have been hibernating, while I sort out other bits and bobs, But I need to get some of my big lights out again, but I have run all kinds of stuff throught it, hotwire stuff, Osram lamps, it usually has the 64458 in there, but has stuff like the IRC 50W 64440...anything that can take above 21V 

I also have the 6'cs with 4 emoli in them, and they run all sorts also...64623's 64633's etc, never did get round to mod my 4 or 5 C :thinking:

That is the style of light I keep in my bedroom and car...long, so I can fit lots of cells into it and make it bright. not teribly long running, but 15 minutes on the 458 is more than I need. I have longer running lights that dont set things alight for general flashligh duty.


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## Hack On Wheels

Raoul_Duke said:


> If you can find them. I walked ito a hardware store last year and saw one so bought it. I think there are still some in some shops hiding out somwhere.
> 
> Try posting a WTB add in the market place, and keep looking daily and you may find one. I just seemed to get lucky, I've only had them 2 or so years. there were quite a few 6C's a while back and the odd 5...the 7's are not so common.



Thanks, I just posted a WTB ad in the Marketplace. Hopefully that gets some responses. Well, if you ever want to part with some of yours, or if you happen to find any more hiding out... please let me know! 



Raoul_Duke said:


> They are a nice form factor, I went nuts for them a few years back :duh2:



Yup, I like the slimmer profile over the larger D cell lights.



Raoul_Duke said:


> At the minute they have a long term storage charge on them, as they have been hibernating, while I sort out other bits and bobs, But I need to get some of my big lights out again, but I have run all kinds of stuff throught it, hotwire stuff, Osram lamps, it usually has the 64458 in there, but has stuff like the IRC 50W 64440...anything that can take above 21V
> 
> I also have the 6'cs with 4 emoli in them, and they run all sorts also...64623's 64633's etc, never did get round to mod my 4 or 5 C :thinking:
> 
> That is the style of light I keep in my bedroom and car...long, so I can fit lots of cells into it and make it bright. not teribly long running, but 15 minutes on the 458 is more than I need. I have longer running lights that dont set things alight for general flashligh duty.



Neat, sounds like they get some solid, varied use. Have you run any of them in hotwire setups pushing 10+ amps? I'd be interested to know how the switch(es) hold up in the C cell Mags.

Thanks for the reply; hopefully in the future I'll have some contributions of my own for this thread.


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## thomashct

here are some of my Mag C collection:






2 x purple 2C's - one newer and one older style
2 x silver 2C's - both older style
4 x black 6C's - one older and 3 newer style, with one of them modded with a P7


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## Raoul_Duke

Hack On Wheels said:


> Thanks, I just posted a WTB ad in the Marketplace. Hopefully that gets some responses. Well, if you ever want to part with some of yours, or if you happen to find any more hiding out... please let me know!



Good luck with your hunt...You want the older, no C in the serial no if you plan to get 26 diam cells in there, as the older they go the wider internally, you'd have to bore a C cerial no'd 6C to fit some cells in...my 7C's are the widest inside. the C seraild no'd ones are modable though.
I will let you know if/ when I sell one of the 6C's, I was thinking of putting up a 623 this year when I get my act together...going snowboarding soon, so maybee later in to 2010.




Hack On Wheels said:


> Yup, I like the slimmer profile over the larger D cell lights.


Yep, I have a 6D with 6 A123 cells in it,which is a great fast charging hotwire with alot of clout and a bunch of other D hotwires, but the longer the host, I prefer the C's, as they are a touch more managable, but TBH a longer D Mag is still definatly worth having, and more easily modable with more choices of parts.




Hack On Wheels said:


> Neat, sounds like they get some solid, varied use. Have you run any of them in hotwire setups pushing 10+ amps? I'd be interested to know how the switch(es) hold up in the C cell Mags.




I use Kiu sockets in the standard C switches. I have only realy used one switch set up full time, and moved it through all the main user lights as I change around the setups.
10A at +16V to +20 odd volts does eventually damage the switch, I'm sure there is some resistance in there holding back a few lumens, but when they are this bright its not something I worry about. I have loads of spare parts so can change the internals as the arking on a V-well used switch does eventually damage it, you can see discolouration and micro pitting on the switch ring, and the contacts to the ring get damaged, I do take the switch apart sometimes and clean the contacts, but the mag switch ring is good as it doesnt always hit the same spot when switching.
I have only gone through one or so set of internals on the switch...maybee two and never had one fail.
After a year or so's use, regulary swapped about into alot of different hosts the Kiu'd C switch made a high pitch whine sometimes when I turned it on, but a quick light tap stopped that. If you were worried about the switch you could save it some damage by unscrewing the tail, actuating the switch then tightening the tail, as its the switching/ arcing that hurts it. I dont concider this to be a huge issue.
There is a few tricks you could try also to upgrade the stock switch for more longevity, or build a simple high current switch/ mosfet if you realy desired. I never realy felt the need to.

Pretty much all my hotwires pull at least 10A. ( I have lower wattage lamps, but why waste high current capable cells when 10A is not even a big deal for them. Why worry about runtime...I just carry spare cells, and store them in other equally capable hotwire hosts, just incase I need more runtime.

The 64623 in the 6C and the 64458 in the 7C, both pull 10A. Thats why I got the Emoli when they were quite new here at CPF as wanted cells that could easily handle 10A+ which they do nicely, and I wanted them in my C Mags. In fact when I run some larger lamps in them, they can pull 12A easy.



Hack On Wheels said:


> Thanks for the reply; hopefully in the future I'll have some contributions of my own for this thread.


 I will keep an eye out for you, and let you know if/ when I intend to put a sale thread up!


So are there any other Rare Mags out there


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## Black Rose

willrx said:


> Interesting. I wonder if they've stopped numbering them all together?


I received a 2D Rebel Mag over the Christmas holidays that has a DL2 serial number on it.


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## Toohotruk

The 2D I got at Lowes BF sale has a serial on it. I'm tempted to go there and see if I can find one with no number.


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## Robin24k

I'm pretty sure the serial number is here to stay...unless QC isn't doing its job, that would likely be a fruitless mission.


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## vestureofblood

I have gone back to the same store since to look as well (a long shot I know) but so far every were I have gone including Lowes has had a D and the numbers. I may attempt to contact Mag and see if they are aware of this happening. 

Assuming very few or no others are found, does anyone have an idea on how I could place a value on this light?


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## Mik

I suppose that none of my mags are rare, but thanks to this thread I've learned a little bit. One of mine is a pre-1990.. thats pretty cool. 

I am still waiting to see someone post a pic of every production color of c/d Mag all in a rainbow row. :thumbsup: I'm sure it's coming... Someone must have them all?


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## JNewell

Interesting thread. You inspired me to check my old 6D - it's # 41249772. I'll have to give the company a shout. IIRC, I bought it in 1988 or 1989.


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## swampgator

JNewell said:


> Interesting thread. You inspired me to check my old 6D - it's # 41249772. I'll have to give the company a shout. IIRC, I bought it in 1988 or 1989.


 
They're pretty good about it, IRC my 2C was made in 1981 according to the email they sent me.


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## The Dane

Resently i had a close shave with my 6 C Mag 
Had it for as long as i can remember but never really used it (that was before i became a flashaholic  )
Installed a 3xXPE head and sold it to a friend for $150, discovered that they are by now coated with unobtanium. Damn!!!

He loved it so over 6 months i begged and haggeled for no avail.
I cheated sorry traded another sod and had 2 AK47 bayonets for free.
So a Mag and 2 ugly russian war knifes switched hands and i now have my old trusty Mag 6 C again. By now it's restored to original and runs a ROP low by alkis.

PS how do you check the serial at Mag's?

PPS I recieved a 3 D with leaked alkis in it, stripped it down and bored out the cells. Washed with citric acid and reanoed it red. Inspired by another board member covering AA's with wood, i took a plunge.
So heres my ******* 3 D Mag homeanoed and with a layer of timber to signal high class like cars :lolsign:

Sorry for hijacking the thread!


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## will

The Dane said:


> Inspired by another board member covering AA's with wood, i took a plunge.
> So heres my ******* 3 D Mag homeanoed and with a layer of timber to signal high class like cars



Nice job with the wood covering - I stayed away from the larger lights like the Cs and Ds.


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## RedLED

souptree said:


> Thanks, guys.  I am really excited about "completing" this little set. It took me close to 4 years!!
> 
> 
> 
> There have been 3 special edition Maglites produced for and given away at Presidential inaugurations. The first was the black 2xAAA from 1989 which was originally intended to symbolize the "thousand points of light" that George Bush made famous in the campaign. When President Bush 43 was inaugurated, they made the red (2001) and blue (2005) as commemoratives and gave 40,000 of each away to attendees. As Mag founder Anthony Maglica is a rabid Republican, it is likely that if any future inaugural lights are to be made, they will only be made for a Republican, which is why there are no lights for the Clinton or Obama inaugurals. I may have been the only person in the world hoping McCain would win just so I could get a flashlight.
> 
> As for how you get them, Ebay is where I got my blue 2005 and I have seen the red 2001 there as well, although I got my 2001 from a Presidential memorabilia website. They typically run between $75 and $200 (there is a lot of variance in asking prices on Maglites).
> 
> As far as the 1989 light goes, from my experience, it is EXTREMELY rare. This is the only 1989 inaugural light I have ever seen. In fact, after 3 years of VERY active searching, I couldn't even find a photo of one so I'd even know what I was looking for! The only reference I could find to it existing in the first place was in the corporate timeline on the Mag website, which only states they were made. I didn't even know what color they were! Fortunately, I got crazy lucky when another CPFer received this light as a gift from a relative who was one of the original recipients at the inaugural and posted it in the MiniMag Collections thread (one of THE BEST threads on CPF if you haven't seen it yet ). I offered what I thought was a pretty generous trade, and the rest is history.
> 
> That 1989 inaugural is the centerpiece of my Maglite collection. It is my most special and favorite Maglite out of close to 200 shakehead :tinfoil: :twothumbs), and is one of 2 or 3 favorite lights in my whole collection (it's kinda hard to top LunaSoup).
> 
> lovecpf


 
President Bush 41 visited the Ontario, CA Maglight factory in, I think 1992. I was one of the pool photographers covering the president that day, and if I remember, he was presented with one of the 14k gold lights when he gave his speech by the owner of Mag Insturments. 

In my archives, I still have the photos...but they are stored away with everything I shot in the film era. 

The blue lights marked "George Bush" may have been from a dinner on that trip, as table favor gift for a campaign fundraising dinner. That is all I remember from the that trip. 

If I still have my field notes and trip book from the trip, I will add to this post.


----------



## souptree

RedLed said:


> President Bush 41 visited the Ontario, CA Maglight factory in, I think 1992. I was one of the pool photographers covering the president that day, and if I remember, he was presented with one of the 14k gold lights when he gave his speech by the owner of Mag Insturments.
> 
> In my archives, I still have the photos...but they are stored away with everything I shot in the film era.
> 
> The blue lights marked "George Bush" may have been from a dinner on that trip, as table favor gift for a campaign fundraising dinner. That is all I remember from the that trip.
> 
> If I still have my field notes and trip book from the trip, I will add to this post.



Very interesting! Definitely looking forward to any other info you can contribute. :thumbsup:

Yes, the blue light marked "GEORGE BUSH" is a souvenir from a dinner 41 keynoted at Mag. Were you at the dinner? Did you receive one of these lights? So far, this is the only example of one I have ever seen or tracked down.


----------



## sween1911

*Re: 4AA mini mag ontario, ca. and copy of mini mag by brinkman -4AA is 1 piece barrel*



merrimac said:


>



NICE! My first real light was the standard 2AA version of that, the early ones that were almost exact Minimag copies. Except there was a split ring in the head that didn't allow the head to be removed for "candle mode".


----------



## Black Rose

Is there anything special about 2C Mags without a C in the serial number (other than that they are older ones)?


----------



## willrx

A color other than black might spark some additional interest.


----------



## Black Rose

Not looking to sell it or anything, was just curious if the lack of a C in the serial (8-digit) was special.

It's Gray according to the insert. Model: S2C096.

Apparently the Malkoff Mag Drop-ins won't work with it, but I wasn't planning on using them in this one anyway.


----------



## vestureofblood

vestureofblood said:


> Hey all,
> 
> Just wandering if this qualifies? I recently purchase a new Rebel Magled. I opened the light (now I wish I hadent) and upon further inspection I noticed that there was something missing..
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The serial numbers... Not sure how rare this is though maybe I could get some feed back here?


 


willrx said:


> Interesting. I wonder if they've stopped numbering them all together?


 


Robin24k said:


> I doubt they stopped numbering, looks like QA failed in your case...


 
I contacted Mag Instruments, and asked if any were intentionally put into production this way, and the representative said "All of our 2d Maglites do have a serial number, also they have Maglite on the Head assembly." So it is possible this light may be one of a kind. And at the very least it is ultra rare.

If anyone is interested I have listed this light for sale on ebay. The auction ends next saturday. 

Btw I like that 4 AA minimag. I have considered extensions, but that solid piece is even better. Thanks for sharing.


----------



## ElectronGuru

Black Rose said:


> Is there anything special about 2C Mags without a C in the serial number?



When Mag added letters to their serial numbers, they also implemented several design improvements at the same time. Among them is a new switch design, a slightly narrower inside diameter (larger cells work better in the older design), and most significantly, changing how the threads work connecting the head to the body. C's have the O ring on the body, pre-C's have the ring on the inside of the head. The first is an easier design for taking the head on and off.

You'll see many parts and upgrades listed as being compatible with one or the other. Including Malkoff drop ins.


----------



## Black Rose

Response removed.

Toohotruk's response below clarified things.


----------



## Toohotruk

ElectronGuru said:


> ...Pre-C's have the O ring on the body, C's have the ring on the inside of the head. The later is an easier design for taking the head on and off...




Actually, it's the other way around...newer lights with the "C" have the o-ring on the body instead of inside the head like the older ones with just numbers in the serial.


----------



## ElectronGuru

Toohotruk said:


> Actually, it's the other way around...



Corrected, thanks!


----------



## Toohotruk

No problem. The reason I know this, is I bought a newer pewter 2C a year or so ago, hoping to mix the parts around, like swapping the head and tailcap from my older black 2C with the body and bezel of the new pewter. This combo produces a surprisingly classy looking pair of lights, but unfortunately, not an option with those two lights due to the change in o-ring position. I wound up buying another new 2C (black), and making the swap.


----------



## souptree

Raoul_Duke said:


> So are there any other Rare Mags out there





Mik said:


> I am still waiting to see someone post a pic of every production color of c/d Mag all in a rainbow row. :thumbsup: I'm sure it's coming... Someone must have them all?



You guys probably want to check out the MiniMag Collectors' Thread if you want rarities and rainbows. :thumbsup:


----------



## hk dave

donn_ said:


>



Those are beautiful! How'd you get your hands on em?


----------



## JakeStPeter

I have a 7c I'm guessing that its rare since I can't find bulbs for it. and looking over the forums. does anyone know where to get lights or know how much its worth I'm kinda curious


----------



## Raoul_Duke

JakeStPeter said:


> I have a 7c I'm guessing that its rare since I can't find bulbs for it. and looking over the forums. does anyone know where to get lights or know how much its worth I'm kinda curious



Nice 7C. 

It is fairly rare. There will be replacement stock lamps for it, not sure what they are, but there will be one somewhere here on CPF.

I have bought a few 7C mags here on CPF, so have some old threads I could link you to for rough market value.

If you ever look to sell it please ensure you let me know. I will (would) take it!!


----------



## merrimac

I would be willing to give 200 if you are interested [email protected]


----------



## merrimac

I have read that a 6 cell bulb will work fine, will give 200. for it


----------



## samstterhamstter

hey whats happening, any way you would sell one of your 6C cell lights or anyone that still stocks them? thanks [email protected]


----------



## S.E.G

A truly unique MAG-LITE Bezel that left the factory with the engraving up side down. You don't see these very often.




​


----------



## Locoboy5150

Cool, where did you find that upside down bezel?


----------



## Toohotruk

Now THAT is very rare and very cool!!! :thumbsup:


----------



## Raoul_Duke

S.E.G said:


> A truly unique MAG-LITE Bezel that left the factory with the engraving up side down. You don't see these very often.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ​




I would have thought all the Kiwi bezles are this way round.
Makes perfect sense realy, you're upsidedown (compared to us.)


----------



## kiwi68

I picked up this ex New Zealand Government issue maglite not to long ago. Never seen one with Varebeam on it.




[/IMG]




[/IMG]


----------



## SmurfTacular

What is with having C or D in the serial number? How does not having it make the Maglite more valuable?

Also, I might be receiving three brand new sealed 5C's and a green 3C soon. If there anyone here that might have an interest in them?


----------



## Solscud007

Here are my two "rare" maglites.


Just your average 6D (are these worth anything?) I picked this up a few months ago MISP at a local hardware store. Should prolly get a malkoff for it. 






This one, I posted in the General threads. Im trying to find out how old it is. It is a 2xAA Mini-Mag. anno is worn as you can see. But more importantly look at the bezel. the information is stamped on rather than laser etched.


----------



## SmurfTacular

*[post deleted - pointers not permitted - DM51]*


----------



## GreenSalsa

souptree said:


> There have been 3 special edition Maglites produced for and given away at Presidential inaugurations. The first was the black 2xAAA from 1989 which was originally intended to symbolize the "thousand points of light" that George Bush made famous in the campaign...As far as the 1989 light goes, from my experience, it is EXTREMELY rare. This is the only 1989 inaugural light I have ever seen. In fact, after 3 years of VERY active searching, I couldn't even find a photo of one so I'd even know what I was looking for! The only reference I could find to it existing in the first place was in the corporate timeline on the Mag website, which only states they were made.



Just curious how much these flashlights are worth today? I have one and was curious of its value. I was in the Army and drove in the Inauguration and was given it by the VIP I drove...


----------



## Knuckles D

Where can i get a 7C or/and a 7D?


----------



## greenLED

That's an early 1980's light. Let me know if you'd like to part with it (e-mail works best these days).




Solscud007 said:


> This one, I posted in the General threads. Im trying to find out how old it is. It is a 2xAA Mini-Mag. anno is worn as you can see. But more importantly look at the bezel. the information is stamped on rather than laser etched.


----------



## borrower

Please don't hate me for being lucky.







(I'd understand if you hate me for being greedy, though.)

This is a dozen 7c Maglites that have been sitting in someone's warehouse for probably 25 years. Serial numbers range from 70039282 to 70041157, mostly 7004xxxx. Other than one that has a 2mm nick in the ano, these are mint. I can't say as much for the packaging, though, as it's generally falling apart. For scale, a Shiningbeam S-mini and a Tiablo A9.

The answer to your next question is, "No, I cleaned them out." So I won't bother telling you where they came from. Unless your really care, that is. I will say that it was a plain old google search that popped up "shopping results". (I didn't believe it, but pinged the place anyway. Apparently, they actually existed.) 

A couple of these are allocated to worthy homes already. I'll keep the nicked one forever and sell some every once in a while. The first two will probably be going around November to the Marketplace (out of respect for the community) at at a fair price. (Not free; not outrageous compared to some recent sales.) If you want advance notice of the Marketplace posting, send me a PM with your regular email address (not a CPF handle). I'll try (no guarantees! emails get lost, after all) to send a blind mailing about a week before I put them up. (Blind mailing means nobody else will see your email address.) If you want notification of future sales as well as this one, say so in the PM; otherwise you'll only get one note from me.

Questions? Hate mail?


----------



## willrx

A heartfelt CONGRATS to you!! I love finds like these!:thumbsup:


----------



## kj2

Can't hate a Maglite


----------



## RStev

Oh my! I've been lurking for a while, but registered to be able to send you a message. Lucky find!

Ron



borrower said:


> Please don't hate me for being lucky.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> (I'd understand if you hate me for being greedy, though.)
> 
> This is a dozen 7c Maglites that have been sitting in someone's warehouse for probably 25 years. Serial numbers range from 70039282 to 70041157, mostly 7004xxxx. Other than one that has a 2mm nick in the ano, these are mint. I can't say as much for the packaging, though, as it's generally falling apart. For scale, a Shiningbeam S-mini and a Tiablo A9.
> 
> The answer to your next question is, "No, I cleaned them out." So I won't bother telling you where they came from. Unless your really care, that is. I will say that it was a plain old google search that popped up "shopping results". (I didn't believe it, but pinged the place anyway. Apparently, they actually existed.)
> 
> A couple of these are allocated to worthy homes already. I'll keep the nicked one forever and sell some every once in a while. The first two will probably be going around November to the Marketplace (out of respect for the community) at at a fair price. (Not free; not outrageous compared to some recent sales.) If you want advance notice of the Marketplace posting, send me a PM with your regular email address (not a CPF handle). I'll try (no guarantees! emails get lost, after all) to send a blind mailing about a week before I put them up. (Blind mailing means nobody else will see your email address.) If you want notification of future sales as well as this one, say so in the PM; otherwise you'll only get one note from me.
> 
> Questions? Hate mail?


----------



## peterkin101

Were there any limited edition versions of the MagCharger made?


----------



## will

peterkin101 said:


> Were there any limited edition versions of the MagCharger made?



I only remember the one style being offered. I collect the Mini-Mags AA and AAA, plus the Solitaires. I do keep an eye out for all things Maglite.


----------



## vlister

Mik said:


> I suppose that none of my mags are rare, but thanks to this thread I've learned a little bit. One of mine is a pre-1990.. thats pretty cool.
> 
> I am still waiting to see someone post a pic of every production color of c/d Mag all in a rainbow row. :thumbsup: I'm sure it's coming... Someone must have them all?



I'm a real novice at maglite collecting. This is my first post. There is an amazing photo collection at the Flashlight Museum web site. Tim Smiths' collection of 2AA MagLites is amazing for its complete array of maglite colors. The only 'color' missing that I spotted was the new 'digital camo' color. But I think they are a pretty new development.


----------



## vlister

jcvjcvjcvjcv said:


> Beautiful!! Where did you get them? And when :naughty:



What is the rarest color on a MagLite?


----------



## vlister

Black Rose said:


> Is there anything special about 2C Mags without a C in the serial number (other than that they are older ones)?



My favorite MagLite, the one I carry (along with a 2AA in my pocket), is my 2C Black with a 'Chevy Trucks' logo. 'Patented Made in USA' and 23097328 on the barrel. I think it is the best 'large' size MagLite, just short of being "security" or "weapons" grade. Those 7C Mags are like carrying a baseball bat! I upgraded my 'Chevy' with a 140 lumens Terralux bulb.


----------



## Toohotruk

vlister said:


> My favorite MagLite, the one I carry (along with a 2AA in my pocket), is my 2C Black with a 'Chevy Trucks' logo...upgraded my 'Chevy' with a 140 lumens Terralux bulb.



I have that same light! It was the first "C" mag I got, and I punched it up with 3XCR123s and a 6D Magnum star bulb. Not sure where it is...I haven't even thought about it for a long time. :thinking:


:welcome:


----------



## snakebite

have a mac tools 3c black.pre c serial.mac tools logo on head.modded with a k2 tffc.i have owned it approx 17 years.a friend got it out of a garbage truck while packing a load.makes the new magled seem like a bad joke.


----------



## HaileStorm

Not sure if this is a rare Mag Lite but here's mine. A 5C Mag as a gift from my dad back in the 80's. just unearthed it today so I immediately cleaned and lubed it. 








I remember that I had changed the bulb shortly after receiving this from my dad. Stock bulb is on the right while a slightly "more powerful bulb" for Mag Lites on the left. 




Both bulbs still work perfectly after almost 11 years in storage (misplaced). Hehe!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD


----------



## MattWong

will said:


> I only remember the one style being offered. I collect the Mini-Mags AA and AAA, plus the Solitaires. I do keep an eye out for all things Maglite.



Is a RS component version rare? RS used to sell Magcharger with their RS logo and part number, 174-246, printed on the flashlight. I have one but I'm so new to the forum that do not have a right to send pictures.


----------



## MattWong

Discontinued RS MagCharger. RS part number was 174-246.


----------



## DutchR

Being the light n00b I am, I have have a 6d that has been around my house forever with a serial number of d6002226471.... Was thinking of butchering it up for my first mod..... :shrug:


----------



## StorminMatt

Raoul_Duke said:


> If you can find them. I walked ito a hardware store last year and saw one so bought it. I think there are still some in some shops hiding out somwhere.



Probably the best place to find something like this today would be a 'mom and pop' hardware store in a small town in the middle of nowhere. In stores like that, items can literally sit on the shelves unsold for YEARS. As an example, I recently saw some Polaroid and 110 cartridge film at a convenience store out in the sticks. True, it wasn't a hardware store. But it's the same idea.

On the other hand, you might even try a small hardware store in a larger city. With SO many people bypassing 'mom and pop' stores in favor of big box stores, it's sometimes quite surprising what kind of gems you can find in the small stores.

Funny thing is, I actually wanted to buy a 6C Maglite several years ago at Fry's Electronics. But I figured I just couldn't justify spending the money since I figured I already had enough lights (including a 6D light). If only I would have known. Just the other day, I found a 4C Maglite (still available, but rare in stores nonetheless) in a local hardware store. And I snatched it up. I have to say that, after using this light, I REALLY like the feel of the C-cell Maglites.


----------



## murfman

My first post here, but I've had my Maglight for many moons.

I bought it at Costco around 1984-1985 in SoCal It is stamped Varibeam mfg by Mag Instruments Ontario Ca, it is Patented and the serial # is 30004356. It is anodized a medium blue that has become lighter over the years. I paid more for the LED bulb a few years ago than I did for the entire flashlight lol


http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x205/murfman_photo/666682E1.jpg
http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x205/murfman_photo/108E313B.jpg


Your images are too large and have been replaced with links Please resize and repost.
See Rule #3 If you post an image in your post, please downsize the image to no larger than 800 x 800 pixels. - Thanks Norm


----------



## murfman

kiwi68 said:


> I picked up this ex New Zealand Government issue maglite not to long ago. Never seen one with Varebeam on it.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> [/IMG]
> 
> 
> 
> 
> [/IMG]



I have one just like it I bought new back in the mid 80's I have not seen other blue ones around.


----------



## ABTOMAT

I have a couple Vari-Beams. They were an attempt by Mag-Lite in the '80s to market to auto garages and industrial suppliers. They wanted something that didn't look like a police light, as well as being easy to find in a dimly lit shop.

Several police light manufacturers thought a separate brand was needed to sell outside the police market. Kel-Like sold some lights under the Stud-Light brand to truckers, for instance.


----------



## shaunnorth

RStev said:


> Oh my! I've been lurking for a while, but registered to be able to send you a message. Lucky find!
> 
> Ron




Hi i live in south Africa and work for the agent that imports mag lite in to the country i have a 7 C CELL with a sn of 70031843 that seam to have been engraved with force impact engraver and not like the new 3D CELL that are laser engraver


----------



## borrower

shaunnorth said:


> Hi i live in south Africa and work for the agent that imports mag lite in to the country i have a 7 C CELL with a sn of 70031843 that seam to have been engraved with force impact engraver and not like the new 3D CELL that are laser engraver



Nice! The nice folks at Mag told me that a 7c with a sn of 70039282 was manufactured in January of 1989, so yours is probably only a bit earlier. Welcome to CPF, by the way.


----------



## roces111

There is a plated gold AA on eBay right now. I am not connected to the seller.


----------



## Armed Ramble

I have a great little mini-maglight, boxed with a matching swiss army knife, from the 1996 Atlanta olympics. It's mirror finished, with the British Olympic Team logo on it.


----------



## Armed Ramble

Here's what it looks like (now I've worked out how to post pictures:




[/URL][/IMG]

I'm not sure what should be in the space in the box, but it looks like there haas been a bit of battery leakage. Luckily it hasn't affected the maglite.


----------



## Toohotruk

Very nice! Good thing the alky didn't ruin the light...too bad about the box though.

:welcome:


----------



## USMC

I've got a 5 D cell Red anoded that I got from a SnapOn Dealer in the 80's...is that a rare Mag


----------



## bdiddle

Has anybody seen the 2AA mini mag with American flag ano?


----------



## will

bdiddle said:


> Has anybody seen the 2AA mini mag with American flag ano?



There are 4 different ones with the flag annodize






the other side - some have MAG, the others USA


----------



## 1pt21

MattWong said:


> Discontinued RS MagCharger. RS part number was 174-246.



I was wondering what the part # was!!  LOL j/k

In all seriousness, what the heck is RS? Radio Shack? (doubt it, but all I could come up with).

Thanks for any info on that beaut of a MagCharger :thumbsup:, yeah I'm envious.. I love me my MC's.....


----------



## Sykotic_trip

Anyone ever seen a Presidential MAGLITE off of airforce one. Would like to get my hands on one and what do u think i should pay IF i can find one.


----------



## 1pt21

Armed Ramble said:


> Here's what it looks like (now I've worked out how to post pictures:
> 
> 
> 
> [/URL][/IMG]
> 
> I'm not sure what should be in the space in the box, but it looks like there haas been a bit of battery leakage. Luckily it hasn't affected the maglite.



VERY nice!! Never seen one like it. Thank god the alkie's leakage didn't make it to the light. 1st thing I do when I get any presentation box Mags is pull the POS alkie's right out of the pkg, though I guess you learned the hard way (could've been worse)!

Nice light!!!


----------



## borrower

Don't want to stop anyone's heart, but there's a red 7D on the 'bay (US) right now. (I've never seen a red one!) Search "RARE VINTAGE 7 D CELL". Ends March 25th. Already high$$$

(Not mine, nor do I have any connection with the seller.)


----------



## Mag liter

Are 5c mags rare I just bought 2 nib from an old hardware store and might sell them


----------



## ElectronGuru

Yes, the 5C I have is so old the blister pack is yellow.


----------



## pyro1son

As far as I'm aware the lime green is considered rare!


----------



## mag6c

Speaking of 6c's... Does anyone know when Maglite stopped making the 6C?


----------



## Dargel21

Anyone know what a Maglite 3-D cell Spectrum Series NASCAR goes for today?


----------



## Gerardn3

Mag told me that my 6C was manufactured on 1/18/96. I figured I'd post a photo in celebration of its 18th birthday. I'm really surprised that Mag discontinued the 5C and 6C while continuing to produce the 5D and 6D. The large C Cell models seem much more manageable and useful to me. I use Eneloops in my 6C and it's lighter than a fully loaded 2D and quite effortless to carry and point around. Even with Alkalines a 6C is only about as heavy as a 3D. I guess D Cells were always more popular due to the higher capacity and runtime.


----------



## DB2DX

Gerardn3 said:


> I use Eneloops in my 6C



good idea :thumbsup:
I use 6x Ansmann 4500 mAh nimh (very heavy weight)
how is the runtime with eneloops ?


----------



## Gerardn3

DB2DX said:


> good idea :thumbsup:
> I use 6x Ansmann 4500 mAh nimh (very heavy weight)
> how is the runtime with eneloops ?



I haven't tried running it down all the way and timing it, but I imagine with a typical 700-800ma bulb it should run for a good 2 hours. That's half of the usual 4 hours quoted for C cell Maglites with alkalines, but even Eneloops seem to provide better output for longer than alkalines due to less voltage sag. Actual C NiMH cells will of course provide by far the longest stable output, but at the expense of weight. 2 hours is plenty for me and I just wanted to keep things standardized with Eneloops and a small AA/AAA charger.

One thing of note: AA Eneloops are actually slightly longer than C cells, and when multiplied by 6, the extra length actually makes a significant difference. I had to get a spare tailcap spring for my 6C and cut a few coils off of it to allow the Eneloops to fit, and bend the final coil so it makes contact with the small negative terminal of the Eneloop. They just barely fit with no room to spare, but with the shorter spring, there's no more pressure on the tailcap compared to C cells with a stock spring, and the spare bulb still fits underneath. Easy enough and worked out perfectly in the end.


----------



## DB2DX

Gerardn3 said:


> AA Eneloops are actually slightly longer than C cells, and when multiplied by 6, the extra length actually makes a significant difference.



Thanks for the information - I will use eneloops


----------



## Gerardn3

DB2DX said:


> Thanks for the information - I will use eneloops



What bulb do you use in your 6C? I'm still using the original Krypton in mine because I couldn't seem to get the newest bi-pin Xenon bulb to fit and focus properly.


----------



## DB2DX

Gerardn3 said:


> What bulb do you use in your 6C?




I use the original Krypton
I have also tried the module by Sven Dittmann 46XM-L T6.
Then it gets really bright (600 lumens for 10 minutes, then 300):twothumbs


----------



## Tmack

Does this count? Custom machined heatsink, with voltage monitor. Oh yeah and a 3w 445nm laser. 
It's a one of a kind heat sink. I'd call it rare. I've seen close, but not quite like this monster.


----------



## Mag liter

Wow how far away can you start fires with it


----------



## Tmack

I can light a cigarette from over 18ft. in seconds . If held still it will ignite combustible materials at over 10ft. The heatsink let's me run it for however long I need upto 10 min. It's got a key switch in the tail too. Was a bit expensive but it's a burning machin. I'm thinking of using the new 445nm diode to get over 5w out of it, but it's a $700 diode.


----------



## magellan

Tmack said:


> I can light a cigarette from over 18ft. in seconds . If held still it will ignite combustible materials at over 10ft. The heatsink let's me run it for however long I need upto 10 min. It's got a key switch in the tail too. Was a bit expensive but it's a burning machin. I'm thinking of using the new 445nm diode to get over 5w out of it, but it's a $700 diode.



$700! Jeez, time to go back to high wattage vacuum tubes!


----------



## Tmack

I can get them for 450 now! A steal,!


----------



## marinemaster

I have a Maglite and the SN starts with
D303030xxxx
Is it worth anything ?


----------



## borrower

Slightly kicked looking 7C going on the 'bay until Thursday morning, if anyone's interested. (Not mine; no connection whatsoever.) He has "proto type" in the description, but I kinda doubt it, as it (apparently) has a serial number.


----------



## vestureofblood

I'm not sure, but I think I may have something here. I have never seen another one this color, and could not even find a similar one on the web. The first color word that came to my mind was Teal, but I dont know much about abstract color words. To my eyes its less blue then turquoise, but its not exactly green either. This picture is about as close as my camera can do.






I would love to hear some feed back on this. What would you guys call that color? Have you seen others?


----------



## will

vestureofblood said:


> I'm not sure, but I think I may have something here. I have never seen another one this color, and could not even find a similar one on the web. The first color word that came to my mind was Teal, but I dont know much about abstract color words. To my eyes its less blue then turquoise, but its not exactly green either. This picture is about as close as my camera can do.
> 
> 
> I would love to hear some feed back on this. What would you guys call that color? Have you seen others?




I have a 4D that color - Pretty sure it is called JADE...


----------



## Bullzeyebill

Three posts removed relating to a sale on ebay. This is not a sales thread.

Bill


----------



## cptcrunch

Are there two versions of the gold minimags? If so, can you help me determine the difference between the two? Is one more rare than the other, or are they both equally rare?


----------



## will

cptcrunch said:


> Are there two versions of the gold minimags? If so, can you help me determine the difference between the two? Is one more rare than the other, or are they both equally rare?



There are two gold mini-mags. One is a gold anodize color (aluminum body) The other is a gold plated one (brass body, very heavy) The gold plated one is the rare maglite.


----------



## borrower

will said:


> There are two gold mini-mags. One is a gold anodize color (aluminum body) The other is a gold plated one (brass body, very heavy) The gold plated one is the rare maglite.



What will said... a regular anodized mini is about 4 oz with batteries; the gold plated is about 8 oz with batteries.


----------



## GLOCK18

I have a couple of these in 4d package states ( Jade )


----------



## GLOCK18

vestureofblood said:


> I'm not sure, but I think I may have something here. I have never seen another one this color, and could not even find a similar one on the web. The first color word that came to my mind was Teal, but I dont know much about abstract color words. To my eyes its less blue then turquoise, but its not exactly green either. This picture is about as close as my camera can do.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I would love to hear some feed back on this. What would you guys call that color? Have you seen others?




I have a couple of these in 4d package states ( Jade )


----------



## LumensMaximus

I don't know about other parts of the country, but the 4D Mag's are not at the local Home Depot and Lowes anymore...4D's are my favorite of the line up. I also have a 4D Jade and one in Copper as well, both new and sealed.


----------



## magellan

I have three jade 3Ds and they are beautiful but no 4D sadly.



LumensMaximus said:


> I don't know about other parts of the country, but the 4D Mag's are not at the local Home Depot and Lowes anymore...4D's are my favorite of the line up. I also have a 4D Jade and one in Copper as well, both new and sealed.


----------



## dandism

I saw some jade Mags at home depot a couple weeks ago. Hopefully they bring back the orange and lime greens.


----------



## magellan

I have the dark green and jade green for the AA and 3C but no lime green. But I have the 3C in the rare bronze and brass colors. If they ever bring the orange and lime back I'll grab a few. And I only have the 4C in red and blue so would love to find something more exotic. 



dandism said:


> I saw some jade Mags at home depot a couple weeks ago. Hopefully they bring back the orange and lime greens.


----------



## LumensMaximus

Would like a 4C in red...if you grow tired of it :wave:


----------



## magellan

LumensMaximus said:


> Would like a 4C in red...if you grow tired of it :wave:



Sorry, I meant to say 4D. The only color I have in a 4C is black. Do you have any 4C's in another color?


----------



## will

magellan said:


> Sorry, I meant to say 4D. The only color I have in a 4C is black. Do you have any 4C's in another color?



I did a search (google ) and found a few red 4Ds available for sale. search = Maglite 4d red =


----------



## LumensMaximus

magellan said:


> Sorry, I meant to say 4D. The only color I have in a 4C is black. Do you have any 4C's in another color?



Whew, you scared me, I was trying to think of how many hundreds of lights I could possibly offer you in trade 
I have silver, gray, purple, jade C's but all 3 or less, I think my only 4C's are black as well.

I do have a 7C Black and a 7D in red as well.


----------



## magellan

I'd consider myself a semi-serious Mag collector. I go after the rarer colors and bezel stamps like you said. I also have a couple of the old Bianchi police flashlights which look very similar to the Mags except for the rounded tail cap (I guess for smashing windows). I was also told Bianchi was the first to use the rubber boot covered switch.



will said:


> Interesting - I wonder if anyone out there collects 'rare' Maglites. The 2AA group tends to be mostly color, and color variations, collectors. There are a few who go after the old Ontario stamp on the bezel. Maglite does not keep records of all the variations they have manufactured over the years.


----------



## 2dgreeny

Love the vintage mag pics, and seems like right thread to ask; what would a mid 90's Mag 2d serial number be? More importantly is it possible to buy an old barrel (90's larger diameter)?

working on a sentimental gift for an old cop.....


----------



## Fender Bender

I've kept a two D cell Maglite in my nightstand for over 15 years. Hopefully it will work long enough to be thought of as vintage.


----------



## magellan

Sometimes people put up older Maglites on eBay for sale. You might find something there. It might require monitoring the auctions there for a while. But right now there are a couple of 3D lights for sale. Not cheap though. If you search on "rare maglite" you'll see them.


----------



## NoizeSuppressor

I have a 4D cell (upgraded with triton Led), 2C cell (upgraded with triton Led), 2AA cell with NiteIze Led and pushbutton upgrade. I really love them and have them for a couple of years now, but since there output is so low compared to 'modern' Led flashlights, I've just now stored them. For me they are my first affordable 'top' quality lights, and will pick some more up when the opportunity comes by...


----------



## magellan

The old incan Maglites were what I started collecting almost 35 years ago. I have about 75 Mags, many of them rare, but some people here have hundreds.



NoizeSuppressor said:


> I have a 4D cell (upgraded with triton Led), 2C cell (upgraded with triton Led), 2AA cell with NiteIze Led and pushbutton upgrade. I really love them and have them for a couple of years now, but since there output is so low compared to 'modern' Led flashlights, I've just now stored them. For me they are my first affordable 'top' quality lights, and will pick some more up when the opportunity comes by...


----------



## vestureofblood

Hey has anyone here ever head of maglite making a 1 C or 1D cell light factory?

The reason I ask is someone I talked to on the web claims to have some. He is not trying to sell them, to me but by the same token I have yet to see a picture either. He says his are factory 1C.


----------



## borrower

vestureofblood said:


> Hey has anyone here ever head of maglite making a 1 C or 1D cell light factory?
> 
> The reason I ask is someone I talked to on the web claims to have some. He is not trying to sell them, to me but by the same token I have yet to see a picture either. He says his are factory 1C.



Even pics wouldn't prove anything... there's plenty of factory-quality modding going on out in the wild. Have you contacted mag customer service? (They've been good to me in the past with serial number/date lookups.) Extra points if you has the S/N from the purported shorty.


----------



## LumensMaximus

Anyone seen one of these before?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/251775278165?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT


----------



## Toohotruk

LumensMaximus said:


> Anyone seen one of these before?
> 
> http://www.ebay.com/itm/251775278165?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT



WOW! Never seen one of those! Not sure I understand what they mean by "sign cutting" though. :thinking:

Nice find!


----------



## magellan

Nope, never seen one before and I'd count myself as a semi serious Mag collector, although I certainly wouldn't consider myself a real expert on them in any way.


----------



## GasganoFJ60

I dont know if this is rare or not. I guess since its an early light(no letter in serial) sorta makes it rare simply by being a survivor. 





Ive had it for almost 10 years. It came with the truck I drive. Was behind the seat in the tool tray. Its come in handy countless times. Its become my trusty "old faithful."





The, Im assuming original bulb, burnt out about 7 years ago and i replaced it with a Mag Xenon bulb and has worked great. I recently put in an LED from NiteIze. Not sure if Im impressed with it or not, seeing as how 2 have already burnt out and been replaced with less than an hr of runtime(long story)
I think I may switch back to the xenon, unless y'all can recommend a better bulb/brand.





Also, I have had the tragic incident of the old alkaline batteries leak in it. Not too bad and nothing some time and cleaning couldn't fix. but Id like to perhaps try something newer if y'all could recommend. 
Id like to keep Old Faithful working well into the upcoming decades.


----------



## Toohotruk

Go with a Malkoff Device...you won't regret it. I think he sells an adapter for the older mags with no letter in the serial number now.


----------



## Chicken Drumstick

vestureofblood said:


> Hey has anyone here ever head of maglite making a 1 C or 1D cell light factory?
> 
> The reason I ask is someone I talked to on the web claims to have some. He is not trying to sell them, to me but by the same token I have yet to see a picture either. He says his are factory 1C.


I guess it's possible Mag prototyped such things. But I would be very surprised if ever manufactured. For the simple fact 1x C or D cell = 1.5v

It would be as bright as an incan Solitaire (2 lumens). With modern 'drivers' you could obviously see more, but this is even less likely.

On this basis it would seem unlikely they would even bother to prototype. The only reason would be if they where using a battery holder (3AA series for a D and 4AAA for a C) sort of thing.


----------



## GasganoFJ60

Toohotruk said:


> Go with a Malkoff Device...you won't regret it. I think he sells an adapter for the older mags with no letter in the serial number now.



Thanks for the tip.
They're definitely proud on their prices but from what I've read on other threads it's well worth it.
Maybe next paycheck or so I'll upgrade Ol' Faithful. 
If it works out I'll also upgrade the 5D I picked up for free a few months back.


----------



## breadfan

does this count as rare?:thinking:


----------



## xo1tech

willrx, I have a red 7d produced 11/3/81 with "paten pending" on the barrel.


willrx said:


> Is it possible that Mag had several hundred or thousands pre-stamped with paten pending and used them up before stamping the new ones? Hopefully someone can find the actual patent dates and share that here? I'd also love to know how many were stamped with the incorrect spelling before it was caught.:thinking:


----------



## GasganoFJ60

xo1tech said:


> willrx, I have a red 7d produced 11/3/81 with "paten pending" on the barrel.



Would you mind posting some pics?
ya know...for science


----------



## xo1tech

GasganoFJ60 said:


> Would you mind posting some pics?
> ya know...for science


 I don't know how. I could e-mail you some.


----------



## broadgage

1pt21 said:


> I was wondering what the part # was!!  LOL j/k
> 
> In all seriousness, what the heck is RS? Radio Shack? (doubt it, but all I could come up with).
> 
> Thanks for any info on that beaut of a MagCharger :thumbsup:, yeah I'm envious.. I love me my MC's.....



RS are a large UK based supplier of electrical, electronic, and other technical parts and supplies. They used to sell Maglights especially branded or marked with the RS logo and part number. AFAIK the flashlights were otherwise standard items and not produced to any special specification.
RS still supply maglight products, but in standard format as sold elsewhere.

(see post 132 in this thread for a picture of an RS branded Maglight)


----------



## Monocrom

Would love to share with you guys a pic. of my first generation 2AA _*LED*_ Mini-Mag.

But alas, I gave it away to a co-worker who needed a good light; and with whom I became friends with. He later confessed to losing it in a quite frankly idiotic manner.


----------



## SnapperSchneider

Nice old rare Maglites and great infomation. I did not know these were so collectable.


----------



## broadgage

vestureofblood said:


> Hey has anyone here ever head of maglite making a 1 C or 1D cell light factory?
> 
> The reason I ask is someone I talked to on the web claims to have some. He is not trying to sell them, to me but by the same token I have yet to see a picture either. He says his are factory 1C.



As others have posted, it seems unlikely that Mag ever made a single cell C or D flashlight, except perhaps as samples or prototypes. Even that seems a bit unlikely as a specially manufactured bulb would be needed, AFAIK no stock PR bulbs are made for a single alkaline or zinc carbon cell.
About the only application for such a light would be for any long term emergency when extreme economy in battery usage was needed.

A special PR base bulb of 1.4 volts and 0.15 amp would give 100 hours use on a single cell and enough light with dark adapted eyes to permit of essential movement in familiar surroundings. A 12 pack of D cells would have given many weeks of continual 24/7 light.
During the cold war, and before the LED age, there was more interest in low output, extreme run time incandescent flashlights and area lights. The main application being fallout shelters etc.


----------



## magellan

broadgage said:


> As others have posted, it seems unlikely that Mag ever made a single cell C or D flashlight, except perhaps as samples or prototypes. Even that seems a bit unlikely as a specially manufactured bulb would be needed, AFAIK no stock PR bulbs are made for a single alkaline or zinc carbon cell.
> About the only application for such a light would be for any long term emergency when extreme economy in battery usage was needed.
> 
> A special PR base bulb of 1.4 volts and 0.15 amp would give 100 hours use on a single cell and enough light with dark adapted eyes to permit of essential movement in familiar surroundings. A 12 pack of D cells would have given many weeks of continual 24/7 light.
> During the cold war, and before the LED age, there was more interest in low output, extreme run time incandescent flashlights and area lights. The main application being fallout shelters etc.



Great info, thanks. Also interesting point about the fallout shelters.


----------



## Monocrom

SnapperSchneider said:


> Nice old rare Maglites and great information. I did not know these were so collectable.



Keep in mind, you can collect anything. Just don't expect to flip even the rare Mag models for big profits. Some things are just fun to collect.


----------



## angerdan

There's a 24k gold plated Mini Maglite AA on eBay (for €180):
ebay.com/itm/Mini-Maglite-AA-original-24-Karat-vergoldet-/321744478100

It's from germany.
taschenlampen-forum.de/maglite/40776-maglite-aa-24-karat.html#post538827


----------



## dadel

Hi everybody, this is my first post here on CPF!

Does anyone else have a mini mag with the bezel engraving upside down?








In the photo, the upper one is my first mini mag from the early 90's. This has the bezel engraving upside down compared to all of my other (newer) minis. It was bought from an unquestionable store in unopened blister packaging, so I'm very confident it's a real maglite. The other one, which came bundled with a 3D made in 1996, has the engraving in the usual way.

The only thing I found on this matter is an old image posting longer back in this thread. However, the image link is broken, so not of much help. I also asked Maglite about this, but they said the engraving has always been the way it is now and referred to the Maglite distributor here in Finland for further questions.

Any thoughts about this? I guess it was a mistake at the factory, but is it a rare one?


----------



## magellan

Your photo didn't come thru.

Interesting question, though. I have an early Maglite with the white paint filled lettering, possibly the first Maglite AA? But anyway, from very early.


----------



## magellan

Since there hadn't been much action on this thread thought I'd post these photos of my collection, which show some of the rarer colors. These show most of my Vari-Beams, 3xD's, and AA lights.
.



.



.



.



.
And finally my collection of Spectrum series, shown with some other incans:
.



.


----------



## dadel

magellan said:


> Your photo didn't come thru.



Ah, I just found out that Onedrive doesn't use static URL for picture sharing anymore, so that makes it kind of hard to use for forum posting purposes. I wasn't able to edit my old post (maybe cause it was my first post?), so here comes a new try with the picture, this time from Imgur:


----------



## dadel

Well, that's what I call a collection. Very impressive!
magellan, how many Maglites do you have in total?


----------



## magellan

Hi Dadel, here's a pretty complete list and descriptions of all my incans, Maglite incans, and a few LED modded Maglites. Note it has one or two HID (high intensity discharge lights) too like the Polarion PH40.

Incans: 47 different lights by 33 different makers/labels, 58 counting dupes

Mags: 69 mags, 90 including dupes


Incans:

Aimshot Xenon Illuminator Tactical aluminum, 2xCR123A, black
Blackhawk 75FL004 Night-Ops Legacy X6-P incandescent, black
Bianchi 1984 2xD B-Lite incandescent aluminum police tactical light w/forward clicky switch
Bianchi 1980s 2xD B-Lite incandescent aluminum police tactical light w/middle channeled switch
Brinkmann Legend LX incandescent, rubberized aluminum grip, 2xCR123A, blue
Brinkmann 2xC incandescent aluminum w/rubber grip, silver
Brinkmann Legend 3xD incandescent aluminum, black (2)
Browning 3xAAA LED/incandescent aluminum, camo
Coleman 2xD incandescent, aluminum, rubberized grip, black
Cyclops Model CYC-10X Xenon Micro Clip, 2xAAA, black plastic
Dorcy 2xD incandescent aluminum, silver
East-West Distibuting 2xD incandescent, black (probably a Dorcy clone as it's similar)
East-West Distibuting 2xAA incandescent aluminum, black
Gordon 3xD incandescent aluminum, blue
Gordon 3xD incandescent aluminum, purple
Gordon 2xAA incandescent aluminum, blue
Gordon 2xAA incandescent aluminum, purple
GreatLite 2xAA incandescent aluminum, blue
GreatLite 3xD incandescent aluminum, blue
GreatLite 4xD incandescent aluminum, black
HQ Power 2xD incandescent aluminum, camo w/strap
HQ Power 5xD incandescent aluminum, black w/strap
Hugsby S3 incandescent aluminum, black (2)
Hybridlight solar rechargeable, black plastic (4)
Lloytron D976 3xD incandescent, black impact plastic (2)
Lumilite 2xD incandescent aluminum, silver
Modamag Colossus, 8x18650, 15,000 lumens, (looks like HID but is bulb)
MegaBrite dynamo (hand-cranked light), probably cast pot metal, red
Mossy Oak 2xD incandescent aluminum, camo w/strap
Mossy Oak 2xD incandescent aluminum, black
NexTorch model T6A tactical incandescent aluminum, 2xCR123A, black
NexTorch model RT7 tactical incandescent aluminum, 2xCR123A, black
Oracle Light incandescent aluminum, 2xAA, black
Polarion PF40 HID (High Intensity Discharge), 4000 LM (my baby!) 
Pelican Super PeliLite 2xC incandescent, fluorescent orange plastic
Pelican MityLites incandescent aluminum, 2xAA, (3) various colors, plastic
Powerblazer incandescent aluminum, 2xAA, white plastic (6)
Primos PH-6 incandescent aluminum hunting light, 6xAA, rubberized grip, green
Pro Light 3xD incandescent aluminum, black
Saddlebred 2xD incandescent aluminum, orange
Smith & Wessen 2xD incandescent aluminum, blue
Smith & Wessen 3xD incandescent aluminum, black
Smith & Wessen 4xD incandescent aluminum, black
Spiderfire 6P xenon aluminum, 1xCR123A, black
Ultrafire Xenon HID (high-intensity discharge) TH-1300, 3xCR123A, black
Umarex Walther Tactical incandescent aluminum, 1xCR123A, black
Westinghouse, 3xAAA incandescent aluminum, green


Maglites, including rare (all original incandescent except where noted as LED)

Maglite 2xAAA, silver
Maglite 2xAAA, dark green
Maglite 3xAAA, gold tone anodized
Maglite 2xAA, gold tone anodized
Maglite 2xAA, rare gold plate over brass, limited edition (3)
Maglite 2xAA, gold plate, modded by Fivemega (2)
Maglite 2xAA, purple (2)
Maglite 2xAA, teal, old bezel
Maglite 2xAA, teal, new style bezel
Maglite 2xAA, rare light teal
Maglite 2xAA, fuchsia or hot pink
Maglite 2xAA, rare light pink (2)
Maglite 2xAA, dark green
Maglite 2xAA, jade green, old bezel
Maglite 2xAA, jade green, new style bezel
Maglite 2xAA, blue (2)
Maglite 2xAA, rare shimmer blue
Maglite 2xAA, rare copper color, old bezel
Maglite 2xAA, rare copper color, new style bezel
Maglite 2xAA, red (2)
Maglite 2xAA, dark red
Maglite 2xAA, dark red/wine red/weinrot, 1980s Ontario bezel, top 3 rarest Maglites
Maglite 2xAA, rare light orange, new bezel
Maglite 2xAA, rare dark orange
Maglite 2xAA, rare dark orange, smooth, no knurling, "Cingular" logo
Maglite 2xAA, gunmetal gray
Maglite 2xAA, silver
Maglite 2xAA, rare charcoal 
Maglite 2xAA, pewter
Maglite 2xAA, rare bronze (2)
Maglite 2xAA, black & white racing flag design
Maglite 2xAA, red, white, & blue American flag
Maglite 2xAA, red, silver, & blue American flag variation (2)
Maglite 2xAA, rare bead blasted finish, Ferrari logo
Maglite 2xAA, woodland camo (2)
Maglite 2xAA, woodland camo, LED version
Maglite 2xAA, universal camo pattern
Maglite 2xAA, camo, 1980’s Ontario bezel, 1st camo ever made, top 3 rarest Maglites
Maglite 2xAA, w/Nitecore LED conversion, black (2)
Maglite 2xAA, rare brass
Maglite 2xAA, brass, 1980’s Ontario bezel, "ROLLED BEZEL" inscription w/white paint filled lettering, 1st & oldest Maglite?, extremely rare
Maglite 6xAA, pewter (LED modded, originally 2xD)
Maglite 9xAA, pewter, Kiu stainless crenelated bezel w/glow powder inserts (LED modded, originally 3xD)
Maglite 2xC, black
Maglite 2xC, pewter, bored out w/deepened tail cap, LED modded
Maglite 2xD cut down to 1xD/1x26650, XM-L2 LED w/finned head, programmable, green, by Vesture of Blood
Maglite 2xD cut down to 1xD/1x26650, XM-L2 LED w/finned head, programmable, blue, by Vesture of Blood
Maglite 2xD cut down to 1xD/1x26650, XM-L2 LED w/finned head, programmable, red, by Vesture of Blood
Maglite 2xD, red
Maglite 2xD, purple
Maglite 3xD, rare Spectrum series (rainbow pattern) (5)
Maglite 3xD, rare jade green color (3)
Maglite 3xD, dark green
Maglite 3xD, brass, very rare
Maglite 3xD, bronze, very rare
Maglite 3xD, gray
Maglite 3xD, blue
Maglite 3xD, red
Maglite 3xD, silver
Maglite 4xD, red
Maglite 4xD, blue
Maglite 6xC, black
Maglite 7x26650, LED, modded by Vesture of Blood to 9xXM-L, black


Pre-Maglite VariBeams

VariBeam 2C pre-Mag, electric blue
VariBeam 3C pre-Mag, black
VariBeam 4C pre-Mag, electric blue
VariBeam 5C pre-Mag, electric blue
VariBeam 2D, pre-Mag, electric blue
VariBeam 3D, pre-Mag, electric blue


----------



## Toohotruk

dadel said:


> Ah, I just found out that Onedrive doesn't use static URL for picture sharing anymore, so that makes it kind of hard to use for forum posting purposes. I wasn't able to edit my old post (maybe cause it was my first post?), so here comes a new try with the picture, this time from Imgur:




I would tend to think it's very rare...the only other time I've ever even heard of this happening was on this thread.


----------



## magellan

A few AA Mags that didn't make it into the last group photo.
.



.



.


----------



## bykfixer

Toohotruk said:


> I would tend to think it's very rare...the only other time I've ever even heard of this happening was on this thread.



Quite possibly an error light. 
Likely early, early production unit. Somebody saw it and said "stop production mr engraver", but being there was nothing wrong with them attached 'em and sent 'em out. 

Or it could have been the engraver made say..100 and stopped...
Or it could be there are thousands out there but the typical Mag consumer doesn't give a flying flip about a flashlight forum so you have the only documented one.

But I'd guess you got an error one. 
Either way it's a keeper like an upside down penny. May not be worth a lotta coin, but you have something very few (compared to the millions sold) people have.

I have an ancient beer bottle. Now those are valuable locally in general. Local brewer bottle from say Texas aint worth it's weight in salt to a guy in say New York. 
This brewery in Richmond Va was fairly popular in say 1896. Old dumps are loaded with them. 
Well at one point I dug up one in Petersburg. Eh, big deal, another Home Brewing bottle.
But wait, this one has Petersburg on it. Out of thousands owned by local collectors to this day it is the only one known. However, if they made 1, they certainly made more. 

Like your upside down engraved mini mag it's considered 'priceless'. Not because it's so dang valuable and worth more dollars than sand on the beach...but because nobody knows what price to put on it, simply because it's the only one known to exist.

I have a 1975 Schwinn Collegiate camel back bike. That was a medium sized frame with a curved top tube to fit short adults. They made 500 in 1974. But because nobody bought them no more were known to be made. Yet my serial number indicates it's a 1975 model. I know there was more made, but again I have the only documented one. Because like Mag Light, they didn't keep very good records of serial numbers. Is it worth a lot? Not really. But I keep it in my living room. lol


----------



## magellan

Great post and story!


----------



## Dr. Tweedbucket

Very cool thread!! Maglite is what sucked me in ... even before I realized flashlights were addictive!


----------



## Greenbean

I don't know if this qualifies for rare but I'll let the box and picture of the light speak for itself. 

When I saw it for sale I jumped on it as I am a Toyota fan anyways. It's only a 3D but will eventually get a set of 26650 IMR cells and a new ROP bulb
courtesy of Kestrel... Thanks again bud for the deal on the bulbs! :wave:

I do have a 3D that has the Patented Made in USA on it. Had to get the adapter sleeve when I got the Malkoff Cree XM-L2 drop in for it. 
It's a beffy tube. It's pretty banged up but looks the part very well.


----------



## dadel

bykfixer said:


> Quite possibly an error light.
> Likely early, early production unit. Somebody saw it and said "stop production mr engraver", but being there was nothing wrong with them attached 'em and sent 'em out.
> 
> Or it could have been the engraver made say..100 and stopped...
> Or it could be there are thousands out there but the typical Mag consumer doesn't give a flying flip about a flashlight forum so you have the only documented one.
> 
> But I'd guess you got an error one.
> Either way it's a keeper like an upside down penny. May not be worth a lotta coin, but you have something very few (compared to the millions sold) people have.
> 
> I have an ancient beer bottle. Now those are valuable locally in general. Local brewer bottle from say Texas aint worth it's weight in salt to a guy in say New York.
> This brewery in Richmond Va was fairly popular in say 1896. Old dumps are loaded with them.
> Well at one point I dug up one in Petersburg. Eh, big deal, another Home Brewing bottle.
> But wait, this one has Petersburg on it. Out of thousands owned by local collectors to this day it is the only one known. However, if they made 1, they certainly made more.
> 
> Like your upside down engraved mini mag it's considered 'priceless'. Not because it's so dang valuable and worth more dollars than sand on the beach...but because nobody knows what price to put on it, simply because it's the only one known to exist.
> 
> I have a 1975 Schwinn Collegiate camel back bike. That was a medium sized frame with a curved top tube to fit short adults. They made 500 in 1974. But because nobody bought them no more were known to be made. Yet my serial number indicates it's a 1975 model. I know there was more made, but again I have the only documented one. Because like Mag Light, they didn't keep very good records of serial numbers. Is it worth a lot? Not really. But I keep it in my living room. lol



I agree with you on all points. There's probably none value in this thing, but it is still nice to have something that you know is a little different. It's definately a keeper since it is my very first Maglite and also my first real flashlight. It's actually still in almost daily use and often gets beaten up by my 1 year old son. He is really into Maglites, even if he probably doesn't have clue what to really do with it!


----------



## bykfixer

^^ that's pretty cool.
Sounds like your son is a budding flashaholic there. 

My buddy let his 6 month old "see" his Coast HP1 one day. The boy soon discovered it was great to gnaw on during the teething phase.
Mom was none-too-pleased though. 

One day I got a photo of the little tyke gnawing on it with a note saying "not only is this light drop friendly but is also drool-proof."

Enjoy that rare mini mag.


----------



## torchsarecool

33 year old mag still glowing.


----------



## torchsarecool

Link remove

The old man


----------



## bykfixer

^^ woah!!

That baby is so long it has a differing zip code at each end?


----------



## Toohotruk

7C? That thing is a BEAST!!! Cool old light! Thanks for sharing.


----------



## Str8stroke

Wowz. 7Cs! Put that in a hip holster and the tail is going to drag on the ground. Me wonderz if you can getz that trough a TSA check point? lolz


----------



## torchsarecool

Lol. I might get a belt holster so I can include it in my edc rotation. I am considering restoring it but I'm worried about losing the originality. It has had a tough life and it's battered. But it's such an old and rare light Im not sure I've got the heart to start messing with it


----------



## magellan

bykfixer said:


> ^^ woah!!
> 
> That baby is so long it has a differing zip code at each end?[/QUOT
> 
> LOL


----------



## bykfixer

torchsarecool said:


> Lol. I might get a belt holster so I can include it in my edc rotation. I am considering restoring it but I'm worried about losing the originality. It has had a tough life and it's battered. But it's such an old and rare light Im not sure I've got the heart to start messing with it



Wipe it down with some cut back simple green, perhaps windex the glass and let that be that. 

Scars are cool.


----------



## Toohotruk

bykfixer said:


> ...Scars are cool.


Definitely!


----------



## torchsarecool

Yea I have decided to leave it be. It took me ages (years) to find a 7 cell I don't want to spoil it. It's probably going to stay with me only I'm old, then get passed to my kids. Then they will probably sell it at a car boot sale for a quid. Oh well


----------



## bykfixer

^^ or use it for a cricket bat....
⊙_⊙


----------



## magellan

This just came in, a rare bronze Mag 4xD light.
.



.


----------



## torchsarecool

Cool! Really like that bronze finish magellan


----------



## lightlover

magellan said:


> This just came in, a rare bronze Mag 4xD light.
> .
> 
> 
> 
> .



Sir magellan,

*That's lovely! *
Is it working? And in as good condition as it looks?

If so, please make it a display-only model: future generations may need it ...


----------



## bykfixer

magellan said:


> This just came in, a rare bronze Mag 4xD light.
> .
> 
> 
> 
> .



Mag-ellan with another winner.... 

More reference material...


----------



## magellan

Thanks, Lightlover, it's supposed to work but I haven't tested it yet but I will. But working or not, I'm very happy to get it.


----------



## magellan

torchsarecool said:


> Cool! Really like that bronze finish magellan



Yes. Ya gotta luv that copper or bronze tint. I was lucky to find this as no one else bid on it.


----------



## Toohotruk

I don't think I've ever seen that color Maglite. I like it! :thumbsup:


----------



## magellan

I have a couple of the MiniMag AA lights and a 3xD in bronze and copper, but this is the first one I've seen in a 4xD size.


----------



## bykfixer

Cannot call it rare yet...
Because they can still be found at the big A.





But back in 013 there weren't many made.
So this one is staying new in package so folks will drool over it in 25 years. lol

The FLUKE meter promo.
I think there are some 'current' versions being produced...more lumens.


----------



## torchsarecool

By default I have a bunch of maglites coming. But I noticed a couple of colours in the lot which I am pleased with, a bronze one like magellans above and an orange one. Mainly the group was purchased to get my hands on a fenix tk70 which was a part of the deal


----------



## bykfixer

^^ GREAT SCORE!!!


My boss has a dark green 3D. I think Mag called it Jade.
Although not extremely rare it sure is pretty.
It's a promo light from a local rock quarry long since out of business.


----------



## Frdlite

I have only seen that color in the 2aa minimag great find


----------



## Monocrom

bykfixer said:


> ^^ GREAT SCORE!!!
> 
> 
> My boss has a dark green 3D. I think Mag called it Jade.
> Although not extremely rare it sure is pretty.
> It's a promo light from a local rock quarry long since out of business.



Is the rock quarry company's name printed on the side?


----------



## bykfixer

Sure is. It was silk screened at about 150° opposite of the switch.

Just found a krypton version at the big A. Bought both they had. 

Z battery has them as well.


----------



## Skydog6653

I have a 3D Maglite as well as some Minis. I'm trying to find the manufacturing date (SN 33904541). I need to find a source for the rubber bulb covering the switch. Are they easy to replace? Where do you guys get your parts? Is there a part # for the correct bulb?


----------



## Monocrom

NICE! :thumbsup:


----------



## bykfixer

Skydog6653 said:


> I have a 3D Maglite as well as some Minis. I'm trying to find the manufacturing date (SN 33904541). I need to find a source for the rubber bulb covering the switch. Are they easy to replace? Where do you guys get your parts? Is there a part # for the correct bulb?



I noticed it doesn't begin with D. Cool.

Zbattery .com lists covers for "old" versions and new. Check 'em out.

Not hard to replace.


----------



## Toohotruk

You can get them at Maglite.com and you can also give them your serial number and they will tell you when the light was manufactured as well.


----------



## torchsarecool

Edited


----------



## Skydog6653

Toohotruk said:


> You can get them at Maglite.com and you can also give them your serial number and they will tell you when the light was manufactured as well.


I felt like I just took the SAT’s after filling that out!


----------



## lightlover

torchsarecool,

The "Red" / Burgundy 2AA Mini-Mag in the front/middle (next to the blue and the pink): is that a rare colour?
I was told it's "quite" unusual. Is that so?


----------



## torchsarecool

lightlover said:


> torchsarecool,
> 
> The "Red" / Burgundy 2AA Mini-Mag in the front/middle (next to the blue and the pink): is that a rare colour?
> I was told it's "quite" unusual. Is that so?



I don't think the red is particularly hard to come by. The bronze and the orange ones are quite scarce though. This bunch all came together with various re-anodised 2 c/d cell mags. The quality of the finish on them is stunning. (The mini mags are all original factory finishes) Theyre a credit to the person who established the collection originally

You know what...looking at the pic I think the colours have been distorted by a filter on my phone camera. I will take better pics sometime soon


----------



## lightlover

torchsarecool said:


> I don't think the red is particularly hard to come by. ...



Ahh Boo!!



torchsarecool said:


> You know what...looking at the pic I think the colours have been distorted by a filter on my phone camera. I will take better pics sometime soon




Looking Forward (And appreciate the effort)


----------



## bykfixer

LL, that red is still in the Mag line up.

You don't see many in stores, but when stores get a new box they're the first ones gone...at least near me anyway.


----------



## monkeyboy

@torchsarecool 
Ah ha, you're the one who bought my collection! Congratulations!
If you need to know anything about the lights, let me know.
For the C/D models: The orange, green, blue, yellow and purple were anodised by myself. The dark grey was "Fivemega" and the light grey was "Download". The D extension tubes were made by Fivemega and are original pewter grey colour.


I'm selling off another lot of rare maglites BTW. On a popular auction website....


----------



## torchsarecool

monkeyboy said:


> @torchsarecool
> Ah ha, you're the one who bought my collection! Congratulations!
> If you need to know anything about the lights, let me know.
> For the C/D models: The orange, green, blue, yellow and purple were anodised by myself. The dark grey was "Fivemega" and the light grey was "Download". The D extension tubes were made by Fivemega and are original pewter grey colour.
> 
> 
> I'm selling off another lot of rare maglites BTW. On a popular auction website....



Monkey, thanks very much for those mags. They're superb. I really was only after a few in the bunch but absolutely pleased as punch!! 
I can't believe you have cleared them out. They must have taken a lot of effort to produce

I just checked out the 2D collection. Must have taken you ages to find them. Great collection!!!


----------



## torchsarecool

Lightlover. Regarding that Red minimag I had another look and I think it is different to the typical red still in shops. 
Monkeyboy can you shed some light on this


----------



## Skydog6653

bykfixer said:


> I noticed it doesn't begin with D. Cool.
> 
> Zbattery .com lists covers for "old" versions and new. Check 'em out.
> 
> Not hard to replace.


Thanks, bykfixer (and everyone). I ordered some parts from zbattery. Just what is the plan of attack for the switch cover replacement? BTW, does your username refer to bicycles, or motorcycles?


----------



## bykfixer

Bicycles mainly. Specializing in keeping junk going a while longer. I started at 4 years old according to my dad. (He said I tried to retrofit my tricycle wheels onto a 2 wheeler frame) But my first memory was fixing brakes on my moms Free Spirit 3 speed. "Mom, it'll stop better without those fenders" That was whatever age one is in kindergarten. 


There should be a bunch of how to youtube videos to show you how to swap out the cover. 

Basically with batteries removed, push on the switch, using a flat head screwdriver, a dental pick or other object you place tool to the side and pull towards the center. You'll soon see the 'bead' begin to be revealed. Once you get the bead to begin to unseat the rest is easy. You do opposite to put in the new one...least that works for me anyway.


----------



## lightlover

torchsarecool said:


> ... Lightlover. Regarding that Red minimag I had another look and I think it is different to the typical red still in shops.
> Monkeyboy can you shed some light on this



Thanks guys - I'll also try to get an image of my colour posted ...


----------



## monkeyboy

torchsarecool said:


> Lightlover. Regarding that Red minimag I had another look and I think it is different to the typical red still in shops.
> Monkeyboy can you shed some light on this



It's a standard red as far as I know. I don't remember it having any special name so could just be due to variation. I got all the AA's from TKMaxx a few years back (none left now).


----------



## Skydog6653

bykfixer said:


> Bicycles mainly. Specializing in keeping junk going a while longer. I started at 4 years old according to my dad. (He said I tried to retrofit my tricycle wheels onto a 2 wheeler frame) But my first memory was fixing brakes on my moms Free Spirit 3 speed. "Mom, it'll stop better without those fenders" That was whatever age one is in kindergarten.


Cool! Off topic, but I just wanted to show you my pride & joy! It's a 1963 Schwinn Superior. One step below, but much rarer than a Paramount. I completely rebuilt it after buying it from the son of the original owner. He misted up when he saw it finished!


----------



## bykfixer

Chicago made, hand filett welds...nice.

She's a beauty!!


----------



## torchsarecool

monkeyboy said:


> It's a standard red as far as I know. I don't remember it having any special name so could just be due to variation. I got all the AA's from TKMaxx a few years back (none left now).



Tk maxx?! Would never have thought. Bet you were well chuffed when you found them. How did you fall upon all of those 2d's? There are some very scarce colours in the bunch


----------



## monkeyboy

torchsarecool said:


> Tk maxx?! Would never have thought. Bet you were well chuffed when you found them. How did you fall upon all of those 2d's? There are some very scarce colours in the bunch



I found the lime green 2D on a UK camping website. I emailed them to ask how many they had in stock and the guy said they had 3, so I bought all of them (he had no idea how much they were worth). The packaging was really dirty, so had obviously been sitting around for a few years. I kept one and sold the other 2 at a large profit.

The shimmer blue was from Jesus Hernandez (machinist here on CPF). It was already tri-bored, so nothing he could do about that.

Purple, jade green and midnight blue were from a US website.

Other ones from various other websites and I think I got a couple of the common ones from TK Maxx.


----------



## magellan

bykfixer said:


> Chicago made, hand filett welds...nice.
> 
> She's a beauty!!




Very cool. I had a gold color 1960 Paramount that I must have put 10,000+ miles on.


----------



## borrower

7c mag on Ebay at the moment -- 2 days left as of this posting. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Maglite-Flashlight-/141984239532?hash=item210eeb8fac:g:tREAAOSwYmZXLNAi

Bad enough that the title doesn't have enough info, but the serial number: 70000002!


----------



## Monocrom

borrower said:


> 7c mag on Ebay at the moment -- 2 days left as of this posting. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Maglite-Flashlight-/141984239532?hash=item210eeb8fac:g:tREAAOSwYmZXLNAi
> 
> Bad enough that the title doesn't have enough info, but the serial number: 70000002!



Your's? I'd bid but would really prefer a plain-Jane 6C model.


----------



## borrower

Monocrom said:


> Your's? I'd bid but would really prefer a plain-Jane 6C model.



Nope, not mine -- mine are all still in the vault.


----------



## Ktmken

This is the first maglite I have ever owned. (I am 57). It is a little marked up and scuffed, but it feels just right in your hand. It is a 6c. There is no c in the serial number, so I assume it is pre-1990. 
I am contemplating some nice easy mods to make it a daily user. It works well, just not much light output. I dont think it will ever be an edc.


----------



## Monocrom

borrower said:


> Nope, not mine -- mine are all still in the vault.



Spoken like a true flashaholic. :twothumbs


----------



## bykfixer

Don't know how rare these used to be, but they certainly aint real easy to come by these days.




Plenty of this color in 3D left though.




Bought 5 of these during March Magness 016.


----------



## torchsarecool

borrower said:


> 7c mag on Ebay at the moment -- 2 days left as of this posting. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Maglite-Flashlight-/141984239532?hash=item210eeb8fac:g:tREAAOSwYmZXLNAi
> 
> Bad enough that the title doesn't have enough info, but the serial number: 70000002!



Thanks for the heads up that is a very nice example. I bid but not enough unfortunately, gutted! It sold for $260 Wonder if a cpf member got hold of it


----------



## borrower

70 quid, shipping/handling/export fees, though -- ouch! As I mentioned, mine are sitting in the proverbial vault, but drop me a PM if you'd like a note at some future time when I'm selling.


----------



## bykfixer

Maybe not _real_ rare, but certainly not a production item.




The Winston promo.

Note it's shade of red is the Winston red vs the slightly burgandy shade of the production units.


----------



## bykfixer

Another pair of Solitaires.








I put an out of date Copper top in the cell slot.




I did not know Nike was 60. (Edit: it was a skateboard shoe line that did not pan out)





Even the battery is promo.

But I noticed the Camel one has no 'Cat' on it.




I'll do a better pic. Was in a hurry.




And the writing is in 2 rows.
Only one I've ever seen like that.


Coming soon: VareBeam #2133. Serial number is 30002133 on it. Scheduled to arrive Saturday


----------



## magellan

Nice lineup of Solitaires.


----------



## 1pt21

bykfixer said:


> Another pair of Solitaires.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I put an out of date Copper top in the cell slot.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I did not know Nike was 60.
> 
> 
> But I noticed the Camel one has no 'Cat' on it.
> 
> 
> I'll do a better pic. Was in a hurry.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> And the writing is in 2 rows.
> Only one I've ever seen like that.



Very cool scores Byk!! That orange one is awesome, love the color and the logo! Was going to ask what the logo was for, but I see that you don't know either (I think Newport Cigarettes have a similar logo, but who knows what the "6.0" is for?). 

As far as the Camel Soli, that must be old school judging by the head. Never saw one myself with 2 rows and no "Mag Head". And the little pendant is just icing on the cake. Good stuff!!!

You always have the best finds man, don't know how you do it :twothumbs


----------



## bykfixer

1pt21 said:


> Very cool scores Byk!! That orange one is awesome, love the color and the logo! Was going to ask what the logo was for, but I see that you don't know either (I think Newport Cigarettes have a similar logo, but who knows what the "6.0" is for?).
> 
> As far as the Camel Soli, that must be old school judging by the head. Never saw one myself with 2 rows and no "Mag Head". And the little pendant is just icing on the cake. Good stuff!!!
> 
> You always have the best finds man, don't know how you do it :twothumbs



Well it turns out Nike 6.0 was a marketing gimmick where they had a line of shoes for extreme sports types. 
Well now that millions of $ are involved with extreme sports and lots of youngsters are getting rich from riding skateboards, bmx bikes, snowboards and stuff like that some squabbling set in.

It seems some skateboarders thought bmx'rs had all the attention and began to moan about their contracts not being as lucrative as the bike guys.
(Back in my skate days I was happy getting free shoes and stickers, now they wanna be paid for riding at demo's). Well snowboarders decided those darling skateboarders had it too good. More moaning and groaning. 

Nike figures dropping the 6.0 monicker will help those other extreme atheletes to decide bmx'rs no longer have their own line of Nike's. 

Pretty much why I walked away from all things X-games around 1999.


----------



## Chauncey Gardiner

^ Well, that and your knees. :laughing:

~ Chance


----------



## bykfixer

Chauncey Gardiner said:


> ^ Well, that and your knees. :laughing:
> 
> ~ Chance



Yeah, that too. Weather predicting body parts and all that.

But hey, I'm 52 and aside from a few repairs internally I'm still all stock parts. 
Fake body parts only have 10 year warranties.


Wish the VareBeam would hurry up so I can back to topic. 

So little is written about Mag Solitaires except how not bright they are. But I'm a sucker for jewel thief (firefly) lights and the Solitaire is a great one.


----------



## Chauncey Gardiner

bykfixer, you realise you've become a curator, right? :thumbsup: History owes your ilk much gratitude. 

~ Chance


----------



## bykfixer

Sounz like there's responsibility involved.


----------



## Toohotruk

bykfixer said:


> Yeah, that too. Weather predicting body parts and all that.
> 
> But hey, I'm 52 and aside from a few repairs internally I'm still all stock parts.
> Fake body parts only have 10 year warranties.
> 
> 
> Wish the VareBeam would hurry up so I can back to topic.
> 
> So little is written about Mag Solitaires except how not bright they are. But I'm a sucker for jewel thief (firefly) lights and the Solitaire is a great one.



Getting old ain't for sissies! :shakehead

The LED Solitaire is a pretty decent little light for $9 and change at Wally Wolrd...same body as the old incan, but about 40 to 50 lumens (I don't remember exactly), and American made. Surprises me that so little is said about the new ones as well...I guess with all the other cool AAA lights out there, a single mode one with less lumens doesn't excite anyone around here anymore.


----------



## Braddah_Bill

Toohotruk said:


> Getting old ain't for sissies! :shakehead
> 
> The LED Solitaire is a pretty decent little light for $9 and change at Wally Wolrd...same body as the old incan, but about 40 to 50 lumens (I don't remember exactly), and American made. Surprises me that so little is said about the new ones as well...I guess with all the other cool AAA lights out there, a single mode one with less lumens doesn't excite anyone around here anymore.



The new LED Solitaire is a nice little keychain light. I like them, and at $9.99, a great deal.


----------



## bykfixer

I have a couple of the LED version. They hang on nails throughout my home for lights out battery sipping runtimes. Bought the bare alluminum color for ease of finding in low light. 

But I prefer the incan version for it's fairly low output. Comes in handy for a whole buncha stuff.
Lately get used for inspecting/cleaning the barrel of vintage flashlights here lately.




Using a Microstream clip it fastens while taking up very little room. 
Spill mode allows a vast amount of light to be dispersed without being _too_ bright.


----------



## torchsarecool

I have a gold maglite coming from eBay. Ive got my fingers crossed that it's one of the genuine gold plated ones. I'll post a pic when I get it through


----------



## bykfixer

^^ PIX (when it arrives) OR IT DIDN'T HAPPEN


----------



## magellan

torchsarecool said:


> I have a gold maglite coming from eBay. Ive got my fingers crossed that it's one of the genuine gold plated ones. Only paid £10 so was worth a punt. I'll post a pic when I get it through



Wow, that's a great deal if it is. I have 3 and paid several times that for mine.


----------



## torchsarecool

Yea fingers are crossed. It looks a little tired in the photos though but I'll see what comes through the post


----------



## magellan

I wish you the best of luck and let us know how it turns out.


----------



## bykfixer

I saw a gold one on the bay last night with like an hour to go. Hopefully went to a good home. 

Scored a "history channel" mini mag for $10 shipped. 
Like 10 minutes later I got an email saying it shipped. 
Nice.


----------



## 1pt21

bykfixer said:


> Well it turns out Nike 6.0 was a marketing gimmick where they had a line of shoes for extreme sports types.
> Well now that millions of $ are involved with extreme sports and lots of youngsters are getting rich from riding skateboards, bmx bikes, snowboards and stuff like that some squabbling set in.
> 
> It seems some skateboarders thought bmx'rs had all the attention and began to moan about their contracts not being as lucrative as the bike guys.
> (Back in my skate days I was happy getting free shoes and stickers, now they wanna be paid for riding at demo's). Well snowboarders decided those darling skateboarders had it too good. More moaning and groaning.
> 
> Nike figures dropping the 6.0 monicker will help those other extreme atheletes to decide bmx'rs no longer have their own line of Nike's.
> 
> Pretty much why I walked away from all things X-games around 1999.




Very cool stuff, thanks for taking the time to post the info Byk!

bykfixer the Curator, I like the sound of that!!! :thumbsup:


----------



## bykfixer

What started as a need to see this one night...



Armed only with an incan mini mag and a jewel thief light (as those were my edc's then)...
A Coast HP7 later has lead to quite the assortment. 
I suppose 'collection' is appropriate. lol

Regarding museum curator? Well that would include old skateboards, action figures, hot wheels cars, NASCAR stuff and who knows what all.... I started collecting stuff as a young boy by stashing non returnable soda bottles and railroad insulators. Used to drive my parents nuts.

Now it's flashlights like this one.


Seller pic.




My pic.
Note the slim Cat head.


----------



## bykfixer

Another hard to find one arrived.
Don't know that it's rare as in not many made. But certainly not really available these days.

The 3D VareBeam.





It's a bulbless project unit I picked up right cheap. 
Put it this way, shipping coast to coast was higher than the light. 

It had a leaker and the switch doesn't click. I have a bi-pin set up coming and will install a better switch, metal reflector and glass lens.


----------



## torchsarecool

Well...it's definitely heavy. And the style of text on the head is from the early days of maglite. Looks the same type as my 1982 7c. So looks like it's the gold plated one! Although it is a little rough


----------



## bykfixer

NICE!!!


----------



## Toohotruk

Cool!


----------



## 1pt21

Nice snag indeed!!! Beautiful :thumbsup:


----------



## magellan

Congrats! I have the same one, bought at a Cutlery World store in the mid-90s before they went out of business. Since then I've picked up a couple more on eBay.


----------



## torchsarecool

Thanks guys. Guess I got lucky as the pics on eBay were a bit naff so probably put a few bidders off. I like that it's a bit rough as well. I don't mind the kids using it now


----------



## LedZap

Love the gold one. I did a tile job once for a gal that worked at Maglite, she said the guys there had amazing stuff.Wish I had pics.


----------



## torchsarecool

Can anyone offer any info on this, my latest eBay find. It's a aaa minimag 

i know it's an older model because of the engraving style and text on the bezel. It also hasn't got any lanyard hole in the tail cap, it's just smooth round, I've not seen this before. There's no serial number either. I'm guessing it's an early version possibly from the late 80's (these


----------



## magellan

Congrats on finding that one. I have several old AAA's but nothing like that.


----------



## magellan

torchsarecool said:


> Well...it's definitely heavy. And the style of text on the head is from the early days of maglite. Looks the same type as my 1982 7c. So looks like it's the gold plated one! Although it is a little rough



Congrats on scoring one of those. I have three of them, all in mint condition, two bought at old Cutlery World stores in California in the mid-80s back when they were still owned by Jim Parker. He was also selling his recently developed 512 layer Parker & Edwards line of Damascus knives and I bought a bunch of those too. Then I picked up another of these lights on eBay a few months ago. They are gold plate over brass, which is why they're so heavy. Prices were high at the time for a flashlight, around $100 if I recall right and were marketed as limited edition executive gifts or models. But they are nice. But too heavy and pretty to EDC so mine have sat in a drawer for 30 years and I take 'em out once in a while to look at 'em and feel how heavy they are. Did yours come with the felt covered metal gift box and the gold colored cardboard outer box?


----------



## magellan

A photo of my gold Mags along with a few other colors. Scroll down to post #74.

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?410869-Post-your-special-duplicates!/page3

The three gold over brass are on the right. The two milled ones on the left are gold plate over aluminum by Modamag.


----------



## torchsarecool

Magellan your collection is very impressive. I didn't know there was a gold plated aluminium version to. There's loads I still have my eyes out for yet.
My gold plater didn't come with any box unfortunately. But glad to have got one anyway. I love the unusual ones.
This AAA mag of mine is a bit of a mystery. I knew there was something slightly unusual about it which struck my interest. I'll just assume it's a very early example and worth keeping safe. I guess it'll be extremely hard to find information explaining the minor discrepancies in its design. Hoping somebody has a similar version who perhaps bought it from new and could date it.


----------



## magellan

I thought I might have one myself, and sure enough, I do, in a brown metallic color, but mine doesn't have the old style bezel lettering yours does. (I have some early Minimag AA lights with the old style bezel lettering, though).

Unfortunately, I don't know anything more about them either. So we both have a bit of a mystery.


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## bykfixer

torchsarecool said:


> Can anyone offer any info on this, my latest eBay find. It's a aaa minimag
> 
> i know it's an older model because of the engraving style and text on the bezel. It also hasn't got any lanyard hole in the tail cap, it's just smooth round, I've not seen this before. There's no serial number either. I'm guessing it's an early version possibly from the late 80's (these started in 87)
> 
> thanks



Maybe member Burgess can chime in. He stated at one point he bought his first mini mag in '84 or 88 or whenever it was when they first came out. My first one was in 1990 and it is set up for a lanyard.


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## torchsarecool

Thanks bykfixer. It's handy to know that information, all starts to put some timeline in place. All input is appreciated.


----------



## bykfixer

Not that this one is so rare...







But...





The package says it's black.


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## Offgridled

I think it held its breath so long in the package it turned blue


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## bykfixer

Yeah probably too late to poke air holes in it


----------



## LiftdT4R

Just picked up this 3D Vari-Beam and I've not seen a lot with the knurling cut like this before. It looks more like the knurling on a solitaire than a 3D. I've heard some of the earlier D Vari-Beams had this grip and the later ones having a standard Maglite diamond grip. I've never seen or heard of a C cell having this grip. It is serial 14068 so it's pretty early in the production run but not super early.


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## Offgridled

Very sweet again.


----------



## torchsarecool

Regarding my AAA maglite on post #308 i just been looking at it closely and noticed it isnt marked TM (trademark) on the head, but it is only stamped R. Is this significant? Even my very oldest early 1980's Mags are stamped TM

Ahhh...just noticed also that modern minimags are marked R not TM. Why the difference, anyone know?


----------



## LiftdT4R

torchsarecool said:


> Regarding my AAA maglite on post #308 i just been looking at it closely and noticed it isnt marked TM (trademark) on the head, but it is only stamped R. Is this significant? Even my very oldest early 1980's Mags are stamped TM
> 
> Ahhh...just noticed also that modern minimags are marked R not TM. Why the difference, anyone know?



I'm no lawyer and I still have quite a bit to learn about Mags but my understanding of the R vs. TM, in the US anyway, is that TM is a trademark, so if you or I made a flashlight we could put TM after the brand name and claim it as our own, but from what I understand is that this is limited to the markets it's sold in. Where as R is a registered trademark and that design is registered with the U.S. Patent Office and it can be enforced nationally.

Early 1980s all seem to have the TM bezel but mid 80s seem like a toss up. By the late 80s everything I've seen went to the R bezel. Again, just speculation on my part based on what I've seen so this isn't for certain.

EDIT: The above is based on my experience with D and C cell Mags only which share the same bezel.


----------



## torchsarecool

So the tm marked lights are the earlier ones. Makes sense now. Though with the AAA that i have the bezel font style and text seems too early for a light which is made late 80's. It's a strange one. Wish they had serial numbers on these ones, Lol.


----------



## LiftdT4R

I would think that would be the case. You never know with Mag though, especially without the serial numbers. The could have found some TM bezels somewhere and threw them on the production line.

The logo on the packaging is right for the 80s and 90s. Mag started using that horizon block type logo in the mid 80s. The earlier 80s and late 70s was a cleaner logo with rounded letters. I can't speak to the bezel lettering though I don't know hardly anything about mini mags.


----------



## bykfixer

Member Burgess still has his '84 mini mag so if he pops in he could certainly share some insight.


----------



## LiftdT4R

Just wanted to post a couple pics of the Jade 4D GLOCK18 was kind enough to let go. I typically only collect non-letter serials but I have a soft spot for the 4+ cell big Mags and I've never seen this color before. I'd love to get my hands on a bronze/copper 4D as well.












Also, a pic with the letter serial Jade tail cap screwed into a non-letter serial body. This shows how much thicker the old Mags are over the new ones. They feel like a totally different light and I much prefer them!!






I have some other pics of some old non-letter serial Mags I think you guys would really enjoy and may not have seen before that I have to get around to taking and posting. I've been collecting for 6 years now and I never knew anyone else did or this site even existed. I thought I was the only kook! What is the oldest Maglite anyone has or has seen on here? Anyone have one from when Mag just started?


----------



## LiftdT4R

torchsarecool said:


> So the tm marked lights are the earlier ones. Makes sense now. Though with the AAA that i have the bezel font style and text seems too early for a light which is made late 80's. It's a strange one. Wish they had serial numbers on these ones, Lol.



So, I found out a little more about the TM vs. R on the bezel and the transition date. Maglite actually registered a Trademark on printing words around the circumference of a flashlight bezel in 1988 according to the US Patent Office. This is why earlier bezels were stamped TM because Maglite claimed it but didn't officially register it. Then they started running into issues with competitors, mainly Brinkmann, using this to sell "copycat" lights. This is in line with the D and C models I have and the dates on them from Maglite. So if you see a TM the light is before 88 and if you see an R the light is after 88. I have R bezel full size lights from 1988 but no TM bezels so 1988 might be a toss up of both.

Maglite filed for the Mini Maglite Patent in 1984 and Maglite lists 1984 as the first year of production on their web site. The patent was approved in 1986. I'm not a Mini Maglite collector but on the early full size lights they were stamped "Paten Pending" until the patent was approved. If the Mini Maglites were stamped the same way that would help date them.

I also found out that the patent for the D cell was filed in 1978 and approved in 1981 so lights from 1979 (first production year) until 1981 are stamped "Paten Pending" on the barrel where later lights are stamped "Patented Made in U.S.A." It is interesting that Patent was misspelled on these and it appears that every light had this misspelling. I've never seen one stamped with the spelling correct.

I'm going to start a new thread on how to date D and C cell Mags eventually based on all of the info I came up with. I have a couple 1979 first batch lights and they have some interesting differences to note too. I know there's not that much interest in these lights now but this might be helpful for someone in the future as Mag is very tight lipped with their info and I think I have a large enough sample of lights to piece the history together. I think I may have some additional info on the "Large Head", "Small Head" packaging to share too.


----------



## bykfixer

I'll subscribe to your thread liftd. Sounds like a great place to fill in a lot of blanks.


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## Offgridled

I'm not sure if this is rare, more unique but I just had a Maglite made for me that runs on 2×26650 pulling 21 amps triple xhp50.2 and 10000 lumens. Here is a Picture of 3 different stubby's he created also. 2 are triple XM-L2 and 1 is a XPL-HI with rebel reflector running on 1×26650

He cut the lights and put different knurling from other hosts on them..very creative and I guess rare..



adult image


----------



## LiftdT4R

Offgridled said:


> I'm not sure if this is rare, more unique but I just had a Maglite made for me that runs on 2×26650 pulling 21 amps triple xhp50.2 and 10000 lumens. Here is a Picture of 3 different stubby's he created also. 2 are triple XM-L2 and 1 is a XPL-HI with rebel reflector running on 1×26650
> 
> He cut the lights and put different knurling from other hosts on them..very creative and I guess rare..



Very nice!! I'm half tempted to start collecting modded Mags too but then I know my wife will kill me!! I'd love to have some Mac's Customs drop ins for my collection though and a 1D Adventure Sport.

I have one more from my collection. It's a regular old TM, pre 1987 3 C light, serial 30062351 except I've never seen one with an end cap like this before. It's aluminum, very heavy and appears to be very well made. I think it is glued or pressed on over the standard flat, no spare, Mag cap but I can't tell exactly. I can only speculate that is was an aftermarket accessory by someone like Safariland that might have been marketed towards police. That doesn't make a whole lot of sense though because it would never fit in a holster and not many cops carried C cell lights. If anyone has any info I'd love to hear about it!


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## Offgridled

I like it. And even erythromycin mag needs an end cap like that


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## bykfixer

Skull cracker tail cap. Likely custom made in a small batch. 
My dad had one like that when I was a kid. He called it "the bear equalizer" and carried it when hunting for bear, elk and other big game.

They'd probably call it "glass breaker" these days.


----------



## irongate

Offgridled said:


> I'm not sure if this is rare, more unique but I just had a Maglite made for me that runs on 2×26650 pulling 21 amps triple xhp50.2 and 10000 lumens. Here is a Picture of 3 different stubby's he created also. 2 are triple XM-L2 and 1 is a XPL-HI with rebel reflector running on 1×26650
> 
> He cut the lights and put different knurling from other hosts on them..very creative and I guess rare..
> 
> 
> 
> adult image



Very nice indeed!


----------



## LiftdT4R

bykfixer said:


> Skull cracker tail cap. Likely custom made in a small batch.
> My dad had one like that when I was a kid. He called it "the bear equalizer" and carried it when hunting for bear, elk and other big game.
> 
> They'd probably call it "glass breaker" these days.



Very interesting! When you say custom made are you thinking by Mag, aftermarket or home made?


----------



## Offgridled

bykfixer said:


> Skull cracker tail cap. Likely custom made in a small batch.
> My dad had one like that when I was a kid. He called it "the bear equalizer" and carried it when hunting for bear, elk and other big game.
> 
> They'd probably call it "glass breaker" these days.


Skull cracker is a better name but I'm sure politically incorrect ...


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## bykfixer

LiftdT4R said:


> Very interesting! When you say custom made are you thinking by Mag, aftermarket or home made?



Yes. lol....

My dad got his from a guy who knew a guy who knew a guy...
But I doubt that Maglite "officially" made any. Speculation on my part regarding Mag doing anything "unofficial" like that. 

Good score btw liftd


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## magellan

LiftdT4R said:


> So, I found out a little more about the TM vs. R on the bezel and the transition date. Maglite actually registered a Trademark on printing words around the circumference of a flashlight bezel in 1988 according to the US Patent Office. This is why earlier bezels were stamped TM because Maglite claimed it but didn't officially register it. Then they started running into issues with competitors, mainly Brinkmann, using this to sell "copycat" lights. This is in line with the D and C models I have and the dates on them from Maglite. So if you see a TM the light is before 88 and if you see an R the light is after 88. I have R bezel full size lights from 1988 but no TM bezels so 1988 might be a toss up of both.
> 
> Maglite filed for the Mini Maglite Patent in 1984 and Maglite lists 1984 as the first year of production on their web site. The patent was approved in 1986. I'm not a Mini Maglite collector but on the early full size lights they were stamped "Paten Pending" until the patent was approved. If the Mini Maglites were stamped the same way that would help date them.
> 
> I also found out that the patent for the D cell was filed in 1978 and approved in 1981 so lights from 1979 (first production year) until 1981 are stamped "Paten Pending" on the barrel where later lights are stamped "Patented Made in U.S.A." It is interesting that Patent was misspelled on these and it appears that every light had this misspelling. I've never seen one stamped with the spelling correct.
> 
> I'm going to start a new thread on how to date D and C cell Mags eventually based on all of the info I came up with. I have a couple 1979 first batch lights and they have some interesting differences to note too. I know there's not that much interest in these lights now but this might be helpful for someone in the future as Mag is very tight lipped with their info and I think I have a large enough sample of lights to piece the history together. I think I may have some additional info on the "Large Head", "Small Head" packaging to share too.



Outstanding research, thanks. I've copied this into my permanent flashlight notes.


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## LiftdT4R

magellan said:


> Outstanding research, thanks. I've copied this into my permanent flashlight notes.



Thanks, the below photo on a 1990 package is what led me to this.






Also, it appears the grip sizes were reduced in either 1989 or 1990 to what they are currently on the incan models. A 2D was reduced by 1", a 3D by 1.25", and a 5D was reduced by 1.5". The changeover to the new Panther style Mags happened in 1992. The patent for the new Mags was filed in 1992 and approved in 1993. Even though I have a new style 6D Maglite from 1992, approx 1,000,000 serial, it does not say Patent Pending so I'm guessing these models were never stamped Patent Pending, they stamped them patented because they were substantially the same as their last patent.

I'm working on a post, currently in Word, that will have links to each of the patents and dates and photo examples of each style Mag. I also have dates from Mags on most of my lights to be able to put together a rough timeline. I'm just working on this a little each night between taking care of a new puppy and making sure my wife is happy so it maybe be another 3 months or so before I get around to finishing it. I figured I'd share what I have in the mean time though.


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## LiftdT4R

Here's a couple more 3Ds for you guys. Colors on the non letter D cells were pretty rare. I can confirm, black (obviously), red, blue, silver and camo and I've heard of a gold/bronze potentially. Below are a very early ~1980 blue light and a 1989 Camo light.

















This blue light is a ~129,000 serial, "Paten Pending" light and is likely one of Mag's first attempts at a blue light because the serial and date is so old. The pictures don't do it justice. It's an electric blue much brighter than the vari-beams I've seen.

The camo light is extremely rare. This finish was painted on over the aluminum and it wears very quickly. As such, the prior owner and another collector told me Mag only did a small run and then didn't produce it again. This is an R bezel light and a ~1,700,000 serial. 

I'm starting to think that the TM to R change was when the Mag-Lite registered trademark was approved in 1981. Mag then probably used up existing TM bezels into 1982 or 1983 before switching to R but I have a couple more lights I'm going to have dated by Mag to confirm. The printing on the bezel was trademarked in 1988 but the only addition was likely the message on the package and nothing to the lights. I really need a light from 83 to 87 to confirm. This would be a 300,000 to 800,000 serial.

If anyone has any early lights and serials they've had dated by Mag it would help me out immensely. Any other tidbits or Mag history are greatly appreciated too!!


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## Offgridled

Liftd those are super cool. Here's one for you. Hope I didn't post this yet sorry if I did. I'm waiting on a 2×26650 fed mag right now pulling 21 amps has a triple reflector with three xhp50.02 emitters. 10000 lumens . First of its kind that I know of. Will post pics and beam shots when it arrives..


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## LiftdT4R

Wow wow wee wow! If you don't mind me asking who's making it? My 4,000 lumen Adventure Sport blew me away compared to these 60 lumen incan Mags.

Also, does it have different modes with lower levels? D Cell or C cell??


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## torchsarecool

LiftdT4R what an incredible amount of research you have done here! All the effort you're putting in is hugely appreciated.
Oh, and if your search for a 7D cell wasnt hard enough. I read on a thread recently the possibility that maglite made special order 10d and 12c lights. Maybe even a 14C! They made them until 1984. Maybe myth, or maybe theyre out there in an old garage drawer.....


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## torchsarecool

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?156127-10-D-maglite

Post #15 has the info


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## LiftdT4R

torchsarecool said:


> LiftdT4R what an incredible amount of research you have done here! All the effort you're putting in is hugely appreciated.
> Oh, and if your search for a 7D cell wasnt hard enough. I read on a thread recently the possibility that maglite made special order 10d and 12c lights. Maybe even a 14C! They made them until 1984. Maybe myth, or maybe theyre out there in an old garage drawer.....



Thanks!!! I've been collecting for about 6 years and I honestly didn't know there were very many people that did and I had not heard of this site. I know two other collectors very well and I learned a lot from them so I'm hoping to post that knowledge here in a big long post so it's not lost and so others don't have to be as lucky as I was to get into collecting.

That is certainly possible with a 10D or 12D but not very likely. The Kel-Lites you see like this had a patented spacer to take up the extra battery length so they could be used as batons as the light becomes very heavy even with 7 D Cells and not much extra lighting output is really obtained. Mag Instrument would not have been able to use this spacer as they would have violated Kel-Lites patent and it is doubtful anyone would want a larger than 7D light full of cells because it would be expensive and very impractical. In fact, no one even wanted the 7Ds which is why they were discontinued. I also don't know of a PR base bulb with a high enough voltage rating for a 10 or 12 cell light.

I only know of one actual special order and it was done for Cabela's, a large sporting goods retailer in the U.S., in 1981. Cabela's purchased a lot of lights and had Mag Instrument stamp "Cabela's Sidney, Nebraska" into the bezel where Mag-Lite would normally be stamped. So the possibility does exist that there might be other special orders out there but it would have had to be very early on.

Also, I have a first year, blue, Mini Mag coming in that I got in a trade so I'll post up some pictures of the bezel for you because I know you were interested. I'm not a collector of Mini Mags so if you're interested in it after I post the pictures lemme know and we'll see if we can't work something out. From what I hear is the blue was really rare early on.


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## bykfixer

Keep that info coming liftd. Good stuff. 
The collector in me perked up when you mentioned Cabalas editions. 

Rumor has it that Don Keller played a big role in the initial success of Maglite the company. Don't know if he helped with setting up machinery, or in intial designs or what but was apparently very helpful to Tony in the beginning. 

Now regarding the 7+ cell versions; once upon a time giant flashlights were being made as search n rescue items. Picture somewhere in Alabama woods a team of local sheriffs being pulled by blood hounds through the underbrush with one guy shining a flashlight with a 9" globe on the end and another guy carrying a tissue box sized walkie-talkie with a 22" antenna looking for a lost child, escaped convict or something. The 1950's and 60's, even into the 70's was that point in history and those lights were, although not great sellers were owned and operated by several police departments. 

Some raccon hunters used them as well. A friend of mine tells a story of when his son was little he carried "grandpas" headlamp complete with a belt of batteries on his first hunt. He called it a "K light" but I've yet to find Kel lite ever doing a headlamp so I have no idea who made said "K light"... 

But if you check out eBay you'll see Sportsman and other models that came with a shoulder strap. I have a 7D "dog supply house" search and rescue light that easily throws a beam like a modern Mag using a PR 18 iirc. (That's a 6D bulb). 

I say all that to state that early on Tony and Don may have concocted a Maglite to mimic those old search and rescue numbers but with the advent of the xenon bulb found that a giant flashlight was no longer required to fulfill the needs that previously required a belt of batteries to shine far away.


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## LiftdT4R

Wow, great info! That's pretty interesting and there were definitely some odd ball inventions out there. It's also interesting to see how overbuilt a lot of the early lights were. Pretty neat really, just like Chevy stuffing a 454 into a Chevelle. Bigger is better was certainly the motto back in those days!!

A Maglite larger light than a 7D or C is certainly possible but I would be pretty close to ruling it out based on the info I have. Mag Instrument is pretty adverse to doing true special order lights. I should have noted above too that they have done special finishes with enough quantity on the later model lights. Some of the lime greens and oranges I believe were done for Wal-Mart and Home Depot because they were purchased in very large quantities. On the early lights I've not seen that with the exception of the Cabela's lights. Of course, Mag Instrument, for a long time, did screen printed logos too but I don't consider that so much a special order as it was done over a standard light. But, you never know. I did see a Mini Maglite Vari-Beam, I think on this site, which was an R&D one off, so the potential is there for some strange, undiscovered Maglites.

I own a Cabela's light and I need to get around to doing a writeup and posting pics on it as it's a piece of Mag history that I don't think has been covered and is a pretty interesting story. Here's a teaser in the mean time:







Don Keller did work for Mag Instrument from 1979 to 1986 after Kel-Lite was bought by Streamlight and then again from 2000 to 2015 after working at Brinkmann. It is interesting to see how many of the Kel-Lite features carried over and how they worked around the patents that Kel-Lite had that were bought out by Streamlight.


----------



## bykfixer

I have a Nike 6.0 solitaire that was a special orange. So yeah I know what you mean about the special editions "if the order was large enough". Even had a 6.0 edition battery.
And a Camel ultra lights promo that had a special box and a commemorative coin. I'll dig 'em out and put pix here.


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## torchsarecool

Pics of the blue Minimag would be great cheers. All the info is useful.
Slightly off topic, there is a 1994 8d brinkmann on ebay UK. Looks to be in 4 parts but apparently original. Is that of any relevance within all this.


----------



## torchsarecool

bykfixer said:


> I have a Nike 6.0 solitaire that was a special orange. So yeah I know what you mean about the special editions "if the order was large enough". Even had a 6.0 edition battery.
> And a Camel ultra lights promo that had a special box and a commemorative coin. I'll dig 'em out and put pix here.



Never seen a set with a coin! Cool!


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## LiftdT4R

torchsarecool said:


> Pics of the blue Minimag would be great cheers. All the info is useful.
> Slightly off topic, there is a 1994 8d brinkmann on ebay UK. Looks to be in 4 parts but apparently original. Is that of any relevance within all this.



I couldn't seem to find it on UK Ebay but I think I know the style you're referring to. Some of the older non-Maglites has the same thread on the lamp side and tail side so they could be combined to make as long of a light as desired. The trick with making them longer is finding a bulb that supports that high of an input voltage. Past 7 cells becomes tricky. Maybe that wasn't the case and bulbs were more commonly available when they first came out.


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## torchsarecool

Yea it's an 8 cell at it's longest, but they have it fitted with a 5 cell bulb. No idea how easy to find a bulb for these things, same with the 7 cell Mags.

Look at this on eBay http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/222462007758 

Theres a link for your interest


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## bykfixer

So that one is a 3, 5, 6 or 8 light. 
Cooooooool!!!!!
A place called bulb town sells tons of bulbs. And there is a thread in the incan section relating to bulb draws along with their corresponding model numbers.
Happy hunting.

I hope I haven't already posted these...

The Camel Solitaire:



Special box




The coin.
It came missing the original battery. 

Check this out...



No panther.




Says "Ontario"

The Nike Solitaire:



Loved the color.




The battery.


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## LiftdT4R

Very cool Solitaires! The black Camel one is pre 1992 because it lacks the Panther head. I used to smoke Camels and I remember when they used to sponsor off road racing. They used to put their name on everything and I used to love all the Joe Camel merchandise. Def a different time! I had an old Yamaha YZ with a Camel graphics kit. Camel was the Red Bull or Monster of years gone by.

Torchsarecool, as promised is a first generation Mini Mag. The prior owner is a large collector and told me he got it from the original owner who bought it in 1984. The Mini Mag Logo also has the TM after it which makes in from before 1988 or so according to the registered trademark filed with the Patent Office. The font and style also looks right. The letters are stamped and filled with white paint just like the pre 1992 Maglites. The prior owner tells me the blue was pretty rare on these lights. It's in perfect working order too! I got it as part of a lot I bought so if you're interested in it for your collection shoot me a PM. I like it but it's my only Mini Mag currently.


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## torchsarecool

:thumbsup::twothumbsCheers for the pics mate. Interesting to see such an early light, not seen one like it before. Unfortunately im spent up at the moment, but thanks for offering


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## LiftdT4R

Anytime! The bezel looks pretty much identical to the one gold one you have. I think Mag Instrument did away with stamping bezels by 1992 so if you see stamping on a bezel it's a good bet it's from before then.


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## bykfixer

In the pic it looks like a 'Vare-Beam' blue.

Did you ever find a Marquis liftd?


----------



## LiftdT4R

I believe it is! The blue matches on the Maglites, Vari-Beams and the Mini Mag. My other Vari-Beam (top) is so faded I thought it was different but the newest one I picked up matches to a T. 

It looks like based on the dates Mag gave me that they would pull a chunk of barrels from regular Maglite production and turn them into Vari-Beams. The blue one below is a 1983 light and is numbered 345,457. I have a 1983 3D that is numbered at 320,000 so unless Mag Instrument made equal amounts of Vari-Beams and Maglites, which I doubt, they are not serialized separately. I run into a problem though. I have a 1984 Vari-beam that is only serial 14,068 and the knurling is cut like a Solitaire. It seems like this is actually a later light despite the serial because the barrel is stamped "Patented Made in U.S.A." If that serial was pulled from the regular Mag-Lite line it would have certainly have been a "Paten Pending" barrel and would have been from the first year of production.

I think what happened is Mag introduced this later on to maybe try to differentiate the Vari-Beam line more but produced very few because I've only seen this example and yours. The other collectors I talked to thought the same thing and hadn't seen another one either. Unfortunately the prior owner only knew it came from a thrift shop so I have very little info on it.

Did you ever get yours apart? I just picked up a 5D Vari-Beam and I'm working on it tonight. It has a stuck end cap and batteries. I have a trick using vinegar to neutralize the alkaline and get them apart.

Anyway, sorry to be so long winded, here's what I meant to post before getting side tracked:






EDIT: Ohh and no I haven't found a Marquis. :-( I've seen more 7Ds come up for sale than Marquis and I would bet they made more 7Ds. Maybe one day...


----------



## bykfixer

I heard or read that the Vare-Beam was an off shoot of those regular Mags. I got the impression that at some point Mag folks decided "hey it looks like this thing is going to work afterall but only cops want them"... or something of that sort. So it seems the regular Mag had been in production for some period, and not Tony saying "let's do cop lights _and_ cop mechanics lights."... it seems mechanics, farmers and others were saying "dude we love your lights but we cannot see them in our dimly lit shops, barns and such". Did you say that or did I read it somewhere? 

I also read that Tony hadn't had very many Marquis made yet and they were only in a few stores and only in California. Couple hundred? Few thousand? I dunno, but yeah compared to 7D's not many at all. 

Now one fellow at (perhaps the mini mag) thread has one with the stampings upside down from all we'd ever seen.
Know anything about that one liftd? 

If you ever decide to or know anyone that wants to do a book on Maglites I'd definitely buy some copies.


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## LiftdT4R

I would consider writing a book but I have two problems:

1. Tony Maglica would probably sue me and 

2.





I've had dogs all my life but my wife and I rescued this one a month ago and boy is she a handful!! Keeps me busy from when I get out of work until I go to sleep!

I am planning to dump all of this into a coherent new thread but I'm at least a couple months out and I'm trying to fill in the gaps with a couple more lights.

On the Vari-Beams as far as I can tell Mag Instrument probably took a page out of Kel-Lite's book just as they marketed a "civilian" version of the Kel-Lite as a Stud Lite. It seems like based on the serials that the Vari-Beams entered production in 1980 because some have the "Paten Pending" barrel but not the odd features of the 1979 lights. The earliest 3D I've seen in a ~50,000 serial. Mag sales were not great the first couple of years. It seems like only a couple hundred thousand lights based on the serials. My guess would be the Stud Lite helped bump Kel-Lite sales when it was introduced in so Mag figured "why not?". The Cabela's lights are also an example of this early on attempt to increase sales and hook up with a big national sporting goods chain. The Vari-Beams exited production sometime around 1983 or 1984 which is just about the time Maglite sales picked up.

Here's a Stud Lite that pre-dates Maglite and you can kind of tell where the idea came from. This isn't mine and sorry for the poor picture quality.






The Marquis is definitely one of the rarest Mags. The other one I've always been looking for is one of the lights Mag sent to Ground Zero on 9/11. They are a copper color and there were 3,000 of them sent to assist in search and rescue efforts. I've never seen one but I know they have engraving on them. The Mini Mag with the upside down bezel was likely a tooling error that missed QC but there could be a better story to it. Never know!


----------



## bykfixer

Well you certainly would have a good alibi if the publisher said "so where's the book?" And you replied "the dog ate it"...

Maybe what you can do is type up a Word document and do a copy/paste to a blank screen in your thread. I've never tried to export microsoft created documentation here myself, but as long as you only use letters and basic punctuation it should work. Things like quotation marks, bullet points etc may not play nice though.


----------



## LiftdT4R

Lol, I can use that excuse a lot now. This one chews like crazy! She goes through a Nylabone sooo quick and plenty of other things she's not supposed to chew too!

I'm old school so I use Note Pad. I get all of my script in there too for bold and images, etc.

I was able to bust apart this old 5D Vari-Beam last night after a good 4 day soaking through and through in vinegar. I think I can salvage most of it. I'm hoping to get away from my crazy family on Easter to work on it for a couple hours. Should be good as new when I get done with it. I'll post some pics of the after shot! I prefer the non-working lights over the working ones because I always feel like it would have been at the landfill had I not saved it! I've also never not been able to fix a light. Even ones with stubborn stuck end caps and batteries. My dad is an old union pipe fitter so I'll break out his tripod and wrap the light in tape and use a pipe or strap wrench to get it apart sometimes.












You don't see many of the larger Vari-Beams like this. Abtomat has one in his collection too. I've never seen any Vari-Beams larger than a 5C or D. The 5C has to be about the rarest because Mag sold so few C models especially the larger ones.

I don't think I'm gonna be on much over the weekend so have a great Easter if ya celebrate it!


----------



## Offgridled

Super cool mag liftd... my 3×xhp50.2 arrived. Monster! Have a safe weekend friend


----------



## LiftdT4R

Offgridled said:


> Super cool mag liftd... my 3×xhp50.2 arrived. Monster! Have a safe weekend friend



Nice!! Got to see some beam shots!! I'm on the fence but I'll probably end up getting one since I just can't resist a 12k lumen Mag!

Hope everyone had a good Easter. I had some time to mess around with my 5D Vari-Beam and was able to get it burning again. Still needs some corrosion removed from the barrel but she's looking good. Man I would love to know the back story on this light. It's got a lot of character so someone must have used it plenty.






And a group shot of my growing Vari-Beam collection. The C cells are very hard to find.


----------



## Offgridled

Xhp50.2
Daylight at night. 10k lumen 
A true wall of light!!


upload image onlinecertificity.com



upload gambarcertificity.com



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Control picture


free upload imagecertificity.com


----------



## LiftdT4R

Nice!! That's a ton of light! I think I'm in for one, lol.

http://maglite.com/maglab/maglitenation-exclusive-flashlight-hunt-contest-april-2017

Did anyone see this contest from Maglite? I know there are a few members here that have very low serial lights that might be interested. I'm going to send in pics of my low serial incans and see what happens! It's open to LEDs and other lights too although I imagine incans will be the main draw. I'm not sure how they lump C and Ds in together because a lower serial does not equal an older production date. The C cells didn't start until 1981 when D cells had already been in production for 2 years.

I should ask them if I win if I could trade the LED light for a switch cover for a first generation Mag. So far they've sent me 2 switch covers both of which are too small. They say they'll cover it under warranty but now they want me to send my light back. I don't think so. I don't think they still make a switch cover for the first run of Mags any more.

There's a photo gallery too for those not interested in entering but are interested in looking at some old Mags. It is:

https://magcontesthunt1.hscampaigns.com/#modal-open

So far I'd win but I don't have time to post my entry until later this week. I have a ~3,000 serial 6D, a ~7,000 serial 7C and an ~18,000 serial 2D. To be fair I only still use the 2D for walking the dog once in a while so I'll probably enter it. Both D cells are the old large switch hole and missing switch covers. :-( The 7C is a 1981 that I bought from Torchesarecool.


----------



## bykfixer

Try zbattery liftd.
They sell parts for pre-letter'd and post letter'd.


----------



## LiftdT4R

bykfixer said:


> Try zbattery liftd.
> They sell parts for pre-letter'd and post letter'd.



I've tried ZBattery and Mag Instrument. The 1979 first run lights have a switch hole diameter of 0.725" and all other lights have a switch hole diameter of 0.650". Mag Instrument and Z Battery have only one switch seal listed, 108-000-034. This switch seal falls out of the 1979 lights. Other members and collectors have reported having the same problem and when I e-mail Mag, I basically get a response that says "No, can't be! Send us your light and we'll check it out." They'd probably replace the light if you sent it back and I have mine just to collect so I'll do without the switch covers for now. There are some other interesting differences too with the extremely early lights.

EDIT: Earliest light so far is a 3414 serial 2D. I'm not sure if I'm going to enter my ~3000 6D because I don't really want a new LED Mag but I am interested to see if I would win. I've seen lower serial Cs but the problem is they are newer because they started in 1981. And Mag says oldest (lowest serial numbered) light. Even among D Cells the serial only tells you age within that model, 2D, 3D, 4D, etc so the rules aren't very clear here.


----------



## torchsarecool

A 7C maglite sold on ebay in America very recently. It was mint and the serial no. Was 70000002! I bid about £200 but wasnt enough! Not seen any sign of it since on any forum


----------



## willrx

Just saw the contest link. I'll check my remaining stock


----------



## LiftdT4R

torchsarecool said:


> A 7C maglite sold on ebay in America very recently. It was mint and the serial no. Was 70000002! I bid about £200 but wasnt enough! Not seen any sign of it since on any forum



I saw that a while back! I was collecting then but hadn't seen this board and only occasionally visited fleabay. I bought most of my lights from yard sales, flea markets, thrift shops and other collectors I met through another hobby. I would have paid a pretty penny for that light. I know a couple serious collectors that are not on this board and none of them knew where it went either.


----------



## LiftdT4R

willrx said:


> Just saw the contest link. I'll check my remaining stock



Hey, def let us know if ya enter any lights! You have an awesome collection! I'd love to see some more pics if you're still into it.


----------



## LiftdT4R

I guess I'm now an incidental Mini Maglite collector. I picked up a first generation Camo Mini Maglite. Unfortunately someone replaced the stock tail cap with a plastic clicky style but other than that it's in great shape. This first generation has Mini Maglite Stamped into the bezel whereas later generations had a laser etching. TM also follows Mini Maglite as the Mini Maglite Trademark wasn't approved until 1986. The bezel is similar on 1986 to about 1988 lights as the first generations lights.






Maglite even has a picture of a similar Mini Maglite on their website under the Mag History section. The white paint in the stamping is gone on mine because someone had a rubber anti-roll bezel installed for a very long time:






This Mini also came with bulbs. Mag Instrument used this rounded logo up until late 1984 and the Mini Maglite came out in early 1984. After 1984 but before 1992 Maglite used the later Horizon style logo on packaging. That logo is also below. in 1992 Mag totally redesigned the Maglite and the logo changed to it's current form and started using the Panther style logo so it's not difficult to date Mini Maglites even though they don't have a serial. I think there's only been 4 different bezels that were used. Otherwise the barrel did get bigger on the AA lights somewhere along the line because NiMHs won't fit into the first gen models but they will fit into the current gen. Other than that design changes are minimal. I just think it's fun to see the first gen lights and think about how awesome they were in their day. They were very high tech!






Horizon Logo


----------



## torchsarecool

Nice light and great information LiftdT4R. Great reading your posts!


----------



## LiftdT4R

Thanks! I know this light wasn't super exciting but I was on kind of a dry spell with finds for a while. I have a couple more really good ones coming in soon though. Have ya got anything new lately?


----------



## LiftdT4R

I saw there was some interest a while back in the really early Maglites. These are the first batches produced from March of 1979 to early (February or March) 1980. The design was still being refined on these lights as can be seen by two key features that differ from the rest of the early no letter serial Mags: 

- The first is the low grip on the head. There is a space of about 1/4" between the bezel and the focus grip. This can be seen in the photos below when compared to a 1988 Maglite.

- The second feature which was covered very early on in this thread is the bulbous switch cover. The switch hole diameter on the 1979 lights is 0.725" vs. 0.650" on all other D Cells Mags. The switch cover is therefore larger and lacks the flat, flanged edge that holds the seal into the lights on the earlier models. For this reason most lights found for sale are missing the switch cover as the new style covers just fall right out of the light and Mag Instrument no longer produces replacements for the larger switch cover. Pictures of the switch covers for comparison are shown in the photos below.











These photos also show a TM bezel vs and R bezel. Immediately after the Maglite stamped logo earlier lights have a TM and later lights have the R with the circle. I'm still trying to find out what date that changeover occurred but I believe it's around 1988 based on the research in my previous post.











Most of these very early lights I've bought were from owners in California which makes sense as the first year of production was likely shipped near the factory. They are commonly referred to as 1979 lights. Production serials vary but it looks like somewhere between 10,000 and 15,000 of these early models were produced during the first year. This is a far cry from the million or so of each model currently produced per year. And based on how many survived it's a real testament to the durability of Maglites. I have 3 of these early models, a 2D, a 5D, and a 6D. I would love to have an early 3D as it is commonly known that was the first Maglite run. I've never been that lucky thought but I'm going to keep scouting around. It's also worthwhile to note that all of these lights are stamped "Paten Pending" and all of them have patent misspelled so you do see collectors try to pass this off as an error light and even though it is they all had the same error. Hope ya enjoyed guys! I have a few more coming up when I get some time.


----------



## Alone In The Dark

Excellent post, LiftdT4R. Thank you for sharing that information and those pictures.


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## LiftdT4R

Hey, anytime!! I'm glad someone enjoys it, I try to talk to my wife about this stuff and she gives me a crazy old look. I don't even bother with the guys at work.


----------



## Offgridled

Alone In The Dark said:


> Excellent post, LiftdT4R. Thank you for sharing that information and those pictures.


+1 excellent info here


----------



## torchsarecool

:bow::bow:you must have a pretty awesome collection going now. Together with a comphrensive history of maglite its very cool what youre putting Together.


----------



## irongate

Anyone have any old Rechargeable's?

Got 2 from 1989 Black ones, those are 3 D cell ones or can use the rechargeable battery packs.

sorry no pictures


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## LiftdT4R

Hey, thanks guys! My collection is getting there but I'm still missing a few good lights. Collecting is all about what you don't have, right? I really want a 7D the most, a Marquis, a Silver and Black Vari-Beam, and a silver no letter D light. I think once I have those I'd say I'm more or less complete unless there's really any oddball lights out there I haven't heard about yet. It is soooo difficult to really have a complete collection though because some light are so rare. The silver lining is that even though they're rare there are still some awesome deals to be had around and even if you pay the going price it usually won't kill you. Some other hobbies I was into if you did find the one item you were missing in a collection you were going to pay through the nose for it. I recently found a Gold no letter 3D 1989 Mag for $22 shipped. I mean you just don't get a better bang for the buck!

As far as the info. I can't take credit for even a quarter of it. I've mainly pulled it together from the 2 other collectors I deal with that are not on the board and old threads on this board from when Mags were a little more popular. I'm just hoping it gets other people into the hobby or at least brings more of the existing ones together in one place so we can put together more info since Mag is so tight lipped about their production and history. Believe it or not there are a good amount of Maglite collectors out there that I've talked to from all over the world. Why they don't get together more like other hobbies is beyond me. Everyone I've talked to was super interesting and very helpful.

A little off topic but I posted to the Flashlights in TV and Movies thread and one of the 5D NIB Mags I had for sale/trade was picked up by a Prop Master and is going to be in "Halt and Catch Fire" Season 4 Episode 4 on AMC this summer. I'm hoping to buy it back afterwards because it would be such an interesting piece for me for my collection. Anyway, I'll have some more pics up soon! Thanks again guys!


----------



## LiftdT4R

irongate said:


> Anyone have any old Rechargeable's?
> 
> Got 2 from 1989 Black ones, those are 3 D cell ones or can use the rechargeable battery packs.
> 
> sorry no pictures



Hey, are they Mag Chargers? I'd be interested to see some pics. I don't think Mag Chargers are as collectible as some of the other lights because they didn't have very much variation but low serials and early versions always spark some interest.


----------



## irongate

LiftdT4R said:


> Hey, are they Mag Chargers? I'd be interested to see some pics. I don't think Mag Chargers are as collectible as some of the other lights because they didn't have very much variation but low serials and early versions always spark some interest.



Sent you a PM on that


----------



## LiftdT4R

irongate said:


> Sent you a PM on that



Hey, I got your pics, lemme know if you'd like me to post them. I see the rechargeable ones are Mag Chargers. The blue 4D from 1990 is really nice! Those non-letter serial lights especially in colors other than black are the best ones! On those lights starting in 1989 the grip sizes were reduced to their current length. Some lights had almost 2" less of a grip after the change. They kept the bigger barrel until late 1992 though. I think of those as the transitional lights.


----------



## LiftdT4R

I think these 1989 George Bush Inaugural AAA Mini Maglites have been posted here before but you don't see them often and I think I have a little bit of info to add so I figured I'd post them up again and do a little write up.

The AAA Mini Maglite was introduced in 1988 and shown here is the first generation. Unlike the AA Mini Maglites the AAAs never had a stamped bezel instead opting for a laser etched one due to lower production cost and the advancement of that technology at the time. Tony Maglica was a well known Republican supporter and when George Bush gave his nomination acceptance speech at the Republican convention he made reference to community service organizations in the US being 1,000 points of light for those in need. He made this reference again at his Inaugural speech too. George Bush also ran on a platform of American manufacturing and jobs. As such Tony Maglica had the idea to give away AAA Mini Maglites at the DC Inauguration as a show of support for the incoming administration and to market American made Maglites. As per Mag Instrument's web site 40,000 were produced. However due to their age they are increasingly rare today.

These lights differ from a standard AAA Mini Maglite in that they do not have a lanyard hole in the tail cap. This was done in order to reduce costs associated with the free giveaway. This can be seen in the last picture below. Some heads have been swapped onto other Mini Maglite bodies and tail caps that are lost have been replaced so this is an important note for those seeking an original light. 

When I purchased this light it came with a second head as the owner received two of the lights with his guest at the inauguration and used one and saved one. The used one left with batteries and was damaged beyond repair and tossed but the head was saved. I will likely put this head on a first generation AAA Mini Maglite with an incorrect tail cap for display only.

It has been well documented here that AA versions were also produced as giveaways for George W Bush's inaugurations in 2000 and 2004. I don't own these lights but I have seen them quite a bit with other collectors.

Anyway, enjoy the pics and I have plenty more lights I have to get around putting up. 

















I have a whole bunch of history on Mini Maglites and not to get too off topic but I've heard Mag Instrument never produced a silver and black Vari-Beam. Which makes sense because it defeats the purpose of the light being easy to find in a dimly lit shop. I've heard that most examples were done after a blue light was ruined or by dealers who had extra stock that couldn't be sold. It seems that big box retailers at the time wanted a light that didn't look like a cop light for liability reasons but consumers would not purchase lights that weren't black. As such dealers took back a lot of the lights and swapped out bezels or customers who purchased the lights did. The same can be said with the 4D silver Vari-Beam I posted earlier. Also the largest size on the Vari-Beams was 5D and 5C and both were produced in the least quantities. The production of these lights wrapped up by 1984. And an AA Mini Vari-Beam was even produced in extremely small quantities during that year. I still don't have any info on the solitaire cut Vari-Beam though.


----------



## bykfixer

^^ this guy deserves a sub forum

this is the first place I look when I come here lately


----------



## Alone In The Dark

bykfixer said:


> ^^ this guy deserves a sub forum
> 
> this is the first place I look when I come here lately



x2


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## LiftdT4R

No no no, not me! I'm pretty happy here in this thread. I appreciate the compliments though! I really just want to get this info out there because I was so interested in Maglites for a long time and I thought I'd never find any cool lights or any info because there just wasn't any resources out there for collectors. Heck, there's more info on Kel-Lites than Maglites. I also passed up many lights because I had no idea what they were. (Many a 7D because I thought they were 6Ds and the auction was mislabeled.) 

I was able to meet through sheer luck some very knowledgeable collectors and some excellent resources. Otherwise I would never have gotten anywhere with collecting. I just hope this all gets someone as interested in it as I am because it's an awesome hobby with some really great fellow collectors and it's still affordable.


----------



## LiftdT4R

Here's another rare finish on an old style Mag I recently picked up. This one was wild caught and came from the original owner who was not a collector. I like these finds mainly because they're the cheapest but also because it's a light that other collectors may not have seen yet. This one is a 3D 1,800,000 serial which puts it right at 1988. It is very rare in that it's done in gold annodizing which was rarely seen on the large Maglites. As far as I can tell the non-letter serials were done in Black, Red, Silver, Blue, Camo, and Gold.

It's interesting in that this is only 100,000 away from the camo light I have. At the time Maglite had been in business 10 years but had barely sold 2,000,000 3D lights. Whereas now, based on the serials and years I have, Mag easily moves 2,000,000 3D Incans a year. This is obviously huge growth and the type of sales numbers Mag Instrument was always looking for. Based on my conversations with other collectors and folks in the industry Mag was trying a number of ways to increase their sales in the early days and did some really offbeat things like this gold light, Vari-Beams and the introduction of Mini Mags and Solitaires.

I'm not a business guy but Mag Instrument has a very unique business model and it was ultimately this business model and not off beat finishes and new lights that helped them succeed. Mag Instrument very rarely changes the prices of it's lights. They are able to do this by finding manufacturing efficiencies. This helps in a few ways. The largest way is through inflation. Mag Instrument was able to capture markets that were willing to pay a premium for their lights early on. Every year after that the cost of the light became less through inflation and the market grew for the light. For example a 3D light has been consistently priced at right around $26 since it was introduced. 

$26 in 1979 = $92 in 2017
$26 in 1989 = $52 in 2017
$26 in 1999 = $38 in 2017
$26 in 2009 = $29 in 2017

Over the first decade of production the price stayed the same but the cost roughly halved. Early on many professionals and enthusiasts, just as today, had no problem spending almost $100 for a light. But, those are few and far between as is evident by their serial numbers and sales. There are certainly more customers at each price point and by the mid 90s sales really picked up. So really the early buyers financed Mag's R&D and made the lights more affordable for a broader audience which is why Maglites are so prevalent today and really such a low cost for what they are.

Anyway, before I bore everyone, enjoy the pics of my rare gold Maglite. It came with a 2nd gen gold Mini Mag that ran from late 1986 to 1996. The owner told me he purchased the 3D and the Mini Maglite at the same time but in separate packages. Nothing says 1989 like a pair of gold Maglites!!!


----------



## sgt253

That's cool. Never saw a gold one...let alone two


----------



## irongate

Nice score on the two Gold ones there:twothumbs


----------



## Toohotruk

Cool finds!


----------



## bykfixer

Nothing says "the 1980's like gold flashlights" and finding the 'mini-me' to the 3D.... priceless.
Big hair, mullets, giant wayfare shades and pink izods? Glad those are gone, but gold maglites will always be cool.


----------



## LiftdT4R

What? Since when are mullets gone? Uh oh, lol, that's one of the reasons I'm not on Facebook!

Thanks guys! I have a gold plated over brass AA Mini Mag too. I know those have been posted a bunch here but it's NIB so I'll throw up a couple pics.


----------



## LiftdT4R

Toohotruk said:


> Cool finds!



Thanks! Wow, I see you've been following this thread for a while! I wish I had gotten on this board sooner. I did not know there were many other people interested in lights let alone Maglites.


----------



## torchsarecool

Nib gold plated.... Awesome!


----------



## LiftdT4R

Here's my NIB gold plated Mini Maglite. You weren't lying torchsarecool, these things are heavy! They're heavier than a regular Mini Maglite with batteries. I think these have been posted quite a bit but for those who don't know they are brass with gold plating so they are significantly heavier than the aluminum ones. The packaging puts it right at 1985 or 1986 because after this Maglite started laser engraving the bezel and in 1984 Maglite used their older rounded style logo. I went over some of this in Post #372 of this thread for those interested. From what I've heard is these were sold to high end stores around the holidays and were intended mostly as gifts. Another collector told me these originally retailed for $100 in 1985 which was a very large sum of money back then (it still is for me!). From Magellan's old posts it seems these came with a cardboard outer sleeve too which unfortunately I did not get with this one. This light came from another collector who has a far more extensive collection than me.











Also, another score I made recently! 4 NOS old style Maglite Switch covers. These are long out of production from Maglite and most 1979 lights you'll find for sale are missing them. I covered the differences in post #375. I'm probably the only person that gets excited about finding Maglite switch covers for sale... New style on the right, originals on the left!






And I thought I'd finish up with a light that is the total opposite of my NIB gold Mini Mag. I picked up an non-letter serial parts lot, head, bezel, and tail cap from your favorite auction site when I messaged the seller to see if they had anymore lights she said "no, but I am about to toss the barrel for this light if you want it". Of course I said yes and it turned out to be a 70,000 serial 2D with a good switch. Paten Pending barrel! So that puts this light at 1980. It looks rough but I love it! Something about a well used light just does it for me where a new light doesn't. It has lots of battery corrosion and the tube is out of round. Shouldn't be an issue to get back into working order. The switch is in perfect shape and all the corrosion is by the tail cap. I know this isn't a super rare light or worth anything really but it's great having lights like this in my collection. Call me a hoarder (my wife does) but I enjoy saving early Mags from the scrap pile.


----------



## irongate

Yes that does look like it has gone a few miles, that will take some cleaning. Have fun!


----------



## bykfixer

Thank you for saving a Maglite.


----------



## LiftdT4R

Anytime! I just have to find a way to declare myself a charity or non-profit then I can really get things going and finally leave my job.


----------



## Alone In The Dark

LiftdT4R said:


> http://maglite.com/maglab/maglitenation-exclusive-flashlight-hunt-contest-april-2017
> 
> Did anyone see this contest from Maglite? I know there are a few members here that have very low serial lights that might be interested. I'm going to send in pics of my low serial incans and see what happens! It's open to LEDs and other lights too although I imagine incans will be the main draw. I'm not sure how they lump C and Ds in together because a lower serial does not equal an older production date. The C cells didn't start until 1981 when D cells had already been in production for 2 years.
> 
> I should ask them if I win if I could trade the LED light for a switch cover for a first generation Mag. So far they've sent me 2 switch covers both of which are too small. They say they'll cover it under warranty but now they want me to send my light back. I don't think so. I don't think they still make a switch cover for the first run of Mags any more.
> 
> There's a photo gallery too for those not interested in entering but are interested in looking at some old Mags. It is:
> 
> https://magcontesthunt1.hscampaigns.com/#modal-open
> 
> So far I'd win but I don't have time to post my entry until later this week. I have a ~3,000 serial 6D, a ~7,000 serial 7C and an ~18,000 serial 2D. To be fair I only still use the 2D for walking the dog once in a while so I'll probably enter it. Both D cells are the old large switch hole and missing switch covers. :-( The 7C is a 1981 that I bought from Torchesarecool.



Does anyone here know when the results of this contest are supposed to be announced?


----------



## LiftdT4R

Alone In The Dark said:


> Does anyone here know when the results of this contest are supposed to be announced?



EDIT: Oops, looks like they announce the results of Twitter and not the website. They haven't announced these ones yet and the last ones took about a month to announce. The prior owner of my 6D Mag posted it and as far as I can tell it had the lowest serial. I'm waiting to hear from him if he won or not. So I'll post up some pics of the light and some info if he does win. This whole contest was confusing becaus lowest serial does not mean oldest light. 3Ds started first and C cells didn't start until 1981 so I'm not sure how they'll judge it. Someone posted a ~3,000 serial 3D that was just a bit higher than my 6D but I'm almost confident its older.


----------



## bykfixer

Not rare production-wise, but probably not many were made for this promotion.




Love those promos.
The Bay area of California local newspaper.


----------



## Alone In The Dark

LiftdT4R said:


> EDIT: Oops, looks like they announce the results of Twitter and not the website. They haven't announced these ones yet and the last ones took about a month to announce. The prior owner of my 6D Mag posted it and as far as I can tell it had the lowest serial. I'm waiting to hear from him if he won or not. So I'll post up some pics of the light and some info if he does win. This whole contest was confusing becaus lowest serial does not mean oldest light. 3Ds started first and C cells didn't start until 1981 so I'm not sure how they'll judge it. Someone posted a ~3,000 serial 3D that was just a bit higher than my 6D but I'm almost confident its older.



I agree with you. It is confusing in the other categories as well. For example, I provided a picture of one of my Mag-Tac lights with a relatively low serial number. Someone else had a lower serial number Mag-Tac, but his flashlight was the rechargeable version that would have been manufactured well after I purchased my non-rechargeable version.


----------



## LiftdT4R

bykfixer said:


> Not rare production-wise, but probably not many were made for this promotion.
> 
> Love those promos.
> The Bay area of California local newspaper.



Very nice! Any idea what the promo was or what date? Also, I'm guessing that's an AAA Mini Mag? Looks like 96 or later based on the panther head on the bezel. Do ya live out in CA?


----------



## bykfixer

LiftdT4R said:


> Very nice! Any idea what the promo was or what date? Also, I'm guessing that's an AAA Mini Mag? Looks like 96 or later based on the panther head on the bezel. Do ya live out in CA?



No idea the date etc or what the promotion was. I saw the panther was what I call 'the well fed' icon where the old one was not as round? The 'hungry' icon from the lean times at Maglite. 

Forgot to mention that yes it's a triple A. My first one in incan flavor. I like that size better than the double A version. Just as bright but shirt pocket friendly. 

I live on the east coast Lift'd.


----------



## LiftdT4R

My 2D came out great, it's shining again! It's a an early 1981 model so it must have some great stories to go along with it. If only I knew!







I also have another rare light for you guys. This is one of the 3,000 lights that Mag Instrument donated to the 9/11 search and rescue effort. These were all 3D models and were donated in a variety of colors but as far as I know were all 3Ds. This one is the standard Mag purple finish. Mag Instrument has made several giveaway/donation lights and this was the only D cell one that I know of. These were passed out to emergency responders in the days after the 9/11 attacks and as the wording implies were not for sale. I haven't seen many of these so I don't imagine that many were saved during the 9/11 cleanup.











I was looking for one of these for a while but wasn't sure really what all to look for. Mag Instrument makes mention to them on their site but doesn't show much info. I could see they had a screen print by the tail cap but until I got this light I wasn't sure if they were all printed that way or if it was just the one on the website. The image from Mag's website is below.






If anyone else has one of these please contact me as there is something on this light that I think is different from other standard 3Ds but I just want to confirm. These are all going 29,119,000 serial which puts them right in the 2001 production range.

I'm slowly running out of lights to post although I do have a few more you guys might enjoy and I still have to do a write up on my Cabela's light so if anyone has a 7D or any other rare lights please keep me in mind. I enjoy researching these lights out! Even any rumor of a rare light is always welcome. I don't mind doing the legwork. Please help me out or I might have to start collecting Kel-Lites!!!


----------



## sgt253

LiftdT4R,
Great story and even better collection. If you need a couple Kel-Lites I may know a guy, lol. Stay away from that bykfixer guy, he's a pusher! LOL!!! Either that or I have a serious problem,nah!

Best to all.


----------



## LiftdT4R

Thanks!!! Glad you guys enjoy it. Before I got on this board I thought I was the only one that did. You're a little late on that warning! I just did a trade with him last week. And, yes, he is, lol! 

If you know a guy, pass along his info. I have 3 Kel-Lites now. Two of them came in collections that I bought and at first I was going to trade them away but then I thought the better of it and kept them. The third one I purchased and it's a very special light. If anyone is interested we should start a "Show us your Kel-Lite" thread.

I'm really only looking for 2 more Maglites unless there's something crazy out there that I don't know about. I really want a 7D which I think I'll get one day but it might be a while. They came in Red, Silver and Blue also and they are super rare but any color would do. I also want a 2AA Vari-Beam. It's basically the Mini Maglite but done up like a Vari-Beam. They were produced in very limited quantities towards the end of the Vari-Beam run in 1984 for big box retailers. A member on here has one and I've messaged him twice but to no avail. I would pay an arm and a leg for either one of those lights or I have some pretty unique and rare lights I'd trade. I doubt I'll ever get one though but I have enough other pretty rare lights I might be ok with not having one eventually.

I always go back and look at Abtomat's thread. That dude has an awesome collection! Second to none when it comes to aluminum D Cells! I would love to have a collection like that one day.

EDIT: Ok, so I guess I don't have either of the Bush 2 Inaugural lights or the Mag Lillehammer Olympics giveaway but I'm not too hot after those as they're not all that rare.


----------



## bykfixer

You guys are safe Kel-Lites-wise. I'm Streamlight-ing lately. 

Lift'd kept striking out on Marquis. I kept thinking he'd get more joy from it than I was and considered offering it to him.... then the PM offering a plated brass mini mag for it.

"Is a bull frog water proof?" I tossed in a beater Vare-Beam and he tossed in the head from one of George Bush's thousand points of light. 

Good trade.


----------



## Christoph

Here is one I've had since the mid 80's
















And one I picked up at a sale recently 3 C cell


----------



## torchsarecool

That cabelas interesting. Not seen one of those before, thanks for sharing that one!
Some decent collections you lot have. Im all out of interesting maglites now in my collection.


----------



## Toohotruk

What is the indicator light for on that Cabelas light? Is it rechargeable?


----------



## Toohotruk

LiftdT4R said:


> Thanks! Wow, I see you've been following this thread for a while! I wish I had gotten on this board sooner. I did not know there were many other people interested in lights let alone Maglites.


 Yep...where has the time gone?! It was Mag that got me into CPF...I was looking for reviews for the new at the time LED MiniMag.


----------



## LiftdT4R

Christoph said:


> Here is one I've had since the mid 80's
> 
> And one I picked up at a sale recently 3 C cell



Wow, that's only the second Cabela's light I've ever seen! You have a very awesome and rare light there. If you ever sell make sure you get a good buck for it! I have one and it took me forever to find. They are the only light where Maglite has ever put another company's logo on the bezel. I've been researching these Cabela's lights for a long time and I still don't have the complete story but I'll share what I found since ya posted one.

These were done in 2, 3, 4, and 5 D cells in late 1981 for Cabela's. At the time Maglite was not selling very many lights and was looking for a way to boost sales. One of Mag's salesman went to Sidney, NE and talked with Jim Cabela about doing a light for Cabela's and partnering with them. They accepted and produced about 1,000 lights total for them. Most of the lights were 2 and 3 cells so the 4 and 5 cells are very few and far between. The business relationship went south very quickly after they were produced and Cabela's pulled the remaining order and the lights from their catalog. They gave most of the rest away to employees and as gifts to those visitors of their corporate headquarters. I've been scouring ebay and elsewhere for a 1981/1982 Cabela's catalog because these lights are supposed to be in there but I've not had any luck so far. Plus they had a master catalog, camping catalog, fishing catalog and a seasonal catalogs for each year.

Yours appears to have been converted to an LED at some point as they certainly didn't have LEDs in 1981. Did you put the voltage indicator in the light or was it something done by the previous owner? That's not original to the light either. DO you have any story as to where you got it? Did you order it from the original catalog?

Here's mine. It came from the estate of a retired Cabela's executive. It's a 5 cell and is in pristine condition except it has damage to the finish up by the switch because it had a battery stuck by the switch which had to be removed.






I'll do a proper writeup on these when I get a little more info along with some better pics. Anything you could share would be much appreciated as info is hard to come by on these lights. Thanks sooooo much for sharing! It's good to see some interest in these lights!!


----------



## LiftdT4R

bykfixer said:


> "Is a bull frog water proof?"



Is the pope Catholic?

Lol, I love a good trade and a good project on the Vari-Beam. I'll post results when I'm done. Thanks dude!!


----------



## Christoph

There was a guy named Hotbeam ( it was a guy named Burnt Retinas) who made a circuit that acted like a piece of wire after it fell out of regulation the red led lets me know when it is no longer regulating it is set for 1.5 amps and runs a 5 watt X binned Luxeon I made it sometime in 2003 here is a link to the thread.


----------



## torchsarecool

Just got my ferrari minimag working. Its had batteries stuck in it but done some work on it and its up and running now. Unfortunately some corrosion inside, but not visable on the outside. Pleased with it. Not particulary rare, but expensive as desireable with ferrari memorabilia collectors so prices generally high. Either that or you need to buy a ferrari


----------



## LiftdT4R

torchsarecool said:


> Just got my ferrari minimag working. Its had batteries stuck in it but done some work on it and its up and running now. Unfortunately some corrosion inside, but not visable on the outside. Pleased with it. Not particulary rare, but expensive as desireable with ferrari memorabilia collectors so prices generally high. Either that or you need to buy a ferrari



Lets see some pic! Did those come with a Ferrari? Do ya know any story behind them? I see them from time to time on fleabay and they're usually a BIN for $200. I wasn't sure the origin on them and I don't have one.


----------



## torchsarecool

Theyre the standard spec with ferrari tool kits. Theyre non knurled and Matt silver with printed on bezel detailing and logo. I think the basic light is the same as used for the americana limited editions. Theyve now been replaced with a standard black maglite which is why these are now sought after. 
I will post a youtube video soon.


----------



## Alone In The Dark

LiftdT4R said:


> http://maglite.com/maglab/maglitenation-exclusive-flashlight-hunt-contest-april-2017
> 
> Did anyone see this contest from Maglite? I know there are a few members here that have very low serial lights that might be interested. I'm going to send in pics of my low serial incans and see what happens! It's open to LEDs and other lights too although I imagine incans will be the main draw. I'm not sure how they lump C and Ds in together because a lower serial does not equal an older production date. The C cells didn't start until 1981 when D cells had already been in production for 2 years.



Woohoo! Maglite contacted me by email the other day to inform me that I won. 

I owe you a huge shout of thanks, LiftdT4R. When I first read through the contest rules, I had to agree with you that the old incandescent flashlights would likely be the main draw. I therefore went a different direction and submitted a photo of my oldest Mag-Tac flashlight. Apparently a black 3-cell D ML300L will soon be on its way to my house.


----------



## torchsarecool

Thats awesome alone in the dark!!


----------



## sgt253

Alone In The Dark said:


> Woohoo! Maglite contacted me by email the other day to inform me that I won.
> 
> I owe you a huge shout of thanks, LiftdT4R. When I first read through the contest rules, I had to agree with you that the old incandescent flashlights would likely be the main draw. I therefore went a different direction and submitted a photo of my oldest Mag-Tac flashlight. Apparently a black 3-cell D ML300L will soon be on its way to my house.






WOOOHOOO!!! That's excellent! How fitting a CPF'er wins that contest! Enjoy your prize! 

Best.


----------



## Toohotruk

Congrats!!!


----------



## bykfixer

That was a "pressing like button" image. Thanks photobucket.


----------



## LiftdT4R

Alone In The Dark said:


> Woohoo! Maglite contacted me by email the other day to inform me that I won.
> 
> I owe you a huge shout of thanks, LiftdT4R. When I first read through the contest rules, I had to agree with you that the old incandescent flashlights would likely be the main draw. I therefore went a different direction and submitted a photo of my oldest Mag-Tac flashlight. Apparently a black 3-cell D ML300L will soon be on its way to my house.



Awesome, congrats dude!!! Let's see some pics of that Mag-Tac for the thread!

I'll have to text the previous owner of my 6D to see if he's heard anything. I looked through all of the entries ad it had the lowest serial. Hopefully they'll post the results to Twitter or their site soon.


----------



## Offgridled

So cool congrats Alone)


----------



## torchsarecool

Video of the ferrari maglite below. 

https://youtu.be/L1UBRweBvQk


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## LiftdT4R

Very nice torchesarecool, love it! That's a good one to save seeing how rare they are!

My latest find isn't super exciting but it is rare. I recently acquired a midnight blue 4D. Midnight blue was one of the few special order finishes Mag has done. It's been pretty well covered here that if you're willing to order enough lights Mag Instrument will do any finish you want. Some of the past ones have been for Target and Home Depot. I know of jade, lime green, midnight blue, and bronze and I've heard of possibly an orange being available as well. I'm not sure which finishes were done for who so if you have some info please pass it on my way. 

Finishes in general on the larger lights are a lot less common than 2 and 3Ds because the 2 and 3Ds outsell them by so much. For instance 6Ds are only currently available in black and red and 4Ds are only available in blue, silver, red, and black. The special order colors were only done on 2 through 4Ds but I don't think every special order contained 4Ds. It would all depend on what the store placing the order wanted. I've only seen the 4Ds in midnight blue, jade, and bronze. I'm not really much of a collector of these newer style Panther lights but I always did like the larger Mags. Anyway, here's my newly acquired midnight blue. It's a 10,849,879 serial and it looks like it's a cross between purple and blue.


----------



## bykfixer

You mention orange, I saw an orange Solitaire at the big auction site recently as a buy it now. Probably still there.


----------



## irongate

4R That is a pretty blue


----------



## LiftdT4R

Bykfixer, I think orange may have been a standard color on the Solitaires and Mini Mags because you do see a lot of them. I'm not sure if it was a special order color on the D cells because I vaguely remember seeing one a while back. 

Thanks irongate!! They are tough to find because most times they appear regular blue in the photos and most folks don't know there is a color difference.

It def adds some color to my D cell Mag collection.


----------



## irongate

4R. I feel very sorry for you with all of those Mags. Rainbow of colors


----------



## Alone In The Dark

LiftdT4R said:


>




Nice! :thumbsup:


----------



## bykfixer

Hey Lift'd, last night I was looking at the Mag website to see if the ML 150 LR is out yet and their promo pic for the Solitaire has an orange one. 

Good thing I didn't click on the buy it now for that "rare" orange one. lol

I was just curious one evening to see what is on the bay lately and was surprised at what prices some folks are asking on not so special Maglites. Ridiculous prices and some flat out untruths that I only hope were there because the sellers were told the misinformation and passed it on. Not outright flim-flamary on the sellers part.


Luv, luv, luvin' that cop light blue D Mag!!


----------



## LiftdT4R

irongate said:


> 4R. I feel very sorry for you with all of those Mags. Rainbow of colors



Thanks! You should feel sorry for me because of the lack of a 7D though. It's the one light that always seems to escape me. I also don't have an AA Vari-Beam so unless there's something I really don't know about I think I have mostly everything I'm looking for. Bykfixer got me hooked on other lights so now I'm in for another roller coaster.

Bykfixer, ohh yeah! I think people don't know that you can get new Panther Mags for $23 out the door. I see used panther Mags for like $40 sometimes and it's crazy. It's crazy because I've gotten some awesome deals at the same time. Those 2 gold anodized Mags I picked up for $25 shipped. I picked up a large head Kel-Lite with a 5D 1979 Mag for $35 shipped. That's half the fun, lol!!


----------



## irongate

4R if I ever fine a 7 I will get it for you that is my word


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## LiftdT4R

Thanks dude!! I have plenty of interesting lights I'd swap ya! In a way it's probably good that I haven't found one yet because when I started collecting that's the only light I was after. If I found one earlier I probably wouldn't have gotten into collecting. My best buddy had one and we always used to use it as kids. He got it from a relative who was a cop. His house burned down in 2008 and the light was lost. I started collecting about 6 years ago and buying up different lights and even some lots of lights with the hope that I'd be able to learn enough to stop one on fleabay or at least be able to get a rare enough Mag I could swap for one.


----------



## LiftdT4R

Here's my pair of 7Cs. I just got the ~38,000 one on everyone's favorite auction site. The ~6,000 one came from Torchesarecool. The flat end caps on these C cells were only done until the C cells changed over to the R bezel in around 87. If you ever see a flat end cap C cell snatch it up or at least let me know! Theses 7Cs must have been discontinued around ~40,000 because those are the highest serials I've seen and also have an R bezel. I'm going to e-mail Maglite to date this one and see. The ~6,000 7C is from late 81 just right after production started.
















Also, my C cell collection is very small and I'm missing a 6C. I'd really like to add a couple more C cell Vari-Beams too but they are super rare because they were only done for one year too. The D Cells were done from 80 to 84. I see 6Cs for sale quite a bit on ebay but I won't pay the $100+ going rate unless it's for a flat end cap. I'll swap for one of find one on the cheap eventually. I'm not too hot after one.


----------



## turbodog

LiftdT4R said:


> ...
> 
> Also, my C cell collection is very small and I'm missing a 6C. I'd really like to add a couple more C cell Vari-Beams too but they are super rare because they were only done for one year too. The D Cells were done from 80 to 84. I see 6Cs for sale quite a bit on ebay but I won't pay the $100+ going rate unless it's for a flat end cap. I'll swap for one of find one on the cheap eventually. I'm not too hot after one.
> 
> ...



I bought out the remaining stock of a light company in canada. Got a pile of 6c lights NIB. Message me.


----------



## LiftdT4R

turbodog said:


> I bought out the remaining stock of a light company in canada. Got a pile of 6c lights NIB. Message me.



Wow, that was quick. PM sent. I have a bunch of Mags and non-Mags that I could trade too. Just lemme know what you're lookin for.


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## irongate

4R nice fine on the 7 C's


----------



## torchsarecool

Jay, i got a date 13th may 1982 on that 7c.

You know....a ferrari mag would look great in that collection. :nana:


----------



## LiftdT4R

torchsarecool said:


> Jay, i got a date 13th may 1982 on that 7c.
> 
> You know....a ferrari mag would look great in that collection. :nana:



Hey, thanks!! I forgot ya sent that over when you sold it. That makes sense because Maglite started producing C cells in mid 1981 and the 7Cs were very unpopular at the time. The 38,000 serial I picked up is from 1988 so they were only selling about 4,000 a year which is very low. It looks like the 7Cs were discontinued around 1989 or 1990. You wonder how popular these lights would be if they were still being produced. I'm willing to bet that nobody would be buying them and they wouldn't be worth much if they weren't discontinued. People always want what has been discontinued long ago, lol.

Ohhhh, lol, I have a feeling I'm going to be shooting you a PM about that light. They are very tough to find and even though I'm not much into new lights but I like to pick up hard to find lights when they're available. I'm on vacation right now for my wife's 30th birthday so let me see when I get back if I have any money left.


----------



## aginthelaw

hopefully this won't start me on another tangent of flashlight collection, but what would a person use a 7 cell Maglite for? I do believe it resembles the device they use for putting derailed trains back on track


----------



## LiftdT4R

The longer lights were especially popular for law enforcement prior to the adoption of extendable batons. Many other folks also used them for self defense. You actually see a good amount of these lights in Europe where most weapons are banned. The C cells were actually more popular than th D cells in the 70s because they were easier to use as a baton. More of the 1st gen kel-Lites were C cells than D. Other than that they were marginally brighter and had a longer run time.

They are an especially fun tangent to collect!! The 7 cells are about the rarest and most sought after Maglites. The 7Cs pop up every now and again and there's a member here wth a bunch of NIB ones. The 7Ds almost never come up for sale.


----------



## turbodog

LiftdT4R said:


> The longer lights were especially popular for law enforcement prior to the adoption of extendable batons. Many other folks also used them for self defense. You actually see a good amount of these lights in Europe where most weapons are banned. The C cells were actually more popular than th D cells in the 70s because they were easier to use as a baton. More of the 1st gen kel-Lites were C cells than D. Other than that they were marginally brighter and had a longer run time.
> 
> They are an especially fun tangent to collect!! The 7 cells are about the rarest and most sought after Maglites. The 7Cs pop up every now and again and there's a member here wth a bunch of NIB ones. The 7Ds almost never come up for sale.




Who has the 7c nib?

Also, the lights with higher voltage suffered from poor beams. The filaments were so long it was hard to focus the light from them.


----------



## LiftdT4R

turbodog said:


> Who has the 7c nib?
> 
> Also, the lights with higher voltage suffered from poor beams. The filaments were so long it was hard to focus the light from them.



http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?220605-RARE-MAGLITES/page4

Post #117 of this thread.

I'll also PM you his e-mail address too because he's not on here much any more.


----------



## turbodog

For those collecting/searching, I have often had good results with searching for the mfg and/or part # from the light I wanted.

I posted a pretty complete list of the minimag part #s in another thread. You can swap out the 'a' for 'c' and 'd' and you will have the c/d #. There is also a 9 digit xxx-yyy-zzz number as well. These can be really helpful.

As for my 6c stash... I found it 5-6 months ago using a simple google search. Called them up, in Canada, and bought all 5 lights.

edit:

See this thread:

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?191923-AA-MiniMag-Collection-Part-4

the c/d part # will be like s2c and s3d.


----------



## LiftdT4R

Very interesting. I have part numbers for 7 and C D cells. Lemme do a little bit of digging and see what I find. It's a long shot but I've so far been unlucky in acquiring a 7D.

I know these have been covered pretty well here before but I figured I'd show mine. It's the 2001 George W. Bush inaugural Mini Maglite. This is an AA unlike the earlier AAA. It's story is identical to the AAA and was even produced in the same numbers, 40,000. It lacks the knurling like most models have. I'm still missing the blue 2005 one but I do see them on fleabay from time to time. Anyway, enjoy the pics and I still have a few more lights to post here too.


----------



## LiftdT4R

All right, Friday night and I'm bored (man, getting old sucks) so I decided to add another chapter to my novel. I think I've posted most of my collection now but I still have a couple more lights left. Starting in 1990 when Maglite changed the grip size and went to a laser etched bezel on the D cells they also started doing custom laser engraving on a per order basis. There are tons and tons of custom orders that were intended as giveaways and promotional items and it's almost impossible to collect them all. The laser engraving is much rarer on the C and D cells than on the Mini Mags and Solitaires. The reason being was that Mag had minimum order numbers on laser engraved lights, usually around 100 or so. The D and C cells were much more expensive and as such not many companies wanted to shell out that much money for giveaways and promotional items.

I love professional lights, especially ones with a good story behind them. This D cell was done as part of a large batch for Chevron intended to be used by maintenance workers at their refineries. As stated on the barrel and to deter theft it was labelled as the property of Chevron and was used in their El Segundo refinery just south of LAX. I worked in petroleum for a long time and I often used my own 3D Incan (now Malkoff'd) Maglite when swinging valves, walking the right-of-way, and making batch cuts into the wee hours of the morning. I collected a lot of petroleum items during my time in that field so this goes well with that collection and my Maglite collection. The original owner was a longtime refinery employee that took the then outdated light with him when he retired. Not having much of a use for it in recent years he sold it.

It's a 4,000,000 serial 3D and a "transitional" model, one with a reduced grip sized and laser etched bezel but still with the bigger barrel and non-letter serial. These models were produced only in 1990 and 1991. It is likely one of Mag's first batches of custom laser etched orders seeing at how close Chevron is to their factory.
















It is also interesting to note that Chevron has a long storied history as well. Just like the company I worked for they are a spin off of the Standard Oil Company headed up by John D. Rockefeller and were once known as Standard Oil of California before companies in the US were banned from using the Standard name. There are many other former Standards like Exxon (Standard Oil of New Jersey), Mobil (Standard Oil of New York), and the old Amoco (Standard Oil of Indiana). I'm really interested in the history of different companies so I thought this might be of some interest to others out there too.

The other custom laser etched C cell lights I've frequently seen are the ever popular Chevy Trucks C cells which were supplied with a tool kit on Chevy Suburbans and Tahoes. I've also seen several D and C models done for railroads too. If you have an interesting laser etched C or D cell I'd love to see it because I don't know of many.


----------



## bykfixer

I saw a Dale Jarrett one at the closing seconds of an auction tonight. 3D cell number with zero bids.

All of my promos appear to be silk screened. Either that or the etching isn't into the surface as far as the Mag logo is. Even my Fluke Meters 3D LED one.


----------



## LiftdT4R

bykfixer said:


> I saw a Dale Jarrett one at the closing seconds of an auction tonight. 3D cell number with zero bids.
> 
> All of my promos appear to be silk screened. Either that or the etching isn't into the surface as far as the Mag logo is. Even my Fluke Meters 3D LED one.



I like those Fluke's too!! I think they are laser etched. If Mag did it, and since it is in the package I would think that's the case, it's probably laser etched. The laser etching looks almost identical to screen printing except the logo won't be raised as much because it's burned into the aluminum instead of adding a layer of paint. If the logo looks identical to the bezel then it's laser etched.

It's possible Mag went to screen printing on the newer lights. It's far less durable than laser etching though.


----------



## Toohotruk

That Chevron light is way cool!


----------



## LiftdT4R

Toohotruk said:


> That Chevron light is way cool!



Thanks!! People at work and outdoors always tell me: Hey, a Maglite?! That looks like a cop light! And really cops haven't carried Mag's in years and even when they did they weren't that popular. Maglites are more so used in industry and just about everywhere else but not so much in law enforcement.


----------



## bykfixer

^^ I was watching a "happy birthday America" type movie last night that was done about the time Clinton was president. At one point "the President" and his wife had decided to go out for ice cream... alone. They got pulled by a policeman who shined a (what appeared to be a 4D sized) Maglite in the presidents face.
So Hollyweird at that time still considered Maglites as cop lights it seems. (We all know the officer would have likely had a Magcharger or SL 20)

Anyway, this morning around sunrise I began a quest for an older C sized Maglite. Buy it Now... because I do not have ulta-fast internet nor last milli-second bidding software. Found a few interesting oldies. Knowing I'd likely not win them I kept looking for them. Oh there were several so-called rare numbers going for crazy prices.. crazy as in "are you outta your mind thinking you'll get $500 for _that_?"

I found (and bought) a conundrum of sorts. A panther bezel'd 3C without the C in the serial number. 




No "C" in the serial number.
Listed as a 1998 model.





Hard to see the panther in the seller pic but it's there.





I'll use the "deep" tail cap on my heavy duty 4C. 

I don't suppose there was anything especially 'special' about this Ford Quality Care promo, but I liked the interesting serial number vs bezel. Besides I didn't have a 3C in my Mag collection before.

Edit: Member Lift'd pointed out that Mag started placing "C" on those in or about 2003 and panthers in or about 1992. No conundrum here. But being a Ford Quality Care promo at least puts it into the "limited edition" mode.


----------



## LiftdT4R

2003 was the changeover to letter serials and they also moved the o-ring from the head to the barrel. 

That's a nice light! Especially if it's laser etched because it was done by Mag. Ya just don't see many C cells with finishes or with laser etched logos so it's a nice find!!

If ya see any super rare Mags send 'em my way! $500 doesn't scare me for the right model!!


----------



## bykfixer

LiftdT4R said:


> 2003 was the changeover to letter serials and they also moved the o-ring from the head to the barrel.
> 
> That's a nice light! Especially if it's laser etched because it was done by Mag. Ya just don't see many C cells with finishes or with laser etched logos so it's a nice find!!
> 
> If ya see any super rare Mags send 'em my way! $500 doesn't scare me for the right model!!



These aint those "right models" lol. 

Sell pix were kinda fuzzy so I'll know whatz what in a few days etched-wise. But even if it were a plain ole black one it was a real nice price.


Edit: It's here! Yay!!




I'm supposing it was made in '98?





Looks real purdy with the others.





Slightly different shade of blue from todays production blue. I wasn't sure about that until it arrived. 

Yes Lift'd it has a nice laser etching. Real nice.


----------



## LiftdT4R

Very nice variety of lights ya have there!!

I found a pretty interesting piece of Maglite history and a little bit of a mystery. This is a package insert from one of the very first Maglites produced in 1979. It's for a D cell as C cells didn't come about until 1981. What's so interesting is that on the parts diagram is there is a small and large head shown. These part numbers were only used for a very short time. Later numbers followed the 100-000-000 format. I've talked with some pretty serious collectors as well as some folks who were with Mag even in the early days and I've always heard that there were not any other head sizes made. I would guess that this idea was abandoned right before the lights took off. I don't know why Mag would need different head sizes as the light were able to focus unlike earlier lights which weren't. Anyway, check it out. This is the first insert I've seen this old.











It came from another collector and I have some pics of the light I'll post as well. It's the oldest Maglite I've ever seen or heard of.


----------



## bykfixer

Nice!!!

I like how they reccomended not to leave batteries in them over long periods. 

Perhaps the large head was Don's idea that just didn't seem to bite.


----------



## LiftdT4R

bykfixer said:


> Nice!!!
> 
> I like how they reccomended not to leave batteries in them over long periods.
> 
> Perhaps the large head was Don's idea that just didn't seem to bite.



They also explain about the vinegar trick too!! I wish they would still put info like this on their instructions but I'm not sure why they don't.

I'm really confused because last I talked to Don he didn't know anything about it. I sent him a copy of the instruction sheet though to see if he might remember. I am fairly sure this idea was abandoned very early on and none were produced because I've seen a ton of Maglites and talked to a lot of collectors. It's possible there's something crazy out there I don't know about but not too likely. Actually, I hope there is because I'm only missing a couple lights in my collection and I'd love to know about a new one.


----------



## LiftdT4R

I figured I'd post this too. It's packages from the early days. They are 1979 (first year) on the left, 1980 to 1984 in the center, and a 1985 to 1992 package on the right. These are display boxes. Hang packs also came in around 1985.







I took this updated pick of part of my Maglite collection the other day. I thought it looked kinda cool and figured I'd share.


----------



## bykfixer

Did Maglite do a lanyard tailcap Lift'd? 
I'm see-ing them all over the place stating "fits old type" and the have a Mag part number (108-000-009). Thing is... some say "ships from China". lol. 





Here's a eBay seller pic.
It's from eCops who I've found over time to have genuine vintage stuff... well from Streamlight... I've yet to buy any Maglite stuff from them.


----------



## LiftdT4R

Yes, they did! It's not very well advertised and it was available only as an accessory from the service center. It wasn't available standard on any of their lights. They also only fit non-letter D cells. They were dropped in 92 when they changed over to the Panther lights so anything you find is going to be new old stock from around that time or earlier.

I don't know why lanyard ring tail caps never caught on. I think it's nice to have a lanyard with the light but I guess folks weren't willing to pay extra for them. I've heard something like the average homeowner uses their light only 4 or 5 times a year so I think the general market isn't looking to spend a bundle of money or interested in fancy things. Us flashaholics are a different breed entirely but remember this is the rest of America.

Here's a parts list from the 1982+ lights. Maglite's earlier parts numbering scheme was a little different and is shown in the above 1979 insert.






As you can see the standard end cap part number is 200-000-238 so these places aren't ripping off the standard Maglite end cap. No paperwork I have makes reference to a 108-000-009 so it's likely something that was only sold by the service center upon request. My bet is that it was so unpopular that that's why you still see them hanging around for sale. I have one somewhere that I got in a parts lot so I'll have to dig it out and post some pics.


----------



## LiftdT4R

That's a good point too! I wouldn't say that they're hard to find because there's a bunch of new old stock hanging around but I guess they are rare in that you just never seen them.


----------



## bykfixer

Cool. Good info (as always). I have one ordered for the non D 2D I got going last night. It arrived with a stuck battery, which I knew I'd remove someday and probably set the light aside as is... but when it came out I decided to spruce it up. For whatever reason the thought of it having a lanyard entered my thoughts, hence post #463. 

After some research I found some 1 star reviews stating it won't fit LED Mag's so that was a good sign. 




I suppose they are the larger OD than the newer tail caps...like those old factory type.


----------



## irongate

LiftdT4R said:


> I figured I'd post this too. It's packages from the early days. They are 1979 (first year) on the left, 1980 to 1984 in the center, and a 1985 to 1992 package on the right. These are display boxes. Hang packs also came in around 1985.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I took this updated pick of part of my Maglite collection the other day. I thought it looked kinda cool and figured I'd share.



Very nice collection there:twothumbs

Did they ever make a yellow one? Doesn't seem to be that many green ones also?


----------



## LiftdT4R

The OD is smaller on the 92+ lights but the IDs are pretty similar. Here's a pic I had from a while back with a 92+ end cap threaded into an old non-letter barrel. I don't believe that the reverse will work though. All standard LED Mags are going to have the exact same barrel as the 92+ lights just with a L as the second character of the serial. The MLs and such are different.






That 2D should look nice with a lanyard end cap! Did you end up getting the battery out? It sounds like it.


----------



## bykfixer

It was a Radio Shack battery.

I stopped using them in anything that matters a while ago because they still leaked often and quickly.


----------



## LiftdT4R

Were you able to just push it out? Nice! Gotta love those old 2Ds. What's the serial on it? It's somewhere from 1980 to 1986.


----------



## Toohotruk

What would be cool is if they made one for the "C" lights! :naughty:


----------



## bykfixer

20430825

I figure the 2 to the left was "2 cell" or it was 20 million 430 thousand and 825 sold by then. 






The retainer ring acted like it had been soaked in liquid wrench (but had not), and once the switch assembly was out a 19mm socket and extension made a great 'wooden dowel'. 
I had the dremel and a drill ready to perform meatball surgery but as luck would have it that was not necessary.

Agreed 2hot. A C size would be epic.


----------



## LiftdT4R

irongate said:


> Very nice collection there:twothumbs
> 
> Did they ever make a yellow one? Doesn't seem to be that many green ones also?



Thanks!! I have some more pretty neat lights coming too.

Maglite has not produced a yellow that I know of. They have produced 3 greens though. They are:

Dark Green 
This is currently available and it's very dark green. Z Battery has green 2 and 3 D cell lights. C cells used to come in green too but they haven't in a while.

Jade
This was a special order color from a retailers. Pretty much if you order enough lights Mag will anodize them whatever color you want. I forget if this was from Home Depot, Target or Walmart but it was done on 2, 3 and 4 D cells. I have a 4D in an earlier post and they pop up on fleabay from time to time.

Lime Green
This is another special order color. I hardly ever see them for sale and I think they it was just done on 2 and 3 D cell lights.

Other special order colors were orange, midnight blue, and bronze. I don't think there were any others. Of course there was the gold and camo on non-letter serials which weren't special order but were produced in very small batches to test the market for different finishes.


----------



## irongate

T4R Thank You, don't have any green ones yet. Just Blue,Black,Red,Silver.


----------



## LiftdT4R

You go it! I should have mentioned those finishes are all on the 1992+ lights.


----------



## LeanBurn

I find it somewhat interesting that my 1999 Mag-lite has so much in common with a Mag-lite made 10+ years earlier. It is like having a new-ish classic vintage model.


----------



## LiftdT4R

LeanBurn said:


> I find it somewhat interesting that my 1999 Mag-lite has so much in common with a Mag-lite made 10+ years earlier. It is like having a new-ish classic vintage model.



Yes they do! They weren't the first heavy duty aluminum flashlight but they might every well end up being the last. They're the Jeep Wrangler of the flashlight world.

I think it's pretty neat to see how the lights have evolved to the point where they're at now. The innovations that didn't work are sometimes more interesting than the ones that did.


----------



## bykfixer

On that theme, 
When the ML25's arrived... those big C sized minimags my brain went back in time like they were invented in the 80's... then I saw they had done incan versions and bam!

They only made them in incan for 2016. So 10 years later when this thread speaks of those hard to find incan ML25's..




I got in on them early...
Even now they're not _easy_ to find since nobody really seems to want incan minimag output these days.


----------



## LiftdT4R

Here's a couple pics of my D cell lanyard end cap. These lanyard ring end caps are an official Mag Instrument part. I have a few in the package too. They are part number 108-000-009 and I believe they were discontinued in the mid 90s or so. They only fit D cell lights without a a letter in the serial (non-letters). They will not fit the 1992+ Maglites with a letter in the serial and the panther logo. I see there's still a few hanging around on the bay. I got this one when I purchased this NIB old light as it came with a bunch of accessories from a closed down police supply shop. 











I made the lanyard myself. No need to buy any fancy ones. Just find 4' of paracord and tie 3 knots. Check it out at:

http://stormdrane.blogspot.com/2011/05/adjustable-paracord-wrist-lanyard.html


----------



## LiftdT4R

I finally got my 7D I've been chasing for such a long long time. Now all I have to do is find a red one, blue one, and a handful of other Mags I'm missing in my collection. I'll do a write up on these but I was so excited to get it I just wanted to share some pics. It's an 8,000 serial "Paten Pending" so it's from 1980. I took some pics with my AAA Marquis (thanks again Mr. Fixer!!). I thought it would be cool to see two of the rarest Maglites together but one is the smallest light Mag makes and one is the largest.


----------



## sgt253

Congratulations.


----------



## torchsarecool

Finally! Well done mate. Looks like a nice one to.


----------



## LiftdT4R

Thanks guys!! It's in awesome shape, popped up on the bay, I could not believe my eyes. It did come with an R bezel which was incorrect but I have a ton of parts so I swapped it out when I got it for the correct one. As far as I can tell these were only produced until 1982 and there were probably only about 20,000 of them total. The highest serials I've seen are ~16,000 or so. I think they started in 1979 with the rest of the D cells. If that's the case they sold around 6,000 per year. 7Cs sold around 4,000 per year but were produced from 1981 until 1989.

With 7 batteries in it the light is very heavy and no brighter than a 6D. It would be a pain to carry for an officer due to the length and weight and would probably be more trouble than it was worth. It's pretty easy to see why Maglite discontinued these. I'm pretty excited about finally finding one because you almost never see them for sale so here's another pic with the Torchesarecool 7C so you can see how much longer the 7D is.


----------



## irongate

I've been looking the same place for you and must of missed it somehow, glad you got it.:twothumbs


----------



## LiftdT4R

Thanks! I have a program that sends an alert to my phone when items I'm interested in come up so I can jump on them quick. I used to use it for other items I collected too. The seller had a Buy It Now on this one and I purchased it within 2 or 3 minutes of it being listed. When ones come up that are an auction you can always Pm the seller to see if they'll do a Buy It Now but most auctions I wind up paying a good chunk of change because everyone gets it on them.


----------



## bykfixer

Thanks to bidding software I've lost a number or auctions after the clock on my screen said 0. Thinking I'd won I'd see the email saying I'd been out bid. So I went the But It Now route for most of my eBay purchases. 

I saw a recent light go for $86 at an auction while a Buy It Now went for a lot less. So like you Lift'd when a light I really want shows up as BIN I jump on it asap, all the while smiling that at auction it probably would've gone a lot higher. 
The Marquis was an example. I paid more to have it tracking shipped from London than the light costed. And by contacting the seller I got the story that the owner had bought it new while visiting California one year, knew it was an unusual 'Solitaire' taking up space in a junk drawer so he figured "why not sell it for a few £" …… (or whatever British currency is post Brex-it). 

Congrats on the nice 7D. A KPR18 or 118 bulb will blast out plenty of light for not a lot of dough. They aren't bright like an automotive headlight but they throw a beam like it was shot from a rifle. And with the Mag adjustability should provide an amazing amount of light from your T-ball sized bat light.


----------



## LeanBurn

What would be the specs on a 7D?


----------



## LiftdT4R

Do ya mean as far as length or bulbs?

They take a PR 20 bulb which usually produces less lumens but has a significantly longer run time. Avg bulb life is 15 hours compared to 5 hours for a 6D bulb. Maglite no longer makes Magnumstar bulbs for the 7D. I have tons of other info on them I'm compiling into a write up so if you're looking for something specific lemme know other wise I'll have a write up on them soon.

I also have a large PR spec bulb list on my site at:

http://maglitehistory.blogspot.com/2017/05/pr-flange-base-bulb-specs.html


----------



## bykfixer

Anybody remember these?










Circa 2006-ish


----------



## ChibiM

Good stuff! That's a great contrast between 2 siblings... 

Oops, this was for post 480. Somehow thought page 16 was the last post.


----------



## LiftdT4R

ChibiM said:


> Good stuff! That's a great contrast between 2 siblings...
> 
> Oops, this was for post 480. Somehow thought page 16 was the last post.



Thanks!! Some Maglites I think are next to impossible to find and there are only one or two examples of out there. One of them is the AA Vari-Beam which is about the only hole in my collection and I'd pay a ton of money for if one ever came up. Most can be found if you're persistent enough. The 7D is a good example and it's one of the most sought after Maglites. If you keep a really close eye on e-bay they do come up and you can find one it's just a matter of how much time and effort you want to put in. I've looked for one casually for the last 6 and half years. It's only in the last 7 months I went after one really hard and I was able to get one.


----------



## LiftdT4R

I increased my Vari-Beam collection by a whole bunch today!! I'm only missing a 3C and an AA Vari-Beam now. I know a member on here has an AA Vari-Beam but I've had no luck getting in touch with him. I would pay an arm and a leg for one if anyone can get in touch with fastbarry or knows him.






I also picked up a couple NIB ones too for those interested in seeing what the original packaging looks like. A 1980 - 1984 standard Maglite package is shown on the bottom.






My Vari-Beam entry onmy Maglite blog is updated now too for those that are interested. It is: http://maglitehistory.blogspot.com/2017/06/vari-beams.html and has all of the history and info I've found out about Vari-Beams over the years.


----------



## bykfixer

A never used Kodak film commemorative 88 olympics edition mini mag is enroute.






Bought it to see what that store coupon was for...





And while certainly not rare, definitely not many left..




An old 2 aaa mini mag, complete with original batteries


----------



## willrx

Nice find


----------



## bykfixer

I have a Bush inaugoral head from another member that I'll use the body for (if they match in color of black). 

I'm curious about the gold "colored" Olympic one thinking it's alluminum (not brass like some that were actually plated with real gold)


----------



## bykfixer

Turns out the Kodak promo was a 2x aaa. Alluminum body with a gold colored coating.

I had heard that sometimes production rejects were used for promos. This one has a few minor flaws so I suppose that at least in 1988 that was the case. Flaws exist in the knurling on the barrel and the bezel. What a shame to the customer who likely paid extra. 





A bit of rough finish in the grooves





Turns out the coupon was for Kodak batteries





Pre-lanyard ready tail cap





Note, no mention of 7D in '88, but 7C still listed





1988 was a good year for America


----------



## 1pt21

bykfixer said:


> 1988 was a good year for America



Indeed it was my friend. My first Mustang was a 1988 GT in "Ketchup Red". Loved that car... 5spd manual, tossed every single aftermarket and upgraded part I could on that puppy in my Jr/Sr years in high-school. Now I drive a 2003 Corolla with 200k on it :thinking:

I also am a huge fan of the 2xaaa mini-mags, I feel that they are often overlooked. I also collect ANY engraved Mini-Mag. Nice scores as usual Byk!!


----------



## CelticCross74

Great thread topic OP! Even I have never heard of the "Vari-Beam" Mags. Is there something different about these vs the standard Mags of the time?


----------



## bykfixer

Corolla? I get it. Minivan here. 

My son is a purist. He bought an Acura TSX with a 6 speed and is adding Mugen parts. lol.

Although not a sexy mini cop light like the 2x aa, the 2x aaa was probably the most useful as an edc. No side holster needed, just a shirt collar or pocket and the light bulb'd version was just as bright. It's like carrying a quality ink pen in weight and size. 

One year at Christmas I gift'd a bunch of 111 lumen LED versions and when family drops by (and sees all my lights sitting around) they still say nice things about them. 





A kit arrived today
Holster and "wall clips" included.





Holster is circa 1985





Batteries are circa 2013. 
Guarenteed to leak by July 2020





The inside view. 





Front is the production light case. Rear is the commemorative light case.

CC, the Vare-Beam was a Maglite attempt at selling lights to consumers such as mechanics and farmers. The blue was so they could be spotted at a distance in dimly lit garages and barns etc. They were pretty much like a regular Maglite of the time with differing colored barrels and polished silver bezel/tailcap at each end. Completely swappable with the "cop light" version. 
Some had "striped" knurling (like the solitaire) instead a diamond pattern. The one I gave to Lift'd had the striped knurling. (It was a very low production #) so perhaps they changed to diamond knurling in later productions?





Note the striped knurling

Magellan has a real good selection of styles and colors shown somewhere here at CPF.


----------



## LiftdT4R

CelticCross74 said:


> Great thread topic OP! Even I have never heard of the "Vari-Beam" Mags. Is there something different about these vs the standard Mags of the time?



I did a big old post about them at: http://maglitehistory.blogspot.com/2017/06/vari-beams.html if you're looking for some reading material.

TL/DR: Basically retailers at the time requested a more "traditional" looking brightly colored flashlight that could be found easily in a dimly lit or cluttered room rather than the black "cop" light that Maglite was selling. Mag Instrument obliged and pushed them out to retailers from 1980 through 1984. They were a standard blue anodized Maglite with a polished aluminum bezel and end cap and the added Vari-Beam logo. In the end they didn't work because consumers wanted the same Maglites cops carried. Like most other flops that Maglite and others had they are rare now so there are folks that collect them.


----------



## LiftdT4R

bykfixer said:


> Turns out the Kodak promo was a 2x aaa. Alluminum body with a gold colored coating.
> 
> I had heard that sometimes production rejects were used for promos. This one has a few minor flaws so I suppose that at least in 1988 that was the case. Flaws exist in the knurling on the barrel and the bezel. What a shame to the customer who likely paid extra.
> 
> Note, no mention of 7D in '88, but 7C still listed
> 
> 1988 was a good year for America



I've noticed factory seconds being used a promos that Maglite did as giveaways. I don't have any evidence of this other than what I've seen though.

The Kodak lights were actually purchased by Kodak and they weren't Maglite giveaways so they shouldn't be factory seconds. I have two and both are worn but otherwise look ok but the QC on AAs and AAAs was never very good because they were a less expensive light. There are many Maglite giveaways but only a handful of laser etched ones. The ones that come to mind are:

Lillehammer, Remember Sarajevo, Olympics AAs
George H.W. Bush AAAs
George W. Bush 2001 and 2005 AAs
9/11 3Ds

The 7Cs were discontinued in 1989 right before Mag started laser etching bezels on their full size lights so that's why they still show up. 7Ds were discontinued in 1982 after only 3 years of production so that's why they're not there.

1988 was a good year for America. Fox body Stangs, Metallica!!!, and Magnum P.I.. Need I say more!!


----------



## bykfixer

LiftdT4R said:


> In the end they didn't work because consumers wanted the same Maglites cops carried. Like most other flops that Maglite and others had they are rare now so there are folks that collect them.



I wonder if there was a point in time where Don and Tony were taking a stroll through the factory and Tony says "Don, the people want a non cop light colored light"... and Don thinks "uh oh, here it comes" and Tony says "how's the name Vare Beam sound?" Don responds "Remember the Stud Light?" as they walk past a really loud lathe and Tony thought Don said "Good idea".... 


The customer I spoke of in the 2x aaa promo post receiving less than top quality lights was Kodak.
Part of me thinks it's cool to own a fairly early edition of a light that was coated with what looks to be metal crumbs still in the grooves of the bezel. But the barrel part... that was just plain ugly. Like the cutter had gotten dull and it passed through QC that way.... like the QC guy was still distracted that some "Hulk Hogan" charcater had defeated Andre the Giant at Wrestlmania...


----------



## LiftdT4R

From the old stories I got the Stud-Lite was actually promoted by Norm Nelson because he came from the trucking industry, Per-Lux, so he thought there was a market there for a special flashlight but he wasn't correct. This was done after Don already left Kel-Lite.

On the other hand I don't think Tony or Don wanted to produce a redundant model but several big box retailers said they would only place orders if they could have a "consumer" model rather than a "cop" model. Money talks, so Mag Instrument made them. Later on the retailers were stuck with inventories of Vari-Beams because consumers would purchase Maglites instead so they caved and ordered Maglites in larger quantities and either switched the Vari-Beams to a silver and black model or sold them at discounted prices.


----------



## SIGINT-228

Guy's Dropper said:


> Where did you get a 24k gold plated Mag?oo:



In a Super Drug Bust


----------



## LiftdT4R

Score! I picked up a second 7D! Now the age old question, keep it, flip it, or mod it???


----------



## torchsarecool

Im going to throw that Phrase out again.....7d's are like buses 

Keep them and go for the trio


----------



## ven

LiftdT4R said:


> Score! I picked up a second 7D! Now the age old question, keep it, flip it, or mod it???





2 more and you have legs for a custom MAGtable, be it for coffee or for flashlights Be easy to level out as well!


----------



## Toohotruk

A Mag table would be way cool!


----------



## LiftdT4R

I like the suggestions! Thanks guys! There's another one on fleabay now. It's crazy because sometimes you won't see these for years and then 3 or 4 pop up. I'd really like to have a red or blue one but they are next to impossible to find.


----------



## Chauncey Gardiner

Toohotruk said:


> A Mag table would be way cool!



With a red, white and blue acrylic top that would be illuminated by the Mags. Perhaps an American flag. 

~ Chance


----------



## ven

An under lit MAGtable displaying MAG's.................is that a MAGaholics dream..............even this guy here who is not a MAGaholic wants one

Those 7D's are beasts!


----------



## irongate

Ven you should invest in one. Still one on the site I believe a 7. If not that a 6. So much fun for you then🤑


----------



## ven

I dont know what i would do with it(ok maybe a 1 leg table!). 7 D's ............I must admit though, loading a D mag is fun, something about dropping D cells in.


----------



## bykfixer

ven said:


> I dont know what i would do with it(ok maybe a 1 leg table!). 7 D's ............I must admit though, loading a D mag is fun, something about dropping D cells in.



With the 7D... bombs awaaaaay! "Clunk" for the first 2 or 3. 

What woulda been cool back then would be a Louiville Slugger promo 5, 6 or 7 D Maglite..C sized too...


----------



## 1pt21

Holy crap, these things go for over $200?!?!?!

I'll stick to my 6D's...

In retrospect, I've paid >$200 for many a SureFire in my day, so value is clearly in the eye of the beholder (collector) :thumbsup:


----------



## LiftdT4R

1pt21 said:


> Holy crap, these things go for over $200?!?!?!
> 
> I'll stick to my 6D's...
> 
> In retrospect, I've paid >$200 for many a SureFire in my day, so value is clearly in the eye of the beholder (collector) :thumbsup:



They've gone up in value in the last few years. I read through a lot of old posts here and 10 years ago they could be had for $40. I think it's because most folks didn't know they existed or were even rare. Now they're hot. I have more questions about them on my blog than any of the really rare lights I have. They're also the most expensive Maglites I've seen sold. I've seen them go as cheap as $175 and as high as $400 depending on condition, color and demand.

A new Lumintop SD75 or a Fenix TK75 sell for the same price and they're making more of those every day. They only made 19,000 7Ds from 1979 to 1982 so maybe less than a quarter exist today. Granted the Lumintop or Fenix might be a little more practical.


----------



## LiftdT4R

Haven't posted any good finds in a while so here's another 7D I'm working on restoring. The battery corrosion was terrible, the switch was missing parts, and it had no bulbs. It's been soaking for a week plus so I'm going to have busy Saturday morning!











I only use PR20 bulbs because I don't actually use any of these 7 cells. I am curious to try a Krypton bulb like a KPR20 though to see how much brighter they are. I'll get a group shot going when it's all back together later. I have 3 7Ds now and 2 7Cs.


----------



## torchsarecool

3 x 7d's.....cool! No table, but maybe a Mag stool, lol

I didnt know they broke into so Many componants though. Nice project. Makes me want to attempt one to


----------



## bykfixer

Awe man, first time I took a Mag switch apart... stuff went flying everwhere. Yikes!!

I found an online how to for reassembly then set about putting it back together. But at first I was freakin' out. 

It was a light I was fixing for someone else as the switch operated intermitintley (sp?)
I ended up putting in another one to get it back together quicker and used the old one to learn what goes wrong (when alkaleak goo is not the issue). It was dirty inside the sliding portion of the bulb assembly and wasn't the switch afterall.


----------



## LiftdT4R

torchsarecool said:


> 3 x 7d's.....cool! No table, but maybe a Mag stool, lol
> 
> I didnt know they broke into so Many componants though. Nice project. Makes me want to attempt one to



It's a lot of fun!! There's actually a 2 more brass pieces that don't normally come apart inside the plunger too. I've done a couple dozen of these now and I can take them apart and put them back together pretty easy. The ones with the stuck retaining rings are the most fun! When I first started doing these it was more challenging and fun but it's still rewarding to make them light. If ya do try one I have a whole big write up about switch repair here: http://maglitehistory.blogspot.com/2017/09/switch-disassembly-repair-and-1980-5d.html

Th pre 1982 lights had bare copper internals and were prone to corrosion. The 1982 and after lights had nickel plated innards and are a little more durable.

Also, now that my latest 7D is up kicking I couldn't resist posting a pic of my 7D collection. I bought 2 of them not working. One just had a bad bulb. The latest one needed a lot of work and had a fair amount of corrosion. I'm actually using the latest one around the house until I'm sure it's good. I'll probably flip the 2 latest 7Ds in time. They are both 17,000 and 18,000 serials from early 1982 right before Mag stopped making them. I think they ended around serial 19,000 in mid 1982. The 7Cs soldiered on until 1989 with about 40,000 produced. The one 7C with the flat end cap is from 1982 and came from across the pond from torchesarecool and the other is a 1989 and was found at an estate sale.


----------



## magellan

Very nice!


----------



## fidusinski

Hello,

My name is Artur 

I am thinking about buying this flashlight. Is $ 30 a good price for this Mag ?. I buy it not to use :laughing:


----------



## torchsarecool

Hi Artur. Its a difficult one to answer because value is subjective. To me it does seem reasonable though.

Also wanted to bring this is attention of collectors of minimags. Its not mine, just sharing the opportunity as i think these are pretty rare.

Ebay no. 162723044620 nascar multi coloured


----------



## LiftdT4R

fidusinski said:


> Hello,
> 
> My name is Artur
> 
> I am thinking about buying this flashlight. Is $ 30 a good price for this Mag ?. I buy it not to use :laughing:



It's an ok price. The 4Cs aren't super rare or desirable among collectors. 5Cs and 6Cs are. It's nice to have it NIB though. It's likely a model from 1986 to 1991 based on packaging but the C cells were basically unchanged up util 2002 so there are a lot of them out there.


----------



## bykfixer

Dewwww-eeeeet. NIP are getting scarce, but don't figure on flipping it for a profit. There were tons and tons of 4C made. It was a very popular light. (And still is among old school Maglite users).


----------



## fidusinski

thank you for the information. I am not a collector but I like these flashlights. I feel their magic  Maybe I'll buy this one and leave it in this box. I greet arthur.


----------



## fidusinski

Please give me some information about this flashlight. 6c cell MAg-lite. 











Greetings from Poland


----------



## LiftdT4R

Anyone see the big cache of Pewters, Jades, and Lime Greens come up on fleabay? Seller wants top $$$$, crazy high but they are rare lights. I sent him a message to see what the deal is.


----------



## bykfixer

I did not know pewter was rare. Before I arrived here every Maglite I owned was pewter. Not like I had many but each one was pewter back then, but I got sick of having the same color of each one and started collecting other colors.


----------



## 1pt21

LiftdT4R said:


> They've gone up in value in the last few years. I read through a lot of old posts here and 10 years ago they could be had for $40. I think it's because most folks didn't know they existed or were even rare. Now they're hot. I have more questions about them on my blog than any of the really rare lights I have. They're also the most expensive Maglites I've seen sold. I've seen them go as cheap as $175 and as high as $400 depending on condition, color and demand.
> 
> A new Lumintop SD75 or a Fenix TK75 sell for the same price and they're making more of those every day. They only made 19,000 7Ds from 1979 to 1982 so maybe less than a quarter exist today. Granted the Lumintop or Fenix might be a little more practical.



This sir, is a VERY good point. I've just recently lost ANOTHER GD light due to leaving alakaleaks inside (my 2nd ever). I make it a point not to, but the few that I have are suddenly rearing their ugly heads. This time it was the wife's purple modded 2xaaa minimag. I obviously had to replace the light, as the mod could be easily swapped over and she loved the damn thing and you know... PURPLE light. To my dismay the only purple 2xaaa mini's I could find were ~$20, I was shocked ($22 shipped to be exact; was the cheapest I could find). Yet I coughed up the cash to replace her light anyway, but the entire time I was thinking in the back of my head just how much light I can get now in the $20 range....

The light arrived today, mod was swapped over, eneloops were placed inside and the wife was thrilled to have her bedside light back in pristine condition. I'm now slowly going through each and every light in the house to make sure no leakers have been left inside (no exaggeration, I EASILY have ~100 lights throughout the house). In retrospect, if I would've just coughed up the $$ for eneloops or lithium primaries they would've easily paid for themselves at this rate....................... AHHHH :hairpull: kills me to toss these things in the trash because of my own damn negligence.


----------



## LiftdT4R

1pt21 said:


> This sir, is a VERY good point. I've just recently lost ANOTHER GD light due to leaving alakaleaks inside (my 2nd ever). I make it a point not to, but the few that I have are suddenly rearing their ugly heads. This time it was the wife's purple modded 2xaaa minimag. I obviously had to replace the light, as the mod could be easily swapped over and she loved the damn thing and you know... PURPLE light. To my dismay the only purple 2xaaa mini's I could find were ~$20, I was shocked ($22 shipped to be exact; was the cheapest I could find). Yet I coughed up the cash to replace her light anyway, but the entire time I was thinking in the back of my head just how much light I can get now in the $20 range....
> 
> The light arrived today, mod was swapped over, eneloops were placed inside and the wife was thrilled to have her bedside light back in pristine condition. I'm now slowly going through each and every light in the house to make sure no leakers have been left inside (no exaggeration, I EASILY have ~100 lights throughout the house). In retrospect, if I would've just coughed up the $$ for eneloops or lithium primaries they would've easily paid for themselves at this rate....................... AHHHH :hairpull: kills me to toss these things in the trash because of my own damn negligence.



I feel your pain!! I only use Durcaell Procells for the majority of my lights. They have a 10 year shelf life and I have some that are 15 years old and haven't leaked. For the most part I drain them within 5 years or less though. For my regular use light I use Tenergy Centuras because they're low self discharge and rechargeable.


----------



## LiftdT4R

bykfixer said:


> I did not know pewter was rare. Before I arrived here every Maglite I owned was pewter. Not like I had many but each one was pewter back then, but I got sick of having the same color of each one and started collecting other colors.



Lol, my buddy has a midnight blue 2D and 3D he bought years ago and he has no idea about lights at all and uses them during power outages. 

The pewters are rare. They are probably the least rare out of the special order finishes as they seem to have been produced the longest. They normally sell for a $10 to $20 premium over a regular used Maglite. Occasionally you'll see someone hawking one on fleabay for big $$$ though and touting it as super rare like now. The 4Ds though do seem next to impossible to find. I've only ever seen a couple.

I've still never seen an orange special order finish for sale. Those seem to be the rarest hands down. I'm only missing an orange and lime green as special order finishes go but I'll probably pick up one of the lime green ones up on fleabay after the auctions end with no bids and I can haggle a lower price. You also don't see the ice blue too often either. I just got one and it's basically a really light blue. I have to edit my blog to show a pic of it but I have all of the special order finishes listed there.

http://maglitehistory.blogspot.com/2017/08/special-order-colors-and-panther.html


----------



## heelsthrow

I am excited to see all the collections! What a wonderful find. Keep on posting guys.


----------



## turbodog

LiftdT4R said:


> Lol, my buddy has a midnight blue 2D and 3D he bought years ago and he has no idea about lights at all and uses them during power outages.
> 
> The pewters are rare. They are probably the least rare out of the special order finishes as they seem to have been produced the longest. They normally sell for a $10 to $20 premium over a regular used Maglite. Occasionally you'll see someone hawking one on fleabay for big $$$ though and touting it as super rare like now. The 4Ds though do seem next to impossible to find. I've only ever seen a couple.
> 
> I've still never seen an orange special order finish for sale. Those seem to be the rarest hands down. I'm only missing an orange and lime green as special order finishes go but I'll probably pick up one of the lime green ones up on fleabay after the auctions end with no bids and I can haggle a lower price. You also don't see the ice blue too often either. I just got one and it's basically a really light blue. I have to edit my blog to show a pic of it but I have all of the special order finishes listed there.
> 
> http://maglitehistory.blogspot.com/2017/08/special-order-colors-and-panther.html



You can see all the colors in post #1 of this thread.


----------



## LiftdT4R

turbodog said:


> You can see all the colors in post #1 of this thread.



Awesome! Do ya know if anyone ever came up with a list for D and C cells? I know there were a lot less options on Ds and I don't think any on Cs.


----------



## turbodog

LiftdT4R said:


> Awesome! Do ya know if anyone ever came up with a list for D and C cells? I know there were a lot less options on Ds and I don't think any on Cs.



Far as I know, the color codes are the same between form factors. I have the only list that I've ever seen.


----------



## LiftdT4R

I picked up another "Intermediate" Vari-Beam this week. For those who don't know for one year, 1983, Maglite changed the Vari-Beam grip and started the serials over as a last ditch effort to try to increase sales and differentiate it from the Maglite line. I've included pics below to show the difference in grips. The Intermediate style is cut like a Solitaire. These were only made in 2 and 3D. I've heard of them possibly being made in 2 and 3C but I've never actually seen one to confirm and the old Maglite literature is sometimes unreliable.

The 2D I just picked up and it has a super low serial of 693. Because Mag restarted the serial numbers it isn't that old but it is pretty neat none the less. Maglite also can't date these lights if you send them the serials like they will for other lights. I haven;t been able to get Mag to date 1980 and 1979 lights and I'm pretty sure it's because they don't have the records from the first 2 years of production. Because these serials are so low and most Mag employees probably don;t know about them you'll get an e-mail back saying "Sorry, we don't have a record of that serial number in our system." All in all pretty cool lights and one of the most recent good finds I've had.

EDIT: I think there might be another member here that also has an intermediate Vari-Beam. If so, let's see those pics!!!


----------



## bykfixer

Waiting on Mr. Postman.....

Mr. Postman brought back ole Unit 2133 today...





I had bought it just to say I had one. I paid more for the shipping than the light. When it arrived I saw why. Well that was in the middle of March Magness in 016 and I vowed to spruce it up someday. It was not the worst light I'd seen, but every joint was frozen, everything steel was rusty and the switch was busted... oh and a nice thick layer of alkaleak ran stem to stern. 

One day Lift'd & I did a trade on some stuff. I figured he'd appreciate it more than I so I tossed it in the box. The other day he message'd me he was sending it back.  

Well when it arrived today, I saw he had nothing short of magical to this ole girl. Even down to somehow masking the sun fade at places on the barrel. Had it not been the same S/N I woulda thunk it was another light.

Well done Mon-Frare, well done. Every moving part works like new and the switch goes "click-click" again. The tail end was a mess from an op prying it open with vice grips or something yet aside from a few perma-gouges it looks normal. 





The solitaire type knurling vs regular.


Thanks a million billion Lift'd


----------



## Icarus

What is so special about those 'Vari-beams'? Are they different then from the incan Mags we still know today? :thinking: I have a bunch of Maglites, even without 'C' or 'D' in front of the serial number but alas no 7C or 7D. :shrug:


----------



## bykfixer

In terms of operation... nothing. They were Maglites with a differing color at each end from the barrel color. 

In collectors minds they are hard to find like any old Maglite, yet the term "Vare-Beam" means there weren't as many produced. Aint like they only made 1980 of them and stopped. 

Lift'd can fill in the gaps, but it seems to me that orders were placed by some stores, Mag fulfilled said orders and when they sold about as well as ice cubes at the north pole Mag didn't make anymore. 

I read that the blue was picked to find it easier in dinjy garages, barns and stuff as the market aimed for was the mechanic, the farmer and folks like that. Apparently those folks just bought black ones from cop stores and hardware stores like everybody else.


----------



## LiftdT4R

I did a big old post on them on my blog at: http://maglitehistory.blogspot.com/2017/06/vari-beams.html

It's really long though and Mr. Fixer provided the short and sweet version. Pretty much they were the "civilian" Maglite that followed the easy to find in the dark color scheme of many earlier lights rather than the "stealth cop lights". Some big box retailers requested them because they didn't think the black Maglite would sell well. They were only done in small quantities from 1980 to 1984 and very popular with the small Maglite collector crowd now. They're mostly popular because like most other collectibles they weren't popular when they were originally on sale.


----------



## LiftdT4R

Not the most exciting light in the world but I recently picked up a 2D Sky Blue Maglite. The special order colors were extremely limited on the D cells. In fact there are only 6 that I know of. The Sky Blue is shown below with the standard blue and another special order color, Midnight Blue. It's even difficult to see in the pictures but the Sky Blue is between a silver and standard blue. It's also almost identical to the blue color of the Pre 1992 lights. I'm really really on the hunt for an orange D cell if anyone has one they want to part with.


----------



## bykfixer

Left one in the top pic? Can you show it next to a VareBeam please?

I saw a "dark blue" one for sale for a while and price won't bad at all. I've just backed WAY off of buying anymore flashlights so I can enjoy what I have more. 

I could probably carry a different incan light with me everyday for a few months. So I just want to use what I have for now.


----------



## fidusinski

My new Maglite 6 C cell. 










regards, artur


----------



## 1pt21

fidusinski said:


> My new Maglite 6 C cell.
> regards, artur



Nice! It seems like I don't see many 6x C cell mags, 6x D's for sure :twothumbs


----------



## fidusinski

Tank you


----------



## LiftdT4R

fidusinski said:


> My new Maglite 6 C cell.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> regards, artur



I'm digging it! It looks like a 1986 to 1991 model. Did you buy it new? Also, judging by the hosting it looks like you're in Europe. I've heard the longer C cells were very popular over there due to there being such a restriction on most weapons. Have you ever heard anything like that?


----------



## LiftdT4R

bykfixer said:


> Left one in the top pic? Can you show it next to a VareBeam please?
> 
> I saw a "dark blue" one for sale for a while and price won't bad at all. I've just backed WAY off of buying anymore flashlights so I can enjoy what I have more.
> 
> I could probably carry a different incan light with me everyday for a few months. So I just want to use what I have for now.



Yes, it's the one on the left. My shop had a couple lights out so I'll try and get a better pic today. It's a lot easier to tell the color difference in person. I'll be home Sunday and I'll grab a pic next to a Vari-Beam then.


----------



## LeanBurn

Ease of finding was the exact reason I chose red for my 2D


----------



## fidusinski

I bought it in Poland at auction. It is not new but in very good condition. I'm not a big collector, but I like them very much. can start collecting  I have 4 pieces and I will definitely look at auctions in search of interesting maglite. I am a collector of zippo for 20 years - I am jealous of your location
Thank you for your information, it's very interesting, I did not have this idea

My last mag


----------



## LiftdT4R

bykfixer said:


> Left one in the top pic? Can you show it next to a VareBeam please?



Here ya go! I included a 1983 3D Vari-Beam and a 1980 3D Blue Paten Pending light. The ice blue matches the old blue 100%. The new blue is a little darker.






I also took a couple pics of my special order finish collection. I'm only missing a lime green and orange. I'll probably pickup one of the lime greens currently on fleabay. The oranges are soooo tough to find though so I'm holding out hope someone on here might have one from an old batch that was sold or that one might pop up on fleabay eventually.


----------



## turbodog

LiftdT4R said:


> Here ya go! I included a 1983 3D Vari-Beam and a 1980 3D Blue Paten Pending light. The ice blue matches the old blue 100%. The new blue is a little darker.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I also took a couple pics of my special order finish collection. I'm only missing a lime green and orange. I'll probably pickup one of the lime greens currently on fleabay. The oranges are soooo tough to find though so I'm holding out hope someone on here might have one from an old batch that was sold or that one might pop up on fleabay eventually.




Have you tried Mag directly? I did a group buy from them years ago. They will have old stock. I also got some smooth barrel lights in various colors as well.

Their shipping is quite high though.


----------



## LiftdT4R

turbodog said:


> Have you tried Mag directly? I did a group buy from them years ago. They will have old stock. I also got some smooth barrel lights in various colors as well.
> 
> Their shipping is quite high though.



No kidding, thanks for the tip! Did you just e-mail their customer service and ask if they have any of their old finishes? Also, on the group buy did you place a custom order or did you just buy new old stock from them. Thanks again for the tip!


----------



## turbodog

LiftdT4R said:


> No kidding, thanks for the tip! Did you just e-mail their customer service and ask if they have any of their old finishes? Also, on the group buy did you place a custom order or did you just buy new old stock from them. Thanks again for the tip!



I just called and asked what they had. They will also do custom runs with a fairly low minimum order (minimum for them... still like 100 pieces or something). Bought NOS. Some hard to find colors and common colors in smooth barrels.


----------



## LiftdT4R

turbodog said:


> I just called and asked what they had. They will also do custom runs with a fairly low minimum order (minimum for them... still like 100 pieces or something). Bought NOS. Some hard to find colors and common colors in smooth barrels.



I tried calling Friday and no luck, they said try Z Battery. I didn't ask about a custom order but depending on cost per unit at 100 units that might not be too bad. I'd be curious if this minimum was still 100 on D cells though. I've heard more.


----------



## LiftdT4R

I recently completed a full set of Maglite chipboard (display) boxes. In 1985 Maglite also started offering hang (clamshell) packages. The chipboard boxes are less expensive to produce but the hang packages are much favored by retail stores. The chipboard boxes were primarily used to ship to bulk customers like police departments and industrial suppliers as well as for mail order catalogs. 

Top to bottom they are:

1979 
One of the first ones off the production line. No printing aside from ML-6 model number on end. This is the only 1979 box I know of.

1980 to 1984
These boxes added the early rounded Maglite logo as well as the model number on end. These still pop up for sale once in a while.

1985 to 1991
These were clear so buyers could more easily see the light. They aged poorly. Both the glue and plastic became very brittle over time. Maglite used their "horizon" logo during this time.

1992 to 2002
These used the current logo and again went back to grey cardboard. They had a printed picture of the light on the side instead of being clear.

2003 to current
In 2003 Maglite switched to blue but otherwise they remained similar to the 1992 to 2002 style.


----------



## Icarus

bykfixer said:


> In terms of operation... nothing. They were Maglites with a differing color at each end from the barrel color.
> 
> In collectors minds they are hard to find like any old Maglite, yet the term "Vare-Beam" means there weren't as many produced. Aint like they only made 1980 of them and stopped.
> 
> Lift'd can fill in the gaps, but it seems to me that orders were placed by some stores, Mag fulfilled said orders and when they sold about as well as ice cubes at the north pole Mag didn't make anymore.
> 
> I read that the blue was picked to find it easier in dinjy garages, barns and stuff as the market aimed for was the mechanic, the farmer and folks like that. Apparently those folks just bought black ones from cop stores and hardware stores like everybody else.



Thanks for explaining. Now at least I know the difference with regular Mag's.


----------



## Icarus

LiftdT4R said:


> I did a big old post on them on my blog at: http://maglitehistory.blogspot.com/2017/06/vari-beams.html
> 
> It's really long though and Mr. Fixer provided the short and sweet version. Pretty much they were the "civilian" Maglite that followed the easy to find in the dark color scheme of many earlier lights rather than the "stealth cop lights". Some big box retailers requested them because they didn't think the black Maglite would sell well. They were only done in small quantities from 1980 to 1984 and very popular with the small Maglite collector crowd now. They're mostly popular because like most other collectibles they weren't popular when they were originally on sale.



Thanks for posting the link to your blog. Your blog contains very interesting info for Maglite collectors. I'm a big fan too and own many of the newer models as well as some of the older 4-, 5- and 6-cell MagC's.


----------



## LiftdT4R

Icarus said:


> Thanks for posting the link to your blog. Your blog contains very interesting info for Maglite collectors. I'm a big fan too and own many of the newer models as well as some of the older 4-, 5- and 6-cell MagC's.



Thanks for checking it out!! If you have any info I'm missing or know of some crazy light that I don't have on there please let me know. I'm always interested in finding out new Maglite info. Most of the info I have came from talking to other collectors for the last 7 years and was verified by Don Keller last year along with a couple of other ex Mag employees. I have always wanted to talk to Tony himself and I've tried several times of the years but I've not had any luck. He's almost 90 now and from what I hear he is mostly out of the business. There's still a few early pieces of the history and lights I don't think I'll ever know.

Ohh and let's see some pics of those lights too! Especially the 5 and 6 Cs! I really want an early 6C flat end cap but I haven't found one yet.

EDIT: I went back to look through your mods and it looks like you have some really awesome lights!! It sucks that Photobucket shut down and broke all their links.


----------



## Icarus

If the numbers in my spreadsheet are right I have one 3C, two 4C, three 5C and two 6C old style Maglites in my collection. I will take some photos but you will have to be patient as I'm in Cambodia until mid December. As such I have no info here about their serial numbers. Most are from new old stock I could buy locally but the last 6C I got from an old friend in Hong Kong. 

It is indeed very sad that so many photos from older posts are lost now. Especially from members who left cpf already. Since a few days I'm using Imgur now but downloading all pictures from Photobucket and uploading them again in Imgur is a huge job.


----------



## LiftdT4R

Hey Icarus, would still love to see those pics if you have 'em.

I haven't posted here in a while so figured I would break out a pic of some of my newer lights. I recently scored a Lime Green so I rounded out my green collection. Lime green is on the left and top followed by standard (dark) green and jade. I think I have a lead on some pewters/bronze/copper lights too so I'll hopefully have a pic of those soon. The only special order D cell I know of that I'm missing is an orange light. The lime green light is from 1996 and I'm pretty sure the orange was done around the same time so I'm thinking it will be pretty tough to find but I know they were for sale on here for a while so if anyone has a lead on one please drop me a line.


----------



## Chauncey Gardiner

I'm totally enamored with the jade green color. oo: I looked for one but gave up after a spell. Congratulations on rounding out you collection of the greens. 

~ Cg


----------



## LiftdT4R

They are sharp looking! You may want to try user GLOCK18. He had a few and sold me mine. There's also a couple on everyone's favorite auction site BNIB but they are crazy overpriced. They do pop up used from time to time too but hardly anyone knows that they're jade so they're usually listed as green if they even mention the color.


----------



## Icarus

LiftdT4R said:


> Hey Icarus, would still love to see those pics if you have 'em.



I'll do but I'm still stravelling. 

Lime green is my favourite color too. I have a lime 3C (no D), but I do have a dark green 2D and a jade 2D and 4D.


----------



## LiftdT4R

Wow, no kidding, that’s one rare light! I didn’t know they did special order finishes on the C cells. I’d love to see pics of that one too. Sounds like you have an awesome collection! Have you been collecting for a while?


----------



## bykfixer

Santa came early...
Only one known to exist
(Engraved upside down)


----------



## Icarus

LiftdT4R said:


> Wow, no kidding, that’s one rare light! I didn’t know they did special order finishes on the C cells. I’d love to see pics of that one too. Sounds like you have an awesome collection! Have you been collecting for a while?



Yep, as you can see I'm old member here.  I have a dark green 3C as well. Also some old dark blue, light blue, pink and gold color 2AA's. Text on the bezel says MFG BY MAG INSTRUMENT - ONTARIO.CA.-USA.


----------



## Icarus

bykfixer said:


> Santa came early...
> Only one known to exist
> (Engraved upside down)



:wow: great find! :thumbsup:


----------



## bykfixer

It's kinda weird how it works sometime. I entered a word combo to look for a particular SureFire lights folks were talking about and the minimag was one of the lights shown as a choice to view.

Remembering one a member spoke of in a thread a couple of years back I presume it's that one. If not then there are at least two. 
In the description the seller used words to describe his search for info about it that was very similar to the post made here at CPF. 

When it arrives I'll reach out to the seller to see if indeed that is the one mentioned here. Regardless if it's that one, or another I feel it qualifies as a _rare Maglite_.


----------



## LiftdT4R

Heck yeah it does!! Very nice score and I'm wiling to bet even money it's from CPF. Do post up some pics of that light when it arrives! Mag's QC must have been sleeping that day.


----------



## bykfixer

dadel said:


> Hi everybody, this is my first post here on CPF!
> 
> Does anyone else have a mini mag with the bezel engraving upside down?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> In the photo, the upper one is my first mini mag from the early 90's. This has the bezel engraving upside down compared to all of my other (newer) minis. It was bought from an unquestionable store in unopened blister packaging, so I'm very confident it's a real maglite. The other one, which came bundled with a 3D made in 1996, has the engraving in the usual way.
> 
> The only thing I found on this matter is an old image posting longer back in this thread. However, the image link is broken, so not of much help. I also asked Maglite about this, but they said the engraving has always been the way it is now and referred to the Maglite distributor here in Finland for further questions.
> 
> Any thoughts about this? I guess it was a mistake at the factory, but is it a rare one?



Here's the only time I've seen an upside down engraving. Dadel is/was in Finland but I bought it from a seller in the US. 
It was post 211 of this thread.


----------



## bykfixer

Here it is....
Looks brand spanking new.





Note the AA locations.
I gave the light a thorough look-see checking for any other differences. None found.
But I did notice at some point Mag opened up a gap between the ® and the AA. 

Looking at the photo in post 211, that one appeared to have some blemishes but it may have been camera tricks. This one looks brand new. I reached out to the seller, but I suspect this one is the 2nd one known (presuming post 211 would be the first known)


----------



## Icarus

Here is a photo of the vintage 2AA MiniMags I mentioned in post#567. 
Bezel engraving reads as MINI-MAGLITE ® MFG BY MAG INSTRUMENT - ONTARIO.CA. - USA
No Panther logo.

I still own a few of them. All are brand new.


----------



## Icarus

The old MiniMag is at the bottom.


----------



## LiftdT4R

Icarus said:


> The old MiniMag is at the bottom.



I think from what I've seen and the folks I talked to that there were 5 iterations of AA Mini Mags.

I believe:

1984
Stamped Bezel with White Paint Fill
Mini Maglite Ontario, Ca. - USA
Notes: The stamped bezel resulted in a lot or QA/QC issues due to the small size of bezel. As such the production cost was very expensive and this bezel was only used for one year, 1984. These are the rarest Mini Maglites and had the least color variations. I have only seen:

Black
Blue
Camo
Bronze (Extremely Rare, Special Order for Zimmermann, a Swiss retailer)
Gold Plated over Brass (Done as a Christmas special for various retailers)
Vari-Beam (1984 was the end of the Vari-Beams and before they ended production Maglite made only 1,000 or so AA Vari-Beams. These are extremely rare and I would pay an arm and leg for one)
Interestingly enough I've never seen or heard of a red one.

1985
Laser Etched Bezel
Mini Maglite TM Ontario, Ca. - USA
Notes: These were only produced for a year or less and I haven't seen any color variations. It's likely the prior colors were still sold in the old style stamped bezel since they were far less popular than black.

1986 - 1991
Laser Etched Bezel
Mini Maglite R Ontario, Ca. - USA
Notes: The Mini Maglite Trademark was approved in April 1986 so the TM was changed to R. These lights came in many colors.

1992 - 1995
Laser Etched Bezel
Panther Logo TM Mini Maglite AA California, USA
Notes: The Panther logo debuted in 1992 on the larger lights but the Trademark wasn't approved until after 1996 so a TM appeared next to the Panther logo. AA was added to avoid confusion between the AAA Mini Maglites.

1996 +
Laser Etched Bezel
Panther Logo R Mini Maglite AA California, USA
Notes: The Panther logo Trademark was approved in 1996 and an R appeared after the Panther logo instead of the TM. These lights are the most common and have the highest color variation. They can be found in many threads here and are the most collectible.

Even though the 1986 - 1995 models are pretty common I never acquired one. I'm not a big Mini Mag collector although I have a couple very rare Blue and Camo 1984 lights. I would love to have a Zimmermann Bronze and am fiercely on the hunt for an AA Vari-Beam. Shown below are Iterations 1,2 & 5 below to show examples of each and for those interested in dating them.


----------



## Icarus

LiftdT4R said:


> ...
> Black
> Blue
> Camo
> Bronze (Extremely Rare, Special Order for Zimmermann, an Austrian retailer)
> Gold Plated over Brass (Done as a Christmas special for various retailers)
> ...



Interesting info! :thumbsup:

The four MiniMags in my post #573 came from Zimmermann. 
According to your info they must be iteration #3.

Zimmermann AG is a gun shop in Switzerland (not Austria).


----------



## Icarus

I own 2 different versions of what you called iteration #4.

Most common seems "Panther logo ®" but I also have one with "Panther logo ™". :thinking:

Will try to post a picture tomorrow.


----------



## LiftdT4R

Thanks for the info and the update on Zimmermann. I think Zimmermann ordered a ton of custom colors from Mag. In the early days Mag was a little more open to do custom runs and collaborations to try to boost their sales. I'll edit my above post with the correct info. The Panther with the TM must be from 92 to 95 because like on the large lights those are the years that the trademark was pending. I haven't seen a ton of Mini Mags I'm not expert on them I'm just using the same chronology on the larger lights plus the patent/trademark dates.


----------



## Icarus

MINI MAGLITE Panther ™ versus Panther ®. Notice they used a different font for the text. The Panther logo is different too.


----------



## bykfixer

The "thin hungry" panther is the older one from early days. I like to refer to it as the hungry panther. The "well fed" panther is the current logo.


----------



## LiftdT4R

Awesome!! I've been looking for one of each variety but the fleabay pictures are sooo bad it's hard to tell sometimes.


----------



## Alone In The Dark

bykfixer said:


> The "thin hungry" panther is the older one from early days. I like to refer to it as the hungry panther. The "well fed" panther is the current logo.



I like it... :laughing:


----------



## bykfixer

The "hungry" panther light I have has the ® next to it, but I thought I bought it well before '96. Maybe not but I thought I owned it before the first Mrs. Fixer and I split up in '96. I'm pretty sure I bought one in about '91 yet perhaps she got that one in the divorce and I replaced it when I bought new dishes, ashtrays, silverware and furniture etc....


----------



## Icarus

bykfixer said:


> The "thin hungry" panther is the older one from early days. I like to refer to it as the hungry panther. The "well fed" panther is the current logo.



I'm confused about which one you call the hungry panther. Looking at my picture which one is it? I would think the left one is the well fed panther and the right one is the hungry panther... but then all newer Mini Maglites seem to have the hungry panther logo... :thinking:


I also still can't recognize a panther in those logos. :shrug:


----------



## bykfixer

Hmmmm. Good point. 

An ML300 I bought this summer has the well fed panther and an ML 50 I bought the same week has the hungry panther. Hadn't noticed until you pointed that out.

I say "thinner is older" because my oldest minimag has the thin one and every minimag I've bought since 2012 has the fat one.

Only way I knew it was a panther was reading an article where Tony Maglica said it was a panther, meaning always hungry and always on the prowl for enemies.
I always thought it was a house cat and figured they have great night vision so a Maglite gives you cat like night vision.... I've asked several people what it looks like to them and not one said "a panther"... some said "a goat" lol


----------



## Icarus

bykfixer said:


> Only way I knew it was a panther was reading an article where Tony Maglica said it was a panther, meaning always hungry and always on the prowl for enemies.
> I always thought it was a house cat and figured they have great night vision so a Maglite gives you cat like night vision.... I've asked several people what it looks like to them and not one said "a panther"... some said "a goat" lol



.... a goat....


----------



## Toohotruk

I thought it was a goat, or ram for years! 

I didn't know there were two versions of the panther...it's amazing the variety of minor details in logos, font, stamped, etched, etc. over the years and they mostly go unnoticed by the vast majority.


----------



## Shonelikethesun

Seeing all these beautiful mags makes me with I never traded mine. I still like the looks of these more than all the high end lights.


----------



## LiftdT4R

Shonelikethesun said:


> Seeing all these beautiful mags makes me with I never traded mine. I still like the looks of these more than all the high end lights.



They are a timeless design! The common incans can still be picked up pretty cheap on the suction sites. They are a bunch of fun to mess around with especially for the price. I have some old 2D incans from the first couple years of production that I fixed up and use around the house as well as some high power LED and Incan lithium ion conversions.


----------



## IlluminatedOne

LiftdT4R said:


> They are a timeless design! The common incans can still be picked up pretty cheap on the suction sites. They are a bunch of fun to mess around with especially for the price. I have some old 2D incans from the first couple years of production that I fixed up and use around the house as well as some high power LED and Incan lithium ion conversions.



Just wanted to say i enjoyed reading your blog, some great info on there which is always great to read about. Thanks.


----------



## LiftdT4R

IlluminatedOne said:


> Just wanted to say i enjoyed reading your blog, some great info on there which is always great to read about. Thanks.



Hey, thanks for the kind words!! Hopefully you had as much fun reading it as I had writing it!


----------



## pred

This is my first post there on the forum,
I am a long time flash light collector and earlier today I went into the basement in search of a Mag-lite as I am growing tired of all the colorful "Black" lights being sold today,
I was thinking of grabbing an old Mag-lite and putting a good quality LED in it and having something more fun and easier to see,
So I grabbed the box-o-lites off the shelf and bought them up stairs,
I noted that I had a few which I don't see anymore,
I thought the Purple was unusual until I found this posting about the rare mag-lite colors,
The lime green is a "C" cell which I don't see 
The dark Pewter is a bronze color which I was so happy when I found it at Home Depot a long time ago,
And I remember finding the orange one and I was excited over that one, Just wish I remember where I found it, Im thinking Flea market but will test my memory over the next couple days and see if I can remember exactly where,
Anyway,
The green, Dark pewter and prance are new never used and as you see, The two were never opened,
The blue and purple were opened but never used and the two red ones got just a tad of use over the years,
The Green, Pewter and Orange are all dated 1999 on their perspective packages,
I just showed the wife and she just chuckled and said "Wow pretty"
Oh well,
At least she picked me ! ! 
So Ill try and post a pic here on my first post,
Thanks all,
Peter B


----------



## Guitar Guy

Here's one, not really rare, maybe uncommon? Cleaned up pretty well. Different, with no diamond grip pattern on the barrel.

Yes, big thanks and two thumbs up to Liftd and the blog. It sure helped me to figure out the dates, generations, models, changes, etc.... I went through the same process with Western Electric dial phones about 25 yrs ago, and similarly, after you figure out all of that info, you want one of each (or more) ... and thx for helping me spot this one.

JT





[/IMG]


----------



## bykfixer

Very cool light JT.


----------



## turbodog

LiftdT4R said:


> They are a timeless design! The common incans can still be picked up pretty cheap on the suction sites. They are a bunch of fun to mess around with especially for the price. I have some old 2D incans from the first couple years of production that I fixed up and use around the house as well as some high power LED and Incan lithium ion conversions.



There was a pretty cool regulated incan dropin a while back. I grabbed 2 of them.


----------



## LiftdT4R

pred said:


> This is my first post there on the forum,
> I am a long time flash light collector and earlier today I went into the basement in search of a Mag-lite as I am growing tired of all the colorful "Black" lights being sold today,
> I was thinking of grabbing an old Mag-lite and putting a good quality LED in it and having something more fun and easier to see,
> So I grabbed the box-o-lites off the shelf and bought them up stairs,
> I noted that I had a few which I don't see anymore,
> I thought the Purple was unusual until I found this posting about the rare mag-lite colors,
> The lime green is a "C" cell which I don't see
> The dark Pewter is a bronze color which I was so happy when I found it at Home Depot a long time ago,
> And I remember finding the orange one and I was excited over that one, Just wish I remember where I found it, Im thinking Flea market but will test my memory over the next couple days and see if I can remember exactly where,
> Anyway,
> The green, Dark pewter and prance are new never used and as you see, The two were never opened,
> The blue and purple were opened but never used and the two red ones got just a tad of use over the years,
> The Green, Pewter and Orange are all dated 1999 on their perspective packages,
> I just showed the wife and she just chuckled and said "Wow pretty"
> Oh well,
> At least she picked me ! !
> So Ill try and post a pic here on my first post,
> Thanks all,
> Peter B



Hey, welcome to the forum and that's awesome! Some of those are pretty rare lights and worth a few $$$.

I would love to see pics because I think I have a bronze and copper but not pewter so I'm always looking to check them out.

The lime green and orange are especially rare. I'm also missing an orange and they are very tough to come by.

If you're having trouble posting pics feel free to shoot me an e-mail and I can host them for you too.


----------



## Toohotruk

pred said:


> This is my first post there on the forum,
> I am a long time flash light collector and earlier today I went into the basement in search of a Mag-lite as I am growing tired of all the colorful "Black" lights being sold today,
> I was thinking of grabbing an old Mag-lite and putting a good quality LED in it and having something more fun and easier to see,
> So I grabbed the box-o-lites off the shelf and bought them up stairs,
> I noted that I had a few which I don't see anymore,
> I thought the Purple was unusual until I found this posting about the rare mag-lite colors,
> The lime green is a "C" cell which I don't see
> The dark Pewter is a bronze color which I was so happy when I found it at Home Depot a long time ago,
> And I remember finding the orange one and I was excited over that one, Just wish I remember where I found it, Im thinking Flea market but will test my memory over the next couple days and see if I can remember exactly where,
> Anyway,
> The green, Dark pewter and prance are new never used and as you see, The two were never opened,
> The blue and purple were opened but never used and the two red ones got just a tad of use over the years,
> The Green, Pewter and Orange are all dated 1999 on their perspective packages,
> I just showed the wife and she just chuckled and said "Wow pretty"
> Oh well,
> At least she picked me ! !
> So Ill try and post a pic here on my first post,
> Thanks all,
> Peter B



:welcome:


----------



## Icarus

Which is the best place to buy incandescent Maglites?


----------



## LiftdT4R

I've been in a drought for a while with new Mags but I finally had a nice find the other day. As I detailed above the stamped bezel lights are pretty rare and were made only for 1984. I recently found a red one!! Colors were very rare early on in Mini Mags and large lights so this was a nice surprise.






It goes well with the rest of my 1984 first year Mini Mags. I'm only missing the AA Vari-Beam and the Zimmermann Bronze. I'd pay an arm and a leg for either light if someone has one for sale.


----------



## Icarus

Very, no wait VERY nice collection. :twothumbs I'm wondering where/how you could find them. :thinking:
However... I doubt the camo was offered with a Kroll switch in 1984.


----------



## LiftdT4R

Thanks!! Lol, with lots of patience. The red one came from everyone's favorite auction site. I basically look through everything that's posted every day and try to look at bezels, serials, etc. I came across this one with a lot of luck. I see black ones pop up every couple months but in my 8 or so years of collecting I've only ever seen one red, one blue and a couple camos. The gold over brass pop up more often than you'd think. I have a couple and the one in the pic I just sold to Guitar Guy. It was originally from the UK. I heard Harrod's sold them back in the day but I can't confirm that.

The other lights I got from flea markets, other collectors and estate sales. Most come from fleabay though.

The camo has a pretty early aftermarket switch. I was bummed I didn't get the original tail cap but I am still glad the rest of the light is in one piece. So many of these sit with the batteries and are tossed.


----------



## dandism

Are 6 C flashlights with "C" in the serial rare?


----------



## LiftdT4R

Yes they are. I see there is one for sale right now on a large auction site too. It's not mine but I did look at it. All 6 C cells are rare and the most sought after ones are the very early ones with the flat end cap. Those fetch the highest prices. The later ones still get up there in price too. The one with the C in the serial wasn't produced for very long, 1 year maybe, before 5 and 6Cs were discontinued in 2003.

I have a few blog posts that might help ya out. This one is about the changes between the letter and non-letter serials: http://maglitehistory.blogspot.com/2017/07/non-letter-serial-c-cell-lights.html

This one is about 6Cs: http://maglitehistory.blogspot.com/2017/07/1999-6c-new-in-box-lights.html


----------



## LiftdT4R

Well, I've had quite a dry spell in the last few months but it looks like some folks are getting a head start on their spring cleaning. I recently found a 1979 blue 2D. What makes this light really special is that it's from the first year of Maglite production and before I found this light I was under the impression that only black lights were produced during the first year. These 1979 lights have the large bulbous switch cover and a lower grip on the head for focus. They are also pretty neat because they were so early and the tooling was so fresh the knurling is much sharper than later lights and they just have a much more distinct finish.

The original owner lived very close to Ontario, where Mag Instrument is headquartered, and told me this light was from a test batch that Mag did to see how well the colors would sell. I can only assume they did a few red ones too. I know silver didn't come out until the later 80s. The serial is right around 10,000 which puts it even earlier than the black 1979 2D I have. Both are pictured below. I believe the story because the light is not faded but is a very light blue, almost silver. This is likely because Mag contracted out their anodizing in the early days and when they were busy later on so there is some inconsistency in the finishes. 

I also scored a 7C in very very rough shape that will hopefully be in this week. I'll post some restoration pics when I get it and if it's salvageable. All I know is that it has a flat end cap which makes it an really early model. If I can get it running I'll have 3 7Cs and 3 7Ds. Starting to grow into a nice collection!

















Couldn't resist taking one of my new 2D in with some of the rest of my collection. I have mostly everything back together after my move so I'll have to get a group shot soon.


----------



## Rubicon1000

Toohotruk said:


> I don't think I've ever seen that color Maglite. I like it! :thumbsup:


----------



## Rubicon1000

I have a 3D orange maglite but I'm not sure how to post a picture. It's got Ontario on the bezel and serial number starts with D3. I'll try and figure out how to post a picture. Dan


----------



## LiftdT4R

Awesome, would love to see it. Please feel free to e-mail me a pic at and I can post it for you too.


----------



## Rubicon1000

I sent you a couple pictures. Dan


----------



## LiftdT4R

Very very nice light!! You don't see too many of these. I sent ya a PM too.


----------



## Icarus

Beautiful! :thumbsup:


----------



## Guitar Guy

Great Maglites folks. Great blue ’79, and nice orange Mag.

I think you guys were talking about these two AAs a page or two back. A big thumbs up to Liftd for a well written Maglite history blog, and for hookin’ me up on some cool Maglites recently. It seems that the gold one is racking up some miles to end up here at the base of a mountain in West Virginia.

The black 5D is from 1980 and has the TM bezel and misspelled “paten pending” stamp. Not necessarily rare, but maybe uncommon, especially around here. I may have more to show later.

JT




[/IMG]




[/IMG]


----------



## LiftdT4R

Very nice!!! Those 1980 Paten Pending lights are rare. Very sharp looking and that one has a good back story too. You are now the 3rd owner.

Here's the 7C I just picked up:











Man is it rough. Lots of battery corrosion. The reflector is destroyed but I was able to salvage most of the switch. This light isn't super early, it's a ~12,000 serial and is likely from around 1985 because the 7Cs were such slow sellers. The switch is blue which I've never seen before. It makes sense though. In Mag's early days they were sourcing parts from a number of vendors which ended up with some odd ball stuff like this blue switch. Even though you won't be able to see it when the light is restored I'm going to try to keep as much of it as I can because it's very unique.

It seems like I captured my Incan lithium 2C too. I bought the wrong 18650s :-( Flat Tops. So I need to save a couple more $$$ and get some high drain button tops instead.


----------



## d13avo

Came across this thread and I have a couple of old maglites somewhere so very interested. I have scanned through all 31 pages but was wondering if there was a list of the things to check for to see if rare. Have I missed it or there isn’t one?


----------



## bykfixer

There's a list, yes.

But it's so rare nobody here at CPF has one yet.

Nah, seriously it's not as simple as a list. Some are being discovered to this day. But as a rule there are colors that were kinda rare, or just not easily found anymore. Promos at times were the really rare stuff where X number of a special color were produced for that company, but the number of them is often times a mystery. 
Error markings at times were normal way back when but most are gone now. 
Liftd has a blog that discusses the old markings and details of earlier Maglites that at the time probably weren't all that rare, yet these days finding one is like finding a running 1974 Ford Pinto station wagon.


----------



## LiftdT4R

d13avo said:


> Came across this thread and I have a couple of old maglites somewhere so very interested. I have scanned through all 31 pages but was wondering if there was a list of the things to check for to see if rare. Have I missed it or there isn’t one?



There isn't a list per say and I remember reading this entire thread myself when I first got on CPF because I had been collecting for years and still saw some lights I didn't know a thing about. I tried to put it all together as well as some of the info I received over the last 8 years of collecting. I have a blog and I have most of the rare Maglites with the exception of only a handful. If you want to check that out it's: http://maglitehistory.blogspot.com/ and there's an index at the right with all of my lights and topics I've covered. If you post up some pics there are a bunch of knowledgeable Maglite members here who can help ya out too. You can always e-mail them to me at [email protected] and I'd be happy to give you my opinion on them too.

This may help you out too to determine age: http://maglitehistory.blogspot.com/2017/08/d-cell-quick-dating-guide.html


----------



## d13avo

LiftdT4R said:


> There isn't a list per say and I remember reading this entire thread myself when I first got on CPF because I had been collecting for years and still saw some lights I didn't know a thing about. I tried to put it all together as well as some of the info I received over the last 8 years of collecting. I have a blog and I have most of the rare Maglites with the exception of only a handful. If you want to check that out it's: http://maglitehistory.blogspot.com/ and there's an index at the right with all of my lights and topics I've covered. If you post up some pics there are a bunch of knowledgeable Maglite members here who can help ya out too. You can always e-mail them to me at [email protected] and I'd be happy to give you my opinion on them too.
> 
> This may help you out too to determine age: http://maglitehistory.blogspot.com/2017/08/d-cell-quick-dating-guide.html



That’s great thank you. I have always had a thing for lights since a kid and then when finding CPF a fair few years ago had my eyes opened to some amazing lights so when seeing this thread I want to try and dig out my old maglites. I haven’t got any large maglites but I remember having a couple of mini ones and a couple of solitaires I think are still in my toolbox.


----------



## d13avo

Just found one mini mag and the two solitaires but they are pretty new I think. I had a mini mag in camo but can’t find it but the other mini mag is a really nice shiny gunmetal colour. Will try and upload pics later.


----------



## bykfixer

What you call "gun metal" may have been called "pewter" by Maglite. It's now called gray, but at one point the packaging used the word pewter.
Lots were produced in that very popular color. But finding one in a package labeled pewter is like finding an honest politician in parliment. 

Some say pewter was a limited offering. Others say it took on an almost bronze tone. All I can say is that my first minimag was labled pewter, but is the same color as what Mag called grey in the early ML25 lights. I also have a 1st release 2D LED from about 2014 that matches my pewter minimag but (iirc) was labled grey.
(I remember being in a WalMart comparing the $19.99 USA made minimag to a Taiwann made light for $8.99 and picking the minimag for being called pewter and being made by Americans back then)


----------



## archimedes

Do you think the change may have been to reduce confusion about the actual material used ?

It brings to mind some other flashlights that were labelled "gold" (TiN coated) and I think there was a cerakote color called "titanium" ... and I'm sure there are other examples, too.


----------



## d13avo

Wish I’d kept the packaging now. Not surprised it’s a popular colour as it’s lovely. My one solitaire is the same colour also. I had a aluminium silver mini mag at one point also but can’t find it. I have found though two unopened packets of spare lamps for 2-Cell AA/AAA Maglites.


----------



## bykfixer

Knowing Maglite, yeah it may have been some kinda anti-law-suit change before somebody claimed they were wrongfully harmed....
In the days of reflector clad bicycles carrying "do not ride at night" and 2 litre pepsi bottles labled "do not point at face when opening" lol....
Distinct possibility Archi.

My favorite is the label on my fishing pole that states "may cause cancer in California"... like being in Kansas means no chance of being sickened by my fishing pole.


----------



## LiftdT4R

I think there is a pic around of Mini Mags that shows Pewter, Bronze, Copper, and Grey all in the same shot. I'm supposedly scoring a 3D NIB Pewter next week and I already own a 4D Copper and 2D Bronze so I should have some more light to shed on this. I think they are 4 distinct colors. IIRC Pewter, Bronze, and Copper were special order finishes. Pewter was for Home Depot, Copper was for Target I believe.


----------



## Toohotruk

bykfixer said:


> ...finding one is like finding a running 1974 Ford Pinto station wagon.


 
How about this '76 I saw at a car show last year?


----------



## bykfixer

I'm pretty sure I owned my first minimag (a pewter) long before my town had a home depot.

Maybe I shoulda said Chevy Vega too hot truck?


----------



## LiftdT4R

Lol, man you guys can come up with some obscure cars!! How about a Chevy LUV? Rusts to pieces before it's even off the lot.

I should have clarified only the D & C cells were special order finishes. Those same finishes could be had in the AA and AAA lights just about anywhere. Mag does use 2 different color codes for gray and pewter. They are 09 for gray and 94 for pewter so that's what always made me think they were 2 different colors. Hopefully I'll be able to verify with pics this Tuesday.


----------



## bykfixer

Rust never sleeps. 
It's rumored Chevy is going to bring "the Montanna" to the US and call it "the Luv". It's widely available in Brazil, Argentina etc currently.





From an eBay listing. 


I regret tossing the package to a 2D I bought in 015 at Home Depot. I bought a blue one and what is called grey in LED platform. I keep the pewter looking one in my truck in the package the blue one came in.... which is labled black btw. But I tossed the package the gray one came in. 
Dratz.
Curiosity has me pondering if it said "pewter"...


----------



## d13avo

LiftdT4R said:


> Mag does use 2 different color codes for gray and pewter. They are 09 for gray and 94 for pewter so that's what always made me think they were 2 different colors.



Would you know if the colour code is stamped on the light anywhere?


----------



## d13avo

Here’s the photos of my Mini Maglite and my Solitaires which the camera does not do the colour justice. The colour is a shiny grey which has a tinge of blue.


----------



## turbodog

bykfixer said:


> What you call "gun metal" may have been called "pewter" by Maglite. It's now called gray, but at one point the packaging used the word pewter.
> Lots were produced in that very popular color. But finding one in a package labeled pewter is like finding an honest politician in parliment.
> 
> Some say pewter was a limited offering. Others say it took on an almost bronze tone. All I can say is that my first minimag was labled pewter, but is the same color as what Mag called grey in the early ML25 lights. I also have a 1st release 2D LED from about 2014 that matches my pewter minimag but (iirc) was labled grey.
> (I remember being in a WalMart comparing the $19.99 USA made minimag to a Taiwann made light for $8.99 and picking the minimag for being called pewter and being made by Americans back then)



Then I tossed the most valuable part of my collection.... the packages with the wording on them. I know 100% that I had a pewter package, because I wrote the name of the color and placed it in the light on a slip of paper.


----------



## LiftdT4R

Welp, no pewter Maglite. Maybe tomorrow night though, hoping to meet the seller then if we're both free. In the mean time though I got my 7C all back together. I was able to save all of the blue switch. Not sure if I'm going to keep this one or flip it because I have a lower serial, flat end cap in my collection still too. Nice light either way though!!


----------



## LiftdT4R

All right, so I scored some very very nice special order colors tonight. It's late so I'm only going to post one for now but I'll have the others up soon. I did get a NIB Pewter light. However, the package is fairly yellowed so it's tough to tell the color. I can assure you that it's not grey though. It's a 2D and it's a ~14,000,000 serial. I have another 2D that's out of the box that I've been trying to figure out the color on and from what I can see it's identical and it's a 15,000,000 serial so it's about 6 months apart in production.






Shown below, from left to right, are the NIB 2D ~14,000,000 serial Pewter, what I believe is also a 2D ~15,000,000 serial Pewter, a 4D Copper, and a recent production 3D Gray






The pewter is basically a washed out copper. It's what it would look like if you took the copper and mixed it with gray. I thought my 2D was a Bronze for the longest time so I guess I'm missing a bronze. Either that or they didn't make a Bronze in the large lights but I did hear form a couple of other collectors that they did. I'll get some better pics tomorrow.


----------



## Guitar Guy

Great scores, Liftd! Glad you're getting the colors figured out.

JT


----------



## LiftdT4R

Thanks!! All right, as promised I have some more pics. From left to right I have Silver, Gray, Pewter and Copper. I heard folks also mentioning a Bronze light and there might be one but I can't find a color code for one in any of the Mag info I have. The pics I've seen look awfully close to Copper so I'm thinking someone has them mixed up.






I've been able to confirm all of the color codes and packages so I'm 100% certain these are the actual colors. Here's a closer shot of the Pewter vs. Copper. The Pewter is very difficult to photograph. In too much light it looks Gray and it not enough light it looks copper. In person it looks like a washed out Copper.






The Mag Instrument color codes are:

Pewter - 94
Copper - JY
Gray - 09
Silver - 10


----------



## LiftdT4R

And here's one more I got with the latest lot that I bought. It's one I've been looking for, for a long time. An orange 3D.






I'm always surprised Mag didn't produce more of these other than the 1 limited run they did. With all the folks in the trades using these you'd think they would be way more popular. I have a couple orange Cerakoted Mags in my Jeep that are super easy to find in the dark.

Also, this is what I mean by the color codes.






As you can see in the pic each light has a Model Number. There have been several threads here to decipher these but basically they are Broken down as follows.

S3DAU5
S - Product Line in this case Full Size, M would be Mini Maglite
3 - 3 Cell
D - D Cell
AU - Orange, interesting enough AU is the atomic symbol for Gold. Some packages have the name of the color on them. This one doesn't and I think the official name might be Amber.
5 - Type of packaging, in this case Chipboard. 6 is for clam shell.


----------



## d13avo

Thank you for spending the time to publish this information LiftdT4R. I am certain I have a very nice shiny grey now and not a rare pewter, never mind I shall keep my eye out.


----------



## willrx

Yes, thanks for the research and information [emoji6]


----------



## Rubicon1000

Thanks for the info, I'm glad you found an orange 3d. Dan


----------



## willrx

Always wondered what the official color was since this one isn’t marked with a named color[emoji1365]


----------



## LiftdT4R

That would be a very nice Pewter! Mag is tough because some of the packages don't have the name of the color on them and some have even used 2 names for the same color code. Copper, Bronze, and Pewter were always the toughest for me to tell apart. I think Pewter or Copper was later called Bronze but with the same color code. I've never seen a color code for Bronze even on the Mini Maglites which make me think it's an alternate name for one of the existing colors. I have seen packaging labelled Copper and Pewter though.

I saw you were selling a bunch of your lights lately. Are you getting out of the hobby or just slimming down? You sure do have a collection to be envious of!! 

Also, on the Jade lights they have T before the model number. I am pretty sure that's because they were for Target. All other Cs and Ds always start with S but the Jade ones start with TS.


----------



## willrx

Thanks for the info! You've really taken Maglite info to a new level and reignited my interest.:twothumbs Slimming down for me at this point. I still really enjoy the hobby.


----------



## LiftdT4R

You got it! Most of it came from old threads and other collectors, I just kind of pulled it together. I have some great lights coming this week from an ex-Mag employee circa 2000. Some of them I've never seen before.

I'm slimming down too. I didn't have near as much as you did but I'm going to jettison most of my Surefire stuff. None of it is that rare.


----------



## Icarus

Great info and very nice pictures again! :thumbsup:


----------



## ven

Fantastic info and pics Liftd, got to love those mags.....................could they be the most recognised flashlight in the world.


----------



## LiftdT4R

ven said:


> Fantastic info and pics Liftd, got to love those mags.....................could they be the most recognised flashlight in the world.



Thanks!! I always hear they are the Toyota Camry of the flashlight world. Not the most exciting, fastest or flashy but they always get the job done and run forever. I don't use them much day to day anymore because I've gone to lithium ion warm LED lights. I think the story behind them is fascinating because they likely are the best selling flashlight in the world. 

In the Incandescent 3D model alone they've sold almost 50 million models. Forget about the Mini Maglites or any other model that's enough to give everyone currently living in the state of New York a flashlight. They don't publish numbers on the AA Incan Mini Maglite and they aren't serialized but I would guess they are at least double that at around 100 million or more. When you start to add up all the other incandescent models it's close to supplying one light for everyone living in the U.S. currently and that's just Incans.

I do realize some of those lights don't exist anymore due to leaking batteries but it's still an astounding number of lights sold. I always thought Maglite should go back to their old large diameter format and put in a thin plastic sleeve that could be pulled out when the batteries leaked. I think that would be a big selling point because it's been their #1 service issue and the larger diameter lights felt more hefty. I doubt they will though because most of their lights are priced at $20 so rather than service them it's just cheaper to buy a new one.

I also figure since everyone sat through my boring speculation/rant I'd throw in a pic of my special order finish lights. I have every finish but not every size.












From left to right and top to bottom they are: a 3D orange, a 2D ice blue, a 4D midnight blue, a 2D pewter, a 4D copper, a 4D jade, and a 2D lime green.


----------



## willrx

So nice....thanks for sharing


----------



## willrx

Wasn’t sure if I’d shared this one previously. Almost forgot it was still here🤪


----------



## LiftdT4R

Awesome! Is that a 5D? Looks brand new!! They are the rarest D cell Vari-Beams. They were only made for 1980 to 1982 IIRC. I think they stopped around Serial # 200,000.


----------



## bykfixer

I read somewhere that in the early days of the minimag sales were in the _tens of millions_, like 14 million a year. So 5 years at 12 million... which back then would not be a stretch... yeah 60 million would be no surprise. Introduced in 1984 that's 34 years ago. So if the average were 2 million per year.... well again 60 million would certainly be possible. 

Yet only 2 of these....




Upside down engraved...have been chronicled here at CPF.

One in Finland and one in America. 

I would speculate that a days production of bezels took place which may be thousands, before the error was caught. Maybe a few days? Or perhaps QC caught it early.
Not a "rare" Maglite by design like special orders or special colors. Yet Maglite being known for very good quality control since 1979 it's certainly a unique one that qualifies as one of Maglites "unintended" samples.


----------



## torchsarecool

Willrx thats a very smart varibeam.
Liftdt4r your collection sounds like its about to get some very interesting additions. Looking forward to seeing what you have found


----------



## willrx

Thanks! Sorry for the delay-6D


----------



## willrx

Found these today🤪


----------



## Chauncey Gardiner

I don't collect Mag-Lites, I just pop-in for the wonderful variety of pictures/colors. :thumbsup: Fun thread.

~ Chance


----------



## willrx

I agree! Thanks


----------



## LiftdT4R

willrx said:


> Thanks! Sorry for the delay-6D



Very nice!! And a nice low serial too!!


----------



## Guitar Guy

You guys have some great looking Maglites, and many that I have not seen before. I'm getting the beginnings of a collection started, and very much enjoy the photos you all post. 

I'm not sure I'd have the restraint to not cut those old packages open. I'm sure the highest resale value is with the unopened package, but it's gotta be hard to not be able to do the usual tinkering, maintenance, shining. I'd probably make the excuse of not letting the o-rings dry rot, and take the Buck knife to it :thumbsup:.

JT


----------



## willrx




----------



## Icarus

:wow: beautiful colors! I like the one color lights most and especially the orange and green! :twothumbs


----------



## willrx

Thanks! The colors are quite nice, I agree. Hadn’t looked at these in years. LiftdT4R got the juices going again[emoji1373]


----------



## LiftdT4R

Lol, Mag Mania! I have a handful of automotive themed lights.






The Maglite Racing ones had a car when they first came out but I was told there were too many QA/QC issues in screen printing the car so on later releases they opted for just the Maglite Racing Logo. The NASCAR one is a really early (~1997) one too and has what looks like either a Hard Anodized or Cerakote finish. On this finish, these lights have a different style Maglite logo. Some anodized finishes had this type of logo also but all hard anodized ones did. It's a shame they didn't do this finish on the standard lights because it really is nice and durable and a little more grippy. 






I can't remember if the Porsche Mini Mag was supplied with one of the cars like Surefire did or if it was just a dealer ordered giveaway. The Ferrari ones actually came with the cars and were supplied with batteries so most of them were destroyed. Ferrari owners pay a pretty penny for them today so they're tough to find. I did a blog post about them at: http://maglitehistory.blogspot.com/2017/08/1999-to-2009-ferrari-mini-maglites.html The grey is the most common followed by the red. This is the only black one I've ever seen and I heard it came with the Enzo. I'm not sure if that is true but it's really rare and that story sounds good! I think I have a BMW and Maserati one hanging around somewhere too.

I always thought it was interesting because Maglites and cars go together like peas and carrots. I've never had a really fancy car but every truck and car I did have I've always kept a Maglite in it.


----------



## willrx

So much historical information here!! Thanks LiftdT4R!!


----------



## Guitar Guy

Once again. Great pics, guys. Great colors, great variety. Thanks for sharing.

Do any of you guys have the black & silver Harley Davidson lights? I just got the 4D from auctioin. It's not new/ mint, but neither am I, nor is my Harley Davidson. I saw a mint with box 4D that sold already. Dang it looked sweet.

There is at least a 3C that matches it that I'd like to run onto.

Yes: They do seem to go with cars. I've always had one in my vehicles too. The white lettered bezel looks similar to a white lettered tire. Even the name Mag, as in mag wheel. 

JT


----------



## willrx

I don’t have any of those currently. Post up Sir! Let’s see your goodness[emoji6]


----------



## Guitar Guy

Thx for the invite, Willrx, but I don’t have much yet that qualifies as rare. Most of my best stuff came from Liftd. A few of those you probably saw a page or two back, so I don’t want to double post. One is a very nice '80 "paten pending" 5D. Also, my Nascar spectrum is back there somewhere. Nothing special, the very beginnings of a collection, but I’m enjoying it, and they’re way cheaper than guitars. Here are my two 6C lights that I ran onto, 1989 / 1990. I do have a 3D Vari-Beam that I didn’t get a pic of yet, also credited to Liftd. Pic soon of that and the HD when it comes.

JT






[/IMG]


A few Cs I've picked up recently, 1990s. I like the feel of them. I've been using D Mags since they first came out, but never had a C for some reason.



[/IMG]


----------



## turbodog

LiftdT4R said:


> And here's one more I got with the latest lot that I bought. It's one I've been looking for, for a long time. An orange 3D.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I'm always surprised Mag didn't produce more of these other than the 1 limited run they did. With all the folks in the trades using these you'd think they would be way more popular. I have a couple orange Cerakoted Mags in my Jeep that are super easy to find in the dark.
> 
> Also, this is what I mean by the color codes.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> As you can see in the pic each light has a Model Number. There have been several threads here to decipher these but basically they are Broken down as follows.
> 
> S3DAU5
> S - Product Line in this case Full Size, M would be Mini Maglite
> 3 - 3 Cell
> D - D Cell
> AU - Orange, interesting enough AU is the atomic symbol for Gold. Some packages have the name of the color on them. This one doesn't and I think the official name might be Amber.
> 5 - Type of packaging, in this case Chipboard. 6 is for clam shell.




fyi,

I've got a listing of color codes in the minimag aa thread. Pretty sure there's a code for bronze in there.

You've got to watch mag though... i have often found lights in the wrong packaging. i think they just used whatever was handy sometimes.


----------



## willrx

It’s all about having some fun. The back stories are always great too!!


----------



## Toohotruk

Some AMAZING Collections!!! oo:


----------



## this_is_nascar

Nice collections.


----------



## LiftdT4R

turbodog said:


> fyi,
> 
> I've got a listing of color codes in the minimag aa thread. Pretty sure there's a code for bronze in there.
> 
> You've got to watch mag though... i have often found lights in the wrong packaging. i think they just used whatever was handy sometimes.



Hey, thanks!! I went by that thread when doing my research on these color codes. They are often mislabelled and it does make it a real pain! I think someone must have been asleep on that packaging line.

I didn't see a color code for Bronze though. If you have it or a link that would be awesome.


----------



## torchsarecool

Seen this on gleabay looks an unusual colour.

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.co.uk/ulk/itm/132519094478

Its not mine so i Hope its ok to post this.


----------



## bykfixer

Brass perhaps?


----------



## Icarus

torchsarecool said:


> Seen this on gleabay looks an unusual colour.
> 
> https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.co.uk/ulk/itm/132519094478
> 
> Its not mine so i Hope its ok to post this.



It's a gold color Mini Maglite.


----------



## Icarus

Jade Maglites 3D


----------



## LiftdT4R

Icarus said:


> It's a gold color Mini Maglite.



Yup, looks like the run of the mill anodized gold but the lighting looks bad on it.


----------



## Icarus

LiftdT4R said:


> Hey, thanks!! I went by that thread when doing my research on these color codes. They are often mislabelled and it does make it a real pain! I think someone must have been asleep on that packaging line.
> 
> *I didn't see a color code for Bronze though. If you have it or a link that would be awesome.*



*bronze*
m2a???
m2a02(1/L) leather case (02 is camo)
m2a05(1/L) nylon case
m2a13(1/L) camo nylon case
above 3 p/n from http://www.sncbrun.com/_minir6.htm

Copied from turbodogs thread.


----------



## LiftdT4R

This is one I've been looking for, for a long time. Maglite has donated many lights since they've been in business but they've only had 5 giveaway or donation lights that have been inscribed. They are the 1989 AAA George HW Bush Inaugural Mini Mag, the 1994 Lillehammer Olympics AA Mini Mag, the 2001 George W Bush Inaugural AA Mini Mag, the 2001 9/11 Search and Rescue 3D, and the 2005 George W Bush Inaugural AA Mini Mag. I know have everyone one except the 2005 Bush light but I hope to have one soon.











And here's the little bit that I know about this light:

In 1994 the Winter Olympics were hosted in Lillehammer, Norway. At the end of the games there was a special closing ceremony that offered remembrance and hope for the site of the 1984 Winter Games, Sarajevo, Bosnia. Around 1992 it was be-seiged as part of the Bosnian conflict. Thousand of civilians were killed, displaced, and the city's infrastructure was bombed during the siege. The siege lasted almost 3 years, the longest in the history of modern warfare.


Tony Maglica was born in New York City but was raised in Croatia. At the time Croatia and Bosnia as well as handful of other states were all part of the former communist Yugoslavia. As the 1994 Winter Olympics was drawing to a close Maglite sent 40,000 AA Mini Maglites Inscribed "1994 Lillehammer Olympics" and " Remember Sarajevo" to the closing ceremony as shown below. The lights were used during a the closing speech where a speaker offered hope for Sarajevo.

What's also interesting is that the head has TM after the panther logo. This is because the lights were produced in 1994 but the panther logo registered trademark wasn't approved until 1996.


----------



## LiftdT4R

Icarus said:


> *bronze*
> m2a???
> m2a02(1/L) leather case (02 is camo)
> m2a05(1/L) nylon case
> m2a13(1/L) camo nylon case
> above 3 p/n from http://www.sncbrun.com/_minir6.htm
> 
> Copied from turbodogs thread.



Thanks!!

I see there are a few different color codes listed there. 02 was used for camo as noted. I haven't seen 05 or 13 before so it's possible they could be bronze.


----------



## turbodog

LiftdT4R said:


> Thanks!!
> 
> I see there are a few different color codes listed there. 02 was used for camo as noted. I haven't seen 05 or 13 before so it's possible they could be bronze.



Yeah. Conflicting info.

Also, the website listed is a porn site now...


----------



## LiftdT4R

Here's a couple of my Maserati lights too!


----------



## willrx

Love the satin finish[emoji6]


----------



## Guitar Guy

Very interesting about the Sarajevo light. A lot has happened in that region.

Here is my Vari-Beam. It came from the original owner in Roseville, CA, and was purchased in Chico, CA for him by his wife. He liked it so well that he just kept it around the house instead of taking it to work at the electric company, as she had intended.

According to Liftd, it is the "intermediate" model from 1983, when Mag started the Vari-Beam numbers over, and that's why it has the low serial number. I like the straight grip lines, a slight variation from the diamond pattern.

JT




[/IMG]




[/IMG]


----------



## Guitar Guy

A couple more shots. The Vari and a couple other 3Ds. I bought the red one for my Dad as a Christmas gift in 1990, and have an interesting story about that one for later.

My midnight blue 4D ... my camera and the sky made it look lighter than it really is.

A Magcharger duty light that I got from a fellow who was a Pittsburgh, PA city police officer from 1990 - 2015, a motorcycle cop for some of that time. It's pretty banged up. He had another that he was keeping that he said he had used to break out the window of an overturned minivan to save some children. I told him to hang that one on the wall of his den to show his grandkids. I also got his early 90s "around the house" 3C, not pictured.

JT





[/IMG]




[/IMG]




[/IMG]


----------



## d13avo

Guitar Guy said:


> Very interesting about the Sarajevo light. A lot has happened in that region.
> 
> Here is my Vari-Beam. It came from the original owner in Roseville, CA, and was purchased in Chico, CA for him by his wife. He liked it so well that he just kept it around the house instead of taking it to work at the electric company, as she had intended.
> 
> According to Liftd, it is the "intermediate" model from 1983, when Mag started the Vari-Beam numbers over, and that's why it has the low serial number. I like the straight grip lines, a slight variation from the diamond pattern.
> 
> JT
> 
> 
> 
> 
> [/IMG]
> 
> 
> 
> 
> [/IMG]



That’s one nice light.


----------



## willrx

I agree!! Outdoor lighting is amazing [emoji6]


----------



## Guitar Guy

Thanks! Yes, outdoor overcast days are best for photos.

Was raining today, but I got the Harley light. I got the t shirt when I rode the Dragon, Blue Ridge Parkway, and Smoky Mt. Natl. Park about 2 weeks before the devastating forest fires broke out in Oct. 2016.

Serial# D4009162642. Maybe 1990/ 91. It has the D number, but no panther on the bezel.




[/IMG]


----------



## LiftdT4R

Very nice!! I like how Mag used to do the laser etched logos on the head as well as on the body.


----------



## LiftdT4R

I'm not a big collector of Mini Mags because there are just sooooo many varieties but I did pick up a couple cool ones recently I thought I'd share. I think one has been see before in the Mini Maglites collection thread but I don't think the other one has.

The first is a Marlboro Adventure Team Mini Maglite. This was only available from the Marlboro Miles catalog around 2000. Cigarette advertising in general is almost non-existent and the reward coupons on the side of the packs that could be exchanged for merchandise were outlawed a few years back. Pretty neat light. I think there was one with a gecko on it also.











This one is pretty unique. It's a gray hard anodized with die cut decals just like the Ferrari light except this one was done for Diet Coke. I'm not sure if these were done for a giveaway or were done for just a few employees but this is the only one I've ever seen.


----------



## willrx

Wow [emoji50] I’ve never seen either of those. I wonder how are the decals applied?


----------



## LiftdT4R

The Marlboro one appears to be screen printed but the Diet Coke one looks like it is a die cut decal so it's just adhesive that holds it on. Maglite did laser etching from 1989 on but laser etching only provides white. In the mid 90s Maglite started trying out the laser cut decals and I'm guessing as the technology got better they went to screen printing. The early NASCAR lights has die cut stickers but the later ones were screen printed.

I have a few more lights to share too, some full sized ones, that I haven't ever seen before I'm just trying to research them out a little more.


----------



## willrx

Wow, that’s really interesting. Can’t wait to see what else you’ve uncovered [emoji1373]


----------



## turbodog

LiftdT4R said:


> ...
> 
> The first is a Marlboro Adventure Team Mini Maglite. This was only available from the Marlboro Miles catalog around 2000. Cigarette advertising in general is almost non-existent and the reward coupons on the side of the packs that could be exchanged for merchandise were outlawed a few years back. Pretty neat light. I think there was one with a gecko on it also.
> 
> ...



I can confirm the gecko light. A friend cut grass commercially back then, and he would pickup all the cig wrappers beforehand. He got at least one of those lights.


----------



## sizzlechest

LiftdT4R said:


> Here's a couple of my Maserati lights too!



NEVER seen the orange or black Ferrari lights or maserati light b4.....


----------



## LiftdT4R

I hadn't seen them before I got them either. I was told they came with very exclusive cars. The black supposedly came with the Enzo. I'm not sure on the red but the grey is the run of the mill one if there is such a thing. I was actually able to get 2 reds and 2 greys. I think you have some really interesting Mags if I remember right so if you're interested in trading please let me know.

I'm also in the process of restoring another 7 cell but this time it's even rarer than the 7C. It's a 7D. 7Ds were only made from 1979 to around the middle of 1982 and only numbered about 20,000 total where the 7Cs were made until 1989 and numbered about 40,000. The 7Ds are literally twice as rare than the 7Cs if not rarer because they were so much older.

This 7D happens to be from 1979, Maglite's first year of production. Like other 1979 lights it has the lower focus grip on the head, a "Paten Pending" stamp opposite the serial, and the large bulbous switch cover.






My stock of the 1979 switch covers is nearly depleted. I got a whole bunch from an old dealer but I've restored a few of these 1979 lights now so I'm just about out. Maglite hasn't produced them in years so I'm looking to have some produced myself. If anyone knows a good lead on this please let me know. I've searched high and low and no one currently makes a similar cover. 

This light is also a very low, 4,303 serial. It's the lowest serial 7D I've seen although I have seen a few dozen lower serials on D cells. The light has been well used over the years and came in non-working. It looks like no less than 4 sets of batteries have corroded in it because there is a ton of alkaline caked in the barrel. The switch has been replaced with the 1989+ plastic retaining ring replacement as well as the reflector and lens. If you want to know what the original one looked like check out my blog post on the NIB 1979 6D I have: http://maglitehistory.blogspot.com/2017/08/1979-6d-oldest-maglite.html






I much prefer the lights with all of their original pieces and I do have some very very old NOS replacement parts but not enough to make this light all original again. I'll likely re-use the parts that came with it because they've seen some action. Over the years, likely after one of the battery leaks, someone replaced the tail cap too with a lanyard ring style one. You can see the difference in the fading of the anodizing. These old lights fade into some awesome colors. This one has a nice deep purple.











I'll post some pics once I get her all cleaned out and lit again. This will be the 2nd 7D I've restored so I'm pretty excited!


----------



## Guitar Guy

Very cool 7D. The stories I bet it could tell. 

I like when they fade to the purple tint.:twothumbs

JT


----------



## LiftdT4R

Guitar Guy said:


> Very cool 7D. The stories I bet it could tell.
> 
> I like when they fade to the purple tint.:twothumbs
> 
> JT



I have a lot of lights I wish I knew the story on! This one has some miles on it. One of the 7Ds I bought came from the midwest. The owner told me his father used it to hunt racoons because it was so bright for it's time and would run 16 hours on fresh batteries. If you needed a light that would get you through the whole night in 1982 and didn't mind shelling out today's equivalent of $150 this was it.


----------



## din107

Hi from Russia. Recently began t collect non-letter C maglites. Here is 2/5/6C. I hope that I`ll find 3C and 4C, but find 7C in Russia is impossible.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1zrVfkr3gWMZtmN2Xdj0bgLAhKGYfFukk
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1ENVHrzTSbEJpeqvVFqhKdF7-BS3KXrnv


----------



## LiftdT4R

din107 said:


> Hi from Russia. Recently began t collect non-letter C maglites. Here is 2/5/6C. I hope that I`ll find 3C and 4C, but find 7C in Russia is impossible.
> 
> https://drive.google.com/open?id=1zrVfkr3gWMZtmN2Xdj0bgLAhKGYfFukk
> https://drive.google.com/open?id=1ENVHrzTSbEJpeqvVFqhKdF7-BS3KXrnv



Very nice! Is it difficult to get Maglites in Russia? In some places in Europe it seems likes the import taxes are very high.


----------



## din107

LiftdT4R said:


> Very nice! Is it difficult to get Maglites in Russia? In some places in Europe it seems likes the import taxes are very high.


5C and 6C was looking for a long time. But non-letters 2/3/4C maglites are rare too.
Now in Russia you can buy new maglites (new style) very easy, especially in Moscow, for example, incandescent maglites 2C/3C/4C=19$, 2D/3D=19$, 4D=21$, 5D=23$, 6D=35$.


----------



## Guitar Guy

Hi din. Those are great looking C Mags. Thanks for sharing.

I'm a new collector also, and recently took a liking to the C lights. I also haven't found a 5 or 7 yet, but they turn up occasionally.

Good luck. Lots of nice folks and good info on cpf.

JT


----------



## willrx

Rare to me. First time seeing this one-I pounced!


----------



## bykfixer

SEMPER FI

Score of the year, there.


----------



## LiftdT4R

Very nice! Do you have any story behind it? I was wondering if this is something that would have been standard issue or maybe if they were ordered for a special event. The serial number is likely around 1995 or 1996.


----------



## Guitar Guy

Very nice Marine Corp light.

JT


----------



## willrx

Thanks! No story that I’m aware of. I’d love to know though. My guess is special event.


----------



## Guitar Guy

Not rare, but I thought you guys may find it interesting.

I did a knotless paracord wrap on this 2C last night. It's the first one I've tried on a Mag. Kinda hard to keep it tight enough from slipping on the aluminum surface without 3 hands, but I got it going after a few tries. Didn't come out quite as good as I wanted, but I have something else I'm gonna try on the next one. Maybe tonight.

Regular 550 cord makes a C tube a little less thick than a D. I stripped the 7 inner cords out of this one and just used the sheath and it lays pretty flat without adding much thickness. Feels pretty good in the hand.

I've done these wraps on mower handles, shovel, hoe, ax, cheater bars. They work well and stay tight. I generally prefer my lights without it, but some of the colors do look pretty cool.

Also, just to be sure - do you guys prefer to keep this thread for "rare" Maglites only? or other Maglite related photos too, such as this one? Thanks.

JT





[/IMG]


----------



## bykfixer

Looks good GG.

Good question about the thread. There are literally hundreds of old Maglite threads. But this one is still active. 

Perhaps you can share your ideas in the tips and tricks thread?
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...-and-Tricks-Thread&highlight=Flashaholic+tips

It'll be nice to see that one get bump'd and maybe a new group will share some ideas.


----------



## LiftdT4R

Very cool!! I vote that rare/unique/unusual/offbeat are all acceptable. I've posted some lights here that I modded that aren't necessarily rare but are pretty unique.

Do ya have a guide online about how to wrap that? I'll prob do one of my 2Cs like that as it looks pretty cool and makes for a different kind of look.


----------



## willrx

Works for me[emoji1365]


----------



## Guitar Guy

Thanks guys. Liftd, I got the handle wraps out of a book called Adventures in Paracord by Nicholas Tomihama. That one's just called the "basic wrap", and there are a couple others with criss cross and looped patterns. Unfortunately, most of the rest of the book is survival bracelet type of stuff that I never really used. The handle wraps are what I've used most out of it. There's probably a demo vid somewhere online. Lemme know if you don't find it and I'll figure out a way to get it to ya.

JT


----------



## Icarus

I also prefer to keep all those 'more common' Maglites in this thread.


----------



## Guitar Guy

Thanks for clarifying, yes this is a great Mag thread and sure gets a lot of views – like over 530 in the last 20 hrs. I know I've enjoyed seeing the great collections you guys have.

I’m not even sure if GM still uses the Goodwrench theme or not, but I took an interest in this older black Mr. Goodwrench Mag, to possibly upgrade and keep in my black GMC pickup.

It’s a pre letter style, 2.4 million s.n., with stamped bezel, and near mint on the outside, but was full of corrosion caked inside the tube and around the switch. With the help of my favorite penetrant, Kroil, I was able to get the switch out and disassemble it completely to clean and re-use. Works great. I put one of the lanyard end caps on it for now.

Byk, that tips & tricks thread looks cool. I’m going to do a few posts about some knots and the Kroil later to bump that one up.





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## bykfixer

Lovin' the Mr. Goodwrench theme. A Malkoff would be a sweet upgrade.
All I see are Earnhardt in the good wrench type. Nothing wrong with Earnhardt editions, but I was a Tim Richmond fan back then. (He drove for Rick Hendrick who made the Mr. Goodwrench name famous in his GTP racing program until they signed with Richard Childress) 


Definitely add to that tricks thread. Cannot tell you how many threads are started asking questions that are answered on the first page of it.

An article about the demise of the Mr Goodwrench name.
https://www.google.com/amp/www.auto...-forces-full-retirement-of-mr-goodwrench/amp/


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## LiftdT4R

Awesome! That's likely one of the first laser etched custom order full size lights. I have a "transitional" 4 million serial Chevron light done for the El Segundo refinery just south of Mag's headquarters that's from 1991. Mag started laser etching Mini Mag bezels in 1985 due to the QA/QC issues with stamping a bezel that small. They started doing to full size bezels in 1990 and I believe they started doing customized lights that year too.

Did you have that light dated from Maglite? I'd be even money it's from early 1990. Looks like a stamped bezel which is interesting because I always figured that they went to a laser etched bezel when they shortened the grip. Sometimes they had old pats laying around they'd use up first though so it's tough to say.


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## Guitar Guy

Yes, it's a stamped bezel. I didn't check the date with Mag, but I have a red 3D with stamped bezel and a 2.9 million sn, and it dated to Dec. 1, 1990.

Also, thanks for the Goodwrench link byk. That's interesting.


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## LiftdT4R

Wanted to share a pretty cool light with you guys. I don't own this one, it was sent in on my blog with a request for some info. I get a lot of inquires from my blog. Some run of the mill, and some really out there. This was one of the more interesting ones I received. So what is it? Like Mr. Fixer's upside down Mini Mag, I believe it is an error light. The serial has a letter at the end and is missing a digit.






It's a NIB 6D. The logo, bezel, and packaging all are from 1986 to 1989. The back of the package is labelled 1988. However, the correct time serial range for that time frame is 200,000 to 400,000. The 6Ds numbered about 600,000 when they switched over to a letter serial in 1992.











An 86,000 serial light would have been produced in the early 80s and an 860,000 serial wouldn't have been until the mid 90s so I'm not entirely sure what happened here. The best I can figure is that the stamping machine was not setup correctly that day or they were trying something new out R&D wise and this one slipped through Quality Control. The owner e-mailed Mag Instrument and they didn't have any information on the light. 

Pretty neat considering Mag's QA/QC is very tight. I've only seen a handful of error lights and while they don't fetch big $$$ they are a cool look into Mag's manufacturing processes.


----------



## bykfixer

That's really cool. And still NIP awesome-ness!!!

I wonder if somebody at some point used to do an occasional error to see if it got out or kinda like a message in a bottle to see where it ended up. 

A long, long time ago I worked at a place with those accoustic ceiling tiles about 7' above our heads. Texture galore. It was about 1983. 

I was dispatched with answering the phones one day and was by myself. Back then they used to hand stamp incoming mail or outgoing letters. I stamped the current date on that ceiling above my desk about 10 times to see if anybody ever noticed. I left that job in 1998. 

Not long before I left a man was leaning back in his chair tossing a rubber band ball in the air and says "I wonder who stamped the ceiling". 
That 6D light perhaps was one of those things....


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## Guitar Guy

Now that's some rare stuff right there ... gitter' done, Liftd. Thanks for sharing, and I hope the owner sells it to ya.

Byk, you're a rogue ceiling stamper.


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## LiftdT4R

Thanks, unfortunately not. :-( I love hearing from other Maglite collectors and seeing cool one of a kind lights but the downside is I can't have some of them, lol. I have your lights and parts boxed up so they'll be going out tomorrow.


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## Guitar Guy

Been experimenting with some more paracord wraps. I like the how the two tone green and black looks on the 3C.

The 4D camo/ black one is the only one where I didn't strip the inner cord out. It doesn't really look as good to me, and adds more bulk, but it is a good way to carry some extra paracord on a camping trip or on a light you carry in the vehicle.

The last pic shows the underside of the wrap after it's tucked and tightened.

JT




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[/IMG]




[/IMG]


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## Icarus

Can someone tell me the difference in blue between color code DZ, FD and 11?

I'm struggling with these color codes... 11 = Blue, FD = Midnight Blue, but what is DZ then? And which one is the darkest blue? :thinking:


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## LiftdT4R

11 is standard blue. I'm not sure about DZ though.


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## Icarus

Right, DZ is the problem here. When I google 'Maglite blue' I get the impression that DZ is between 11 and FD.


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## Icarus

I mailed Maglite regarding color code DZ and they told me this is also standard blue.


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## LiftdT4R

Nice!!

I figured I'd post this one here too. I originally posted it to the Vintage Cop Light thread and I did a writeup on it there at: http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...mpany-thread&p=5192249&viewfull=1#post5192249

It's an ASP 21" Baton Attachment for a 5, 6, or 7C Maglite. It's shown here on my 1990 6C. It takes up 3 cells worth of length inside the light and there were only handful made around 1991 before ASP developed their own baton lights with Kevin Truax and later Don Keller.












With one of my 7Ds to show length.


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## willrx

So cool!! Never seen that one before!! I was aware of the Surefire equivalent but not Maglite[emoji1373]


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## LiftdT4R

Thanks!! Do you happen to have any info on the Surefire baton lights? I've heard of them and I know they're rare but I've never seen one in action. I'm guessing the switch end is threaded to accept a baton like the Tac-Lites and Nightstalkers.


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## LiftdT4R

I finally finished my 7D restoration I've been working on for the last 2 weeks. It's been just an hour or so every other day because I've been so busy for work but it was still a lot of fun. I was able to source a period correct switch. These switches had the post made out of a different plastic that is almost black vs. the tan of the newly manufactured ones. It uses an aluminum retaining ring instead of a plastic one and all of the innards are bare copper. The new switches have all nickel plated parts so they don't corrode and have better conductivity. Almost all of the 1979 and 1980 lights I work on have the bare copper switches and they all around 15 or so ohms before I clean them up provided they're working. The nickel plated newer style switches are usually only 1 to 3 ohms. 






The reflector is a newer style replacement and the end cap is a newer lanyard ring but other than that I was able to put this light back to the way it came in 1979. I even had a NOS large button for it. As can be seen in older posts the 1979 buttons are larger and more bulbous. The focus grip on the head is also about a 1/4" lower than where it is on the newer lights, the serials are very low, and they are stamped "Paten Pending". I have a handful of these and they are pretty neat old lights. Here she is all finished up and lit:





















This one was a real bear and I probably wouldn't have restored it if it wasn't a request from my blog and didn't have a great story behind it. The battery corrosion was terrible and not only did it foul up the barrel but most of the internal treads as well. The newer style replacement switch with the plastic ring was pretty well jammed into the light to try to make it work and the screw that contacts the body to complete the circuit corroded quite a bit. For this I soaked it in lemon juice and vinegar but the alkaline must have been in the lights for decades because nothing broke it loose. I don't make any money on these lights aside from the cost of the parts and shipping. While I'm happy to do them sometimes I get more requests than I can handle so I try to limit myself to easier ones or ones with a good story.

I used a new method for this light. I purchased 1.5" diameter stainless steel tube/bore brushes. I clipped off the loop end and attached it to my power drill. I went in from both ends and kept the light nice and wet so I didn't have any of the nasty alkaline dust all over the place. The bore and threads cleaned up as clean as a whistle. I was very happy and ti made light work of the light. I'll definitely be using this method again to restore lights with heavier than normal corrosion. Here's a couple pics of my setup.











And, here's something I don't get to see every day. It's 4 - 7D Maglites. I've never seen this many on one place all at the same time. 2 are mine and 2 are restorations that I finished for folks who contacted me from my blog. I included a 1st Gen Mini Mag for scale. These really are giant lights!


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## torchsarecool

Absolutely fantastic work Jay!!


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## willrx

No kidding!! I really appreciate this!!


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## Icarus

:goodjob: ... and very low serial numbers! :thumbsup:


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## LiftdT4R

Thanks guys!! Lots of fun!!



Icarus said:


> :goodjob: ... and very low serial numbers! :thumbsup:



I think it kind of shows how slow sellers the 7Ds really were. The highest serials are around 19,000 and they are from 1982. All other models sold that many in the first 6 months to a year of production.

Icarus, I hear you have some pretty rare 2Cs that haven't been posted yet. Would love to see some pics!!


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## willrx

LiftdT4R said:


> Thanks!! Do you happen to have any info on the Surefire baton lights? I've heard of them and I know they're rare but I've never seen one in action. I'm guessing the switch end is threaded to accept a baton like the Tac-Lites and Nightstalkers.



7C, 7D, Surefire 6BL ASP Baton Light


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## LiftdT4R

Wow, very very nice!! It looks like the Surefire has the shockproof bezel? I think that's a great idea and it makes sense because when closing these ASP batons a ton of force and impact is required. I blew out a bulb on my 6C trying to do it gently. I can see the logic behind trying to combine a light and a baton but in practice it seems difficult especially with an Incan. LEDs certainly would help a lot but I don't see anyone producing anything like this now.

Where did you find such clean a clean 7C and 7D? I'm guessing NOS form a dealer that closed? That would be one heck of a find!


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## Icarus

Lime Green Maglites 2C (Non-letter Serial). Manufactured in March 1999.


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## LiftdT4R

Wow!! Very cool. I don't think I've ever seen that many Lime Green lights together all in one place. Did you pick them up from a store that had them NOS? Must be a great story behind them.


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## Guitar Guy

You guys have some awesome lights. Thanks for sharing.

JT


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## Icarus

LiftdT4R said:


> Wow!! Very cool. I don't think I've ever seen that many Lime Green lights together all in one place.



...and that's even without the light on the way to you and the one in my collection... 



LiftdT4R said:


> Did you pick them up from a store that had them NOS? Must be a great story behind them.



Not a great story behind them. Look when I signed up at CPF and I was a big fan from Maglite long before I became a member here. My first Maglite was a black 4D. Many followed. Lime Green is by far my favorite color so I bought several. I also like C-size more than D-size. I will take more pictures when the weather gets better. This is one great thread and your blog is magnificent! :twothumbs


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## ZMZ67

Really love those lime greens! The 2C is a personal favorite of mine.


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## LiftdT4R

I picked up a lot of well loved Mags recently and I got a few rare C cells in the bunch. They aren't in the best shape, they aren't super rare, they aren't worth a ton of dough, but they do work and the price was right! 











Colors on C cells are rare as the C cells were very slow sellers and Mag just didn't market them like the D cells. I've never been able to put together a complete listing of the colors produced and I'm not even sure there were an, aside from Vari-Beams, before 1988. The blue 3C above is a very cool light. It's a 1990 or 1991 "Transitional" model. It has the laser etched bezel that was only done for these 2 years before the Panther logos came out in 1992. It is serial ~812,000. This is pretty interesting because 3Ds form the same year were around 3,000,000 but 5 and 6Ds were around the same production as the 3Cs. Kind of shows how they sold compared to the other lights. They probably made a red 3C for a little while also because the blue finish is identical to the blue D finish and the Ds were also available in red and silver.

The green is the lime green version as Icarus showed above, although mines been used just a tad more. This was a special order color and I believe they were done for Home Depot since they sold so many lights. All of these seem to be from the late 90s and early 2000s. Any lime green models are tough to find now. They also did them in a 2D and 3D. I haven't heard of any other Lime Green sizes being produced though.

The purple was a standard finish and they do come up occasionally. 3D and 2D purple lights are still in production but I believe the 2Cs were discontinued a few years back. The C cells are only made in black now.

I've also seen 2C standard green and 2C silver but I don't own either. I have a 1988 gold 2C that's very rare as Maglite only put out a handful.Other than that I don't know of an other C cell finishes.


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## Icarus

I was 't aware of a Standard green 2C as I've never seen one (is 'Standard Green' the same as 'Dark Green'?) but I do have a Dark Green 3C. I think the Blue 3C is pretty rare and definitely hard to find new. It is also the first time I see a non-letter Purple 2C.


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## Icarus

As far as I know, 

2C has been available in Black, Grey, Silver, Purple, Bluish Purple, Lime Green (like said never saw a 'Standard Green').
3C has been available in Black, Silver, Blue, Dark Green.


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## LiftdT4R

Maybe it was a standard (dark) green 3C I saw. I kind of assumed since 2Cs were more popular sellers that any finish in a 3C was also done in a 2C but I don't have any proof of that.

I have an insert that was used from 1982 to 1986 and it calls out a 2C, 3C, and 4C as being available in blue. I've never seen any blue C cells this old though. Interestingly enough it doesn't have C cells available in silver or red. Of course these are very early lights and I know later on they were available in at least silver but I've never seen red. Since red was a standard color I would have thought they would have done one in red.







Here's my gold 2C from 1989 too along with a couple other 1980s gold lights!


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## Icarus

In this YouTube video one can see a Blue Mag2C. If this is not a custom light then that's proof there are at least Blue 2C's and 3C's.


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## LiftdT4R

Ahh, that's Torchesarecool from CPF! I purchased his 7C and gold over brass Mini Mag but Guitar Guy now owns it.

He had a bunch of custom anodized lights. I think they're all sold now. The blue 2C is one of them. It's actually pretty easy to anodize lights at home and there are many tutorials online. The custom anodized Mags are easy to pick out because when stripping the factory anodizing they lose their laser etchings. When re-anodized the bezels appear plain with no laser etching.


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## Icarus

Ahhh.... I see...


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## bykfixer

The 3 shades of blue I have seen or heard of for C lights.
The Ford one apparently was available in that color (minus the Ford stuff) at one point. In FS listings at eBay it was called light blue. 
To the left is the regular production shade of blue used on minimags, C, D, and so on. 

I have seen a "dark" blue in D cell listings. But haven't seen any listed in C size. It is about the shade of the top area of Level 1 badges here at CPF.


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## Guitar Guy

Love those older gold ones, Liftd.

Here is a pre letter 2C in blue. It is what I’d consider to be the "standard" blue that I normally see on D cell Mags.

The second photo shows 3 distinctly different blues, although my camera doesn’t quite capture the true differences. In actuality, the 4D looks darker and has a slight purple tint, and the light blue 2D on the bottom appears lighter than the pic shows – similar to a Vari-Beam, but not identical. It seems that Liftd called the light one "ice blue" on his blog, but he'll have to confirm that, as I don't recall for sure.

It seems to me that my Vari-Beam has an "aqua" tint compared to the others. Do you guys know if the Vari has its own distinct shade of blue?




[/IMG]




[/IMG]


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## bykfixer

I think your 4D is what I saw called dark blue GG. Or a very similar shade of blue.

My Vare Beam is sun faded.


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## Icarus

Guitar Guy said:


> Love those older gold ones, Liftd.
> 
> Here is a pre letter 2C in blue. It is what I’d consider to be the "standard" blue that I normally see on D cell Mags.
> 
> The second photo shows 3 distinctly different blues, although my camera doesn’t quite capture the true differences. In actuality, the 4D looks darker and has a slight purple tint, and the light blue 2D on the bottom appears lighter than the pic shows – similar to a Vari-Beam, but not identical. It seems that Liftd called the light one "ice blue" on his blog, but he'll have to confirm that, as I don't recall for sure.
> 
> It seems to me that my Vari-Beam has an "aqua" tint compared to the others. Do you guys know if the Vari has its own distinct shade of blue?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> [/IMG]
> 
> 
> 
> 
> [/IMG]



Love that Blue 2C!  Color of the 2D looks similar to my Ice Blue 2AA.


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## LiftdT4R

Very nice Guitar Guy! Don't see too many of those around. The 2D sure does look like ice blue to me.

I'm not sure if this pic will help because it didn't come out so well but I do see 3 distinct blues on the newer, Panther, style lights. I believe they are from left to right: Ice Blue, Standard Blue, and Midnight (Dark) Blue. There's also a Vari-Beam on the left that matches the Ice Blue for reference. I thought the Midnight (Dark) Blue was a special order color but I see it so often I think it may be a Maglite standard color that replaced Standard Blue.


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## Guitar Guy

Thanks guys. Yes, the blue 2C is one of my favorites. 

I'm working on getting a grey 2C. The seller said it was silver, but it looks grey in the pic. Should know in a couple of days. Need a green one next.

Liftd, those shades seem to look consistent with what I've seen. My Vari looks a little different than the ice blue to me, but as byk said, fading does happen. My older red 3D has faded considerably.

Git


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## sizzlechest

Happy Hunting!


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## sizzlechest

LiftdT4R said:


> Here's a couple of my Maserati lights too!



It's one thing to slap a logo onto a maglite but those ferrari lights with the custom bezel ring only seen on the Americana set are = FANTASTIC! What color is that maserati light gold? Awesome find!


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## LiftdT4R

sizzlechest said:


> It's one thing to slap a logo onto a maglite but those ferrari lights with the custom bezel ring only seen on the Americana set are = FANTASTIC! What color is that maserati light gold? Awesome find!



Hey, thanks!! You have quite the collection yourself! I have been on the lookout for a long long time for a Zimmerman Bronze Mini Mag! I got these from an ex-Mag employee that let go a stockpile of old, custom lights. I got a bunch of Mini Mags, some I haven't even taken out yet but these looked the best.

The Maserati light is actually light a hard anodized gun metal. It's basically a deeper shade of the grey Ferrari light but with a standard logo'd bezel. I'm not such a good picture taker.

While CPF was down I did acquire some new, rare Mags. I recently picked up a gold anodized 2D to fill out my gold collection. As far as I know these were the only full size gold anodized lights made, a 3D, 2D and 2C aside from a one-off test color gold 4D. The 2C and 3D are from 1989 but the new 2D I got is from 1984 as it has the TM bezel and a lower serial. From what I hear is Mag put out a couple batches here and there and sold them but they were not a standard production color.











Mag still puts these out from time to time. Here is a pic of some special gold anodized lights given away as swag for the latest Oscars. Unfortunately my invite was lost in the mail so I didn't receive one. I can't tell from the pic if they are incandescent or LED. I'm going to guess they are LED though.


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## LiftdT4R

I haven't seen much action here lately so let's kick it up a notch!

I recently acquired 2 Y2K 3D Maglites. These were produced in 1999 and I believe there was some kind of marketing done with these for the supposed power outages and mass destruction brought about by the Y2K crisis but I haven't been able to find any ads or anything like that. They have no knurling and they have a screen printed globe with the year 2000 on one side and Mag 2000 on the other.






These 2 lights are brand new, never used. They are only 3 serial numbers apart and are as close to sequential as I've ever seen. There was also an AA Mini Maglite version done too but I unfortunately don't have one.






For those interested I did a full write up on my blog at: http://maglitehistory.blogspot.com/2018/04/1999-y2k-maglites.html


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## Chauncey Gardiner

Having one would be cool. Y 2? 

~ Chance


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## Toohotruk

WAY COOL!!! oo:


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## Guitar Guy

Very nice pair of Y2K lights. The non-knurled Mags are cool.


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## LiftdT4R

Thanks!! Do you know of any other full size non-knurled Mags? I think some of the full size NASCAR ones were smooth as well.


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## Guitar Guy

Yea, the Nascar 3D is the only one I've ran onto.


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## Guitar Guy

Ran onto a 7D Maglite that is in pretty decent condition. It has a 9K serial number and the "paten pending" stamp.

It came from the original owner in CA who had used it for camping and fishing trips. It's starting to fade to the slight blue/purple tint that some of them get, although my camera doesn't really pick it up.




[/IMG]




[/IMG]




[/IMG]


Pre letter 2 through 7 D cell Maglites.



[/IMG]


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## 1pt21

HOLY **** those are epic... Never seen OR heard of them before, but I was well aware of the Y2K scare. Man, it was real.

I still remember; to this day, that my dad (worked for the phone company known as NJ Bell Back then) had some computers to work from home that were literally stamped "Y2K Compliant" on them!! What made them "Compliant", sped the internal clock up to Jan 1st, 2000 at 0001 and make sure they still worked??? Haha!

Awesome lights :twothumbs

This type of stuff is why I love CPF.




LiftdT4R said:


> I haven't seen much action here lately so let's kick it up a notch!
> 
> I recently acquired 2 Y2K 3D Maglites. These were produced in 1999 and I believe there was some kind of marketing done with these for the supposed power outages and mass destruction brought about by the Y2K crisis but I haven't been able to find any ads or anything like that. They have no knurling and they have a screen printed globe with the year 2000 on one side and Mag 2000 on the other.
> 
> These 2 lights are brand new, never used. They are only 3 serial numbers apart and are as close to sequential as I've ever seen. There was also an AA Mini Maglite version done too but I unfortunately don't have one.
> 
> For those interested I did a full write up on my blog at: http://maglitehistory.blogspot.com/2018/04/1999-y2k-maglites.html


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## LiftdT4R

Guitar Guy said:


> Ran onto a 7D Maglite that is in pretty decent condition. It has a 9K serial number and the "paten pending" stamp.
> 
> It came from the original owner in CA who had used it for camping and fishing trips. It's starting to fade to the slight blue/purple tint that some of them get, although my camera doesn't really pick it up.
> 
> 
> Pre letter 2 through 7 D cell Maglites.



Nice!! The 7Ds are the holy grail of Maglite collecting! That is one sharp looking early serial. I like how a lot of those really early lights faded to a nice purple. Def adds character to the light!


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## LiftdT4R

1pt21 said:


> HOLY **** those are epic... Never seen OR heard of them before, but I was well aware of the Y2K scare. Man, it was real.
> 
> I still remember; to this day, that my dad (worked for the phone company known as NJ Bell Back then) had some computers to work from home that were literally stamped "Y2K Compliant" on them!! What made them "Compliant", sped the internal clock up to Jan 1st, 2000 at 0001 and make sure they still worked??? Haha!
> 
> Awesome lights :twothumbs
> 
> This type of stuff is why I love CPF.



Thanks!! The good old days before Verizon, lol. I think they were Bell Atlantic back then IIRC. Whereabouts in NJ are ya from? I grew up in Piscataway.


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## 1pt21

LiftdT4R said:


> Thanks!! The good old days before Verizon, lol. I think they were Bell Atlantic back then IIRC. Whereabouts in NJ are ya from? I grew up in Piscataway.



I'm right down the road from Piscataway in Edison, born and raised (now married, old and still living here ). Yup, I believe the nomenclature went something along the lines of; Bell System > New Jersey Bell > Bell Atlantic > Verizon...

The days when we all communicated over copper, now long gone in favor of cellular & VOIP. There are very few POTS lines still in use (mainly used for security systems and such things that would require the phone to work if say power went out). 

My dad used to take me to all of the Central Stations around Central NJ when I was a kid, and sometimes the Main Station in New Brunswick. What a sight to behold; rows upon rows up to the ceiling of equipment and the sounds of relays clicking every time someone picked up or hung up a phone, I got so excited when I was allowed to tag along!

Come to think of it, I wouldn't be surprised if there's some mags out there with one of the Bell Systems logo engraved. Now THAT would be an awesome gift for my dad to add to his display of old / cool phone equipment (he even has a fully functional Pay Phone). Great, now I have another light to hunt down :laughing:


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## bykfixer

I've seen some Bell Atlantic intrinsically safe numbers by Bright Star, Fulton etc at eBay but no Maglites.


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## 1pt21

bykfixer said:


> I've seen some Bell Atlantic intrinsically safe numbers by Bright Star, Fulton etc at eBay but no Maglites.



Hmm, they'd just be going in his display anyway he doesn't care what they are. I'll check that out, thanks Byk!!!


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## LiftdT4R

I haven't posted anything here for a long time and I still do have a few more lights I haven't shared from my vast Maglite collection yet so I figured I'd show one of the more interesting Maglites I have. This is the oldest Maglite I know of that's owned outside of Mag Instrument. It has an incredibly low serial number of 932 and it's a 4D. I've seen lower serial C cells but C cell production didn't start until 1981 and this is definitely a 1979 light based on it's unusual features. Fore more info about 1979 lights I did a blog post on them here: http://maglitehistory.blogspot.com/2017/07/1979-first-year-lights.html









What makes this light extra special is that it's a "test color" or a finish that Maglite was trying out at the time. This is done in Burgundy which unfortunately didn't make production due to a low demand. It's shown below next to the standard red to show the difference.








Being so early this light also has several other unique features that show what could have been. Both the serial and "Patent Pending" stamping are filled with white paint and the knurling is extra sharp. Also, it's the only light I've ever seen with "Patent Pending" spelled correctly. All other lights leave out the t in Patent and are spelled "Paten Pending".








This light came from an ex-Maglite employee and he told me that the light was hand tooled to check production methods and is likely why it has some of the differences it does. I think it's pretty neat to see a Maglite this old, especially one in a custom finish and that was hand made by one of the original Maglite employees. This is far and away one of my favorite lights I own and probably one of the rarest too. I've only ever seen a handful of Maglites this old.


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## Toohotruk

That is way cool!!!


----------



## Icarus

Rare Maglite 2C Silver versus common Maglite 2D Grey.


----------



## Alone In The Dark

I have been away from the forum for a while. I am pleased to see that some of you have furthered your already amazing collections and kept this thread going strong. :twothumbs


----------



## LiftdT4R

Thanks!!

Nice C Cells Icarus!! I'm slowly building my C cell collection. They are tough to find though!!


----------



## LiftdT4R

I got a couple new to me lights in that I thought I'd share with y'all while I'm still doing a little research on them for my blog. Hope ya enjoy!

The first one is one that I showed a while back but and was finally able to purchase after much persuasion and haggling. It is a NIB 1988 6D which itself is fairly rare. I've shown a pic of the light below.






What makes this one extra rare is its odd serial number. It has the correct amount of numbers but is for an older ~1984 or so light. It also has an A on the end which I've never seen before. The first thing that came to mind was that it was an "error" light and was mis-stamped not unlike Mr. Fixer's upside down bezel mini Mag. Maglite has had very tight quality control and I've only seen a handful of error lights so that would be extremely unusual especially because in the 1992 and prior lights there were no letters in the serials so you wouldn't think one would be in the stamping set. Shown below is a shot of the serial.






I have a couple contacts from the early days of Maglite and neither of them could give me a definite answer but they did provide 2 possible explanations:

1 - The head of Maglite's sales during the early days thought this was simply an error in the stamping. He said Mag would often try out new techniques during the production process and then most of the prototype or trial lights were recycled. He said that the stamping machine may have been setup with different dies or the dies may have rolled over once they got too high and resulted in an odd number combination that slipped through Mag's quality control.

2 - A machinist at Maglite vaguely remembered hearing that lights that came back for warranty issues had their serial numbers re-used but with an A suffix if they were not repairable. This would be similar to a star note for those who collect currency. He never actually saw this happen but did hear about it. He said likely a customer or dealer returned serial number 87,325 but for whatever reason Maglite could not fix the light so it was discarded and the serial number was re-stamped on a new body and sent back to the dealer or customer or another dealer.

What's interesting is this light came from a fellow in Ohio who purchased it from a police supply store. He did not send back a prior one for a warranty issue and in fact always used his smaller 3D Mag.

If anyone has any info or theories I'd love to hear them. I'mrunning out of space so I'll psot the other light I got in a new post.


----------



## LiftdT4R

The second light is one that was sent to me for restoration. At first I thought it was a Vari-Beam but it is actually a Maglite and the owner had quite a story behind it. It' s a ~750,000 serial 3D which is from around 1985, right around the time Vari-Beam production was ending. The original owner owned a large electrical contracting business in Iowa and needed a really good flashlight. He went to a local sporting goods store to buy one but didn't want an "off the shelf" model. He wanted something a little more custom. He ordered a silver lanyard ring end cap and bezel in place of the black ones. This light retailed for about $120 in 2018 dollars with the options so it was one of the most expensive flashlights at the time.











This is the only silver lanyard ring end cap I've ever seen so it's likely only a small batch was done. I've never seen a Maglite part # for this. It's also the only silver TM bezel I've seen. I was under the impression that silver didn't come until the late 80s. I am kind of thinking this was done as kind of a replacement Vari-Beam as production was ending. The light came to me with all 3 batteries stuck inside of it as well as a stuck end cap. The switch was in perfect shape luckily. It took me an hour or so of work each night for 2 weeks to get the batteries out and the light back up and running. I only damaged the light in one small spot removing the end cap that's hardly noticeable. Shown below is a pic of the light with one of my Vari-Beams from around a year earlier.


----------



## Crumbly

Hi I have read this thread a couple of times some awesome maglites:thumbsup: I have a few maglites myself my wife says I have a disease.


----------



## Crumbly

Some of my maglites not really rare.


----------



## LiftdT4R

:twothumbs

Very nice!!! They sure are rare. I think that's the most complete Signature Series set I've ever seen. In fact I've never seen a #31 Mike Skinner light before.

Question for ya, it looks like there are a couple different shades of blue. Is that correct? I think at least the #2 Rusty Wallace light is midnight blue. I'm actually working on a Nascar and Maglite Racing post for my blog now.


----------



## Crumbly

Yes the far left and far right are both midnight blue, the same with minimag and solitaire signature lights there are a lot more in the minimag size though. I am not sure if there are more in 3D size, if anyone knows of any I would love to know. I know that my photo is not very good it took me ages to resize and host it.


----------



## LiftdT4R

That's more than I've ever seen so I'm going to guess you have them all or very close to. In fact I've never seen the #31 light at all before. I have a small collection of Nascar and Mag Racing lights but I'd eventually like to complete it.


----------



## Crumbly

Some more nascar lights resizing cropped one out I like the smoothies


----------



## LiftdT4R

Very nice!!! Did you recently pick up the Nascar 50th Anniversary and Maglite Racing ones from ebay? If so, the seller was a longtime Mag employee, he put up a bunch of tough to find lights. There are actually 2 versions of the one with the car. The later ones had less detail on the car due to some QA/QC issues. I have a pic below of each on for reference.


----------



## Crumbly

Yes I picked up the 50th anniversary and maglite racing with car from same seller “John” nice guy. Is the car with the number 15 the later version with less detail, it’s a great maglite you have I haven’t seen one of them.


----------



## LiftdT4R

Cool, I figured. You beat me to those 50th Anniversary lights!  Great to see they went to another collector! Some lights I see sell that I really wanted and I ever know where they end up. I exchanged some messages with him and he is very knowledgeable. Those were done hard anodized and had die cut decals. They were switched to polished aluminum and screen printing later on for the Select Series lights.

Yes, the #15 is the later version.


----------



## Crumbly

Nice thanks for the information. This is it’s little brother.




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## LiftdT4R

Very nice! I recently picked up a 1990 2C U.S. Air Force light. It looks to be closely related to willrx's Marines light. The prior owner told me they were purchased by Edwards Air Force base in Southern California for use among airmen on the base. The laser etched custom lights started around 1990 or so and it seems like the earliest went to customers close to Maglite's headquarters. The prior owner couldn't say too much about his experience but I know Edwards has been the site of many experimental air craft and several space shuttle landings so I can only imagine this light must have some great stories. He used it for 10 years while on base and took it with him when he retired in the early 2000s.


----------



## Crumbly

Nice, I am sure if that Maglite could talk it would have some great tales.


----------



## bykfixer

I had a microstream talk to me once...

It said "zzztt, zzzzt zzzzzt", which translated to English meant "hey stupid, stop getting drool in the tailcap while I'm on during teeth hold". May that one RIP as the drool apparently fried something inside. 

An incan mini mag once said "zztt, zzzzzt" which translated to "hey stupid, please don't drop me in 39° water while I'm on".... changed bulb and it still works today.


----------



## Crumbly

[/URL][/IMG]



[/URL][/IMG][I

[/IMG]
Old 5D vari-beam paten pending, not sure of the exact year. It is in fairly good condition, came with original reflector and lens no battery corrosion, original switch still works fine. I have put in an aluminium op reflector, glass lens, tads bi-pin bulb holder, 20w bulb and 8 nimh 1/2 D cells. Struggling to charge cells though I have a titanium innovations charger which they don’t fit properly. I think I need to condition the cells in a better charger. I wanted to keep this flashlight incandescent to keep its original feel plus I like the warm light you just don’t get with led.


----------



## bykfixer

The Tads thing is a great option. Kinda pricey going in, but cost savings occurs each time a bulb swap takes place. 

Nice light. 20watt bulb? 
Goodness gracious!!!


----------



## LiftdT4R

Crumbly said:


> Old 5D vari-beam paten pending, not sure of the exact year. It is in fairly good condition, came with original reflector and lens no battery corrosion, original switch still works fine. I have put in an aluminium op reflector, glass lens, tads bi-pin bulb holder, 20w bulb and 8 nimh 1/2 D cells. Struggling to charge cells though I have a titanium innovations charger which they don’t fit properly. I think I need to condition the cells in a better charger. I wanted to keep this flashlight incandescent to keep its original feel plus I like the warm light you just don’t get with led.



Very nice!! Looks like you have a nice collection you've been hiding. 

That light is a 1980 because starting in 1979 and up until early 1981 the Maglite Patent was still pending. All lights from this time were misspelled "Paten" except the first 800 or so because of a die error. Vari-Beams weren't produced in 1979 so they have to be 1980 if stamped "Paten Pending". The 5Ds, 4Ds, and C cells didn't sell well so they were discontinued in 1981 after only 2 years and are the rarest ones today. C cells are especially rare. The 2 and 3Ds continued to be produced until either 1984 or 1985 when Maglite changed the style a little. They were never big sellers and you sure do have a nice one!!


----------



## LiftdT4R

I got one in today for restoration I thought I'd share because it's a pretty rare light but also in very rough shape. It's a gold D cell and gold full size lights are very rare. I don't believe Maglite has a standard finish code for the full size lights in gold they just seem to produce special runs of them form time to time. This one is a 2D, 4,200,000 serial which makes it one of the first Panther lights, the newer style that Maglite changed over to in 1992. It also has the TM next to the Panther on the bezel which tells you it's from 1992 to 1996 when the Trademark was approved. For reference a brand new 2D is around a 30,000,000 serial so there have been a lot of these little 2Ds sold. The owner told me that it was one of the fist Panther 2Ds produced and used in special marketing to advertise to the new lights. It was obviously very well used afterwards and long forgotten with the batteries still inside.

I've gotten pretty good at removing old batteries so I'm going to restore this light and put her all back together again because even though it isn't a high dollar light it is a nice piece of Mag history. I think once I get the heavy black grease off and the corrosion all cleaned up it will be half way decent looking and definitely functional. I have 3 other full size gold anodized Mags but all are the non-letter serial, pre 1992 variety. Up until this one was sent to me I didn't know Mag did a Gold in the newer style lights. Stay tuned....


----------



## Crumbly

That gold looks great, shame it was so neglected, looks like you have a bit of work to do on that one. Looks like even the switch is partially melted.


----------



## Guitar Guy

Crumbly, that is a sweet Vari, and Liftd, you definitely have your work cut out for you on that one! Looking forward to seeing it after it's done.

JT


----------



## etc

*Re: 4AA mini mag ontario, ca. and copy of mini mag by brinkman -4AA is 1 piece barrel*



merrimac said:


>





I had no idea there was a 4xAA Minimag.

certainly a unique device.


----------



## LiftdT4R

*Re: 4AA mini mag ontario, ca. and copy of mini mag by brinkman -4AA is 1 piece barrel*



etc said:


> I had no idea there was a 4xAA Minimag.
> 
> certainly a unique device.



Looks like you've come over to the other side, incans! We'll make a believer out of you yet.  

I've researched that 4 AA out a bunch and in talking to some original Mag employees and other collectors the most common thread I find is that it was either an unreleased prototype or a one-off custom. I've never heard of them being available for retail sale anywhere. That light has the first generation bezel used only for 1984 so it was likely a prototype.

That's one light that makes a Maglite collection!! I have a Mag prototype too but nothing that cool!


----------



## bykfixer

*Re: 4AA mini mag ontario, ca. and copy of mini mag by brinkman -4AA is 1 piece barrel*

I wonder if perhaps Brinkmann made it, and op (or someone else) placed a minimag head on it and tailcap. 

There once was a Brinkmann made minimag clone that head and tail could swap.


----------



## LiftdT4R

*Re: 4AA mini mag ontario, ca. and copy of mini mag by brinkman -4AA is 1 piece barrel*

Most of the Brinkmann's I've seen allowed the head to be swapped with a Maglite but not the tail cap. Although, it is very possible they changed the tail cap threads later in production to try to avoid the impending Maglite lawsuit. A 4 AA light is such an odd size I'd imagine it to be a prototype of some sort.


----------



## bykfixer

*Re: 4AA mini mag ontario, ca. and copy of mini mag by brinkman -4AA is 1 piece barrel*

Agreed that 4aa is pretty novel.





A Brinkman and minimag swap'd


----------



## xxo

*Re: 4AA mini mag ontario, ca. and copy of mini mag by brinkman -4AA is 1 piece barrel*







The gap in between the grip knurling almost looks like they joined two 2 cell tubes together somehow to make it a 4 cell. I wonder what bulb it used?


----------



## Nitroz

Not sure why I had a reply on this.


----------



## LiftdT4R

Nitroz said:


> Not sure why I had a reply on this.



No problem admitting you were oggling some Maglites! :naughty:

Quick update on a light I recently found and one I've been working on. I am a big fan of the 1st Gen, 1984, Stamped Bezel Mini Mags. I don't think these have a big following but they are super tough to find and I love collecting them. I think I am finally nearing a complete collection after years of collecting. I recently picked up a 1st Gen Silver which I've never seen before. For 1984 only the bezels on these Mini Mags were stamped (rolled) instead of laser etched. Other than that the differences are extremely minor though. What's really cool about this one is it is brand new in box! The box in the 1985-1991 style so they must have had some of theses stamped bezel lights left over and packaged them in the new packaging. The insert is correct so I'm pretty sure it's all original.
















I'm now only missing a Zimmerman Bronze and an AA Vari-Beam. I have a lead on an AA Vari-Beam and I'm keeping my fingers crossed. I still don't have a lead on a Zimmerman Bronze though. The Zimmerman Bronze is a bronze finish done as a special order for a Zimmerman, an Austrian retailer, in 1984 only so they are super rare. Here's most of the rest of my early Mini Mag collection. All are stamped bezels.






Also, I'm mostly complete restoring my Gold 1992 2D. It's come a long way. I got both batteries out and all of the grease and grime off. I just have to tinker with the switch a little and clean up the threads yet. Here's some before and after pics. Reminds me of C3PO from a New Hope. 











Thanks guys!!!


----------



## bykfixer

Pretty cool... as usual. 

More epic epic-ness.

Somebody should tell Tony about your collection. He would probably be honored to see it.


----------



## LiftdT4R

bykfixer said:


> Pretty cool... as usual.
> 
> More epic epic-ness.
> 
> Somebody should tell Tony about your collection. He would probably be honored to see it.



Thanks, lol, I've been at it for a while. Fun fun collecting. Have ya picked up anything new lately? I don't know how ya stay away from the temptation.

I don't if he'd be honored or if he'd sue me. 

I've been lucky enough to talk to a few folks from the early days of Mag but not Tony. I've always wanted to and I wrote him a letter a while back. I did not receive a response but I wasn't surprised. He's near 90 now and from what I hear is that he's pretty well checked out of the day to day business. I think that Mag will ultimately be bought by a large conglomerate after Tony's gone and like most other brands the history will likely be lost aside from a few small footnotes here and there. Mag hasn't been a small, family company for quite some time.


----------



## quinlag

I don't know anything about maglites or collecting them.
I saw some that looked old on a website called KSL; just go to classifieds and type in flashlights.
They were asking $3 each.
Pictured below.


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## bykfixer

Tony sue somebody Lift'd? Say it aint so. lol.

I've kinda been going back to the future with an occasional purchase here n there. A few 70's/80's type of double a dime store numbers with 2016+ LED's in them by Rayovac, Eveready and such. And a few LED Solitaires while my local box stores still have them.

$3 ea is pretty good quinlag, even if only for parts. :thumbsup:


----------



## LiftdT4R

Lol, I've only had my blog up for a year and I kicked around not putting it up at all. I'm surprised I haven't seen a cease and desist letter yet. I try not to post anything that might be a trade secret but it seems like everything winds up being a trade secret to Mag somehow. I figure most of the tech is now so old it shouldn't really be a loss to anyone to have it posted. We'll see...

Nice! No new Surefires? I've been working on a G2. I had one in the early 2000s for about a week before I lost it so the nostalgia factor is high. I'm sure you're the same though, can't buy just one. Got to be a NIB, a yellow, an OD and a black, lol.

Those Mags sure are nice especially for $3 a piece. If it weren't for the shipping cost I'd snatch them up all day long. They aren't especially rare. You can tell they're 1990+ by the shortened grips. They don't appear to be a unique finish so they're worth about $15 to $18 each assuming they work.


----------



## Crumbly

Great work on the gold 2D, LiftdT4R I didn’t think it would clean up so nice.


----------



## LiftdT4R

Thanks!! I finally had a chance to put the switch all back together tonight and she lit up really nice! I know it's still a rough light but the gold lights are so rare I'm just happy to have it at all. The light functions flawlessly so I'm just going to say: "function over form", lol.






And I think this 2D feels right at home with the rest of my gold lights. The other 2D is a 1984, the 2C and 3D are 1988 models and the mini Mag is from 1986-1991.


----------



## Toohotruk

WOW! oo:


----------



## Guitar Guy

Nice batch of gold Mags, Liftd. That 2D cleaned up pretty nicely.

Guit


----------



## Icarus

Guitar Guy said:


> Nice batch of gold Mags, Liftd. That 2D cleaned up pretty nicely.
> 
> Guit



+1 :thumbsup:


----------



## LiftdT4R

Thanks guys!! I recently received a 4D Vari-Beam for restoration from a contact on my blog. When I got the light it wasn't it terrible shape. It turns out it just had some minor corrosion in the switch and barrel from a bad battery. Fortunately the leak wasn't all that bad and it cleaned up easily. These lights are always a surprise.











The light came with and old Osram Halogen PR Base. These aren't much brighter than a Krypton but they are more expensive. They were made in Germany and they throw a heck of a nice beam when paired with a clean reflector and lens. The quality is very very high and they are one of my favorite PR base bulbs. I believe they were made for medical use originally. They were expensive in their day and an aftermarket bulb which I think shows someone cared a lot for this light when they owned it. After all they were one of the most expensive lights in their day.






Also, I took a pic with my like new 4D Vari-Beam. You can see the one I restored has quite a few miles on it but still has many left to go. Mine is a 1980 ~50,000 serial "Paten Pending". The one I restored is a 1982 ~123,000 serial. It is stamped "Patented Made in U.S.A." because it was made after Mag's patent was approved in mid 1981.


----------



## bykfixer

Osram is possibly the oldest bulb maker. Renowned for quality for about 100 years. Medical equipment often came with them due to outstanding durability. 

Back in the 1920's some manufacturers decided to reduce runtime and durability of light bulbs. There were also production quotas in place to cause prices to rise. 

Osram was a player in the cartel but later changed their ways and became the premeir bulb maker while 'the big boys' sourced cheaper products. That was a factor in them becoming the go-to bulb for when it mattered.


----------



## turbodog

LiftdT4R said:


> Thanks guys!! I recently received a 4D Vari-Beam for restoration from a contact on my blog. When I got the light it wasn't it terrible shape. It turns out it just had some minor corrosion in the switch and barrel from a bad battery. Fortunately the leak wasn't all that bad and it cleaned up easily. These lights are always a surprise.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The light came with and old Osram Halogen PR Base...



My 2d mag from 1980-something came with bulbs like that from the factory. Main bulb and spare. Did not say osram, but are spot-on identical.


----------



## LiftdT4R

I've seen those in some of the older lights I've picked up too. I don't think they are Osrams but it's possible because early on Mag sub contracted production of a lot of their parts. They didn't move production in house until the late 80s when the sales really took off. They are likely Argon/Vacuum if they are form 1980. I don't think the Kryptons came in until around 1983 or so.

I never really understood the Halogen bulbs. I like them and the beam is very pleasing, not too warm, and not too cool, a really nice neutral but compared to Krypton and Xenon bulbs I don't see a huge difference. For example for 4 cell lights you have the choice of the following bulbs:

Halogen - HPR50 - 85 lumens - 25 hour rated life - 19.2 lumen / watt efficiency
Krypton - KPR113 - 51 lumens - 20 hour rated life - 14.2 lumen / watt efficency
Xenon LMSA401 - 81 lumens - 25 hour rated life - 19.2 lumen /watt efficiency

I didn't bother listing Argon/Vacuum because the specs are lousy and you really don't see too many any more. The specs for Xenon and Halogen are nearly identical but the Halogens are much more expensive and much harder to find. Always been curious about this.


----------



## bykfixer

Halogen were over rated in my view Lift'd. So much heat without that much more output. 
Perhaps they were more drop friendly? Perhaps it was just hype? 

Never studied SureFire's retina scorchers like the M6 or HellFighter, but their typical stuff was a xenon based mixture long after halogen were popular.

Didn't the MagCharger use halogen bulbs?


----------



## turbodog

LiftdT4R said:


> I've seen those in some of the older lights I've picked up too. I don't think they are Osrams but it's possible because early on Mag sub contracted production of a lot of their parts. They didn't move production house until the late 80s when the sales really took off. They are likely Argon/Vacuum if they are form 1980. I don't think the Kryptons came in until around 1983 or so.
> 
> I never really understood the Halogen bulbs. I like them and the beam is very pleasing, not too warm, and not too cool, a really nice neutral but compared to Krypton and Xenon bulbs I don't see a huge difference. For example for 4 cell lights you have the choice of the following bulbs:
> 
> Halogen - HPR50 - 85 lumens - 25 hour rated life - 19.2 lumen / watt efficiency
> Krypton - KPR113 - 51 lumens - 20 hour rated life - 14.2 lumen / watt efficency
> Xenon LMSA401 - 81 lumens - 25 hour rated life - 19.2 lumen /watt efficiency
> 
> I didn't bother listing Argon/Vacuum because the specs are lousy and you really don;t see too many any more. The specs for Xenon and Halogen are nearly identical but the Halogens are much more expensive and much harder to find. Always been curious about this.



You could see the inside of the bulb glow white where the gas was, all the way to the tip.


----------



## Guitar Guy

Thanks to Freddy for the great 5C with TM bezel, pictured below, and for shipping it around the globe.

A big thumbs up to Mag Instrument, Inc. for the cool Maglite Nation stickers that came in the mail last week. Cool surprise. You folks probably got them too.

Now with this new 5C, the last model I need to complete my collection of pre-letter C and D cell Mags is the 7C. 

Pictured are my 2 through 6C lights. I don’t have a group shot of my 2 – 7 Ds yet.


----------



## LiftdT4R

Very nice!!! The 5Cs can be tougher to find than the 7Cs are 6Cs because not a lot of folks know that they're discontinued. I haven't seen a 7C on flea bay for a while so one is due, they do show up from time to time.

I didn't get any stickers. :ironic:

Did ya get them because you've order stuff from Mag? I don't know that I'm on their mailing list but I've ordered a bunch of stuff from them.


----------



## Guitar Guy

Thanks Liftd. 

About the stickers, at first I thought I got put on the list because I ordered parts a couple times, but I think I joined the "Maglite Nation" through the website somehow. It would have been a while ago, like last year. Check the website and you can probably find out how to sign up.


----------



## Icarus

Guitar Guy said:


> Thanks to Freddy for the great 5C with TM bezel, pictured below, and for shipping it around the globe.
> 
> A big thumbs up to Mag Instrument, Inc. for the cool Maglite Nation stickers that came in the mail last week. Cool surprise. You folks probably got them too.
> 
> Now with this new 5C, the last model I need to complete my collection of pre-letter C and D cell Mags is the 7C.
> 
> Pictured are my 2 through 6C lights. I don’t have a group shot of my 2 – 7 Ds yet.



Nice collection & pictures! :twothumbs


----------



## LiftdT4R

Hey guys, I was wondering if anyone had any info on the 3AA? I recently found one for a decent price on ebay and picked it up. I see them regularly go for around $100 and I was wondering what makes them so special other than they are discontinued? Mine is serial # ~1,200,000 so they don't seem super rare. The packaging puts it from 2006. I'm guessing that when Mags LEDs first came out and maybe they needed more volts to power the emitter they wanted so they did a 3AA instead of a 2AA because 2004 or so was Mags first LED light. They were pretty late to the party. 

It doesn't make sense really because the Mini Mag is supposed to be a compact light and the 3AA is anything but. The run time is so high with a 2 AA I can't imagine the 3AA would have had any more real benefit there.







Also, here's a pic next to a standard Mini Mag. The head on the LEDs are much longer so this 3AA is almost twice as long.


----------



## DayofReckoning

I have one of those 3AA LED's stashed away somewhere. Now that I think about it, I'm pretty sure I've owned at least two. Very surprised to hear these are going for that kind of money.


----------



## Monocrom

Honestly, those 3AA Mags came out very early in the company's took-them-long-enough decision to stop ignoring LED technology. They came out at the same time as the first generation of 2AA LED Mag models, and were very soon discontinued. Their extremely short life-span means they're quite a bit rare now. I sure as heck wouldn't pay $100 for one. But I can see a dedicated Maglite collector doing so in order to simply round out his collection. (I've started doing that with fountain pens.)

I gave away my 3AA model during one of the past Christmas Giveaways on CPF. I also had a First-Gen 2AA version. About 4 years ago, I gifted it to a fellow security officer I used to work with. He lost it in the stupidest way you can imagine! Thinking about it still ticks me off to this day.


----------



## xxo

I had one of those 3 AA Mini Mag LEDs for a short time, never liked it - too long and cumbersome. They were probably a little brighter than the Luxeon III 2 AA version and probably had a better run time, but I remember being disappointed that the run time of the 3 AA was not that great for only around 35-40 lumens. The tail cap design on these also kinda sucked.


----------



## Monocrom

xxo said:


> I had one of those 3 AA Mini Mag LEDs for a short time, never liked it - too long and cumbersome. They were probably a little brighter than the Luxeon III 2 AA version and probably had a better run time, but I remember being disappointed that the run time of the 3 AA was not that great for only around 35-40 lumens. The tail cap design on these also kinda sucked.



They simply got rid of the lanyard hole and smoothed out the tailcap. i like that they brought back the lanyard hole on the models that came afterwards.


----------



## LiftdT4R

I'd like to revisit the Halogen / Xenon /Krypton discussion if folks don't mind. I think it may be of benefit to future readers of this thread.



LiftdT4R said:


> The light came with and old Osram Halogen PR Base. These aren't much brighter than a Krypton but they are more expensive. They were made in Germany and they throw a heck of a nice beam when paired with a clean reflector and lens. The quality is very very high and they are one of my favorite PR base bulbs. I believe they were made for medical use originally. They were expensive in their day and an aftermarket bulb which I think shows someone cared a lot for this light when they owned it. After all they were one of the most expensive lights in their day.





LiftdT4R said:


> I've seen those in some of the older lights I've picked up too. I don't think they are Osrams but it's possible because early on Mag sub contracted production of a lot of their parts. They didn't move production house until the late 80s when the sales really took off. They are likely Argon/Vacuum if they are form 1980. I don't think the Kryptons came in until around 1983 or so.
> 
> I never really understood the Halogen bulbs. I like them and the beam is very pleasing, not too warm, and not too cool, a really nice neutral but compared to Krypton and Xenon bulbs I don't see a huge difference. For example for 4 cell lights you have the choice of the following bulbs:
> 
> Halogen - HPR50 - 85 lumens - 25 hour rated life - 19.2 lumen / watt efficiency
> Krypton - KPR113 - 51 lumens - 20 hour rated life - 14.2 lumen / watt efficency
> Xenon LMSA401 - 81 lumens - 25 hour rated life - 19.2 lumen /watt efficiency
> 
> I didn't bother listing Argon/Vacuum because the specs are lousy and you really don;t see too many any more. The specs for Xenon and Halogen are nearly identical but the Halogens are much more expensive and much harder to find. Always been curious about this.





bykfixer said:


> Halogen were over rated in my view Lift'd. So much heat without that much more output.
> Perhaps they were more drop friendly? Perhaps it was just hype?
> 
> Never studied SureFire's retina scorchers like the M6 or HellFighter, but their typical stuff was a xenon based mixture long after halogen were popular.
> 
> Didn't the MagCharger use halogen bulbs?



I've been researching this out on CPF and some other sites because I really wanted to know. Why are the Halogens seemingly more expensive when based on the numbers there doesn't appear to be much benefit? 

Well, the answer is that the Halogen prevents the glass of the bulb from darkening / blackening over time. The Mag Charger bulbs were designed to be especially long life bulbs intended for rugged service. If a Xenon or Krpyton bulb was used the bulb would run for so long that the filament would eventually degrade and blacken the glass leading to a reduced light output and a cloudy beam.

Quality control could sometimes be quite lax back in the day and the fill gasses were not always tightly controlled. So many folks opted to buy PR based Halogen bulbs for their lights instead of the common Krypton and Xenon models. Maglite never produced these for their standard lights although many other companies did. The Halogen bulbs provided a marginally longer life but also ensured that the filament wouldn't darken the glass over time by combining with the tungsten atoms of the filament and re plating them there. The lights kept a brilliant light much longer. I've heard that hardware and sporting goods stores that knew Mag products would often carry Osram Halogens and upsell them to customers. Imagine that a knowledgeable salesperson?! I think Mr. Fixer would say that's as rare as an honest politician these days. 

This makes sense because when I fired up that 1982 Osram HPR I got a beam that had very few imperfections and was a nice warm color similar to a new Xenon bulb. Even a new KPR on Xenon bulb doesn't give off a beam that nice. Hope this helps or at least amuses everyone!


----------



## bykfixer

Good info. Thanks.


----------



## LiftdT4R

I was finally able to make a trade for a 2005 George W Bush Inaugural Mini Mag so I've completed my collection of Mag "giveaway" lights.






They are: 

1989 George HW Bush Inaugural AAA
1994 Lillehammer Olympics Remember Sarajevo AA
2001 George W Bush Inaugural AA
2001 9/11 Search and Rescue 3D
2005 George W Bush Inaugural AA

Maglite has donated many lights over the years, the specific donations can be found on their History section of their web page. Only 5 of them had laser etching to commemorate the event they were being donated for. These lights can be very tough to find. About 40,000 each of the Inaugural and Lillehammer lights were produced, but only 3,000 of the 9/11 lights were made. I've seen some other potential giveaway lights too but they must be extremely rare and aren't listed on Mag's website. Two of them I suspect are for the opening of the Ronald Reagan Memorial Library and a dinner with George HW Bush. There must not have been very many at all produced and they could have been ordered by someone other than Mag.


----------



## Chauncey Gardiner

Very cool, LiftdT4R. What a great addition to your collection! :thumbsup: 

~ CG


----------



## Crumbly

Nice 4d varibeam LiftedT4R. Nice C cells Guitar Guy. Here is a 3D varibeam I got recently. It is a bit beaten up and had some battery corrosion inside but other than that it’s okay. Gives it some character. You are right about the 2005 inaugural mini mag as well I have been looking for a while myself and have not seen one come up.


----------



## Crumbly

I got these mini maglites recently as well.







The back of one of the packs is dated 1986 the other 2 are dated 1987.




The orange coloured one is sort of in between orange and burnt orange. It could be the yellowing of the plastic gives it a slightly darker look.
The blue is a very bright light blue very similar to a varibeam, in the photo blue shimmer is on the left and standard blue on the right.


----------



## Crumbly

The bezels do not have the panther on them.












Old light on the left new mag on the right.


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## LiftdT4R

Wow, you have some nice vintage lights there!! I like some of the worn lights better too. I have a 1980 Paten pending 2D that's one of the most worn lights I've ever seen and one of my favorites. I brought it back from the dead and I use allllll the time around the house. You just know they have a great story behind them.

Did ya see the 7D that popped up on Fleabay? If anyone here is going to be a bidder lemme know and I won't bid on it.


----------



## Crumbly

The 7D that started out life as a 7C. I was thinking about it, the wife might kill me if I do.


----------



## Crumbly

Who saw this one? Someone got a real bargain.


----------



## LiftdT4R

Heck yeah they did! That's a $250+ light all day long. I just checked it out and it was on fleabay for less than 1 hour. I scored a 7C pretty much the same way. Seller had it listed for $40 BIN as a 4C. Occasionally those sweet deals come around but ya have to be extremely fast. I was devastated when I missed a Surefire 6 for $100 a few years back.


----------



## bykfixer

EPIC SCORE!!! Old 6D are getting pretty scarce.






I like promo minimags.


----------



## LiftdT4R

Hey Mr. Fixer, that's actually a 7D that the seller mislabelled. Nice promo mini mag! I was picking up a couple here and there and bought a nice little lot from an ex-Mag employee but my gosh you can go crazy trying to collect them all! 

I'm working on a deal for a pretty rare 2D light now. I'm hoping it goes through because it would be an awesome addition to my collection.


----------



## LiftdT4R

Did anyone else see this "Bernie Madoff" 2D on the bay? The price of entry is high and I'm not a big collector of the laser etched lights because there are so so many but this one has an interesting story. Anyone else bidding?


----------



## Toohotruk

That's pretty crazy! I bet that is worth something for sure!


----------



## LiftdT4R

I'm curious to see what it goes for. It's listed at $50 but I'm not sure it will get any bids. I just bought a lot of lights last month so I don't think I'm going for it.


----------



## Monocrom

LiftdT4R said:


> Did anyone else see this "Bernie Madoff" 2D on the bay? The price of entry is high and I'm not a big collector of the laser etched lights because there are so so many but this one has an interesting story. Anyone else bidding?



I just never understood the fascination with products associated with absolute scumbags. The place I work at, he had one of his other offices there. Convinced the building owner to invest with him. To this day, we still have issues. Something breaks down, expect it to be *months* before it gets repaired. Even if it's something important. The freight elevator has been down for about a month now. And honestly, my job would be easier if over half of the security cameras were actually functioning. Which has not been the case since I joined up years ago.


----------



## bykfixer

Monocrom said:


> I just never understood the fascination with products associated with absolute scumbags.



Same reason somebody probably bought Hitlers pencil box or Jeffery Dahmers toothbrush or Jesse James' boots. 
Got me, but folks do buy that stuff. 

Hell, I can't stand the press but I did buy a San Fransico Chronicle minimag.


----------



## Monocrom

bykfixer said:


> Same reason somebody probably bought Hitlers pencil box or Jeffery Dahmers toothbrush or Jesse James' boots.
> Got me, but folks do buy that stuff.
> 
> Hell, I can't stand the press but I did buy a San Fransico Chronicle minimag.



Good point. Though you rarely see that the other way around. No one would toss a good chunk of money for say, Gandhi's glasses or the cup he drank out of most days.


----------



## LiftdT4R

Very interesting topic!

I am normally in total agreement. I think it's disgusting that people would want to own the mundane, personal possessions of terrible people. It's strikes me as some sort of odd fixation with them. However, Bernie Madoff didn't own this Maglite, or at least it doesn't appear that way. It was likely special ordered by his firm and given away as a promotional item. I kind of see that as a part of history, something that was meant to be distributed. I probably won't bid on it not because I disagree with it but because it's not something I'm really interested in.

I have several 9/11 items and my great uncle was in Berlin during the fall of Berlin and brought some very interesting stuff over to the US after the war. Both are very dark but important parts of history so I don't see any harm in owning and displaying them. I collect a lot of things form positive parts of history too, I'm mainly just a hoarder I guess.

As an aside, did anyone see the Pawn Stars episode where someone came in trying to sell Bernie Madoff's Rolex? Rick didn't buy it and it wasn't a very desirable model anyway.


----------



## Crumbly

I didn’t know who he was had to do a goggle search to find out. 150 years jail guess he will be dead before he gets released.


----------



## LiftdT4R

HBO did a really good 2 part special called Madoff. It's a dramatization but from what I hear was pretty accurate. Basically though he's probably the biggest thief of all time. Even worse is he stole from old ladies and religious charities.


----------



## Crumbly

Recently I got this 2 c cell gold no letter serial,I think we may have had one of these shown before anyway thought I would share.


----------



## LiftdT4R

Wow, very nice!! That's newer than the one I have. Mine is a stamped bezel 1989 model. Where did ya get it from?

It seems like Mag produced a few gold ones just here and there. Most seem to be random. I'd love to know the reason behind them. The 2D I just fixed up was supposedly done for when the new, revised Mags came out in 1992 and based on serial # it appears to be one of the first Panther lights. I'd say yours is the same but it has the R Panther Bezel which is going to be 96 to 02.


----------



## Crumbly

I got it from a lady in Grafton NSW she called it a “gold torch” I snapped it up as you don’t see them very often. I really don’t know much about it.


----------



## Icarus

:wow: very nice! Never seen a gold 2C before! :thumbsup:


----------



## Monocrom

LiftdT4R said:


> .... As an aside, did anyone see the Pawn Stars episode where someone came in trying to sell Bernie Madoff's Rolex? Rick didn't buy it and it wasn't a very desirable model anyway.



I do remember that episode of Pawn Stars. I also recall a follow-up in which the guy ended up putting the watch up for sale at auction.... and unfortunately made a killing on it! Significantly more money than he was offered on the show. Even a not-too-popular Rolex is going to interest enough buyers simply due to being a Rolex. (Ah, the power of successful marketing.) But I'm forced to admit that had it not been his, the seller would never have gotten the premium that he did for it. 

in general, how you display something matters as well. A couple of years back, I encountered a new member on a large watch forum I used to frequent. In our first exchange, he seemed very helpful and knowledgeable. I was looking forward to seeing more of his posts. He didn't last long. Our second exchange was not as pleasant. He had acquired a new watch, paid several thousands of dollars for it. Was showing it off in pictures. Had no clue why so many members were disgusted by it. And he didn't like it when I explained to him why. The case was made from metal recovered from the wreck of the Titanic.

He thought it was cool. Actually it was in horribly poor taste. He was walking around, proudly showing off his new watch as though it was an exclusive status symbol. Actually it was a novelty watch that wasn't fun or funny at all. He was walking around with a piece of a mass grave from one of the biggest nautical disasters in history.... strapped to his wrist. He just didn't get it.


----------



## Monocrom

Crumbly said:


> Recently I got this 2 c cell gold no letter serial,I think we may have had one of these shown before anyway thought I would share.



That 2C model is simply gorgeous.


----------



## Toohotruk

Definitely! oo:


----------



## LiftdT4R

Thought I'd share a couple pics I took recently. 

The first is my lime green collection. I'm only missing a 3D:






The 2nd is of my 4 7Cs:






I have 2 other very neat lights I ran across from my blog that I have to post too. One I was able to purchase the other I don't think I'll be able to. :-(


----------



## Chauncey Gardiner

My knowledge of Maglites is limited, but I think when it comes to the variety of colors & releases, no other manufacturer comes close. :candle:

~ Chance


----------



## bykfixer

They did have a ton of 'flavors' over the years, didn't they.


----------



## Chauncey Gardiner

bykfixer said:


> They did have a ton of 'flavors' over the years, didn't they.



Flavors. That's brilliant! 

~ CG


----------



## Crumbly

Nice photos and lights LiftdT4R.


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## LiftdT4R

Thanks!! Here's a super rare one that someone sent me pics of through my blog. It appears that a few 2C "Remember Sarajevo" Maglites were also made for the 1994 Lillehammer Olympics. AA Mini Maglites were produced and given away in large quantities for the olympics that year and are now tough to find and very collectible. This 2C was likely made for VIPs at the events and it's the only one I have ever seen. The owner lives in Norway but didn't have too many details on it. I tried to buy it but didn't have much luck. That's the toughest part about my blog is people send me some really interesting pics of lights but I can't own them . :-( I was able to pick up a very rare 2D though which I should have this week and will post.


----------



## din107

Hi from Russia! April 2016, my 6C gоt leakage batteries (Duracell). 4 of 6 next to switch stuck....
Nowadays, I decided to clean it. I did not use lemon acid or vinegear. I drilled out stuck batteries. Now my 6C lights up again.


----------



## Chauncey Gardiner

din107 said:


> Hi from Russia! April 2016, my 6C gоt leakage batteries (Duracell). 4 of 6 next to switch stuck....
> Nowadays, I decided to clean it. I did not use lemon acid or vineger. I drilled out stuck batteries. Now my 6C lights up again.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> PS. *How can I insert fotos here?*



You will have to upload your fotos to a foto hosting site like imgur.com Then you will need to find the share link for the foto you want to upload. Then to post your pictures here at CPF you will have to click on the foto icon at the top right of the post you are making. It is the third one from the right. It [email protected]@Ks like a picture frame. When the Insert Image box opens, chose From URL. Then paste the link from imgur in the box. Then click OK. 

It took some trial and error on my first time. Best of luck. You can do it. 

~ Chance


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## Crumbly

Nice 2C LiftdT4R I have never seen one before.
Here is another gold light I got recently, a Minimag stamped TM, white paint filled bezel.












It is hard to get the colour to show the same as in person.




Here it is with 
gold plated
gold anodised
gold anodised? TM bezel
copper anodised 
bronze anodised
The colour is sort of in between gold and copper, almost like pewter but is more gold in person.


----------



## Crumbly

Actually I guess it’s a Zimmerman Bronze.


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## LiftdT4R

It looks to be a Zimmerman Bronze to me. What an incredible find!! They are very rare and currently one of the few holes in my collection. Ya can't post pics though while leaving us hanging on the story! How did ya acquire it and did ya get a back story?

Mag used to do awesome one-off lights like this when they were just starting out. Don;t get me wrong they still do a nice range of laser etching but they won't go much more custom than that any more. Wish they would still do these little projects here and there.


----------



## LiftdT4R

din107 said:


> Hi from Russia! April 2016, my 6C gоt leakage batteries (Duracell). 4 of 6 next to switch stuck....
> Nowadays, I decided to clean it. I did not use lemon acid or vinegear. I drilled out stuck batteries. Now my 6C lights up again.



Very cool and that's a great trick. I do something similar using a bore brush. I think a D Cell takes a 1.25" bore brush IIRC. I haven't found a size to match up with Cs though. Lots of fun restoring these old lights! Your 6 Cs looks great!


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## Crumbly

Yes good job removing stuck batteries from your 6C din107 and posting photos.
The zimmerman was part of a larger box lot at an estate sale,in Wrightsville PA. Other than that I don’t have much of a backstory on it.
It has an o ring on tailcap and a machined hole for spare bulb instead of plastic holder.
There is no writing “do not remove” on the bulb holder, switch assembly inside battery compartment is white.
It does not have any battery corrosion but does have a couple of scratches inside battery compartment like someone was trying to remove a stuck battery? Had lubricant on the head threads and o ring, reflector and lens are in good condition.
There are a few minor nicks and scratches which you hardly notice.
Not Bad for a 34 year old Minimag, whoever owned it looked after it quite well.


----------



## Guitar Guy

Without singling out each one, I'll just say - Great bunch of lights on this page, folks. I especially like the gold 2C.

I just scored the 7C Mag that was up for auction. It will complete my collection of all sizes D and C. I'll try to get some photos of it, and some group shots when it gets here next week.

JT


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## Guitar Guy

I received my 7C today, and it is in pretty decent condition. It was pretty dirty, but I gave it a good clean and lube, complete with Mothers California Gold carnauba wax. It has the "paten pending" stamp, and the serial dates to July 15, 1981. It completes my quest for all sizes C & D. Here are a few pics.

JT




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## din107

Cool pics, Guitar Guy! Very cool 7C! I still looking for a 7C and 3C (non-letter)... hard to find


----------



## Crumbly

Nice photos Guitar Guy, good job on cleaning it up, it looks great. Nice low serial number too.:twothumbs


----------



## LiftdT4R

Wow, very nice indeed. Did not see that was a "Paten Pending" C Cell before. Those are super rare. As far as I can tell only about the first 1,500 of each model was stamped "Paten Pending" because production started in the spring of 1981 and the Patent was approved August of 1981. That's a keeper for sure!! Let's see a pic of that full collection!


----------



## Guitar Guy

Thanks folks! I feel pretty lucky that both my 7D (Apr '81) and 7C (July '81) are "paten pending", and in pretty decent condition overall ... and went for pretty decent prices compared to what I've seen some more rough ones go for. I guess it's all about the timing of what comes up when you're ready & able to make the purchase.

I'll try to get some group photos soon. I think I also have some more colored 2Cs since last time.

JT


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## LiftdT4R

I recently picked up another Cabela's Light. This time it was a 2D. It's only the 3rd one I've ever seen. Another member here has another 2D and I also have a 5D. These lights were only made from late 1981 to early 1982 and were done as a custom order for Cabela's, a large US Sporting Goods Retailer. It's the only time Maglite put another company's name on the bezel. They were made from 2D to 5D similar to the Vari-Beams. 2Ds and 3Ds sold in the greatest numbers. I did a full post on my blog about them here: http://maglitehistory.blogspot.com/2017/05/19811982-cabelas-5d-light.html











The 5D came from the estate of a retired Cabela's executive. This 2D came from an inquiry on my blog. The owner ordered it from Cabela's catalog in the early 80s and used it for years for camping and outdoor adventures. As he got older he decided to part with it and found my blog. My blog helps me find out about more lights and gives me the opportunity to pick up and see some pretty rare lights.


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## LiftdT4R

I picked up a couple cool NIB Gold Solitaires the other day from everyone's favorite auction site. I always liked the Gold lights and they are very tough to find because Maglite only makes them every so often, usually for a special occasion. These Solitaires have the TM next to the panther logo meaning they are from 92 to 96. The package is marked 1993. They likely came out around the same time as my 1992 Gold 2D to celebrate the introduction of the panther logo and the redesign of the D cells. At $6 ea I couldn't pass them up. They may not be super desirable but they sure are rare like the rest of the gold lights.


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## Chauncey Gardiner

:thumbsup: Excellent score, LiftdT4r! 

~ CG


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## Crumbly

Nice Cabela’s light Jay is it stamped or laser bezel? Looks stamped. And nice solitaires I ordered 2 myself but seller must of increased price because mine were $9.99. I didn’t realise they had TM on them, still waiting for them to arrive. Last time I looked there was still a few left.
I am surprised that the 25year old energiser doesn’t appear to have leaked.


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## LiftdT4R

Thanks guys!! The bezels on the Cabela's lights are stamped. I was super surprised to be able to buy a 2nd one. From what I heard there weren't very many produced before the partnership between Maglite and Cabela's went south and Cabela's was a mail order catalog only at the time.

I made an offer for 2 on the Solitaires that's why I got them so cheap. The AAA looked perfect but I ditched the one I opened. If the other one leaks I'll cut it out of the package. I'm going to use the open one. They make perfect little lights for walking around the house at night without waking anyone up. I always have an Incan Solitaire on my nightstand.


----------



## LeanBurn

So Lifted...when are we going to see an up to date photo of your Maglite collection?


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## LiftdT4R

Here's one from about a year or so ago I think I posted before. My collection has grown since then but not a whole lot. There are others here with much larger collections too. I always aspire to have a collection as awesome as ABTOMAT's one day. His couch pic is legendary!


----------



## Guitar Guy

Hey folks. I’m still figuring out how to use my new Nikon, and was using some Maglites to experiment with resolution, image sizes, exposure, etc. Finally got a few to come out decent.

First are photos of my 7C and 7D, their serial numbers and “paten pending” stampings.

After that is a US Air Force 2C, like the one Liftd posted a few pages back. It also came from a guy who had been stationed at Edwards Air Force Base, possibly the same guy.

The last one of the neon looking blue and purple Mags was an accidental over-exposure where the colors got all brightened & changed, but it ended up looking kinda cool, so I thought I’d post it.

JT





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## LiftdT4R

Very nice pics! I might need some lessons from ya! It's crazy to see how large the 7Ds are especially compared to the 7Cs. I had a pic with a 7C vs. a 6D and even the 6Ds are still quite a bit larger than the 7Cs.


----------



## LiftdT4R

One month no pics, let's bump this thread! Not a super rare or expensive light but one not seen too much. It's a 1985 AA Mini Pink Maglite. 1985 was the second year of production for AA Mini Maglites and they are easily identifiable because they have a laser etched bezel with a TM next to the Mini Maglite logo. In 1986 the trademark was approved and they got an R next to the Maglite symbol. There weren't very many colors done early on so they are pretty tough to find.


----------



## Weld Inspector

So today a co worker handed me a AA mag he said hes had it 30 plus years

Bezel reads mini maglite tm mfg mag instruments with no panther and small tm above the mfg 

But the tail cap is much more solid ,with only a very small (maybe 3/32) hole behind the tail spring, than any ive ever seen the lanyard hole goes thru the center not off set like all the rest I have 

Anyone have a guess of how old this model would be he said hes probably had it 30 years but I see pics of the pink one that's posed to be 1985 and it has offset lanyard hole


----------



## LiftdT4R

Do you know if the bezel is stamped or laser etched? TM bezels were stamped for 1984 and laser etched for 1985. 1986 went to a laser etched bezel with the R in circle. 1992 went to the Panther bezel. The stamping was filled in with white paint and heavily used models are usually missing some of that. I have a quick dating guide on my blog if you're interested: http://maglitehistory.blogspot.com/2018/02/mini-maglite-quick-dating-guide.html

As far as the tail cap I have a few like that but I believe they were from the Brinkmann lights or other copy cat lights. If the Mini Maglite tail cap was lost or damaged folks used to throw those on because the whole light could be had for less than the cost of a replacement tail cap from Mag.


----------



## Weld Inspector

Liftd

This looks to be stamped

Your blog says they are very rare would a well worn one have any value?

The guy told me I can have it I dont think i can accept it gonna put the new 200 lumen mini internals in it for him I think


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## LiftdT4R

Nice! Although, not particularly valuable. The bock, standard finish, is likely worth about ten bucks. Other finishes around thrity. Only the gold plated over brass and Zimmerman Bronze are worth much money.

They are nice and rare though. I usually buy them and add them to my collection when they come up for sale. Nice to see a 35 year old light still kicking! I have one that I use daily.


----------



## LiftdT4R

Woo hoo! Have a hot find coming in this week hopefully. It's not often I run across a Mag I haven't seen before but I've got a little research to do with this one. Hopefully I'll have some pics closer to Saturday.


----------



## Greenbean




----------



## Chauncey Gardiner

LiftdT4R said:


> Woo hoo! Have a hot find coming in this week hopefully. It's not often I run across a Mag I haven't seen before but I've got a little research to do with this one. Hopefully I'll have some pics closer to Saturday.



EXCELLENT!  

~ CG


----------



## Crumbly

As usual some great lights and photos, Guitar Guy and LiftdT4R.
Here are a couple of photos of blue D mags. A varibeam, Blue Shimmer, Standard Blue, Dark Blue(a lot of people call Midnight Blue But I Think it is Royal Blue) and Midnight Blue. The Midnight Blue really is very Dark.



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[/URL][/IMG]


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## Crumbly

Orange Mags



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## Crumbly

[/URL][/IMG]



[/URL][/IMG]
The President’s Dinner April 28, 1992 raised close to 8 million for the Republican Party’s Congressional fundraising arms, by it’s roughly 4300 diners paying at least $1500 each. I think these maglites were giveaways at the dinner as Anthony Maglica was a strong republican supporter, similar to the inaugural maglites. I am not sure how many were given away but you don’t see them very often.


----------



## LiftdT4R

Very awesome!! The orange lights are hands down the toughest fishes to find. The midnight blue I always struggle with. I think I either have one or had one and sold it at one point. The "royal blue" and "standard blue" are actually both labelled as standard blue but sometime around 2004 or so the standard blue became darker. I have at least 3 or 4 different blues that are either the later standard blue, or midnight blue but are too hard for me to tell.

Around 2000 sales blew up at Maglite and at one point they were selling 10+ million lights a year. They contracted out to several different anodizers and so the colors varied a lot. This is especially true on the Mini Maglites. I don't think I've ever had a light that looked like your midnight blue so I may still be on the hunt for one but it's a real shot in the dark (no pun intended) trying to scour e-bay for one. That's how I got my 2D shimmer blue and I would have sworn it was standard blue by the ebay pic.

I have heard and seen in some pics that there was a yellow done as well. I couldn't tell in the old pics I saw if it was a custom anodizing someone did or if it was stock Mag but it did appear to have the white Maglite laser etching that disappears when over-anodized. An ex Mag employee tells me they sent through a small batch of yellow also or so he thought so it is possible I suppose. It's the only popular color I haven't seen from Mag so I don't see why not.


----------



## LiftdT4R

The Bush light is awesome too!! I've heard about those as well but haven't seen them before today. They are super tough to come by. I'm not sure if it's yours or someone elses but there was also a Mini Maglite Reagan Library one done in a similar theme to the inaugural lights. It has the presidential seal on the head and was made for the opening of the Reagan presidential library around 1980. I don't have one.

I posted this one a while back, it's rough, but it's a Gold Panther light. It has a ~4,000,000 serial and was done to commemorate the design change to the updated Panther Mags in 1992. It was on of the first 2D Panther Mags produced.


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## Crumbly

I have only seen one yellow Maglite other than custom anodised maglites. It is a solitaire that came from z battery about 6 years ago. The yellow is in the foreground, the gold is from the same seller as the 2 you posted earlier LiftdT4R. I have a couple of colours that I have only ever seen on solitaires.



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## Crumbly

3D Maglite collection minus duplicates 



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## bykfixer

The 3D Maglite was one of the best inventions human kind has ever devised. 

Right up there with pnuematic tires and Levis Jeans imo.


----------



## LiftdT4R

Crumbly said:


> 3D Maglite collection minus duplicates



Very awesome!! Are those 2 purples in the bottom row or is one a different color? Also, are those 2 coppers or is one different, hard to tell. I was thinking it might be a brown, I heard those were made also but I've never seen them in any of the Mag catalogs.

The #2 Rusty Wallace and #88 Dale Jarret NASCAR lights are listed as Midnight Blue in old Maglite catalogs. Could you compare them to the other midnight blue you have?

The yellow Solitaire was spot on with the 2D or 3D Mag I remember seeing. It was in a picture in my early collecting days around 2003 so I cant say for sure but I have heard about them here and there.




bykfixer said:


> The 3D Maglite was one of the best inventions human kind has ever devised.





bykfixer said:


> Right up there with pnuematic tires and Levis Jeans imo.




Don't forget about Zippo lighters!!


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## Crumbly

They are both purple one is much lighter then the other, both are called purple on the pack.
One is copper the other is pewter. But actually there are two maglites called pewter, the one between copper and silver which is like a much lighter copper, plus the one between grey and black which is like a much darker gray. I also have a minimag called pewter in this darker gray.
the dark blue 3D is not as dark as the no 2 or 88 which are the both the same colour but they are not quite as dark as the 2D midnight blue but are very close.
i actually received a 1987 new in box royal blue minimag today which is a deeper blue than the midnight blue.


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## Crumbly

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Hard to get a good photo of these two one is a more violet colour both were called purple.


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## Crumbly

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From left to right, gray, pewter, pewter(washed out copper), bronze, copper.


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## Crumbly

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[/URL][/IMG]



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I don’t know why the background colour changed but the bottom photo is quite close to how they appear to the naked eye 
royal blue minimag on the left 2D midnight blue and minimag midnight blue on the right


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## LiftdT4R

Very cool and thanks for the pics! Lol, these colors can drive me crazy sometimes especially when looking for them on ebay. I've noticed that Gray is sometimes listed as Pewter too and I wasn't sure if that's a variant of the Pewter or if the package may have been mis-labelled. The NIB Pewter I have is the washed out Copper version.


----------



## LiftdT4R

This is my newest addition to my collection I mentioned last week. There's not much I get in the way of surprises any more but this one sure was. Finishes on the early 1979 to 1986 lights are very tough to come by. Up until I found this one I didn't think early C cells had any finish options other than Vari-Beams even though both blue and red are listed on early package inserts. Finally after ~10 years of collecting I ran across an early C cell finish! It's not listed on any of the early package inserts which still leads me to believe there wasn't likely an early red or blue C cell made. This light is a 3C, 38,410 serial in Silver which puts it at about 1983. It has the early stamped TM bezel and the barrel is stamped "Patented Made in U.S.A.".











The other big surprise on this light is the extended tail cap. C cells in this range are only supposed to have the flat end cap as shown on the right below. Even later C cells have a different style extended end cap which is shown on the left below. So it's not like this one has an end cap that was swapped with a later light. The knurling matches the knurling on flat end caps from around that time so I don't believe it's from another light either.






Through my contacts from the early days of Mag I am pretty sure this is an early prototype or trial run extended cap. This was likely done to test the tooling required to produce this end cap and to test the marketability of it. A handful of these were likely produced as a test run and then sent to retailers once the quality was determined to be acceptable. That makes sense because the prior owner lived in Michigan and he was the original owner who remembered purchasing it off the shelf at a sporting goods store locally in the early 1980s. I also believe this because I know this to be the case with some other lights as well. I have an early Camo finish that was a test run as well as some oddball finishes from 1979 too. Anyway, hope y'all enjoyed!


----------



## LiftdT4R

Here are a couple more lights I picked up recently that have a great story behind them! They were both purchased by a wealthy Arkansas cotton farmer around 1983. He bought them from a local hardware store that had Vari-Beam models for sale. I have a big write up on my blog about Vari-Beams: http://maglitehistory.blogspot.com/2017/06/vari-beams.html He purchased the 2C first and admired the quality and durability but found the run time wasn't enough for his liking (~4 hours). He shelved it, luckily without batteries, and bought a 4D from the same store. The 2C appears as brand new today. 











The 4D is a "Dealer Vari-Beam" model. Mag Instrument never made these in silver and black but some dealers would take a slow selling blue model and swap the end cap and bezel with a standard Mag and then put the left over parts in their service kits. The serial number is spot on with the vintage of the light so that's how you can tell it's a dealer and not a buyer that did the swap. The 4D is used but not abused. It has the earlier style switch with the bare copper internals and not the nickel plated like the later ones so it had some pretty heavy corrosion that was preventing the light form working. I tore down everything and cleaned up all of the bare copper internals with vinegar. It works as good as new now!

The C cell Vari-Beams are much rarer but I already have one so I may sell of trade this 2C at a later time. I have a 2C and 3D "Dealer Vari-Beams" (black/silver) so I'll likely hang onto this as I'd like to have one of each model one day.


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## hsa

That 2-c is a beauty.


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## Crumbly

Love that 2C Vari-Beam:thumbsup:


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## Icarus

Nice lights with an interesting story! :thumbsup:


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## LiftdT4R

Here's one more I recently picked up. It's a 6C but an early style one with the flat end cap. These were made from 1981 to about 1985 or so before they switched to the extended end cap and the bezel was updated. This one came from a Washington Sate Trooper who carried it regularly on duty in the early 80s. I got it for a good price since it didn't work and it just needed some corrosion cleaned off of the switch and the bulb replaced.











These early flat end cap Cs are very tough to find and I was working to complete my early C cell collection for a while before I found this 6C. Here's a pic of a full line of flat end cap Cs from a 2C through 7C. I actually have 2 flat end cap 7Cs and see them more often than the 5 or 6Cs.


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## Chauncey Gardiner

I bet the 6C could tell some stories... Love the last picture. :thumbsup: 

~ Chance


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## Monocrom

Awesome find on that 6C.


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## 4DMag-Lite

Here a few from my collection that are somewhat collectible.

I know the Black Mini Mag isn't all that rare, however it is one of the earlier ones from 1984.



AAMiniMags


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## LiftdT4R

Very cool! The well used ones are always my favorites. Did you have the black 1984 Mini Mag since new or do ya know the story behind it? I got mine from a Chicago cop and he had some great stories. I still use it to this day. I only wish they would have used an orange peel reflector as they work much better as a small flood light.


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## 4DMag-Lite

LiftdT4R said:


> Very cool! The well used ones are always my favorites. Did you have the black 1984 Mini Mag since new or do ya know the story behind it? I got mine from a Chicago cop and he had some great stories. I still use it to this day. I only wish they would have used an orange peel reflector as they work much better as a small flood light.




The black one I just won in an auction on eBay. Not sure the story behind it, I'm going to reach out to the seller and see if there is one. I did come with the belt holder that looks just about as old as the light. I have a thing for well used lights as well. 

The bush light I picked up from you lol.


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## 1pt21

LiftdT4R said:


> The other big surprise on this light is the extended tail cap. C cells in this range are only supposed to have the flat end cap as shown on the right below. Even later C cells have a different style extended end cap which is shown on the left below. So it's not like this one has an end cap that was swapped with a later light. The knurling matches the knurling on flat end caps from around that time so I don't believe it's from another light either.
> 
> Through my contacts from the early days of Mag I am pretty sure this is an early prototype or trial run extended cap.



FREAKING COOL!!! 

That's a first for me! I like it...


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## carnage

LiftdT4R said:


> Here's one from about a year or so ago I think I posted before. My collection has grown since then but not a whole lot. There are others here with much larger collections too. I always aspire to have a collection as awesome as ABTOMAT's one day. His couch pic is legendary!





How long did it take you to accumulate your collection?


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## Chauncey Gardiner

While neither one is unobtainable-rare. Both are awesome!  

~ Chance


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## LiftdT4R

4DMag-Lite said:


> The black one I just won in an auction on eBay. Not sure the story behind it, I'm going to reach out to the seller and see if there is one. I did come with the belt holder that looks just about as old as the light. I have a thing for well used lights as well.
> 
> The bush light I picked up from you lol.



Lol, that's awesome! I know the story then! They came from an estate sale in Minnesota from a GHWB supporter.



1pt21 said:


> FREAKING COOL!!!
> 
> That's a first for me! I like it...



Thanks! Even after collecting for so long I still find some cool stuff.



carnage said:


> How long did it take you to accumulate your collection?



I've been collecting since 2005 but I really became more interested and started buying more around 2010. I have about that many Maglites again but they are more common or doubles so I didn't take a pic of them.



Chauncey Gardiner said:


> While neither one is unobtainable-rare. Both are awesome!
> 
> ~ Chance



Nice! Adventure Sport makes some nice stuff! I have a couple of their old single LED setups. I'm bummed Matt doesn't make them anymore but he still sells the heat sinks. I've been mulling over picking up one of his sinks and dropping my own LED and driver in it. It takes a standard 17mm driver and 10mm LED board so there are a lot of options. I really want a 3 mode warm or neutral LED option and no one makes one. :-( 

Is the mini mag from KYfishguy?


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## Crumbly

Nice triples Chauncey they look great. Really like your red minimag.
Nice minimags, 4DMag-Lite those old 1984 mags are not that common.
I think if you contact Matt through his website He will make the old ASX70 for you, or whatever LED you want, plus he has the copper heat sinks which take 16mm rounded stars and 17mm driver.


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## Chauncey Gardiner

LiftdT4R said:


> ...
> 
> Is the mini mag from KYfishguy?



Yes, however not being the original owner, I don't know the specifics. It's seeing the inside of my pocket on a regular basis. 

Thanks to you and Crumbly for the welcoming comments. I didn't know if you Mag-Guys were going to run me off the thread on a rail. :laughing:

~ Chance


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## Crumbly

Some of my awesome 2D Mags


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## Chauncey Gardiner

I think I just stared at your lights for about ten minutes..... really don't know how long it was. oo: 

~ CG


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## Chauncey Gardiner

While clicking about I came across this. - #1 

~ CG


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## Crumbly

Somebody went to a lot of trouble making those beauties.


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## Crumbly

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Picked this Vari-Beam up recently, it has the intermediate grip like on the solitaire straight knurling rather than diamond. You don’t see them very often, LiftdT4R has posted one earlier, it has quite a low serial number as they started the serial numbers again as pointed out by LiftdT4R. It is a bit beaten up but not too bad. Anyway thought I would share some images.


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## LiftdT4R

Beat up lights are the best lights! Crumbly, I heard through the grapevine you may have some cool lights on the way. Got to see some pics of those beauts soon!

Chauncey, what kind of lights are those? Macs? I've always wanted a 1D. a 1D and 1C are the only size Mags I haven't owned. I should have ordered a 1D 26650 Mag from Adventure Sport when he used to make them.

Here's my Adventure Sport and seeing how as Matt doesn't list them on his site I think it qualifies as rare.






I do like the copper sink but it has the larger, 16mm LED support so to use any Maglite reflector it has to be bored out which is not so easy. Matt did this KAI MOP reflector for me when he built the light. On the 10mm LED support aluminum sink you can use a stock Mag reflector with the cam removed. I ordered the parts tonight so I'm going to be putting together a Cree XP-L 3 mode warm LED 3D running off 2 NiMHs in the next couple of weeks. I'll have to find the right section of this board but I plan on detailing the build. I've done a ton of restorations but it will be the first light I'm building from scratch so I'm very excited. 

The other challenge is removing the post on the switch and soldering on the leads to the driver. I am planning to do this with an older, non-serial, light where the switch has the removable post the it comes out of the front of the light much easier so I don't think I'll have to break the housing like on the new lights. Of course the ID of the barrel is larger than the new lights so I'm either going to use a Malkoff spacer or just some foil tape to makeup the difference. 

I've done some "resto-mods" before but this will be my first complete one from scratch. It will stay very true to the original design, function and look right down to the warm LED but with all the advantages of a modern light. I've had some interest in this for some of the restorations I've done for folks on my blog so I may plan on offering them for sale it at some point in the future. However, all said and done it will be about $80 into the light so while it's cool it's not very practical. You can have a brand new ML300L that does the same thing for half that price. But..... I see people paying a fortune for 60s Broncos when they could buy 2 brand new JLs that are better all around so there's that.


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## Chauncey Gardiner

The #1 here and in my previous post is a link to the original thread. But yes, they were created by Mac. BTW, I really am enamored by your green Mag. Boy that's a great looking light. 

~ Chance


----------



## light-modder

Crumbly, what does the beam look like on that purple mag?

LiftdT4R, I believe those 1D mags are some of jayrobs creations. He is a member here but I don’t know how active he is. He is also on laser pointer forums though I’m not a member there so I’ve no clue of his activity over there. I got a hatsink from him a couple years ago as well as an aluminum reflector cut down to accept 16mm led boards.


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## Crumbly

light-modder I can try and post some beam shots later when it’s dark.
LiftdT4R I guess the kai mop reflector gets rid of the cross from the xhp 70.
i was going to try lapping the back of a kai mop for mine till it just fits with some wet and dry on a nice flat surface.


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## LiftdT4R

light-modder said:


> Crumbly, what does the beam look like on that purple mag?
> 
> LiftdT4R, I believe those 1D mags are some of jayrobs creations. He is a member here but I don’t know how active he is. He is also on laser pointer forums though I’m not a member there so I’ve no clue of his activity over there. I got a hatsink from him a couple years ago as well as an aluminum reflector cut down to accept 16mm led boards.



I'd like to know more about that purple Mag too. Is it an Adventure Sport?



Crumbly said:


> light-modder I can try and post some beam shots later when it’s dark.
> LiftdT4R I guess the kai mop reflector gets rid of the cross from the xhp 70.
> i was going to try lapping the back of a kai mop for mine till it just fits with some wet and dry on a nice flat surface.



That would probably work. You don't need much, about an extra mm is all that's needed IIRC because the KAI reflectors have like a 15mm or 16mm opening without the cam.

I am not crazy about SMO reflectors and not very many lights use them except Mags. I'm not sure why mag is so against using SMO reflectors. I think for the vast majority of folks a flood is a lot more usable and casts a much nicer beam. Unless you're out in the midwest with lots of open land or you're a throw junkie I don't see them being really useful. Even when I'm outdoors I very rarely have anymore than 50 yds or so that I need to see here in the northeast. I run SMO reflectors on pretty much all my Mags that I use.


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## 4DMag-Lite

Crumbly said:


> 4DMag-Lite those old 1984 mags are not that common.



That is what I've heard. Last night I just won an auction on the Bay for a 1984 Silver Mini Mag. There was an auction for a pink 1984, I think that one ended up going over 170 USD.


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## LiftdT4R

I saw that silver one, it's a gem and you got a great price on it. They don't come up very often! Make sure ya post some pics when it comes in.


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## 4DMag-Lite

LiftdT4R said:


> I saw that silver one, it's a gem and you got a great price on it. They don't come up very often! Make sure ya post some pics when it comes in.



I should be showing up in the mail today. If so I'll get some pics of it posted up tonight.


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## Crumbly

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[/URL][/IMG]



[/URL][/IMG]
I was debating whether or not this is a rare mag but it is fairly unique. The batteries for this maglite were part of a quest to put my Malkoff for 3-4 nimh batteries in a 2D mag. Malkoff states not to exceed the emitters 6v rating so I thought maybe these two 3v batteries would work, they didn’t. The emitter is a simple drop in from eBay rated at 300 lumens it is from the UK, for 3 to 6 D cells. The reflector is aluminium with an optic again from eBay, still available from an Australian seller Limelight Led. No association with him or her, it is a bit pricey but is quite well made. It would fit in any D or C cell maglite I guess and would work with any of the bulb type drop in LED. It was a bit of an experiment to see if the reflector was any good, while not wasting those batteries.


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## 4DMag-Lite

So here are some photos of my latest acquisition. I don't think the silver Mini is exactly an 84. It has the stamped TM Bezel, however the light engine says "Do Not Remove", and has the latest style end cap. The inner diameter is also slightly bigger, I am able to slide NMHI batteries in and out with no issue.

From what I can gather from the information on Lifted's Maglite blog is that this could possibly be an 85 or 86 with the stamped bezel.


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## Crumbly

Maybe the original body was damaged by leaking batteries and someone put the bezel on a new minimag body. I thought the stamped bezel was only 84 and 85 was laser etched.
That is a beautiful flashlight though thanks for sharing.


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## Crumbly

[/URL][/IMG]
This package has no date but the maglite is the same as yours deeply stamped and no plastic in tail cap pretty sure it’s 1984



[/URL][/IMG]
it sort of made sense to me that there would be no date on first edition maglite



[/URL][/IMG]
This is 1986 package the MAGLITE is TM but laser etched




[/URL][/IMG]
Has the plastic insert for spare bulb.



[/URL][/IMG]



[/URL][/IMG]
Both of these 1987 dated packs have the R instead of TM
I guess there could be an overlap in 85ish where stamped TM bezel was used with later style tailcap. Maybe LiftdT4R has some more info.


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## 4DMag-Lite

Crumbly,

Anything is possible. I do not have a caliber to measure the inner diameter of the barrel. From what I can tell from trying to slide a set of rechargeable batteries is:
Black (84), The rechargeable batteries will not go in all the way.
Silver (84?), Rechargeable batteries will slide in and come out pretty slow, like it almost creates a vacuum.
Red (2001), Rechargeable batteries will slide in and come out with ease, no vacuum. 

According to Liftd's blog "Do Not Remove" was added after 1986.

I'm going to go with overlap from 84-87 depending on the color.


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## 4DMag-Lite

Crumbly said:


> Maybe the original body was damaged by leaking batteries and someone put the bezel on a new minimag body. I thought the stamped bezel was only 84 and 85 was laser etched.
> That is a beautiful flashlight though thanks for sharing.



This is from Liftd's blog.


*1985
Laser Etched Mini Maglite TM Bezel
Mini Maglite TM MFG by Mag Instrument - Ontario, Ca. - USA






These were only produced for a year or less and I haven't seen any color variations. It's likely the prior colors were still sold in the old style stamped bezel since they were far less popular than black.*


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## LiftdT4R

Crumbly, that's correct. The stamped/rolled bezels were done only for 1984. The Mini Maglite Trademark was approved April of 1986 according to the patent office and Mag always changed their trademark designations when they were approved because they are so protective of their patents and trademarks. The Mini Mag was for sure introduced in 1984 because that's when the trademark was filed. I took a guess in saying 1985 was the switch over from stamped TM bezels to laser etched TM bezels based on my contacts with Mag and how many of them you see. The laser etched TM bezel likely carried into April of 1986 so I should change my time line to say early 1986.

Like many other lights during the changeover new parts got tossed into old models to clear out old stock so around the transition times lights could have interchanged parts. A lot of times folks also changed and added parts to the lights from the new models. The Mini Mags are a prime example because the parts were small and easily lost. Also, the switches don't last very long in them and were commonly switched out by a service center.

That silver 1984 looks mostly original to me. 99% of people wouldn't know whether it has the tail cap changed or not so I wouldn't worry too much about it. It's a sweet light!!!


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## LiftdT4R

I was able to close a deal today on a light I've been after for a really really long time and I'm hoping to have some pics in the coming weeks.

I also made a nice deal with Crumbly on a swap and I should have a nice Mini Mag group shot to show too. But now I think I'm still missing one stamped bezel Mini Mag. :duh2: Lol, that's the fun part of collecting, there's always something new that pops up!

I'm a little further along on my true warm 3 mode LED restomod. I'll post up some pics when complete and detail the build in the proper forum.


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## Crumbly

Sounds interesting. Did you manage to get a minimag Vari-Beam?


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## LiftdT4R

Crumbly said:


> Sounds interesting. Did you manage to get a minimag Vari-Beam?


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## LiftdT4R

I have to give a special thanks to Crumbly for my latest addition. This is one light I've been after for a long long time and boy are they are tough to come by. I can only hope he enjoys the light I traded him as much as I enjoy this Zimmermann light! These were made as a special order for a Swizz retailer, Zimmermann. I Google'd Zimmermann but couldn't seem to find anything out about them so I'm doing a little additional research. They must have been a pretty large store to have a special order produced for them. I know Maglite has a lot smaller in 1984 but by 200 the only retailers they'd do special orders for were Target, Walmart and Home Depot.












The downside is I think I still may be missing a first gen color. :ironic: Lol, that's the fun of collecting tho! I think Crumbly may have some info on this missing color soon so I won't steal his thunder.






I may or may not have another addition coming soon too.


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## Crumbly

Glad you’re happy it looks great with your other 1st gens:twothumbs
I am very happy with my new acquisition.


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## LiftdT4R

Very nice!! Looks amazing!! I have a feeling it will be a good pairing with another light.

On a side note someone has been lifting pictures from my blog and selling lights extremely overpriced on fleabay. They are NOT mine. I only buy and sell for fair prices and I never make money on other collectors. Someone has been lifting pictures from my blog and using them. I tried to report to fleabay to no avail. I just want people to know that's not me.


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## Crumbly

Yesterday we had our Xmas breakup and when I got home the postman had been. Just recently there has been some amazing modifications to my wallet. Still a couple of packages are on their way.


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## Crumbly

I picked up this new in box 3D Vari-Beam and a bit earlier a new in box TM 3D Maglite 














The box is in reasonable condition as the plastic and glue do not age very well. The Box is dated 1986 which is very late for a Vari-Beam.


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## Crumbly

It it is really very beautiful and in perfect condition. It is patented made in usa and quite a high serial number. You can see in the obligatory group shot with my other new in box 2C from liftdT4R, just how much the other Vari-Beam lights have faded.


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## Crumbly

Okay I know liftdT4R has been waiting for this one, the pink TM stamped bezel new in box mini maglite.














It is definitely stamped not laser etched, does not have do not remove on the switch, however it is like 4DMag-lites silver 1st gen with the plastic holder for the bulb. It looks brand new, here it is with a pink 3rd gen.


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## LiftdT4R

Ohhh man, let me be the first to say that's totally awesome!! Just when I thought I'd seen it all a new light always rolls around. That pink stamped bezel must be one of the last in existence I've never seen another in all my years of collecting.

That NIB Vari-Beam is the bee's knees as well! I want to say 1,000,000 was about the end of them in 3Ds around 1985 or 86 so that's likely one of the last. I have a few of those Maglite style boxes and they don't hold up for anything so it's a near miracle it's lasted this long and someone saved it.

Christmas came early this year!!!


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## bykfixer

That box!!! :bow:


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## LiftdT4R

Is that a 6D or 7D in the first pic?


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## Crumbly

It’s a 7D


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## turbodog

Alert!!!

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Mag-Lite-6...=item2871066e8c:g:ft8AAOSwVHdasbbZ:rk:40:pf:0

NIB/NOS 6c mag.

And some more...

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Maglite-6c...h=item41f58968fe:g:6HYAAOSwcdxcCNwk:rk:6:pf:0


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## archimedes

Please don't link up specific eBay auctions here in the collecting / discussion subforums


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## turbodog

archimedes said:


> Please don't link up specific eBay auctions here in the collecting / discussion subforums



Thought that was cool if it's for the collected item and not my auction...?


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## archimedes

turbodog said:


> Thought that was cool if it's for the collected item and not my auction...?


... and then eventually this forum will be full of nothing but posts by people touting their own auctions (not saying that is the case here, but that's the way it goes) ... :shakehead


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## LiftdT4R

This may be cheating a little because while it's a rare light it's also one I made. At a glance it might look like a regular old 1991 red 3D that's a little worse for wear but on the inside it has all the latest and greatest LED tech.












This is the first light where I put together the majority of the electronics from scratch. It's way more of a resto-mod than anything I've done in the past. It's an old, non-letter serial D cell with a multi mode, warm LED drop in. I started with an Adventure Sport aluminum heat sink. On one side is a spot for a 17mm driver and the other a 10mm LED board. I used Adventure Sport's driver and a Cree XP-L 3000K LED that's good for 1,000 lumens at 3V and 3 Amps. The stock Maglite switch post has to be lopped off and the terminals changed around a bit but what you're left with is a programmable driver and warm LED. I'm currently running it on the 10% / 100% mode and I have some beam shots below.


10%, 100 Lumens







100%, 1,000 Lumens







Malkoff XP-G Drop in, 300 Lumens







Malkoff vs. My Drop In







The Malkoff sits a little higher in the reflector so it's a little more floody but with around 1,000 lumens mine has plenty of spill to go around. The pic with both beams shows my drop in as being a lot warmer than it actually is. I'm not sure why it came out that way. My drop in is the exact same tint as an old Krypton bulb which is why I picked it. I'll be doing some 4000K nuertals next because they're closer to a Xenon bulb. 


The whole reason I did this is because I get a fair amount of requests for restorations through my blog and the majority of the restorations I am doing are Incan setups. The Malkoffs are the premier drop in but were always a bit cool for a restoration and the fact they didn't have modes makes them a little more limited. I will say though I have a ways to catch up to Malkoff on build quality but I consider this one my test mule. I'm going to try out different drivers and different LEDs so I'll be able to provide any tint on any D cell light, old or new, 2D through 7D. I'll be doing a 2D Vari-Beam next and a 7D eventually.


If there's interest I'll post a new thread in the Custom Flashlights section documenting my next build since I have all of the kinks worked out if that's the appropriate forum.


----------



## 4DMag-Lite

Crumbly said:


> Okay I know liftdT4R has been waiting for this one, the pink TM stamped bezel new in box mini maglite.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> It is definitely stamped not laser etched, does not have do not remove on the switch, however it is like 4DMag-lites silver 1st gen with the plastic holder for the bulb. It looks brand new, here it is with a pink 3rd gen.




That's a beautiful light! Nice find! I was watching that one on the bay just to see what it was going to go for.


----------



## Icarus

One of my Lime Green 2C's.


----------



## Crumbly

Looks good lime green is a great colour.


----------



## Icarus




----------



## Crumbly

Hey LiftdT4R if you do a build thread on your red 3D mag I’ll read it.


----------



## Crumbly

Here is a mint 7D I got recently from a fellow CPF member.








It is a patent pending, low serial number.









The 7D maglite really is a monster flashlight, with modern battery technology I doubt we will ever have a light manufactured this long again. I feel lucky I was able to get such a nice example.


----------



## LiftdT4R

Crumbly said:


> Hey LiftdT4R if you do a build thread on your red 3D mag I’ll read it.



Awesome! I'm working on another light, a 4D, with a warm 3 mode drop in now. I'll snap some pics during the build and I'll prob have something for my blog and CPF put together in February. I've built 3 lights total now with my new warm drop ins, a 1990 Red 3D, a NIB 1988 Black 2D, and I've converted my daily user 2001 3D that I've owned since new.



Crumbly said:


> Here is a mint 7D I got recently from a fellow CPF member.
> 
> It is a patent pending, low serial number.
> 
> The 7D maglite really is a monster flashlight, with modern battery technology I doubt we will ever have a light manufactured this long again. I feel lucky I was able to get such a nice example.



Shes's a beaut!! That's the cleanest 7D I've ever seen! The 7Ds are far and away the most collectible Maglites and reach the highest $ amounts. You're right, I doubt we'll see anything like this anytime soon as batteries pack more energy into smaller spaces and LEDs get to be more efficient. I always thought they were similar to old cars and trucks with gigantic engines. My old many had a 454 cu in GM pickup in 1990. The latest GM we got is almost half that size engine and is way faster and much more fuel efficient.



Icarus said:


> One of my Lime Green 2C's.



Love those lime greens!!! I wish Mag would make some off beat colors in their newest lights. Just goes to show the excesses of the late 90s, early 2000s. Here's my small lime green collection:






I'm just missing a 3D as far as I can tell. I'm not sure if Mag ever did an AAA Mini Maglite in Lime Green.


----------



## Icarus

I have a 2D, 3D, 2C and 2AA Lime Green but not the Solitaire.  Although I own some I don't collect 2AAA and Solitaire Maglites. :shrug:


----------



## Icarus

Crumbly said:


>



Your 7D is indeed gorgeous! :twothumbs


----------



## LiftdT4R

Icarus said:


> I have a 2D, 3D, 2C and 2AA Lime Green but not the Solitaire.  Although I own some I don't collect 2AAA and Solitaire Maglites. :shrug:



What's crazy is the 2Cs I see quite a bit and even the 2Ds pop up occasionally. The 3Ds seem to be the toughest to find. That's the opposite of all other Maglites where the C cells are the rarest by far.


----------



## LiftdT4R

Since there's some action here I'll post something you might not see every day. It's not one but two Maglite Marquis! There were only about 10,000 of these produced and sold for May in 1988. The name was changed due to complaints by retailers. I'm always amazed because I don't think the name Marquis or Solitaire would influence my decision to buy the light. These were also made in Silver. I've only ever seen 1 silver and maybe 6 or 7 black versions.


----------



## Icarus

I'm visiting this thread every day.  
Your knowledge about Maglite's history keeps surprising me! :bow:


----------



## bigburly912

If you have an extra 500 bucks lying around there is a silver marquis on the popular auction site. Love this thread, I’m not a huge maglite fan but I’ve always owned one and appreciate the history lesson


----------



## LiftdT4R

Icarus said:


> I'm visiting this thread every day.
> Your knowledge about Maglite's history keeps surprising me! :bow:



It's actually mostly from Don Keller, an old machinist at Mag, and other collectors I've dealt with over the years. I'm just the repository for it but glad ya enjoy it though. I still have a couple lights that I haven't posted yet. One of which I don't think has been seen before. My work is usually dead over the winter but I'm actually super busy the last couple years since the winters have been so mild.



Bigburly912 said:


> If you have an extra 500 bucks lying around there is a silver marquis on the popular auction site. Love this thread, I’m not a huge maglite fan but I’ve always owned one and appreciate the history lesson



I saw that one but it looks black. I'm always amazed at what people ask for lights. The prices can be really far off either way. My one Marquis is brand new and unused and the other one looks a heck of a lot nicer than the one on flea bay. If I could get a grand for them tomorrow I would finish off the bike I'm building! :naughty: 500 hundo is more than any 7D I've seen sell granted the Marquis is much rarer than a 7D but which one looks cooler sitting on a shelf?


----------



## Crumbly

Nice marquis lights liftdT4R. I agree 500 seems a bit steep. 














Here is a beautiful, new in box 7C I just got from another CPF collector. It is the store a bulb end cap, box dated 87.


----------



## Crumbly

LiftdT4R said:


> What's crazy is the 2Cs I see quite a bit and even the 2Ds pop up occasionally. The 3Ds seem to be the toughest to find. That's the opposite of all other Maglites where the C cells are the rarest by far.


I agree I have seen more C cells than D cells in lime green. Although I am not sure my solitaire is lime green it might be kelly green.


----------



## Icarus

OMG.... You're killing me... I'm looking for a 7C/D for such a long time...  Great find! :thumbsup:

Impressive herd of Lime Green too! :rock:


----------



## LiftdT4R

Wow, nice 7C and Lime Greens. I've been looking for a 3D Lime Green for a while and I see you have 2. :thinking: Lol, I'll have to see what I have doubles of if you're interested in a swap.

You've gotta do a group shot soon too!


----------



## turbodog

Icarus said:


> OMG.... You're killing me... I'm looking for a 7C/D for such a long time...  Great find! :thumbsup:
> 
> Impressive herd of Lime Green too! :rock:



There is a guy on the forums that still has some NIB 7c last I heard. Go back and look through this thread. They are all standing on end in a photo... must be a dozen of them.

saved you the trouble
find the user named 'tminus12'


----------



## Icarus

turbodog said:


> There is a guy on the forums that still has some NIB 7c last I heard. Go back and look through this thread. They are all standing on end in a photo... must be a dozen of them.
> 
> saved you the trouble
> find the user named 'tminus12'



I did a search on user 'tminus12' but it seems there is no user on this forum with this name? :thinking:


----------



## Crumbly

Are you talking about post #119 on page 4 I can’t see the image but he is talking about 7C NIB his username is “borrower”.


----------



## Icarus

Crumbly said:


> Are you talking about post #119 on page 4 I can’t see the image but he is talking about 7C NIB his username is “borrower”.



Could be but it is a different user and no picture indeed. :shrug: 
I will pm 'borrower' and we will see. Thanks for the hint! :thumbsup:


----------



## LiftdT4R

It is borrower, I PM'd him a while back about one. He is a little slow to respond because he's not on here a lot anymore.


----------



## turbodog

Icarus said:


> Could be but it is a different user and no picture indeed. :shrug:
> I will pm 'borrower' and we will see. Thanks for the hint! :thumbsup:



that sounds right


----------



## turbodog

I saw the picture of his 'stash' a while back and ignored it. The rational side of me said that 1) it was very nice but 2) they are all 6c... there could NOT be that many NIB 7c in one place. I picked up one about 9 months ago from him.


----------



## Icarus

I got a nice Red Maglite 2C from a friend. I've never seen a 2C in this color before. He found this one on a flea market!


----------



## LiftdT4R

Super sweet!!!! That's the only red incan C I've ever seen. The colors in the C cells are soooo tough to come by! It looks like that's a laser etched bezel, if so it's from 1990 or 1991.


----------



## Icarus

Here's another picture.


----------



## Guitar Guy

Nice lights folks! I haven't been on here much in a while. Hope everyone is having a good new year.

LOVE that red 2C! That is the first one I've actually seen.

So I've been using the auction site for 15+ yrs for hundreds of items, and now have my first lost package. Guess what it is. A Maglite! An older TM bezel black 2C, with the flat end cap. I got it for a low offer because the tube was a little marked up, so I was gonna put a good LED in it and use it to bang around in one of the trucks. Maybe even do a paracord wrap on the tube.

So cross your fingers for me. Maybe it will still show up. It was mailed a week or so before the end of the year, and went off the tracking radar on Dec. 31. The seller did a mail inquiry, so we'll see what happens. Not the end of the world I guess. I'm glad it wasn't the 2 vintage Buck knives I just got.

JT


----------



## Crumbly

That red 2C is the first red Incan C Cell I have seen. I did not think they existed, excellent find.:wow:


----------



## LiftdT4R

Icarus said:


> Here's another picture.



Upon closer inspection it looks like the 1986 to 1989 stamped bezel.

I've had only 3 packages lost in all my years buying and selling on fleabay. The first 2 were used motorcycle parts and had next to no value. The latest one was a $300 Android phone this year. I never take out additional insurance on items I ship so I was out almost $300 on it.The post office told me that Florida is rampant with fraud and lost packages if shipping to Florida always add the extra insurance. :tired:


----------



## Grijon

Great thread, I've really enjoyed it and it made my non-rare Maglite collection 10x more fun - thank you!

Liftd, what do you do for a living?


----------



## LiftdT4R

Grijon said:


> Great thread, I've really enjoyed it and it made my non-rare Maglite collection 10x more fun - thank you!
> 
> Liftd, what do you do for a living?



Let's see some pics of that collection! We're not picky, we all just really enjoy Maglite pics.

To answer your question: As little as possible.....  I work for a construction company in NJ, nothing exciting. I've put in a resume or two at Mag Instrument but I'm unfortunately not employed by or affiliated with them.


----------



## LiftdT4R

I was actually able to snag a 3D Toyota TRD Light the other day! I am wondering though if anyone has any info on these as I'd like to do a write up on my blog. From what I hear these were only available through Toyota dealerships as part of their TRD parts lineup. If that's true I would think they have a Toyota parts number or they would show up in a catalog somewhere. I was unable to find any TRD catalogs like I did with my Cabela's lights and a search of the Toyota parts database didn't show too much. I bought a Toyota 4Runner in 2001 and had some TRD options on it but I don't remember seeing these lights when I bought the truck and it would have been around the same time. Man I miss my Toyota........ I've crossed over to the dark side now, a Jeep. I've yet to own a Land Rover but I always remember the old off road adage: Jeep the father, Land Rover the son, and Toyota the holy ghost.

I also have a Toyota Motorsports 3D that is done in the Flag-Lite design but don't have any info on it either. I have a pic of it below.






I'll post some pics of the TRD light when I get it next week. Thanks guys!!!

Anyone wanna see beam shots of a 3AA LED Mini Mag vs. an Incan I took for my blog?


----------



## Chauncey Gardiner

*


LiftdT4R said:



 Let's see some pics of that collection! We're not picky, we all just really enjoy Maglite pics.

Click to expand...

*I only have two Maglites. Probably won't purchase another one for ......?? I visit this thread everyday for the pictures. :twothumbs 

~ Chance


----------



## bigburly912

I don’t even own maglites anymore as I gifted all of mine away but yes, please share that collection!


----------



## Crumbly

Nice Toyota Flaglite LiftdT4R. I believe they were only available directly from Toyota during the mid 90’s. The TRD 3D cell one I got has a 58.99 price tag so they weren’t cheap, guess that,s why they are quite rare now. The one I got the box is dated March 96, model #:S3DDC5. With 4 different colours anodised they would have been fairly difficult to get right, mine the graphics are very slightly blurred. 




















Here it is with it’s 2 aa little brother.


----------



## LiftdT4R

Very nice!!! Is that $58 USD or AUD? $58 USD in 1996 is about $100 today so it's not a big surprise these didn't sell all that well. What's also interesting is that they all seem to have been sold in the chipboard boxes with the picture showing the light. All of the other chipboard boxes I have just show a black light. I don't know why they wouldn't have just ordered the clear clam shell package. Either way they are very neat. I don't know of Maglite doing any of their new lights in this style anymore and it's a shame because they are very interesting! I guess it goes to show that Mag was doing a whole lot more customization when they were selling 10 million+ lights a year. From what I hear their heyday was the late 90s to early 2000s.


----------



## Icarus

It would be interesting to know how many they sell nowadays.


----------



## Crumbly

58.99 US dollars. this 1994 trophy truck driven by Ivan ‘Ironman’ Stewart won the Baja 500 4 times looks like that is where the colour scheme came from.


----------



## bykfixer

A few years back I saw some flag Mag Toyota lights at the Joe Gibbs Racing souvenier trailer. I did not collect flashlights at that time and even if I did would not have paid $99 for one. Looked like 3D size if I recall correct.


----------



## Crumbly

bykfixer said:


> A few years back I saw some flag Mag Toyota lights at the Joe Gibbs Racing souvenier trailer. I did not collect flashlights at that time and even if I did would not have paid $99 for one. Looked like 3D size if I recall correct.


Nice that description matches liftdT4R Toyota flaglite above.


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## LiftdT4R

Crumbly, that's awesome! I hope you don't mind if I steal, errrr re-purpose that photo for my blog. I talked to Don last night and he confirmed that these were only sold at Toyota dealerships and they weren't very popular.

Mr. Fixer, did they look like the ones I posted above? I wouldn't pay $100 either. I think I snagged mine for $20 or so. Interesting to know where they might have come from though!


----------



## Icarus

LiftdT4R said:


> Crumbly, that's awesome! I hope you don't mind if I steal, errrr re-purpose that photo for my blog. I talked to Don last night and he confirmed that these were only sold at Toyota dealerships and they weren't very popular.
> 
> Mr. Fixer, did they look like the ones I posted above? I wouldn't pay $100 either. I think I snagged mine for $20 or so. Interesting to know where they might have come from though!



It is unbelievable what this thread and your blog set in motion. Being a long time Maglite fan and user I love all these stories and pictures! :twothumbs


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## Toohotruk

WOW! Beautiful lights! oo:


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## LiftdT4R

Thanks!! Glad to see there's interest in these lights. I know not as many folks collect mags as they do Surefires but they are much more affordable and fun to get into I think. 

I got my TRD light today and boy are these cool looking lights! It's around a 18,000,000 serial which puts it before 1999. I'm going to send the serial to Mag to date tomorrow so I can add that info on my blog. The serial is very close to the Flag-Lite Toyota light I have.







I also noticed a price tag from the dealer in Virginia, $49.95. About $90 in today's dollars. A regular 3D Maglite could be had for less than half that so no wonder they didn't sell well.






And here's a side by side pic with my Toyota Flag-Lite. The box is a little worse for wear but at least it came with it. The owner remembers buying it in the mid to late 90s when he bought a Toyota pickup at the dealer. He said there were only a few there. He planned to put it in his pickup but never got around to it and I was able to catch it on ebay. Pretty interesting, Maglite has made an appearance in a diverse range of cars from Ferraris to Toyotas.






EDIT: Also wanted to show a picture of my modern Maglite collection. It's all Panther lights and my newer style Mini Maglites and Solitaires. It's not as large as some other members collections out there because I primarily collect the 1979 to 1991 lights but I think it's pretty unique! I would like to score a 2D Jade and a 3D Lime Green but I don't think there's many other modern lights I'm missing.


----------



## Chauncey Gardiner

^ Beautiful rainbow. However, if I may, more of each needs to be visible. I'm just here for the pictures. Thanks for sharing. 

~ Cg


----------



## LiftdT4R

Chauncey Gardiner said:


> However, if I may, more of each needs to be visible.



I've been telling my wife for years we need to clear out the china cabinet to make room for now lights! :naughty:


----------



## archimedes

One cabinet, for flashlights ??

I thought that's what the addition to the garage was for ...


----------



## LiftdT4R

via Imgflip Meme Generator


----------



## Chauncey Gardiner

^ Chuckled out loud. The Lovely Mrs. Gardiner asked me why. "Nothing dear. Just these flashlight guys making jokes." 

That was a close one. :sweat:

~ Chance


----------



## LiftdT4R

I took a pic of all my automotive themed Maglites last night while writing the Toyota 3D post for my blog.






I still have a silver 3D I carried in my 4runner for years and years. It has a cheapy 55 lumen LED conversion and resides in my work truck with a traffic wand now. Still look at it and recall fond memories.


----------



## bykfixer

I have a Ford Quality one Lift'd that is the only 'automotive' themed Maglite. Apparently it was a batch made for one of the Ford plant employees in 1998. I showed it in this thread at one point but only Heaven knows which page the 3C was shown.


----------



## borrower

Icarus said:


> Could be but it is a different user and no picture indeed. :shrug:
> I will pm 'borrower' and we will see. Thanks for the hint! :thumbsup:



Oh, hi! Sorry to not be here as much as in the past. PM sent.


----------



## LiftdT4R

Hey guys, just wanted to share a new light I got this week as well as some of my older lights for comparison. I recently picked up a 1981 Blue 2D. It is serial number ~201,000 so it is pretty early in the run and it is almost brand new. The blue is the standard blue on the 1980 - 1991 lights. I've shown it below from left to right with a 4D Midnight Blue, a later 2D Standard Blue, my new 1981 2D Standard Blue, a 1979 Blue Test Color, and a 1982 Silver 3C.






The 1979 Test Color Blue is a very early 2D light where Mag was trying out different finishes for R&D purposes. Unlike today these lights were sold off retail after the testing was done. The blue is very light compared to later lights and it has the large switch cover, Paten Pending barrel, and low focus grip. Even my 1981 2D is noticeably lighter than Mag's current standard blue. It's more of a royal blue, it matches the Vari-Beams, and I like it much better.

Also, I completed my writeup on my LED drop ins finally. They're drop ins I've put together myself that allow for 3 modes and different LEDs and tints to be used because I wanted a 3 mode warm drop in for restorations and nothing was available. I may post it on CPF too but for right now it's on my blog at: http://maglitehistory.blogspot.com/2019/01/ultimate-maglite-restomod.html


----------



## LiftdT4R

From time to time I'll buy a new Incan Maglite on Amazon either for a project or to get a finish / size I've never had before. A couple weeks back a fellow overseas contacted me about making him a "New 7D" light. This is easy enough to do in an incandescent model. Just buy a 5D, add a 2D extender and drop in the correct PR-20 bulbs. Adventure Sport makes and awesome 2D Extension! They are reasonably priced and the fit and finish is perfect. So I picked one up and ordered a brand new 5D Incan off of Amazon. Two things immediately jumped out at me:

1. Maglite changed the logo on their Incan offerings. They've used the same Mag-Lite logo since 1992. Now the letters are much wider and match the rest of their lights. I'm assuming it's to make their branding easier to identify. They've also dropped the dash between Mag and Lite. I ordered a handful on discontinued colors in 2017 and the bezel was the same then so I'm going to say this change must have occurred in 2018. Shown below from left to right are the 1996 - 2017 bezel, new 2018 bezel, and an old 1979 - 1986 bezel.






2. The serial number on this 5D is very low! It's only # 2,675,133. Most other Maglites surpassed that around 1990 or earlier. Even current production 6Ds are 6,000,000+. I never realized how slow of a seller the 5Ds are. Come to think of it the only new style 5Ds I own were bought to convert to 7Ds and I've never come across a used one so I guess they are very unpopular.

Anyway, here's a few shots of the "New 7D" I put together with the Adventure Sport 2D extension.











And here it is with my old 6D that I've had new since 2000 and a real 1980 7D.






A number of years back I contacted Mag Instrument about producing a new 7D. It's not that hard really to just cut the tube a little longer. Anyway, I think they wanted a minimum order of like 10,000 pieces. Even at $10 each that's $100,000. Needless to say that is far out of my price range.


----------



## JeryG

In 1981, living in Brooklyn's Cobble Hill, I used to take my black labrador retriever out for late night walks. While big, the dog was an absolute zero when it came to personal defense. And so, I went to a police supply store in lower Manhattan to buy a mag-lite. I remember it was in what was probably an old police station, but the name is lost to history. There I bought a Black 7 C Cell Maglite. The thing was like a billy club! Used it constantly until we moved to suburban NJ in 1985. I remember posing with it on a foggy night in Maine, the beam shooting to the sky like a light saber!

It's been in my night stand for years. Today, I took it out, and it still works like a champ. (Amazing, because the batteries inside had a "Use By Jan 99" date! - More amazing that they never leaked!) I was going to update it to an LED, but really, I don't need a club now, as I rely on something more purpose built for personal protection when walking the dog these days. I went on line, and found that people are really into this! And that features reveal the dates. Who knew? On the bezel, it has "TM" after Maglite. The shaft is "PATENTED" and the serial number is 70006790. It has a "flat" bottom without a spare bulb.

I also have a mini-mag, that I converted to 3LED years ago, with a TM bezel that I got in 84 or 85 (before George Bush's 1000 points of light).

Finally, I have 2 other silver 2D, one with batteries stuck in it (20883380) and another (20883216) but that is marred by my hand engraving my name and email address on it, since I was a volunteer EMT and frequently left things at the scene when transporting a patient. It was returned to me by the police more time than Id like to remember. I bought these for $10 each at Fortunoff's in Westbury Long Island (NY) before 1991, when I think they closed.

I don't want to be accused of price fishing. So the question I have, particularly for the 7C is; "what site do collectors watch for these, and is ebay auction the best way to make sure I get the most reasonable/appropriate price?"








Jery


----------



## Monocrom

Ah! You guys are a terrible influence. Okay, got a 6C-cell Maglite headed my way from Hong Kong. I can wait. Okay, not really. But not much of a choice. And in case anyone is wondering, yes; I will be removing it from the horribly yellowed blister pack and using it. Hope you guys don't hate me, but I did take the time to order an LED 300 lumens bulb for it, along with a glass lens. Though not sure if I'll be "upgrading" it once it arrives. _Most likely...._ going to keep it stock. I just *really* like having different options close at hand, just in case. 

P.S. ~ My wallet hates you all.


----------



## LiftdT4R

Awesome, be sure to post some pics when she arrives!! No hate from me on removing it. These lights were meant to be used. Some of my most treasured lights aren't the rare NIB ones I have but the beat up lights that came with awesome stories and countless hours of use.

You may want to try an MOP reflector from KAI Domain too. That's hands down my favorite mod. makes a nice even floody beam that still retains some punch for throw.. Even with a cheap LED it makes it into a totally different light.

Are you going with the Malkoff drop in?


----------



## Monocrom

LiftdT4R said:


> Awesome, be sure to post some pics when she arrives!! No hate from me on removing it. These lights were meant to be used. Some of my most treasured lights aren't the rare NIB ones I have but the beat up lights that came with awesome stories and countless hours of use.
> 
> You may want to try an MOP reflector from KAI Domain too. That's hands down my favorite mod. makes a nice even floody beam that still retains some punch for throw.. Even with a cheap LED it makes it into a totally different light.
> 
> Are you going with the Malkoff drop in?



Possibly in the distant future. For now just an inexpensive LED drop-in. I doubt it's the stated 300 lumens, but did get a good deal on it. My Smartphone has been acting up. But will do my best to post a decent pic., after the light arrives.


----------



## bykfixer

Eh, the blister pack may crumble anyway. I found some nip Streamlight (incan) Keymates in yellow'd plastic and it was like handling paper mache'. Too much clamp in any area ended up with a hole in that part of the package. 

No harm in removing a Maglite light from the original packaging.


----------



## Monocrom

Crumble it did, indeed! But only after the seller clearly opened it with a knife. The sharp pieces of plastic putting shallow scratches into the lens that don't buff out. Not happy! Okay, bought some Malkoff accessories to transform it into something I can use nowadays. On the outside it'll still look stock. Guess that decision of upgrade or preserve as is, was made for me.


----------



## menowantsmellyfish

I like Maglites, I sold the compacts in my retail store in the mid 1980s to early 90s after we dropped the Teknas. I know most of this thread are the big boys, but wanted to add a couple of promotional Maglites of the smaller kind because I am sure that nobody had seen them. One gold 2 AAA, a promotion Kodak films had that if you bought a certain amount of film you get a free commemorative Maglite by mail for the 1988 Olympics games in which they were a sponsor. Since I sold Kodak film, it was quite easy to get. Sadly, I had left batteries in it for years and of course they leaked luckily I was able to remove them but had damaged the bezel front in the process. Besides those dents it looks pretty good. The other is a Solitaire, from about the same time with a promotion from Camel cigs. Yes I smoked  back then. It's in excellent condition. Not pictured I have a sealed NASCAR rainbow 3 D. I actually bought it to use around 2001, but luckily never opened it. If I recall it was about $20.00. Looking at these incan models, the light output is so sad. It's like a blob of annoying yellow rings. When I got my first LED Maglite I was blown away.


----------



## Toohotruk

I have one of the Camel Solitaires...maybe two, can't remember.


----------



## menowantsmellyfish

Toohotruk said:


> I have one of the Camel Solitaires...maybe two, can't remember.


Yeah, they are pretty common since if i recall you got one with the purchase of two packs of cigarettes. Back then it was about a dollar a pack, so two dollars got you two packs and a little Maglite. A good deal.


----------



## LeanBurn

I remember finding a Camel solitaire outside or something when I in my teens. I scraped off the anodizing so that it was silver because I was not a smoker and didn't want that association. For some reason I remember I had a tough time finding AAA back then we didn't have many things that ran off one around. Once I found a AAA cell I fired it up, looked at the pathetic output, laughed to myself and took the battery out and chucked it.


----------



## menowantsmellyfish

LeanBurn said:


> I remember finding a Camel solitaire outside or something when I in my teens. I scraped off the anodizing so that it was silver because I was not a smoker and didn't want that association. For some reason I remember I had a tough time finding AAA back then we didn't have many things that ran off one around. Once I found a AAA cell I fired it up, looked at the pathetic output, laughed to myself and took the battery out and chucked it.



But back then, before the days of LED there were really not any better brighter lights of that key chain size. I carry a tiny Energizer LED on my key ring that takes 4 tiny button cells. It's 15x brighter than any little light back then and cost about $9.00.


----------



## LeanBurn

Oh I hear you, but it was so far beneath the Rayovac Workhorse 2D I owned (which was my first light) it didn't get any consideration....I was a teen so impulse pitched the solitaire.


----------



## LiftdT4R

Very nice lights guys!

I got in this beaut the other day for restoration. It came in pretty rough:











But I got her all fixed up and lit!











It's a 1980 2D Vari-Beam, serial number ~54,000. You can tell due to the "Paten Pending" stamp on the barrel along with the low serial number. It had the original switch with the bare copper contacts but due to battery leakage it was pretty well corroded. It left with a later style plastic retaining ring switch because the owner plans to use the light. Most times I am able to restore the old switches and keep these lights original but that wasn't desired in this case. There would have been a lot more labor and I would have still had to purchase a new switch to replace the broken post. Luckily the retaining ring wasn;t stuck ans they take a considerable amount of effort to remove I also soaked the light in vinegar and removed a ton of corrosion inside. 

Lesson: always store your lights without batteries and always use new, high quality batteries from the same lot if you're using alkalines! Hope ya enjoyed.


----------



## Icarus

Icarus said:


>



My Red Maglite 2C was manufactured in March 1990.


----------



## Icarus

LiftdT4R said:


> I got in this beaut the other day for restoration. It came in pretty rough:



But it turned out looking really good after restoration! :thumbsup:


----------



## Frijid

I love maglites but never knew that there was a call for rare ones. I just saw on eBay a guy selling a supposed prototype solitare, before they were called solitares. Said it was known as "marques" or something like that. Things beat up and used and he wants 500 for it lol


----------



## LiftdT4R

It's not technically a prototype but they are extremely rare. They were produced for only 1 month in 1988 before the name was changed to Solitaire. I did a post on my blog about probably more than you'd ever want to know: http://maglitehistory.blogspot.com/2017/06/1988-marquis-and-solitaire.html

That one's been kicking around on ebay for a while. They are one of the rarest Maglites but collectors are looking for the large lights like 7Cs and 7Ds because they display much better and are just perceived as cooler. The mods don't like discussion about price here but I will say I've never seen one sell for much over $50. Collectors just don't pay the high prices that the bigger lights fetch. I've gotten quite a few inquiries on my blogs about buying the full size lights but never once on a Solitaire and only a couple on Mini Mags. Here's my pair of Marquis:






They also came in silver and are ever rarer in that finish! I don't have one but would love to someday.


----------



## LiftdT4R

Icarus said:


> My Red Maglite 2C was manufactured in March 1990.



Man I am digging that red C cell! It's the only one I've ever seen. Not sure why but the red ones are tougher to find than Lime Green, Std. Green, Purple, Blue, just about any other finish.


----------



## Frijid

Thanks for the link, ill read it here in a few and browse through the other articles. I love maglites, even though I've talked bad about them here recently with a few that gave me problems. But there's something "holy grail" about holding a D maglite that's good for the flashaholic soul lol


----------



## Icarus

LiftdT4R said:


> Man I am digging that red C cell! It's the only one I've ever seen. Not sure why but the red ones are tougher to find than Lime Green, Std. Green, Purple, Blue, just about any other finish.



Me too, I had never seen one before. Even no photo on the internet except for the advertisement picture of mounting clamps holding a Red 2C. 
If you want you can use my pictures for your blog.


----------



## LiftdT4R

Frijid said:


> Thanks for the link, ill read it here in a few and browse through the other articles. I love maglites, even though I've talked bad about them here recently with a few that gave me problems. But there's something "holy grail" about holding a D maglite that's good for the flashaholic soul lol



Lol, I can find a flaw in just about any light, Maglites included! I still use them every day but Mag lagged for so long in LED technology and even to this day I wish they would improve their tints and switch to an orange peel reflector. Their reflector and focusing system is awful and makes for a ton of artifacts in the beam. If you even take a stock incan and throw a glass lens and orange peel reflector in it ti's a leaps and bounds improvement!

I mainly carry a Malkoff MD1 with high/low ring and an M61N now and even that light I have some gripes about. Lol, I think the only way I'd be able to get a perfect light would be to build one from scratch or commission one!


----------



## din107

My Pre-C Mag collection. (7C is enough  )










https://imgur.com/0cHGpJ6


----------



## Icarus

Nice collection! :thumbsup: 7C is not easy to find, especially not in the same condition as your other C's.


----------



## Chauncey Gardiner

din107 said:


> My Pre-C Mag collection. (7C is enough  )
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> https://imgur.com/0cHGpJ6



SWEET collection!


----------



## LiftdT4R

Awesome!! I've always had a soft spot for the 5Cs. I've actually found them harder to find than the 7Cs. About the same number were made and I don't think many people know how rare they are so they almost never come up for sale. I used one for about 4 months in my truck. I liked it! I just wish there were more LED options for them.


----------



## Guitar Guy

Hey all. I haven't been on here for a while, but GREAT score on the red 2C. Love it. The red 2C and the 2C Vari-Beam are my "grail" lights. Maybe someday. Congrats!

JT


----------



## LiftdT4R

Been a while but I think I may have run across something new and exciting. Has anyone seen a hard anodized Mag? I have a contact that supposedly has 2 original 3Ds circa 2008 that are hard anodized by Mag, not custom. I'm thinking they were a special order for a store or something similar.

Also, I recently acquired one of my grail lights! An AA Mini Mag Vari-Beam. I've been chasing this one for a while.







I only have a few lights left I'm really after, namely an original Surefire 6 and a Kel-Lite Baton Light.


----------



## Chauncey Gardiner

:twothumbs Congrats on finding the Vari-Beam! :twothumbs I've been searching the internet for an orange Preon P2 for a couple of years. :candle: I know what it's like to want.


----------



## LiftdT4R

Chauncey Gardiner said:


> :twothumbs Congrats on finding the Vari-Beam! :twothumbs I've been searching the internet for an orange Preon P2 for a couple of years. :candle: I know what it's like to want.



Thanks! Ohh my gosh I know! At least none of these lights are too too expensive though. Sometimes even if you're trying to offer a high price to pick something up it can't be gotten. Just good old fashioned keyboard time is the only way.

One of my secrets is to save the ebay search to my favorites so I get a daily e-mail when something pops up. For instance you can search Orange Preon or even Preon P2 and then filter by used if you want. Then save the search so every day you'll get e-mail alerts for what you're looking for with the filters applied.

BTW, Being There was on TV last weekend. Haven't seen it in so long, great movie, wish someone would do a remake.


----------



## VladSumy

willrx said:


> I'll start with a 3D Mag made in March 1981. Notice *"PATEN PENDING"* stamped on the barrel.



What a great collection! Amazing pics!


----------



## Crumbly

Haven’t been on in a while, love that restoration on the 2D Vari-Beam LiftdT4R and the aa Vari-Beam is Great, even photos are rare. Nice you finally got one. The Pre Letter C cells are a nice collection too din107. I recently picked up some new old stock 3D cells.



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[/URL][/IMG]
A lime green, orange, jade and blue


----------



## LiftdT4R

Wow, very very cool!!! If you dont mind me asking where did you find them? That's one heck of a treasure trove of very rare lights! The lime green and orange Mags almost never come up for sale never mind NIB.

Also, meant to ask you because I think you're from Australia, have you ever heard of a hard anodized (matte black) finish? It's code GX and was supposedly made for Big W in Australia. I have a collector who I'm dealing with now and he has 2 3Ds circa 2009.


----------



## Crumbly

Yes I have seen a couple on eBay there is also a minimag version I don’t know if it is hard anodised but definitely looks matte black like the new ML300LX. Big W is large chain, department store so it’s definitely possible.


----------



## Crumbly

4D panther lights


----------



## bykfixer

Oh, do tell about those blue ones…… please.


----------



## LiftdT4R

+1 Any color codes you could share would be awesome too. I saw the 3D ones and they match the info I have. I'd be curious to see the 4D ones too. Is the one second from the left Grey?


----------



## Crumbly

The Blue Maglites are all the same colour code S4D116 but the far left is ‘03 middle is ‘04 and the one next to copper is ‘17 the two on the right are a lot darker the far left is darker again. I guess a lot of people would call them midnight blue. Not a lot of different colours in 4D maglites but these 3 blues all seem to be a bit different maybe different anodising companies, or maybe just different batches. It is hard to see the difference in the photo the copper seemed to help bring the colour out a bit.


----------



## Crumbly

Yes it is grey but darker than normal grey 2D next to it. There is a minimag in this colour called pewter.


----------



## Crumbly

All 3 Jade maglites that I have still in package have the same T at the start of their code which I think must be Target. The other one in this shot is Blue Shimmer These are hard to find because not many people realise it is a different blue to the standard blue. This one I managed to zoom in and read on the sellers pic the blue shimmer. A lot of people mix it up with ice blue which is lighter and I have only seen on minimags. It is ‘04 and the jade is ‘02 the 3D and 4D jade are both ‘99




Sorry if it’s hard to read codes my images start out crystal clear but once they are resized cropped uploaded to photobucket they seem to get more blurry.
On a side note I have never found a 3D in blue shimmer.


----------



## LiftdT4R

Very cool, thanks for sharing!! Especially the Shimmer Blue and color code. I have a single Shimmer Blue 2D and I've always wondered about it. The Midnight Blue I've always wondered about too. I have seen the color code on Mini Mags but never on full size lights. I'm in the same boat. I have several very dark blue 4Ds and 3Ds I assumed were Midnight Blue because they were darker. Other collectors have told me they are as well. I have a pic below of what I think are the 3 blues but again I've never confirmed Midnight Blue.






Crumbly, I think you have a very dark purple/blue and I'm thinking that may be Midnight Blue if it exists and the others are just variations in the anodizing process. One day I hope to see a package to confirm. Its the only special order finish I haven;t seen in the package.


----------



## Crumbly

The minimag in that colour and also in the nascar signature 3D maglites is called Midnight Blue, just not the regular D cell maglites, the colour is identical though. The 2D maglite I shared earlier in this thread is a lot darker than everything else that’s called Midnight Blue. They are all a beautiful colour and definitely not standard blue we get nowadays, even if the code is the same.


----------



## LiftdT4R

Awesome, yeah, Mag is very inconsistent in their labeling. I have a lighter version of copper that is NIB that is labeled Pewter. I am all but sold thought that grey though is actually supposed to be Pewter. Pewter is real life looks nothing like copper.

Here's one of the photos another collector shared with me of the back of the package of the Hard Anodized. I should have these any day now. I bought 2 but they are no longer NIB and I wasn't able to snag the Mini Mags but one is brand new no box and one is lightly used. I should have them any day. FYI these were sold as an AA Mini Mag and 3D Combo pack at Big W hence the odd product code. I think X is the combo pack code and I think the 17 might be the finish code. The finish is labeled as AST. I'm guessing maybe Anodized Stealth or something to that effect. Any other guesses? The G I think either means it came with the mounting clips and batteries or designates what store it was for.






Here is a label from the standard black, 01, 3D AA Combo Pack.


----------



## LiftdT4R

Just an FYI I do have an excerpt from a recent Spanish Distributor Catalog that lists Midnight Blue as well as some other special order finishes. I'm curious to see if these are still available in other countries but more than likely it's just a carryover from an old catalog that never got changed. FD is in fact the color code for Midnight Blue on the larger lights and there was at least a 3D Midnight Blue. Lime Green is still listed as well.






Any members here in Italy? I found a store that still claims to have them in stock in Lime Green and Midnight Blue. I can't do the order but I'd be willing to kick a couple bucks if someone can order them for me. Thanks!!!


----------



## bykfixer

I was illuding to the Red Cross on the packaging of the blue ones. 

Postimg also seems to blur images. I downsize to 800 and they look ok, but once posted from a host they seem to be a lot more fuzzy.

And any new Maglites I purchase indicate they are black regardless of the color of the body. That is if it even mentions color. A green minimag (332 lumens) says black and a red ML25 (193 lumens) has no mention of color anywhere on the package.


----------



## LiftdT4R

It's always exciting to run across something I've never seen before!! I was finally able to snag a couple Matte (Stealth) Black 3D Maglites. These are a special order finish I hadnt seen or heard of until a month ago. The finish and color code is exactly the same as the ML300LXs that are out and I believe these were done around 2009 either as a test run for the ML300LXs or at the same time to try to bring some new sales to the incan line. As far as I can tell they mostly went to Big W stores in Australia. I've never seen or heard of any stateside. They are ~47,000,000 serials and do not have any patent stamping on them so it puts them between 2009 and 2017 at the latest.







Another collector also sent me the Maglite Security Officer patch which I believe goes well with the whole stealth motif of the lights. I dont know if these patches were sold or given away but it will look cool with the rest of my collection until I figure out some more details.

Here are the Matte (Stealth) lights compared to a 2D and 3D standard Black gloss finish. The difference is hard to tell unless you're holding them side by side or have them in just the right light. I'm sure that makes finding these on ebay a difficult task.






I am pretty sure I now have a complete collection of the special order finishes. I am missing a few lights in the finishes. I dont have a 3D Lime Green or a 2D Jade but I am pretty happy. If anyone knows of any finishes I might be missing I'd love to hear about them because this one took me by surprise so maybe there's more out there.






I have a few more posts I need to do too with some additional awesome lights I've run across. They are lights you guys have probably seen before but with a new twist! Thanks and hope ya enjoyed!


----------



## Grijon

Love the photos and info, guys, thanks for sharing :twothumbs


----------



## Guitar Guy

Great lights folks, and great shots of the colors. I like those matte ones, Lifted ... and that's a good shot of the 3 different blue colors, the same ones I've run across. I've had a hard time getting the right lighting to get my camera to accurately depict the more common blue (center in your pic) compared to the darker Midnight blue, and the more pale blue on the left. If I put the purple one in with them, the camera really freaks out.

I ran onto a Silver pre letter 2C to add to my other colors. It's just a little brighter than the grey one. Will try to get some good pics outside. Would love to get all colors of the 2C.

Anyone know, are the silver lights bare aluminum, as in non anodized?


----------



## kj2

Those stealth black ones, look so darn good!


----------



## LiftdT4R

Thanks!!

Funny you should mention a bare aluminum light! I do have one although I am fairly certain Mag did not make one. The Silver lights are actually anodized clear over polished aluminum. In the past when modding Mags was big deal most of the modders would take the Silver lights and strip off the clear anodizing since it came off much easier than the dyes. They would then re-anodize the lights all different colors. I purchased a large lot of Maglites from I believe member lightknot and one of them was stripped of its clear anodizing but never re-anodized so I put it all back together and I use it around the house. Here it is with a standard Silver light.











You can see that the bare aluminum corrodes very quickly and there's a white film all over the surface. No different than bare aluminum car wheels. You can even see on the head how some pitting is starting. I doubt Mag would put out a bare aluminum light because it corrodes so quickly. What is pretty neat is that the laser etching stayed after anodizing was stripped so it almost does look like a Mag product. If re-anodized the laser etching would disappear and that's how you can tell if a color is aftermarket or from Mag.

I also got a couple other cool lights in the lot. I got an orange cerakoted 3D and a 2C Mag that has been machined down to look like a Kel-Lite with black hard anodizing. 






I used to carry around the orange 3D in my Jeep but I modded a digital camo 3D with my new 3 mode drop ins last summer and I've been carrying that instead for offroading.


----------



## LiftdT4R

Guitar Guy said:


> I ran onto a Silver pre letter 2C to add to my other colors. It's just a little brighter than the grey one. Will try to get some good pics outside. Would love to get all colors of the 2C.



Do ya have a Lime Green 2C? I think I have an extra one if you're looking for one. I've been looking for a blue and red 2C forever. Very common colors on the D cells but they almost never show up on the Cs. I do have a dark green 3C which leads me to believe they likely made a dark green in a 2C also. The C cells are so tough to come by I've never been able to put together a good list of the finishes.


----------



## Chauncey Gardiner

kj2 said:


> Those stealth black ones, look so darn good!



I was going to post that the stealth black Mags are so darn sexy, but then I thought you guys would think I'm weird. :laughing:


----------



## LiftdT4R

Chauncey Gardiner said:


> I was going to post that the stealth black Mags are so darn sexy, but then I thought you guys would think I'm weird. :laughing:



I was totally thinking of putting that Maglite Security Officer patch on my jean jacket, holstering one of those Stealth 3Ds, and strutting around like I own every where I walk into.

My wife gave me a firm no when I pitched the idea.......


----------



## Chauncey Gardiner

LiftdT4R said:


> I was totally thinking of putting that Maglite Security Officer patch on my jean jacket, holstering one of those Stealth 3Ds, and strutting around like I own every where I walk into.
> 
> My wife gave me a firm no when I pitched the idea.......



Dude! You should totally do it! I'm sure once your wife sees you in your Maglite Security jean jacket she'll be on board. If not, just tell her - "Relax, little lady. My powers are beyond your comprehension." They love when you tell them to relax.  Let us know how it works out.


----------



## Guitar Guy

@Liftd, Thx, I figured there must be some kind of clear coat, because of how quickly it corrodes and gets dull, like the one in your pic. This is pretty neat though, and unique. I remember removing the clear coat from my Harley fork tubes, side cases, and rocker box covers, so that I could polish them to a mirror finish, but you have to stay after them with polish or they dull out quick.

Also, thanks for the offer on the Lime 2C, but I got that one scratched up on from you a while back, and then we found those nice NIB ones, and I grabbed one of those. I need a red and a gold, and I guess a dark green, now that you mention it.

So I snapped some photos of most of my 2C collection outside earlier since I haven’t contributed much in a while. I think I got a pretty good color representation. First is a shot of the pre letter Silver next to a lettered Grey. The group shots are lights of various ages, and I think have all of the bezel variations. Four I've converted to 300 Lumen LED, which I use for backup in my 2 trucks, and around the house & workbench. The blue is pre letter, the purple is lettered. I also have an unpictured "light" or "pale" purple that's in pieces right now ... it may be faded, not sure. The wrapped one is a knotless wrap of hollowed out 550 paracord.

Notice in the other pics the older flat cap model with the early bezel. It’s one of my favs. I ordered it around the holidays last year, and it went missing for weeks. It finally showed up way late with the box all tore up, but the light was undamaged.

Out of all of them, only one has very slight corrosion of the finish inside. Seems less of an issue with used Cs than Ds.
















A few favorites:





The flat cap 2C is a short 8.5 inches, around ¼” shorter than the Malkoff Hound Dog, and approx.. 3/8” shorter than the spare bulb version of the 2C.





Most of the scratches are on the hand grip, so I may try a paracord wrap on this one for a while. I have a cool new multi blue cord.





The 4 LEDs





Exposure manipulation!!






~JT ...........


----------



## LiftdT4R

Wow, very awesome!! I love the OP reflector / LED combo on the Maglites. Really cleans up the beam and still has tons of spot and flood. I run that same setup on most of my lights. You can actually find warm PR based drop ins and I've really been digging those!

Is that a blue 2C? I couldnt tell if it was purple or blue. I unfortunately dont have a blue 2C.


----------



## Guitar Guy

LiftdT4R said:


> Is that a blue 2C? I couldnt tell if it was purple or blue. I unfortunately dont have a blue 2C.



Yes, in the group shot, the one to the left is purple, the one to the right is a pre letter blue. Looks to be the more common blue that we see. It's the only blue 2C I've ran across.


JT


----------



## nzoomed

Hello everyone, Im new here and have so many questions about maglites, I dont know where to start!

Firstly, About 20 years ago or so, I remember my class mates with these amazing 5C flashlights at a school camp when we were playing a game of spotlight, im pretty sure they were maglite, but dont recall taking any notice of brand, but going by looks, they appeared identical. They were so bright, and looked amazing I wanted one so badly. Looking back, I should have asked what brand they were.

Only question is, were they maglites or maglite clones? Ive never really seen any other anodized torches in the same colours as maglite.

Did maglite ever make 5C in different colours? The ones i saw were blue and the common jade green.

Am interested to know, because if any such maglite exists, I would love to get one and retrofit it with 18650 batteries and an LED upgrade.

All the C size maglites ive ever seen have been in black, with the exception of a few smaller sized ones that are 2 or 3 C on ebay.


----------



## din107

Hi!
Looking for a 7C.
I`ll place thread (B/S/T) for exchacnge 5C to 7C.


----------



## archimedes

din107 said:


> Hi!
> I have 1 extra flashlight 5C (without a letter) (good condition).
> who wants to change my 5C to your 7C?


This is not a commercial (buy / sell / trade) thread.

Expect this post to be removed at some point.


----------



## LiftdT4R

nzoomed said:


> Hello everyone, Im new here and have so many questions about maglites, I dont know where to start!
> 
> Firstly, About 20 years ago or so, I remember my class mates with these amazing 5C flashlights at a school camp when we were playing a game of spotlight, im pretty sure they were maglite, but dont recall taking any notice of brand, but going by looks, they appeared identical. They were so bright, and looked amazing I wanted one so badly. Looking back, I should have asked what brand they were.
> 
> Only question is, were they maglites or maglite clones? Ive never really seen any other anodized torches in the same colours as maglite.
> 
> Did maglite ever make 5C in different colours? The ones i saw were blue and the common jade green.
> 
> Am interested to know, because if any such maglite exists, I would love to get one and retrofit it with 18650 batteries and an LED upgrade.
> 
> All the C size maglites ive ever seen have been in black, with the exception of a few smaller sized ones that are 2 or 3 C on ebay.



Hey, welcome!!! Please ask away!!

I am not aware of Mag making a 5C in any finishes other than black. In fact I've never seen any 4 through 7Cs in colors other than black. It's certainly possible but in my 10 years of collecting I haven't even heard of them.

I can't even imagine what kinds of lights these may have been. C cells never were very popular and I'm not aware of another manufacturer doing any C cell finishes. Maybe Mr. Fixer can chime in though. He knows much more than I do about other manufacturers from this time period.

The 18650 conversions are a lot of fun! They are great to pair up with an Incan or LED setup! Be sure to post pics along the way. We love checking them out.


----------



## bykfixer

Agreed Liftd. I think 4+ were available in any color as long as that any color was black.

The 4C was actually popular at one point. 4 cells meant a full load and a refill from 8 packs of C cells. It's not much bigger than a 3D but made a better dope smoking hippy attitude adjuster. A bit easier to grip. I speculate here, but anti baton rules in police departments probably led to the lack of sales. 






The really big lights were likely more for search and rescue use.


----------



## nzoomed

LiftdT4R said:


> Hey, welcome!!! Please ask away!!
> 
> I am not aware of Mag making a 5C in any finishes other than black. In fact I've never seen any 4 through 7Cs in colors other than black. It's certainly possible but in my 10 years of collecting I haven't even heard of them.
> 
> I can't even imagine what kinds of lights these may have been. C cells never were very popular and I'm not aware of another manufacturer doing any C cell finishes. Maybe Mr. Fixer can chime in though. He knows much more than I do about other manufacturers from this time period.
> 
> The 18650 conversions are a lot of fun! They are great to pair up with an Incan or LED setup! Be sure to post pics along the way. We love checking them out.



Thanks for your reply!

That answers my question then, if it can indeed be confirmed Mag never made coloured C size lights over 3C in size.
Would really love to know what brand of flashlights they were, thinking about it more, i think the reflector was probably a bit larger in diameter than that of a maglite. Other than that, they totally looked identical with the anodizing and knurled diamond pattern on the barrel. Perhaps someone here might know.

Im assuming that black just became the more popular colour? Its a shame most of their lights dont come in the same range of colours they used to. It seems that their larger D size models are now only black and perhaps red?

Speaking of conversions, are many doing this? Are there any kits available to retrofit older incandescent models?
3D printing a sleeve to take the narrower cells would be a piece of cake, a 4C would easily take 3 18650 batteries and a 3C would take 2 18650 but might need to machined down or install a spacer inside.
Its more finding a suitable LED module that allows it to focus and run at a nice brightness such as 1000 lumens, if you wanted more features such as cycling through brightness modes etc then you would need to install more electronics.

Am interested to see what people are doing with their old maglites, am quite tempted to mod mine. I still have an old 2x AA mini that could take some lithium upgrades and an LED also.


----------



## bykfixer

All kinds of companies built Maglite type flashlights in the 70's, before the mighty Maglite.

https://www.candlepowerforums.com/v...e-vintage-California-cop-light-company-thread


----------



## nzoomed

bykfixer said:


> All kinds of companies built Maglite type flashlights in the 70's, before the mighty Maglite.
> 
> https://www.candlepowerforums.com/v...e-vintage-California-cop-light-company-thread



Im sure there probably was, but these were brand new, made in the late 90's. I naturally assumed they were maglite, never bothered to ask at the time, just thought they were amazing lights for the time.


----------



## bykfixer

Brinkmann made some Don Keller lights some may have thought were Maglites. The Legend series came in various colors in C and D sizes and some were 5 cell length. 

There may be some still available at eBay.


----------



## Chauncey Gardiner

bykfixer said:


> Brinkmann made some Don Keller lights some may have thought were Maglites. The Legend series came in various colors in C and D sizes and some were 5 cell length.
> 
> There may be some still available at eBay.



As The Man posted - 







I purchased a pair of these about two years ago. One is still NIP. The other received some Malkoff goodness.


----------



## LiftdT4R

Mmmmm love those Leinies!!

The Legends usually have a good story and picture on the back too about Mr. Keller. Although not as well known he is just as much a part of Maglite history as Tony.


----------



## bykfixer

From the man himself.

Not a rare Maglite, but a light from the man who began using pipe for flashlights that led to the Maglite.
Don reportedly worked for Tony early on and later. It was also reported that Tony made parts at times for Don before Mag Instruments made flashlights.

https://www.candlepowerforums.com/v...-Don-Kellers-last-hurrah-the-Brinkmann-Legend


----------



## Guitar Guy

I just sprung the $$ and ordered the 5000 lumen 6D cell LED upgrade from Adventure Sport, and was wondering if any of you Maglite collectors here have tried it. I know that Matt and his company are on the forum here. I checked out the youtube vid and it looks pretty cool to me. It’s made for 6 D cells, but I’m getting the kit to run it on two 26650 li-ion cells in a 2D Maglite body.

I figure what the heck … I haven’t bought much lately, and my brightest light to date is my Fenix TK47UE at 3200 lumens, so it seems like a logical step for me to move up the lumen ladder to 5K. Not that “lumens” alone are everything, but this seems to have a nice floody beam that looks useful for covering large areas … and a good contrast to my more throwy Malkoff Hound Dog. It looks like it has a nice wide range of programmable modes too, as well as a programmable safety timer for the 5K mode, which I think is great.

I already have all sizes and configurations of good reliable lights for pretty much any situation, so at this point, it’s just for fun anyway, and a smokin’ hot bright Maglite that will fit in your back pocket is right up my alley.

This photo shows all of the 2D Mags I currently own. One of them is about to get “warmed up”, and put back into some mild use. I may put it in one of the pre letter black ones, or the clean dark green one that I got from Liftd for $10 a couple years ago. It looks nearly unused, was made in 1996 and still has the “patented made in usa” on the tube. Will show ya’ll when the parts get here.


----------



## Rasher

Guitar Guy said:


> I just sprung the $$ and ordered the 5000 lumen 6D cell LED upgrade from Adventure Sport, and was wondering if any of you Maglite collectors here have tried it.



Yes. Matt built me a complete setup using it. Makes for a brilliant walking club.


----------



## Chauncey Gardiner

Guitar Guy, 

This is what you can expect. 






This picture's illumination was created by the same set-up you ordered from Matt. I don't think you'll be disappointed. 

Check it out here - #918


----------



## Guitar Guy

Thanks Chaunc ... that's a great pic, and that looks like a wall of light.

JT


----------



## LiftdT4R

That is one of the few Maglite drop ins I havent tried. I have some of Matt's other drop ins though and they are always top notch! I should really pick one of those 5,000 lumens ones up too.

I picked up a couple of brand new never opened lights the other day. a 5C and 6C. Both are from around 1996. I dont plan to open them. I already have a few of these so I'll leave opening them to their future owners. I'll either trade or re-sell them at some point because I got a heck of a deal on them.











Have a great weekend guys!!


----------



## Guitar Guy

Great score, Liftd, on the unopened ones, and good thinking on not opening them. They'll be more valuable unopened in a sale or trade. ... and yes, you better get ya one of those 5K drop-ins, just to have. Mine is en route all the way across the country and I'm itchin to get it and try it. Shipping ground because of the batteries I ordered with it. 5 more days to wait.

@Liftd, I saw an old thread where you were asking about removing anodizing from a Maglite. I was wondering if you ever did it and how it came out. I did a scratched up end cap earlier today and put a mirror shine on it and it came out pretty nice. 

It got me thinking that one of those smooth Mags like a Nascar model would look pretty sweet with a full polish job. It's probably been done before. When I think of the Harley Davidson fork tubes, rocker boxes, and engine covers that I've done, a Maglite doesn't seem like it would be that difficult. Not for lights that get banged around with daily use though. Bare aluminum does scratch easily and requires follow up polishing.


----------



## LiftdT4R

Awesome, gotta share some pics of that beaut when ya get her!!

I unfortunately didn’t have any luck removing anodizing. How did ya go about it? I tried aircraft stripper with no luck. I have a Vari-Beam that's missing an end cap and I have several old school black ones. I was hoping to remove the anodizing so it matches because it’s impossible to find the old style silver replacement ones.

That sounds like a cool idea on a smooth Mag. The rainbow NASCAR ones aren’t too tough to find so it should be a nice project. The only thing though is it should be at least clear coated after polishing otherwise it will tarnish pretty easily.


----------



## LiftdT4R

mods please remove


----------



## Guitar Guy

LiftdT4R said:


> Awesome, gotta share some pics of that beaut when ya get her!!
> 
> I unfortunately didn’t have any luck removing anodizing. How did ya go about it? I tried aircraft stripper with no luck. I have a Vari-Beam that's missing an end cap and I have several old school black ones. I was hoping to remove the anodizing so it matches because it’s impossible to find the old style silver replacement ones.
> 
> That sounds like a cool idea on a smooth Mag. The rainbow NASCAR ones aren’t too tough to find so it should be a nice project. The only thing though is it should be at least clear coated after polishing otherwise it will tarnish pretty easily.



@Liftd:

Well I was gonna wait until I got better pics when the new LED arrives, but here are a few quick ones since we’re talking about those end caps. This is the 2D that I’m going to put the 5K drop-in into. I’m not usually big on switching parts / colors around, but I did this once before with a silver head & cap on a black Mag, and liked it. Unfortunately, it got stolen from my truck.

I guess it’s my take on the Vari-Beam, and since it’s going to be modified anyway, I figured I’d do something different with the appearance. I had the spare silver parts, but the end cap was a little brighter silver and scratched up, so I masked off the finger grooves, sanded out the scratches, and put a mirror finish on it. I like the way it came out, but if it was anything other than silver, I don’t know about getting ano out of the grooves. I’ve used marine stripper on the Harley clear coat with great results, but they’re not “anodized”.

I googled an old thread about someone who dipped some lights in Drano and removed some ano, and used a stiff plastic brush to get it out of the grooves. It all came off well, but it wasn’t a Maglite, so who knows? 

If you need a replacement for a Vari, you may be best to get a cap from a silver light and do what I did. I’m not going to clear coat it though, just hit it with a little polish once in a while, like ya gotta do with the Harley parts. Something that’s not out in the weather shouldn’t corrode quickly, just gradually get dull if you don’t polish it.







The grooves have dark shadows in them in these closeups, but they look more silver in person, more like the above pic.






There's a sharp corner bevel on the Maglite end caps that I sanded smooth to get the mirror finish ... also, the head is in pretty good shape, so I'm leaving the clear ano on it for protection. I think it would be harder to keep shiny for a light that I'm going to use some.


----------



## Guitar Guy

Wow. I like the old police light. We were posting practically at the same time.


----------



## bykfixer

Mothers mag wheel polish helps keep out the tarnish for months at a time while bringing out a major shine if you want. No need to clear coat, just a good polish and buff then buff as needed later.

I did an ML25 to a nice mirror finish at the head and it stayed that way over a year. Buffed it back to a nice shine with my tshirt a couple of times.


----------



## Guitar Guy

bykfixer said:


> Mothers mag wheel polish helps keep out the tarnish for months at a time while bringing out a major shine if you want. No need to clear coat, just a good polish and buff then buff as needed later.
> 
> I did an ML25 to a nice mirror finish at the head and it stayed that way over a year. Buffed it back to a nice shine with my tshirt a couple of times.




Yep, I usually use Mothers, but my jar wasn't here at the house so I used Flitz on the end cap I posted yesterday. Seems to work about the same. If you have it sanded smooth, it shines up pretty quick.


----------



## bykfixer

Flitz is better if you don't mind the aroma. Lasts longer than Mothers in my experience on alluminum motor parts.


----------



## Bullzeyebill

How would Renaissance Wax work?

Bill


----------



## Guitar Guy

Bullzeyebill said:


> How would Renaissance Wax work?
> 
> Bill



I have Ren Wax and do use it on some things, particularly wood. It would probably work well as a final protectant on the aluminum after it's shined, but you would still need the Mother's, Flitz, Brasso, etc. to get the ultra shine to begin with. After you remove the clear coat or if you sand aluminum, something in the Flitz / Mother's that causes a chemical reaction. They all turn black as you polish or hand rub, and smell bad if you get it all over your hands, but leave the mirror finish.

The Ren Wax reminds me more of something between Johnson's Paste Wax and shoe polish. It's way more mild than metal polish, and can even be used on paper documents. It actually smells a lot like the paste shoe polish in a can, but it is great stuff. 

I like pure Carnauba paste wax too on hard finished items like Maglites, musical instruments, and auto paint. Hard to beat Mother's California Gold.


----------



## bykfixer

Paste wax:  hadn't thought of that.


----------



## LiftdT4R

Guitar Guy said:


> @Liftd:
> 
> Well I was gonna wait until I got better pics when the new LED arrives, but here are a few quick ones since we’re talking about those end caps. This is the 2D that I’m going to put the 5K drop-in into. I’m not usually big on switching parts / colors around, but I did this once before with a silver head & cap on a black Mag, and liked it. Unfortunately, it got stolen from my truck.
> 
> I guess it’s my take on the Vari-Beam, and since it’s going to be modified anyway, I figured I’d do something different with the appearance. I had the spare silver parts, but the end cap was a little brighter silver and scratched up, so I masked off the finger grooves, sanded out the scratches, and put a mirror finish on it. I like the way it came out, but if it was anything other than silver, I don’t know about getting ano out of the grooves. I’ve used marine stripper on the Harley clear coat with great results, but they’re not “anodized”.
> 
> I googled an old thread about someone who dipped some lights in Drano and removed some ano, and used a stiff plastic brush to get it out of the grooves. It all came off well, but it wasn’t a Maglite, so who knows?
> 
> If you need a replacement for a Vari, you may be best to get a cap from a silver light and do what I did. I’m not going to clear coat it though, just hit it with a little polish once in a while, like ya gotta do with the Harley parts. Something that’s not out in the weather shouldn’t corrode quickly, just gradually get dull if you don’t polish it.
> 
> The grooves have dark shadows in them in these closeups, but they look more silver in person, more like the above pic.
> 
> There's a sharp corner bevel on the Maglite end caps that I sanded smooth to get the mirror finish ... also, the head is in pretty good shape, so I'm leaving the clear ano on it for protection. I think it would be harder to keep shiny for a light that I'm going to use some.




Very cool, love the green/silver look. It almost looks like a green Vari-Beam. Sorry to hear about your light being stolen too. I have a couple Mags mounted in my Jeep and I go no doors in the summer. No one's grabbed them in the last 2 years but I just know there's someone out there that thinks they need them more than me.

So you guys are pretty much just sanding/polishing off the ano from what I gather? Makes sense because the aluminum actually has its pores open (if you cant tell I'm not a chemist) during anodzing so the anodizing is actually in the top layer of aluminum.

I'll have to try an end cap for my Vari-Beam that's missing one. I cant use a new silver end cap because the old lights were larger.


----------



## Guitar Guy

LiftdT4R said:


> So you guys are pretty much just sanding/polishing off the ano from what I gather? Makes sense because the aluminum actually has its pores open (if you cant tell I'm not a chemist) during anodzing so the anodizing is actually in the top layer of aluminum.
> 
> I'll have to try an end cap for my Vari-Beam that's missing one. I cant use a new silver end cap because the old lights were larger.



Dang, I forgot about the Vari being the larger pre letter size. Did they even make the early Maglites in silver? I have a red one. Would be hard to find I'm sure. You may have to try the Drano on a black one. I think it will work, but I read that you can't leave it in too long or it will eat too far into the aluminum. If you can get the black out of the grooves, you could put a shotgun cleaning mop on a rod into a drill and polish it with the alum. polish.

For sanding: 220 if there are big scratches, if not, 400, 800, 1000, 1500, 2000, Flitz polish, is how I did that one above.

Also, the new 5000 Lumen drop in arrived earlier, 2 days ahead of schedule. That thing ROCKS! I was afraid it may be to much flood, since I'm used to a "hot spot", but nah, who needs a hot spot when EVERYTHING is lit up? Comparing it to my 3200 Lumen Fenix TK47-UE, and 1000 Lumen Malkoff Hound Dog, I'd say it is properly rated at or near 5K. I'm hoping to get some beam shots and do a comparison of those three.

However, if anyone gets that dropin, beware of this oddity that I did not see mentioned anywhere. I did a stupid thing being in a hurry and not paying attention. The drop in bottoms out on the switch before the head bottoms out on the tube. Expecting to hit the end of the threads, I tightened it too much, and the rubber popped out of the switch button. Apparently the ground screw may have been a little loose, and the switch moved, maybe a little less than 1/8 inch. I caught it pretty quick, but I think I cheesed up my ground screw or broke it off because it won't tighten now. It still works, but I put the new emitter in a cleaner red 2D with the silver parts for now, until I take the green one apart to check the switch, and see if I can get a new screw to tighten.

Other than that glitch, it seems well worth it, and perfect for Maglite lovers. Great variety of programmable settings groups, and a step down timer for the ultra high mode in case you leave it on high and forget. It DOES get hot, but it's still a wall of light even on the 25 & 40% settings. Seems well worth the cost. I have $142 (LED, spring, plastic tube kit) + $7 (lens,auction site) + $10 (used Maglite) = $159 for a 5000 Lumen light in a dependable durable host. I'm happy. Two thumbs up to Matt and Adventure Sport.

JT


----------



## Chauncey Gardiner

LiftdT4R said:


> That is one of the few Maglite drop ins I havent tried. I have some of Matt's other drop ins though and they are always top notch! I should really pick one of those *5,000 lumens ones *up too.



Hi Lifted, 

PM sent. There's one for sale in the MarketPlace.


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## Bullzeyebill

Just thinking, how how woud this mod work in a Mag with major resistance fixes?

Bill


----------



## Guitar Guy

I had asked Matt, and he said it was not necessary to modify the switch, etc. to lower the resistance for this emitter. Of course it would make it run more efficiently, but I don't know that it would be noticeable to the human eye.

Here is the unit after installation. I have it set up to run Moonlight - 1% -5% - 15% - 40% - 100%. For normal needs, 1%, 5%, and 15% is all you really need.


----------



## Chauncey Gardiner

I'm really diggin the two-tone. Very nice! :thumbsup:


----------



## LiftdT4R

Chauncey Gardiner said:


> Hi Lifted,
> 
> PM sent. There's one for sale in the MarketPlace.



Thanks Chaunce, just saw that! Very tempting!

Awesome light Guitar Guy! The modes are great. I just dont know how I got by without modes for so long. I made my own drop in using Adventure Sorts aluminum LED heat sink and their driver with a Cree Warm LED. I find the 10%, 100% mode group on a 100 lumen warm LED perfect for me.

EDIT: Just saw it uses the Dr. Jones driver. Very good direct driver. I use a similar one for my restomods.

Are you using 2 x 26650? If so did you chop the spring or recess it into the end cap?


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## Guitar Guy

LiftdT4R said:


> Are you using 2 x 26650? If so did you chop the spring or recess it into the end cap?



Yes, I got the Keep Power 5200mAh 26650 cells, and the kit that Matt sells to go with the drop-in. It's hard to beat ... comes with the pre cut PVC pipe with rubber o-rings (and slots cut for them), a small spring that fits nicely into the floor of the tail cap, and 2 magnets for the cells so that you don't have to modify the Maglite switch contact. It was only $13 more for the kit. All I had to do was get another lens and sand the anodizing off of the cap, which I got done while I was waiting for the parts to arrive.

It's a pretty fun setup to fool around with, and the different settings groups are interesting. A different group can be quickly programmed in for different applications.


----------



## Grijon

Been perusing LiftdT4R's website, really enjoying it.

Here's a link for those who missed it: a restomod Maglite in the same spirit as putting Malkoff MW modules in classic Surefires 

http://maglitehistory.blogspot.com/2019/01/ultimate-maglite-restomod.html


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## LiftdT4R

Guitar Guy said:


> Yes, I got the Keep Power 5200mAh 26650 cells, and the kit that Matt sells to go with the drop-in. It's hard to beat ... comes with the pre cut PVC pipe with rubber o-rings (and slots cut for them), a small spring that fits nicely into the floor of the tail cap, and 2 magnets for the cells so that you don't have to modify the Maglite switch contact. It was only $13 more for the kit. All I had to do was get another lens and sand the anodizing off of the cap, which I got done while I was waiting for the parts to arrive.
> 
> It's a pretty fun setup to fool around with, and the different settings groups are interesting. A different group can be quickly programmed in for different applications.



Awesome! Interesting on the spring. The last one I did I actually turned down the lip that the spring usually sits on to recess the stock spring into the end cap. Did you grind off the anodizing? I did on mine and it was a big pain!



Grijon said:


> Been perusing LiftdT4R's website, really enjoying it.
> 
> Here's a link for those who missed it: a restomod Maglite in the same spirit as putting Malkoff MW modules in classic Surefires
> 
> http://maglitehistory.blogspot.com/2019/01/ultimate-maglite-restomod.html



Thanks! In all fairness Malkoff makes a really nice drop in for Maglites too. I know there's not as big a market for the Maglites as there is for Surefire and Surefire type hosts but I do think someone should make some drop ins in different tints with different modes. I asked Gene a bunch and even promised a minimum order but no luck... I don't really want to be that guy because I'm way too busy with work and all but I really really wanted one so I didn't have much of a choice. Matt's heat sink is awesome! I tried to get him to make a C cell heat sink too. I'm also looking for someone to duplicate a Surefire 6C. I may just end up buying a lathe if I can find some free time because I just can't find anyone to do custom flashlight stuff.


----------



## Guitar Guy

LiftdT4R said:


> Awesome! Interesting on the spring. Did you grind off the anodizing? I did on mine and it was a big pain!



I just used a small piece of sandpaper, 220 grit I think, and sanded the ano off in the base of the cap where the spring sits down in, and then checked it with a volt meter to make sure I had good electrical contact. It really only took a few minutes.

Matt has a video on his website that shows him removing the ano with a wire brush attachment and a drill.


----------



## Guitar Guy

Where have all the Maglite guys been? Everyone on vacation at the beach?

Well this isn't rare, but I thought I'd show you guys the new stainless steel bezel I just got. It was around $30, and came with a glass lens and an O-ring.

It has a bead blasted finish, but I'm thinking of putting a mirror finish on it like I did on the end cap I posted one page back. It's pretty well made and looks nice on any color of Maglite.

The black one is an aluminum one I got from Gene a while back.


----------



## LiftdT4R

Very cool! A modern day Vari-Beam! A couple of questions for ya. Is that shimmer blue or standard blue? It looks pretty light like Shimmer Blue. Also, is that a glass breaker bezel and have you tried it? I had a Bust-a-Cap tail cap a while back and it actually worked pretty well. I brought it to the local junk yard to try out. I had it on a red 2D LED but I think my brother has it now because I cant seem to find it and I remember lending it to him.

The rumor going back a while is that Maglite tried to buy Bust-a-Cap but could never settle on a price. I guess Bust-a-Cap beat them to the glass breaker/flashlight combo patent.

I have a few new very cool and very rare Mags to show but I've been so busy with work I haven;t gotten too much time to take some pics and do a write up. I'll be on vacation for the next few weekends finally but I'll prob be too lazy then.


----------



## Guitar Guy

LiftdT4R said:


> Very cool! A modern day Vari-Beam! A couple of questions for ya. Is that shimmer blue or standard blue? It looks pretty light like Shimmer Blue. Also, is that a glass breaker bezel and have you tried it? I had a Bust-a-Cap tail cap a while back and it actually worked pretty well. I brought it to the local junk yard to try out. I had it on a red 2D LED but I think my brother has it now because I cant seem to find it and I remember lending it to him.



Yes, that is a Shimmer Blue 2D. I think the seller called it Ice Blue, but I'm sure your name is the correct one. It's definitely way lighter than all of my other blue Mags.

The bezel wasn't really advertised as a glass breaker, but it does have some sharp corners. It would be a skin breaker if you dropped it on your foot. I'd suppose that you could hit a car window with any part of a Maglite and break it, even with a stock bezel. 

I do have one of those end caps you're talking about. I haven't had the opportunity to try it, but also thought of taking it to the junkyard to have some fun.

I have another silver Mag coming in the mail. Thinking of polishing up another end cap, and maybe the head. Then I'm on the hunt for a smooth Nascar tube / Maglite to polish.


----------



## LiftdT4R

Guitar Guy said:


> Yes, that is a Shimmer Blue 2D. I think the seller called it Ice Blue, but I'm sure your name is the correct one. It's definitely way lighter than all of my other blue Mags.



The names for the Mag finishes have been soooo inconsistent. Ice Blue may be right. I think maybe Crumbly posted a package a while back that said BLUE SHMR which is why I'm thinking it's Blue Shimmer. I have one 2D Blue Shimmer but it's in rough shape. I got it as part of a lot I bought.

Here's another light I recently came across that I've never seen before. Well, err not so much the light as I have a few of these but the package. It's a 1984 NIB Mini Maglite. 1984 was the first year for the Mini Maglite and up until recently I hadn't seen one NIB. I knew that in 1985 Maglite switched their logo from the rounded early one to the Horizon style logo and I've seen a bunch of 1985 on Mini Maglites NIB but never a 1984. I think these may have come in a small cardboard box as well but I've never seen one.














Shown below is the one year newer 1985 model I have and I've seen a bunch in this type of packaging. 








This one was found at an estate sale so I don't know a lot about it. There's no price on it but I have heard these were around $10 when they came out or about $25 today so I'm guessing it was just purchased as a spare and never used. The ID on these early 1984 Mags is much smaller than the current AA lights and I heard that during the 90s when AA cells became larger Maglite offered a free trade in program so I'm guessing that along with the infamous alkaleak issue is why you just don't see many of them today.


----------



## CALight

LiftdT4R said:


> The names for the Mag finishes have been soooo inconsistent. Ice Blue may be right. I think maybe Crumbly posted a package a while back that said BLUE SHMR which is why I'm thinking it's Blue Shimmer. I have one 2D Blue Shimmer but it's in rough shape. I got it as part of a lot I bought.
> 
> Here's another light I recently came across that I've never seen before. Well, err not so much the light as I have a few of these but the package. It's a 1984 NIB Mini Maglite. 1984 was the first year for the Mini Maglite and up until recently I hadn't seen one NIB. I knew that in 1985 Maglite switched their logo from the rounded early one to the Horizon style logo and I've seen a bunch of 1985 on Mini Maglites NIB but never a 1984. I think these may have come in a small cardboard box as well but I've never seen one.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Shown below is the one year newer 1985 model I have and I've seen a bunch in this type of packaging.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> This one was found at an estate sale so I don't know a lot about it. There's no price on it but I have heard these were around $10 when they came out or about $25 today so I'm guessing it was just purchased as a spare and never used. The ID on these early 1984 Mags is much smaller than the current AA lights and I heard that during the 90s when AA cells became larger Maglite offered a free trade in program so I'm guessing that along with the infamous alkaleak issue is why you just don't see many of them today.



Had to change the way the engraving was done on the head of the flashlight, this is a rare one for sure. About the mid 1990's an agency was hired to tweak the brand logos and consistency across the product line. Great pics.


----------



## CALight

Guitar Guy said:


> Dang, I forgot about the Vari being the larger pre letter size.* Did they even make the early Maglites in silver?* I have a red one. Would be hard to find I'm sure. You may have to try the Drano on a black one. I think it will work, but I read that you can't leave it in too long or it will eat too far into the aluminum. If you can get the black out of the grooves, you could put a shotgun cleaning mop on a rod into a drill and polish it with the alum. polish.
> 
> Tiffany Company and Maglite did a Sterling Silver Solitaire back in the day...very hard to find, heavy as well but it looks good.


----------



## LiftdT4R

CALight said:


> Tiffany Company and Maglite did a Sterling Silver Solitaire back in the day...very hard to find, heavy as well but it looks good.



Hey, thanks for the info and welcome to the forum!! I think I've seen that light before. There was one hanging around eBay UK for a while and the seller wanted $300+ for it. If I remember correctly there weren't any logos or anything on it but it looked very professionally done. I couldn't figure out what it was and I passed. It was so long ago I can't even find it by searching the completed listings. Do you have any more info on them? Any chance you have a pic?


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## CALight

Thanks for the welcome! The Tiffany Solitaire came with no engraving and it was a non-knurled barrel. Packaged in the Tiffany blue box in their "blue" leather baggie. I will check the archive I remember seeing a photo of one. These are a little more rare to find than the gold plated Mini Maglites (not anodized gold color, but gold). Always like seeing unique MAG's.


----------



## Guitar Guy

Welcome, CALight. It's always good to have another person who knows and appreciates Maglites. 

If you've looked through this thread, you've seen that there are some amazing collections and amazing Maglites, including some very rare ones. I'm still at a lower level, but have acquired some nice C and D Mags over the last couple of years. Good luck.

Long live the Maglite ........


----------



## LiftdT4R

Guitar Guy said:


> Welcome, CALight. It's always good to have another person who knows and appreciates Maglites.
> 
> If you've looked through this thread, you've seen that there are some amazing collections and amazing Maglites, including some very rare ones. I'm still at a lower level, but have acquired some nice C and D Mags over the last couple of years. Good luck.
> 
> Long live the Maglite ........



There aren't many of us so I'd say you're in the top 10 for sure!


----------



## Chauncey Gardiner

I'm not a Mag collector nor will I ever be. However, I very much enjoy the collections of those of you that are. :twothumbs Thanks, guys!


----------



## LiftdT4R

Chauncey Gardiner said:


> I'm not a Mag collector nor will I ever be. However, I very much enjoy the collections of those of you that are. :twothumbs Thanks, guys!



Ohh come on, you know you want to. Why don't you try just one?????? :naughty:


----------



## this_is_nascar

Sent from my moto x4 using Tapatalk


----------



## Chauncey Gardiner

LiftdT4R said:


> Ohh come on, you know you want to. Why don't you *try just one??????* :naughty:



That's what got me into trouble with The Lovely Mrs. Gardiner over this situation...... and those are just the pretty ones.


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## Guitar Guy

Chauncey Gardiner said:


> That's what got me into trouble with The Lovely Mrs. Gardiner over this situation...... and those are just the pretty ones.



Cool photo, but I thought you've posted Maglites on here before too. If not, you need 1 or 2 or 10.


----------



## bykfixer

CG posting Maglites would be like PK bragging about his new Elzetta. Or a French chef serving the entre'with ketchup. 

ie, not likely. 

He has like the worlds best four sevens collection going. Now Mrs CG may secretly have a Maglite under the seat of her car though……


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## CALight

Thanks guys. Indeed long live Maglite. I am partial to the brand. But love all lights equally


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## Chauncey Gardiner

Both Guitar Guy and bykfixer are correct. :twothumbs 

Presenting The Lovely Mrs. Gardiner's modified Mags. -


----------



## Bullzeyebill

Chauncey Gardiner said:


> Both Guitar Guy and bykfixer are correct. :twothumbs
> 
> Presenting The Lovely Mrs. Gardiner's modified Mags. -



Hi Chance, how are they modidied?

Bill


----------



## Chauncey Gardiner

Bullzeyebill said:


> Hi Chance, how are they modidied?
> 
> Bill


 

Howdy Bill, They're both triples. The mini Mag was massaged by kyfishguy. I'm the second owner and after 3.5 beers I don't remember the details.  







Matt did all the mods on the Big Fella.


----------



## scout24

The red Micro Mag is loaded with XP-G3 S5 3C emitters, a narrow frosted optic, has four levels from about a lumen up to 2000 on a high drain 14500.


----------



## Crumbly

Some great lights guys I am tempted to get one of those weltool bezels myself. Here are a couple of lights I got recently with Snoopy on them they are a Matt frosted finish similar to the silver Americana or Ferrari mag-lites.



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[/URL][/IMG]


----------



## LiftdT4R

Whoa!! Very very cool and they must be super rare because I've never seen or heard of them before. The die cut stickers are from right around 2002-2004. Mag didn't do those hard anodizied finishes and die cut stickers for very long. Please do tell the story on them!!


----------



## Chauncey Gardiner

LiftdT4R said:


> Whoa!! Very very cool and they must be super rare because I've never seen or heard of them before. The die cut stickers are from right around 2002-2004. Mag didn't do those hard anodizied finishes and die cut stickers for very long. Please do tell the story on them!!



Yeah! Plus one on that. Luv the matt finish and the Snoopy image. Off the chart cool factor! :twothumbs


----------



## Crumbly

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[/URL][/IMG]
Here is a Bugs Bunny, they all came from John Trinca’s collection. They may be prototypes, they are all very beautiful I have a few others to post as well.


----------



## bykfixer

Mag is doing a 40th anniverssary 4D ML300. But at $135, no thanks.

Love those Bugs and Snoopy lights.


----------



## Guitar Guy

Yes, Snoopy and Bugs are very cool. The matte finish gives them a nice look. 

I wonder if there's a Pink Panther Mag floating around somewhere.:huh:


----------



## LiftdT4R

bykfixer said:


> Mag is doing a 40th anniverssary 4D ML300. But at $135, no thanks.
> 
> Love those Bugs and Snoopy lights.



Where did ya see that? I'd love to check it out. A lot of times if you wait a couple months their special editions are in the Outlet section at half price.

Very cool! I asked John about the lights I bought but he didn't have much info. As far as I can tell Mag made these up for trade shows to demonstrate what they could do for custom orders. I don't believe these were actually ordered by any of the companies represented on them. Or if they were I've never seen them anywhere else.

From what I know the matte (hard anodized) finish was done so the die cut decals would adhere to them better. They weren't produced for very long. Maybe 1996 to 1999 and then Mag started using a laser printed color finish that was far more durable. Mag's trademarked name for this process is "Dura-print". I think this is the right time frame because the very earliest NASCAR lights were all die cut decals over hard anodized until 1999 when they went to laser printed with a standard anodized finish.


----------



## bykfixer

It's something offered to MagNation members only. I saw it in an email they sent.


----------



## bykfixer

Got one with a bit over 6 minutes left.


----------



## Guitar Guy

That 40th Anniversary looks pretty cool, but dang, that's a lotta $. 

I like the smooth barrel. I see the black lettering on the bezel too. I can't quite tell if the lettering is painted on ... or what. Maybe silkscreened? 

I probably won't spring for one at that price. I tend to like the older Mags.


----------



## bykfixer

It shipped today so I'll post some pix when it arrives. 

Yeah, it was pretty pricey. But the voices that talked me into working some OT last week said it would be ok.


----------



## Chauncey Gardiner

bykfixer said:


> It shipped today so I'll post some pix when it arrives.
> 
> Yeah, it was pretty pricey. But the voices that talked me into working some OT last week said it would be ok.



It's not always about what we need. Sometimes it's just about what we want. Congratulations. :thumbsup:


----------



## bykfixer

Yeah, it was flashlight that will probably live in a box inside a safe but……

If the enviro nazis are wrong and we make it past the next dozen years my kids can sell it on eBay when I'm under the grass.


----------



## bykfixer

40th Anniverssary light arrived. 




The logo appears to be screenprint. 
No texture feel like laser etched, yet not texture feel like screen print either. Really thin application of something on the raw alluminum tube. 





Same thing on the bezel ring. 
Note the smaller font and California is spelled out. No USA either. Chamfer on the 40th bezel ring is rounder too. 





Also note bolded "Mag" and non bolded "Lite" and no "LED on the bezel ring. 





Nothing special serial number was no surprise. 
Maglite seems to keep production numbers to themselves unless you know how to find out from inside. 





The barrel is as smooth as a baby's bottom though. 
This one is a true collectors piece. It seems to be the price is meant to keep demand low. 





To me the surprise was the generic box. 
I was half expecting the box to be part of the charm. But then again a 100th anniverssary Marines Targus 1911 came in a plain brown box, so what the heck. 

After evaluating it a few ticks and snapping a few photos I put it back in the box, then shipping carton and put it away for safe keeping. So if I'm ever robbed the klepto would not know there's anything special about the container. It felt lighter than the production version. Aside from being smooth and the different writing on the bezel ring it appears to be an ordinary ML300. The barrel is not heavily polished but not unfinished either. 

Anyway it may end up there's a whole bunch of these around. If they end up on the clearance rack I'll grab another one for display purposes.


----------



## LeanBurn

With no knurling and high gloss finish, this would be tough to put to any real use...shelf queen?


----------



## bykfixer

I suppose it could be as useable as some of those super shiney jewelry lights, but it seems to be a dedicated collector piece.


----------



## xxo

Looks good! I would think that they won't sell many of these and they will be hard to find in a few years - definitely a collectible.

BTW I was thinking that a 4D ML300 would be more appropriate for the 40th anniversary?


----------



## Grijon

xxo said:


> BTW I was thinking that a 4D ML300 would be more appropriate for the 40th anniversary?



Yes!


----------



## bykfixer

I thought same double x


----------



## Guitar Guy

That 40th Anny. looks cool, byk. 

I'm still curious about the logo. I wonder if anodizing can be formed into letters / logos ... the way you said how thin it seems to be. Maybe there's a way to apply it the way paint is silkscreened, to anodize the logo into the aluminum. That would be really cool, and more durable than paint, but I'm really just speculating. Nice light tho.


----------



## bykfixer

I did not dare do a fingernail test.


----------



## Guitar Guy

bykfixer said:


> I did not dare do a fingernail test.



Haha, I don't blame you! 

I'm sure we'll find out in a less destructive manner. Since you're a proud new owner, an email or call to headquarters could get that answer. They're pretty helpful. Or maybe Lifted will get one and do a page on his blog, and find out. Or ... maybe I'm the only one who gives a hoot.


----------



## bykfixer

My brother in law and I inherited one of 200 ever made Remmington 1898 model NRA edition rifles. They arrived in a plain cardboard box. I took mine out of the box and carefully looked it over then wrapped it in a bed sheet before putting it back in the box. 
My brother in law cocked his and pulled the trigger. "Click". I asked "what are you doing man?" He replied "what good is it if you don't use it?" 
An hour later he was blasting away at targets with his. Me, I stashed mine same as the 40th Maglite. If I had to use the 1898 and Maglite to feed my family or protect them from harm I would in a New York minute. But if all goes normal I have other options. 
Perhaps some day I'll reach out to Ester (spelling?) at Maglite. She is the one who has actually called me to say "we're out of item X, would you prefer a refund or pick another item?" at times. Or perhaps the 40th will show up in clearance at some point and I'll do like my brother in law and obtain a user. 

I speculate the original Maglite best seller was a 3D number. Back in the day my pop had one and if memory serves lots of my neighbors dads had those too. I always preferred a 2D but the 3 was brighter without being much larger. I also speculate the ML300 in 3 cell is the best seller. Which may be why the 40th was a 3 cell ML300.


----------



## LiftdT4R

Very cool 40th anniversary light!! I must have missed my Maglite e-mail about them and din;t get a chance to score one. Was it on Mag's website? I'm sure one will pop up on good ole eBay sooner or later and I'll snag it then. Thanks for sharing!!

EDIT: I see that they're still up for those interested. I just picked one up.

https://new.maglite.com/products/40th-anniversary-ml300l-4d-led


----------



## bykfixer

I discovered the countdown clock resets every time you open the email. 

Dratz. Still, at that price they probably won't sell very many.


----------



## LiftdT4R

Like most other Maglites they probably won't be worth a fortune but probably will be hard to find in a few years. Maglite also currently has 20% off. Just enter MAGLITE20 in the discount code section when checking out. I plan to post some pics with the 1979 3D I have when it arrives. Thanks Mr. Fixer!


----------



## USAMadeMagFan

*Re: 4AA mini mag ontario, ca. and copy of mini mag by brinkman -4AA is 1 piece barrel*



merrimac said:


>



That's a strange one. I'm kind of surprised they don't make a 3 AA one currently. Maybe there's some technical reason or no point to doing so.


----------



## LiftdT4R

*Re: 4AA mini mag ontario, ca. and copy of mini mag by brinkman -4AA is 1 piece barrel*



USAMadeMagFan said:


> That's a strange one. I'm kind of surprised they don't make a 3 AA one currently. Maybe there's some technical reason or no point to doing so.



That 4AA Mini Mag has always been a big mystery to me and I haven't been able to get much info on it. I think it may have either been done by an adventurous Mag machinist or from a 3rd party. The R&D guys I talked to from the early days of Mag don't seem to remember anything like it.

The 3AA lights were done during the early days of LEDs and LEDs were notoriously inefficient. Run times were barely longer than incans and they weren't much brighter. The input (forward voltage) of most LEDs is 3V. So when using 3 cells, a buck, voltage reducing, driver must be used. In a 2AA or 1 AA light a boost, voltage increasing, driver is used. My guess is Mag didn't want to produce 2 different LED drivers and the 3AAs didn't provide much increase in run time or brightness when the 2nd gen LEDs came out around 2005 or so. It seems the 3AAs were only produced until around then or so.

I have some more info and some beam shots on my blog if you're interested.

https://maglitehistory.blogspot.com/2018/07/2006-3aa-led-mini-maglite.html


----------



## LiftdT4R

*Re: 4AA mini mag ontario, ca. and copy of mini mag by brinkman -4AA is 1 piece barrel*

All right, I got my 40th Anniversary Maglite today. What a coincidence too because today is the anniversary of my engagement! This is my first time trying one of the new ML300s and I will say I think I'm a firm believer in modding an old Maglite vs. buying a new one. I don't plan on using this light I just plan on displaying it with the rest of my collection. The digital switch would take some getting use to for me. Also, I, for the life of me, can't understand why Mag won't used a stippled reflector. The beam pattern is about the same as the older lights. The tint is also very cool but that may not bother some folks. I know I like a 3000K all day long.

Anyway, here she is. Looks identical to Mr. Fixer's except my serial is about 50 units higher. I'm guessing these are numbered the same as the other ML300s and if so 400,000 units isn't many. I'm not sure if it's because these just came out or if they're not selling all that well. All in all Mag boxed her up pretty nice and I didn't get any special packaging either. I did get 2 stickers though.







I also thought it would be cool to show this light next to an original 1979 light to see how far these lights have come in 40 years but also how similar they really are. For those not familiar the 1979 lights had a larger switch button, a lower focus grip, and a lot of other small variations from later lights. This 1979 3D has the Maglite logo stamped much farther up on the bezel than normal too. The 2019 light has none of these "quality control issues". It is perfectly manufactured inside and out. The focus on the 2019 is a quarter twist from spot to flood whereas the old lights take about 3 or so twists to accomplish the same effect.






I will say that the switch appears tiny to me and I really much prefer the solid click of the older style mechanical switches vs. the light press of the new electrical switch. The older switches were extremely reliable but I'm guessing Mag switched due to the driver and modes used of the LED.






Overall the light is very solid. I don't know that I'd pay $100+ for it as anything other than a collectible after all a regular ML300 can be had for $35. Anyway, hope you guys enjoyed and I have a 7D Mag coming in for repair next week I'll pot some pics of as well as some other recent finds that I haven't gotten around to putting up pics of yet.


----------



## Grijon

*Re: 4AA mini mag ontario, ca. and copy of mini mag by brinkman -4AA is 1 piece barrel*

Great write-up and fun pictures, thank you for sharing!


----------



## xxo

*Re: 4AA mini mag ontario, ca. and copy of mini mag by brinkman -4AA is 1 piece barrel*



LiftdT4R said:


> All right, I got my 40th Anniversary Maglite today. What a coincidence too because today is the anniversary of my engagement! This is my first time trying one of the new ML300s and I will say I think I'm a firm believer in modding an old Maglite vs. buying a new one. I don't plan on using this light I just plan on displaying it with the rest of my collection. The digital switch would take some getting use to for me. Also, I, for the life of me, can't understand why Mag won't used a stippled reflector. The beam pattern is about the same as the older lights. The tint is also very cool but that may not bother some folks. I know I like a 3000K all day long.



I like the electronic switch on the 3rd​ gen Mags, nice and easy to use as I descend into decrepitude with hands that are not as strong and dexterous has they once were. I also like that they are quiet and there is no chance of pressing them too hard in momentary activation which I use a lot.....the only down side is standby drain, though they can be locked out by slightly loosening the tail cap. I run just about all my Mags on rechargeable NiMHs or Li-ions so parasitic drain is not a huge deal for me, I use my lights and recharge the cells as needed.




I am glad that Mag does not use stippled reflectors and other white wall hunting nonsense, I like that Mags are built for throw not for pretty beams, though I find the new 3rd​ gens to be generally much better than the old incan Mags. The cooler tint does not bother me (guess I have gotten used to it).




BTW that '79 Mag is really cool! I'm thinking that Mags that early may have been made by 'ole Tony himself?


----------



## bykfixer

*Re: 4AA mini mag ontario, ca. and copy of mini mag by brinkman -4AA is 1 piece barrel*

Tony was a machinist so it stands to reason he would likely have had a personal involvement in "building" the early ones. Don Keller too. But Don may have been more of a salesman trying to drum up business. 

I like the ML50's and 300's. Cool beams help me see better. 
But I also like the 019 updated 2D classic too. Same Mag classic throw with a runtime increasing low that's nearly as bright as high. I figure most will scoff at a low that runs about 80-85% of high though. 
Rare? Hard to say but there sure aren't a lot of those 2 speed 2D's out there. At least not this year.


----------



## xxo

*Re: 4AA mini mag ontario, ca. and copy of mini mag by brinkman -4AA is 1 piece barrel*

The new “2 speed” LED 2D Mag made me realize that, for the most part, I have moved on from the old Mags – except of course for my faithful 35 year old 4D Mag with it's fat sprinkler pipe barrel that weighs a ton, (maybe 2 tons loaded with Soshine NiMHs) and feels like grabbing the wrong end of a baseball bat which I have recently updated with a 300 lumen drop-in. I really like the ML300's quick focus beam, electronic switch and programmable function sets along with it's lighter, sleeker feel. 


The 2D 2 speed felt too heavy and the old clicky switch seemed like a step backwards. The throw on this light is outstanding but for some reason mine had a comet shaped beam like on the old incans. I thought 2 modes would be great but they are spaced too close and I often found myself fiddling to get in the mode that I wanted. I think this light would have been better if Mag went with the 3rd​ gen body and an electronic momentary-high-low switch and dropped down to around 20 lumens on low.


----------



## xxo

*Re: 4AA mini mag ontario, ca. and copy of mini mag by brinkman -4AA is 1 piece barrel*



USAMadeMagFan said:


> That's a strange one. I'm kind of surprised they don't make a 3 AA one currently. Maybe there's some technical reason or no point to doing so.



The 3 cell LED Mini Mag didn't last long - it was a pretty awkward length for a AA light and never really caught on.

The 4 cell lights that turn up from time to time all look to me like couple of 2 cell bodies cobbled together - note the gap in the knurling in the middle - if they were made as 4 cell lights, I would think they would have knurling in the middle.


----------



## bykfixer

*Re: 4AA mini mag ontario, ca. and copy of mini mag by brinkman -4AA is 1 piece barrel*

I think the 2 speed 2D was not meant as a reinvention of the classic, but like nacho cheese doritos get "improved" at times it was kinda like that. 
The once mighty Maglite or what was known as Mag Industries seems to be revamping some previous ideas like SureFire is trying to do. I know what you mean about fiddling to get it set to low only to wonder "is it even on low". They seemed to do an Edsel on that one. Nice idea on paper but not so hot in practice. However when I do opt for using a classic 2D I now have the ability for a lot more run time from the fuel source, even on high. Enough added efficiency to opt for a pair of Eneloop Pro cells for that extra lightweight biggy light. 
I bought 3 and am keeping one NIP in case it becomes a "rare Maglite" someday. 

I put some PowerEx super cells in an ML25 and good gosh! The added weight is obvious, but it turns what was a 2 hour light into a 5 hour number with rock steady regulation. I also outfitted a 2 cell ML50 with them and lock out via the tailcap. 

I wonder if in 10 years this thread will discuss those spectrum lights like the green beamed XL50. Or perhaps the ML25IT models. I still scratch my head about why that one was introduced in 2016 when an incan light was about as popular as herpes. If so I'm ready to show my "rare" blue one, S/N 0000017.…


----------



## xxo

*Re: 4AA mini mag ontario, ca. and copy of mini mag by brinkman -4AA is 1 piece barrel*



bykfixer said:


> I put some PowerEx super cells in an ML25 and good gosh! The added weight is obvious, but it turns what was a 2 hour light into a 5 hour number with rock steady regulation. I also outfitted a 2 cell ML50 with them and lock out via the tailcap.
> 
> I wonder if in 10 years this thread will discuss those spectrum lights like the green beamed XL50. Or perhaps the ML25IT models. I still scratch my head about why that one was introduced in 2016 when an incan light was about as popular as herpes. If so I'm ready to show my "rare" blue one, S/N 0000017.…



I have been running my 2C ML25 on a protected 3500 mAh 18650 - it runs great on these cells without overheating. I am thinking of getting a couple of protected 5000 mAh keep power 21700's to run in the ML25 and my 2C ML50LX - these cells should give the ultimate run times for 2C lights.

In 10 years who knows? Tony is not going to be around forever and I am sure his heirs will be under pressure to sell off the company. If it get sold, I wonder how long it will take before the bean counters close the California factory and slap the Maglite brand on made overseas Mags?


----------



## bykfixer

*Re: 4AA mini mag ontario, ca. and copy of mini mag by brinkman -4AA is 1 piece barrel*

I would speculate Tony's will has the company going to employees. 
See, a while ago he sued his kids for starting a rival light making company after some court case about paternity or something. 
Geez Louise I wish I could remember the name of the company, but talk about rare……those are super rare. 
This may have been discussed in this thread at some point but I definitely read about it at CPF. I wanna say it had something to do with mountains or hiking or something……


----------



## xxo

*Re: 4AA mini mag ontario, ca. and copy of mini mag by brinkman -4AA is 1 piece barrel*

I don't know much about this but here's some articles with a lot of details:

https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-06-25-me-8455-story.html

....I wonder what happened to the Mag pumpkin lights??


https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2002-aug-13-me-light13-story.html


----------



## Grijon

Yet another dimension to our hobby that I didn't know existed.


----------



## bykfixer

Bison…… yeah that was it. 

I was able to find nearly any rare Maglite a couple of years ago but no Bison lights, ever.


----------



## LiftdT4R

*Re: 4AA mini mag ontario, ca. and copy of mini mag by brinkman -4AA is 1 piece barrel*

Very interesting articles! There was a good YouTube video with some news footage of the whole thing a while back too. I think Tony has a least one son of his own, maybe 2 aside from the his adopted sons with Claire so I think that's who's going to carry on at Mag assuming they are interested.


----------



## xxo

bykfixer said:


> Bison…… yeah that was it.
> 
> I was able to find nearly any rare Maglite a couple of years ago but no Bison lights, ever.




Bison did some advertising when they came out and I kinda remember someone writing up an article on them....a lot of buzz for a very short time and then they disappeared, though they did have a patent for a multi LED light. I was not aware of all of the Maglite back story at the time.


I am still wondering what the Mag pumpkin lights that Claire had made up that Tony mentioned in the article were in the warehouse looked like....has anybody seen one?


----------



## LiftdT4R

xxo said:


> Bison did some advertising when they came out and I kinda remember someone writing up an article on them....a lot of buzz for a very short time and then they disappeared, though they did have a patent for a multi LED light. I was not aware of all of the Maglite back story at the time.
> 
> 
> I am still wondering what the Mag pumpkin lights that Claire had made up that Tony mentioned in the article were in the warehouse looked like....has anybody seen one?



I've never seen a Bison either but I have an alert setup for them on ebay in case one pops up. They aren't the best looking lights and I imagine since they were mostly plastic that most were tossed once the batteries leaked or broke long beforehand. They also weren't sold for very long due to the lawsuit by Maglite. Here's a couple pics so I have:












As far as the pumpkin lights I believe they are just plastic diffusers that went over the front of a regular Maglite similar to the traffic wands. Maglite runs a promotion every year around Halloween in an effort to sell lights for trick or treaters so I think they were sold or given away around that time. I've seen pictures of them before but I don't have one. You can still pickup similar items at dollar stores and party stores but I don't know they fit a Maglite. I doubt many were made and like the traffic wands they probably dried out and broke or were tossed. I'd love to have one, especially if it were branded by Maglite.


----------



## Guitar Guy

Thanks for the pics Liftd. Is it just me or are those about butt ugly? I can't imagine them ever outselling Mag, if that was the intention. The colors look like they're made for children.

@xxo, Thanks for the articles. Very interesting. I had never heard about all of the legal / divorce issues. Just goes to show, get everything in writing when it comes to business dealings.

I've recently picked up a couple of decent, better condition replacements for a couple of the older Mags in my collection. I now have a full set of D models, all with the early hand grip style. Nothing too special, but I'll snap a pic when I get them cleaned up. When I find those older "stamped bezel" models in good cond., I have a hard time passing them up.


I've been using and very much enjoying the 5K Adventure Sport drop in that I pictured a page or two back in the two tone red / silver 2D. It rocks!


----------



## Guitar Guy

No new Maglite pics for a while, so now is a good time to share something that I stumbled onto which may be useful to Maglite enthusiasts. 

I recently picked up some Fenix diffusers and a traffic wand for my Fenix lights, and it turns out that the small size fits a Mini Maglite, and the large fits the C & D Mags.

They are made of a very hard plastic that is advertised as temperature resistant. They work very well, and are only around 5 bucks each.


----------



## forestlight

The photos are all blurry for me, I tried to click on them and still can't get a clear view, any idea what I'm doing wrong? Sorry for the newbie question! Just joined and enjoying the collections!


----------



## din107

Can`t find incan mags at new.maglite.com. Maglite discontinued production incan mags?


----------



## bykfixer

Z Battery still has incan Maglites.

They have some collector pieces too, like Christmas ML25's and patriotic sets of minimags etc.


----------



## LiftdT4R

din107 said:


> Can`t find incan mags at new.maglite.com. Maglite discontinued production incan mags?



You can either hit shop legacy site or go to www.maglite.com and they are listed under their Full Size, Classic line. I don't doubt that Mag will discontinue them sometime in the future, they must be awfully slow sellers since the introduction of all their LED offerings. I just hope they don't quit making parts!

Very nice Guitar Guy! I will have to try one of those traffic wands for the Mini Mag. I always keep a D cell wand in my truck because hey you never know.


----------



## LiftdT4R

Wow this year has flown by! I picked up an AA Stealth to match my 3D Stealth earlier this year and totally forgot that I never posted it. I posted the 3D a while back and of those not familiar this was a special order finish that came out around the time the ML300L was introduced. The ML300L is done in this same finish. I've shown a comparison below to the standard gloss black 3D and AA. I have a couple other recent finds I still have to post too. Anyone pick up anything rare or cool lately?


----------



## bykfixer

Come to think of it, I think my Camel promo 3D is a dull black. Now if I can only remember where I stashed the dam thing to confirm. Maybe not? It is a silkscreened model. My thought when it arrived was perhaps the Camel logo was applied post Maglite factory because it's a 90's model. My boss has a green one from the 90's with silk screened logo from a rock quarry. And my Ford Quality 98 model is silkscreened.


----------



## mcbrat

LiftdT4R said:


> Here are a couple more lights I picked up recently that have a great story behind them! They were both purchased by a wealthy Arkansas cotton farmer around 1983. He bought them from a local hardware store that had Vari-Beam models for sale. I have a big write up on my blog about Vari-Beams: http://maglitehistory.blogspot.com/2017/06/vari-beams.html He purchased the 2C first and admired the quality and durability but found the run time wasn't enough for his liking (~4 hours). He shelved it, luckily without batteries, and bought a 4D from the same store. The 2C appears as brand new today.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The 4D is a "Dealer Vari-Beam" model. Mag Instrument never made these in silver and black but some dealers would take a slow selling blue model and swap the end cap and bezel with a standard Mag and then put the left over parts in their service kits. The serial number is spot on with the vintage of the light so that's how you can tell it's a dealer and not a buyer that did the swap. The 4D is used but not abused. It has the earlier style switch with the bare copper internals and not the nickel plated like the later ones so it had some pretty heavy corrosion that was preventing the light form working. I tore down everything and cleaned up all of the bare copper internals with vinegar. It works as good as new now!
> 
> The C cell Vari-Beams are much rarer but I already have one so I may sell of trade this 2C at a later time. I have a 2C and 3D "Dealer Vari-Beams" (black/silver) so I'll likely hang onto this as I'd like to have one of each model one day.



Nice. at a flea market, I just picked up a well used 4D black with the Vari-BEAM silver bezel and tail put on it. body tube has serial 40262321 (81-86).


----------



## JaguarDave-in-Oz

About six weeks ago I picked up (as in picked it up fromwhere it's been hanging near the back door for the last 15 years since it "retired" from mainstream use) the 3D "Paten Pending" maglite that I bought brand new for work in 1980.

I haven't really used it much in the last fifteen years but figured I'd give it a birthday with a good led globe, aluminium reflector, aspheric lens, new rubber switch cap (what a diffefence in feel that gave) and rechargeable batteries. That really bought the light back to life (though it still looks well used externally) and since it feels so familiar in my hands (even better balanced now with the lighter weight of the rechargeables) I use it almost every night to scan my back paddock for rabbits and foxes for my dog to chase.

On the backk of that I've now given similar (but more powerful) birthdays to my late 80's 4, 5, 6 and 7 cell maglites, just for fun. The 5,6 and 7 cell ones were never much fun to use in the past, too big and heavy hence they are still in pristine condition unlike my 3D work torch.

I've had a lot of different torches since I got my first one in the late 60's (an Eveready penlite) but my (apparently now rare) 3D "Paten Pending" maglite is still my favourite and I'll never forget the awesome feeling that owning somehting of that quality gave me when I first bought it all those decades ago. They were very expensive in Australia back then but it was worth it, it's lasted way better than anyhting else I purchased in 1980.


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## bykfixer

Faaaaaaantastic!! Great stuff there. 

I think the only thing I still own from 1980 is original body parts. And some of those are in dire need of upgrades.


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## din107

My "new" 2x6C, first old-style (preC) and second new-style (with C).




and All my 6C`s


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## LiftdT4R

Very nice!! I don't own a Letter Serial 6C or 5C. They are tough to find, there must only have been a handful of them made! Do they have the newer style switch in them with the snap ring instead of the threaded ring?


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## din107

LiftdT4R said:


> Very nice!! I don't own a Letter Serial 6C or 5C. They are tough to find, there must only have been a handful of them made! Do they have the newer style switch in them with the snap ring instead of the threaded ring?


Yes, new 6C have not retaining ring. There is retaining clip. New style switch with panther button. All spare parts from newest 2-4C fit to this 6C.


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## LiftdT4R

Very cool, those are some of the few lights I'm missing from my collection. I'd love to have a letter serial 5 or 6C one day.

Here's a few lights I recently restored over my Christmas break. Nothing too crazy but some interesting lights. For those who don't know I get quite a few requests from readers of my blogs to either restore or restomod lights that have sentimental value to them. Mag stopped repairing lights a few years ago which is a shame because while these lights are super durable they do need some minor maintenance from time to time especially now that some are turning 40. Anyway, these have been sitting around for way too long and I'm sure the original owners are ready to have them back. They are:

7D - A 1981 model and all original. It is one of the latest models with a ~17,000 serials. I recently restored another 7D and I snagged a pic of 7 7Ds all together which I'll post soon!
5C - A late 1990s model. It is a later one with a ~370,000 serial. This one has a very cool burgundy/brownish tint to it. These 5Cs were very poor sellers and I'm surprised they weren't discontinued before 2003. The highest serials are only 500,000s.
3C - An early 1980s model. This one was owned by a local small town police officer and it's got a far bit of use. It's the early style light with the flat end cap and these early C cells seem to be climbing in price lately as they get harder to find.


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## Grijon

If you told me 10 years ago (before I really got into flashlights), or even 1 year ago (before I really got into Maglites) just how much I would enjoy seeing pictures and reading about a trio of black incandescent Mags, I'd call you crazy.

But this is awesome stuff.

Thanks for sharing, Liftd.


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## LiftdT4R

Thanks!! Lol, I've always liked Abtomat's signature: "Do something alone and it's weird, do it with others and it's a hobby." or at least that's what I tell myself!


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## LiftdT4R

Has anyone noticed C cell incan lights are no longer on Mag's website? Or if they are I could not locate them. All I see now is 2 through 6D incans. It wouldn't surprise me if Mag discontinued the C cell incans for good they were always very slow sellers. I still have a 3C I use almost everyday though.


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## bykfixer

For whatever reason C lights in general have never sold like D size. 

When I was younger and bad weather was forecast D batteries were always gone from shelves first. C cells sold out next and double A batteries were plentiful. In the 90's I bought double A lights for that reason. 

Now regarding old school Maglites, I've always preferred C sized. 4C being my favorite. New stuff like the ML series I greatly prefer the C models to D. I keep D ones around for the runtime potential but for general use the D size is just too big. 

If Mag stops selling C lights it would be no surprise to me either.


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## xxo

While D cell Mags where always more popular, the C cell Mags did have a following back in the day in law enforcement. Some liked the longer C cell Mags because the fit in a baton ring for the old wooden batons and a some liked the 2C Mags because the fit in a sap pocket and were lighter weight.


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## Chauncey Gardiner

A functional, Matt Wilkinson, 3D Walnut Maglite





Photo Credit - 
David Steward


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## bykfixer

Now that is something I could sink my teeth into. 

- random beaver

Seriously that is totally awesome


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## Icarus

Chauncey Gardiner said:


> A functional, Matt Wilkinson, 3D Walnut Maglite
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Photo Credit -
> David Steward



:wow: never seen such a thing before. Please tell us more about this wooden Maglite.


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## Chauncey Gardiner

Icarus said:


> :wow: never seen such a thing before. Please tell us more about this wooden Maglite.



Sorry, that's all I know. :shrug:


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## LiftdT4R

Very awesome! I couldn't turn up anything on Google about it. It looks very professionally done so I am confused if it's a one-off artist piece or if Mag made this. I'd love to hear some more info about it!


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## Toohotruk

That's way cool...I wonder if it's actually made of wood, or just painted to look like wood?


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## Chauncey Gardiner

LiftdT4R said:


> Very awesome! I couldn't turn up anything on Google about it. It looks very professionally done so I am confused if it's a one-off artist piece or if Mag made this. I'd love to hear some more info about it!



The body of the maglite is 100% Walnut. Since it's functional, Mr. Wilkinson must have used some metal. Conducting an internet search of the artist, Matt Wilkinson, produces many results. 

It's my understanding everything pictured below is 100% wood.







https://www.wvliving.com/craftsmans-tools/


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## bykfixer

My wooden 2aa Menards has a metal sleeve inside and at each end. 





Causes me the think perhaps tha D cell sized light might run on C cells.


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## Icarus

Another pretty rare Maglite from my collection. :candle:


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## din107

Hi! Did Maglite discontinue production incandescent maglites 2C, 3C, 4C?


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## vestureofblood

din107 said:


> Hi! Did Maglite discontinue production incandescent maglites 2C, 3C, 4C?



Not sure if they have, but Zbattery.com still has 2C and 4C in stock. They have 3C listed and it says you can backorder it.


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## ZMZ67

The C-cell incandescent models no longer show on the website. I sent an e-mail inquiry to Maglite regarding the C-cell status,hopefully they will answer. I can't imagine Maglite is selling very many incandescent models period and the C-cells would probably be at the bottom of those sales so it would not be a surprise.


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## LiftdT4R

Crazy! I don't see them there either so I'm guessing you are correct. It's a shame but no surprise. The D cell models literally outsold the C cells by 100 to 1. Like many thing enthusiasts are into they just aren't popular with the masses.I imagine some day D cell Incans will go the same way.


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## bykfixer

That interview with NPR in 2016 or so Tony said he had shut down the bulb portion of the factory because of all the new regulations about light bulbs.


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## ZMZ67

I did receive a confirmation from Maglite by e-mail,they have discontinued the C-cell incans.Credit to Maglite for responding to e-mails promptly,they even provided a source where I might find existing stock.. Wouldn't mind getting some examples for my collection if I can scrape up the funds.

C cell incans were certainly in low demand I am sure but I wonder if this is the beginning of the end for incan Mags altogether? I am lucky to find one or two new incan lights in B&M stores these days and they are usually just cheap 2 cells not Mags.


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## LiftdT4R

My guess is that it is probably close to the end for incans. Someone correct me if I'm wrong but I've heard the bulbs are actually more expensive to produce now than the LED circuitry. Mag updated the bezel design last year and I wonder if they produced any C cells with the updated bezel? If so I'd definitely buy one. However, I have a feeling that they did not update the bezel because the amount of old stock they had was likely so high. I see plenty of brand new 2Cs left on Amazon, not 3Cs or 4Cs though. I may order one just to see.


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## bykfixer

The new 2 setting 2D LED classic has an almost 90's bezel ring. I'll take a pic later Lift'd. But to my surprise the bezel ring on the 018/19 released 2D classic has a bezel ring almost like my incans from the 90's, not the original classic LED models. 

I'll take a look at the 40th bezel ring too, but I think it was different from the ML series too.

My guess is any incan Maglites are new old stock left in the pipeline. 


Yes, it is now really inexpensive to produce LED's.

Edit: to add photo





L to R
Classic LED model, 1990's krypton version, 2018/9 2 speed LED
End edit


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## LiftdT4R

Crazy, sounds like they're all over the place. That pic from above is a 5D Incan I bought last year. Couldn't believe they changed the bezel on them. Wish I could score a C cell like that to round out my collection as a "Final" C cell. I am way behind on posting lights. I have a bunch of really cool stuff I've had come in. Some repairs and some I was able to purchase.


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## din107

Yesterday I have caught new in box discontinued Mags 2-4C, only 44$


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## LiftdT4R

din107 said:


> Yesterday I have catched new in box discontinued Mags 2-4C, only 44$



Very nice!! Make sure to hang onto those future classics!!! In honor of the discontinuation of the C cells let's all post some of our favorite C cells models. I'll add a pic tonight!


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## LiftdT4R

As promised, in honor of Maglite discontinuing the Incan C Cell, here are some C Cells from my collection that are special to me.






From top to bottom they are:

Late 80s 6C with an end cap that incorporates an ASP baton

Early 80s 3C that my dad used for work

Early 2000s Lime Green 2C

1981 5C Vari-Beam

Mid 80s Prototype 3C

Late 80s Gold 2C

1982 7C, the first 7C in my collection that I acquired from torchesarecool from the UK


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## din107

My second experience of restoration. Now it is 5C. I bought it with stuck batteries (3/5) for 8$. Previous owner tried to got out stuck batteries, but he couldn`t.
I`ve started to solve this problem. First I needed to disassemble switch, but retaining ring have been stuck too. I tried to cut it, but it high risk to damage internal screw-thread (retaining ring).
I decided problem with lathe machine (sorry for my English). Turner drilled out (with switch). But metal battery cases were inside. 
I made wooden stand for barrel, took long screwdriver and hammer. Result is on Foto. Now barrel is clean.
Previous owner used "Kodak heavy duty" batteries (Alkaline is more expensive).
I will Finish restoration when I will find new switch with retaining ring (I think I will buy donor, may be 2C or 3C).
I hope I`ll give to this 5C second life! 

PS. LiftdT4R Thank you for your blog! useful information!


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## LiftdT4R

Are you still looking for a 7C? I have a late one in near perfect shape I'd love to swap for a letter serial 5 or 6C.

_Please do offers via PM's

Bill_


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## Crumbly

Here are some of my C cell incans 




The vari-beam from lifted is one of my favourites but too precious to use.


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## Crumbly

Some more C cell incans




The 7C is another one of my favourites from willrx also too precious to use. The 5C is loaded up with alkalines running stock bulb.
It is nice to use to remind myself what flashlights use to be like and honestly it’s not that bad it’s a nice warm colour.


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## Crumbly

This is probably my favourite C Cell Incan old 3C with 2 18650 batteries, Tads customs bipin adapter, kaidomain orange peel aluminium reflector and glass lens with 10watt bulb. Rolled up paper for battery spacer and magnet on the first battery. I got my daughter to help me put it together. So it has good memories. Shame that Maglite has stopped making their C Cell Incans but I guess it was inevitable.





I really like the beam on this one.


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## LiftdT4R

Crumbly said:


> Here are some of my C cell incans
> 
> The vari-beam from lifted is one of my favourites but too precious to use.



Very nice collection!!!! Is the one on the lower left Midnight Blue and the one on the top right Standard Blue? I've always had a very hard time telling those 2 apart. Also, on your Gold 2C is that a Panther Bezel? I'm pretty sure they did a handful of Panther Bezels in Gold when they first made the changeover in 1992.


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## Crumbly

Both are purple it’s just the lighting making them look different. Yes it’s a panther bezel on the gold 2C.


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## LiftdT4R

Very cool! Those blues, purples, and mid night blues can be very difficult to tell apart sometimes.

I picked up a brand new 4C the other day and am delighted that it has the new style, large logo, Maglite bezel. I'm going to order a 2C and 3C off of Amazon as well and hopefully they'll be the same. It also has a bi-pin bulb so it's nice to see Maglite modernized these before discontinued them. The serial number is ~1,600,000 so I'm surprised these actually haven't been discontinued sooner. Mag sold that many 4Ds by 1990, nearly 30 years ago and sold that many 3Ds by 1987. It's still a higher yearly rate than the 5Cs, 6Cs, 7Cs, and 7Ds though. Anyway, here's some pics with a regular Panther bezel 2C and an old 4C Vari-Beam that was actually the first C cell Vari-Beam in my collection. So long to a legend! Anyone have any guess as to which lights will be discontinued next? I think 5D or 6D Incans.


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## Crumbly

Yes I am not too sure which would be discontinued next proabably 5D and 4D first if you want a maglite with some heft I think most people would want a 6D. Maybe they will just stop all incans and just have ML300 type led lights in D Cell. Those C Cell varibeams are very rare on “Auction site” hardly ever come up.


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## LiftdT4R

The 6Ds always seem to sell well! A few years back a bunch of C cells popped up from a couple different sellers and the last few years nothing. Rare lights always seem to come up in groups and then it's dry for a very long time.


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## LiftdT4R

Welp, I thought I'd post one of my failures since I usually post a lot of lights that I am able to bring back from the dead. This TM Bezel Red 6D came to me from an owner in Colorado. It sat upright with the batteries in it since the 80s. I tried my usual tricks, Kroil, pipe vice, pipe wrenches and I was barely able to bust the end cap loose and when I did I significantly damaged it. I could likely clean this up with a file and make it look half way decent but......






The head and lens cap are both seized in place from the leaking battery acid when it sat upright. I currently have both soaking in Kroil but I could not bust them loose with strap wrenches. A pipe wrench will likely ruin the bezel because it is so thing. I don't think I'll be able to save this one. :mecry:











The batteries I can actually work with. I removed the first 2, they are older, cardboard cells so they actually drilled out fairly easy. The head is my main thing now that is stopping me from restoring this old light.

I've restored close to 200 lights total. Some with just simple corrosion in the switch and some with stuck batteries and retaining rings. Out of those this will likely be the 3rd one that I could not save. I haven't quit yet but I have very low hopes. In fact, I'm hoping someone might be able to throw me some tips. The lens is now removed, I thought of that right after I took the pics and I am soaking the head with Kroil inside and out. Thanks guys!!


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## bykfixer

Kroil is probably the best bond breaker on planet earth for rust. But alkaleak turns to an almost concrete after a while. Cement as it were. Vinegar as you know can change the cemented properties more into a paste, but at the cost of the coating over the alluminum. 

Once upon a time lime was used as a cementing agent. Very alkaline, then Portland cement was found to be more weather resistant. However the island of Portland was a long ways from New York, Chicago and other American cities where massive amounts of concrete was needed. So scientists went to work to create man made Portland cement. Great stuff, yet when coating certain rocks the cement was causing the surface of the rocks to react to the cement in a bad way. Call it rust if you will but a slilica gel formed between the cement and the rock, which in turn caused an expansion that was not good. 
Scientists went back to work to devise a cement that did not cause the silica gel to form. In my state they use granite for rocks in concrete. No issues with granite. But not everwhere has granite so a more alkaline cement paste is used. It isn't that different than alka-leak. When I first got into testing materials for road construction I noticed at time I was issued dirty equipment. Petroleum coated tools were easy enough to clean with cutters like break parts cleaners or diesel fuel. The stuff stank to high heaven and even caused health issues in some cases. The liquids used to remove asphalt from samples for example was causing miscarriages or birth defects when used by pregnant female lab techs. And it was ineffective at removing the cement from galvanized tools. Some simply dunked concrete tools into a bucket of vinegar. Sure, next day it was clean, but the tool would be ungalvanized and mil scale rust set in quickly. Pitted rust surfaces could cause negative reactions in the testing procedures and alter results. Rusty trowels caused ugly finishes on the concrete. 

Well, again scientists to the rescue. Household cleaner companies were trying to come up with solutions to soap scum, molds and difficult lime stains. All without poisoning the person cleaning the tub or toilet. Lemon juice was tried and found to be very good at disolving the things that caused to stains. Yet lemon juice in its pure form is pretty harsh too. Other juices were tried. Oranges, limes etc. Companies like Simple Green devised some pretty good products. Somebody somewhere decided to try these products to clean construction tools, separate asphalt from rocks in samples and clean concrete testing tools. 

So far the best solution I have seen for disolving hardened aaphalts is a wonderful smelling bond breaker called Citro-Sol. Paving companies buy it in 55 gallon drums. At the end of the day they spray it on equipment to clean up and keep spray bottles handy to keep hand tools like rakes and shovels clean. I use it to remove decal residue. Does is work on cement? I do not know. I will ask somebody next week at work if they prefer the Sakrete cement softener or Speedco cement dissolver. The sakrete product is a lot like Simple Green viscocity if you are familiar with that where the speedco is like water viscocity. I would think the sakrete product would be safer on the red coating on that flashlight. Muric acid would probably work but at the expense of the coating on the outside. 

If you have a vibrating watch winder for automatic watches that may pulverize the alkaline paste or rub a vibrating back massager over the surfaces. Then a cement softener sprayed onto joints. Hey, it's already broke so worth a try, right?


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## LiftdT4R

Thanks Mr. Fixer!! That's what I'm looking for, basically since I can't free up the light by normal means I'd like to use it as an experiment so maybe I can fix a similar light one day. You are spot on about the alkaline turning into a cement. You're probably right, that's why the Kroil only sometimes works.

I'm going to give some of the Speedco a shot and I'll let you know how it runs out.

The other light I had this trouble with was a TM Bezel Red 4D and I could never even break the end cap loose. After Kroil and the pipe vice the whole light bent instead of the end coming loose.


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## din107

It is alive! 5С rose from the hell 
I have bought 2C and swapped his switch to 5C. But old switch had bad minus contact. I replaced minus contact from new style switch.
Also changed reflector and lens) Fantastic light)


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## LiftdT4R

Very awesome, looks like a fun project!! Which part of the switch was bad? Usually for me it's the positive battery contact. It seems to corrode out.

I made some progress with my Red TM Bezel 6D although I still don't have much hope.











The trick I found is using Kroil and then heating the light to thin the Kroil and get it in the threads a little better. So far I've done about a dozen cycles like this over the last couple of days. The head still won't budge though.


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## din107

LiftdT4R said:


> I made some progress with my Red TM Bezel 6D although I still don't have much hope.
> The trick I found is using Kroil and then heating the light to thin the Kroil and get it in the threads a little better. So far I've done about a dozen cycles like this over the last couple of days. The head still won't budge though.



Kroil is same to WD-40? I think you are on the right way. Kroil and heat. I have tried to heat retaining ring, but I do not have industrial hairdryer.


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## LiftdT4R

Kroil is similar to WD-40 but pretty much an industrial strength version. It's the best I've found for freeing stuck bolts and threads although I plan to give Mr. Fixer's Speedco suggestion a shot for freeing alkaline leaks. Still no luck on removing the head. I'm going to give it one more day and then break out my pipe vice and pipe wrenches. It's a 50-50 shot as to whether that ruins the light or removes the stuck part. Because the threads are the longest on the head I don;t have very high hopes that it will budge.


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## Guitar Guy

Hey all. I haven't been on here for a while, and was just catching up on the Maglite posts I hadn't seen. Dang, I love those C cell Vari Beams ... I hope I can run onto one someday.

Liftd, I'm glad the Kroil is working out. It is amazing stuff. I have a suggestion on that stuck head. It's not rocket science, and you may have already tried it. Find an old hammer with a good hardwood handle and use the side of the handle to rap on it as hard as you can without doing damage, all the way around repeatedly for five minutes or so, then soak in Kroil again. Sometimes it's enough to break the bond just enough to let the Kroil run on through the threads.

JT


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## LiftdT4R

Awesome dude, thanks! I haven't tried that yet but I will give it a shot. I'm going to heat, knock and oil the light for another day or so before calling upon the mechanical gods. Hope everyone is safe with the corona and all. I have all my lights charged in the event of a blackout but other than that it's given me even more incentive to hunker down in my basement and work on some lights I haven't gotten to in a while.


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## LiftdT4R

Well....... I suppose I am partly successful. I did manage to get the light apart but I did a fair bit of damage in doing so. I put it in my pipe vice and used a chain clamp. These are much nicer as they apply force evenly along the light instead of tearing it up like a pipe wrench. After a few days of heat and Kroil I don't think there was any more advantage to be gained there.






Even with the Kroil and heat the head was on extremely tight. There was a lot of alkaline that made it's way down into the head threads.






The big issue I have with this method is that no matter what tape I try it just doesn't have enough friction until the aluminum of the light binds on the steel grips of the clamp or vice. That's what happened here. The light slid in the vice and clamp damaging it. 






My dilemma now is that while the light is perfectly capable of working again and can be repaired it is now in such poor condition that I don't think it is really worth while. I still have about 4 batteries and the switch and retaining ring to remove. Although it's tedious it's not too difficult. I'm thinking I'll likely donate the bezel to my parts box and bin the rest. What say you CPF, restore it or bin it?


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## bykfixer

Polished alluminum would look awesome. Fix it.


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## LiftdT4R

That's not a bad idea. I don't want to remove all of the annodizing but polishing it might blend it in or even it out. Lemme give the old buffing wheel and some Mothers aluminum polish a shot.


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## gurdygurds

Yea man......just get into your best Bob Ross state of mind and see what happens eh? It’s a bit jacked up already so ya just get creative and go with it. Maybe a little Bobba Fett action on there. Just see where the art gods want you to go. Maybe a little Pete Mondrian style? I have full confidence in your abilities sir.


LiftdT4R said:


> That's not a bad idea. I don't want to remove all of the annodizing but polishing it might blend it in or even it out. Lemme give the old buffing wheel and some Mothers aluminum polish a shot.


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## gurdygurds

We gotta see this one through. It’s national awkward moment day. Don’t let this light show you up man! You’re the surgeon and the artist combined. This is your show. 🙌🏼


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## bigburly912

Get ya some leaves and camo that mofo! Go crazy with it.


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## LiftdT4R

Well I got a little more done this weekend. I removed all of the batteries, switch, and retaining ring. This was about the most stubborn retaining ring I've ever run into. I used my method of drilling the dimples out and then breaking it with a punch. I'm surprised I didn't damage the threads doing this because I had to really drive it home to get it out. I always support the opposite end of the light on wood while I'm hammering to remove the batteries or switch/ ring. You can see how tightly the alkaline is packed in the threads in the pic below.








The light is now soaking in vinegar to remove the rest of the scale and alkaline on the inside. I am confident this light will work again because all of the threads cleaned up nicely and it all came apart I'm just not sure how good I can get it to look. Right now it's so rough that I wouldn't display it and I doubt it would find a home. I've been thinking about airbrushing a light for a while in a funky color and I like Big Burly's suggestion for a camo pattern!






Also, I finally received my last new 3C Cell Maglite that was discontinued. I now have models from the last runs with the large Maglite logo. They are shown below and I'll be adding a write up on them on my blog soon.






Anyone have any tips on "sputtering"? Turning SMO reflectors to OP using gloss spray paint? I tried a while back but had no success. It's almost like my spray paint was toot hing because even in small bursts it just all turned clear and the reflector still looked SMO after 12 or so applications. I have some Maglites I want to convert to LED and give to friends so I'd like to sputter the reflectors instead of spending $10 for KAI OP reflectors. The OP makes a world of difference on the Mags and really gets rid of all the imperfections.


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## bykfixer

I used clear kote engine enamel from about 3 feet away. Spritz a fog that falls onto the reflector. Depending on how much spray the can puts out can cause you to adjust distance. Start out with a piece of glass to find the correct distance. 
I did an ML25 reflector from a light I poofed during a torture test and it helped a lot. But I ended up using the slightly diffused acrylite lens from flashlight lens dot com. I think that was about $4 back then. 

I learned that trick while restoring outside trim parts on my Prelude where the textured rubberized coating got brittle and came off. I brushed on an oil base black krylon and let that sun cure for a week between coats then "spritzed" black enamel onto the smooth surface and cured that for a month. It was pretty close to factory looking and matching trim that did not peel. Six years later it looks better than the factory trim parts. 

I tried the spritz thing on a B-Lite reflector but again ended up using an acrylite with a metal halogen upgrade lens from LA Screw. It does help but the diffused lens works better.


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## LiftdT4R

Thanks, I'll give her a shot again. Do you have any pics as to how it came out? Last time I was not 3' away. I think I was too close. In other news I'm prepping the 6D Mag for camo paint. I'm very curious to see how it will come out. Does anyone have any ideas for filling in the stamping with white paint? I want to give it the real factory look.


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## bykfixer

Liftd it was done in like 2016 and I've no idea where the reflectors are now. The pix disappeared in 2017 when 3000 pix disappeared from my phone and unfortunatly I not not backed up in a while. I used to send all pix to a micro sd card and one day it failed. I lost all kinds of stuff. Thousands of pix, hundreds of pdf's all kinds of other stuff. SD cards rarely fail. But they are not fool proof and I found out the hard way.


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## LiftdT4R

Ohh man, that's no fun. I think I was able to get the hang of it. The last time I think I was way too close and the paint just ran down the reflector. This time I followed your advice and stood 3'+ away and let the reflector sit in the mist for a couple seconds. The results were fantastic! 








I then threw it in a 1992 TM Panther Bezel 2D and went for a long walk with my dogs. It threw a nice even light from an old Krypton bulb. Could have been a little brighter but otherwise excellent. I'll be doing my ML25IT shortly and a few others so I can gift them to friends.








I also made a lot of headway with my 6D. I can now get batteries threw it and all the threads are clean. I'm kind of having second thoughts about camo'ing this because the early red lights are so rare and I actually have it looking ok now but I think I will anyway just to experiment. If anyone has any tips for filling in the stamping with white paint def lemme know. I'd like to give it a real factory look when it's all done.


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## fidusinski

Helloplease help with a quote. Is 45 USD a good price?Regards Artur from Poland[URL = https: //www.file-upload.net/download-13987972/IMG_20200408_004838.jpg.html] IMG_20200408_004838.jpg [/ URL]


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## fidusinski

Hello
please help with a quote. Is 45 USD a good price?

Regards Artur from Poland

[URL = https: //www.file-upload.net/download-13987972/IMG_20200408_004838.jpg.html] IMG_20200408_004838.jpg [/ URL]


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## archimedes

No price fishing here please


----------



## LiftdT4R

Well I'm toiling away on my Red TM 6D resto. Hopefully I'll have some pics in a few days. I hit the light with a self etching primer and let it dry for 24 hours but no dice, the primer wasn't dry enough, I peeled it off with my finger nail. I primer'd it again and waited 72 hours and it was decently hardened but still not enough. I have a 3rd shot of primer on it and it looks like after 4 or 5 days the primer will stick enough so that I can start camo'ing the light.

In other news and since it may be a while until I get some paint slapped on my 6D project I recently picked up a small collection from a very interesting fellow in California. They are a NIB Red TM bezel 3D, NIB 7D and his personal light, a professionally engraved 2D. The owner used to own a sporting goods / survival store in California. They are shown them below along with with some ads he passed along for the store from 1981.


----------



## borrower

That 7D is a beaut -- well found! (Hope it didn't cost you a kidney.)

And a couple posts up, you mentioned that "early" red 6d models were rare... where's the line between early and late? (I've got a red one stashed away somewhere. Didn't think much of it, but am now curious.)


----------



## LiftdT4R

Thanks!! I paid about what they normally go for on flea bay. I'm always looking to wheel and deal but some lights I want so much I'll pay a little too much for them. I'm a real sucker for a light with a good story.

The early lights are usually from 1979 to 1986. There weren't many of them made, they had little variety, and there aren't many left so these are the lights most Mag collectors usually want those most. They are most easily identifiable by the bezel (face cap). They have stamping and have a TM after Maglite that looks like this:


----------



## LiftdT4R

Well I'm still waiting on Amazon to deliver my green camo Rustoleum so I can finish off my camo 6D. I'm pretty happy about how it's come out so far. It really looks like the etching primer did its job. I just have to test out some techniques I've researched for filling in the stamping with white paint. 

In the mean time Mag has a small batch of Gold 3D LEDs that popped up on their site so I ordered one. From time to time Mag does a gold finish usually for some sort of special event. I think these are leftovers from VIP giveaways form the last couple years. The last time before this Mag did a gold finish on a full size light was for the intro of the updated, Panther lights in 1992 so these are pretty tough to come by. This particular light is at least 2 years old because it still has the older bezel with the small letter logo. Any way I snagged a couple pics. Of course there's no color code listed on the package.











I've had some other really exciting lights I've come across recently too. I've been super busy at work with this while pandemic going on so I haven't got as much time to post as I would have liked to.


----------



## thermal guy

LiftdT4R said:


> Well I got a little more done this weekend. I removed all of the batteries, switch, and retaining ring. This was about the most stubborn retaining ring I've ever run into. I used my method of drilling the dimples out and then breaking it with a punch. I'm surprised I didn't damage the threads doing this because I had to really drive it home to get it out. I always support the opposite end of the light on wood while I'm hammering to remove the batteries or switch/ ring. You can see how tightly the alkaline is packed in the threads in the pic below.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The light is now soaking in vinegar to remove the rest of the scale and alkaline on the inside. I am confident this light will work again because all of the threads cleaned up nicely and it all came apart I'm just not sure how good I can get it to look. Right now it's so rough that I wouldn't display it and I doubt it would find a home. I've been thinking about airbrushing a light for a while in a funky color and I like Big Burly's suggestion for a camo pattern!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Also, I finally received my last new 3C Cell Maglite that was discontinued. I now have models from the last runs with the large Maglite logo. They are shown below and I'll be adding a write up on them on my blog soon.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Anyone have any tips on "sputtering"? Turning SMO reflectors to OP using gloss spray paint? I tried a while back but had no success. It's almost like my spray paint was toot hing because even in small bursts it just all turned clear and the reflector still looked SMO after 12 or so applications. I have some Maglites I want to convert to LED and give to friends so I'd like to sputter the reflectors instead of spending $10 for KAI OP reflectors. The OP makes a world of difference on the Mags and really gets rid of all the imperfections.




Will that 3-C that twists on/off no switch take a Malkoff C cell Dropin?


----------



## LiftdT4R

thermal guy said:


> Will that 3-C that twists on/off no switch take a Malkoff C cell Dropin?



No, unfortunately not. I tried many ways to convert these to a warm LED but the whole bulb housing cannot be removed without destroying it. The bulb is a bi-pin so it just plugs and unplugs. The hole in the reflector is also very tiny. I have a large cache of NiMH C Cells so I just enjoy the warm incan light it provides.


----------



## thermal guy

Bi pin? Oh hell didn’t know that. Still easy to swap out in the field and no switch to break. Thinking of grabbing one. How are they?


----------



## LiftdT4R

thermal guy said:


> Bi pin? Oh hell didn’t know that. Still easy to swap out in the field and no switch to break. Thinking of grabbing one. How are they?



They're great as long as you know what you're getting into. They aren't really bright, just about 40 lumens if I had to guess, but perfect for a walking light and around the house at night so they don't kill your night vision. The beam is your typical Maglite beam with a lot of imperfections due to the smooth reflector. I did the sputtering technique to make the reflector orange peel and it cleaned up the beam a ton. 











The run time is ok. I think I'm at about the 3 hour mark with fresh NiMHs. The big draw? The nice warm beam of the incan light! I suppose the ML25LT (LED version) makes more sense for most folks but I just did not like the cool white tint. I don't see these lights on Maglite's site anymore so I'm guessing they've been discontinued like the other incan C cell offerings. There are still plenty to be had on Amazon though.


----------



## xxo

It's kinda strange that Mag came out with the incan ML25's so late in the incan game – these would have been great back in the 80's and 90's though.


I was thinking of getting a 2 cell version to make into a blood tracking light running on a couple of protected 18650's or 21700's, but I think it would be a lot easier with standard 2C incan Mag since I could use a 6 cell xenon bulb without melting the ML25 reflector with it's smaller bulb opening and I could use a standard Mag blue filter and anti roll holder. Though the smaller/lighter 2 cell ML25 would be nice!


----------



## fidusinski

Hi

This is my small collection


----------



## Icarus

fidusinski said:


> Hi
> 
> This is my small collection



Not a bad start. :thumbsup:


----------



## LiftdT4R

xxo said:


> It's kinda strange that Mag came out with the incan ML25's so late in the incan game – these would have been great back in the 80's and 90's though.
> 
> 
> I was thinking of getting a 2 cell version to make into a blood tracking light running on a couple of protected 18650's or 21700's, but I think it would be a lot easier with standard 2C incan Mag since I could use a 6 cell xenon bulb without melting the ML25 reflector with it's smaller bulb opening and I could use a standard Mag blue filter and anti roll holder. Though the smaller/lighter 2 cell ML25 would be nice!



Mag always seems to be about 10 years behind the times.  The ML25ITs are nice but I tried a handful of times to mod mine with no luck. They are not serviceable at all but for the $16 or so I've picked them up for I guess I can't complain. I've been spoiled by their regular incans.

I think bykfixer is running a 6 cell of 5 cell bulb with LiIons and I think he's been fine. The plastic reflectors should hold up to most standard bulbs.



fidusinski said:


> Hi
> 
> This is my small collection



Very awesome!! Nice C cells! They are certainly looking like a better investment than the stock market lately.


----------



## double_r76

LiftdT4R said:


> ...In the mean time Mag has a small batch of Gold 3D LEDs that popped up on their site so I ordered one.



Hey LiftdT4R, thanks for the heads up! I also ordered one of the Gold 3D lights.

-Randy


----------



## fidusinski

Thanks for nice words and below my today purchase. 4 D Orange.Greetings from Poland


----------



## Icarus

fidusinski said:


> Thanks for nice words and below my today purchase. 4 D Orange.Greetings from Poland



I think it's not an orange but copper. As far as I know there are only 3D orange Maglites. Copper Mags were made in 2D and 4D.


----------



## fidusinski

thank you for the information. I was sure it was orange. Today I bought it and it looks in the picture 😲


----------



## LiftdT4R

Yup, def copper. Still extremely rare though and very beautiful!!

Well today I found the rarest of rare Maglites. It's 1 of 1 although I may be cheating just a tad because I made it. 

















For those who haven't been following this restoration to end all restorations this light started as a ~1984 Red 6D. I purchased it knowing it needed a ton of work but also that it was pretty rare. It had the batteries sitting in it since the late 80s and was stored upside down so all of the alkaline from the batteries ran down into the switch and head. I hoped to save it and restore at back to its original condition but the light was sooo seized up I nearly ruined it getting it apart. I did manage to disassemble it but I ruined the finish in several spots. I was going to chuck it or use it for parts but bigburly gave me a great idea! Paint it camo! I've been wanting to try to paint a light for a while as I would love to do some cool custom colors so I figured let me use it as a test sort of to hone my skills. 

So........ it looks alright but does it work? 






You betcha!

Getting it working was the easy part. The painting was very difficult. For those who've been following I cleaned the light completely with rubbing alcohol to remove all grit and grime.Then I hit with a self etching primer. That took nearly a week to dry properly. Then I hit it with Rustoleum tan camo. Applied my camo decals and then Rustoelum brown camo, applied more decals and hit it finally with a Rustoleum green camo. The drying team between each coat is about 4 days or so. These aluminum paints take a long time to dry correctly. It came out ok but I certainly have a few lessons learned. They are:

I tried to fill in the Maglite stamping with white paint. I sprayed the primer in a bowl and wiped it on then wiped it off. It's self etching so it really faded the paint on the bezel and was very difficult to get back off. This was really dumb and I forgot about how strong the self etching primer is. I should have used a cheap acrylic paint to fill this in instead.

I should have applied more decals as well. I wasn't sure how it would look and the camo came out pretty sparse.

The paint also leaked a little under the decals. I should have used my heat gun to apply them so they stuck a little better.

Also, here are a few shots of the spots I messed up with the pipe vice. The paint is fairly thick so it covered them ok. Unless you're looking really close they're hard to see. I was hit some of the higher spots with a die grinder before applying the self etching primer.











And for those who haven't followed this is the light originally.











Hope y'all enjoyed my quarantine project. If you have any paint ideas for another one I think I'm going to a C cell next. Thanks for tuning in!!


----------



## fidusinski

LiftdT4R said:


> Yup, def copper. Still extremely rare though and very beautiful



Thank you 👍

P.s. Your camouflage maglite are beautiful too. Really nice looking !


----------



## Grijon

That is AWESOME!! Thank you for sharing!


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## Crumbly

Great job on that restoration LiftdT4R the camo paint came out really good:twothumbs


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## xxo

Really Nice work! It's hard to tell that it didn't come that way from the factory. Kinda reminds me of the old woodland camo Mini Mags from back in the day.


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## LiftdT4R

Thanks!! I have a few spots I'm going to try to touch up especially by the head and a few lessons learned I'll try on my next one. I still have plenty of paint left so I think I'm going to go for an old 3C I have laying around.


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## ZMZ67

I thought when I saw the first picture it was factory as well! Very nice!


----------



## fidusinski

as always, I am asking for help. I bought on German eBay Maglite 3D. Is this also copper? 😃 I have a problem with these colors, and I know there is another color that looks similar. I am still waiting for the flashlight.


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## Icarus

fidusinski said:


> as always, I am asking for help. I bought on German eBay Maglite 3D. Is this also copper?  I have a problem with these colors, and I know there is another color that looks similar. I am still waiting for the flashlight.



Yes, it's a copper 2D (and not easy to find nowadays).


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## Crumbly

I recently picked up this Victory 3D Maglite Racing with small Nascar lettering on it. I thought that Maglite originally produced the Victory maglite with Maglite Racing and a small car on it, then changed and finally dropped the car due to production issues. Then once they were licensed by nascar changed to the Nascar logo instead of Maglite Racing, this light would fit in between those two. I had never seen this version of the Victory light before.




Here it is with other Victory lights.




And some more shots with other Nascar lights.


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## aginthelaw

Where do you find those, crumbly


----------



## Crumbly

A lot of them are from everyone’s favourite auction site. Some are from an ex mag employee. They have taken a while to collect. Once in a while something pops up that you haven’t seen before even though it’s over 20 years old.


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## LiftdT4R

Very awesome lights!! The older Nascar Mags had die cut stickers and are extremely rare now. They switched over to a printed light with a process they call Duarprint. I'm not familiar with it but believe it's like a screen printing. The die cut stickers only worked well over hard annodizing so it gave them a really cool look!


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## fidusinski

hello

huge request for help in identifying whether it is Lime Grenn or plain green. In my opinion lime green Greetings Artur


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## Icarus

fidusinski said:


> hello
> 
> huge request for help in identifying whether it is Lime Grenn or plain green. In my opinion lime green Greetings Artur



Lime Green Maglite 3D.


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## fidusinski

Thank You Friend ! ! 🍻


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## LiftdT4R

That's really hard to tell without better lighting. I bought a light that looked just like this on eBay and it tuned out to be Standard Green. The Lime Green lights are typically much brighter.


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## fidusinski

that's what I'm afraid of. I hope it will be lime green. When it comes, praise the pictures.
Thanks for your help


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## Icarus

LiftdT4R said:


> That's really hard to tell without better lighting. I bought a light that looked just like this on eBay and it tuned out to be Standard Green. The Lime Green lights are typically much brighter.



I agree that it is sometimes difficult to see whether it is dark green, lime green or jade green. Same problem with pewter, grey and silver. However in this case I still think it is a lime green 3D. Time will tell I guess and if it's not it's not the end of the world. 

The light at the bottom is one of my own 3D's but also in not such great light conditions.


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## fidusinski

Icarus, LiftdT4R - thanks a lot 🙂


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## LiftdT4R

Icarus said:


> I agree that it is sometimes difficult to see whether it is dark green, lime green or jade green. Same problem with pewter, grey and silver. However in this case I still think it is a lime green 3D. Time will tell I guess and if it's not it's not the end of the world.
> 
> The light at the bottom is one of my own 3D's but also in not such great light conditions.



Those pics look more like Lime Green. Must be better lighting. half the fun is a gamble on a light! Either way you have a solid Mag!!

Has anyone seen the 7D Vari-Beam on everyone's favorite auction site? 1 day in and we're already near $700. I tapped out already. This is not a regular production model, it's a one-off for someone special. The light is personally laser etched Don Meller. Very similar to Don Keller but it's not. I have a light that's extremely rare that's laser etched with Don Meller's name also. He recently passed and I picked it up through an estate seller. I did not see this light in the lot that was previously for sale. Someone must have knew it was special and snagged it. Unfortunately, the estate seller did not get any info about Don. The only thing I know is he lived in Temple City, CA for many years, very close to Mag's headquarters so I'm assuming he worked at Mag and was likely an early employee. The laser etched personalization on this light and mine certainly were done later on as Mag didn't start laser etching lights until the late 80s and this light in a Paten Pending 7D from the early 1980. The light I bought is from the early 80s as well. This tells me Don was likely a long time employee and returned the lights to be personalized at a later date. Anyway, here's a couple pics:












The prices on some of these lights appear to have gotten crazy in the last couple years. When I started collecting about 12 years back I could pick up C cell Vari-Beams in the $30 to $40 range now they'll almost never go for less than $100. Same with other rare lights. They were $10 or $15 and I was the only bidder. This will be the most expensive Mag I've seen sold. I'd be willing to be it goes for over $1,000. It's bittersweet. I'm glad more people are interested in the hobby and appreciate these awesome lights. I'm also sad because I can't afford awesome lights like this. I more so go for the fixxer uppers now. I paid $40 for the Red TM 6D I bought bidding against someone. It was pretty well seized up and I couldn't even restore it to new but it still made a fun project! I'd be very curious to see what some of these classics sell for in another 10 years. I'm interested to see if they go as high as the Surefires and Kel-Lites.


----------



## Icarus

I saw it and saved this picture too.  Crazy price already.


----------



## Grijon

For the last week I have been getting 2-4 bulb-hours a day on my run of the mill incan Mags, and enjoying them very much; this thread lets me enjoy them even more.


----------



## LiftdT4R

Icarus said:


> I saw it and saved this picture too.  Crazy price already.



At these prices If I ever sell maybe I'll be able to put at least one of my kids through college!



Grijon said:


> For the last week I have been getting 2-4 bulb-hours a day on my run of the mill incan Mags, and enjoying them very much; this thread lets me enjoy them even more.



They are awesome. I've found that doing the "sputtering" technique with the reflector really cleans up the beam and I find I enjoy using them even more. I did this on a 1984 Mini Mag recently and while its run time is only around 2 hours I use it daily!











Let's see some more of those daily user Incan Mags!


----------



## xxo

LiftdT4R said:


> Those pics look more like Lime Green. Must be better lighting. half the fun is a gamble on a light! Either way you have a solid Mag!!
> 
> Has anyone seen the 7D Vari-Beam on everyone's favorite auction site? 1 day in and we're already near $700. I tapped out already. This is not a regular production model, it's a one-off for someone special. The light is personally laser etched Don Meller. Very similar to Don Keller but it's not. I have a light that's extremely rare that's laser etched with Don Meller's name also. He recently passed and I picked it up through an estate seller. I did not see this light in the lot that was previously for sale. Someone must have knew it was special and snagged it. Unfortunately, the estate seller did not get any info about Don. The only thing I know is he lived in Temple City, CA for many years, very close to Mag's headquarters so I'm assuming he worked at Mag and was likely an early employee. The laser etched personalization on this light and mine certainly were done later on as Mag didn't start laser etching lights until the late 80s and this light in a Paten Pending 7D from the early 1980. The light I bought is from the early 80s as well. This tells me Don was likely a long time employee and returned the lights to be personalized at a later date. Anyway, here's a couple pics:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The prices on some of these lights appear to have gotten crazy in the last couple years. When I started collecting about 12 years back I could pick up C cell Vari-Beams in the $30 to $40 range now they'll almost never go for less than $100. Same with other rare lights. They were $10 or $15 and I was the only bidder. This will be the most expensive Mag I've seen sold. I'd be willing to be it goes for over $1,000. It's bittersweet. I'm glad more people are interested in the hobby and appreciate these awesome lights. I'm also sad because I can't afford awesome lights like this. I more so go for the fixxer uppers now. I paid $40 for the Red TM 6D I bought bidding against someone. It was pretty well seized up and I couldn't even restore it to new but it still made a fun project! I'd be very curious to see what some of these classics sell for in another 10 years. I'm interested to see if they go as high as the Surefires and Kel-Lites.



Crazy prices, but it's good to see that there serious Mag collectors out there. Also looks like the battery corrosion inside is not effecting the price too much.....kinda cool that at one time the light was a user.


I wonder if Don Meller could have been a salesman and these lights might have been some of his sales samples?


----------



## bykfixer

Tony mighta hooked him up with it for a retirement gift. 

My pop used to be a machinist at a place that made drive shafts bumpers and other stuff for auto makers. When he retired they gave him a gold Hamilton watch and an alluminum bumper made when the place first made them. He had programmed the CNC that cut the shaping. 

Could be?


----------



## LiftdT4R

Both theories are very valid! Because the owner was so close to Mag's factory he must have had some kind of special association with Mag or Tony. Th estate seller didn't know anything and I googled around a bunch but couldn't turn up anything.

Since there is so much interest in the 7D Vari-Beam here is the light I purchased from the estate of Don Meller. It is a very rare TM bezel (1981 to 1986) blue 4C. It is one of only a couple TM bezel C Cells I've seen in different finishes. 






The personalization is also laser etched so it must have been done at a later date. The light is unused and ever appears to have had batteries in it. I tried it out and it works perfect. There was also a Silver 3C with the "prototype" store-bulb end cap for sale as well but I declined to purchase it since I already have one. It was personalized too in the same way.

Blue TM bezel C cells do appear to have been manufactured for sale as they are listed in this old Mag insert. These early C cells are so rare because they weren't very popular sellers so if in fact a Blue 2C and 3C were produced you'd almost never see them. This is the first TM bezel, first gen blue C cell I've seen in ~15 years of collecting.


----------



## fidusinski

my new purchase. I hope it's orange, not copper 🙂


----------



## LiftdT4R

You got it!!! Very nice, the orange lights are super rare!! Interestingly enough the color code on the label is CZ which is Lime Green. No biggie tho, the labels are very often incorrect. Th actual color code for Orange is AU. AU to me would be Gold as that's the chemical symbol for it. I've also heard the orange called amber so that might make more sense. On the actual Gold light I've never seen a color code, likely because they were done as special runs and weren't sold for regular retail.

If you don't mind me asking where did ya pick up a NIB Orange 3D? There can't be very many left around!


----------



## fidusinski

Hello Friend
I am very happy that I was able to get it so quickly.

the markings on the box have worried me for a while.

As for the place of purchase, I bought it on an advertising site in Germany (ebay Kleinanzeige). There was quite a lot of interest, because the seller wrote to me that 4 people made a request. I was the first 🙂

thanks again for your help 🙂


----------



## Icarus

Mini Maglite AA handlebar holder. I purchased them new in a local Maglite shop in the early nineties. I've never seen them on the internet but have a Maglite catalog mentioning them. They are perfect for fixing the Mini Maglite on the handlebar of a bicycle. When new I used them with the stock incandescent bulbs. Later I used a triple 5mm LED drop-in module from Nite-Ize. I'm still using the holders today but the Mini Magites are updated. Both got an XP-E2 LED. The stock one is using a SOB917 driver (2x 14500) from The Shoppe. The short one is using a highly user configurable LED4Power driver (1x 14500) and selfmade tailcap switch.


----------



## xxo

Icarus said:


> Mini Maglite AA handlebar holder. I purchased them new in a local Maglite shop in the early nineties. I've never seen them on the internet but have a Maglite catalog mentioning them. They are perfect for fixing the Mini Maglite on the handlebar of a bicycle. When new I used them with the stock incandescent bulbs. Later I used a triple 5mm LED drop-in module from Nite-Ize. I'm still using the holders today but the Mini Magites are updated. Both got an XP-E2 LED. The stock one is using a SOB917 driver (2x 14500) from The Shoppe. The short one is using a highly user configurable LED4Power driver (1x 14500) and selfmade tailcap switch.



Cool! Never saw those, but they look like they are a good idea......I wonder why Mag didn't market them more widely. Come to think of it, Mag was never all that big on Min Mag accessories beyond the usual holsters, wall mounting brackets, anti-roll rings/colored lens, lanyards and such. Seems like Mag left much of the accessories to others in the aftermarket like Nite Ize.


----------



## Icarus

Here is another picture. Same handlebar holders and same Mini Maglites AA. However, the full size Mini Maglite now has a Terralux TCS-1 Tailcap Switch. The cut down Mini Maglite got a stainless steel face cap from cpf member download.


----------



## LiftdT4R

Very awesome!! Do you have any info on the drivers and LEDs? Did you build them yourself? I've been looking for a good setup to do a restomod on a handful of Mini Mags I have.


----------



## Icarus

LiftdT4R said:


> Very awesome!! Do you have any info on the drivers and LEDs? Did you build them yourself? I've been looking for a good setup to do a restomod on a handful of Mini Mags I have.



I modified many MiniMag's (and many other flashlights including Mag C & D's as well, try the link in my signature line to get an idea). Most kind of my MiniMag mods were posted, some so long ago that only 'old' members remembers them. :naughty: Start here (link to the MinMag in the picture above). From there you can jump to my other MiniMag builds except those with the LED4Power driver because they are more recent and due to lack of interest I stopped posting 4 years ago. However I'm still working on lights as much as time allows me.


----------



## Icarus

Here is another MiniMag build that I never posted. It's using an XP-E2 and LED4Power driver. Mostly I prefer an XP-E2 LED for my MiniMag's because they throw much better than the XP-G LEDs but still have a good spill. And... I'm mostly building 'useful' lights. This means I'm not chasing for the most lumens and the highest currents although there are exceptions.


----------



## hsa

That gold and grey one is beautifull. I like them all though. Good job.


----------



## Grijon

Icarus, does this mean you are capable of putting warm LEDs into modern Mags? I don’t use my LED models at all because of their hideous cold blue light, and have often wondered how our community doesn’t have a solution


----------



## Icarus

Grijon said:


> Icarus, does this mean you are capable of putting warm LEDs into modern Mags? I don’t use my LED models at all because of their hideous cold blue light, and have often wondered how our community doesn’t have a solution



I started modifying Maglites since I became a member of this forum (which is quite some time ago  ) but never took apart a modern LED Maglite simply because I don’t own one. This might sound strange but I’m a collector of Maglites of the 1st​ and 2nd​ generation only and the older Maglites and some custom offerings from the past based on them are perfect hosts for whatever flashlight one might need/want/can dream of. In other words, I didn’t feel the need yet to buy a newer LED Maglite to modify it. This being said I probably soon or later will because I’m a big fan of Maglite. I do own and modified a few Chinese lights too but, in my opinion, nothing can beat Maglite as a modding platform. Plenty of choices of formats and colours and nearly indestructible. My first big Maglite was a 4D. One day when I was working outside in the night, I lost it. The next day I found it back pushed into the soil because I ran over it with my tractor. :naughty: Except from some scratches no damage at all. 

Regarding your question, I think whatever was put together can be disassembled so I don’t see why the LED in a modern Maglite can’t be swapped for another one. Since you said ‘our community hasn’t a solution’ for it, what’s the problem then? Taking the light apart? I would think desoldering the old LED and putting a new in place couldn’t be so difficult or am I missing something? :thinking:


----------



## xxo

The 3rd​ gen Mags are worthy successors to the old Mags and way better than Chinese lights when it comes to value, practical performance and build quality. The 3rd​ gen electronic switches, superior heat sinking, programmable function sets and improved quick focus are really nice. Probably not as modable as the old Mags, but I am sure it could be done.



BTW here's Old Lumens tear down of the 3rd​ gen Mags:


----------



## bykfixer

I really like the new 2c version. I just twist the tail cap a quarter turn to cut power to the electronic switch.


----------



## turbodog

LiftdT4R said:


> You got it!!! Very nice, the orange lights are super rare!! Interestingly enough the color code on the label is CZ which is Lime Green. No biggie tho, the labels are very often incorrect. Th actual color code for Orange is AU. AU to me would be Gold as that's the chemical symbol for it. I've also heard the orange called amber so that might make more sense. On the actual Gold light I've never seen a color code, likely because they were done as special runs and weren't sold for regular retail.
> 
> If you don't mind me asking where did ya pick up a NIB Orange 3D? There can't be very many left around!



See first post here for color codes.

https://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?191923-AA-MiniMag-Collection-Part-4


----------



## LiftdT4R

turbodog said:


> See first post here for color codes.
> 
> https://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?191923-AA-MiniMag-Collection-Part-4



Thanks!! I've seen that before but I must have missed the Gold. I see that it's 04. That is very interesting. I have to dig through my NOS lights because I'm pretty sure I have a gold full size light somewhere that says 04 for the color code. The rest are spot on with what I have.

I've been wanting to build a drop i like this for my ML25s and Mini Mags. Something low profile an bi-pin but where I can pick the LED and use the rest of the stock components. These are for sale on Amazon and I've been half tempted to pick one up and change the LED but I doubt I'd be successful. I was hoping KAI Domain might sell the individual components but no luck yet.


----------



## Icarus

LiftdT4R said:


> I've been wanting to build a drop i like this for my ML25s and Mini Mags. Something low profile an bi-pin but where I can pick the LED and use the rest of the stock components. These are for sale on Amazon and I've been half tempted to pick one up and change the LED but I doubt I'd be successful. I was hoping KAI Domain might sell the individual components but no luck yet.



I just sent you a message about these drop-in's. They exist for the Solitaire/AAA and AA Mini Maglites. I bought both for my Maglite collection. For practical use they are not worth the money. Being a drop-in is their only advantage. The beam is horrible. Definitely not comparable with the mods you can see in my AA Mini Maglite mods. The reason is simple 1) they still use the stock Maglite reflector which is designed for incandescent bulbs 2) if you look carefully the die of the LED is not in the centre. On top of that they are not bright and have zero heatsinking. Also forget about taking them apart. It is simply not possible.


----------



## Icarus

xxo said:


> The 3rd​ gen Mags are worthy successors to the old Mags and way better than Chinese lights when it comes to value, practical performance and build quality. The 3rd​ gen electronic switches, superior heat sinking, programmable function sets and improved quick focus are really nice. Probably not as modable as the old Mags, but I am sure it could be done.
> 
> BTW here's Old Lumens tear down of the 3rd​ gen Mags:




Thanks for posting. It’s in interesting video. I knew old lumens and have been watching other videos from him before but never this one. For the markets Maglite is focusing on the 3rd​ gen Maglites seem a big step forward. I think this was urgently needed to keep them in business because they must get a lot of competition from other brands. After watching this video I’m even more convinced the 2nd​ gen Maglites have the most potential for modding.


----------



## Icarus

Grijon said:


> Icarus, does this mean you are capable of putting warm LEDs into modern Mags? I don’t use my LED models at all because of their hideous cold blue light, and have often wondered how our community doesn’t have a solution



After watching Old Lumens video, I would say it all depends on if the LED assembly can be taken apart to remove the old LED and put another one in place. Old Lumens didn’t say anything about this and since I don’t own a 3rd​ gen Maglite I don’t know.


----------



## xxo

Icarus said:


> Thanks for posting. It’s in interesting video. I knew old lumens and have been watching other videos from him before but never this one. For the markets Maglite is focusing on the 3rd​ gen Maglites seem a big step forward. I think this was urgently needed to keep them in business because they must get a lot of competition from other brands. After watching this video I’m even more convinced the 2nd​ gen Maglites have the most potential for modding.



I guess few people would want to mod a 3rd​ gen Mag (now known as the ML300) aside form changing the LED/tint. For regular folks, the ML300 is pretty good without any modification.....the tint maybe cool, but it's not too bad and the beam pattern is much better than the old incan Mags.


I would think that changing the LED on a 2 nd gen Mag (DL serial prefix lights with permanently mounted LED modules) would be similar to changing out a 3 rd gen since they use similar modules?


----------



## Icarus

xxo said:


> I would think that changing the LED on a 2 nd gen Mag (DL serial prefix lights with permanently mounted LED modules) would be similar to changing out a 3 rd gen since they use similar modules?



It might be but I can't confirm this because I only have incandescent 2nd gen Maglites. According to the Old Lumens' video it seems difficult to get the LED assembly out. He said the LED assembly is press fit into a metal ring which on his turn is press fit into the body. It seems quite a time consuming adventure to swap the LED. This might be the reason why people hesitate to do it.


----------



## xxo

OK, I was thinking of the 2nd​ gen LED Mags with the fixed LED module, DL serials and modified LED reflectors. The first gen were same as the D serial incan Mags except for the removable PR based LED drop in fact they came with incan bulbs in the tail caps. 

I have never taken my 3rd​ gen/ML300 apart, but it dose look like it's a pain to get the press fitting out.....I wounder if it would be possible to change the LED while still in the light? From the looks of it, I doubt it would be easy.


----------



## borrower

xxo said:


> Crazy prices, but it's good to see that there serious Mag collectors out there. Also looks like the battery corrosion inside is not effecting the price too much.....kinda cool that at one time the light was a user.
> 
> 
> I wonder if Don Meller could have been a salesman and these lights might have been some of his sales samples?




Ermagawd. Since the 'bay seems to flush records of old sales out rather quickly, I'm happy/fascinated/shocked to report that the closing price on this was $2,075. Plus shipping. Seriously.


----------



## LiftdT4R

borrower said:


> Ermagawd. Since the 'bay seems to flush records of old sales out rather quickly, I'm happy/fascinated/shocked to report that the closing price on this was $2,075. Plus shipping. Seriously.



Crazy money! Seems there were 3 people that really really wanted it. That is far and away the most I've ever seen a Maglite go for. You're into Surefire money there. Of course that is probably a 1 of 1 light with the most desirable things going for it, a Vari-Beam and a 7D. Both fetch the highest prices. I'm always curious to see who buys these because I only know of a handful of Mag collectors and none of them said they were bidding on it. It seems a lot of these lights go into a black hole. I've heard rumors that there are foreign collectors from Asian that buy these up but those are only rumors.


----------



## Icarus

LiftdT4R said:


> Crazy money! Seems there were 3 people that really really wanted it. That is far and away the most I've ever seen a Maglite go for. You're into Surefire money there. Of course that is probably a 1 of 1 light with the most desirable things going for it, a Vari-Beam and a 7D. Both fetch the highest prices. I'm always curious to see who buys these because I only know of a handful of Mag collectors and none of them said they were bidding on it. It seems a lot of these lights go into a black hole. I've heard rumors that there are foreign collectors from Asian that buy these up but those are only rumors.



I've been following the sale of this Vari-Beam 7D too. I was shocked to see it sold for such an insane price. And then to know the inside is badly corroded.


----------



## LiftdT4R

Icarus said:


> I've been following the sale of this Vari-Beam 7D too. I was shocked to see it sold for such an insane price. And then to know the inside is badly corroded.



I didn't see where the seller mentioned if the light was working or not. For that kind of $$$ I'd like to see a photo of it lit up or at least some confirmation that it worked. They are generally an easy fix if you've been in them once or twice but for someone who hasn't it can be baffling.


----------



## borrower

LiftdT4R said:


> Crazy money! Seems there were 3 people that really really wanted it. That is far and away the most I've ever seen a Maglite go for. You're into Surefire money there. Of course that is probably a 1 of 1 light with the most desirable things going for it, a Vari-Beam and a 7D. Both fetch the highest prices. I'm always curious to see who buys these because I only know of a handful of Mag collectors and none of them said they were bidding on it. It seems a lot of these lights go into a black hole. I've heard rumors that there are foreign collectors from Asian that buy these up but those are only rumors.



For what it's worth, the last 7c mag I sold on ebay went to a Japanese address.


----------



## Jeritall

For "old times" sake and in that it only cost $1, I bought an early 2 c Maglite at a yard sale. The good news. it has a Malkoff 2c drop-in and a glass lens installed. The bad news. There's a battery stuck in it, and I can't budge it. The battery has a red plastic covering, so I believe its probably a 26500. How do I get the battery out? The bezel marked Onterio, California, and the barrel is stamped "patented made in U.S.A..Is it worth saving?


----------



## LiftdT4R

Score!! If there is a lithium ion battery in there be careful while removing it! If it's punctured it will ignite. Do you have a pic of the light? Is it black? If so it's probably not worth a lot of money and may not be work saving. The Malkoffs are awesome and if it was a D cell you could get good money for it but the C cells aren't very popular.

There probably isn't an easy way to get the battery out with doing a lot of work to the light. If it's corroded you'll likely have to break up the switch and then drill it out (don't do that if it's a lithium ion) or drive it out with a wooden dowel.

Bets of luck and be sure to share some pics if ya can!


----------



## Jeritall

Whoa.. Thank you for heads up. I was getting ready to drill it out And I'm pretty certain it's a lithium ion battery. Today I'm going to try WD 40.


----------



## xxo

Nice find!


You might be able to loosen the cell by removing the head and tail cap and smacking the tail end of the light barrel straight down onto a piece of scrap wood using inertia (the same way a bullet puller works) but if it is a 26650, I wouldn't mess with it too much. Looks like there might be two 26650's in there.


----------



## LiftdT4R

Nice light! It's either silver or grey which is one of the more uncommon finishes for the C cells. I agree with xxo! It doesn't look corroded, looks like a Li Ion cell and if so it should break loose with a little tapping. If you're handy you can likely check to see if there's any voltage with a multimeter. If both cells together are above 3V ithey are likely Li Ions. If below it's hard to tell.

I see the Malkoff is only a 2C though which means it is made to operate at most 3.3V as it uses a boost driver. If in fact the PO did run it with 2 Li Ions it's probably toast as that is well over 8V worth of cells.

Don't destroy it or throw it away though if ya get fed up with it lemme know and I'll make ya a fair offer or trade.


----------



## Icarus

Jeritall said:


> Whoa.. Thank you for heads up. I was getting ready to drill it out And I'm pretty certain it's a lithium ion battery. Today I'm going to try WD 40.



Looking at this picture I can assure you that the cell in your Maglite 2C definitely is NOT an AW 2300mAh 26500 IMR cell simply because 1) those cells don't fit a stock 2C and 2) the bottom of AW cells looks different. It also isn't a red Efest 3000mAh Li-Mn 26500 cell. Those do fit a stock 2C but their bottom also looks different. I'm still using some of both the AW and the Efest cells and compared their bottom to the cell in your 2C. 

I also don't know about a letter-serial silver Maglite 2C so I think your light must be a gray one.


----------



## Icarus

xxo said:


> Nice find!
> 
> 
> You might be able to loosen the cell by removing the head and tail cap and smacking the tail end of the light barrel straight down onto a piece of scrap wood using inertia (the same way a bullet puller works) but if it is a 26650, I wouldn't mess with it too much. Looks like there might be two 26650's in there.



Two 26650 cells lengthwise don't fit a Maglite 2C.


----------



## bykfixer

Looks a lot like a rechargeable. But could be old Radio Shack batteries. Yet they usually leak at the bottom. 

A rubber mallet might be worth a try.


----------



## Jeritall

TADA !

Thanks for the suggestions. I used a bit of each one. That battery is scary. Thankfully there was just one.


----------



## Icarus

Good to see you got that sucker out. Looking at your last picture this cell looks like it IS an AW 26500 cell. I didn’t expect this since the bottom of my AW cells look different and don’t fit a Gray 2C (I checked this again before posting yesterday). Probably there is some variation in the diameter (and bottom) of these cells. I know the inside diameter of different colours of Mag 2C's vary slightly. Maybe this is also true for lights of the same colour. The cell in your last picture doesn't show any leaking. I think the previous owner just pushed that cell in and gave up when it got stuck. That also would explain why you found only one cell. Did you measure its voltage? If it measures 2.8V or higher I would recharge and re-wrap it.


----------



## LiftdT4R

Craziness! The Malkoff is likely still good too since the PO didn't run it. The letter serial Cs have a thinner wall and a greater ID. I could almost get a 26500 cell in mine but I would have run into the same issue as the PO of your light.


----------



## bykfixer

Good deal. 

Now go grab a 6 pack of Rayovacs, stick a pair in and see what happens. If it works get ya some eneloops with C cell adapters and enjoy that Maglite.


----------



## xxo

Glad you got the cell out!

Should run good on AA Eneloops as Bykfixer suggested.


----------



## Icarus

Why not using C size NiMh cells? Then no adapters needed. They have more capacity as well.


----------



## xxo

Icarus said:


> Why not using C size NiMh cells? Then no adapters needed. They have more capacity as well.



More capacity, but they cost more, weigh more, need a charger that handles C cells and they are not as high as quality as Japanese Eneloops (higher self discharge, shorter life span), but they're good if you need the extra run time.


Since I have been 3D printing adapters for 18650's and 21700's for 2 and 3C ML25 and ML50 LED Mags, I prefer the Li-ions because they often have as high or higher Watt hours and there is only one cell to charge instead of 2 or 3....plus they are lighter weight as well.


----------



## Jeritall

Dropped in a pair of Duracells, tightened down the Malkoff, pushed the button... It works!

I found out that IMR 26500 batteries are widely used as the power source in vaping machines. The PO who tried to jam that flat top battery into pretty nice Mag, must have been smoking something.


----------



## LiftdT4R

Very awesome!! Sweet sweet find especially for the price!! Congrats and enjoy!


----------



## bykfixer

Get those DuraLeaks out 
NOW……


----------



## bykfixer

Maglite has a Popular Mechanics edition 4D ML300 out. 

$89.85? I'll pass.


----------



## Monocrom

bykfixer said:


> Maglite has a Popular Mechanics edition 4D ML300 out.
> 
> $89.85? I'll pass.



Ouch! Yeah, that's a bit painful on the old wallet right there.


----------



## Jeritall

Tell me about "Duraleaks".


----------



## Icarus

Jeritall said:


> Tell me about "Duraleaks".



When nearly depleted they ALWAYS leak.


----------



## xxo

Icarus said:


> When nearly depleted they ALWAYS leak.




They don't have to be depleted to leak - I just found one leaking in a factory sealed package with 5 years to go before it expires.


----------



## xxo

bykfixer said:


> Maglite has a Popular Mechanics edition 4D ML300 out.
> 
> $89.85? I'll pass.




I wonder why the 4D ML300's cost so much more than 3D ML300's?


----------



## bykfixer

Something about Duracells in a Maglite ends up with a stuck battery. Energizers are better but they leak often enough for me to avoid those too. My experience with Rayovacs has been good. Out of hundreds I've only had one leak and it was about 10 years past the expire date. 

I like eneloops if the light is used mainly for short periods. Imedions cost more but if long periods of run time is needed they pay for themselves in time. A pair with a NiteCore set me back about $60 ($35 for the batteries) 4 years ago. But they are the only batteries that light used so far and the D4 gets used for other batteries too. And I would have spent at least $35 on batteries for that light by now.


----------



## Icarus

A few days ago I received a very nice early AAA Mini Maglite. It's in as good as new condition. The bezel looks different from the later versions. 
It has no Panther logo and unlike the newer lights it has the stacked "MAG INSTRUMENT MFG IN ONTARIO CA" text.


----------



## bykfixer

That's an oldy Icarus. Good score. 
(I have a couple of Solitaires with stacked lettering.)

Lift'd can probably elaborate more on the vintage.


----------



## Icarus

bykfixer said:


> That's an oldy Icarus. Good score.
> (I have a couple of Solitaires with stacked lettering.)
> 
> Lift'd can probably elaborate more on the vintage.



It's the first time I see one in person. They must be rare here (in Europe).
Did you post a picture of your Solitaires already?


----------



## bykfixer

A few years back. I have them packed away now. One I have was a Camel cigarettes promo. Another is a plain black one. See post 352 in this thread for a few rare solitaires. 





The Camel one and a newer Nike promo one


----------



## Icarus

bykfixer said:


> A few years back. I have them packed away now. One I have was a Camel cigarettes promo. Another is a plain black one. See post 352 in this thread for a few rare solitaires.



I went to look at your Solitaires. Wow, yery nice. :thumbsup: :thanks:


----------



## xxo

A brief Fox business interview with Tony Maglica - at 89 he is still working 6 days per week:



https://www.foxbusiness.com/business-leaders/iconic-flashlight-maglite-american-success-story




Tony says at one time he was selling 150,000 Maglites per day!


----------



## Jeritall

bykfixer said:


> Get those DuraLeaks out
> NOW……








Better?


----------



## Icarus

Much better! :thumbsup:


----------



## bykfixer

Much better


Future collectables:
This years National Law Enforcement Memorial lights
I bought the 2aaa minimag and the solitaire version. 






The aaa minimag






The Solitaire


----------



## xxo

Those look good Bykfixer.

Found a vid from John Maglica about the project:


----------



## xxo

Jeritall said:


> Better?






Yes, much better - now you have cells that won't leak or get stuck plus they're rechargeable!


----------



## Icarus

I've always been a LED guy  but still have two ROP (Roar Of the Pelican) hotwire incandescent Maglites. 
Both have a Borofloat lens and metal reflector and are using the Pelican 3854H bulb. 
The Blue 2C (officially purple but it really looks blue :shrug: ) is using 2x 18650 cells.
The Black 2D has a Fivemega 2" deep reflector. Originally ran off 6s/2p AA NiMh's but now got 2x 26650 cells.


----------



## LiftdT4R

Thanks for the videos xxo, very interesting!! I've e-mailed and mailed Tony a couple of times but never got a response. I did not know his eldest son was in the business now. Very cool. Even cooler that with all that money he worked as a regular old law enforcement officer! I did get a very nice e-mail from Mag's VP of Marketing a couple years back though. he was very complimentary of my blog which kid of surprised me because Mag usually does not like to have much of their info out there.

Icarus, very nice lights. I've never had an ROP light because I didn't get on here until well after the modding wrapped up but I've always wanted to try one. I've heard they're legendary. I know I owe you an e-mail too. I've been swamped at work lately.


----------



## xxo

LiftdT4R said:


> Thanks for the videos xxo, very interesting!! I've e-mailed and mailed Tony a couple of times but never got a response. I did not know his eldest son was in the business now. Very cool. Even cooler that with all that money he worked as a regular old law enforcement officer! I did get a very nice e-mail from Mag's VP of Marketing a couple years back though. he was very complimentary of my blog which kid of surprised me because Mag usually does not like to have much of their info out there.
> 
> Icarus, very nice lights. I've never had an ROP light because I didn't get on here until well after the modding wrapped up but I've always wanted to try one. I've heard they're legendary. I know I owe you an e-mail too. I've been swamped at work lately.



Your site is pretty cool, I am sure Maglite sees the good publicity it generates!


----------



## Icarus

LiftdT4R said:


> Icarus, very nice lights. I've never had an ROP light because I didn't get on here until well after the modding wrapped up but I've always wanted to try one. I've heard they're legendary. I know I owe you an e-mail too. I've been swamped at work lately.



They are powerful and very easy to make. You can hardly call it a mod. One just need the 3854H bulb, a Borofloat lens and 2x 18650/26650 cells.


----------



## bykfixer

The ROP must have been a super duper thing to behold at first. 1000 lumens from a 2C maglite that ordinarily put out what, 20? 25 with new a brand new one?

The super duper ROP light did involve some modification. A custom delrin sleeve, upgraded switch and the tailcap was modified with a copper ribbon and much smaller spring to allow batteries to sink into the tailcap as two 18650's stick out beyond the body. There was also some with a spacer added between the body and tailcap to make even more room for batteries.





Here's one that turns off light sensing porch lights from 100' away. 





The tailcap mod. 





The custom sleeve





The batteries sticking out. 

When the on switch is clicked you can almost hear it hum with 20amp batteries.
Before the kadomain reflectors came along you had to have the reflector custom made by folks like the Sandwich Shop. I scored this one already built for a lot less than it would cost to build. Finding Pelican Big D halogen bulbs was the hardest part. Pretty scarce these days. 

I think fivemega still has some bulbs that get pretty bright though.


----------



## Icarus

bykfixer said:


> The ROP must have been a super duper thing to behold at first. 1000 lumens from a 2C maglite that ordinarily put out what, 20? 25 with new a brand new one?
> 
> The super duper ROP light did involve some modification. A custom delrin sleeve, upgraded switch and the tailcap was modified with a copper ribbon and much smaller spring to allow batteries to sink into the tailcap as two 18650's stick out beyond the body. There was also some with a spacer added between the body and tailcap to make even more room for batteries.
> 
> 
> Here's one that turns off light sensing porch lights from 100' away.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The tailcap mod.
> 
> When the on switch is clicked you can almost hear it hum with 20amp batteries.
> Before the kadomain reflectors came along you had to have the reflector custom made by folks like the Sandwich Shop. I scored this one already built for a lot less than it would cost to build. Finding Pelican Big D halogen bulbs was the hardest part. Pretty scarce these days.
> 
> I think fivemega still has some bulbs that get pretty bright though.



I didn't mention the battery sleeve because I think it's obvious. Other than that my Blue 2C ROP is just using a Pelican 3854H bulb, a Borofloat lens and metal reflector. Nothing more than that and it works great. The 3854H bulb is a 6V 25W bulb. At 6V the bulb is drawing a little over 4A. With 2x 18650 fresh from the charger it might be a little more but never so much the stock switch can't handle it. 

I see you installed Download's MagRing2 kit which gives you a little more room for the cells but my Blue 2C has just a short spring in the tailcap and 2 unprotected cells fit without needing the lanyard attachment from the kit. You might get a little less resistance (= higher output) because of the copper braided strip but I can tell you even without Download's kit my ROP works great and the light is pretty bright. Back in the day metal reflectors were offered by some of our members (I got mine from litho123). The reflectors from Kaidomain with removable cam have a big hole (15mm) while the reflector in my Blue ROP as well as the Red deep reflector from Fivemega only have a small hole which fits the Pelican bulb much better.


----------



## Icarus

My shortest MagC. :candle:


----------



## borrower

Icarus said:


> My shortest MagC. :candle:



Nice, but please tell us more about the battery/switch relationship...


----------



## LiftdT4R

borrower said:


> Nice, but please tell us more about the battery/switch relationship...



That's an awesome light and I'd like to know about the battery too, it must be tiny! That's the first and only 1/2 C I've ever seen.

I just got an awesome 1C from jayrob. I'll have to post some pics here soon along with my 1D.

I am also working on buying another extremely rare Maglite that I've never ever seen before in all my years of collecting. It's from over seas but I'll post a little more info about it soon.


----------



## Icarus

My short Purple MagC is, except for the short body, still stock. It's part of my Maglite collection and probably will never see any use. However, I have the same cut down MagC in black that I built 5 years ago and was intended to use on my bike trips in Asia. Unfortunately because of the large capacity lithium cells I can't take it on the plane. :shrug: 

The light has an XM-L2 emitter on a copper heatsink, LD-2C 3A step-down driver and is powered by 2x 10Ah litium-ion cells wired in series. It throws very well but also has good spill. Because of the large capacity cells it has plenty of runtime which makes it perfect for long night walks.


----------



## LiftdT4R

Very awesome!! Jayrob recently did a 1C for me and it came out totally awesome!! I just use a warm PR based LED drop in and a sputtered stock reflector. It puts out only 60 lumens but the tint and beam are really nice and the run time is awesome. It reminds me very much of a 2C Kel-Lite.


----------



## Icarus

LiftdT4R said:


> Jayrob recently did a 1C for me and it came out totally awesome!! I just use a warm PR based LED drop in and a sputtered stock reflector. It puts out only 60 lumens but the tint and beam are really nice and the run time is awesome. It reminds me very much of a 2C Kel-Lite.



Very nice! :thumbsup: Cut down MagC's make great little lights. In the past I made several. I'll try to post some pictures later tonight.


----------



## jayrob

LiftdT4R said:


> Very awesome!! Jayrob recently did a 1C for me and it came out totally awesome!! I just use a warm PR based LED drop in and a sputtered stock reflector. It puts out only 60 lumens but the tint and beam are really nice and the run time is awesome. It reminds me very much of a 2C Kel-Lite.



From the picture you wouldn't think there is a protected 18650 cell in there. 

Probably 1/2" of the battery is up inside the tail cap.


----------



## jayrob

Sorry for the double post - I wanted to show this new one that I just finished.

It was a 3C ML50L.

I cut down and bored to fit a nice 26650 cell.

I like the smaller head and deeper reflector (better throw) on the ML50L, plus no need to modify the light engine at over 600 lumens. Also 3 mode. (H/M/L)

I put a nice UCL anit-reflective glass lens on it as well.


----------



## Icarus

Not too much work and no extra parts needed (except for the UCL). Not a bad idea. :thumbsup:


----------



## xxo

Nice work JayRob - I like it!


----------



## Icarus

Over the years I built several cut down MagC's and MagD's. 
Tube length varied by battery length and whether they still had the stock switch or a tailcap switch.






MagSC with LuxIII emitter and Wiz2-933 driver powered by 1x18650 cell. I built this light in 2003! 











Triple-XRE with Flupic driver powered by 1x26500 cell. Built in 2008.











Aspheric MagSC with XR-E emitter and GD1250 driver. Powered by 1x18650 cell. Buit in 2010.


----------



## jayrob

Icarus said:


> Over the years I built several cut down MagC's and MagD's.
> Tube length varied by battery length and whether they still had the stock switch or a tailcap switch.



Those are some NICE keepers!


----------



## LiftdT4R

Love that cut down ML50L. It's the light Mag should have made. I wish they had a higher support for Lithium Ion batteries.

I also love seeing those classic high end Mag mods too. Sometimes I go back through some on the old fivemega for sale threads and look at the elephants and hot wires. Unfortunately for me I wasn't into modding back then and I missed out on all of that. It's an era I wish I could revisit if I had a time machine. I especially like that cut down C with the tail light switch. Did you have to re-thread the barrel for that? I've been tempted to pick up a hobby lathe a few times but the threading looks very difficult.


----------



## jayrob

LiftdT4R said:


> Love that cut down ML50L. It's the light Mag should have made. I wish they had a higher support for Lithium Ion batteries.
> 
> I also love seeing those classic high end Mag mods too. Sometimes I go back through some on the old fivemega for sale threads and look at the elephants and hot wires. Unfortunately for me I wasn't into modding back then and I missed out on all of that. It's an era I wish I could revisit if I had a time machine. I especially like that cut down C with the tail light switch. Did you have to re-thread the barrel for that? I've been tempted to pick up a hobby lathe a few times but the threading looks very difficult.



Yeah finally they came up with some decent output but I agree. Falling short on the Li-Ion supply.

I love Mags though and Modding mags. 

Check out this one with a tail cap switch: (it was a while back when I made it. XM-L emitter, custom heatsink, 6000mAh 32650 Feilong cell)

P.S. I still prefer the stock Mag side switch though. My favorite build shown here: Factory Dedomed 5000k XP-L HI Stubby with Rebel Reflector - Long Throw


----------



## Icarus

jayrob said:


> Those are some NICE keepers!


These are just a few examples. I made several more but they were all built on order. :shrug:

I still have a similar empty host in my collection as the one with the tailcap switch although I personally prefer the stock side switch.


----------



## Icarus

LiftdT4R said:


> Love that cut down ML50L. It's the light Mag should have made. I wish they had a higher support for Lithium Ion batteries.
> 
> I also love seeing those classic high end Mag mods too. Sometimes I go back through some on the old fivemega for sale threads and look at the elephants and hot wires. Unfortunately for me I wasn't into modding back then and I missed out on all of that. It's an era I wish I could revisit if I had a time machine. I especially like that cut down C with the tail light switch. Did you have to re-thread the barrel for that? I've been tempted to pick up a hobby lathe a few times but the threading looks very difficult.



The cut down body was indeed rethreaded.<


----------



## Icarus

jayrob said:


> I love Mags though and Modding mags.
> 
> Check out this one with a tail cap switch: (it was a while back when I made it. XM-L emitter, custom heatsink, 6000mAh 32650 Feilong cell)
> 
> P.S. I still prefer the stock Mag side switch though. My favorite build shown here: Factory Dedomed 5000k XP-L HI Stubby with Rebel Reflector - Long Throw



+1 on modding Maglites. :buddies:

+1 on preferring the stock side switch. :twothumbs

I like you mods! :goodjob:


----------



## jayrob

Icarus said:


> +1 on modding Maglites. :buddies:
> 
> +1 on preferring the stock side switch. :twothumbs
> 
> I like you mods! :goodjob:



Thank you! :thanks:

Your work is amazing!

Did you do the machine work on this one?


----------



## bykfixer

Future collectables arrived. Something for the grand kids to sell on eBay someday……
No special colors, just a memorial light using standard production items. Yet probably not all that many produced. 





I cast a shadow over them since the over head light causes such a glare. 





Remenents from Bonnie made stepping outdoors for pix impractical.


----------



## LiftdT4R

Very nice!! I'm digging them. Did you see Mag has a few 3D LED gold lights for sale too? I hear they are leftovers from a run of lights intended to be giveaways. The price is the same as the regular 3D LEDs.


----------



## bykfixer

I had read that Lift'd.


----------



## Icarus

jayrob said:


> Thank you! :thanks:
> 
> Your work is amazing!
> 
> Did you do the machine work on this one?



I did but on a friend's (full size) lathe. Mine is too small for making the threads because the hole in the chuck is too small to hold the Maglite tube.


----------



## bykfixer

the new St Jude collection is available


----------



## bigburly912

Thanks Mr. Fixer. I had been watching for them and hadn’t checked in a week or two. Kind of disappointed I lost all this weight to do some more St. Jude fundraising races and they will probably all be canceled. The only people I donate to.


----------



## xxo

It would be cool if Mag had a collector's club that offered limited runs of lights with special colors, features, markings, serials etc.


----------



## LiftdT4R

xxo said:


> It would be cool if Mag had a collector's club that offered limited runs of lights with special colors, features, markings, serials etc.



I agree!! I've suggested it to them before but didn't get a response. A lot of high end manufacturers do this. It costs them almost nothing to tweak the lights slightly and they could get a very high premium for them and it would certainly generate more interest in their product. How hard would it be to make a few ML300 Vari-Beams? They already come in blue and silver and they could easily laser etch a different bezel. $100 and they'd sell like crazy. Same for a few 7D ML300s. 7Ds sell for $300 regularly so the market is there.


----------



## xxo

It might not be so simple. They would have to find someone to coordinate the program, take pictures and upload them to their site etc. But I would think that a ML300 vari-beam would be doable. A 7D ML300 would require expensive tooling changes to make the barrels and probably changes to the electronics to accommodate the higher Voltage.


I was thinking they could do limited runs of different lights in a special color each year and mark them with the year and maybe their own serial number ranges. And some limited runs with warm white high CRI LEDs or high intensity LEDs for greater throw.


----------



## fidusinski

new maglite arrived 😁


----------



## bykfixer

Very cool fidusinski. Very nice find(s).




Seven cell light? $300? I don't see that one happening. Or Vari-Beam as both did not sell well back when Maglite products were selling faster than ice melts in the summer desert. It would be nice though. 

With everything going rechargeable it would be nifty if the members of Maglite nation were offered some products being tried out before going to market. A rechargeable minimag (as a hypothetical) in a color only the initial batches came in for example and if it does well in trials the production line be regular colors available. 

I'd like to see spectrum warm ML25, 2 cell ML50 and 3 cell ML300 as throwbacks to the originals.

Speaking of throwbacks, I almost forgot that they have released a Popular Mechanics again this year. The 4D ML300.

Here's a review
https://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/gadgets/a32208859/maglite-ml300l-review/


----------



## LiftdT4R

Well, one can dream I suppose. :sleepy:

Very nice fidusinski! Is the new one the lime green?


----------



## Icarus

Another of my custom Maglites. Fivemega host, Seoul P7 emitter and Flupic driver. :rock:


----------



## AndyF

Very cool!


----------



## fidusinski

LiftdT4R: Lime green is lightly used 

Thanks 🍻


----------



## J3004

I have not been here for years 

I just want to leave this :


----------



## J3004

This is what is left from the collection (apart from some 3d green/orange). Unfortunately I had never the chance to get the third nascar maglite


----------



## LiftdT4R

That is very cool. I especially like your C cells!! I've always wondered if all the red C cells went to Europe because I've never seen any for sale in the US. Does it have the Marlborough logo on it? I also really like your gold 2C and Blue 3C too!!

Is that a 7C on top?

Speaking of European lights a reader of my blog recently e-mailed me with this ad:


The lights are similar to the Cabela's lights in that they had the logo of another company stamped into the bezel in this case "Assault Systems". Assault Systems was based in Missouri but they supposedly imported Maglites into Europe in 1980 when Maglite still used dealers instead of handling distribution themselves. According to the e-mail I got they were actually anodized olive drab with matching lanyard ring end caps and came in 2D, 3D and 4D. In all my years of collecting I've never seen them or heard of them before but I am wondering if any of the European user here may have?


----------



## Grijon

Olive drab incandescent Maglites? They could shut up and take my money! I just bought a second old-style military camouflage 3D new from Amazon because I like them so much.


----------



## J3004

LiftdT4R said:


> That is very cool. I especially like your C cells!! I've always wondered if all the red C cells went to Europe because I've never seen any for sale in the US. Does it have the Marlborough logo on it? I also really like your gold 2C and Blue 3C too!!
> 
> Is that a 7C on top?



I have picked up the colored C-Mags at eBay Germany some years ago. 

The red one has the Marlboro logo and the black one is a 6c.


----------



## Monocrom

Love C-cell Maglites. But yeah, not much variety here in America.


----------



## Icarus

J3004 said:


> This is what is left from the collection (apart from some 3d green/orange). Unfortunately I had never the chance to get the third nascar maglite



Left from the Orange 3D is a Copper 4D I think but which is the color of the light at the right of the Orange 3D? I'm wondering if it's copper or pewter because I've never seen a Copper 3D?


----------



## J3004

Hi,

I just picked the 2d/3d/4d Copper ones and made a picture. I am not sure about the color..


----------



## Jeritall

Bronze ?


----------



## Icarus

J3004 said:


> Hi,
> 
> I just picked the 2d/3d/4d Copper ones and made a picture. I am not sure about the color..



They are definitely copper. :thumbsup:
OMG now I'll have to find a Copper 3D as well. :hairpull:


----------



## J3004

I am sorry, I only have got this one 3D copper maglite. 

But at the weekend I was at my fathers house, I remembered that I have left one box with lights there 8 years ago when I moved 

5 pieces S3DCZ5E NIB - lime green 3D 




1 Jade 3D S3DIS6U
4 S3C096C --> Grey or silver 3c --> I think Grey.
1 orange 3D 





5 orange 3D in Blister S3DAU6E




5 2c Purple S2C986U


----------



## Icarus

J3004 said:


> 4 S3C096C --> Grey or silver 3c --> I think Grey.



:wow: another bunch of rare Orange and Lime Green 3D's .

The S3C096C's are Gray for our American friends and Grey for us. 
The purple 2C's are also hard to come by now. Especially in the original packaging. :thumbsup:


----------



## mtuma5672

Has anyone seen a TM bezel Solitaire in the package? I cannot find an image or reference on the internet.


----------



## Jeritall

mtuma5672 said:


> Has anyone seen a TM bezel Solitaire in the package? I cannot find an image or reference on the internet.



Do you have one ?


----------



## mtuma5672

Jeritall said:


> Do you have one ?



I do. I would upload the pictures, but it looks like need a paid account to do that.


----------



## LiftdT4R

J3004 said:


> I am sorry, I only have got this one 3D copper maglite.
> 
> But at the weekend I was at my fathers house, I remembered that I have left one box with lights there 8 years ago when I moved
> 
> 5 pieces S3DCZ5E NIB - lime green 3D
> 
> 
> 1 Jade 3D S3DIS6U
> 4 S3C096C --> Grey or silver 3c --> I think Grey.
> 1 orange 3D
> 
> 
> 
> 5 orange 3D in Blister S3DAU6E
> 
> 
> 5 2c Purple S2C986U



Awesome!! That is one heck of a collection!! Did you buy them all new and just hold onto them for all these years. Many folks probably like the orange lights the best but I really like those 3C greys. The 3Cs weren't popular so they're super hard to find in different finishes!


----------



## Toohotruk

You just need a free account at an image hosting site...upload it there, then post the picture here using the image address they give you.


----------



## J3004

LiftdT4R said:


> Awesome!! That is one heck of a collection!! Did you buy them all new and just hold onto them for all these years. Many folks probably like the orange lights the best but I really like those 3C greys. The 3Cs weren't popular so they're super hard to find in different finishes!



thanks 

I bought all lights in my surrounding I could get. EBay and local Knife/weapon store. Also when I was on holiday, I have checked the Shops ;-)


----------



## xxo

It is nice to see some of those Mags from around the world. If I remember right, back in Mag's heyday when they were making 150,000 Maglites a day, half were being exported.


----------



## Icarus

I found an interesting TM bezel American Flag Mini Maglite. It also came in a *blue *box. It's the first time I see this. I thought they only existed in black. :thinking:


----------



## fidusinski

My new Orange


----------



## fidusinski

Icarus said:


> I found an interesting TM bezel American Flag Mini Maglite. It also came in a *blue *box. It's the first time I see this. I thought they only existed in black. :thinking:



Really nice set


----------



## Icarus

fidusinski said:


> Really nice set



:thanks: Your orange Solitaire is very nice too. :thumbsup:


----------



## LiftdT4R

Very nice lights guys!! You don't see many of those TM bezel Mags, they're almost 28 years old now. The orange lights are awesome too. I'd love to have a Solitaire or Mini Mag to go with my 3D.

I was finally able to broker a deal for the Olive Green Assault Systems Maglite I posted about a while back. I am super happy!! The light appears to be all genuine from Maglite because the St. Louis, MO stamping matches the Maglite font and the light is definitely annodized because the finish is the same on the inside of the barrel. Prior to finding this light I was only aware of a small batch of Cabela's special order lights that had Cabela's logo put on the bezel.

I could gather a little bit of info from the prior owner. He was a distributor for Assault Systems which sold gun and outdoor accessories via a mail order catalog in the 1980s. Assault Systems ordered 100 or so 2, 3 and 4 D cell lights to sell from Maglite in their catalog. These were special ordered in Olive Drab annodizing, a lanyard ring tail cap, and with Assault Systems' logo on the bezel. I don't see a price on the lights in the catalog I received and the prior owner couldn't remember but they had to have been over $100 in 1983 money. Assault Systems wasn't a very popular brand and the lights were priced too high so they didn't sell well. In fact the light is a 1981 model but the catalog advertising them is from 1985 so the original 300 lights hadn't sold in 4 years.

Assault Systems eventually found a market for them in Europe because Maglite was not selling its lights outside of the US in the 1980s. My light came from Germany and Assault Systems continued to sell regular, black, Maglites without the Assault Systems logo well into the late 1980s as one of Maglite's European distributors.

I've been collecting since 2009, nearly 11 years now and this is the first time I've seen of or heard of these lights. Most of them likely went to Europe as I've never seen any in the U.S. Sometimes when I think I've seen everything I run across lights like this which is what makes collecting Maglites so much fun! I plan to do a full write up of this light on my blog and scan the Assault Systems magazine as well in the very near future.


----------



## bykfixer

Very nice Lift'd. 

Here's another future rare Maglite, the 75th anniverssary WW2 minimag that is a bit over $20 with the code.


----------



## turbodog

LiftdT4R said:


> Very nice lights guys!! You don't see many of those TM bezel Mags, they're almost 28 years old now. The orange lights are awesome too. I'd love to have a Solitaire or Mini Mag to go with my 3D.
> 
> I was finally able to broker a deal for the Olive Green Assault Systems Maglite I posted about a while back. I am super happy!! The light appears to be all genuine from Maglite because the St. Louis, MO stamping matches the Maglite font and the light is definitely annodized because the finish is the same on the inside of the barrel. Prior to finding this light I was only aware of a small batch of Cabela's special order lights that had Cabela's logo put on the bezel.
> 
> I could gather a little bit of info from the prior owner. He was a distributor for Assault Systems which sold gun and outdoor accessories via a mail order catalog in the 1980s. Assault Systems ordered 100 or so 2, 3 and 4 D cell lights to sell from Maglite in their catalog. These were special ordered in Olive Drab annodizing, a lanyard ring tail cap, and with Assault Systems' logo on the bezel. I don't see a price on the lights in the catalog I received and the prior owner couldn't remember but they had to have been over $100 in 1983 money. Assault Systems wasn't a very popular brand and the lights were priced too high so they didn't sell well. In fact the light is a 1981 model but the catalog advertising them is from 1985 so the original 300 lights hadn't sold in 4 years.
> 
> Assault Systems eventually found a market for them in Europe because Maglite was not selling its lights outside of the US in the 1980s. My light came from Germany and Assault Systems continued to sell regular, black, Maglites without the Assault Systems logo well into the late 1980s as one of Maglite's European distributors.
> 
> I've been collecting since 2009, nearly 11 years now and this is the first time I've seen of or heard of these lights. Most of them likely went to Europe as I've never seen any in the U.S. Sometimes when I think I've seen everything I run across lights like this which is what makes collecting Maglites so much fun! I plan to do a full write up of this light on my blog and scan the Assault Systems magazine as well in the very near future.
> 
> ...



What's up with the font/lettering on the bezel?


----------



## Icarus

LiftdT4R said:


> Very nice lights guys!! You don't see many of those TM bezel Mags, they're almost 28 years old now. The orange lights are awesome too. I'd love to have a Solitaire or Mini Mag to go with my 3D.
> 
> I was finally able to broker a deal for the Olive Green Assault Systems Maglite I posted about a while back. I am super happy!! The light appears to be all genuine from Maglite because the St. Louis, MO stamping matches the Maglite font and the light is definitely annodized because the finish is the same on the inside of the barrel. Prior to finding this light I was only aware of a small batch of Cabela's special order lights that had Cabela's logo put on the bezel.
> 
> I could gather a little bit of info from the prior owner. He was a distributor for Assault Systems which sold gun and outdoor accessories via a mail order catalog in the 1980s. Assault Systems ordered 100 or so 2, 3 and 4 D cell lights to sell from Maglite in their catalog. These were special ordered in Olive Drab annodizing, a lanyard ring tail cap, and with Assault Systems' logo on the bezel. I don't see a price on the lights in the catalog I received and the prior owner couldn't remember but they had to have been over $100 in 1983 money. Assault Systems wasn't a very popular brand and the lights were priced too high so they didn't sell well. In fact the light is a 1981 model but the catalog advertising them is from 1985 so the original 300 lights hadn't sold in 4 years.
> 
> Assault Systems eventually found a market for them in Europe because Maglite was not selling its lights outside of the US in the 1980s. My light came from Germany and Assault Systems continued to sell regular, black, Maglites without the Assault Systems logo well into the late 1980s as one of Maglite's European distributors.
> 
> I've been collecting since 2009, nearly 11 years now and this is the first time I've seen of or heard of these lights. Most of them likely went to Europe as I've never seen any in the U.S. Sometimes when I think I've seen everything I run across lights like this which is what makes collecting Maglites so much fun! I plan to do a full write up of this light on my blog and scan the Assault Systems magazine as well in the very near future.



:wow: Great find! I've never seen such a Maglite.


----------



## LiftdT4R

turbodog said:


> What's up with the font/lettering on the bezel?



Do you mean the Assault Systems logo? If so it was done in their logo font similar to the Cabela's lights.


----------



## xxo

I remember assault systems, I think I used to have some of their stuff back in the day, but I don't remember ever seeing any of those Mags - very nice find for sure. Come to think of it, I am kinda surprised that Mag didn't do more private branding like that over the years (beyond silk screened logos and such) considering how popular Mags were.


----------



## turbodog

xxo said:


> I remember assault systems, I think I used to have some of their stuff back in the day, but I don't remember ever seeing any of those Mags - very nice find for sure. Come to think of it, I am kinda surprised that Mag didn't do more private branding like that over the years (beyond silk screened logos and such) considering how popular Mags were.



From dealing with mag a little, I'd say they are open to doing private branding/etc. Problem is their minimum order...

I did a group buy of colored 'aa' lights a LONG time ago from them. Between minimums and shipping charges it added up quickly.

FYI, to those reading, I ordered leftover stock of colored 'aa' lights from them. Got some smooth barreled lights that were made for logos, but logos were never applied. That sort of thing might still be available.


----------



## Monocrom

xxo said:


> I remember assault systems, I think I used to have some of their stuff back in the day, but I don't remember ever seeing any of those Mags - very nice find for sure. Come to think of it, I am kinda surprised that Mag didn't do more private branding like that over the years (beyond silk screened logos and such) considering how popular Mags were.




Biggest issue nowadays is that brands are no longer allowed to be apolitical. So Maglite likely has to walk on eggshells to not accidentally put a logo on their lights that is seen as being controversial, or could become so later down the road. Sometimes for completely innocent reasons.


----------



## xxo

Monocrom said:


> Biggest issue nowadays is that brands are no longer allowed to be apolitical. So Maglite likely has to walk on eggshells to not accidentally put a logo on their lights that is seen as being controversial, or could become so later down the road. Sometimes for completely innocent reasons.




I was thinking of some big retailer who was looking for an exclusive Maglite when Mag was turning out 150.000 lights a day and almost everyone was selling basic black Mags. Something with a special color, features, markings etc. or even something bigger like a clicky tail switch for the Mini Mag would give someone who was willing to work with Mag on a big enough order to get an exclusive. Maybe the basic black Mags were selling well enough and Mag was already turning out as many as they could?

I could see Mag doing some sort of exclusive with Gerber now that Gerber is out of the flashlight business and is currently selling combo Gerber knife/Maglite flashlight combo packages.


----------



## bykfixer

Even Don Keller could not convince Tony Maglica to "clicky" a minimag when he worked for Tony. 
So he got Brinkmann to do it in a "Legend" version of their minimag sized light.


----------



## LiftdT4R

xxo said:


> I remember assault systems, I think I used to have some of their stuff back in the day, but I don't remember ever seeing any of those Mags - very nice find for sure. Come to think of it, I am kinda surprised that Mag didn't do more private branding like that over the years (beyond silk screened logos and such) considering how popular Mags were.



I have to scan the magazine I received because they have some very very rad stuff including a decked out 1985 Honda ATV. It really brings me back! From what I heard the tooling required to setup the custom bezels on the Cabela's and Assault Systems' lights was very expensive so much so that it doubled the price of the lights. Pretty much you had a $200 flashlight instead of a $100. Most of us may not bat an eye at a $200 flash light but the market is very limited when you're competing with a $10 flash light.

Custom anodizing and screen printing on the other hand don't cost hardly anything extra. I think that's why during Mag's hey day in the late 90s you saw so many custom order Mini Mags and C and D Cells. They didn't really have to change anything other than the spec to their 3rd party anodizer to do a custom order for Walmart or Home Depot. Ask them to make a new 7D or any significant change to the lights though and the price gets up there quick.

Now that the lights are laser etched instead of stamped I am always hoping they do a retro LED Vari-Beam. I couldn't see it costing much extra and I'd think it wouldn't be a problem for them to get $100 for it.


----------



## TomVDJ

Hey guys, I really need some help identifying the correct color of my mini maglit. Unfortunately, it got badly damaged on the inside due to leaking batteries. Since it has some emotional value, I'd really like to get a replacement in the same color. In the meanwhile I got a "Pewter" one and a "Silver" one, but none are the correct color. Here is a picture of my Mini Maglite in the middle, the Pewter on top, and the Silver on the bottom. Somebody has an idea what color I'd be looking for if I want to replace the middel one? Al help is welcome!


----------



## turbodog

TomVDJ said:


> Hey guys, I really need some help identifying the correct color of my mini maglit. Unfortunately, it got badly damaged on the inside due to leaking batteries. Since it has some emotional value, I'd really like to get a replacement in the same color. In the meanwhile I got a "Pewter" one and a "Silver" one, but none are the correct color. Here is a picture of my Mini Maglite in the middle, the Pewter on top, and the Silver on the bottom. Somebody has an idea what color I'd be looking for if I want to replace the middel one? Al help is welcome!



It may be salvageable. there are others that can do this.


----------



## TomVDJ

turbodog said:


> It may be salvageable. there are others that can do this.


Some of the metal in the back is eaten away by the acid, so I guess repairing will be more expensive (even not possible) than getting a new one in the same color. Just identifying the color doesn't seem to be so easy...


----------



## Icarus

TomVDJ said:


> Hey guys, I really need some help identifying the correct color of my mini maglit. Unfortunately, it got badly damaged on the inside due to leaking batteries. Since it has some emotional value, I'd really like to get a replacement in the same color. In the meanwhile I got a "Pewter" one and a "Silver" one, but none are the correct color. Here is a picture of my Mini Maglite in the middle, the Pewter on top, and the Silver on the bottom. Somebody has an idea what color I'd be looking for if I want to replace the middel one? Al help is welcome!



The middle one looks like grey to me (color code = 09), at least in your picture. Are you sure the light at the top is pewter? I have two pewter Maglite 3D (color code = 94) and their color looks totally different.


----------



## TomVDJ

Yes, bought the top one recently and it was sold as "Pewter". It came in a blister packaging with Model No: M2A09H and Part No 106-000-517 (don't know if that helps). It has a blue-ish shine in it (which I don't like at all).


----------



## bykfixer

TomVDJ said:


> Yes, bought the top one recently and it was sold as "Pewter". It came in a blister packaging with Model No: M2A09H and Part No 106-000-517 (don't know if that helps). It has a blue-ish shine in it (which I don't like at all).


Pm sent about where to buy a replacement switch and how to rebuild it.

A video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KaAS6VX_pHQ

Or instructions by Maglite
https://datasheet.octopart.com/LM2A001-Mag-Lite-datasheet-10489891.pdf



Another future collectable minimag. 
Check out the color


----------



## TomVDJ

Problem is that a significant part of metal has been eaten away by the battery acid, so the spring doesn't stay in place. With a bit of fiddling I can get it working again, but would just love to replace it by an undamaged one in the same color. Never thought it would be so difficult to trace down the correct color :-(.


----------



## LiftdT4R

TomVDJ said:


> Problem is that a significant part of metal has been eaten away by the battery acid, so the spring doesn't stay in place. With a bit of fiddling I can get it working again, but would just love to replace it by an undamaged one in the same color. Never thought it would be so difficult to trace down the correct color :-(.



I vote grey also, color Code 09. The issue is, especially with the Mini Mags, that Maglite used soooo many 3rd party anodizers and the batches varied greatly. Because so many were produced there are a lot that have the same finish code but appear much different.

I've had a few with the damage you describe and usually there if you clean the corrosion off the light will still make a good electrical connection and function when the end cap is screwed on. The spring will not stay in place like the stock ones when the end cap is removed but it should work flawlessly when closed up. If you have some pics shoot them over. I do repairs or we can give you some advice if you're the DIY type.


----------



## Icarus

TomVDJ said:


> Yes, bought the top one recently and it was sold as "Pewter". It came in a blister packaging with Model No: M2A09H and Part No 106-000-517 (don't know if that helps). It has a blue-ish shine in it (which I don't like at all).



Strange because model number M2A*09*H shows that it should be grey. It also looks very different from how 'grey' should look (the light in the middle). You say it was sold as 'pewter' was it advertised as 'pewter' or was it printed/labeled on the packaging somewhere?


----------



## Icarus

TomVDJ said:


> Hey guys, I really need some help identifying the correct color of my mini maglit. Unfortunately, it got badly damaged on the inside due to leaking batteries. Since it has some emotional value, I'd really like to get a replacement in the same color. In the meanwhile I got a "Pewter" one and a "Silver" one, but none are the correct color. Here is a picture of my Mini Maglite in the middle, the Pewter on top, and the Silver on the bottom. Somebody has an idea what color I'd be looking for if I want to replace the middel one? Al help is welcome!



I have a switch and a brand new end cap I can send you in the same color as the light in the middle.


----------



## TomVDJ

Icarus said:


> I have a switch and a brand new end cap I can send you in the same color as the light in the middle.


Don't need a switch, but it's indeed the endcap that sustained serious damage and where part of the metal is gone.

The M2A09H one was advertised as "Pewter". On the package there is no trace of the color name, just the code M2A09H.

Icarus, I'll drop you a PM.


----------



## LiftdT4R

Icarus said:


> Strange because model number M2A*09*H shows that it should be grey. It also looks very different from how 'grey' should look (the light in the middle). You say it was sold as 'pewter' was it advertised as 'pewter' or was it printed/labeled on the packaging somewhere?



Agreed. 09 is the color code for grey. However, the packages are notoriously mis-labelled and the finishes vary greatly.


----------



## bykfixer

The 75th anniverssary WW2 Veterans Commitee minimag arrived and it is nice. 






Shown outside the box. 
Came in a regular gift box in a nice matte olive drab color with a matte black tailcap. 





I was really impressed with the etching on the front end. Great detail not seen in the shrunken res photo. 
I hope they release other lights this color.


----------



## LiftdT4R

Very nice!! Score a T Shirt too?? I love the matte (stealth) finishes. I wish Maglite would have done them more on their full size lights.


----------



## Monocrom

bykfixer said:


> The 75th anniverssary WW2 Veterans Commitee minimag arrived and it is nice....



Very nice indeed. :twothumbs


----------



## bykfixer

LiftdT4R said:


> Very nice!! Score a T Shirt too?? I love the matte (stealth) finishes. I wish Maglite would have done them more on their full size lights.



They had a 30% off coupon for the light, which was about the same price as the t-shirt, so yeah I threw that in the cart too.


----------



## sween1911

Scored an old police wide-body 4D Mag from the 80's-90's. The serial is in the 41-million range BUT it has the "TM" bezel. The 'bay listing says it was in a wrecked police car. I had one just like it, but it succumbed to leaky alkalines and I didn't have the patience or knowledge to clean it out way back then. I've always been on the lookout for another and this had all the attributes I wanted and plenty of street-character. Very happy with the score. When I asked the seller if it had the animal-head on the bezel, she said "I'm sorry it doesn't." and I was like "WOOHOO! No sorry necessary!" I bought my original 4D around 1991 and a friend bought his 3D in 1993 and we were weirded out that the barrel thickness had stepped down. I always wanted one of the original thick body lights again.

Old logo, TM bezel with no panther-head (ram's head?) 
(newer model on the left)





Thicker Barrel





All-numerical Serial Number





In keeping with the old-school spirit, I dug up 4 ancient Ni-cads that still actually charge and work to run the spare PR drop-in I have for this until I can source something befitting this light's awesomeness...






Edit: I sent the serial # to Maglite and true to form, they responded promptly by email...

"Your 4 D-cell Incandescent Maglite was manufactured on 05-19-1990"


----------



## turbodog

Then you would love my oldest mag. It's a 2d from approx 1985. Well used till about 2005 give or take. Bottom part of head is worn to silver due to sliding around on garage floors.


----------



## xxo

[FONT=ArialNarrow, sans-serif]My old sprinkler pipe 4D from the mid 80's:





[/FONT]

[FONT=ArialNarrow, sans-serif]used it heavily for about 20 years and it is still in use today loaded with soshine NiMH D cells and running a LED drop-in. Weighs a ton and feels like grabbing the wrong end of a baseball bat, but it has never failed me in spite of leaking alkaline batteries attempts to do it in.[/FONT]


----------



## LiftdT4R

Gotta love those old large body 4Ds. My old man carried a 4D for years and years. It's amazing to think that now because with all these small lights the 4D feels like a club!! I did a very similar restomod 4D a few years back. It's probably in this thread somewhere. It's a 1988 model, ~1 million serial with a Malkoff XM-L and A KAI SMO reflector. I still use it from time to time but the XM-L Malkoffs were just too bright for me


----------



## sween1911

My friend Zanshin Lair over on the Usual Suspect Network forum had given me this light that he had custom done up with his handle and some cool graphics. 
It originally had the PR-base MagLED in it when he gave it to me. I had changed it to a Terralux triple XML for a 4D, and ran it on of two 18650's with a PVC sleeve and spacer. 
I then changed the spacer to run (2) CR123's to get the required 6V and not tie up my 18650's.
















Yesterday, I had the pleasure of installing my first Malkoff Maglite module in it. Got this beauty from LiftdT4R. 
I originally wanted to put it in my retro 4D I just got, but was unsure of how to power it. When I realized it was made for NIMH or a single li-ion, Gene confirmed a single li-ion was ideal so I went with the 3D I had already setup for smaller batts.






Solid aluminum camless reflector.





Spacer layout for CR123's. Just took out those and put an 18650 in their place...





Works great! Don't have a beamshot but it lit up my entire backyard last night.


----------



## LiftdT4R

Sweet!! The beam was amazing on that drop in and I see Gene isn't making them any more so it's a keeper for sure! Nice light too! Is it laser etched or are those decals?

I picked up another silver stamped bezel 1984 Mini Mag on flea bay a week or so back. These lights very rarely go for much over $10 and they are fun to collect. I'm surprised so many are still around being 36 years old now and all. The finishes can be tough to find. A pink one went for big money last year but most don't. A lot of lights seem to be hitting new high prices lately but if you're still on the hunt there are plenty of deals to be had!


----------



## sween1911

I guess it was laser etched, I can tell they're not decals.  Was actually just playing with it tonight.
I wanna get a UCLp AR or Borofloat lens for it from Flashlightlens. 

Love that silver Minimag!

(DUDE, not to get off topic, but those NES cartridges!!! That's my whole childhood right there!)


----------



## turbodog

sween1911 said:


> I guess it was laser etched, I can tell they're not decals.  Was actually just playing with it tonight.
> I wanna get a UCLp AR or Borofloat lens for it from Flashlightlens.
> 
> Love that silver Minimag!
> 
> (DUDE, not to get off topic, but those NES cartridges!!! That's my whole childhood right there!)



Got one of these not long before c-19 hit...

https://primearcades.com/


----------



## bykfixer

Maglite has come out with Marvel themed lights. 
Right now Punisher, Venom and Spiderman are avilable. At some point Captain America. 

If ya gotta ask how much……well you know the rest. But suffice to say you've gotta be a serious Marvel fan to buy those babies. 
Neat idea though. 
3D ML300 LX, the minimag, a solitaire, an XL50 and a Mag Tac available at this point.


----------



## din107

Made a box to store the collection Pre-C Maglites. From plywood. Used genuine mounting brackets.


----------



## bykfixer

😎😎😎:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:


----------



## xxo

din107 said:


> Made a box to store the collection Pre-C Maglites. From plywood. Used genuine mounting brackets.




Very nice!


----------



## din107

Got older and younger 5C.



GrandFather, Father and son


----------



## sween1911

din107 said:


> Made a box to store the collection Pre-C Maglites. From plywood. Used genuine mounting brackets.




WHUH?!? What am I lookin at here? That's AWESOME! I had to count of my fingers multiple times, that's gotta be a 7C on the right then? WOW!


----------



## LiftdT4R

sween1911 said:


> WHUH?!? What am I lookin at here? That's AWESOME! I had to count of my fingers multiple times, that's gotta be a 7C on the right then? WOW!



Yep, I believe it is! The 7Cs are awesome, unlike the 7Ds they can actually be used. I used one for a while while walking my dogs at night. Anyone got any new lights? I have a couple I've been meaning to post but I've been super busy with work.


----------



## Monocrom

LiftdT4R said:


> Yep, I believe it is! The 7Cs are awesome, unlike the 7Ds they can actually be used. I used one for a while while walking my dogs at night. Anyone got any new lights? I have a couple I've been meaning to post but I've been super busy with work.



Love my 7C. No pics. though as my only digital camera is my phone, and it's a POS. Hopefully will be able to upgrade after years of using it, at the end of 2020. (The phone I mean.)


----------



## sween1911

Scored an old widebody late 80's 3D from the 'bay. Companion piece to my 4D. TM Bezel and long grip section...












Edit: Heard from Maglite, it was manufactured February 1983!


----------



## willrx

din107 said:


> Made a box to store the collection Pre-C Maglites. From plywood. Used genuine mounting brackets.



Love this box idea! Very smart!


----------



## nx2c

Hi! I had no idea flashlight collecting was a thing until just a few days ago, so I thought I'd share something I've owned for a while. I got a gold C-cell Maglite from a family member several years ago but only recently decided to learn more about it. I came across this blog post that says it's a rare model from the late 80's, so it would seem to fit this thread (which has lots of cool flashlights!) Also thanks to that blog, I learned that the end cap has a spare bulb, which I never noticed before. Anyway, here it is:


----------



## bykfixer

Yup! Thatz a _really _rare one. 

Welcome aboard.


----------



## nx2c

bykfixer said:


> Yup! Thatz a _really _rare one.
> 
> Welcome aboard.



Thanks! I reached out to Maglite and asked them how old it was. They said:

"Thank you for being a Maglite customer and I will be happy to assist you today. Based on the serial number, your 2 C-cell flashlight was manufactured on 09/02/1987."

Which means my flashlight just had its 33rd birthday! Anyway, thanks to this forum, I'm now going to be on the lookout for other cool Maglites and other flashlights.


----------



## GasganoFJ60

Recent acquisition: 1984 Mini Maglite - Stamped Bezel - all original 
Managed to pick it up for $9. Looks ever so slightly used. No corrosion. A few scuffs on the body. I wager this thing floated around in a drawer or glove box and never really got used. Lucky for me.
The next week i picked up another for around the same price but a bit more worn. Here are pics of the better shape one.


----------



## Icarus

nx2c said:


>



For sure a great found! :thumbsup:


----------



## LiftdT4R

GasganoFJ60 said:


> Recent acquisition: 1984 Mini Maglite - Stamped Bezel - all original
> Managed to pick it up for $9. Looks ever so slightly used. No corrosion. A few scuffs on the body. I wager this thing floated around in a drawer or glove box and never really got used. Lucky for me.
> The next week i picked up another for around the same price but a bit more worn. Here are pics of the better shape one.



Very cool!! I love these 1984 stamped bezel lights. I always pick them up when I see them for sale because there just aren't very many around. You got very lucky! So many owners store them with the batteries in them or try to shove modern, larger AAs into them and ruin them. I've picked up a handful that way that I unfortunately had to pitch.


----------



## GasganoFJ60

LiftdT4R said:


> Very cool!! I love these 1984 stamped bezel lights. I always pick them up when I see them for sale because there just aren't very many around. You got very lucky! So many owners store them with the batteries in them or try to shove modern, larger AAs into them and ruin them. I've picked up a handful that way that I unfortunately had to pitch.



When you pitch them do you ditch the whole light? 
I'll gladly take them off your hands.

My lucky streak on the 1984s continue. I grabbed a silver stamped bezel with the sheath, pocket clip and a red lens. Its i near perfect shape. I'm trying to upload pics but imgur app isn't cooperating.


----------



## LiftdT4R

Icarus said:


> For sure a great found! :thumbsup:



Very cool!! I saw that on ebay a little while back. It was a great deal, those C cells are tough to come by never mind in those finishes!! Have you come across anything else cool lately? I have a few new finds I've been meaning to post but I've been so busy at work.



GasganoFJ60 said:


> When you pitch them do you ditch the whole light?
> I'll gladly take them off your hands.
> 
> My lucky streak on the 1984s continue. I grabbed a silver stamped bezel with the sheath, pocket clip and a red lens. Its i near perfect shape. I'm trying to upload pics but imgur app isn't cooperating.



The silver ones are very rare! There's actually more finishes than I would have thought on those early lights. I suspect Mag was using them to test new finishes because they were small and easier to take a loss on if the finish didn't come out good. I've seen just about 10 finishes on them total. The full size Mags didn't start getting a lot of finishes until the mid 1990s.

I usually save whatever good parts there still are like the head and tail cap but pitch the body. I've tried dozens of times to restore these but they're just too small to work with. I use a wire brush attached to a drill on the larger lights to remove corrosion but I can't do that on these. The tail caps are almost always corroded too and then the spring doesn't sit right. I will def give you a shout if I run across any like that. If you have any ideas I'd love to hear about them. I do get a dozen or so requests a year to restore Mini Mags but I usually turn them down unless the original owner can get the tail cap off.


----------



## GasganoFJ60

LiftdT4R said:


> The silver ones are very rare! There's actually more finishes than I would have thought on those early lights. I suspect Mag was using them to test new finishes because they were small and easier to take a loss on if the finish didn't come out good. I've seen just about 10 finishes on them total. The full size Mags didn't start getting a lot of finishes until the mid 1990s.
> 
> I usually save whatever good parts there still are like the head and tail cap but pitch the body. I've tried dozens of times to restore these but they're just too small to work with. I use a wire brush attached to a drill on the larger lights to remove corrosion but I can't do that on these. The tail caps are almost always corroded too and then the spring doesn't sit right. I will def give you a shout if I run across any like that. If you have any ideas I'd love to hear about them. I do get a dozen or so requests a year to restore Mini Mags but I usually turn them down unless the original owner can get the tail cap off.



Is ditching the body due to corrosion or unable to to get the cells out?

For cleaning corrosion on those, aside from a vinegar soak, a dremel has various attachments that can work well. 

I've taken corrosion bubbles down with some careful scrubbing with round files. 

I've got 3 mini mags on the way(one is a 3 aa) that are corroded shut. Hard part will be getting the caps off. 
I've been planning to alternate soaking between vinegar and penetrating oils to try and get those caps off.

Have you ever used a hydraulic press to get cells out? 
You'll likely have to sacrifice the bulb assembly but you should be able to press them out.

As for cleaning the inside, dremel tools are one option. Or, rolled up sand paper and time could clean the bores on them i would think.


----------



## LiftdT4R

Stuck end caps and stuck batteries have been my biggest challenges on the Mini Mags. Everything I do for the bigger Mags just doesn't seem to work on these because they're just too small. :mecry:

I like the idea of the rolled up sandpaper though. I think I've done that over a drill bit in the past on other projects to expedite the removal of the corrosion so I may try that again here. Thanks!!

I recently picked up a Gold Anodized 1984 Mini Mag. I'm sure everyone has seen the gold plated over brass models before but this is the first anodized one I've seen. It has the white fill in the stamping and it's very light so it's definitely aluminum and not brass. The gold plated over brass is at the bottom and the gold anodized is right above it. A couple other cool 1984 Mini Mags are thrown in too. I think I have all of the finishes now although they aren't shown in this photo. The only exception is Pink. I missed out on a Pink 1984 about a year or so ago. They must be super rare and another member here picked it up.


----------



## turbodog

If you mean the light pink then I can't help. If you mean hot pink I have 1-2 extra of those.

For pink... I would search overseas: germany and switzerland.


----------



## LiftdT4R

turbodog said:


> If you mean the light pink then I can't help. If you mean hot pink I have 1-2 extra of those.
> 
> For pink... I would search overseas: germany and switzerland.



Are they the stamped bezel, 1984 ones? That's really the one I'm after. I have a laser etched one I think.

Also, I found this awesome light fixture for sale recently. I wanted it really bad for our dining room but my wife said "NO!". :mecry:


----------



## archimedes

LiftdT4R said:


> .... I found this awesome light fixture for sale recently. I wanted it really bad for our dining room but my wife said "NO!". :mecry: ....



Could probably sell more than a few of those here on CPF


----------



## bykfixer

bykfixer said:


> Future collectables:
> This years National Law Enforcement Memorial lights
> I bought the 2aaa minimag and the solitaire version.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The aaa minimag
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The Solitaire



2D ML300 version available now and a aa minimag pro, plus XL50 version. 





I ordered the 2D version for a useable display to ward off evil spirits and andy tifa.


----------



## Icarus

Another of my custom Maglites. Seoul P7 emitter, Flupic driver and tailcap switch. ​


----------



## borrower

LiftdT4R said:


> Also, I found this awesome light fixture for sale recently. I wanted it really bad for our dining room but my wife said "NO!".



Happy wife - happy life, and everything, but that's pretty darn cool.


----------



## Bullzeyebill

Icarius,how efficient is the Flupic driver?

Bill


----------



## Chauncey Gardiner

bykfixer, I see what you did there.


----------



## Icarus

Bullzeyebill said:


> Icarius,how efficient is the Flupic driver?
> 
> Bill


Hi Bill,

Well, the Flupic is a linear driver (max input voltage = 5.5V) so efficiency depends on the voltage difference between input and output. The higher the difference the more has to be burned off so the less efficient the driver will be. The more the input voltage drops towards the output voltage (Vf of the LED) the more efficient the driver becomes. In other words efficiency will improve as the input voltage drops.


----------



## LiftdT4R

Icarus said:


> Another of my custom Maglites. Seoul P7 emitter, Flupic driver and tailcap switch. ​



Very awesome!! I love seeing those custom Mags! I sometimes go back and look through some of the old Fivemega posts and drool over them. It's crazy how different things were in the flashlight world just 10 - 15 years ago.

I also thought I'd share a pic from another collector that I correspond with. He gave me permission to post it. It is of super rare Red, Gold, and Blue 7Ds. Like the 7D Vari-Beam that sold a few months back they are one off pieces that a Mag employee had done. Unfortunately for us Maglite only officially produced 7Ds in Black. All 3 are brand new and unused. The variations in early Maglites is amazing and I'm fully convinced there are still rare lights out there that we haven't seen yet.


----------



## Icarus

LiftdT4R said:


> Very awesome!! I love seeing those custom Mags! I sometimes go back and look through some of the old Fivemega posts and drool over them. It's crazy how different things were in the flashlight world just 10 - 15 years ago.



These were the heydays of CPF. Fivemega did some great things with Maglites. Not to mention the Ellies which were based on Maglites but had a 3" head and wider battery tube.


----------



## Icarus

LiftdT4R said:


> Very awesome!! I love seeing those custom Mags! I sometimes go back and look through some of the old Fivemega posts and drool over them. It's crazy how different things were in the flashlight world just 10 - 15 years ago.
> 
> I also thought I'd share a pic from another collector that I correspond with. He gave me permission to post it. It is of super rare Red, Gold, and Blue 7Ds. Like the 7D Vari-Beam that sold a few months back they are one off pieces that a Mag employee had done. Unfortunately for us Maglite only officially produced 7Ds in Black. All 3 are brand new and unused. The variations in early Maglites is amazing and I'm fully convinced there are still rare lights out there that we haven't seen yet.



:wow: They are soooo beautiful! :rocko they also have a serial number?


----------



## turbodog

Given they are likely a hand done job... serial numbers would not match.

Also, is it the pic or has the red faded a lot?


----------



## Icarus

turbodog said:


> Also, is it the pic or has the red faded a lot?



Right, the red looks more like orange.


----------



## bykfixer

I edited out some of the warmth in the original. Hope Lift'd doesn't mind.


----------



## borrower

LiftdT4R said:


> ... It is of super rare Red, Gold, and Blue 7Ds. Like the 7D Vari-Beam that sold a few months back they are one off pieces that a Mag employee had done. Unfortunately for us Maglite only officially produced 7Ds in Black. All 3 are brand new and unused. The variations in early Maglites is amazing and I'm fully convinced there are still rare lights out there that we haven't seen yet.



Those are the stuff of dreams!


----------



## Chauncey Gardiner

Alright already with posting the picture. Four times is more than my OCD can handle with the lights not being parallel with the Oak flooring!!! :mecry:


----------



## bykfixer

Part of me wants to post it a 5th time to see if CG will actually burst into flames……

Nah that would not be the CPF thing to do.


----------



## xxo

bykfixer said:


> Part of me wants to post it a 5th time to see if CG will actually burst into flames……
> 
> Nah that would not be the CPF thing to do.




At least you could tilt it so that the floor looks straight.


----------



## Chauncey Gardiner

:hairpull: . :hairpull: .. :hairpull: ... :hairpull: .... :hairpull: ..... NOPE!


----------



## Toohotruk

Funny thing, I didn't even notice it until you mentioned it, lol.


----------



## turbodog

Just me or does the finish look 'matte'?


----------



## LiftdT4R

Icarus said:


> :wow: They are soooo beautiful! :rocko they also have a serial number?



They do. The serial numbers are stamped before the lights are anodized. The Mag employee sent these bare lights off to be anodized with others (mostly 2Ds and 3Ds) so the owner tells me they are the same finish as the other Mag blue, red, and gold lights from the same generation.



bykfixer said:


> I edited out some of the warmth in the original. Hope Lift'd doesn't mind.



Thanks!!! That looks more like I would expect them to!



Chauncey Gardiner said:


> Alright already with posting the picture. Four times is more than my OCD can handle with the lights not being parallel with the Oak flooring!!! :mecry:



:laughing: I thought I was the only one!


----------



## Icarus

One of my favourite Maglites.


----------



## bykfixer

Here's one that will be like the Cabellas Maglite someday. Only available at Nine-Line Apparel, which is a foundation that assists wounded soldiers return to a normal life whether the scars are mental or physical. 





The 3 cell ML300 LX. 
The 2 cell ML50 are all gone and only a few ML300's remain.


----------



## LiftdT4R

Hey guys, it's been a while so I thought I'd share a pretty neat Mini Maglite I recently ran across. It's a first year, 1984 model in excellent shape but with a few very rarely seen accessories.






As you can see it's much longer than a normal Mini Mag. It has a 1 cell extender turning the light into a 3AA. It also has a very heavy extended length weighted end cap. My guess is that it was installed so the light could be used in personal defense. The light does still function but is only marginally brighter than a 2AA. The knurling on the accessories does not match the knurling on the barrel so I am guessing these are aftermarket. If anyone has any idea as to who may have produced these or when I'd love to hear because I don't have any clue. They look professionally done based on the quality of the anodizing and machining.






I haven't seen a bulb before either like this. It has a red band around it and the pins are slightly bent to fit the light. Mag never produced a 3AA bulb as far as I know and a 2AA bulb will flash with 3 cells so I'm going to guess it is aftermarket as well. I may do a beam shot later on but it isn't too much brighter than a 2AA. Maybe we're spoiled by LEDs though because I can tell a small difference and back in the day it was likely a big upgrade!






The light is much longer and heavier than the newer 3AA LEDs. I took a pic for comparison purposes. When filled with batteries along with the weighted end cap I wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of this.






The light also came with a belt holster. It is from the original owner in the UK who bought it for "security work" but didn't use it all that much and preferred carrying a C cell light instead. He didn't recall any of the details of the accessories only that the whole light was purchased from a security supply store which I'm guessing is similar to a police supply store or gun store in the U.S. It's a very neat light and will go well with my collection. I always like these "professional lights" and I have a few others with weighted end caps as well. I'd love to do a writeup on it on my blog but I just don't have very much information. I'm hoping to be off around the holidays as I've been super busy with work this year so I'm hoping to post some of the other lights I haven't had shown yet. 






Hope everyone is doing well!!


----------



## Bullzeyebill

Nice read. Be good if you could find a 3 cell bulb that would fit the 3AA mini mag.

Bill


----------



## LiftdT4R

Bullzeyebill said:


> Nice read. Be good if you could find a 3 cell bulb that would fit the 3AA mini mag.
> 
> Bill



Thanks!! I think the new bi-pin bulbs for the full size Mags would likely fit if the reflector was opened up a little. I don't plan to try it on this light but it would be a cool Incan Mini Mag mod with a Li-Ion cell. I would really like to know what bulbs were being used for these old 3AA and even 4AA Mini Mags but even if I did find out they're likely long out of production.

EDIT: Wow, 1,500 posts!!!


----------



## bykfixer

Brinkmann made a 3 cell AA minimag type light called TriMax. I put a lamptronix bulb from an F-14 fighter jet in mine. But a Streamlight Strion bulb can work. 
You may luck up and actually find some TriMax Nextar bulbs on eBay but those are as rare as an honest politician these days.


----------



## madmardigan2

donn_ said:


>



Wow, what color pattern is this? It looks somewhat shimmery purple tie dye? How old is this one? It's glorious.


----------



## LiftdT4R

madmardigan2 said:


> Wow, what color pattern is this? It looks somewhat shimmery purple tie dye? How old is this one? It's glorious.



They look aftermarket to me, most likely from Fivemega. I know when the Maglites were big for modding a number of years ago people used to take a Silver light, remove the clear coat and anodize them different colors. I'm not sure how exactly that camo pattern is done but it looks like some sort of anodizing, similar to the old Malkoffs.


----------



## Icarus

They are made by Mirage_Man.


----------



## LiftdT4R

Icarus said:


> They are made by Mirage_Man.



Lots of cool customs from back then!

Probably not the coolest find but I picked up a 1st Gen Mini Mag and old school leather holster recently. I haven't seen these holsters before with the Mag Instrument embossing. They're pretty heavy duty!


----------



## bigburly912

The auction site has an interesting one. 

Maglite Custom "Defender S1 EXTREME" Prototype Urban Assault & Home Defense hilarious


----------



## LiftdT4R

bigburly912 said:


> The auction site has an interesting one.
> 
> Maglite Custom "Defender S1 EXTREME" Prototype Urban Assault & Home Defense hilarious



All I can say is "Wow!".






It reminds me of this old pic that's been floating around for a while:






I guess the dude selling it is serious....... seriously crazy!  Even says he tried to pitch it to Maglite as a design idea.....


----------



## bykfixer

Looks kinda like PK's keychain light in the late 90's minus the compass and swiss army knife. lol


----------



## Toohotruk

Love the hood ornament...nice touch! oo: :thumbsup:


----------



## Icarus

LiftdT4R said:


> All I can say is "Wow!".
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I guess the dude selling it is serious....... seriously crazy!  Even says he tried to pitch it to Maglite as a design idea.....



It looks ridiculous to me and what he is asking for it even more. :shakehead 
Long time ago I built a home defence Mag myself. It's also based on a 6D but looks totally different. :nana:


----------



## LiftdT4R

bykfixer said:


> Looks kinda like PK's keychain light in the late 90's minus the compass and swiss army knife. lol



:hahaha:



Icarus said:


> It looks ridiculous to me and what he is asking for it even more. :shakehead
> Long time ago I built a home defence Mag myself. It's also based on a 6D but looks totally different. :nana:



I agree. That looks like tape holding everything together. I know it's a "prototype" but the build quality looks especially poor. The knife is also obviously broken. I bet you could put this together yourself after a 15 min trip to Harbor Freight.


----------



## bykfixer

The St Jude ensemble




The 127 lumen (32 lumen low) aa minimag pro plus and 47 lumen solitaire





Beautifully done. 

I did not realize there is a 100 lumen aaa minimag too so that will be purchased next time I order a Maglite product. And I may buy another aa minimag because I really like the beam from that one. Nice, white thrower. 

It's actually really for the children this time.


----------



## Toohotruk

Cool set. I have it set up so that a percentage of everything I buy on Amazon goes to St. Jude's.


----------



## Yates

LiftdT4R said:


> I also thought I'd share a pic from another collector that I correspond with. He gave me permission to post it. It is of super rare Red, Gold, and Blue 7Ds. Like the 7D Vari-Beam that sold a few months back they are one off pieces that a Mag employee had done. Unfortunately for us Maglite only officially produced 7Ds in Black. All 3 are brand new and unused. The variations in early Maglites is amazing and I'm fully convinced there are still rare lights out there that we haven't seen yet.



I wish Maglite would do some limited editions, such as special finishes, or even just a stealth matte finish on the black non knurled lights.

Olight for example, does limited editions all the time, you could even say they focus more on those than on regular lights. They usually make 10k runs, and good luck finding them, everyone scrambles to grab the limited editions. Blink. And they're gone.

I've thought about this, and either Maglite manufacturing is too big for special edition runs, or they're not targeting the collectors/flashaholics market.


----------



## turbodog

Yates said:


> I wish Maglite would do some limited editions, such as special finishes, or even just a stealth matte finish on the black non knurled lights.
> 
> Olight for example, does limited editions all the time, you could even say they focus more on those than on regular lights. They usually make 10k runs, and good luck finding them, everyone scrambles to grab the limited editions. Blink. And they're gone.
> 
> I've thought about this, and either Maglite manufacturing is too big for special edition runs, or they're not targeting the collectors/flashaholics market.



I've bought directly from them... end runs of stuff. They _will_ make you a custom run. Not sure what a minimum order is.

Most of my stuff is smooth barrels, no knurling. Was supposed to be printed/engraved but never was. Few custom colors.


----------



## din107

One man try to sale this minimag with stuck batteries.
Is this minimag rare?


----------



## LiftdT4R

Yates said:


> I wish Maglite would do some limited editions, such as special finishes, or even just a stealth matte finish on the black non knurled lights.
> 
> Olight for example, does limited editions all the time, you could even say they focus more on those than on regular lights. They usually make 10k runs, and good luck finding them, everyone scrambles to grab the limited editions. Blink. And they're gone.
> 
> I've thought about this, and either Maglite manufacturing is too big for special edition runs, or they're not targeting the collectors/flashaholics market.



I've been saying the same thing too!! I'd love to see a new Vari-Beam!! The only thing I seem to see from them are laser etched standard lights, which are cool but I think collectors want a little more effort put into it than that. Something that really looks like a one-off. Most of the brands I know that have a cult following all do this. Look at Ford with the 267 limited editions of the new Bronco. Certainly you'd think it would be harder to put together a limited edition Bronco than a limited edition flashlight.



din107 said:


> One man try to sale this minimag with stuck batteries.
> Is this minimag rare?



Hey Dino! I'd classify them as more uncommon than rare. The Mini Maglites are also a GIANT paint to restore. They're so small to work with and the threads are so fine that I've ruined about 50% of them with stuck batteries. Everything all has to come out through the rear of the ight too because the barrel has a "stopper" machined into the front. On the bigger lights I usually have a 90% success rate with stuck batteries. Unless the light was free I personally wouldn't bother with it. They do pop up on eBay from time to time.


----------



## din107

Who knows? This 3D came form Bosnia (Jugoslavia) in 1995. I have never seen UNPROFOR Maglites before...


----------



## bykfixer

Very cool!!!


----------



## Yates

A Vari-Beam 5 Cell just popped up on the auction site. How rare are these?


----------



## bykfixer

Pretty rare Yates. Not many were made. Even less are still "alive" due to battery leak back then.


----------



## TwiceFuzed

My well used, but fairly uncommon 3AA mini maglite. I have had 2 of these, I lost the first right after I got it and bought another one soon after. 
http://maglitehistory.blogspot.com/2018/07/2006-3aa-led-mini-maglite.html
There are a few of these NIB on eBay for $130-150 USD. 
My local Walmart used to carry these. I'm not sure when I bought it, but the site I linked above says they might have been produced between 2003 and 2006? On 3 nimh rechargeables it is a pretty good light. I still carry it sometimes.


----------



## Yates

Several red ones (SP2303H) are on kmrbpm for a bit less than that.


----------



## LiftdT4R

Yates said:


> A Vari-Beam 5 Cell just popped up on the auction site. How rare are these?



Is it the black and silver one? If so they are a lot less desirable than the blue and silver ones. These are tough to tell if they were made by a dealer or done by an owner afterwards of spare parts. For instance I can make a 7C black Vari-beam with parts from one of my blue and silver ones and even though Mag never made it I could claim it as being very rare. I have a few of the black /silver ones and they're cool, I like them but they're not as sought after as the blue and silver ones. I've even seen folks make red and silver, silver and silver ones too.


----------



## Yates

Yeah, nobody was bidding so I figured it wasn't worth it.


----------



## Yates

Could anyone explain why a letter serial 6C would be at 598xxx while some non letter serial 6C lights I've seen, are in the 616xxx - 619xxx number range.

Surely the last ones would be the letter serials, no?


----------



## din107

Yates said:


> Could anyone explain why a letter serial 6C would be at 598xxx while some non letter serial 6C lights I've seen, are in the 616xxx - 619xxx number range.
> 
> Surely the last ones would be the letter serials, no?


Hi! Very good question!
there are pics... I thought letter 6C were last....


----------



## Yates

Not sure this belongs here, but a friend in Japan sent me some pics of his Maglite 16C.

Of course, it uses barrel extenders or whatever you want to call them, but this is a long light.

Base light is a 4C, total length 81.5 cm, and 150 lumens LED

Enjoy the pics!


----------



## LeanBurn

That 16C is front pocket EDC...no prob.


----------



## bigburly912

What is that, like 7-8 pounds of flashlight and battery? Haha I love it


----------



## LiftdT4R

Yates said:


> Not sure this belongs here, but a friend in Japan sent me some pics of his Maglite 16C.
> 
> Of course, it uses barrel extenders or whatever you want to call them, but this is a long light.
> 
> Base light is a 4C, total length 81.5 cm, and 150 lumens LED
> 
> Enjoy the pics!



Very awesome!! That's 32" for those across the pond! The longest light I could every find was the BTL-26 Kel-Lite baton light. It has a spacer in it to knock it down to 5 cells but without it it would have been a 14C.


----------



## bykfixer

Ball bat or golf club? 
You decide.


----------



## xxo

Question for LiftdT4R (or anyone who knows), when did Mag start putting the raised Panther logo on the rubber switch covers?


My 3C xenon Mag I got recently has this but a 2D LED I got in 2019 does not. 


 BTW, I saw on your site that your 2020 C cell Mags have the new Maglite bazel marking while mine (purchased from Mag at the very end of 2020) has the old Mag-Lite marking. Mine has a serial in the C32860300 range.



Thanks!


----------



## bykfixer

When I ordered a box of parts for the big head Maglites (52mm) it came with blank switch covers for D lights and (thinner) panther logo switch covers for C lights.

It was a repair kit Maglite used to sell dealers that had switches, lenses, reflectors etc.


----------



## din107

xxo said:


> Question for LiftdT4R (or anyone who knows), when did Mag start putting the raised Panther logo on the rubber switch covers?
> My 3C xenon Mag I got recently has this but a 2D LED I got in 2019 does not.


Since 2001, when C-cells were modernized. These maglites have letter С in serial number and panther rubber button.
D-cell maglites always had rubber button without panther


----------



## xxo

din107 said:


> Since 2001, when C-cells were modernized. These maglites have letter С in serial number and panther rubber button.
> D-cell maglites always had rubber button without panther




Thanks Din107, I guess my last C cell incan Mag must have been pre 2001 as I don't remember it having the panther and there is no panther on the ML aeries C cell light switch covers.


----------



## Icarus

Ex Maglite 2D.


----------



## xxo

Icarus that is stunning! Really nice work.


----------



## Yates

How rare are silver 4D letter serials?


----------



## xxo

Yates said:


> How rare are silver 4D letter serials?




Not rare at all - silver is one of the standard colors, along with red, blue and gray.


----------



## din107

My first NIB lights. 5 modernized 5C


----------



## bykfixer

Yates said:


> How rare are silver 4D letter serials?



Silver is my favorite. The polished alluminum body is just a reminder of vintage lights by Eveready, Rayovac and several others many never heard of. And it's easy to spot in low light. 
I keep a pair high up on a hutch behind some fancy doo dads my wife put on display so they look like big ole sterling silver candle holders from King Arthor days. 

Were they rare? No. Were they popular? No so compared to the standard black, red, blue or gray they did not sell as well, but like xxo said the silver is a standard color.


----------



## bykfixer

The St Jude set is complete now that a St Jude solitaire has arrived and a HALO ML50LX is added to the lineup of limited edition lights that a donation went to help with those who help keep us safe. 





The HALO may get used, or it may stay NIP.
S/N 000016xxx so it appears that thus far not that many ML50LX in 2 cell have been produced to date. It was in a 03/20 packaging. The gray ML50LX I gave Mrs Fixer for Christmas was in a 10/20 packaging and is S/N 000017xxx.




The HALO logo


----------



## din107

Have found 3D blue, but I do not understand, is this stock blue, or special order color?


----------



## Yates

Anyone know at which point of the manufacturing process a Mag would be stamped with its serial number?


----------



## turbodog

Yates said:


> Anyone know at which point of the manufacturing process a Mag would be stamped with its serial number?



Since anodizing is unbroken, before that step. Otherwise I don't know. Would not surprise me if it's changed through the years.


----------



## bykfixer

My old pre-letter D sized incan light and letter D cell incan lights have coating over the S/N. All of my D lights with DL in the S/N are not coated but appear to be laser cut. 

I would surmize the S/N is applied to barrels as they are produced. In the old days prior to coating. Modern Mag post coating, then it travels down the assembly line for adding the rest of the parts.


----------



## Yates

I wonder if anyone has ever come across this type of packaging, it's two 3xAA LED Mini Maglites in a pack with batteries and holsters.






So a seller on the bay went and cut the packaging in half!

Words fail me.


----------



## turbodog

No.

And I almost missed that the ebay seller cut it in half. I was getting ready to call you an idiot!


----------



## Icarus

Model number: S3D946 ---> so... it is a real pewter 3D.


----------



## xxo

Mag 2D Pro LED:






These date from 2012-3 and not many seem to have been made as they are a rare find today.

Robin Wang's review back when they first came out:

http://www.led-resource.com/2012/12/maglite-pro-2d-led-flashlight-review/


----------



## bykfixer

I held one in my hand at Home Depot back in 014 but it was $35 when the regular one (177 lumen? ) was $20. I regret not buying it now.


----------



## fidusinski

[/url][/IMG]


Hello everyone. This is my last purchase. I'm glad because she waited a long time for me 😁

Best regards from Poland

Artur


----------



## bykfixer

nice, Nice NICE!!


----------



## fidusinski

Thank You 
This is my small collection


----------



## xxo

Very Nice! You don't see some of those very often.


----------



## LiftdT4R

Very nice lights guys!! It's been a while since I've been here and boy do I miss it. fidusinki, I love those orange lights. I had 2 at one time and I foolishly traded one of them away.

Here's and a new light I picked up. I really like these personalized lights, especially the older ones. This one belonged to a mid west first chief and it's an R bezel, 2D, 1,100,000 serial which puts it right around 1988. The prior owner jazzed it up with some reflective stickers and the logo of the fire department. It's one of the cooler personalized lights I've seen and is pretty awesome. The fire chief whole sold it to me only retired last year and he said he used it sparingly up until his retirement.
















I was finally able to acquire a Palco Acrobilt 1979 light too but I'm still trying to research those out a little more and post it soon. Thanks guys, hope everyone is well!!!


----------



## 3_gun

Rarest Maglite I have is a custom built job from a gun board member who went by Blackbear. Set up a 3 D cell light to run 9 rechargeable AA batteries in a custom holder to power a halogen bulb to a claimed and proven 1050L. Had to replace the switch, reflector and lens plus add a heat sink & still made it look stock till you turned it on. Could even still focus the beam like stock. Run time was a bit better than a hour and it never stepped down as it got hot & oh boy could it get hot. Still have it in a drawer & get it out every once in a while. Made it possible to hit steel plates at 200+yds when paired with my M1a. This at a time Surefire was making a name for itself with 100L police lights. If I remember, next time I get it out I'll get my camera out too


----------



## bykfixer

Maglite has midnight blue 2D incans at their site for $15.95.
They also have purple incan 2aaa minimags, coyote tan 2 cell ML300's, crimson red Mag Tac plain and blue shimmer 2aa incan minimags.
Oh and gold 3D classic.


----------



## din107

My new color 2C. Color C-cells very rare. 5C and 6C more easier to find, than color C-cells.


----------



## Icarus

bykfixer said:


> Maglite has midnight blue 2D incans at their site for $15.95.
> They also have purple incan 2aaa minimags, coyote tan 2 cell ML300's, crimson red Mag Tac plain and blue shimmer 2aa incan minimags.
> Oh and gold 3D classic.



Also midnight blue 3D incans for $16.95.


----------



## Icarus

bykfixer said:


> Maglite has midnight blue 2D incans at their site for $15.95.
> They also have purple incan 2aaa minimags, coyote tan 2 cell ML300's, crimson red Mag Tac plain and blue shimmer 2aa incan minimags.
> Oh and gold 3D classic.


Unless it is the LED version I can't find the gold 3D classic.


----------



## bykfixer

Classic LED I mean……
Good point


----------



## Icarus

Meet my customised spiky Maglite 6D.


----------



## Icarus

bykfixer said:


> Classic LED I mean……
> Good point


Thanks for clarifying. 

I hope one day they will offer an incan gold 2D or 3D again. I own an incan 2C and a gold LED 3D but couldn't get my hands on an incan gold D size Maglite yet.


----------



## bykfixer

Hopefully they will Icarus
I was surprised the ones I mentioned had shown up at their site. Don't know if they just decided to clear some shelves of new old stock or if they have been reproducing some old favorites. 
I suspect it's new old stock.


----------



## Icarus

Maglite is now again offering the vintage limited edition "Statue of liberty" Mini Maglite Xenon 2AA.


----------



## bykfixer

It's has smooth barrel.


----------



## borrower

Lotta long Cs -- well, 5s and 6s -- on everybody's fave auction site at the moment. (No, not mine.)


----------



## Yates

Can't seem to find it, but there's a Cadillac set that looks tempting.


----------



## turbodog

Last night I searched for 'maglite 6c' and went right to 3 of them: 1 nib, 1 excellent used, 1 well used.


----------



## bykfixer

Icarus said:


> Maglite is now again offering the vintage limited edition "Statue of liberty" Mini Maglite Xenon 2AA.


And this……


----------



## Yates

Anyone know about a sterling silver Mag solitaire?


----------



## turbodog

Never heard of one. There's a gold plated 2aa minimag. Given the tarnishing tendency of silver... i don't see one getting past the approval to mfg stage.


----------



## bykfixer

There was rumored to be a sterling silver plated Marquis, which is what the Solitaire was named before it was called Solitaire. 
Tony Maglica did a small flashlight for his (then) girlfriend and called it Marquis. Rumor has it hers was sterling silver plated. 
Marquis was renamed Solitaire after it was discovered the name Marquis was already being used. Maglite actually recalled them and bought back unsold ones from stores. A few hundred got out.


----------



## Yates

Thanks all.

I found it on the bay, so probably an aftermarket enhancement.

I'll pass.


----------



## bykfixer

Oh, there are after market silver and gold plated Maglites, for sure.

I had a black Marquis for a bit and traded it for a gold plated brass minimag formerly owned by Don Keller then traded that for a gold plated 3aa alluminum Brinkmann Legend owned by Don. It was 1 of 12 made. I still have the Brinkmann.


----------



## din107

I got them!


----------



## turbodog

For those interested... there was a CPF member that had 7c, NIB lights. Had a good number of them.


----------



## Icarus

turbodog said:


> For those interested... there was a CPF member that had 7c, NIB lights. Had a good number of them.



This member was 'borrower'. He's still around.


----------



## fidusinski

Hello all this is my new maglite flashlight. I bought some blind. What color is it? Copper? I don't even know how many batteries and what type. I am asking for our support, because I am curious 😁 P.s. Merry Christmas to All 👍🙂


----------



## turbodog

fidusinski said:


> Hello all this is my new maglite flashlight. I bought some blind. What color is it? Copper? I don't even know how many batteries and what type. I am asking for our support, because I am curious 😁 P.s. Merry Christmas to All 👍🙂
> 
> View attachment 21356




Looks like gold, but the lighting is not the best.

It's going to be "C" size batteries, maybe 2-3 of them.


----------



## fidusinski

Thank You 🍻


----------



## bykfixer

Looks like a gold 3C

Merry Christmas


----------



## fidusinski

bykfixer said:


> Looks like a gold 3C
> 
> Merry Christmas


Thanks. It's a nice buy. We will see how it comes 👣


----------



## Icarus

It looks more like a Gold 2C. You can easily find out by checking the serial number. The first figure tells you the number of batteries. So, it the serial number starts with 2.... or C2.... then it is a 2 cell. Definitely a rare specimen. Fore sure a great find! I'm wondering where you got it from.


----------



## fidusinski

Icarus said:


> It looks more like a Gold 2C. You can easily find out by checking the serial number. The first figure tells you the number of batteries. So, it the serial number starts with 2.... or C2.... then it is a 2 cell. Definitely a rare specimen. Fore sure a great find! I'm wondering where you got it from.


Thank you very much, *Icarus*. I can't wait for him to come. Unfortunately, I do not know the serial number. I bought it in Germany on ebay. As soon as I get there, I'll take some nice pictures. Thanks again. Happy Christmas 🙂


----------



## Icarus

In the picture you posted it looks like new, or at least in very good shape. I'm anxious the see your pictures when the light arrives. Do you have more rare Maglites? BTW I have a Gold 2C (new) in my collection too.  

Merry Christmas to you as well as all the other members here.


----------



## bykfixer

I thought 2C also Icarus, but the more I stared at it the more I kept sayin'"nah, it's gotta be 3".


----------



## Icarus

bykfixer said:


> I thought 2C also Icarus, but the more I stared at it the more I kept sayin'"nah, it's gotta be 3".


I'm still pretty sure it is a 2C but... time will tell when the light arrives at its new home. I'm also not aware of the existence of a Gold 3C while it is sure there is a Gold 2C as I own one too.


----------



## bykfixer

The switch area does take up a lot of room in a Maglite and cause it to look like it holds more cells than it actually does.

Edit: 




A 2C and a 3C


----------



## fidusinski

my current collection without the gold one, because I'm still waiting 😁


----------



## Toohotruk

fidusinski said:


> my current collection without the gold one, because I'm still waiting 😁
> 
> View attachment 21511


Nice! Merry Christmas to you and all of your Mags!


----------



## menameisbrad

Do these 7D Mags get more exciting the lower the number gets? Does 70001301 mean it was the 1301th unit manufactured? Mine looks pretty rough, and I think its not working. One other question I had was, should I try restoring it or like old coins, is it better to leave it rough and dirty?


----------



## hsa

Rough and dirty but shining brightly. Just my opinion.


----------



## bykfixer

I'd say put a new lens in, and possibly a new switch to see it burn a bit brighter and possibly a new reflector if the old one is not all nice and shiney.

As far as the body goes, just wipe in down with soapy water and maybe some car polish to get it to shine better. But be prepared for the polish to leave white residue in the knurling and a used up tooth brush can remove that.

Good score. Is is an early production number? You can email Maglite and they can tell you that and the build date.


----------



## turbodog

menameisbrad said:


> Do these 7D Mags get more exciting the lower the number gets? Does 70001301 mean it was the 1301th unit manufactured? Mine looks pretty rough, and I think its not working. One other question I had was, should I try restoring it or like old coins, is it better to leave it rough and dirty?



I'd clean it with something mild, but not attempt a restore under any circumstances.

The anodizing is type 2... so it's not super tough. Aggressive cleaning or an attempted restoration could go badly.


----------



## sween1911

Oh man, there's an old pre-panther, pre-D-serial widebody 5D on the 'bay for not-a-ridiculous amount. Trying to fight the urge to get it to complete my 3D-4D-5D old school set.

Was just working on the 80's era 3D last night. The switch is flaky and the battery terminals are dirty, needs cleaned out. I swapped out the grey oxidized tailcap spring for a fresh one from the parts box and was running it last night on a generic PR-drop-in. With some PVC tube and aluminum rod spacers, powered with 2 CR123's.


----------



## fidusinski

Icarus said:


> I'm still pretty sure it is a 2C but... time will tell when the light arrives at its new home. I'm also not aware of the existence of a Gold 3C while it is sure there is a Gold 2C as I own one too.


congratulates Icarus. Beautiful, gold Maglite with two batteries. Almost perfect. Happy New Year 🍾🔦


----------



## hsa

Oh, my. That's nice.


----------



## Icarus

fidusinski said:


> congratulates Icarus. Beautiful, gold Maglite with two batteries. Almost perfect. Happy New Year 🍾🔦


Very nice picture! It looks like new too.  

I have several different colour 2C's including a gold one so I was pretty sure it was a 2C. 
Mine has a slightly lower serial number 23826398.


----------



## fidusinski

Icarus said:


> Very nice picture! It looks like new too.
> 
> I have several different colour 2C's including a gold one so I was pretty sure it was a 2C.
> Mine has a slightly lower serial number 23826398.


Thank you for your support. I managed to buy two more interesting Maglites and I am curious what they look like and if one of them is Jade Mag. Worse news, this place is ending and I have to plan some expositions for my little collection, because so far I do not have 🙂


----------



## Icarus

fidusinski said:


> Thank you for your support. I managed to buy two more interesting Maglites and I am curious what they look like and if one of them is Jade Mag. Worse news, this place is ending and I have to plan some expositions for my little collection, because so far I do not have 🙂


If one of them is a Jade Maglite then it must be a 2D, 3D or 4D. The Jade 3D is most common (at least in my collection ). As far as I know there are no Jade MagC's.


----------



## fidusinski

Today unpacked. Unfortunately, the color of Jadge is still missing 😁 However, the first one from the right is shimmer blue - also a rare color


----------



## fidusinski

How do you think, because I'm not sure if these two maglites in shades of blue are Midnight blue and shimmer blue?


----------



## turbodog

fidusinski said:


> How do you think, because I'm not sure if these two maglites in shades of blue are Midnight blue and shimmer blue?



They appear to be regular blue and shimmer blue.

You can compare to the colors in my minimag thread...

Midnight blue is top picture, top row, far right.

Even on stock colors, there is significant tint variance sometimes.






AA MiniMag Collection - Part 4


********************************************************************** Separate thread for LED versions --> click here ********************************************************************** As far as I know, this is a complete list of all the officially-released colors. Custom runs are...




www.candlepowerforums.com


----------



## fidusinski

thank you. I will compare. Perhaps my photo is inaccurate. 
p.s. beautiful collection 😍


----------



## turbodog

Discerning the subtle difference between some of the colors is hard. Your camera may have taken a good photo, but if my monitors are not displaying the picture accurately I won't see what you see.

Shimmer blue, if I recall correctly, is top picture, bottom row, 2nd from left. I put labels inside the lights years ago.


----------



## Icarus

fidusinski said:


> Today unpacked. Unfortunately, the color of Jadge is still missing 😁 However, the first one from the right is shimmer blue - also a rare color


Not only the shimmer blue is rare. The lime green are this also especially in new/mint condition.


----------



## turbodog

Some of my collection were bought directly from mag instruments. fyi.


----------



## Icarus

menameisbrad said:


> Do these 7D Mags get more exciting the lower the number gets? Does 70001301 mean it was the 1301th unit manufactured? Mine looks pretty rough, and I think its not working. One other question I had was, should I try restoring it or like old coins, is it better to leave it rough and dirty?


It is definitely a low number. Mine has serial# 70008698 and according to Maglite it was manufactured in April 1981.


----------



## bykfixer

The serial number is applied to the barrel but that does not mean it was the build number. 
Example: on Feb 1,1981 there may have been 350 stamped with numbers in a sequence, but parts added and complete build may not have been in that same order. 

However it would be logical at the period where the Maglite factory was still expanding to keep up with demand that a serial number of 1301 was definitely a pretty early one. Probably went out the door before 8698, yes. 

By the mid 1980's when Maglite was selling lights by the million a low serial number of a new model may not indicate that it was an early build but since 7C and 7D did not sell very well it would be a safe bet a low serial number is a low production number. If it were the popular (back then) 3D model, who knows? 

You can contact Maglite and they'll tell you the build date. They get a kick out of hearing about really old Maglites still being used.


----------



## turbodog

I got my first around 1985 give or take. The bulbs were higher quality back then and included adjusting shims for a super tight focus. Remember being able to light up neighbor's house 1000' away with a tight spot. Never occurred to me that I was shining it in through their den window.


----------



## LiftdT4R

Haven't been on in a while but I must say those are some very nice lights. I still read through this whole thread from the first page sometimes. I have some new finds I've been meaning to post. Nothing earth shattering but some interesting old lights.


----------



## LiftdT4R

Yates said:


> Anyone know about a sterling silver Mag solitaire?


Yes, they were done by a few jewelers in Maglite's early days but they were not an official Maglite product. I think they were done in the UK. The used the Solitaire internals. I don't believe they were branded. I don't own one but once every few years they seems to come up for sale.


----------



## LiftdT4R

Here's a few nice lights I came across recently. Not super rare but some that you don't see very often. I love these old lights in different finishes.






From top to bottom they are:

1987 to 1989 Stamped R Bezel 4D in Silver. I've seen a bunch of 2D silver lights in this era but never a 4D so I was excited to grab it. I love the long grip before they changed them in 1990.

1990 or 1991 Laser Etched Bezel 3C in Blue. I actually had one of these before but it was in really rough shape. I've also seen some dark green 3Cs from this era too. There was a red done then too and I know a member on here has one but I've never come across one for sale in all my years of collecting and I really really want one. It's right before they added the panther to the bezel in 1992.

1987 to 1989 Stamped R Bezel 3D in Gold. I have a few of these and they're not as rare as you might think. This one is a little rough and had a leaking battery that I needed to clean up.

1981 to 1986 Stamped TM Bezel 3D in Red. These TM bezel lights are the toughest ones to find in different colors. I already have one of these Red 3Ds but this one hung around on ebay for a few days with no bids so I couldn't resist.

I have some other super rare lights I've picked up in the last year that I have to get around to posting too. Love seeing everyone elses new acquisitions too. Even thought this thread is going on 13 years old it's still going strong!


----------



## knucklegary

Sure would be nice if Mr Ed could restore the first pages photos that disappeared after his website change take over?


----------



## LiftdT4R

I cruise Maglite's website from time to time to see what incan lights they've discontinued and what new offerings they have. These 2D Midnight Blue lights popped up a couple days ago. For those who don't know Midnight Blue was a special finish they did in the early 2000s for retailers that sold a lot of lights. I'm surprised to see them listed on Mag's web site. They're not listed under the regular 2D finish options but they're a stand alone product. I'm tempted to order a couple and see what happens because this is one of the few special order finishes I've never been able to pin down. The logo even appears to be the old one and Mag has sold leftover lights in the past on their site.


----------



## turbodog

Get 4 different models. Mix/match the parts to make some early 1990's tie dye patterns.

I've got a 2aa I leave in the garage to check vehicles' fluids. Each time the alkalines leak and kill it I swap parts to add a new color to the 'repaired' light.


----------



## bykfixer

LiftdT4R said:


> I cruise Maglite's website from time to time to see what incan lights they've discontinued and what new offerings they have. These 2D Midnight Blue lights popped up a couple days ago. For those who don't know Midnight Blue was a special finish they did in the early 2000s for retailers that sold a lot of lights. I'm surprised to see them listed on Mag's web site. They're not listed under the regular 2D finish options but they're a stand alone product. I'm tempted to order a couple and see what happens because this is one of the few special order finishes I've never been able to pin down. The logo even appears to be the old one and Mag has sold leftover lights in the past on their site.


I bought one. It's sexy. 

They also have some old minimags like the black one that says "work of art that works", blood red MagTac, Coyote MacTac, Coyote ML300 etc.


----------



## LiftdT4R

bykfixer said:


> I bought one. It's sexy.
> 
> They also have some old minimags like the black one that says "work of art that works", blood red MagTac, Coyote MacTac, Coyote ML300 etc.


Awesome!! Got any pics of the midnight blue light? Does it have the old logo or the new one? Can you tell the difference between that and the standard blue?


----------



## bykfixer

Left is the midnight blue




Shows the logo with a general production blue LED from a few years back and some ML300's.
Has the dash in it, yes





Just the two side by side.


----------



## LiftdT4R

bykfixer said:


> Left is the midnight blue
> 
> Shows the logo with a general production blue LED from a few years back and some ML300's.
> Has the dash in it, yes
> 
> 
> Just the two side by side.


Thanks dude!! But I'm also kind of mad because I think you just cost me $50! 😁I am pretty sure these are NOS based on the logo and they do look like legit Midnight Blue.

Any chance you know the serial number? I'm curious how these date. Thanks!!


----------



## bykfixer

Nice to see ya around Lift'd,

D2037608745.
#37,xxx,xxx perhaps?

Yeah, I suppose it's NOS. So were the silver 4D incans I bought, but they were all outfitted with bi-pin bulbs if that means anything. Easy enough to convert to PR (krypton) if the bi-pin takes collector points off.

I've yet to put a battery in the blue one. Not sure what I've got in mind so it's stashed with my 40th anniversary light.

I bought 4D xenon lights when watching the tv show Jerico on video, and after an EMP murdered all electronics in Kansas some used 4D Maglites.


----------



## LiftdT4R

bykfixer said:


> Nice to see ya around Lift'd,
> 
> D2037608745.
> #37,xxx,xxx perhaps?
> 
> Yeah, I suppose it's NOS. So were the silver 4D incans I bought, but they were all outfitted with bi-pin bulbs if that means anything. Easy enough to convert to PR (krypton) if the bi-pin takes collector points off.
> 
> I've yet to put a battery in the blue one. Not sure what I've got in mind so it's stashed with my 40th anniversary light.
> 
> I bought 4D xenon lights when watching the tv show Jerico on video, and after an EMP murdered all electronics in Kansas some used 4D Maglites.


Thanks!! I’ve been sooooo busy with work the last couple years I haven’t been on much but I’ve been doing lots of light restorations and modifications.

Interesting! They date to 2017 with that serial. I thought all of those special finish runs were done in Mags hey day in the early 2000s. All of the other 2D special finish lights I have are around a 12,000,000 serial. I’m not sure why Mag would have done a special run in 2017 but I’m in!! If for nothing else to compare them to Midnight Blue lights others have sent me over the years to see if they actually are. The standard blue has evolved from an electric blue to a navy blue over the years and it’s very tough to tell what’s Midnight Blue and what’s standard.

I love the 4Ds. Why don’t you like the bipin bulbs? I noticed the spot is a little tighter but I sputter all my reflectors anyway so they didn’t seem bad. I picked up 20 or so warm LED PR drop ins a while back and that’s mostly what I run on my daily use lights now.


----------



## Incandescent

LiftdT4R said:


> I picked up 20 or so warm LED PR drop ins a while back and that’s mostly what I run on my daily use lights now.



Any recommendation for a specific warm white drop in? I've seen a couple but the quality seems questionable.


----------



## bykfixer

The standard blue products I've recieved in the last couple of years are still somewhat 'electric' looking. Perhaps less 1980's hewey lewis and the news electric like the tie I wore at my high school graduation. The midnight blue is more of a Cintas or D¡ck¡es uniform blue. 

I don't mind the Maglite bi-pin bulb. But figured perhaps a glass lens and PR base xenon would look a little more "tacticool"…… or perhaps a 1960's TungSol argon bulb to put out a nice warm glow compared to xenon. Not really after a bunch of extra lumens with ole midnight rider, really. Just something most would not even notice tbh.


----------



## knucklegary

Incandescent said:


> Any recommendation for a specific warm white drop in? I've seen a couple but the quality seems questionable.


Are you referring to 2835 SMD 3000k 97cri ?
I've seen these (China) bulbs, but skeptical on bean quality. Especially indoor use for bounce back, could produce the dreaded donut effect on flood


----------



## Incandescent

knucklegary said:


> Are you referring to 2835 SMD 3000k 97cri ?
> I've seen these (China) bulbs, but skeptical on bean quality. Especially indoor use for bounce back, could produce the dreaded donut effect on flood


The ones I found are made by Ruiandsion, but don't specify CRI and have some negative reviews.

I haven't found any PR base drop ins available with high CRI specified.


----------



## turbodog

One that started it all...

Was bought long enough ago that I'm pretty sure I mailed a money order for it.

Have asked mag for mfg date. I'm remembering 1985 or so.

Edit: Mag said "01/26/1986"


----------



## knucklegary

I thought it was mouser dot com I read the specs. However, appears it must of been in BLF thread..
Looks like the cool and neutral are 80Cri, not sure about the warm

Still must be a slight improvement over the old incan.. I'm just not sure it's worth the wait from Guangzhou.. Also, like you said I'm not seeing any positive feedback


----------



## LiftdT4R

Incandescent said:


> Any recommendation for a specific warm white drop in? I've seen a couple but the quality seems questionable.


I bought different ones on Amazon. None are great but some were decent. You’re right, no one makes an excellent warm drop in but some of them weren’t awful if that makes any sense.


----------



## LiftdT4R

I haven't posted in a long time because I've been so busy with work, my home remodel, and general family stuff but I've got some old lights I never posted and some new ones I found. This one I got a while back but never posted. It is the oldest Maglite I've seen. It is a 2D, serial #422. I haven't seen any D cells with a lower serial although I have seen C cells. C cells didn't start until a year later so it's a safe bet that any 1979 lights are older than any C cell.






Like other super early lights I have "Patent" is spelled correctly. This is because the machining was still being done by Tony and Don in house. Not more than 2 months or so after Maglite started they began sub contracting out various parts of the manufacturing process to keep up with demand and that's when the T in Patent was lost. So, on later 1979 lights and all 1980 lights they read "Paten Pending". Contrary to popular belief that was not an error but the sub contractors couldn't fit enough dies in their stamping machine so they left off the T.






One day I would love to visit the Maglite factory because I have heard that they retained some super low serial D cells and they might be on display or were in the past. Has anyone here visited? If so I would love to hear about it. Don had some super low C cell serials but from what I hear is most of the early D cell Maglite examples were sold retail because no one knew the importance of them. Interestingly enough Ford sold serial #1 of the Ford Mustang and had to spend a lot of money to buy it back so I can see why Maglite would do the same. I'm always hoping a single or double digit serial will pop up eventually for sale.


----------



## LiftdT4R

turbodog said:


> One that started it all...
> 
> Was bought long enough ago that I'm pretty sure I mailed a money order for it.
> 
> Have asked mag for mfg date. I'm remembering 1985 or so.
> 
> Edit: Mag said "01/26/1986"


Very cool!!! I love to see these old lights still in service. I have a similar 2D that I use to go out to get wood for my stove. I love it because I can sling it under my arm when I pickup wood. You can't do that with smaller lights. Love the lanyard too! Did you tie it yourself?


----------



## turbodog

LiftdT4R said:


> Very cool!!! I love to see these old lights still in service. I have a similar 2D that I use to go out to get wood for my stove. I love it because I can sling it under my arm when I pickup wood. You can't do that with smaller lights. Love the lanyard too! Did you tie it yourself?



It's an old leather shoestring from back when the dexter ankle boots were in style.


----------



## bykfixer

Nothing on the scale of a 1979 C or D light, but when my first ML25IT's arrived from ZBattery and the S/N on the blue one was a bunch of zeros and a 17 I decided that one is stayin' in the package.


----------



## LiftdT4R

turbodog said:


> It's an old leather shoestring from back when the dexter ankle boots were in style.



I was big into know tying for a while. I did a bunch of lanyards on some Surefires and Maglites. It can be a little frustrating sometimes but very rewarding.



bykfixer said:


> Nothing on the scale of a 1979 C or D light, but when my first ML25IT's arrived from ZBattery and the S/N on the blue one was a bunch of zeros and a 17 I decided that one is stayin' in the package.



I wouldn't mind seeing that one again! I think you posted it a while back. A treasure for sure because I think those ML25 incans were discontinued. I have a few and it's a shame because I really like them. The LEDs are way too cool for my liking. I will say the battery life is very poor on the incans though. 

I wound up not picking up the Midnight Blue 2Ds. I might next month. I spent my light budget on Kel-Lite parts and some other cool Kel-Lite stuff I hope to post in you California Cop Light thread soon.


----------



## bykfixer

Here ya go,

The red one was my first ML25IT to turn into a mini 7D Maglite.





The blue one is 071 not 017 like I said above.





Both near each other 





Later I did a 3 cell to be brighter too. 





I have other nip ML25IT's stashed from early 016 also. I bought at least one of each color in 2 cell.


----------



## fidusinski

I have a request. I sold one "Lime green" Maglite on ebay.com and the buyer says it is not a lime green but a jade green. It is one of the three shown in the photo. Is it possible according to you? 
if so, I have no idea what the difference is between limee green and jade greeen










Very Rare Lime Green Maglite flashlight 3 d cell | eBay


<p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0;">Very Rare Lime Green Maglite flashlight d cell.</p> <br> <p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0;">No box</p> <p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0;">A few scratches and water scratches in the photos. Looks like bad...



www.ebay.com


----------



## turbodog

fidusinski said:


> I have a request. I sold one "Lime green" Maglite on ebay.com and the buyer says it is not a lime green but a jade green. It is one of the three shown in the photo. Is it possible according to you?
> if so, I have no idea what the difference is between limee green and jade greeen
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Very Rare Lime Green Maglite flashlight 3 d cell | eBay
> 
> 
> <p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0;">Very Rare Lime Green Maglite flashlight d cell.</p> <br> <p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0;">No box</p> <p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0;">A few scratches and water scratches in the photos. Looks like bad...
> 
> 
> 
> www.ebay.com



First... there are significant tint variations on ANY color run.

Second... in this thread look at the top pic, top row, 3rd from right. That should be 'jade green'.

Lime would be bottom pic, top row, 3rd from left AND bottom pic, bottom row, far left.


----------



## Skier

turbodog said:


> First... there are significant tint variations on ANY color run.
> 
> Second... in this thread look at the top pic, top row, 3rd from right. That should be 'jade green'.
> 
> Lime would be bottom pic, top row, 3rd from left AND bottom pic, bottom row, far left.


Nice collection and display scheme.


----------



## borrower

Some ebay buyers are wrong by accident; some are wrong on purpose. To my eyes, yours was clearly lime. If the linked thread above doesn't convince them (or possibly the ebay dispute people, though I frankly doubt they're worth much), work to get the flashlight back and give them a refund.


----------



## LiftdT4R

borrower said:


> Some ebay buyers are wrong by accident; some are wrong on purpose. To my eyes, yours was clearly lime. If the linked thread above doesn't convince them (or possibly the ebay dispute people, though I frankly doubt they're worth much), work to get the flashlight back and give them a refund.


Ebay has gotten worse and worse. They never back the seller they'll take the buyers word always no matter how wrong they are. I only sell stuff on Facebook now and only take Friends & Family for payment. I still buy a ton of stuff on ebay though.

Hoping y'all can help me out with a light I acquired. I know it's 1981 3D but it has a re-chargeable end cap. I think it's one of the early Pharo-Tech or Luma-Tech conversions but it looks a little different than others I have seen. The serial number of the light dates to early 1981 just after the "Paten Pending" was removed when the patent was approved. I'm sure there would have been another piece with this that charged the light similar to the one in the picture below.


----------



## sween1911

Jay, that looks pretty cool! I guess that's an aftermarket non-Mag branded rechargeable solution?


----------



## bykfixer

Unfortunately I lost the contact info for Ed Torr and it doesn't seem like there's much written about the Qualtech products. 

Another great score.


----------



## sween1911

My widebody 6D Maglite (all digit serial) came in today.

® Bezel
499XXX serial
Plastic switch retaining ring
Now my 3D (recently rebuilt with a switch from Don Keller!) and 4D have a big brother...











Left to right 4D, 6D, 3D. Not a Panther-logo to be found.
The 4D and 3D both have "TM" bezels.


----------



## hsa

Is that a different reflector in the 6D?


----------



## sween1911

hsa said:


> Is that a different reflector in the 6D?



Good eye. No, it's a regular reflector. They all have plastic Mag reflectors BUT I should mention the 4D on the left hand side has a light coat of crystal clear Krylon sputter for a smooth beam.


----------



## hsa

Does the Krylon work pretty good?


----------



## sween1911

hsa said:


> Does the Krylon work pretty good?


Yup. That's one of my better examples. It's dicey, I have some that didn't turn out too well, so you risk ruining it. There's some threads on here about how to do it. Light coats, take your time, etc.


----------



## knucklegary

Have you tried bead blast finishing at a very low psi? 

Use recycled glass bead (fine dust) and just enough pressure to soften the smooth shiney finish. Keep nozzle rotating in a circular motion. Do Not hold in one spot. Even at lowest pressure plastic is soft and chrome finish will peel off. Steel reflectors work the best.


----------



## bykfixer

Acrylite lenses from flashlight lens dot com clean up the beam very well without affecting throw much at all. It's a slightly diffused ultra clear polycarbonate lens. 
I tried the sputter with clear engine paint versus the acrylite and the acylite left the sputtered reflector in the dust when it came to cleaning up filament shadow without affecting that Maglite bazooka beam. 
If I recall they run about $10 shipped.


----------



## knucklegary

Acrylic lens cost not much more than a can of spray paint..

The micro satin finish created by ultra fine glass powder applied at 5-8 psi removes artifacts while not reducing throw. Of course not everyone owns a blast cabinet, but they're easy to construct..

PK FL2LE has AR glass lens


----------



## fidusinski

I have a question. Is the one in the attached photo Jadge Maglite? best regards Artur


----------



## turbodog

That looks like jade to me. Have you compared to my minimag color thread?






AA MiniMag Collection - Part 4


********************************************************************** Separate thread for LED versions --> click here ********************************************************************** As far as I know, this is a complete list of all the officially-released colors. Custom runs are...




www.candlepowerforums.com





top picture
top row
3rd from right

I would have to take them down and look at my note inside the light, but I'm pretty sure that is jade.


----------



## fidusinski

Thank You 💪 looks Good


----------



## fidusinski

I have the opportunity to buy it. is it worth buying? Four D batteries


----------



## sween1911

fidusinski said:


> I have the opportunity to buy it. is it worth buying? Four D batteries


You asking about the Jade one or the black one in the picture? 

The black one in your last post has a little "TM" to the right of the MAGLITE on the bezel, so it's fairly rare. The Jade one has the panther-logo so it's not that old, just a rare color.

I can't tell you how much they're worth and if it's worth buying it, it's really about how much it means to you and what you're comfortable paying. My first serious flashlight was a 4D from around 1990. I carried it EVERYWHERE, so I'm a big fan of old 4D Mags which is why I bought another one that sits in a hallowed place in my shop. The original one was lost to battery corrosion. I keep my current ones without batteries to avoid risk of alka-leakage unless I plan to use them. That being said, I haven't paid more than $30-$40 USD for an old Mag but that's a personal decision based on my budget and when they pop-up for sale if they're the kind I want.


----------



## fidusinski

sween1911 said:


> You asking about the Jade one or the black one in the picture?
> 
> The black one in your last post has a little "TM" to the right of the MAGLITE on the bezel, so it's fairly rare. The Jade one has the panther-logo so it's not that old, just a rare color.
> 
> I can't tell you how much they're worth and if it's worth buying it, it's really about how much it means to you and what you're comfortable paying. My first serious flashlight was a 4D from around 1990. I carried it EVERYWHERE, so I'm a big fan of old 4D Mags which is why I bought another one that sits in a hallowed place in my shop. The original one was lost to battery corrosion. I keep my current ones without batteries to avoid risk of alka-leakage unless I plan to use them. That being said, I haven't paid more than $30-$40 USD for an old Mag but that's a personal decision based on my budget and when they pop-up for sale if they're the kind I want.


Sorry to post under the post. I asked for black and only for collectors, not $ value. Thank you for your response


----------



## bykfixer

fidusinski said:


> I have the opportunity to buy it. is it worth buying? Four D batteries


Dew eet!!


----------



## sween1911

Unique red color 5D....

All that survives of my dad's 80's 5D






Not until I read Jay (LiftdTR4)'s blog did I realize that the Mag 5D that my dad had back in the mid to late 80's was special. He got it from my uncle for Christmas. We had a couple other newer red ones and I could tell the color was different but figured it was just a color variant over time. It eventually fell victim to alkaline leakage and was thrown out. I really wish I'd tried to save it, or at least saved the whole head.

The light he had was colored very much like the burgundy one in Jay's blog page...





Maglite: More than a Cop light


A blog where I'll display my vintage Maglite Collection, including some very rare lights, and for other collectors to discuss information on lights, parts, history, repairs, and restoration.




maglitehistory.blogspot.com





Here it is next to a newer bezel from red 3D...


----------



## knucklegary

ElectronGuru said:


> Here's a 6C
> 
> View attachment 29373
> 
> 
> View attachment 29374
> ​
> A 5C
> 
> View attachment 29375​
> 
> And a few other C's
> 
> 
> View attachment 29376
> 
> 
> View attachment 29377
> 
> 
> View attachment 29378
> 
> 
> View attachment 29379
> 
> 
> View attachment 29380​


Dan, when you have time how about restoring these photos?


----------



## bykfixer

@sween1911 I have a promo light enroute and will use your photos to see if the Winston promo lights had their own shade of red or used stock red.


Later in the day.....




Well the Winston was more orange than an XL200 and ML25 but....





It may also have been different than vintage red as well, but maybe not. Too close for me to call.
Hope you don't mind me swiping a copy of your photo Sween1911.


----------



## knucklegary

I like the Winston color, it's kind of a fire burnt orange red


----------



## raggie33

i was so prould of my AA maglight i recall throwing on ground to prove how tough it was and the candle mode was cool. but once leds came out i lost intestest


----------



## Monocrom

raggie33 said:


> i was so prould of my AA maglight i recall throwing on ground to prove how tough it was and the candle mode was cool. but once leds came out i lost intestest


You can still do candle mode. Plus now, with the latest batch of twist-on LED full-size models, candle-mode is actually blazing bright!


----------



## xxo

Get yourself a LED AAA Mini Mag and/or a 2C dual mode ML25, they still do candle mode but they are really to bright to look at directly - better to use them with a 3D printed diffuser.


----------



## knucklegary

sween1911 said:


> Unique red color 5D....
> 
> All that survives of my dad's 80's 5D
> View attachment 29224
> 
> 
> Not until I read Jay (LiftdTR4)'s blog did I realize that the Mag 5D that my dad had back in the mid to late 80's was special. He got it from my uncle for Christmas. We had a couple other newer red ones and I could tell the color was different but figured it was just a color variant over time. It eventually fell victim to alkaline leakage and was thrown out. I really wish I'd tried to save it, or at least saved the whole head.
> 
> The light he had was colored very much like the burgundy one in Jay's blog page...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Maglite: More than a Cop light
> 
> 
> A blog where I'll display my vintage Maglite Collection, including some very rare lights, and for other collectors to discuss information on lights, parts, history, repairs, and restoration.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> maglitehistory.blogspot.com
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Here it is next to a newer bezel from red 3D...
> View attachment 29225


The "R" replaced "TM" after 1987 and if no "D" in serial dates it pre '92


----------



## knucklegary

How rare is color merlot?
3D, high serial number, guessing 2008-'09..
Did ML offer color grape on other models as well? (mini's?) A one year run?

Must of been a good year for CA wine grapes


----------



## earcandy

A red 2D with a TM bezel. It was already well-worn when I got it. It's one of my favorites.


----------



## earcandy

An early 4D (1981?) with TM bezel and "paten pending" barrel. It's also seen some use. A previous owner carved his name on the barrel (not visible in the photo) and the tail cap threads were a bit buggered up, presumably from old alka-leak. The switch was jammed when I got it (no "click"). I feared more alka-leak, but all I found was a thick green patina inside the switch. It cleaned up well and it "clicks" now, but I don't know that I would trust those tail threads. There's only about a turn and a half to secure four D cells plus the spring pressure.


----------



## knucklegary

Check if helicoil makes a threaded insert. Early barrels have plenty meat, should be able to tap and thread..


----------



## earcandy

knucklegary said:


> Check if helicoil makes a threaded insert. Early barrels have plenty meat, should be able to tap and thread..


Not a bad idea. I hadn't even considered that.


----------



## bykfixer

If it won't thread all the way down without a spring the threads can be cleaned with a right angle dental pic. If it's because the spring is so tight you can cut a coil and re-bend the tip with linesman pliers.


----------



## earcandy

bykfixer said:


> If it won't thread all the way down without a spring the threads can be cleaned with a right angle dental pic. If it's because the spring is so tight you can cut a coil and re-bend the tip with linesman pliers.


The end cap will thread smoothly enough, but there's enough metal missing from the barrel threads that there's not much left to bite. I tried a different end cap and it wasn't any better.


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## earcandy

A 2C Mag-Lite with a 3C Kel-Lite. I am a Kel-Lite fan, but I only have a couple of them. A 3C Kel-Lite is actually shorter than a 2C Mag because of the Mag's internal switch. The Kel-Lite dates to about 1971 with the serial number on the barrel, but the Barstow tail cap is later, circa 1974, and the color doesn't match the barrel. Perhaps the original was lost and replaced. The 2C Mag-Lite has a TM bezel with a low serial number and a "paten" barrel. I have seen several D-cell Mags with a "paten" barrel, but never another C-cell.


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## knucklegary

earcandy said:


> Not a bad idea. I hadn't even considered that.


If don't have the means.. I can measure thread size and pitch tomorrow. Need to dust off few webs and get into my machinist tool box.
If it's out of helicoil range there's other options, but you'll need a metal lathe. Still it's not a big deal, a good machine shop can (should be able) shoot it out in less than hour


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## ABTOMAT

A couple things I've noticed about Kel-Lites. One is the flashlights in the field don't always match the official description of markings/dates. There definitely was some mixing and matching during the production runs. The second is I think that scheme they describe is just for the D-cell lights. I've never seen a normal C-cell flashlight without a Barstow tailcap regardless of how the light was marked.


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## bykfixer

Agreed. I have a few variously marked C size 1st gen and all have Barstow. I thought I had a blank one but it was a D size.
I do have one with a tailcap rumored to be Tony Maglica made.


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## earcandy

My 3C tail cap looks similar, but it does not have the Kel-Lite flashlight-shaped logo.


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## earcandy

A 5D Mag-Lite with the TM bezel and a post-TM bezel 6C. The 5D is slightly longer than the 6C. These are the only Mag-Lite flashlights I own that have aftermarket covers on them. The cover makes a C-cell barrel feel as thick as a D-cell barrel. I got the 5D at an estate sale and the 6C was on craigslist.


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## Toohotruk

I've never seen those grips before...is that something Mag offered at one point?


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## earcandy

Toohotruk said:


> I've never seen those grips before...is that something Mag offered at one point?


I'd guess they are aftermarket. The 6C is a "Sure Grip" and the 5D is called "Grip Shield".

Also, I found this thread from years ago.


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## Toohotruk

Interesting...I'm surprised I had never heard of them before this.


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## earcandy

Toohotruk said:


> Interesting...I'm surprised I had never heard of them before this.


The manufacturers are Pachmayr and Safariland


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## ABTOMAT

bykfixer said:


> Agreed. I have a few variously marked C size 1st gen and all have Barstow. I thought I had a blank one but it was a D size.
> I do have one with a tailcap rumored to be Tony Maglica made.
> View attachment 30200



Do C-cell logo tailcaps have a special provenance? I think I've missed the memo. I know they're rare--I only have one, and it's on the only C-cell Kel-Lite I have with a bezel ring that's polished on the inside (like B-Lites were.) Interested to know more about these.


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## bykfixer

All I know sir, is I was bidding on it at eBay and somebody else was too, like I'd go up a buck and they'd go up a buck until it got to $35. I won it for $36. Later I was exchanging emails with Don Keller about some other stuff and mentioned the tailcap. His response was "so that was you bidding against me?, I wanted that one because I believe it was a Tony Maglica made tailcap."
I used the logo to make him a 50th anniverssary coffee cup.


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## Chauncey Gardiner

Are these difficult to locate? ML 300XL Crimson Red






Asking for a friend.


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## bykfixer

Yes. The only crimson light readily available is the MagTac.


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## earcandy

A 3D first year. Note the location of the focus grip knurling, the paten barrel and the bulbous button cover. It still has the circlip inside.


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## din107

Here is red 3C. I did not know they existed...


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## earcandy

din107 said:


> Here is red 3C. I did not know they existed...


That's a beauty. I don't see many C-cell lights, and when I do, virtually all of them are black, especially older ones.


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## bykfixer

Coming soon:




Day of the dead edition.


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## bykfixer

Walk n wag minimag arrived today. A limited edition smooth barrel with doggy foot prints etched onto the body.




How Mrs Fixer wanted it outfit'd. 
Comes with a pocket clip, filter holder/ anti roll ring, red/blue/clear lens and a wrist strap. Comes with Energizer double a's but I used Rayovacs.





Model number




The specs
Note electronic switch so I loosen the tailcap a bit to halt parasitic drain.





The cool beam looks throwey





The LED it comes with. 
$35 from Maglite dot com.


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## knucklegary

Looks like same LED installed in ML25LT.
Tint is nothin to write home about, it just works as expected.. Cool mini, I wonder if they'll offer custom engraving in opposite side of barrel with pooches names


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## bykfixer

Beam shots:
Only 127 lumens? 





Not quite dark yet, what's that sound next door?





Nothing actually but decent light to 200 feet or more

Where the pup?




There he is, 75 feet away.


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## Alone In The Dark

Have any of you ever noticed color fade on your Maglites?

For the past five or more years I have kept most of my D-cell Maglites displayed together in a room that gets very little natural light (no direct sunlight) and has an LED ceiling light fixture. While cleaning the flashlights the other day, I noticed that my purple 2D Maglite has faded. It was a beautiful and uniform deep eggplant purple, but now the side that faces outward on display is more of a light amethyst. 

All of the other colors are fine. Only the purple Maglite has faded.


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## xxo

I have seen old black ones that seemed to turn a dark purple, don't know if it was sunlight or something with the way they were anodized but it dosen't happen to all of them - my 36 year old 4D is still jet black.


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## knucklegary

I know platers use a prep process on bare aluminum to seal the metal from oxidation prior to electrostatic plating. Could be the sealing metal step was skipped, or done improperly, on these lights that change color or appears faded.

I just opened up a NIB '92 3D I scored at rummage store. The plastic clamshell had yellowed and cracked from UV exposure sitting on a shelf somewhere, yet the black ano looks fresh as the day it was plated.


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## bykfixer

I have a blue Vare-Beam with one side a bit faded. It arrived that way when I bought it a few years back so I do not know how it got faded.


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## turbodog

Alone In The Dark said:


> Have any of you ever noticed color fade on your Maglites?
> 
> For the past five or more years I have kept most of my D-cell Maglites displayed together in a room that gets very little natural light (no direct sunlight) and has an LED ceiling light fixture. While cleaning the flashlights the other day, I noticed that my purple 2D Maglite has faded. It was a beautiful and uniform deep eggplant purple, but now the side that faces outward on display is more of a light amethyst.
> 
> All of the other colors are fine. Only the purple Maglite has faded.


I checked my minimag display case. No fading...


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## earcandy

xxo said:


> I have seen old black ones that seemed to turn a dark purple, don't know if it was sunlight or something with the way they were anodized but it doesn't happen to all of them - my 36 year old 4D is still jet black.


I have a 1979 3D and a 1981 2C that seem slightly faded and have a faint purplish tinge. I don't know their history, so I can't say how they were stored. None of my newer ones in black seem to have faded.


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## swampgator

Set a light on a dashboard for a few years in the same spot.
It will fade the anodizing on the side exposed to sunlight.


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## Monocrom

Looks like I lucked out. None of mine show any fading.


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## fidusinski

Hi, Today arrived. Two beauty - rare Orange Mag.


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## bykfixer

My buddy Charles Horse from south-left of Tim Buck II sent me a box with




not only an nip aaa Bush minimag but a W Bush aa minimag too. Heck I did even know the W Bush light even existed. 

Thanks Charlie, you're the best!!


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## Monocrom

I'm sure there's a bunch of custom engraved Mags we don't know about. Doesn't the company still offer such a service, if a person or corporation is willing to pay for a large batch of lights at a time?


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## bykfixer

Tony himself produced 1000 aaa minimags and gave them to George H as his 1000 points of light slogan helped get him elected. It's amazing that there are some still nip as they were all supposed to have been given away at the inaugeration. 

It seems as though there were two George W lights. One in red, smooth barrel 2001 the the blue knurled one in 2005. It's been said 40,000 of each were made and given away. 





Stolen from Jasons blog "Maglite-more than a cop light"


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## Monocrom

bykfixer said:


> Tony himself produced 1000 aaa minimags and gave them to George H as his 1000 points of light slogan helped get him elected. It's amazing that there are some still nip as they were all supposed to have been given away at the inaugeration.
> 
> It seems as though there were two George W lights. One in red, smooth barrel 2001 the the blue knurled one in 2005. It's been said 40,000 of each were made and given away.
> 
> View attachment 35323
> 
> Stolen from Jasons blog "Maglite-more than a cop light"


Not too surprising. Guessing quite a few who got one, wanted to keep them mint as future collectibles. Hoping they appreciate in value.


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## letschat7

My main reason for getting involved with the forums again was to discover the colours that Maglite uses. I really wish they still had orange. I think it would be nice in an LED Solitaire or 2xAAA Mini Maglite.


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## turbodog

Orange is pretty snazzy.


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## xxo

letschat7 said:


> My main reason for getting involved with the forums again was to discover the colours that Maglite uses. I really wish they still had orange. I think it would be nice in an LED Solitaire or 2xAAA Mini Maglite.


They sell orange incan solitaires, usually for Halloween.....not sure if they offer orange LED solitaires.


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## letschat7

Okay, I thought I had seen one before somewhere. I would take an incan but bulbs aren't so common nowadays. It is cheaper to buy a boxed Solitaire and take the bulbs from it than a shipped pack of 2 bulbs.


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