# Will I turn into a Maglite fan once again?



## 325addict (Aug 14, 2020)

Well, it has been some years that I didn't take a look at what Maglite had to offer. I thought they would either still make those C and D heavy and large incans forever, or they would go bankrupt still producing these.
How different the reality was!! I went through the site over and over again, learned that a 4D cell Mag now puts out a thousand Lumens, and there were cheap and small 2C lights to have, with two modes, very easy to use, and still with MORE light than a 6D incan with MagNum star bulb...
The cute little ML25LT light has all that right Maglite feel and is built like a tank. I seriousy think it will last the rest of my life and then some.
I didn't regret the purchase of this new Mag at all - maybe I'll even buy more Maglite LED lights. And I'm not a big LED fan, you should know, but the Mag-LEDs certainly "have that something special" a Maglite always had for me...
Are there brigther lights out there? Certainly!
Are there LED lights with bettter LEDs? For sure!
Are there lights that are smaller, but run just as long with the same or higher output? YES!

Are there lights with a very easy UI, with rugged constructon, easy to grab, powered by simple C-cells, to understand by ANY (novel) user, which are better in overall properties than this Maglite, at this price? I seriously doubt it... but I'm not that deep into LED-lights, so suggestions are welcome gentleman  

I made some pictures of this ML25LT light compared to my 6D incan Mag with the already much better MagNum star bulb, in both modes, but even in 2020 I just cannot add pictures like click and play. STILL I need to give an URL when I want to upload pictures, and I don't have an URL of my pictures. WAYY over the top complexity. TOO complex for me, that is. So, no pictures unfortunately...


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## xxo (Aug 14, 2020)

The 2C ML25 is a gem. Considering it's modest cost, I don't know of a better value in the flashlight world....definitely my favorite “budget” light. I don't run mine on alkaline C cells it's either AA eneloops, soshine NiMH C's or 18650 or 21700's in adapters for me.



Other Maglite LED suggestions:  


ML50 (C cell) and/or ML300 (D cell), these feature 3 modes in 4 programmable function sets, soft touch electronic switches and quick focus adjustments. LX versions feature hard anodized grenade grip barrels.


Solitaire LED and 2 AAA LED MiniMag - worthy successors to the incan originals with LED power.


Mag Tac – over due for a upgrade but a good tactical 2X CR123A light that is often over looked. Has a similar grenade grip to the LX ML50 and ML300 with a electronic tail switch.


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## bykfixer (Aug 14, 2020)

The maxi-minimag was such a great idea. And the 019 upgrade was icing on the cake. More throw, and a low. 

But I really liked the 019 2D classic. A low that runs at about (what appears as) 75% of high while massively increasing runtime. 
Specs on the left.


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## mrsteel (Aug 14, 2020)

I got an ML300 4D LED on the way tomorrow along with a 4D Xenon (because I still love the way these bulbs look and work.) Can't wait to try it out, the runtime despite stepping down over time is awesome, and I'll test it out with NiMH to see if it maintains brightness overtime longer (which I'm guessing it will.)

That and the mix of throw and flood as I saw on a YouTube video seem to be about perfect.


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## 325addict (Aug 15, 2020)

I already had that in mind: put these electronics and LED in a 2D housing and it will run double the time a 2C cell will run. I wasn't too far off: 72h vs. 127h. 
I'm afraid I have to restart my Maglite collection from the start, hahaha!
And indeed: I still like my incan Mags a lot! From the tiny Solitaire over the 2AA(A) to the MagCharger and 6D: I like them ALL!

But I can say I'm really surprised AND impressed by this 2C cell Mag... I cannot advise it enough!


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## bykfixer (Aug 15, 2020)

Oh, you should try the ML25*IT*. He he he…
They came in 2 and 3 cell versions. They were bi-pin bulb'd and the fastener is surrounded with a really hard plastic, almost like ceramic. 

Z Battery may still have some. A 3/4" gas service pvc pipe for battery spacer and solar lamp batteries make the 2 cell one a really fun flashlight. Just as bright as the ML25LT. 
I used a pair of low output 18650's and a Streamlight TL3 bulb in the 3 cell version. The bulb is slightly under driven but puts out a better beam than a Maglite bulb.


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## xxo (Aug 15, 2020)

bykfixer said:


> The maxi-minimag was such a great idea. And the 019 upgrade was icing on the cake. More throw, and a low.
> 
> But I really liked the 019 2D classic. A low that runs at about 75% of high while massively increasing runtime.
> Specs on the left.



[FONT=ArialNarrow, sans-serif]The 2 mode 2D is a great idea, but I find the low mode to be a bit too high. I finally read the fine print on the instructions and it's supposed to be 20% or about 43 lumens but because this light has so much throw when the focus is dialed in, it appears much brighter to the point that when I shine it against a wall inside I sometimes am not sure which mode it's in. Would much prefer something like 10-15 lumens for low, which would give crazy long run times. [/FONT] 



[FONT=ArialNarrow, sans-serif]Also I kinda wish Mag had gone with the ML300 body/electronic switch/focus system with a simple momentary/high/low like the third function set on the ML300 for this light. And maybe a 2nd​ function set that starts in low.[/FONT]


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## bykfixer (Aug 15, 2020)

edited my other post (post #3) to add "what appears as" to "75% of high"……
I never saw the actual output number. It is kinda hard to tell the diff between low and high at first. But if you look, the really bright center point of the hot spot is smaller on low when aimed a few feet away at the floor or ceiling.


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## maglite mike (Aug 16, 2020)

Maglites are my daily go to lights even though I also own several malkoffs, elzettas, surefires and streamlights. I just like the feel and simplicity of the lights.


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## WalkIntoTheLight (Aug 16, 2020)

I was a Maglite fan back in the 90's, when they had some very nice incan lights. But they fell about 5 years behind the competition when LED's became available, and never bothered to even come close to catching up. Mags are okay if you compare them to cheap junk available in dollar stores, but they barely compete with even department store offerings nowadays. And when you consider the flashlights available to us on-line for very reasonable prices, why even consider any department-store light?

I still have most of my incan mags. I bring them out once-in-awhile to get that feeling of nostalgia. They're certainly not very bright by today's standards, and have horrible beam patterns, but I really like the look of that old-time incandescent light. But as for my LED mags, I feel zero interest in ever using them again, and most of them have either been tossed or are sitting in a junk drawer waiting to be given away to a neighbor in need.


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## Swedpat (Aug 16, 2020)

In my early flashaholism in the 90s(before LED arrived) I bought a 6D and thought it was the flashlight king of the world. I understand it was not. But still impressive in the eyes of many, brighter than the common 4D lanterns.
I think I am still a Maglite fan. Maglite (especially in some nice color) is still the nicest looking flashlight in my opinion. And with the possibility to modify them with a number of of LED dropins from different manufacturers Maglite still is relevant. Maglite LEDs have never caught my attention. Ok yes; ONE time before I was persuaded by a seller to buy a Led Lenser 3AAA light(my very first LED flashlight) instead of a 2 or 3AA LED MiniMaglite.
I think there are still incandescent Maglites possible to modify available at the market so hurry before they are gone!


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## greenpondmike (Sep 22, 2020)

WalkIntoTheLight said:


> I was a Maglite fan back in the 90's, when they had some very nice incan lights. But they fell about 5 years behind the competition when LED's became available, and never bothered to even come close to catching up. Mags are okay if you compare them to cheap junk available in dollar stores, but they barely compete with even department store offerings nowadays. And when you consider the flashlights available to us on-line for very reasonable prices, why even consider any department-store light?
> 
> I still have most of my incan mags. I bring them out once-in-awhile to get that feeling of nostalgia. They're certainly not very bright by today's standards, and have horrible beam patterns, but I really like the look of that old-time incandescent light. But as for my LED mags, I feel zero interest in ever using them again, and most of them have either been tossed or are sitting in a junk drawer waiting to be given away to a neighbor in need.



You are entitled to your opinion, but I can't agree with you when you refer to them as junk. I really like their incans, but I have several of their LED lights and I like them also and they haven't failed me yet. They seem well made to me and I find them useful. The color temp seems good and pleasant to me. How anyone could hate and toss them just boggles my mind. The ML25LT is a good light-- I mean how could someone dislike it? The ML50 is also good along with the LED solitaire, the 2aaa mini mag and the old 272 lumen mini mag pro. I liked the old luxon rebel 2d also.
I know old folks don't like change, but I recon Mr. Tony seen the writing on the wall and realized it was either make LED lights or go out of business. I think maglite has done a good job of catching up and I don't feel like my mag LED'S are behind the times--when I hold and use one I feel like I have a quality piece of equipment in my hands.


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## greenpondmike (Sep 22, 2020)

I also want to comment on the LED solitaire. That is one fine light, but I wish it would fall out of regulation at some point and gradually fade out. Common folk (the ones that used to buy mags the most) probably think that it just went bad because it was shining good and then went out--no need to put in another battery because that one seemed good.
They may twist it a little and it will come on and then go out again 5 or 10 seconds later. The common person would probably just toss it--maybe buy another and toss it after it does the same thing and then vow not to EVER buy another maglite. They may put in non alkaline batteries and they will work for a few seconds and that will make them think the light is bad while not knowing that it takes an alkaline to fire it right. I don't know if other LED maglites do that, but I know the mini mag pro, the mini mag 2aaa, the ML25LT don't do that and the ML50 goes down enough before it cuts off that common sence would tell you not to toss a $30 dollar flashlight, but check and change the batteries.
So, the LED solitaire is a neat little simple but complex light that can be understood by some, but most will hate it and maglite because of it. I think that neat little light alone has caused maglite to loose it's base to the common folk. I could be wrong and instead of tacking it onto this thread maybe I ought to start another one on the subject-- I don't know. I'm sleepy and should be in bed instead of writing this. 
One more thing that I want to mention--we like our lights to start in low mode, but the common folk will think that it isn't all that bright while not knowing there is a medium and a high, so Mr. Tony nailed that one, but failed to understand the logic of how the common folk would perceive the LED solitaire.

Edit: I'm not saying common folk are dumb. I am saying that in this disposable society of many disposable things that most people won't fiddle with stuff all that much if any at all to get something working again. Unless it cost a great deal of money people will just toss it. Maybe maglite might ought to go up on their prices to distance themselves from the cheap disposible stuff so people will try and fix what ain't really broken.....just kidding:sleepy:


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## bykfixer (Sep 23, 2020)

I gave Mrs Fixer a silver solitaire during a power outage. With things being completely dark those 47 lumens were plenty. I did not know it was regulated until "poof" it just turned off. She said "where do you keep spare batteries"…… 

I totally understand why some don't dig on Maglite products these days. But I like 'em just dandy. But I would like the solitaire to fall out of regulation and not just suddenly turn off. Perhaps drop down to a low output as a warning if nothing else.


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## kumasan2020 (Sep 23, 2020)

I have a good image as a brand.
but,It's hard to be a fan again.

In that price range, Lumintop and Olight are more practical.

I used to break two batteries because the attached battery (Duracell) ruptured.
I haven't purchased it since then.


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## greenpondmike (Sep 23, 2020)

Maybe maglite will come out with an inproved one someday and hopefully convince the big box stores to buy a run of them.
Come to think of it some people might have returned the LED solitaire instead of throwing it away. Maglite probably tested and repackaged a bunch of them or touched up some, put on a new lense and repackaged them--that's what I would have done. I think they started disappearing off the shelves of walmart before the incan mini mag. At least most of the walmarts within a 30 mile radius of me. You could get one for around $10 if you could find them and $12 at home depot. I got my first LED solitaire not too long before the walmart purge.
Maglite is sooo underated and misunderstood and a lot of the "fixes" are simple.
Best to carry a fenix e01 or a sofirn c01 as a backup and then when the battery goes out on the solitaire you could put it into the backup light.


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## xxo (Sep 23, 2020)

greenpondmike said:


> Maybe maglite will come out with an inproved one someday and hopefully convince the big box stores to buy a run of them.
> Come to think of it some people might have returned the LED solitaire instead of throwing it away. Maglite probably tested and repackaged a bunch of them or touched up some, put on a new lense and repackaged them--that's what I would have done. I think they started disappearing off the shelves of walmart before the incan mini mag. At least most of the walmarts within a 30 mile radius of me. You could get one for around $10 if you could find them and $12 at home depot. I got my first LED solitaire not too long before the walmart purge.
> Maglite is sooo underated and misunderstood and a lot of the "fixes" are simple.
> Best to carry a fenix e01 or a sofirn c01 as a backup and then when the battery goes out on the solitaire you could put it into the backup light.



Considering all of the endless threads on here griping about lights that do step down before going dead, I would think that many here would see that as a plus, though I am sure many real people would rather have a noticeable step-down before going dead.

Unfortunately, Mag seems to be losing much of the big box shelf space that they had in the past. Maglites are still about the best lights that big box stores carry, but the public would rather buy [email protected] bat lights, atomic Navy SEAL lights or store brand lights that promise higher lumens. I think that the LED Solitaire, the AAA LED Mini Mag, and the ML25 still represent some of the best values in flashlights, particularly for the average person looking for a simple, no-nonsense, dependable light for $10-$25 or so. 

I think one thing that Mag might be able to do is make a deal with Energizer and include ultimate lithiums in Maglites that come with batteries. Maybe they could make it a promotion with a coupon for Ultimate lithiums to get people away from leaky alkalines? Mag could also include some L91's with their C cell lights along with AA to C spacers.


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## bykfixer (Sep 23, 2020)

I'd love to see a morph of a solitaire and XL50 in a 1aa light from them. In other words a 1aa sized XL50 or even a twisty switch 1aa. No need for a million lumens, just 75 or so with a mechanical clicky tailcap switch but if they chose a minimag/solitaire switch I'd be ok with that. But Maglite seems to be taking a conservative approach and sticking with updates to classic lights. I get that and have acquired some of those along the way. 

I really like(d) the ML25 and consider that one my favorite.

Great ideas xxo. Saw that after I posted my little pitch for the 1aa. Yeah, to tout "leak free, and "works in cold weather" would be great. And with sales of primaries slumping that could also be a win for Energizer.


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## xxo (Sep 23, 2020)

bykfixer said:


> I'd love to see a morph of a solitaire and XL50 in a 1aa light from them. In other words a 1aa sized XL50 or even a twisty switch 1aa. No need for a million lumens, just 75 or so with a mechanical clicky tailcap switch but if they chose a minimag/solitaire switch I'd be ok with that. But Maglite seems to be taking a conservative approach and sticking with updates to classic lights. I get that and have acquired some of those along the way.
> 
> I really like(d) the ML25 and consider that one my favorite.
> 
> Great ideas xxo. Saw that after I posted my little pitch for the 1aa. Yeah, to tout "leak free, and "works in cold weather" would be great. And with sales of primaries slumping that could also be a win for Energizer.




That's pretty much what I have been wanting, except based on the similar Mag Tac, maybe a Mini Mag-Tac 1 AA? That and a 1 C cell XL50 or XL200.


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## bykfixer (Sep 26, 2020)

Both would be cool as a polar bears toenails double x. 

Tonight I was wandering through the Maglite web site and two lights grabbed my attention. One was the ML125 for $50. A rechargeable battery or 3C cells, the light is like a smaller version of the classic 2D LED. 
Another was the XL200, which I gave a try a number of years ago but just didn't get how to operate it so I gave it to my youngest son. Tonight for whatever reason I suddenly got the XL200 interface. 
A nifty little demo by Bright Guy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SpTaqri4e-E

Both will be arriving soon. 
Will I become a Maglite fan again? I never really stopped being one.


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## xxo (Sep 27, 2020)

The ML125 was the grand daddy of the ML50. $50 is a good deal with the rechargeable battery and charger. Robin Wang did a review on the ML125 over at led-resources back when it first came out:

http://www.led-resource.com/2011/09/maglite-ml125-rechargeable-led-flashlight-review/

....and here's a cool destruction test of the ML125:


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## GasganoFJ60 (Sep 27, 2020)

WalkIntoTheLight said:


> I was a Maglite fan back in the 90's, when they had some very nice incan lights. But they fell about 5 years behind the competition when LED's became available, and never bothered to even come close to catching up. Mags are okay if you compare them to cheap junk available in dollar stores, but they barely compete with even department store offerings nowadays. And when you consider the flashlights available to us on-line for very reasonable prices, why even consider any department-store light?
> 
> I still have most of my incan mags. I bring them out once-in-awhile to get that feeling of nostalgia. They're certainly not very bright by today's standards, and have horrible beam patterns, but I really like the look of that old-time incandescent light. But as for my LED mags, I feel zero interest in ever using them again, and most of them have either been tossed or are sitting in a junk drawer waiting to be given away to a neighbor in need.



I dont know if i agree with that statement of them being less than the true junk at the box stores. Those junk lights are truly bad build quality with even worse materials. 
If price point is an argument; sure, you can buy a 6 pack of cheap Ozark brand 3 aaa LED lights for $10. Can you say those are a better option than 1 2AA minimaglite for ~$15? Those Ozarks will not be as bring. Their build quality is absolute rubbish. There is no comparison to a Mag in terms of quality. Is it cause you get 6 lights vs 1? Ok, that might be a valid point if your looking for stocking stuffers for a bunch of kids who will likely lose or break them. That comes to the next points; disposability. Those ozarks will likely break on the 2nd drop. Plus, many buy those 6 packs cause their nearly considered disposable. People dont pride themselves in their earnings/purchases like they used to. Many look at items like the Ozarks and think, "Meh, if i lose them, i can just buy more. They're cheap after all." People dont have the responsibility to save up, earn and hold onto something as long as possible and get the most out of something. Plus, you cant compare to Maglites warranty. In a lot of ways, you arent just buying a flashlight with specs, features and maybe some cool colors, you're buying the warranty that comes with it. I've done two warranty claims on 2 differnt lights(xl200 and a 3 AA minimag) and they honored it with zero fuss. You cannot beat it. 
I also feel mag gets a lot of hate is due to people like to feel like they're on a winning side. Its easy to badmouth. Not so easy to match the level they're competing against. 

That being said, interested in selling your unwanted Mags?
Ill give you $12 for 6 of them, regardless of condition.


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## GasganoFJ60 (Sep 27, 2020)

xxo said:


> The 2C ML25 is a gem. Considering it's modest cost, I don't know of a better value in the flashlight world....definitely my favorite “budget” light. I don't run mine on alkaline C cells it's either AA eneloops, soshine NiMH C's or 18650 or 21700's in adapters for me.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



I've got the MagTac rechargeable. 
Nice light. I got the 1st gen though. The eco mode has a short runtime. But its a perfect nightstand light next to the .45 to always be ready if something goes bump in the night. 

I highly recomend the XL200. Its been my edc for about 5 years now. I always read on here how much people love a good user interface. The XL200 quickly became second hand operation. I love the ability to truly select the level of brightness between full power and dim with just a subtle wrist rotation.


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## bykfixer (Sep 28, 2020)

Looking forward to those "late model" Maglites. Both have my fav LED the XP-G. I just hope I don't get that phone call from Esther……the one where she says such and such is out of stock. 

I like the idea of being able to stuff some Rayovacs in the 125 while the supplied cell charges. And I can't wait to fool my friends with the twist action of the XL200…… blow on it like a balloon and make it get brighter type thing……


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## CarpentryHero (Sep 29, 2020)

On ig I saw maglite offering a Punisher paint job maglite, so they definitely could get some love from me in the not to distant future 😂


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## bykfixer (Sep 29, 2020)

Shout out to the spectrum 'warm' solitaire. The e-store I bought mine from (coughzbatterycough) also sells parts so I bought a triple a minimag clip and tailcap so it has a black tail cap and a shiney chrome clip that can fasten to a ball cap brim.


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## GasganoFJ60 (Sep 30, 2020)

Whats the output on the spectrum solitaire?


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## bykfixer (Sep 30, 2020)

Maglite was pretty cagey about it at first but now they say 32 lumens with 1 hour 15 minute runtime. The aaa minimag warm is sweet too at 68 lumens with 2.5 hour runtime.


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## bykfixer (Oct 3, 2020)

So this Maglite ML25 arrived today and it says to charge the battery at least 24 hours the first time. Ok. 
Pull out the 3 cells in an ML50 and give it a go. At first I thought my batteries were near dead because it wasn't very bright. Not as bright as I expected anyway. It should be at least as bright as my 177 lumen classic 2D but it was not. So I started doing some reading to see if it's regulated. I kept seeing "beam adjustment" and figure yeah yeah yeah the Maglite twist head, so what? But upon opening the instruction book (gasp, no not the instruction book, those are for those other people) I noticed a weird set of description photos where they slid the bonnet of the head down the barrel. Candlestick mode, so what? No it is a beam adjuster mode. You can actually move the LED forward or backward to tighten or widen the spot, and sideways (if need be) to make it more round. 

Viola!! Now my ML125 is as bright as the classic 2D is now since I tightened the spot up. It comes from the factory set up to be way more floody than the classic LED Maglites were, which is why in daylight it did not seem as bright in the hot spot as it should. To me that's pretty cool. Classic Maglite mega thrower or ML50 floody, you decide. I also set the mode for momentary/high/lo instead of factory high/lo/strobe. I tend to keep my thumb on the switch bulb anyway and probably use momentary the most anyway. 

Anyway I'm an ML125 fan now.





The skirt pulled down. 
Ring closest to lens twists for forward or backward using a knurled ring between the bezel ring and skirt. The ring farthest from the lens can be 'tilted' to get the most round spot possible. 





The instructions. 
It took some trial and error but once I knew how I can turn this light into a more floody beam or the classic Maglite search and rescue beam.


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## LeanBurn (Oct 4, 2020)

Before and after beam shots would really illustrate the variability of the adjustments.


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## Olumin (Oct 4, 2020)

325addict said:


> Are there lights with a very easy UI, with rugged constructon, easy to grab, powered by simple C-cells, to understand by ANY (novel) user, which are better in overall properties than this Maglite, at this price? I seriously doubt it...



Yes, literally any single or dual-output surefire. Cr123 instead of C-cell but still. Better too because its no Alkaline cell and has a longer shelf life. Of cause its a more expensive option than a maglite, but there are SureFires to be had arround 70 bucks.


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## xxo (Oct 4, 2020)

Olumin said:


> Yes, literally any single or dual-output surefire. Cr123 instead of C-cell but still. Better too because its no Alkaline cell and has a longer shelf life. Of cause its a more expensive option than a maglite, but there are SureFires to be had arround 70 bucks.



I really like the Mag C cell form factor, it's more comfortable than either the bigger D cell lights and also the smaller 2X CR123/18650 lights. But I don't like alkaline C cells at all; in the pastran C cell Mags on NiMH's, either AA's or full size NiMH C's, now I run them mostly on 18650's or 21700's in adapters.


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## Bimmerboy (Oct 4, 2020)

CarpentryHero said:


> On ig I saw maglite offering a Punisher paint job maglite, so they definitely could get some love from me in the not to distant future 😂


That would be VERY cool!


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## greenpondmike (Oct 5, 2020)

Wow bykfixer, I think that ML125 is a neat light and well worth what mag is charging for it. I think maglite has really reduced their online prices and except for shipping they are quite reasonable. I wish the ML50 and ML300 also adjusted like that. They don't say how many lumens the ML125 has on the maglite website, but I think it used to be in the lower 100 lumen category unless they also improved it. I also would like to see some eye candy-- whoops, I mean beamshots. Thanks for showing that adjustment technique bykfixer. When you get a new light you never leave us in the dark about it.


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## bykfixer (Oct 6, 2020)

Green, if you have an ML25 in LED format you pretty much already know what a 125 is like beam-wise. With it's supplied battery it's got an output similar (according to Maglite) as a generation 1 and with alkalines it runs a bit brighter according to Maglite so it would be similar to the new generation ML25. The big difference is the runtime versus the ML25 but even that isn't quite as stark of a difference. 

I do not know what year it came out but mine has 2015 on the box. The 2016 ML25 3 cell for example was stated to run 17 hours at 177 lumens on 3 alkys. The 125 is stated to run 25 hours at 193 lumens on the same batteries. Candela on the 3 cell ML25 was in the 12,000 range where the 125 is stated to be 18500+ so aside from size of light difference the 125 has better numbers on paper. 

I ran some tests on both 2 and 3 cell LED ML25's back in 016 and found the 2 cell to be rock solid regulated until the batteries were well depleted and then you had about 45 minites to find new fuel. Just over 2 hours with no decline, which folks scoffed at back then. But after two hours it was still at 100% output, which was something new for Maglite. The 3 cell ran for the stated 17 hours easily with about a 50% decline in output. Again you had useable light for another 45 minutes. 

Now is the ML125 as well regulated as those ML25's? My guess is no they are not since it came out before the maxi-minimag ML25's. 





The ML125 numbers stated by Maglite on the box it came in. 

Now regarding beam pix of it's adjustability? They were not that stark of a difference and I know my cameras well enough to know it would be very difficult to get photographs to show what you see in real life. Perhaps at some point I'll make a point to do that. 

I think the reason I am still a fan of Maglite is the same reason I'm still a fan of the Bendix coaster break bicycle wheel. A fairly simple idea that worked very well at it's inception and over the years has remained fairly simple to operate while minor improvements have not caused it to become unreliable. While the world has gone and gotten itself in a dam hurry so all kinds of newfangled gadgets like bikes with hydraulic brakes and 44 cogs can propel turtle shell helmet wearing people in spandex billboards on their destination as fast as they can muster, I prefer to meander on my fat spoke 2 speed bike truck at a pace that gets me there eventually. But the designs and concepts range between the 1940's and 1960's using tried and true components my geat grandchildren will enjoy (Lord willing and the A-bomb don't melt it). 

My pop told me after I was grown that when I was 4 years old I tried to turn my tricycle into a 2 wheeler. Apparently minus a magic adapter that the postal service still to this day has not delivered it would have worked. I do remember having all kinds of ideas growing up that would someday happen. Like balancing on the rear wheels of a wheel chair, or doing nifty tricks with my skateboard that took hours, even days or weeks to accomplish. I'd eventually show my idea to someone who would duplicate it in 10 minutes. It was heartbreaking as a kid but as an adult I tend to appreciate the value of the saying "first one through the wall gets bloodied". A fellow who made brass shell casings for the US government and a former sheriff put their heads together and with some help from others too built what would become the undisputed king of flashlights for quite some time. While others easily employ new ideas and a host of "hydraulic brake wheels" I enjoy the simple upgrades of the tried and true inventions of the past. Like an internal hi/lo gear coaster break wheel or the simple genious of a Maglite product. 






My custom 2 speed bike truck. 





One less car on the road. 





Two speed coaster brake hub
You peddle along and kick back slightly on the brake to change gears. Start in low and when you gain some speed you can opt for a high gear. 

The bike was built by my buddy Fred Clark at Retro Cruisers using a Worksman bicycle as a platform with a few tweaks to tube angles and lengths. The cogs are a 22 tooth rear and 36 tooth front that I picked out. The pedals and grips are new old stock from the 1970's and the bell on the handle bar is new old stock from the 80's when beach cruisers were all the rage. The paint is Corvette red acrylic. 

I will always be a big PK fan but I was a Tony Maglica fan before that.


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## greenpondmike (Oct 6, 2020)

I like your bicycle bykfixer. I never knew a two speed like that existed. Right now I have a 3-speed with the shifter on the handlebars and a 21 speed mountain bike. Been years since I rode one though. Maybe I still can and I need to prove that to myself since someone negative said I'd never ride again. I think the main thing though is getting used to the seat again. I can't see as well in the darkness as I used to when I was a teen and back when I rode in 2015 I didn't have the same reflexes and alertness as I used to, but some how I managed to ride day or night and even rode a honda xr200. Riding a bicycle and a dirt bike too close together got me confused as far as the lever controls was concerned. I was getting good and cutting rooster tails, but the throttle stuck and I mashed the front brake instead of mashing in the clutch. Front tire shot to the left and laid me down on the right real hard. My head bounced (no helmet) and my right leg got squished a little. My head was bleeding bad, but I oriented myself and got back on it before fear set in. Fear still set in slightly though even though I found out it was just the worn out rubber grips that had that aluminum protector bar mounted up against them.
I like the older bicycles, dirt bikes, vehicles and flashlights. I even like older people because I have more in common with them and it's pleasant to talk to them.
That hub you showed is a quality name brand hub. That might be what's on my 3 speed.


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## hsa (Oct 6, 2020)

Mr. Fixer. I'm not sure which ml 25 you are referencing but I found the original packaging on mine. 2c cell is 177 lumens and 25,300 candella. I believe it is the one with the flat regulation. It runs great on white eneloops.


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## bykfixer (Oct 6, 2020)

Right, I'd forgotten the 2 cell was 4 lumens brighter than the 3 cell version. And the 12k CD was the 3 cell incan version. Please pardon the errors. Thanks for clarifying HSA. Thanks indeed. 
Also it was the ML100 I almost pulled the trigger on a few times not the ML125. Maglite had them on clearance along with the XL100 one summer.

I had carried a gray Gen 1 with me in my work truck for a while but just recently swapped it out for a gray gen 2. I just had not used the gen 2 much so I never understood how much better it is for an outdoor light. So the gen 1 is now relegated to an indoor light where it stays warm in the winter and cool in the summer. I also use white eneloops (in both). So much lighter with those than C cells.


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## xxo (Oct 6, 2020)

Compared to the ML25 when fully focused, the ML100 has a smaller hot spot and a very slightly larger spill beam, the ML125's spot is about the same size as the ML25 with a slightly larger spill. The ML50 has a larger spot by far (much higher lumens than the others) with a slightly smaller spill than the ML25.

If the lumens were the same, the ML100 would probably be the best thrower, followed by the ML25. As it is the, two top throwers are the ML50 and the ML25 - the ML50 achieves this by pumping out 3-6X the lumens of the other lights. My personal favorite is the ML25, as it puts out a very nice beam with decent tint without too many lumens, which often work against you producing glare.


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## maglite mike (Oct 9, 2020)

xxo said:


> The ML125 was the grand daddy of the ML50. $50 is a good deal with the rechargeable battery and charger. Robin Wang did a review on the ML125 over at led-resources back when it first came out:
> 
> http://www.led-resource.com/2011/09/maglite-ml125-rechargeable-led-flashlight-review/
> 
> ....and here's a cool destruction test of the ML125:




I still have 3 of these ml125s. I beat the crap out the them. Still run like new.


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## maglite mike (Oct 9, 2020)

greenpondmike said:


> Wow bykfixer, I think that ML125 is a neat light and well worth what mag is charging for it. I think maglite has really reduced their online prices and except for shipping they are quite reasonable. I wish the ML50 and ML300 also adjusted like that. They don't say how many lumens the ML125 has on the maglite website, but I think it used to be in the lower 100 lumen category unless they also improved it. I also would like to see some eye candy-- whoops, I mean beamshots. Thanks for showing that adjustment technique bykfixer. When you get a new light you never leave us in the dark about it.



Ml125 is 191 lumens with c cells and approx 185 lumens with the rechargeable battery. Perfect for most applications since it has a long run time


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## maglite mike (Oct 9, 2020)

GasganoFJ60 said:


> I've got the MagTac rechargeable.
> Nice light. I got the 1st gen though. The eco mode has a short runtime. But its a perfect nightstand light next to the .45 to always be ready if something goes bump in the night.
> 
> I highly recomend the XL200. Its been my edc for about 5 years now. I always read on here how much people love a good user interface. The XL200 quickly became second hand operation. I love the ability to truly select the level of brightness between full power and dim with just a subtle wrist rotation.



Xl 200 is a great edc. I wish they made a rechargable version. The UI is unique and user friendly.


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## bykfixer (Oct 9, 2020)

Magtac smooth is $50 and sculpted bezel is $55 at Maglite right now. I'm really tempted. Fighting off ocd voices……


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## GasganoFJ60 (Oct 9, 2020)

maglite mike said:


> Xl 200 is a great edc. I wish they made a rechargable version. The UI is unique and user friendly.



I use Eneloop/EneloopPro since day one. No issues.


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## bykfixer (Oct 9, 2020)

I have used eneloops in an XL50 but not the XL200 that recently arrived because all I have are used in other lights. In high drain lights eneloop pro.

I finally convinced the ocd voices that the MagTac numbers suggest it has a 2aa minimag beam and not an ML25 max thrower capable one. It would probably just collect dust on a shelf. I liked the old, short head thrower beam of the incan aa minimag but found the newer/brighter ones don't give me that 6D in a shirt pocket beam. So I use a aaa version a lot more. If I did not already own a bunch of 6 volt lights by Elzetta, Malkoff, Streamlight, Surfire and others I'd probably opt for a MagTac knowing what I know about flashlights. Especially now that they are $50 and 55. But I suppose it's people like me are why the MagTac does not sell very well. 

To me a Maglite is a special tool with a special purpose. That purpose is to provide light in darkness as far as my eyes can make out details. If only Tony had done that with the MagTac beam……


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## GasganoFJ60 (Oct 10, 2020)

bykfixer said:


> I have used eneloops in an XL50 but not the XL200 that recently arrived because all I have are used in other lights. In high drain lights eneloop pro.
> 
> I finally convinced the ocd voices that the MagTac numbers suggest it has a 2aa minimag beam and not an ML25 max thrower capable one. It would probably just collect dust on a shelf. I liked the old, short head thrower beam of the incan aa minimag but found the newer/brighter ones don't give me that 6D in a shirt pocket beam. So I use a aaa version a lot more. If I did not already own a bunch of 6 volt lights by Elzetta, Malkoff, Streamlight, Surfire and others I'd probably opt for a MagTac knowing what I know about flashlights. Especially now that they are $50 and 55. But I suppose it's people like me are why the MagTac does not sell very well.
> 
> To me a Maglite is a special tool with a special purpose. That purpose is to provide light in darkness as far as my eyes can make out details. If only Tony had done that with the MagTac beam……



Regular eneleoops worked well as well. Pros just give that extra bit of run time. 
How you liking the 200? 

My MagTac rechargeable just sorta sits in its cradle awaiting the unknown. The most use it saw was with one of the recent hurricanes and working staging areas. As mentioned earlier, i got a 1st gen and has a really low run time on high AND low which is disappointing, especially when seeing the advertised run times on newer models. 
Being a "tactical" light, doesnt it seem appropriate to be more ideal for close-quarters lighting instead of lighting up a pasture?


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## xxo (Oct 10, 2020)

I like the Mag Tac. I have the plain bezel 2X CR123 version, and it throws about as well as can be expected with a 1 inch reflector and a XP-G LED. They could have got a bit more throw with a XP-E, but then people would gripe about the lumens being too low – going to a XML would give more lumens, but would be a waste because it would reduce the throw noticeably. As it is now, I think it throws at least as well as the Elzetta Bones, though I would prefer a more neutral tint on the Mag Tac along with a metal pocket clip. The grenade grip on the Mag Tac is very comfortable and secure and the hard ano seems very thick and well done. The smaller diameter head makes it easy to carry, though I would love to see Mag come out with a longer throw version with a bit larger head and a smaller less lumens/higher throw LED with a nice neutral tint. Making it dual fuel to also run on 18650's would be a big plus as well.


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## bykfixer (Oct 10, 2020)

Yeah, I get why Tony chose the beam in the MagTac Gas. Close quarters like you said. I just can't get myself to pull the trigger since I have so many tactical lights already. 


I carry the XL200 with me each night in my jacket pocket. If I was super sensitive about having the output settings dialed into X or Y lumens I'd find the accelorometer clumbsy at best. Even slight movement can make big changes. But I'm not. Since it arrived my work has involved mixed lighting where the near snoot beam falls short of the distance I need at times and the spill I need at other times. It just aint the right tool for the job. Like needing pliers instead of a screwdriver. But I like the light. I always liked to XL50 but again it was similar in output to the XL200 so it didn't get used much on night shift roadway maintenance. I think that's why I have avoided the MagTac. 

Once the night shift is over the XL200 will become one of my 'adjustable wrench' type flashlights though. I really like the ability to dial in how low or high I want the output. And it tailstands. I set the strobe to "beacon" about once a second so I really like that ability too. Setting 4 is pretty cool for nature calls. Grab the light, twist it a little and it turns off, get done, twist til it shuts off and put it back on the bedside table. I probably won't use snooze mode and hopefully never need sos. 
I do like how you can cut the power via tailcap twist and when restoring power it remembers the output and setting it was on. If you had it on snooze mode and cut the power, upon restoring power it's still on snooze mode. 
Yup, once I figured out the XL200 I liked it a lot.


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## Jaxon (Oct 10, 2020)

Maglite certainly has its place in the history of flashlights,and was once the go to light to have.
i personally hope they revamp their lineup to bring it into modern times.
i would like to see a 1aa light come from them.
i still keep a Incan mini 2aa by my bed.


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## hsa (Oct 10, 2020)

It doesn't hurt that the mag tac is one of the best looking cr 123 lights out there. I like the grenade grip. I think that the ml 50l with the grenade grip is the best looking flashlight ever made and I don't have one. Just sayin.


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## bykfixer (Oct 10, 2020)

You are not helping me hush the ocd voices hsa.  lol 
(places fingers in ears) la la la la la la……

I'm thinking spectrum warm aa minimag is next on my list. That or the XL50 in warm.


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## hsa (Oct 10, 2020)

I thought about that ocd thing before I posted but I did it anyway. I'm evil, sorry about that. The xl 50 sounds good.


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## bykfixer (Oct 10, 2020)

I gave my yellow SureFire G2x Pro a hug and the ocd voices went away. Nice neutral beam, starts on a very useable low and the 320 lumen high gives my 600+ lumen Elzetta Bones a good run. Sorry Maglite.
But a trip to Wally world is in order later for another ML25.


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## bykfixer (Oct 10, 2020)

xxo said:


> Compared to the ML25 when fully focused, the ML100 has a smaller hot spot and a very slightly larger spill beam, the ML125's spot is about the same size as the ML25 with a slightly larger spill. The ML50 has a larger spot by far (much higher lumens than the others) with a slightly smaller spill than the ML25.
> 
> If the lumens were the same, the ML100 would probably be the best thrower, followed by the ML25. As it is the, two top throwers are the ML50 and the ML25 - the ML50 achieves this by pumping out 3-6X the lumens of the other lights. My personal favorite is the ML25, as it puts out a very nice beam with decent tint without too many lumens, which often work against you producing glare.



Do you find the beam of the ML100 has that early 2D LED blue tint? I'm ok with it if so, but was just wondering. 


I went to Maglite looking for sales and found some ML100's for $25/27 (2 or 3 C). Now I found it odd that they both have identical specs (listed). Meh, so I bought one of each. Looking at the numbers they definitely look like classic Maglite throwers. 

Oh, and 192 lumen ML25's are now $20 there. Cool. My local stores only carry black or gray. But my favorite Maglite aside from pewter (now called gray) has always been the easy to spot in low light polished alluminum. So……

Anyway the ML100 specs listed there. 






2 cell





3 cell
So, could it be the 3 cell has the same runtime because of a regulator keeping it brighter longer than the 2 cell version? Or what?

Edit: Robin cleared it up……


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## xxo (Oct 10, 2020)

My ML100 has some of that old LED tint thing going on in the corona mostly, the hot spot is not too bad, better than my ML125, though I am sure there's a lottery when it comes to tint on these.


I wonder if Mag is ever going to come out with funky colors for the ML25's – a blaze orange or neon lime green would be great!


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## 325addict (Oct 11, 2020)

But that's exactly what I mean: for THIS money you won't find a better one. Sure, Surefire is always better but... 3 times as expensive if you get the SF CHEAP, otherwise even more expensive. That's comparing apples to peaches...



Olumin said:


> Yes, literally any single or dual-output surefire. Cr123 instead of C-cell but still. Better too because its no Alkaline cell and has a longer shelf life. Of cause its a more expensive option than a maglite, but there are SureFires to be had arround 70 bucks.


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## xxo (Oct 11, 2020)

325addict said:


> But that's exactly what I mean: for THIS money you won't find a better one. Sure, Surefire is always better but... 3 times as expensive if you get the SF CHEAP, otherwise even more expensive. That's comparing apples to peaches...




Surefire is not always better. When I got my Mag Tac, I had a Surefire 6PX and when I compared the two side by side, feature for feature and the Mag Tac was clearly the better light. The Mag Tac was better built (sure the clip was plastic, but at least it had a clip). The 6PX had a slightly warmer tint which was good though it was also a bit green. The Mag Tac has that nice electronic tail switch, grenade grip, and the smaller 1 inch head makes it easier to carry. The 6PX was nice but the Mag Tac beat it, not just on price but on features and even build quality, in my opinion.


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## bykfixer (Oct 11, 2020)

I suppose a minimag style clip would just be too soft on a 1" light. 
I tried the elzetta speed clip on an XL50 but it would not stay in place. Too slippery. It does stay in place on a Malkoff though, so perhaps the grenade grip shaping on the MagTac would keep it place.


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## xxo (Oct 11, 2020)

bykfixer said:


> I suppose a minimag style clip would just be too soft on a 1" light.
> I tried the elzetta speed clip on an XL50 but it would not stay in place. Too slippery. It does stay in place on a Malkoff though, so perhaps the grenade grip shaping on the MagTac would keep it place.



I am kinda hard on clips, I often bend or break metal clips on knives and I am sure I would end up breaking the Mag Tac's plastic clip if I carried it everyday clipped to a pocket. Normally, I carry it in a belt pouch and only occasionally carry it clipped to a pocket – haven't broken the clip yet. I do like the Mag Tac clip for another reason – it improves the feel and security of the grip and keeps the light form twisting in the hand. Might have to try one of the Elzetta clips, I like that they used a wire clip like Spyderco uses on some of their knives – very nice!


A wire clip from the factory would be great if Mag ever gets around to up dating the Mag Tac, along with a newer LED and 18650 dual fuel capability. A throwier long range version as I mentioned would be great too, though I think it would be hard to beat the ML25 for throw and impossible to to beat the ML25 for price. Hey maybe Mag could be persuaded to come out with an LX version of the ML25 with a hard ano'd grenade grip _and_ a electronic tail switch?


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## bykfixer (Oct 11, 2020)

I use the XL50 clip on my 200 for the same reason you do xxo. 

Perhaps a cross between a MagTac and ML25 would be in order. ie a Maglite version of the AVS/Backup series of lights. Slight trademark Maglite bell shaping up front, dual fuel capable, an optic instead of reflector to maximize spot and spill, XL electronic switch, potentially have an array of settings choices like the ML series, a more neutral output, all at a Maglite price. 

And some ML25LX would definitely be ok with me.

Oh, and their web site now has the updated 2D classic LED shown. $30 too, where they were $35 in the wild whenever you could find one. A few choices of colors now too. They say 2 and 3 cell available but only show 2 cell on the site at this time.


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## bykfixer (Oct 11, 2020)

Went to flashlight lens and ordered some. 95mm UCL lenses for the XL50/200 (22.61mm) lights, some UCL for the ML25's (40.05 mm) enroute, some new Borofloat v3 (99% transmission) for the ML100/125 (46.33mm) lights and some ultraclear acrylic (97% transmission) for the ML50's (46.33). 
By the way the ML300 takes same 52.1mm lens as the incan C/D type.

Later I ordered a commemorative ML300 where it celebrates fallen police by donating a portion of the proceeds to a national police memorial. While there I bought a 2 speed classic 2D LED in silver. Love love love polished silver flashlights. And to me the 2 speed 2D is like having a 1979 Maglite with a nice throwey LED installed.


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## 325addict (Oct 14, 2020)

OK... Maglite to the maxx  
This surely sounds like you compared all important things on these lights... as I meant to say in my very first post: Maglite is BACK! They don't only make those 20 Lumen dim old incans anymore.... sure, they DO still make some of them, but most lights they now make are LED.... and quite bright too! I still like those good old incans, some to just let them stay the way they are, some I buy to mod them and turn them into a 700+ Lumen incan monster  



xxo said:


> Surefire is not always better. When I got my Mag Tac, I had a Surefire 6PX and when I compared the two side by side, feature for feature and the Mag Tac was clearly the better light. The Mag Tac was better built (sure the clip was plastic, but at least it had a clip). The 6PX had a slightly warmer tint which was good though it was also a bit green. The Mag Tac has that nice electronic tail switch, grenade grip, and the smaller 1 inch head makes it easier to carry. The 6PX was nice but the Mag Tac beat it, not just on price but on features and even build quality, in my opinion.


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## xxo (Oct 14, 2020)

325addict said:


> OK... Maglite to the maxx
> This surely sounds like you compared all important things on these lights... as I meant to say in my very first post: Maglite is BACK! They don't only make those 20 Lumen dim old incans anymore.... sure, they DO still make some of them, but most lights they now make are LED.... and quite bright too! I still like those good old incans, some to just let them stay the way they are, some I buy to mod them and turn them into a 700+ Lumen incan monster




The Mag Tac is great, but keep in mind that it was 2012-13 when I got mine and compared it to the 6PX of the same vintage. I don't think Mag has updated the Mag Tac since it came out, so an update is overdue. 


When I think Maglite, I tend to think C and D cell lights as those are what made their reputation back in the day. Mag has done a real nice job with their current C and D cell LEDs: the ML25, ML50 and ML300, all of which deliver modern performance while keeping the traditional look of the old Mags along with the high value Maglite has long been known for. Sure, they are still designed to use alkaline batteries, which is still what the general public uses for the most part. I don't use alkalines anymore myself, so I run my C/D cell Mags on Li-ion cells in 3D printed adapters. These are really great lights at bargain prices, still made in the USA.


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## GasganoFJ60 (Oct 14, 2020)

xxo said:


> I am kinda hard on clips, I often bend or break metal clips on knives and I am sure I would end up breaking the Mag Tac's plastic clip if I carried it everyday clipped to a pocket. Normally, I carry it in a belt pouch and only occasionally carry it clipped to a pocket – haven't broken the clip yet. I do like the Mag Tac clip for another reason – it improves the feel and security of the grip and keeps the light form twisting in the hand. Might have to try one of the Elzetta clips, I like that they used a wire clip like Spyderco uses on some of their knives – very nice!
> 
> 
> A wire clip from the factory would be great if Mag ever gets around to up dating the Mag Tac, along with a newer LED and 18650 dual fuel capability. A throwier long range version as I mentioned would be great too, though I think it would be hard to beat the ML25 for throw and impossible to to beat the ML25 for price. Hey maybe Mag could be persuaded to come out with an LX version of the ML25 with a hard ano'd grenade grip _and_ a electronic tail switch?



I too used a xl50 clip on my 200. I set mine on the lens/bezel side of the body. That way i can set it on a flat surface and get a slight upward point of the beam. Main reason is so that i can slide the light onto the brim of my cap and double as a headlamp for working with the light hands free. 
I feel over time grease/oil would get under the clip and cause it to be prone to sliding off. I took a slip of paper and slid it under the bezel to firm it up. Zero issues since. 

I dont clip mine in my pocket. It rides in my back pocket next to my Leatherman.


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## bykfixer (Oct 15, 2020)

Although two distinctly different companies with vastly different customers and nothing in common products, Maglite and Vans shoes have a common bond. Both share California roots, both exploded on the scene like an atomic bomb in the late 1970's, both are household names and both dang near disappeared due to a changing market. Oh, and when the competition started winning huge market shares both tried new fangled approaches to their audience with limited success and both went back to the basics of what got them to the top of the heap so long ago. Checkered Vans slip on's and a 3D Maglite are two American icons. Now you can buy checkered Vans with "ultracush" technology for your tired old knees and a 3D ML300 for your tired old eyes. 

One change I noticed starting to happen a couple years back but is now really noticable is how much shelf space flashlights in general have at big stores. Back in 015/16 when the 500,600,750 lumen threshold was reached by every brand from A to Z the stores were flooded with flashlights. Wal Mart had floating lights, baseball bat lights, 10aa flashlights, rayovac, energizer, ozark trail, bushnell, coast, and more. You could spend an hour drooling over the massive selection. Same with Lowes and Home Depot. Even Target jumped in to a degree. Menards had their own line. The wooden Menards 2aa is still one of my favorites. Meanwhile Maglite had some new stuff in the C and D platform that collected dust amongst the offerings. Partly because a 500 lumen light was priced at $35 next to a (so-called) 750 lumen light for $14.99. Even CVS, Rite Aid and Best Buy had a flashlight section. 

In 2019 I noted shelf space for flashlights was drastically shrinking across the board. The minimaglite I paid $19.99 for in about 1993 was still $19.99 but instead of a light bulb it boasted 270 some odd lumens. The maxi-minimag was also $20. In my local CVS the LED light section was now a plug in wall light number, while Target had a couple of junky Coleman's on the car care products row. Home Depot had a flashlight section about as big as the Pop Tarts section in a grocery chain. Lowes carried Lux Pro and a couple of Energizers. Maglites seemed to be disappearing from store shelves. But so did a bunch of other brands. 

Maglite is seemingly now going the consumer only route. Perhaps there are some small contracts with warehouses like Grainger where made in USA products are still boasted, unlike Harbor Frieght, which is the dollar store of tools. Maybe they still have small commitments from Home Depot or Wal Mart or maybe what we see there is new old stock. As nutty as things have gotten in California old Tony may not be allowed to produce like the old days due to restrictions on electrical use and carbon emisions something or other. But their website seems to be the place to buy the latest gadgets by Maglite. That used to be the place to buy parts from due to lights there being retail priced while stores sold them for way less than retail. Lately the prices on several popular models has been reduced to Wal Mart prices or less. And if you look careful enough you can find a 6D incan or an incan minimag too. 

Maglite is no longer king of the hill. But in my view the competition caused them to think outside the box, so we ended up with the XL50/200 platform, the ML25 and the new MagCharger. I still want to like the MagTac, but to me that's like sushi flavored Pop Tarts, I just can't get excited about it. What I am excited about is some of the next generation Maglite products from a few years back. If I weren't a flashlight collector a couple of ML25's, 50's and 300's would be an excellent array of lights for general purposes along with a couple of LED Solitaires and aaa minimags. Good enough. But a warm LED Solitaire or aaa minimag is quite a treat to use. The warm aaa minimag is like having a ginormous Maglite clipped to your shirt pocket minus the mega-thrower beam. The 60 some lumens runs out of steam in light polluted environments at about 75 feet, but still an amazing little lighting tool. I really would like to see Maglite expand the line up of warm beam'd LED availability. 

But lumen wars seems to play just enough of a role still to keep Tony thinking brighter is better. Perhaps polls of the general consumer market still shows that.


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## 325addict (Oct 16, 2020)

You are right in your conclusion (at least for me) that the tint of the light a LED Maglite produces is... well, not the finest I've seen. But unfortunately these blueish LEDs have highest efficiency... so give the most Lumens per Watt. And what do you think a customer will buy: a 700 Lumen advertised light or a 1000 Lumen one? I'm afraid I know the answer...
The same goes for the 10.8V vs. "12V max" power tools. I think the marketing department of Milwaukee started it all: why not re-badge out 10.8V power tools to 12V max? And they did... quickly followed by Makita, Bosch.... imagine a customer standing in front of a selection of 10.8V power tools, and suddenly he sees one, standing out from the 10.8V crowd: 12V max!! "Yes, that one is more powerful, and the price seems equal to a Bosch or Makita 10.8V machine, so I'll take this Milwaukee 12V max!"



bykfixer said:


> Although two distinctly different companies with vastly different customers and nothing in common products, Maglite and Vans shoes have a common bond. Both share California roots, both exploded on the scene like an atomic bomb in the late 1970's, both are household names and both dang near disappeared due to a changing market. Oh, and when the competition started winning huge market shares both tried new fangled approaches to their audience with limited success and both went back to the basics of what got them to the top of the heap so long ago. Checkered Vans slip on's and a 3D Maglite are two American icons. Now you can buy checkered Vans with "ultracush" technology for your tired old knees and a 3D ML300 for your tired old eyes.
> 
> One change I noticed starting to happen a couple years back but is now really noticable is how much shelf space flashlights in general have at big stores. Back in 015/16 when the 500,600,750 lumen threshold was reached by every brand from A to Z the stores were flooded with flashlights. Wal Mart had floating lights, baseball bat lights, 10aa flashlights, rayovac, energizer, ozark trail, bushnell, coast, and more. You could spend an hour drooling over the massive selection. Same with Lowes and Home Depot. Even Target jumped in to a degree. Menards had their own line. The wooden Menards 2aa is still one of my favorites. Meanwhile Maglite had some new stuff in the C and D platform that collected dust amongst the offerings. Partly because a 500 lumen light was priced at $35 next to a (so-called) 750 lumen light for $14.99. Even CVS, Rite Aid and Best Buy had a flashlight section.
> 
> ...


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## bykfixer (Oct 16, 2020)

Yup!! 
PT Barnum was right. 

My local Wally World had zero ML25's for the first time since they first came out. Not even a space for any. They had ML50's for $24.94 and Minimag Pro for $17.88. I don't really did the 300+ lumen minimag but they had polished silver ones that came with the anti-roll thing, a pocket clip and colored lenses for under $18 so I bought one. Surprisingly I had never owned a polished silver minimag in 2aa platform. 

Edit: It finally dawned on me at 4am why the 2aa minimag does what it does. It's a security guard style warehouse light. My brain was so stuck on the minimag being a tiny version of the D cell cop light I had never realized the true ability of it going all the way back to the 90's when I bought my first one. 

End edit


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## bykfixer (Oct 17, 2020)

LeanBurn said:


> Before and after beam shots would really illustrate the variability of the adjustments.



So I adjusted the beam of an ML100 today and tried to take photos. Actually I did take photos but was unable to get the camera to show what I saw. 






The factory setting spot





After dialing it in a bit.

Now the photo shows a glaring spot in both photos. 
But what I saw was a big ole spot with a nicely dispersing edge that feathered out to the edge of the top photo. If you are familiar with an M61 by Malkoff it would be sorta like that. 
When I dialed it in tighter the hot spot is about half the diameter of what you see glaring in the bottom photo with a dispersal to about the outside of the glaring spot. Albeit a much brighter dispersal and a more pronnounced edge of the hotspot. 
Moving the other adjuster just makes the edge of the hotspot go from round to egg shaped. It's actually nicely centered from the factory and not easy to recenter as well if you do decide to adjust it.

Check out the numbers for the ML100





Top on is the 2 cell model. Bottom is 3 cell.


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## 325addict (Oct 19, 2020)

I just got in some Kaidomain goodies: a metal Mag reflector with cam and a glass lens. Put all these in a 2D Mag with 6AA to 2D adapter in it, screwed in a Tad Customs PR bulb MPR7218 (7.2V / 1.8 Amps) and.... enjoyed it very much!! This light really puts a grin on my face ;-)


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## xxo (Oct 20, 2020)

bykfixer said:


> So I adjusted the beam of an ML100 today and tried to take photos. Actually I did take photos but was unable to get the camera to show what I saw.
> 
> 
> 
> ...





I wonder why the ML100's didn't seem to have caught on back when they first came out in 2011? They have basically the same features as the succeeding ML300 and ML50's which seem to be much more popular. Is it because the newer generations are more refined? Or maybe it's because Mag didn't come out with a D cell version of the ML100 from the beginning?



Despite all of the whining that Mag never came out with anything new since the 80's, the ML100/ML125 were fairly innovative for 2011.


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## bykfixer (Oct 20, 2020)

xxo said:


> I wonder why the ML100's didn't seem to have caught on back when they first came out in 2011? They have basically the same features as the succeeding ML300 and ML50's which seem to be much more popular. Is it because the newer generations are more refined? Or maybe it's because Mag didn't come out with a D cell version of the ML100 from the beginning?
> 
> Despite all of the whining that Mag never came out with anything new since the 80's, the ML100/ML125 were fairly innovative for 2011.



Apparently the 100 was less popular than the 125 if serial numbers matter. My 2 cell 100 is s/n 44xxx, the 3 cell s/n is 14xxx and the 125 is 70xxx. My XL200 is 309xxx. It's just a bit more than a dozen digits from being 310xxx. The silver 2D classic (with 019 upgrade to 213 lumens) is s/n 5 million xxx, xxx so yeah I suppose the D cell lights were more popular. 

Now the 3D 300 I bought in 019 is s/n 199xxx while the 2D 300 that arrived today is 14xxx. 
The 2C 50 is s/n 54xxx and 3C 50 is 77xxx. All but the 2 cell 300 were bought at Wal Mart. I take that back the 2C 50 came from Home Depot. 

D cell Maglites always out sold C cell versions. It seems the 3D was extremely popular. Member Liftd4R could elaborate, but I wonder if Maglite went up a digit with each generation. Example classic LED gen 1 maybe stopped in the 4 million and when they did the upgrade did it begin at 5 million? Something to help establish which model it is? 

Innovative? What other flashlight maker incorparates a way to dial in the LED? Either because of a factory error or just because you want to change it some. I am thrilled with the 100 and 125. 

I wrecked the lens on my XL200 trying to punch out the reflector so I could install glass. Maglite is sending me a new head assembly even though I screwed it up. Cost me $11 but worth it.





Todays arrival. 
I will be acquiring more 2D 300's. The special edition one is going to be stashed so at some point I'll buy a 2 cell for user. It's so small it was hard to believe it's a 2D flashlight.


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## xxo (Oct 20, 2020)

Makes sense that the second gen D cell LED Mags have high numbers considering they came out in 2009 and the big box stores carried them (I'm guessing that the first gen LEDs from 2006 used the same serials as the incan Mags since they were the same lights except for the LED drop-in?). I don't remember the big boxes selling ML100's, but it is still strange that they sold in smaller numbers than the much more expensive rechargeable ML125.



I hear you on the 2D ML300 – that's why I would have liked Mag to just go to the ML300 format for the 213 lumen/2 mode 2D LED.


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## bykfixer (Oct 20, 2020)

I dunno man. I just don't get that "I can hammer nails" with the ML300 like with the classic 2D. Actually I was surprised to see the LED classic get an upgrade at all. Third gen, that's right. I kept thinking the 177 version was first gen. So I kept calling the 213 the second gen. Thanks for clearing that up. 

I wonder if price held back the ML100. When I bought my first LED 2D the box store had the incan for $20 and the 177(?) lumen LED "pro" for $35. Right now the big river e-store is selling ML100's for $45. The 125 is between $50 and $75 depending on the seller. Perhaps the WalMart buyer back when they were released would probably have choked when they saw $35 for a Maglite. I know I did at first. But after my first Malkoff paying $35 for a Maglite was no biggy. 

The ML25 was such a great addition to the lineup. I understand why many would be skeptical, as seeing in action is the only way to know just how brilliant that one is. 

I got an email from Maglite about a ML150 LRS. It looks nice and compact like the 2D 300. 





820 lumens.





Going for $112 at Maglite


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## xxo (Oct 20, 2020)

bykfixer said:


> I dunno man. I just don't get that "I can hammer nails" with the ML300 like with the classic 2D. Actually I was surprised to see the LED classic get an upgrade at all. Third gen, that's right. I kept thinking the 177 version was first gen. So I kept calling the 213 the second gen. Thanks for clearing that up.
> 
> I wonder if price held back the ML100. When I bought my first LED 2D the box store had the incan for $20 and the 177(?) lumen LED "pro" for $35. Right now the big river e-store is selling ML100's for $45. The 125 is between $50 and $75 depending on the seller. Perhaps the WalMart buyer back when they were released would probably have choked when they saw $35 for a Maglite. I know I did at first. But after my first Malkoff paying $35 for a Maglite was no biggy.



Actually, the 213 lumen/2 mode 2D Mag is more of a generation 2.5.


The 3rd​ gen is the ML300 – Mag called them 3rd​ Gen early on (mine was so marked on packaging when I got when they first came out) before they changed the name to ML300.


The 2nd​ gen were the single mode LED 2 or 3 D cell Mags with the fixed LED module that came out in 2009 – these are similar to the 213 lumen “gen 2.5” except for no low mode. These have serials that start with DL.


The first gen D cell Mags (2D, 3D _and_ 4D) identical to the incan models except for the Mag LED drop-in – they even had a spare krypton bulb in the tail cap that could be switched in place of the LED drop-in. These have D serials like the standard krypton Mags.


Note that these “generations” only apply to the D cell LED Mags, there were no equivalent first or second gen C cell Mags – Mag went straight from the incan C cell Mags to the ML125/ML100 (though Mag sold the first gen LED drop-ins for a while and you could use them to make your own 1st gen C cell Mag equivalent, though Mag never sold them with the drop-ins installed from the factory).


According to the LED-Resource site, the original MSRP on the ML100's was $54.99-$58.99 and Actual Pricing: ~$45-$55.


They listed “MSRP for the ML125 is about $120” with actual pricing around $100.


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## bykfixer (Oct 21, 2020)

Thanks for clearing up the gen thing… I think…… I remember folks calling the ML300 the third gen. Now I know why. Back then I was not the least bit interested in the new $45 D cell Maglite. They want how much for that? I remember many here saying "yay Maglite" and others saying "boo Maglite sucks". I think I was trying out Bushnell's at the time or something similar. Then came the ML25 and that Christmas everybody I knew had one. Well, practically anybody. They flew off the shelves at first. Later on I tried this ML300 and eh, it was ok. But when the power went out for a week and the Mrs and I had one tailstanding on eco in the kitchen each night I was impressed. Ceiling bounce gave enough light to read by. Am radio crackling in the background, plenty of charcoal for the grill, we were set. 

At one point WalMart put 3 cell ML25s on clearance so now when the power is out we light a few rooms with those on eco. Bathroom, den etc. For use outdoors I still prefer the classics. At last check WalMart had a bunch of 3 cell ML300's for $25. I am supposing that is the new 2D cell? ……kinda like 50 years old is the new 30.


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## hsa (Oct 21, 2020)

I have never figured out where this fits into the generational designation but it seems like an outlier to me. I would like to have one. http://www.led-resource.com/2012/12/maglite-pro-2d-led-flashlight-review/
Between the "drop in" led d cell and the ML series was a 136 lumen and 168 lumen, then came the ML. Any ideas?


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## Chicken Drumstick (Oct 21, 2020)

I'm still a Maglite fan. Although I find my self torn on if I'd buy any more.

I have sat next to me right now my original 6D Maglite. Owned it for nearly 30 years, although it is running a LED drop in these days and I run it on 6 Eneloop AA's with D cell adapters. I also have my original Mag Charger. Which is still incan, but also running Eneloop AA's, although in a mix of series and parallel adapters to get a little more voltage than the original NiCd pack.

But here in the UK, Maglites have pretty much vanished. Almost no stores stock or sell them. And the ones that do sell them are all special order and crazy high prices!!!

One of my fav torches is the XL200. Which I managed to get for a good price. It has lots of potential issues, such as PWM, poor tint and lowish output with less than ideal runtime. But it is still an awesome light.


But what I really don't get, is Maglites complete resistance to offer support for other battery types. From something as simple as taking advantage of lithium primaries or NiMH AA's. Maglite engineer the lights so you get no benefit running better batteries over the crappy alkaline AA's...... FFS!!!!! Why :thinking:


The Mag-Tac has always looked cool. But again in the UK it is just too expensive to even consider. That was when new, let alone now. And it has always been a relative poor performer compared to the rest of the market. And again, they are engineered to not support Li-ion in either 18650 or 16650.


I'm also gobsmacked how Maglite hasn't offered other obvious variations on their lights, e.g.


Where is the 1 x AA Solitaire?
Where is the 1 x AA Mini Mag?

The Mini Mag was cool 25 years or more ago. And just about small enough for pocket EDC duty. But the latest LED Mini Mags are way longer, too long to fit in a jeans pocket, have no pocket clips......

Come on Mag. Big time slacking.


Also why have they never offered something like a C or D cell traditional Mag that is only 1 cell long. You could run it on 3 or 4 AA's and even allow a 26650 to fit. Such a light would be compact and have appeal to the general public and flashaholics alike. But nope, they still want to offer HUGE torches that are heavy, bulky and don't fit in a coat pocket.

Very very odd really. And might explain why you just don't see Maglites in the UK anymore.


Looking at the Maglite website (quite a chore in itself sadly). I see the XL200 is still listed and must have received an update since I got mine. But 230 lumens is still low output these days. And there is still no 18650 support.

The ML25T looks cool, it's a giant Mini Mag and in the USA cheap. But why does it under perform compared to the AA Mini Mag?


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## greenpondmike (Oct 21, 2020)

Hsa, seems like I had the luxon rebel one. Seems like there was the drop in version, the luxon rebel one that put out 103?? lumens and then they went to the cree xp-e 136 lumen and then the 168 lumen one which might have had an xp-e. After that came the two speed 200+ lumen one.
Bykfixer, xxo, a few years back I thought the ML150LRS had 1000 lumens that was good for a quarter of a mile and the ML300 4D had a little bit more. Seems like maglite did some adjusting on them. Seems like the ML150LRS also had more runtime on high, but it probably stepped down a bit to do that and now the 819 version probably has a flatter regulation. I admit that I could be wrong.

Edit: Hey chicken drumstick- looks like we both was posting at the same time, but you got there first. I assume you were talking about the LED "LT" versions because the incandescent (IT) version of the ML25 does outperform the incan mini mag. The ML25LT (LED) can blow a mini mag pro away in candella (intense hotspot) and shine way farther also. The mini mag pro has an less intense hotspot, but a brighter (but smaller) spill. Both have their usefulness in different applications. The ML25LT is more fitted for outdoors. It is difficult to use words to compair both of them, but you can find beamshots for both on this forum by bykfixer- just don't get confused because he also posted a suped up incan version (IT) of the ML25 also. The ML25LT and ML25IT are both gems.


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## bykfixer (Oct 21, 2020)

For years I misunderstood the LED aa minimag and kept scoffing at its inability to throw like Maglites with half the output. But one day I realized the aa minmag is a backup cop light. In other words it was originally made as a backup to the big lights. Now it eventually became its own phenomena, so I had forgotten it was originally a back up cop light. 

With that said, the current crop of aa minimags are more suited for the close quarters action in a backup role. A backup to the ML300 if you will. The ML25 would be a backup to lights meant as throwers like the original D series, even the LED versions. So to compare an ML25 to a aa minimag is like comparing plain milk to chocolate milk.


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## xxo (Oct 21, 2020)

The ML25 is far form outperformed by the Mini Mag Pro – in fact the ML25 blows the MM Pro away completely, no contest.


In a flashlight, lumens do not equal brightness – throw/cd and beam pattern are far more important. This is where the genius of the design of the ML25 really shines (literally and figuratively). They chose a smaller lower lumen LED to get a better beam with a lot more throw and much better performance. The MM Pro's beam has more lumens in the small spill where they are mostly wasted while the ML25 puts the lumens in the smaller tighter hotspot and just enough lumens in it's huge spill beam making it a much more practical light. To be fair the MM Pro is limited by it's smaller reflector as well as it's larger/higher lumen LED, but either way the ML25 just performs better. The ML25 is only a hair longer than the Mini Mag Pro, but fatter - I find that it fits nicely in a coat pocket or the back pocket of a pair of jeans. If I need something smaller, I go with the AAA Mini Mag LED, which is another absolute gem. The AAA MM LED can't compete for throw, but it does have good throw for such a small light and it has a nice big spill that has just the right brightness, much like the ML25.


I don't like alkaline batteries so I run my C and D cell Mags on protected Li-Ions in 3D printed adapters mostly. In the past I ran them on Eneloops in adapters or Soshine LSD NiMH cells.....but the general public still uses a lot of alkalines. I don't think that is going to change until you can grab a pack of Li-ion cells on the checkout line at the supermarket right next to all of the alkalines.


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## Chicken Drumstick (Oct 21, 2020)

ML25LT is 192 lumens according to Maglite:
https://maglite.com/collections/mid-size/products/ml25lt-2c-led-flashlight

AA Mini Mag is 351 lumens
https://maglite.com/collections/compact-size/products/mini-maglite-pro-plus-led-2aa-holster-pack


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## xxo (Oct 21, 2020)

hsa said:


> I have never figured out where this fits into the generational designation but it seems like an outlier to me. I would like to have one. http://www.led-resource.com/2012/12/maglite-pro-2d-led-flashlight-review/
> Between the "drop in" led d cell and the ML series was a 136 lumen and 168 lumen, then came the ML. Any ideas?



I see it as a 2nd gen, it's the same as the other 2nd gen 2D Mag LEDs, the only difference is that it used a XP-G LED instead of a Rebel or XP-E like on the standard/non-pro 2nd gen lights.


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## xxo (Oct 21, 2020)

Chicken Drumstick said:


> ML25LT is 192 lumens according to Maglite:
> https://maglite.com/collections/mid-size/products/ml25lt-2c-led-flashlight
> 
> AA Mini Mag is 351 lumens
> https://maglite.com/collections/compact-size/products/mini-maglite-pro-plus-led-2aa-holster-pack



Again, Lumens are not brightness. It's kind of like thinking a vehicle is faster just because it gets lower gas mileage. If that were true, a dump truck would out run a Ducati motorcycle. Traditionally candlepower (now called candela) was use to measure flashlight brightness (not a perfect measure but far better than lumens for a light with a focused beam). Surefire was the first to promote lumens for flashlights, because their lights back in the day had high lumens and low candlepower.


The 192 lumen ML25 has 28473 cd while the 351 lumen Pro PLUS that you linked to has only 8148, again no contest and that's before you factor in the superior beam pattern of the ML25 and the ugly blue tint that the latest/highest lumen Mini Mag Pros have.


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## bykfixer (Oct 21, 2020)

I'll use my Pelican 2350's as an example. The first gen was 100 lumens and stated 19k+ candella. The next generation was 175 lumens and stated 9k+ candella. Same light, same body, just different LED. I use the gen one to see off in the distance in say, a portion of my neighbors back yard three doors down and the gen two for say, lighting up my entire back yard. 

That's pretty much the way I see the ML25 versus the Minimag AA. One was meant to spread light out more evenly while the other was intended to spread light a lot farther. A WHOLE lot farther. In SureFire terms you could say MaxVision vs their TIR system. Whichever one works best is up to the buyer. 

The XL50 is somewhere in between the ML25 and Minimag AA in my view that leans more toward throw than total spread.


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## xxo (Oct 21, 2020)

bykfixer said:


> I'll use my Pelican 2350's as an example. The first gen was 100 lumens and stated 19k+ candella. The next generation was 175 lumens and stated 9k+ candella. Same light, same body, just different LED. I use the gen one to see off in the distance in say, a portion of my neighbors back yard three doors down and the gen two for say, lighting up my entire back yard.
> 
> That's pretty much the way I see the ML25 versus the Minimag AA. One was meant to spread light out more evenly while the other was intended to spread light a lot farther. A WHOLE lot farther. In SureFire terms you could say MaxVision vs their TIR system. Whichever one works best is up to the buyer.
> 
> The XL50 is somewhere in between the ML25 and Minimag AA in my view that leans more toward throw than total spread.




Don't get me wrong I like the Mini Mag Pros - I have a MM Pro Plus that I use a lot, mostly in low mode inside, but since I got my first ML25 it really opened my eyes and got me to stop chasing lumens and concentrate on beam pattern and throw.

As for lighting up a backyard, the MM Pros are still not the best, simply because the spill is too small, forcing you to move the light and scan to see everything....kinda reminds me of looking through a pipe. But yeah, I get your point about different beams being useful for different things.


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## bykfixer (Oct 21, 2020)

I definitely prefer the ML25 over the modern minimag. I did order a spectrum warm one though as it doesn't tout a ton of lumens. My thought is it's like an incan but better. I also found an nip with a luxeon rebel from 2010. I already have one but it's black and the package says blue so I never opened it.


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## xxo (Oct 21, 2020)

bykfixer said:


> I definitely prefer the ML25 over the modern minimag. I did order a spectrum warm one though as it doesn't tout a ton of lumens. My thought is it's like an incan but better. I also found an nip with a luxeon rebel from 2010. I already have one but it's black and the package says blue so I never opened it.



A Spectrum ML25 would be pretty cool, same for the ML300 and ML50.


I used to see a lot of mislabeled colors on Mags at walmart back in the 90's when they had a bunch of special colors – many were marked black or assorted or something like that. Even more recently I have seen different color LED Mags at home depot that were marked black.


BTW, I thought of something where the higher lumen Mini Mag Pro might do better than the ML25 – candle mode. If you wanted to light up a room in candle mode with the head removed to use as a stand, the Pro would be brighter, though both are way too bright for me already. Even in low mode they are kinda bright to look out without some sort of shade or defuser.....I usually just ceiling bounce them. Anyway I don't want to sound to harsh on the Mini Mag Pros – they are very good 2 AA lights, it's just that they come off second best when compared to the ML25, as any 2 AA light would.


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## Chicken Drumstick (Oct 22, 2020)

xxo said:


> Again, Lumens are not brightness. It's kind of like thinking a vehicle is faster just because it gets lower gas mileage. If that were true, a dump truck would out run a Ducati motorcycle. Traditionally candlepower (now called candela) was use to measure flashlight brightness (not a perfect measure but far better than lumens for a light with a focused beam). Surefire was the first to promote lumens for flashlights, because their lights back in the day had high lumens and low candlepower.
> 
> 
> The 192 lumen ML25 has 28473 cd while the 351 lumen Pro PLUS that you linked to has only 8148, again no contest and that's before you factor in the superior beam pattern of the ML25 and the ugly blue tint that the latest/highest lumen Mini Mag Pros have.


Surely lumen is brightness, it is about the total volume or quantity of light. Candela is about intensity, i.e. how focused or concentrated the light is. High intensity is normally down to reflector size, i.e. the same LED in a larger reflector will produce the same lumens, but higher candela/lux. Other things can influence this, a smaller LED surface area also generally increases intensity, which is why the old XR-E emitters offered such good throw. This doesn't mean they are brighter however, normally the complete opposite.

I'm not sure what LEDs the Mags are using these days, however if you put the same 351 lumen one from the Mini Mag in the ML25, you'd get about the same lumens and still more throw (higher candela) than the Mini Mag.


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## Chicken Drumstick (Oct 22, 2020)

bykfixer said:


> I'll use my Pelican 2350's as an example. The first gen was 100 lumens and stated 19k+ candella. The next generation was 175 lumens and stated 9k+ candella. Same light, same body, just different LED. I use the gen one to see off in the distance in say, a portion of my neighbors back yard three doors down and the gen two for say, lighting up my entire back yard.
> 
> That's pretty much the way I see the ML25 versus the Minimag AA. One was meant to spread light out more evenly while the other was intended to spread light a lot farther. A WHOLE lot farther. In SureFire terms you could say MaxVision vs their TIR system. Whichever one works best is up to the buyer.
> 
> The XL50 is somewhere in between the ML25 and Minimag AA in my view that leans more toward throw than total spread.



I hear what you are saying, but it isn't quite that way. It is all about LED size and reflector size.

To give some examples.

If you had an old CREE XP-E LED driven at the same amps. Put it in a Mini Mag and it'll give quite a throwy beam. Because the LED has a small surface area. This allows a small reflector to focus the light quite tightly. If you put this same LED in a D-cell Mag reflector, it'll be a really good thrower, but the beam will be really narrow with a small hot spot and quite dull spill beam. This is because the larger reflector can focus the light even more tightly.

The extra throw comes from a more concentrated, narrower beam. I actually have an XP-E drop in for a D-cell Mag, and it really is a superb thrower and can light up objects further away than many of my modern lights. But the total light output is very low by comparison.


Now the stage would be to retain the two reflectors (Mini Mag and D cell) and change the LED. If you swapped out the XP-E for a CREE XM-L chip, the XM-L is much bigger, with a much larger surface area. In the small reflector of the Mini Mag, you'd have much more of a flooder now. As the small reflector would struggle to focus the light. So you'd end up with a large hotspot that blends into a bright spill beam. But the lux/candela would be significantly lower than the XP-E.

In the bigger reflector you will see the same trend, the larger reflector will be better able to focus the beam than the small one, giving much more throw compared to the same LED with the small reflector (i.e. higher lux/candela). However, as the XM-L is much bigger than the XP-E, you still wouldn't get the same throw. You'd get a bigger hot spot and a much brighter spill beam.

So for throw (or high lux) you want a mix of a small LED with a large reflector. However more lumens for a given setup will always offer more total light.


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## bykfixer (Oct 22, 2020)

You're preaching to the choir CD. 

My old school eyeballs are used to a pencil beam of light from a PR based light bulb with enough spill to guide my steps yet not create a defined wall of tlight that that freaks my brain out. But there are times a given situation would require more total output. So for a time when it's dark enough to see stars I prefer the ML25.


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## sween1911 (Oct 22, 2020)

Great thread. Love what Mag has done and are stepping up and making all kinds of cool lights with multiple modes and high output. Gets a Maglite back to where a Maglite meant something. 

Still get hinky though about loading those big beautiful "D" cells in a tube given all the times over the last 30 years I've held a dying Maglite, done in by alkaleaks left unchecked for too long, as it sputtered its last light.


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## desmobob (Oct 22, 2020)

I have a soft spot in my heart for Maglite. My Mini was my first "good" flashlight, and did years of service hunting and camping. Fitted in a JakStrap, it was also my headlamp. A pretty, red 3 D-cell model lived under the seat of my truck.

Fast forward many years, and modern LED flashlights and headlamps put my Maglites on the shelf, way in the back. A few years ago at Christmas time, I bought a 2 D-cell Maglite as a gift for an elderly friend. The simplicity seemed appealing, so I also bought one for myself. It has the quality feel of the old-school Maglites and simple it is... on or off. The output is OK and the beam is OK after focusing. The form factor is familiar, but huge for it's output and capabilities.

It's on the shelf, way in the back...


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## greenpondmike (Oct 22, 2020)

I just wish maglite hadn't changed the color temp of the new mini mag pro. The 281 version looks so bodacious when I ceiling bounce it. 
I guess that is how they got the extra lumens though- by removing some of the phosporus from the LED or rather ordering the same LED in a cooler temp. I saw some of the older ones on ebay or amazon going at premium prices, but I don't trust them. The early model updated ones had stickers on the package covering the 281 version's specs. All you have to do is peel those stickers off and sell the new ones as the old ones and get more for them since people like me still prefer them. Well, at least my wife owns the older model. I reckon I'll just enjoy it.


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## Chicken Drumstick (Oct 22, 2020)

bykfixer said:


> You're preaching to the choir CD.
> 
> My old school eyeballs are used to a pencil beam of light from a PR based light bulb with enough spill to guide my steps yet not create a defined wall of tlight that that freaks my brain out. But there are times a given situation would require more total output. So for a time when it's dark enough to see stars I prefer the ML25.


Maybe we are at cross purposes.....

I'm questioning why Maglite offer the ML25LT with only a super low rating of 190 lumens. When they could be using at least the 351 lumen of the Mini Mag. You'd still get more throw from the ML25LT vs the Mini Mag. Only you feel quite as much as though you are using a 15 year old torch in terms of performance.


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## xxo (Oct 22, 2020)

Chicken Drumstick said:


> I'm questioning why Maglite offer the ML25LT with only a super low rating of 190 lumens. When they could be using at least the 351 lumen of the Mini Mag. You'd still get more throw from the ML25LT vs the Mini Mag. Only you feel quite as much as though you are using a 15 year old torch in terms of performance.





Because a light like that would suck, or at least it would be a big down grade in performance – you would get less throw and less brightness (not to mention a nasty blue tint). All I can say is shine the focused super low 190 lumen ML25 on a wall along side a 351 lumen Mini Mag and it only takes a second to see that the ML25 is brighter. Yes, the MM has more lumens and you can see that if you stare at the beams for a few seconds but our eyes tell us it is not as bright because it is not as intense (ask some non flashlight people which one is brighter and I'll bet most will say the focused ML25). Take the two lights outside a shine them on something across the back yard or down the street and the advantage of the ML25 only increases. Lumens are only a good measure when the light is not projected by a reflector or a optical system of some sort - good for light bulbs, near irrelevant for flashlights. For flashlights, candlepower and beam pattern are what matter. Candlepower relates directly to beam distance/intensity of the spot and beam pattern is important to ensure that you have a big enough spot and spill to see what you are looking at. With the Mini Mag Pros you get a hotspot that is big but not all that intense with a small spill that has a lot of those lumens in it – basically a waste of lumens compared to the ML25 which gives a smaller/more intense spot for distance and a huge spill that is great for up close so your not tripping over things or walking into them without being too bright that it totally kills you adapted night vision. Get out and use both lights and you will see.


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## greenpondmike (Oct 22, 2020)

Chicken Drumstick said:


> Maybe we are at cross purposes.....
> 
> I'm questioning why Maglite offer the ML25LT with only a super low rating of 190 lumens. When they could be using at least the 351 lumen of the Mini Mag. You'd still get more throw from the ML25LT vs the Mini Mag. Only you feel quite as much as though you are using a 15 year old torch in terms of performance.



Seeing how 30 lumens is a lot of light I can't see why you would consider 190 to be low lumens. 
I have just about quit chasing lumens as I have learned more about flashlights. I used to think the more the better, but now it is candela that matters more to me and the lumen/candela relation to each other as shown in manufacturer specs. That way I can tell if it is more of a thrower or a flooder. Specs can't tell you about beam patterns, colors or if there is a little hint of a hotspot in that floody beam if specs allude to a flooder though. Only beamshots will give you a real heads up before you buy one. I myself don't want another "coast" style flood beam which is just an evenly distributated narrow flood beam. In that situation the mini mag pro does its thing and it is adjustable also. I don't think my ML25LT is old tech and I'm happy with mine. It has a good neutral color, good throw, good battery life and a good amount of spill. It can give a ML50 a good run for its money and I bought both at the same time (the ml50 and the ml25lt 2c with the same type batteries) and played with them. The two ML25LT's I bought were the first ones- the 177 2c and a little later the 173 3c. Even those old ones were bright enough to suit my needs.
If lumens are really all that matter to you, I think you would be happier with the mini mag pro. If you have never used a ML25LT though, those measly 190 lumens just might make you say "whoa!". Only maglite can make 190 lumens (or even 173) look like 600+ lumens. 
No offense to anybody else's opinion, but the mm pro kinda reminds me of an inspection light and has about the same sized beam as coast's inspection light- except it is whiter, the edges fade out in comparison to coast's sharp blue edges and it has a big not too intense hotspot. I'm referring to the 271-281? version though. My wife likes hers for her purposes which are from 1-35 feet. Honestly, one time she laughed at my ML25 in comparison to hers at about 15 feet, but beyond 50+ ft. she's probably not gonna be laughing.
On hers you can adjust the beam to less intensity to use it up close, but no low mode and about 2-2 1/2 hours runtime that gradually fades out after it falls out of regulation- which is a positive thing to me.

Edit: No offence chicken drumstick- at least we can both agree that we like chicken, but I like the thigh better. :laughing:


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## bykfixer (Oct 22, 2020)

Speaking of not a lot of lumens, the 60 something lumen aa minimag spectrum warm arrived. The beam reminds me a 4C incan Maglite in many ways. Bigger spill than the incan version but……

The beam of the little incan version has a tiny spot that can reach farther than the warm LED. I was kind of surprised. Now neither is huge bright output. The spectrum warm definitely outshines the incan for general uses. Yet it makes me appreciate the incan version that much more. 






Left is the warm LED version. 





The arrow points to a faint spot about 100 feet up, about 100 feet away. 





The tiny spot of the incan is brighter.

So 15 lumens appears brighter than 63 off in the distance. Not saying it's brighter. Just saying that is one reason the aa minimag was so popular in the middle 80's to the middle 90's.


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## Chicken Drumstick (Oct 23, 2020)

xxo said:


> Because a light like that would suck, or at least it would be a big down grade in performance – you would get less throw and less brightness (not to mention a nasty blue tint). All I can say is shine the focused super low 190 lumen ML25 on a wall along side a 351 lumen Mini Mag and it only takes a second to see that the ML25 is brighter. Yes, the MM has more lumens and you can see that if you stare at the beams for a few seconds but our eyes tell us it is not as bright because it is not as intense (ask some non flashlight people which one is brighter and I'll bet most will say the focused ML25). Take the two lights outside a shine them on something across the back yard or down the street and the advantage of the ML25 only increases. Lumens are only a good measure when the light is not projected by a reflector or a optical system of some sort - good for light bulbs, near irrelevant for flashlights. For flashlights, candlepower and beam pattern are what matter. Candlepower relates directly to beam distance/intensity of the spot and beam pattern is important to ensure that you have a big enough spot and spill to see what you are looking at. With the Mini Mag Pros you get a hotspot that is big but not all that intense with a small spill that has a lot of those lumens in it – basically a waste of lumens compared to the ML25 which gives a smaller/more intense spot for distance and a huge spill that is great for up close so your not tripping over things or walking into them without being too bright that it totally kills you adapted night vision. Get out and use both lights and you will see.


Your observations are about the reflectors, not the LEDs or lumen out put though. That's my point....

The ML25 could be made a lot better with higher output!


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## bykfixer (Oct 23, 2020)

It's already available CD. It's called the ML50.


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## Chicken Drumstick (Oct 23, 2020)

greenpondmike said:


> Seeing how 30 lumens is a lot of light I can't see why you would consider 190 to be low lumens.
> I have just about quit chasing lumens as I have learned more about flashlights. I used to think the more the better, but now it is candela that matters more to me and the lumen/candela relation to each other as shown in manufacturer specs. That way I can tell if it is more of a thrower or a flooder. Specs can't tell you about beam patterns, colors or if there is a little hint of a hotspot in that floody beam if specs allude to a flooder though. Only beamshots will give you a real heads up before you buy one. I myself don't want another "coast" style flood beam which is just an evenly distributated narrow flood beam. In that situation the mini mag pro does its thing and it is adjustable also. I don't think my ML25LT is old tech and I'm happy with mine. It has a good neutral color, good throw, good battery life and a good amount of spill. It can give a ML50 a good run for its money and I bought both at the same time (the ml50 and the ml25lt 2c with the same type batteries) and played with them. The two ML25LT's I bought were the first ones- the 177 2c and a little later the 173 3c. Even those old ones were bright enough to suit my needs.
> If lumens are really all that matter to you, I think you would be happier with the mini mag pro. If you have never used a ML25LT though, those measly 190 lumens just might make you say "whoa!". Only maglite can make 190 lumens (or even 173) look like 600+ lumens.
> No offense to anybody else's opinion, but the mm pro kinda reminds me of an inspection light and has about the same sized beam as coast's inspection light- except it is whiter, the edges fade out in comparison to coast's sharp blue edges and it has a big not too intense hotspot. I'm referring to the 271-281? version though. My wife likes hers for her purposes which are from 1-35 feet. Honestly, one time she laughed at my ML25 in comparison to hers at about 15 feet, but beyond 50+ ft. she's probably not gonna be laughing.
> ...


No offence taken 


I would say, you should probably try some different lights. You'd be amazed at the performance difference available. As for colour tint, generally the Mags are pretty poor. Unless things have radically changed in the last couple of years. Get yourself a High CRI light or one with some Nichia219's in if you want to see the difference here.


In terms of lumens. In 2020 190 lumens is not very much at all. Some lights have brighter LOW modes than this. :laughing:


Beam profile can normally be guess by the LED size/type and the optics type and size. Although, yes beamshots are always helpful.

I'm not really knocking the Mags, for cheap (in the USA market) off the shelf lights they are ok. But they could be so much more.

I'm willing to bet my $25 C8 flashlight would easily have a brighter hotspot than the ML25, throw further, have a brighter spill beam and still be a lot more compact. And with much better tint.


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## Chicken Drumstick (Oct 23, 2020)

bykfixer said:


> It's already available CD. It's called the ML50.


ML50 is bigger, longer and heavier. Has a side switch and not the same thing at all. Plus it is hugely more money. But yes, the driver/LED from the ML50 could or maybe should be in the ML25.


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## lumen aeternum (Oct 23, 2020)

POST 97:
>the 60 something lumen aa minimag spectrum warm arrived. The beam reminds me a 4C incan Maglite in many ways.
... So 15 lumens appears brighter than 63 off in the distance.
>

Confused. You say a 4C Incan has 15 lumens ? Seems awfully low. How old is this model? Can't find such a light on the current Mag website.


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## bykfixer (Oct 23, 2020)

4C has about 60 lumens. LA, what I meant was the spectrum warm reminds me of a 4C Maglite in total. But……the 4C pierces darkness a lot farther way. Much farther. 

I will probably prefer the triple a minimag in warm over the double a. But until I tried one the voices kept pestering me "you know you have to try it, you just have to". lol


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## xxo (Oct 23, 2020)

bykfixer said:


> Speaking of not a lot of lumens, the 60 something lumen aa minimag spectrum warm arrived. The beam reminds me a 4C incan Maglite in many ways. Bigger spill than the incan version but……
> 
> The beam of the little incan version has a tiny spot that can reach farther than the warm LED. I was kind of surprised. Now neither is huge bright output. The spectrum warm definitely outshines the incan for general uses. Yet it makes me appreciate the incan version that much more.
> 
> ...



Byk, that's why I used to carry a incan AA Mini Mag in the woods back in the day (I used to get Nexstar bulbs from Brinkman which were a little brighter than the standard krypton and xenon Mag bulbs). Some of my buddies used to chide me about the old Mini Mag, that I needed a modern light with a showerhead full of LEDs with _lumens_ (whatever those were – what the heck is a lumen?). Fact is I already had one of those newfangled LEDs – a streamlight pro polymer with (supposedly) 155 lumens of glorious deep purple/allegedly white light! - worked great out to maybe 20 feet but was pretty useless beyond that. So I stuck with my trusty old 12-15 lumen Mini Mag that I could see well out to at least 100 feet or so – great for spotting trail markers and potential hazards from a distance.


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## bykfixer (Oct 23, 2020)

Lumen, I've heard that word some where. Oh yeah, isn't that a cross between a lemon and a limeon? 

At one point I thought it was blumem with the b silent. I did not know LED beams were not supposed to be blue. My first LED light was an LED Lenser tri-max that boasted *12** LUMENS!!!* Woah!! The beam was this ridiculous purple thing that looked like a x-ray of a mickey mouse head when aimed at a wall. It was my bedside table light for years. So for a long time I thought my aa minimag was better then that new fad called LED. 

My first LED Maglite was either the 130 something or 160 something 2D light that also had a blue fringe in the beam but that sucker was like an HID. I used to shine it on road signs ahead of me on the interstate to light them up in daytime in order to mess with drowsey morning commuters minds. Next was a aa minimag and expecting the pin hole beam like the 2D it was a disapointment. Not a bad flashight but nowhere near the thrower of that 2D so it's around the house somewhere. 

Only place I've seen output numbers for the spectrum warm aa minimag was an amazon seller. Not calling them liar liar pants on fire but I was hoping to find a second source to confirm that it's 63 lumens with low being about 25% of that. 8k+ candella so it's _supposed to _outshine the incan in the distance challenge but does not. In light polluted areas it'll be the better light to have. 

To me the dynamic duo is the ML25 and the spectrum warm aaa minimag. The cool one is good too, but that incan colored beam is so nice. If only Tony had done an ML25 in that. It would likely be nowhere near as dynamic as the cool version called ML25LT. But more like the 3 cell IT probably. A stock 3 cell IT is like an incan aa minimag on after a RedBull Espresso. A 60 something lumen aa incan minimag with an oversized 40mm head.

I'll have to find my stash of Nextar bulbs and replace the bulb in my first ever minimag (circa 93-ish) that for some reason would not fire up yesterday. It still has the original bulb so that may be the issue. I was in a hurry to snap pix last night so I grabbed another one I have on a shelf. A super rare number with an upside down bezel ring stamping.





When I bought it only one was known to exist in the world. 
The one known one was mentioned in the rare Maglites thread here. I saw one for sale on eBay and figured it was that one. But the one mentioned here was in the Netherlands or something and the guy I bought it from said he bought it new in Texas (iirc) and was selling it from there. I figure it's #2 known to exist. I'm certain there are more out there, they just aren't documented (that I've seen anyway). See post 214 in the rare maglites thread. #1 owner is in Finland.


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## Former_Mag_User (Oct 23, 2020)

What do you guys think of the lumen ratings that maglite is claiming for their LED lights?
Are they relatively accurate or overblown?


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## xxo (Oct 23, 2020)

BYK,

That upside down bezel is cool – someone must have been having a bad day when they were setting up the machinery! 


As to the spectrum specs, I don't know, I suppose it's possible that Mag never had them officially tested by a ANSI lab. But hey, you could always make up your own lumens numbers like most other flashlight makers seem to do.


And oh yeah, early LEDs were pretty lame. I got a Streamlight TL2 LED when they first came out as everyone seemed to be recommending it with it's new Luxeon 1 super LED - turned out to be way dimmer than the typical Surefire or Streamlight incan 2X CR123A lights that I was used to (at least it wasn't a showerhead LED so there was some improvement in that sense). Since I needed a real tactical light at the time, I gave up on LEDs for a long time for any serious use.


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## xxo (Oct 23, 2020)

Former_Mag_User said:


> What do you guys think of the lumen ratings that maglite is claiming for their LED lights?
> Are they relatively accurate or overblown?




they are accurate - maybe too accurate as they don't round anything off. They do have their lights tested by an independent lab for the ANSI F1 specs.


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## bykfixer (Oct 23, 2020)

xxo said:


> BYK,
> 
> That upside down bezel is cool – someone must have been having a bad day when they were setting up the machinery!
> 
> ...



The 110 lumen TL2 was my favorite LED flashlight for a while. It has a pencil beam much like the ML25. And no blue at all. I used to refer to the tint as copy paper white. I also liked the incan version as it throws pretty well too. I bought the shockproof version back when. Way brighter than the incan Strion. Both are so darn pocket carry friendly. Streamlight was my favorite brand during the Maglite blumen days. Not that I despised the Maglite, but more like I just liked Streamlights. Then when they started outsourcing production to over seas my interest waned more and more as less of their products were being made domestically. Durability was also becoming an issue with the foreign made numbers. 

Yeah, finding that upside down bezel was cooler than finding a Marquis (pre-Solitaire) light from a guy in England who had bought it in California while vacationing across the big pond. I ended up trading the Marquis for a gold plated minimag, then later traded that for a gold plated Brinkmann Legend 3aaa that was Don Keller's at one point. The Marquis for those who don't know was a 1aaa light Tony built for his girlfriend. During the heyday of Tony winning lawsuits it turned out the Marquis name was owned by somebody else and Tony had copyright infringed without knowing it. The lights were pulled from shelves and it is thought that only about 200 were actually sold prior to that. So it's pretty hard to find one. It was actually different than the Solitaire in some ways.

See post 102 for comparison 
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/v...Do-you-still-use-them/page3&highlight=Marquis


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## bykfixer (Oct 24, 2020)

Original incorrect info removed. 
_Edit: the 63 lumens, 83m, 1712 cd is the aaa spectrum warm. The aa is stated (at Amazon) as 57 lumens, 120m and 3581 cd. 
End edit. _

Regarding LED aa minimags it appears perhaps the 127 lumen version is the throw champ with 6093 cd. The 332 lumen although nearly 3x the total output goes up to 7399cd. 

The 97 lumen version has a respectable 5253 cd.

Now if you want a super thrower incan minimag the 3 cell ML25 is 63 lumens with a 12435 cd. The 2 cell is a bit over 2x the output of the 14 lumen aa at its 30 lumens but candela is nearly 3x the amount of the aa version at 6616 versus 2305 of the smaller head version. 

So even though the spectrum warm aa minimag is 4.5 times brighter than the incan version according to the flat piece of paper, one can see farther in the distance on a starry night using the paultry output of that little bi-pin bulb. 

What does this mean to the consumer? Probably not much since lumen ratings sell more flashlights than candela ratings.


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## xxo (Oct 24, 2020)

bykfixer said:


> The 110 lumen TL2 was my favorite LED flashlight for a while. It has a pencil beam much like the ML25. And no blue at all. I used to refer to the tint as copy paper white. I also liked the incan version as it throws pretty well too. I bought the shockproof version back when. Way brighter than the incan Strion. Both are so darn pocket carry friendly. Streamlight was my favorite brand during the Maglite blumen days. Not that I despised the Maglite, but more like I just liked Streamlights. Then when they started outsourcing production to over seas my interest waned more and more as less of their products were being made domestically. Durability was also becoming an issue with the foreign made numbers.
> 
> Yeah, finding that upside down bezel was cooler than finding a Marquis (pre-Solitaire) light from a guy in England who had bought it in California while vacationing across the big pond. I ended up trading the Marquis for a gold plated minimag, then later traded that for a gold plated Brinkmann Legend 3aaa that was Don Keller's at one point. The Marquis for those who don't know was a 1aaa light Tony built for his girlfriend. During the heyday of Tony winning lawsuits it turned out the Marquis name was owned by somebody else and Tony had copyright infringed without knowing it. The lights were pulled from shelves and it is thought that only about 200 were actually sold prior to that. So it's pretty hard to find one. It was actually different than the Solitaire in some ways.
> 
> ...




You had a much newer generation than mine, which was the same as a incan TL2 except that the cobbled it together with a little LED module in place of the incan bulb holder. The LED was the Luxeon 1 – maybe 30 lumens tops on fresh cells and was not regulated, so it got dimmer as the batteries drained. The tint was actually quite good, much better than the typical LEDs of the day. It was just that 30 fairly floody lumens didn't cut it as a tactical light even back then. If SL had sold it as a utility light it would have been OK. Instead Streamlight has updated the TL2 LED over the years to the point that they are a completely different light in terms of performance, which is fine also.

The first LED tactical light that was bright enough that I had was the Inova XO, maybe 60 lumens or so with decent throw.

Getting back to Maglites, I find it interesting looking back that nearly all of the would be Maglite killers that came along over the years that were supposed to be so much better are long gone and mostly forgotten while Mag is still here. Mag may not be the latest and greatest but some of us still like them and find them useful. It's had to beat a very well made quality product, that costs very little, lasts for many years that just works and works well.


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## hsa (Oct 24, 2020)

^ Their T- Shirt sums up your sentiments. "We never left". It's good to see discussions on Maglites.


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## bykfixer (Oct 25, 2020)

Although I never really stopped being a fan of Maglite, this thread has definitely rekindled my enthusiasm for the brand. 

While being enamored by brands like SureFire, Streamlight and others for a few years after discovering that LED lights had become brighter than my incan minimag I had quietly picked up a Solitaire here or a minimag there at my local box stores not really giving much thought about them. But for some reason this thread peeked my interest in some of the past accomplishments that were largely dismissed by the crowd here at CPF. Not saying they are wrong, mind you just that when they yawned so did I. 

My daily carry numbers were designed and built by PK simply because they achieve what I prefer in a pocket sized lighting tool. It's kinda like a Leatherman tool if you will. Sometimes a "full sized" tool is better. So when I started learning about the ML125 for example and then bought one I was impressed. It will likely never become my full time take it everywhere flashlight but it is definitely in the "top drawer" of my flashlight tool box if you will. I had an XL200 but gave it away because I just didn't 'get it' but did carry an XL50 for a while (until confiscated by Mrs Fixer). Now (thanks to this thread) I get it so that too is in the perverbial top drawer. 

The spectrum warm numbers stay around the house as general use lights along with a couple of SureFire G2x Pro lights. So while the lumen wars rage on and the mass produced Asian numbers continue to keep the masses occupied Maglite has quietly gone about business as usual with minor upgrades at times like the 100 lumen aaa minimag or largely unnoticed engineering marvels like the ML25 or the new crop of MagChargers. 

The once undisputed king of the flashlight world is now relegated as one of the characters in Horton Hears a Who. So in a way Tony Maglica and his lab coat wearing team of engineers have become Tony Who. However like hsa said……

They never left. (Thank goodness)

What does the future hold for Maglite? I get a sense things will largely stay traditional regarding basic shapes and functions with a flare for classic Maglite operating systems. I would like to see a spectrum warm ML25 even if it only touts around 75 lumens, as long as it has that famous ML25 beam. I'd also like to see them do an XL50 type number using a single AA platform. In other words, a tail cap switch to activate it. If Fenix can do it with the E12 there's no doubt in my mind Maglite can do it too. I'm sure Tony would prompt it to start on high in traditional Maglite methodology but one can hope it has the ML50 ability to change the interface and have starting on low as one of the choices. Perhaps a tradional Maglite bell head MagTac? That too would float my boat. Or some polyester body lights aimed at the electrician or other need for internsically safe lighting market like an ML50P or that sort of thing. Just thinking out loud.


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## xxo (Oct 25, 2020)

Tony could have closed his factory in California, sold out to a Chinese manufacturer and retired. Instead, at near 90 years of age, he gets up every day before dawn to be the first one on the production floor and for the last decade or more has been spending his money to keep Maglites made in America.

https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=130197557


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## Former_Mag_User (Oct 25, 2020)

xxo said:


> Tony could have closed his factory in California, sold out to a Chinese manufacturer and retired. Instead, at near 90 years of age, he gets up every day before dawn to be the first one on the production floor and for the last decade or more has been spending his money to keep Maglites made in America.
> 
> https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=130197557



What a guy. 

I hope his passing doesn't cause manufacturing to move outside the US.


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## toadgravy (Oct 25, 2020)

I really appreciate Maglites. My 4D that I have updated to led makes a great knocker.


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## Former_Mag_User (Oct 25, 2020)

I remember back in the day when modding stock incan maglites with multiple LEDs and custom heatsinks was the business.


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## bykfixer (Oct 25, 2020)

xxo said:


> Tony could have closed his factory in California, sold out to a Chinese manufacturer and retired. Instead, at near 90 years of age, he gets up every day before dawn to be the first one on the production floor and for the last decade or more has been spending his money to keep Maglites made in America.
> 
> https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=130197557



Perhaps John Maglica will take over some day……
https://youtu.be/Z7BVJQd6dxo
Heeeeeeeeeere!'s Johnny……


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## xxo (Oct 26, 2020)

bykfixer said:


> Perhaps John Maglica will take over some day……
> https://youtu.be/Z7BVJQd6dxo
> Heeeeeeeeeere!'s Johnny……




I hope so, but it won't be easy until they start making money again. BTW, Looks like they are branching out into backpacks and tactical gear....don't know if that will help?


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## wayben (Oct 26, 2020)

xxo said:


> I hope so, but it won't be easy until they start making money again. BTW, Looks like they are branching out into backpacks and tactical gear....don't know if that will help?



I think they would be better served focusing on what they know, flashlights, rather than branching out into half-a$$ed crap they know nothing about. They owned the high end flashlight market at one time, apply resources to that and get it back.


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## bykfixer (Oct 26, 2020)

Tony's first job was making clothes. In time he was making stuff for the military. I somehow doubt any tactical gear that meets Tony Maglica approval is half***** crap. 
Over priced? Perhaps. 

http://www.croatiafest.org/stories/view/153933649
Some details some may not have known.


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## maglite mike (Oct 26, 2020)

bykfixer said:


> Tony's first job was making clothes. In time he was making stuff for the military. I somehow doubt any tactical gear that meets Tony Maglica approval is half***** crap.
> Over priced? Perhaps.
> 
> http://www.croatiafest.org/stories/view/153933649
> Some details some may not have known.



I recently purchased the shotgun shell holder and both style backpacks. Extremely high quality and made in the USA. I also own 5-11 Tactical bags and prefer the maglite bags more.


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## bykfixer (Oct 27, 2020)

The ship has sailed on Maglite dominating the world of flashlights. To see Tony and his merry band of lab coat wearing blokes turning to "gear" may be just what the doctor ordered, not unlike CREE turning towards making computer chips. Will it pan out? Eh, we will see over time. 

Again this is a company plagued by their own destiny. Like Elzetta and some other US light makers, making very durable products means repeat buyers can be a problem at some point. New customers have to be generated in order to remain viable. The flashlight market is saturated with competition galore. Products made better and less expensive over time makes the task more daunting. Tony seems more concerned with keeping his employees working than generating huge profits. If profit was the first criteria I honestly believe Maglites would not be a domestic product anymore. 

Mrs Fixer and I bought a tv series box set that went on over a decade. (Bones) As the series progresses it is interesting to see the changes in flashlights they use. Most viewers would not notice they started out with classic shaped Maglites and as each season progressed the Maglites were replaced with what looks like Streamlight, Fenix and other brands of lighting tools.


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## xxo (Oct 27, 2020)

The flashlight market seems to be shrinking.....most people just use their phone or the light they got for free at harbor freight. Those that do buy a flashlight often end up with some bat light, atomic Navy SEAL light or whatever supposedly has the highest lumens at walmart. Many young people never heard of Maglite and don't know how much higher quality and performance they would get by getting a USA made Maglite for around the same price as they are wasting on junk.


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## bykfixer (Oct 27, 2020)

I have failed as a flashaholic. Yup. As much as I have tried to educate, as much as I have given away, Mrs Fixer is using her celphone for light now. Aaaaauuugh!! It was bad enough that the plethora of camera gear I set her up with is now shoved under the bed, in closets and who knows where else. Now the iPhone is her flashlight too. 

Sigh. 

It's my fault too. I gave her the iPhone 11 pro for her birthday after she joined some kind of iPhone photography school online. That's ok though. I now have all those flashlights she kept confiscating back. Hmmm come to think of it, this is a win-win. My warm Solitaire is back on my side of the bed. Hmph. Take that celphone light user. And when her phone is on charge and she needs a flashlight? ……… too bad, so said. I'll just hand her a 3D ML300 Maglite with the tail cap loosened to cut power to the parasitic drain.


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## Devildude (Oct 27, 2020)

Always find the silver lining, my better half confiscated my my green mag clone that is an incandescent light. I bought it for myself but that is the breaks. I need to get me some of the newer varieties, all I have are incandescent and early led varieties from Lowes black Friday sales from years past. I haven't bought a new one since I bought the 2c with the solitaire 3 or 4 years ago. Nice lights though.


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## bykfixer (Oct 28, 2020)

Last evening when lurking the Maglite clearance page I saw XL100's for $20. Comparing specs it appears the 100 is a better thrower. Not a lot but better. 105 lumens, 7619 cd, 5 hour 45 minute run time for the 100 and 230 lumens, 6663 cd, 1 hour 45 minute runtime for the 200.


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## bykfixer (Nov 1, 2020)

I had forgotten a little trick I added to a couple of ML25's back when they first came out. 
The Streamlight Stinger anti-roll device. 






It's a little octagon rubber sleeve you slide over the bezel ring. 
The Stinger head is a couple of millimeters less in OD so it fits the Maglite even tighter. Once it's on the ML25 it'll be too big for the Stinger later so if you want to share one between them that's out. 

They cost between $2 and $5 depending on where you get them. Back then I bought a few at e-cops but the Maglite parts store z battery carries them also. So if you are looking for other products there you can toss one in the cart and not have to pay more for shipping than the part itself.

I turned the silver ML25 shown above into an amber beam number by coloring the stock lens with a pumpkin orange Sharpie. I was going for warm but that did not work out. Adding a darker orange over it made the beam into a red (almost pink) output but I preferred the amber. 





Kinda ugly but kinda not. Kinda green, kinda not. 
It's back to stock lens now but I thought it was a neato mod for some purposes.


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## bykfixer (Nov 3, 2020)

Alright, I now have in my possesion an XL50,100 and 200. At first I couldn't get the 100 to act like the 200. Click it twice quickly for strobe for example. So I put the 200 tailcap on the 100 and viola, the 100 acted like a 200. Hmmmm, but what about the 50? Place an XL200 tailcap on a 50 and you get an XL50 that does all the cool tricks the 200 can do. Want your 100 to be simple hi/lo/strobe, just use an XL 50 tailcap. 
Cool. 

But how to get that 100 to do the cool tricks the 200 does? Well you line up the "mode" shown on the tailcap vertical and press/hold the button. It prompts into whatever mode you want, be it strobe, sos or which ever. The 200 you just quick click X number of times to get to the mode you want. The XL50 does hi/lo/strobe via quick clicks. 

The beam of the 100 I bought is stated to be a bit over 100 lumens (105) and has a whisper of yellow tint. It looks straight up cool white until held side by side with the much whiter 200 (or 50). The hot spot is narrow like old school Maglites. The 200 has a nice broad hot spot. The 50 is somewhere in between. 

50 is 200 lumens, beam of 225 m, 12553 cd, 6hr-45min/25 hour runtime, 1m drop.
100 is 105 lumens, beam of 178 m, 7916 cd, 5hr 45min/209 hr runtime, 1m drop.
200 is 230 lumens, beam is 163 m, 6663 cd, 1hr 45min/156 hr runtime, 1m drop. 

In real world use all three hardly change beam characteristic when the head is twisted. 

All three look virtually the same from across the room. My XL50 and 100 have a hyphon between Mag and Lite. The 200 is one word one the replacement head they sent but has the hyphon on the head that came on the light. I screwed up the factory head trying to put in a glass lens. 

The button on the 50 is black, on the 100 is red/orange and gray on the 200. The 80 something lumen 100 tail cap button had a raised area so you could know the orientation of the tailcap mode in darkness. Mine does not have that. So I put a clip on it at the "brightness" portion of the tailcap. 

The shade of gray on the 100 is much darker than the 200 I received from Maglite. The XL50's I have are both black. 

I may keep the XL50 tailcap on the 100 at work to keep it simple. 

Oh, the XL50 does not have the lockout feature of the 100 and 200, at not that I can figure out if it does. Turn light on vertical, turn light down while holding button and when turned off it locks out. Press and hold button vertical again and turn down to unlock. I keep all three of mine twisted loose until power is cut.


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## Chicken Drumstick (Nov 3, 2020)

Do you know what LED is in the XL200? I have the older 172 lumen one. I always thought it was quite throwy, although looking up the specs it seems it throws less than any of the ones you posted.


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## VeeBee (Nov 3, 2020)

I own one Solitaire, two Mini, three 3 D Cell (lost one), one 2 D Cell (lost). And just added a 3 C cell ML50LX in a nice Foliage Green. 

One of the D cell has been modified with a Malkoff drop-in and “tailcapped”. 

So, eight Maglites over the years. I didn’t realize how much I had. There are better lights out there. Perhaps I’m used to Maglite’s value and dependability? Maybe my stubbornness in sticking with the old?


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## bykfixer (Nov 3, 2020)

I've never been one to know what any particular LED looks like and thus far have not decided to learn. So I have no idea CD. The beam of the XL200 I have is a little better blended spot to spill than the XL100 but all three (50,100,200) light up an area as far as I can focus, which is about 300 feet these days. 

The 200 beam kinda reminds me of the newer aa minimags, where to 100 is more like a ML100 or 125. The XL50 seems to have the most punch through darkness at a distance but I would surmize the 100 would be better in fog or really high humidity. 





Beam shot of all three. 
L to R: 50, 100, 200

The shed is about 300 feet. 





50





100





200


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## xxo (Nov 3, 2020)

I'm guessing the XL100 has a Luxeon Rebel, a XP-E for the 50 and a XP-G for the 200.


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## lumen aeternum (Nov 4, 2020)

bykfixer said:


> Alright, I now have in my possesion an XL50,100 and 200.



That's great information. But I guess the XL100 is missing the "manual flash" mode of the XL200 - that position must be for normal on/off 100%?

The "tailcap rotation" mode set would suit my wife, she won't memorize clicks. And I don't blame her. So if I can put that cap on the XL-200 to give more max lumens that would be great.

I tried putting an XL200 tailcap on the Mag-Tac. Different threads, and the internal diameter of the Mag-Tac is smaller - so you can't drop the nifty battery holder into it. Seems like same OD though.

Having trouble with the Flash mode on the XL-200. It seems to want you to do the same motion; if I change the way I "wiggle" it gets confused sometimes. Seems like it really needs to be used with a "rolling wrist" motion. Cannot rotate my arm at the elbow, but I CAN do that with the DIM mode.

Having a hard time verifying that after using DIM, I am back to 100%. Unless you are shinging at a uniformly blank surface like a wall.

I don't see any useful change of focus at all when turning the head.
However, I like the candle mode much better than the usual - since the LED is recessed, instead of sticking out, there is no glare coming "sideways & down" if I set it on a shelf above eye level.


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## lumen aeternum (Nov 4, 2020)

Do the Spectrum (colored LED) XL-50s have the same controls as the regular XL-50? Strobe on a colored LED seems rather useless - flash might be useful for signalling. Wonder if the tailcap can be swapped?


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## lumen aeternum (Nov 4, 2020)

My XL-200 is marked "1 quick click" for the Dimmable mode - but actually it is "press & hold while rotating & release to set."


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## Chicken Drumstick (Nov 4, 2020)

lumen aeternum said:


> Having trouble with the Flash mode on the XL-200. It seems to want you to do the same motion; if I change the way I "wiggle" it gets confused sometimes. Seems like it really needs to be used with a "rolling wrist" motion. Cannot rotate my arm at the elbow, but I CAN do that with the DIM mode.


Try holding it as though it is a throttle twist grip of a motorbike, with your thumb on the switch and the back of your hand facing straight up. You can then simply flex you hand up and down to rotate the light easily.



lumen aeternum said:


> Having a hard time verifying that after using DIM, I am back to 100%. Unless you are shinging at a uniformly blank surface like a wall.


It'll dim once you go past the top, as though it's a dial without a stop. Same grip as above can aid in finer control.


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## bykfixer (Nov 4, 2020)

I hold my right hand at 12 oclock and rotate counter clockwise. By 9 oclock you should be cycled high to low. If adjusting lefty turn clockwise and by 3 oclock should be same. 

One thing I noticed is if I cut power and don't use it a couple of days it prompts back to factory settings. How long until I don't know but if adjusting then keep using the same day it remembers settings.


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## bykfixer (Nov 5, 2020)

A pair of 37 lumen solitaires arrived today. I did a side by side wall pic from about 15 feet with a 37 and 47 lumen version then an individual of each one showcasing not only the size of the spot but to get a sense of how much spill one or the other puts out. 

Again there is only 10 lumen difference, but shining it towards your yard or what have you oh what a difference the shape of the LED can make. I would say for tailstand room light the 47 is better or for more light spread at a fairly close distance. But when you come home from work after dark and one of your slippers is missing, the dog is all hunched over like "I swear it was the gold fish" and you have a doggy door……in other words what's left of your slipper is probably out in the yard, well the 37 lumen reaches out much better while providing nearly the same spill. 

Either one appears a heckuva lot brighter than the numbers suggest. 




The side by side
As you can see not a whole lot of difference. But when adjusting from spot to flood the 37 has quite a change in the beam where the 47 just appears to get dimmer as you spread light out. 





The 37 has a wee bit smaller spot but decent spill. 





The slightly larger spot of the 47 appears slightly dimmer but side spill is slightly brighter.

I think I prefer the ever so lightly neutral-ish beam of the 37 simply because it reaches out farther like the traditional Maglite beam from the incan days where a 2C could spot a light colored kitty cat at 75 yards. Not that the 37 lumen solitaire can mind you. It just looks more like a Maglite beam. 
Mine had 05/12 on the package.


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## xxo (Nov 5, 2020)

Yup, not a huge difference, but I like the slightly throwier 37 lumen Solitiare. The 47 might be better if you only use it up close/indoors, but I find the 37 is bright enough for that already so I might as well trade a few lumens for a few extra feet of throw. Hard to go wrong with either version really.


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## bykfixer (Nov 5, 2020)

Agreed. 

So now my Maglite collection is a lot broader and I'm really stoked about what they were doing 8-10 years ago. Nothing wrong in my view with the current crop but stuff like the ML100 just blows my mind here in 2020.


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## xxo (Nov 7, 2020)

Another twist in the LED Solitaire saga, the short lived 40 lumen Solitaire:



I'm guessing that this has a variation of the Luxeon C?


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## bykfixer (Nov 7, 2020)

The 37 lumen was 700+cd, the 47 at 500+cd and the 40 is 800+ so that makes sense xx. 

I may have one stashed somewhere. I remember seeing the minimag/solitaire combo pack at WalMart one year but I may not have grabbed any.

A little while ago I heard the dog bark in his "halt who goes there (probably a cat)" bark. And I heard rustling leaves in the neighbors yard so I figured it must me a cat and whipped out my red XL100 with gray XL200 tailcap. Set at about 50% output it was impressive how far it throws even at that level. It's like at 50% (or there abouts) the beam throws nearly as far as at full output without all the side spill interfering with my peripherals like max output does.


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## xxo (Nov 7, 2020)

50% should give you about 75% of the throw.


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## bykfixer (Nov 7, 2020)

I believe it. Twisting to full output definitely shines light farther, but light spreads sideways so much brighter that it does not seem all that much farther. 

Like, I can see stuff at 250 feet ok at half throttle but about 300 feet or so at full throttle. Maybe more but sidespill makes the whole world in my view lit up so what my eyes can detect due to extreme contrast between light and dark is seemingly reduced.


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## xxo (Nov 7, 2020)

If you get out a calculator, the exact percentage is 70.7% (square root of .5) based on the inverse square law for light.


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## bykfixer (Nov 8, 2020)

Math makes my brain hurt. 

I'm intrigued by the 40 lumen solitaire. I wonder if any made it to retail on their own or if all were in those combo packaging. I'm also thinking I had seen them on clearance (the twin pack that is) after Christmas but opted for a commemorative pocket knife set or something. 
It may have been the year Home Depot had twin packs of ML25's. A 2 cell and 3 cell for like $30 or something. I did buy one of those for my pa n law and ended up with a few ML25 parts after he left some low end batteries in them. 

Come to think of it that may have been the year that my neice brought her boyfriend at Christmas swearing it was the 3rd time (yet neither Mrs Fixer or I remembered the guy), and we did not have a gift so I may have given him a minimag/ solitaire twin pack I had bought to stash. If so I hope it wasn't the only one I had……

Oh, and it turns out the dog had cornered a possum. I went back outside and saw him playing with a new chew toy that turned out to be a possum playing dead. They're pretty good at it too. It never flinched while I loaded it onto a shovel and dropped it in a curb side container. About 2 hours later I opened the lid and there sat a live possum waiting patiently for me to set it free. So I toppled the container to let it out while Mrs Fixer held the flashlight.


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## xxo (Nov 8, 2020)

Don't know about the 40L Solitaire - apparently they weren't around for long and there is not much info on LED Mags, seems like Mag collectors are mostly into the old incan Mags.


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## bykfixer (Nov 8, 2020)

Yup, there's a much larger following in the vintage Maglite world. It's kinda like being a Trekky where only Captain Kirk matters. My son has a "10 reasons why Picard is better than Kirk" t-shirt and I have a "10 reasons Kirk could kick Picards ***" t-shirt. 
Anyway, about the only interest in modern day Maglites with collectors was the 40th anniverssary ML300 edition and most are waiting on that to go on clearance price. As a collector I have a few low volume Maglite LED products but as a user, now that I have discovered a variety of their LED lights in thrower versions I'm all over that. 

Thanks for showing that short time 40 lumen solitaire. Is it Marquis rare? Probably not but it would be cool to have one still in the package. Side by side with a 37 it may not be a noticeable difference unless there was something unique about a shape, a stamping or even a way it is regulated.


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## xxo (Nov 10, 2020)

bykfixer said:


> Thanks for showing that short time 40 lumen solitaire. Is it Marquis rare? Probably not but it would be cool to have one still in the package. Side by side with a 37 it may not be a noticeable difference unless there was something unique about a shape, a stamping or even a way it is regulated.





If they were selling them at walmart as one of their Christmas specials, I'm sure there's a bunch of them out there, but there's probably no way to tell them apart from other Solitaires without knowing the serial number range.


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## bykfixer (Nov 10, 2020)

Perhaps it was a Home Depot black Friday thing? I just remember one year it seems like there was a combo pack in a box store around Christmas season and went on clearance in January. My local HD had the 2/3 cell ML25 combo and iirc somebody had the minimag/solitaire combo and it seems to me it was my local Wal Mart. I looked around eBay and Amazon and no 40 lumen solitaires popped up. I thought perhaps there may have been some left over. 

Saturday evening I was walking around with my XL100 at half bright marvelling at the throw. Sunday night my dog barked again like the possum was back and my 37 lumen solitaire was handy so I went out back with that and oh my I was amazed. To this point I had done a bunch of side by side stuff for test purposes but had not used it based an its own merit to that point. But when I shined it towards where the dog was barking it was like I was shining my 100 lumen PKDL PL-2 thrower on the yard. Now the PL-2 is good for 15-20 minutes an an alkaline due to it's turbo-esque drain on a battery. An hour on an ultimate lithium but the solitaire is good for an hour on a plain old Rayovac. Slip in an ultimate lithium and good to go for a while. 
I went straight to zbattery and ordered a couple more while they still have some. I like how they show quantity remaining.

(BTW a light called PL-1 was an idea at SureFire that never came to fruition due to lack of a battery that could fuel it back then, hence why we never saw a triple a fueled light from SureFire).


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## bykfixer (Nov 15, 2020)

Earlier evening my neighbor 3 doors down had a fire pit going while I was cooking a pair of steaks for the Mrs and I. The burning wood from his yard smelled awesome. Using a 270 lumen floody-ish light to watch the food meant there was no way to say hello to my flashaholic neighbor. What I mean by that is to toss a beam up in the trees over his head kinda like a search light would. I ducked inside to grab an ML25 to say hello. The gen two tried to determine if he and his girlfriend were still outside but I could not tell for certain. I ducked back indoors and traded it for an ML25 and again close but no cigars. The issues were not that the light did not reach them but that all of the spill was masking the fine details at 500 feet. 
I ducked back in and grabbed the 2 cell ML100 and viola. I could see two empty (dark brown) chairs. I am still amazed at the potential reach and ability to make out details from the beam of that light.


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## Chadder (Nov 18, 2020)

I forgot how great the throw is from a good ole mag lite. We were spotting deer in a field the other day. I had a 1400 lumen pocket light in my pocket. It was bright but would not light up the deer. I grabbed my 3c cell 611 lumen mag lite and lit them up like a Christmas tree! All the other guys with me were like “what light you got there” I had to say just a good ole maglite. LOL


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## hsa (Nov 18, 2020)

I think a lot of folks would be surprised at what that ML 50l can do. I have spotted hundreds of deer with it. Eyes shining bright.


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## Chicken Drumstick (Nov 18, 2020)

Chadder said:


> I forgot how great the throw is from a good ole mag lite. We were spotting deer in a field the other day. I had a 1400 lumen pocket light in my pocket. It was bright but would not light up the deer. I grabbed my 3c cell 611 lumen mag lite and lit them up like a Christmas tree! All the other guys with me were like “what light you got there” I had to say just a good ole maglite. LOL


That is more physics than anything. BIG reflectors will throw more. Especially when combined with smaller LEDs. 

I’m willing to bet the 1400 lumen light had a small reflector and large LED?


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## Chadder (Nov 18, 2020)

You are correct. Most of my edc carry lights have more flood. I don’t need the throw most of the time. But outdoors it comes in handy.


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## bykfixer (Nov 18, 2020)

A Mag-Lite ad


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## xxo (Nov 18, 2020)

The ML50's are also some underrated Mags. As much as I like the ML25, I like the ML50's just as much – the electronic side switches makes the 50's more tactically oriented and the programmable function sets are real nice. The ML50's are bigger than the 25's but you still get that slim C cell form and you have the option of getting grenade gripped/hard ano'd LX versions.


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## Chicken Drumstick (Nov 18, 2020)

bykfixer said:


> A Mag-Lite ad



The photo looks kinda cool at first. But if you study it, there seems to be a lot wrong with it. I'd suggest that it is a 100% marketing lead photo and is either completely fake, or messed about with so much that it might as well be fake.

Super long exposure to make it look so light out if it was dark (even in the distance). But no wobble from the light or movement from the person or dog?? Doesn't make sense. Beam also looks very clearly defined, but somehow not over exposed? And there seems to be no spill beam at all and no light from the flashlight anywhere near the man or dog. Just a laser beam or ray gun effect. Plus I don't believe the tint of the LED would match the colour of the beam pictured either.


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## bykfixer (Nov 19, 2020)

At first I had trouble finding the switch on my ML50's and 300's in the dark since the cover does not poke out like the classic maglite but I got used to it. I like the 50 better than the 300 but still have 300's for the long runtimes if needed.


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## xxo (Nov 19, 2020)

bykfixer said:


> At first I had trouble finding the switch on my ML50's and 300's in the dark since the cover does not poke out like the classic maglite but I got used to it. I like the 50 better than the 300 but still have 300's for the long runtimes if needed.




I like the ML300 too, but I am gravitating more towards the C cell Mags lately. I do find the switches on the D cell Mags easier to find with my thumb than on the C cells for some reason. A habit I got unto long ago is to keep my thumb on the switch whenever the light is in my hand, so that I am ready to turn the light on/off instantly (the electronic switches are great for momentary operation).


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## bykfixer (Nov 19, 2020)

Thatz why I programmed mine to be momentary at first click so I will keep my thumb on the button. If it turns out I need light for a while I just double click it.


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## xxo (Nov 19, 2020)

I find myself triple clicking a lot to get to eco mode (function set 3). 90% of the time eco is all I need.


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## bykfixer (Nov 19, 2020)

Me too. 

At first I didn't get how to change the interface. For what ever reason buying an ML125 not long ago and reading the instruction manual it just made sense all of a sudden and I changed every ML to mode 3(?), the one with momentary/ high/ eco. Suddenly I thought "well heck I could probably figure out how to program a vcr now if I still had one". But defrost mode of microwave ovens still daunts me to this day.

ML25 to the rescue: 






A contractor was installing an additional section of pipe onto a fairly new storm drain pipe. The guy I work for reccomended they check the existing pipe for obstructions before adding new. Well, they had a 6 volt lantern that was not very bright. Nobody else had another flashlight. One guy said "we have every Millwalkee tool except a flashlight". I suggested a mirror to bounce sunshine up the pipe but things were in the shade so that was out. 
Hmm, Elzetta Bones, 2D Mag-Lite classic or……wait I have an ML25 handy. And so it was. They shined the ML25 up the pipe and discovered a racoon.


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## bykfixer (Nov 19, 2020)

MagLite in space


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## gifthunter (Nov 19, 2020)

Just went through a box of old Maglites at a family member's house. He didn't want to toss them because the housings are nice and iconic, but frankly, it costs more to convert than to buy a better light.

If only someone could come up with a conversion kit which makes full use of the Maglite's battery chamber. Running only one 26650 in a case that big is a shame.

Not only that, but the idea of just loosely dropping in a new emitter and reflector seems half cocked. A good retrofit would engineer a way to make a good thermal connection between the emitter's mount and the metal body.


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## Chicken Drumstick (Nov 19, 2020)

gifthunter said:


> Not only that, but the idea of just loosely dropping in a new emitter and reflector seems half cocked. A good retrofit would engineer a way to make a good thermal connection between the emitter's mount and the metal body.


Depends what you are trying to achieve tbh.


I've got a couple of 'bulb' style drop-ins. That simply screw into the bulb holder as a direct replacement. I've had them sometime now, a 180 lumen XP-E one and a 200 lumen XP-G one. Lowish figures, but they totally transform the Maglites to be very usable lights. Obviously side by side with higher output options they aren't going to look as impressive. But in the dark when you turn them on, they produce a healthy amount of very usable light. And offer monster runtimes on D cells (or even AA Eneloops in cheap adapters).

At these current levels heat isn't really an issue. So you can just use them.

I've actually just bought a newer 300 lumen XP-G2 one only yesterday.


They look like this:











Best thing is, they only cost £10 or so. Making them quite good upgrade options to bring new life to an old product.


While there are good budget lights about. £10 is not a lot to buy one and not with the kind of throw a D cell Maglite will have with these drop-ins.


If you want more, you can also get a drop in like this. Albeit they cost about £30. But do offer 800 lumens OTF (1000 LED lumens). So you could buy a good budget torch for this money with similar throw.

Current is still pretty low, so heat is unlikely to be a real issue. 18650 tube lights run more current with hardly any mass. The drop-in uses a metal reflector and pill and does make contact with the head of the Maglite. Only real downside is you loose the 'focus' and instead have a fixed optimal focus. It fits into the bulb holder the sam way as the smaller drop-ins above.


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## xxo (Nov 19, 2020)

bykfixer said:


> MagLite in space




Apparently they have some Mini Mags too, someone here posted some pics of them.


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## xxo (Nov 19, 2020)

bykfixer said:


> Me too.
> 
> At first I didn't get how to change the interface. For what ever reason buying an ML125 not long ago and reading the instruction manual it just made sense all of a sudden and I changed every ML to mode 3(?), the one with momentary/ high/ eco. Suddenly I thought "well heck I could probably figure out how to program a vcr now if I still had one". But defrost mode of microwave ovens still daunts me to this day.
> 
> ...



The first thing I did when I got my ML300 (when it was still called a 3rd​ Gen) was to set it to function set 3 to match my Mag Tac - pretty easy to do. Since then I set all of my programmable Mags to function set 3 so that everything works the same.


Never got the hang of programming VCR's, usually just put some tape over the flashing 12:00 and called it a day. Microwaves have way too many buttons that I have no idea what they do.


Cool story about the raccoon. How did they get it out of the pipe?


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## bykfixer (Nov 19, 2020)

Where the pipe was being installed was about 100 feet to my rear (as in about 100 feet from the bottom of the photo). The racoon was inside of the storm drain box in the photo. 
They were going to peer into the pipe from that box but there was a guy in the pipe trench so I tossed him my light. He looked up the pipe, said "hmmm" and handed the light to another guy in the trench who said "racoon". Then they tossed the light back to me. 

While walking toward the drain box I saw the racoon leave, cross the roadway and disappear in nearby bushes. I took the photo of the lantern and ML25 to show everybody reading this thread my polished alluminum ML25.


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## aginthelaw (Nov 20, 2020)

bykfixer said:


> MagLite in space



You’d think they’d use something smaller to save weight but maybe the spare parts from it have a special purpose in case they need them


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## Snulfur (Nov 20, 2020)

Watched some youtube ads for Maglite. They are cringe beyond belief haha. Here is my favorite: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-rhppE0j00s&ab_channel=MAGLITE


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## bykfixer (Nov 20, 2020)

At a glance you can tell ML25 gen 1 from gen 2 by the bezel ring for those buying a second hand one. 






Left is gen 2, right gen 1.
Gen 1 has "ML25" stamped on it and a hyphon between Mag and Lite (MAG-LITE)
Gen 2 does not have ML25 stamped on it and MAGLITE is one word. 

Engraving is deeper on the gen 1 than the gen 2 but you'd probably need to have to have one of each to tell. 
The rest is pretty dawg gone close, especially if still in the package.


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## xxo (Nov 20, 2020)

I think they got rid of the "-" in "Mag-Lite" sometime in 2018(?) on various models.

BTW, I noticed that my "3rd gen" 3D (15,000 serial range) Mag has no model markings. The newer ones are marked ML300L above the serial number. I wonder if the early ones like mine without the model marking will be collector's items many years in the future? (assuming anyone ever starts collecting LED Mags)


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## bykfixer (Nov 20, 2020)

Now when my XL200 arrived it had the solid word. Maglite sent me a replacement head for it and it has the "-" between Mag and Lite. 

I wondered about the earlier 50's and 300's and I never bought any except the most recent versions. But somehow my 2 cell ML50 is a noticeably brighter flashlight than the 3 cell version. So I don't know if my 2 cell is an upgraded version or the 3 cell an older version (or not) as I did not commit output of either to memory when I bought them and threw away the packaging.


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## greenpondmike (Nov 21, 2020)

bykfixer said:


> Now when my XL200 arrived it had the solid word. Maglite sent me a replacement head for it and it has the "-" between Mag and Lite.
> 
> I wondered about the earlier 50's and 300's and I never bought any except the most recent versions. But somehow my 2 cell ML50 is a noticeably brighter flashlight than the 3 cell version. So I don't know if my 2 cell is an upgraded version or the 3 cell an older version (or not) as I did not commit output of either to memory when I bought them and threw away the packaging.



:eeksign: you throw away the packaging??


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## bykfixer (Nov 21, 2020)

Yeah, after about flashlight number 350 I was pretty selective about keeping the packaging. 
Packaging for limited edition or really rare stuff is kept. The rest goes in the recycle bucket or the burn barrel.


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## greenpondmike (Nov 21, 2020)

I was just kidding byk. I do keep a lot of mine though. Probably a bipolar/redneck/blonde thing.


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## bykfixer (Nov 21, 2020)

I did for a while. One day I noticed the accumulation had gone from hiding a couple of spare sofa cushions to where the entire sofa was hidden between boxes of car parts and boxes of flashlight packaging.


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## xxo (Nov 21, 2020)

It seems that there is now a LED drop-in for the incan ML25:


http://thetorchsite.co.uk/Maglite_ML25IT_LED_Conversion.html


Kinda weird that someone would make these considering the fairly small number of xenon ML25's out there and that the people who do have them chose the incan version over factory LED alternatives.


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## greenpondmike (Nov 21, 2020)

I have a tts led in one of my mini mags. It works good, but flickers when the batteries are low.

Xxo, it looks like they are temporarily sold out. Looks neat though. I guess you can just have one ml25 now and choose whether you feel like led today or incandescent.
There you go chickendrumstick....


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## greenpondmike (Nov 21, 2020)

Snulfur said:


> Watched some youtube ads for Maglite. They are cringe beyond belief haha. Here is my favorite:
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-rhppE0j00s&ab_channel=MAGLITE



WOW!! They advertised!
First one I've seen since the late 80s or early 90s. Now if they would do that on tv so people would know there are more to flashlights than that ol tac light.


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## Snulfur (Nov 21, 2020)

Random question of the daaaaay.
What lithium sizes fits inside of a C size Maglite?


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## bykfixer (Nov 21, 2020)

I use 2x18500 with a 3/4" schedule 80 pvc pipe as a gap filler in my 2 cell incan ML25 and 2x18650 with same adapter in my 3 cell one. With a 4 cell bulb in the 2 cell and a TL 3 bulb in the 3 cell they put out as much light as their LED clad cousins.

Also some use aa to c adapters and eneloops or ultimate lithiums when primaries are the choice of fuel.

If you want super long runtimes and don't need a lot of light a pair of 5000 mAh Imedion C cells and a warm Yuji in the 2 cell ML25IT will possibly provide about 8 lumens for months. 

Still trying to figure out how that drop in would go in between the light and the reflector.

Would it replace the reflector? 






Light disassembled





Head back on





Reflector installed

Note the oversized hole around the bulb. Factory hole fit snug but when using a hotter bulb it melts the reflector. Over sizing the hole to about 9mm with a 1/8" drill bit twisted by hand halted the melting without affecting the beam at all.


----------



## xxo (Nov 23, 2020)

Snulfur said:


> Random question of the daaaaay.
> What lithium sizes fits inside of a C size Maglite?








18650's, 21700's. 26650's are too fat.


----------



## xxo (Nov 23, 2020)

bykfixer said:


> Still trying to figure out how that drop in would go in between the light and the reflector.
> 
> Would it replace the reflector?




was wondering the same thing,maybe you have to saw off the back part of the reflector?


----------



## Mr Bman (Nov 23, 2020)

I always keep a Mag in my cars. I currently like the ML300L. 3 D cells and 625 lumens. Still not a fan of their led focusing but it is a solid well built light and batteries are easily available.


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## bykfixer (Nov 25, 2020)

I've been on the fence about the new MagCharger. This ML150 if you will. Trouble is, which one? The short one or the long one? The short one is about the size of the 2 cell ML50. The long one about the size of the 3 cell ML 50 (or the ML125) give or take some millimeters. 800 lumens should be enough, but the throw is only in the 30's for CD. A thousand won't seem much brighter and the throw is in the lower 50's. But so is the 2D classic LED upgrade. And it has that classic Maglite spot beam with a low calorie diet of spill. I'm guessing the new Magchargers are football field wide lighters much like the ML50 and 300.

I'm really more interested in the shorter model but really like the length of that ML125 for carrying a device that can double as a hammer if need be. 

Decisions decisions……


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## hsa (Nov 25, 2020)

The length of the longer one makes it easier to get into and out of your pocket with gloves on in case you need to park it there for a minute. I don't have one but I use a 3 cell ML50 a lot and this is one of the many things about the light that makes it one of the best all around light for me in my environment. Just something to consider and just my opinion. Either one will be great, I'm sure. If you get one be sure to post your findings.


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## Former_Mag_User (Nov 25, 2020)

I bought the short ML150LRS recently and I think it's great. Lots of light and plenty of throw for illuminating the backyard to spot coyotes and other critters. I also really like the multiple output levels. I think it's a great light; it's also the first LED maglite I've owned. The short version is nice for back pocket carry around the house. 

I came here to post a 30% off coupon for maglites website. it came in my email today. BFMC30
It makes the ML150LR a really great deal. I might buy another one.


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## bykfixer (Nov 25, 2020)

Dawg gonnit!! 

Got the same email. With that coupon one could buy both for about $40 more than the long one costs regular price. I've been able to thwart the ocd voices so far but now that there is a 30% coupon……it's pretty doubtful I'll make it past midnight without buying one. 
Aaaaaugh!!

Edit: Welp, that was a long 20 minutes. lol. 
Both ordered. Mrs Fixer insisted……she was payin', so who am I to argue?


----------



## hsa (Nov 25, 2020)

Mrs. Fixer is a hero. I love her. Haha.


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## bykfixer (Nov 26, 2020)

She's a keeper. 

Folks, if you use a coupon at Maglite be sure and click apply. At some sites you type in a code and it automatically shows up in your "final" price including tax, shipping etc then you hit "pay".
At the Maglite site you type it in and hit "pay" and then you see final price. 
If you did not click apply, surprise!! You paid full price.


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## Former_Mag_User (Nov 26, 2020)

bykfixer said:


> Dawg gonnit!!
> 
> 
> Edit: Welp, that was a long 20 minutes. lol.
> Both ordered. Mrs Fixer insisted……she was payin', so who am I to argue?



Cool! You'll like them a lot. I keep mine in the living room for everyone at home to use.


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## bykfixer (Nov 27, 2020)

The voices kept whispering "now that you can get 30% off, you know you want one of those LX numbers, don't you?" so all day yesterday it kept bouncing around my brain ML50 LX. But two or three cell? Definitely the gray one so I can see the button in low light. 

Mrs Fixer and I took a stroll last evening and she really liked the size and weight of the 2 cell one. I had a busted ML25 that I drilled two holes in the shoulder and slid a wrist strap through. It fits the ML50 so the light she was carrying has a wrist strap. So she's getting a gray ML50 LX for Christmas. 

Now before I pulled the trigger on that I was also wondering about the ML300 LX and did some looking around. I stumbled across a special edition Nine-Line Apparel 3 cell ML300 and today they have a 25% coupon so I snagged a Nine-Line edition.


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## gurdygurds (Nov 27, 2020)

That is a great looking like sir. I've been giving my 2c ML50L a workout almost every night walking the dog. Eco mode for most of the walk but bump it up to high on one particular stretch where there are no streetlights. I've thought about grabbing an LX on a few occasions, but I always seem to leans towards the classic body style.


bykfixer said:


> The voices kept whispering "now that you can get 30% off, you know you want one of those LX numbers, don't you?" so all day yesterday it kept bouncing around my brain ML50 LX. But two or three cell? Definitely the gray one so I can see the button in low light.
> 
> Mrs Fixer and I took a stroll last evening and she really liked the size and weight of the 2 cell one. I had a busted ML25 that I drilled two holes in the shoulder and slid a wrist strap through. It fits the ML50 so the light she was carrying has a wrist strap. So she's getting a gray ML50 LX for Christmas.
> 
> Now before I pulled the trigger on that I was also wondering about the ML300 LX and did some looking around. I stumbled across a special edition Nine-Line Apparel 3 cell ML300 and today they have a 25% coupon so I snagged a Nine-Line edition.


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## xxo (Nov 27, 2020)

bykfixer said:


> The voices kept whispering "now that you can get 30% off, you know you want one of those LX numbers, don't you?" so all day yesterday it kept bouncing around my brain ML50 LX. But two or three cell? Definitely the gray one so I can see the button in low light.
> 
> Mrs Fixer and I took a stroll last evening and she really liked the size and weight of the 2 cell one. I had a busted ML25 that I drilled two holes in the shoulder and slid a wrist strap through. It fits the ML50 so the light she was carrying has a wrist strap. So she's getting a gray ML50 LX for Christmas.
> 
> Now before I pulled the trigger on that I was also wondering about the ML300 LX and did some looking around. I stumbled across a special edition Nine-Line Apparel 3 cell ML300 and today they have a 25% coupon so I snagged a Nine-Line edition.




Real nice light!

The flag silk screen looks great. I really like the grenade gripped matte finished LX's.


----------



## bykfixer (Nov 27, 2020)

Unlike most of my limited edition Maglites, that one may go outdoors on occasion. 
It says 524 lumens on high (at Nine-Line) but I can not find any info on a 3 cell that was 524. Only info I found for 524 lumens is a 2 cell version. Anyway 366m beam if it is 524, and that's plenty for me because I figure that means 150 or more meters of very useable light.


----------



## xxo (Nov 27, 2020)

bykfixer said:


> Unlike most of my limited edition Maglites, that one may go outdoors on occasion.
> It says 524 lumens on high (at Nine-Line) but I can not find any info on a 3 cell that was 524. Only info I found for 524 lumens is a 2 cell version. Anyway 366m beam if it is 524, and that's plenty for me because I figure that means 150 or more meters of very useable light.




The 3 cell ML300 was listed at 625 lumens, but that has recently been changed to 746 lumens (40596 cd/403M beam distance).


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## bykfixer (Nov 27, 2020)

The photo is definitely showing a 3 cell so I'm supposing it will be the 600 lumen model. I kinda hope so because it actually throws a bit better than the 700 one according to Maglite.


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## Beamhead (Nov 28, 2020)

Always was a bit of a Mag fan, just got this today.


----------



## bykfixer (Nov 28, 2020)




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## Beamhead (Nov 28, 2020)

bykfixer said:


> At first I had trouble finding the switch on my ML50's and 300's in the dark since the cover does not poke out like the classic maglite but I got used to it. I like the 50 better than the 300 but still have 300's for the long runtimes if needed.



 I love the hard ano on these.



https://postimages.org/app


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## light-modder (Nov 28, 2020)

These look nice, now I want one.


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## bykfixer (Nov 29, 2020)

Dude, you've gotta tell us about that anti-roll attachment. Looks too big to be a classic Stinger one. 

I used GITD paint on my first two ML models until I got used to the new button. Then I programmed them so that the first click is momentary and two clicks to stay on. That way my thumb or finger stays near the button. And if you really need the light to turn off quickly just loosen the tailcap a quarter turn.


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## Beamhead (Nov 29, 2020)

It is a 2-D cell light so the Mag Bezel guard fits, all mine are set at mode 3 or momentary, double click=high and triple click = eco. I had one sit for over a year without twisting the tail out and the Centura cells in it were fine, but ever since I read that you tail lock them I now do the same.


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## bykfixer (Nov 29, 2020)

I noticed at flashlight lens dot com the ML300 uses the same size glass (replacements) as the classic D lights. It looks a bit smaller from across the room. But it's nice to know that device fits the ML300 as well. 

I have a 3D Fluke incan and a classic style 2D LED edition. But both are still in the package. I bought the incan one to Malkoff then found a 3D green one so that one got Malkoff'd instead. 

Now cutting the circuit on XL lights at times does not seem to actually cut the circuit. Example is my XL100 had brand new batteries and after sitting for a week with tailcap unscrewed way past the point it would not fire would not light a week later. One battery was so dead it would not even light a vampire and the other two barely lit it. (vampire is an E01), same with my wife's XL50. So I pluck the carriers out and keep them next to the light. It should not have killed 3 new batteries in one week due to parasitic drain. Now my XL50 and 200 have not had that issue for the most part but my XL50 would not light on high after a few months even with the circuit cut. Or so I thought. Even tho the tail switch won't turn the light on the batteries still seem to drain. 

With ML lights if you cut the circuit with it lit the switch prompts to off. The XL lights if you do that and then twist the tailcap back tight it returns to where it was, on, flash, whatever. Strange.


----------



## Beamhead (Nov 30, 2020)

Green 3 D? Lime or dark? I have a Dark green 3 D that I put the guts from a Luxeon Rebel 3 D in.


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## bykfixer (Nov 30, 2020)

The (once) common dark green one.


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## bykfixer (Dec 1, 2020)

Beamhead said:


> Always was a bit of a Mag fan, just got this today.



The Nine-Line 3 cell edition arrived a day early. Yessssssssss!! 
My first LX will probably not be my last. The matt finish is a bit more grippy feeling. A sort of chalky feeling like Pentagon lights. The waffle knurling at face value does not look like it would be that different. And with gloves it may not be. But bare handed it provides a bit more positive feel to the grip. I can see why folks swear by these. 





This one is the updated ML300. 





Nearly 750 lumens from 3 D batteries. 
Yet nearly 300 hours available with about the same brightness as an incan 3D. Amazing.

Now Maglite LED lights have a vast improvement in the beam with the ML series but still not perfect. Faced with a choice of a glass lens or a slightly diffused lens I picked the slightly diffused one for the better beam. 





Note how the LED is slightly blurred. 
It's called acrylite and flashlight lens dot com sells them.
I may end up going with glass since these are not real scratch resistant or good for high heat applications.


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## bykfixer (Dec 1, 2020)

It's dark outside now so……

Beam shots. Impressed. 





Neighbors light colored house is brightly lit. 





The black swing set lit at 500 feet surprised me.

PS Maglite is having a 25 days the Christmas sale. 25% off the order with a code.


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## xxo (Dec 1, 2020)

Looks good! The hard ano'd grenade grip does give a slightly better hand hold than the standard knurling and the slicker type II ano.

I'm thinking that they must have lowered the lumens on eco mode some to get the crazy long run time? Good thing if they did, I always thought that eco was a bit too bright on the ML300 (eco on the ML50's are about ideal).


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## bykfixer (Dec 1, 2020)

I think I read 38 on eco……
Nope, Maglite says 58.


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## Beamhead (Dec 1, 2020)

They throw pretty good for the money. I have the first Mag LED which was a Luxeon 3 an improvement over the incan but not a pretty beam, then came the Luxeon Rebel version of which I have several and they put out a pencil beam with decent throw, then came the Cree XP-G version of which I have several and an even brighter pencil beam but the new ones with the Cree XM-L crush the rest IMHO.


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## bykfixer (Dec 2, 2020)

According to the numbers the 600 lumen ML300 threw a wee bit better than the 700 lumen upgrade. Both throw father than I can focus without an optic in front of my eye so I'm good either way. 

I placed a couple of different orders at Maglite during the Thanksgiving period and if they do order numbers in sequence they sold a lot of product in that period. Like 2,000+ orders. Perhaps people were using the discount code to buy stuff they've wanted for a while but waited for a discount. I know that's what I did. 
Now at one point the minimag was selling at 1 every couple of minutes back in the 80's and 90's so the numbers are way down. Same with 3D incans. Yet the black Friday numbers suggest Maglite as a company is doing ok.

Edited to say 2 thousand not 20 thousand.....


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## xxo (Dec 2, 2020)

bykfixer said:


> I think I read 38 on eco……
> Nope, Maglite says 58.




I think the original 625L was 58, they dropped it down considerably on the ML50's....I think they may have also dropped down on the 4D ML300?


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## lumen aeternum (Dec 2, 2020)

bykfixer said:


> PS Maglite is having a 25 days the Christmas sale. 25% off the order with a code.


Not seeing that on the website.


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## bykfixer (Dec 2, 2020)

pm sent aeturnum

Yeah I like the ML50 low double x


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## maglite mike (Dec 3, 2020)

bykfixer said:


> According to the numbers the 600 lumen ML300 threw a wee bit better than the 700 lumen upgrade. Both throw father than I can focus without an optic in front of my eye so I'm good either way.
> 
> I placed a couple of different orders at Maglite during the Thanksgiving period and if they do order numbers in sequence they sold a lot of product in that period. Like 20,000+ orders. Perhaps people were using the discount code to buy stuff they've wanted for a while but waited for a discount. I know that's what I did.
> Now at one point the minimag was selling at 1 every couple of minutes back in the 80's and 90's so the numbers are way down. Same with 3D incans. Yet the black Friday numbers suggest Maglite as a company is doing ok.



I just bought the new ml 150 shortie, mag tac rechargabe and a 4D ml 300. I didnt enter the 30 percent off code correctly but maglite was kind enough to refund me after I emailed them.


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## bykfixer (Dec 3, 2020)

Ethster is the best MM. 
I made the same mistake hence my advisory way back in post 191 to be sure you click the apply button. 

Expect a couple of extra days before getting the shipped email. I'm used to 1 or 2 days but this time it was 4 before I got it. Then the wait for the brown pony express truck to bring it from Cali to the east coast since they use UPS ground for the $0 shipping.


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## bykfixer (Dec 3, 2020)

I did not know Maglite sold C/D sized glass or AA minimag glass. I buy all mine at flashlight lens. Anyway looking at parts & accessories for a D cell anti-roll device. That one Beamhead showed got the voices whispering "you know that nine line would be way more cool with one. They have those in a kit with a blue, red and clear lens set and wall mount kit for $8. The glass was $10+ but the 25days coupon put it around the price of a flashlight lens one. 

Got Mrs Fixer a hoodie for Christmas too. Mag swag is pricey but top quality clothing so I feel pretty confident the fleece lined hoody will be nice and warm for her.


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## hsa (Dec 4, 2020)

Mag does sell various glass lenses but they don't say if they are coated or not. I just use the UCL stuff from flashlightlens.com for that reason.


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## Beamhead (Dec 4, 2020)

Just got the OD Green, it has different specs, instead of 524 lumens it is 487 and the runtime on low and ECO are increased. I see no difference on high but ECO is lower.


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## bykfixer (Dec 4, 2020)

It's almost as if the ML300 (std) got an upgrade and the LX did not. Now the 2C LX says it has a few more lumens than the 2D LX but not quite the CD. I'm supposing that is from the slightly smaller reflector of the ML50 head versus the larger ML300 head. 

You're right has, no description of what type of glass at Mag where FLL says what's what. Plus the glass costs less at FLL. I will install the glass from Mag in a 2D classic and compare with one from FLL and see if there is any difference. I mostly use glass as scratch resistance more than anything but in some less output lights like an incan 2D you can tell a difference versus the stock plastic.


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## Beamhead (Dec 4, 2020)

The only difference is color, I think they changed the driver to drastically increase the runtimes on low and ECO .


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## xxo (Dec 4, 2020)

Beamhead said:


> The only difference is color, I think they changed the driver to drastically increase the runtimes on low and ECO .



Are these both 2D ML300's?


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## Beamhead (Dec 4, 2020)

xxo said:


> Are these both 2D ML300's?


Yes


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## xxo (Dec 4, 2020)

Beamhead said:


> Yes




Thanks. I wonder if the LEDs are the same?

I like that they dropped the eco mode down, 15-20 lumens like on the ML50's is plenty. Now all they need to do is add a 5 th function set - eco-low-high,


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## Beamhead (Dec 4, 2020)

Same XM-L, in fact I see no difference in brightness on high and the specs for runtime on high enforce that even if they state 487 lumens compared to 524 lumens, less cd and distance. :thinking:


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## xxo (Dec 4, 2020)

Yeah, the drop in cd is kinda strange.


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## bykfixer (Dec 5, 2020)

Below the ML25 range in fact. But……






ML300 LX-2 cell





ML25-2 cell

The fat bearded guy in the red suit is bringing Mrs Fixer and I a his and hers pair of 2 cell LX's. Gray for her, black for me.


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## xxo (Dec 5, 2020)

^ another example of how more lumens do not necessarily improve performance. 

But, something is odd with the cd numbers on the 2D ML300's - cd should be basically proportional to the lumens if the LED/reflector are the same.....I wonder if the guys at the lab didn't get the focus dialed in right when they did the FL1 testing?


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## orbital (Dec 5, 2020)

+

Since I have a small box of C-cells staring at me every time I open my cupboard,
a *ML50LX LED 2-Cell C * needed to be ordered (in a slight moment of weakness) ___ I'll support Mag for $38 shipped


got the *Urban Grey*


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## jabe1 (Dec 5, 2020)

What 25% off coupon? I don’t see it anywhere. 

I never should have started reading this thread...


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## LeanBurn (Dec 5, 2020)

I happened to come across an older Maglite 3D incan where I replaced the bulb with an EBLCL LED drop in. I was pleasantly surprised at its output and beam pattern. The Maglite itself has a fair bit of wear and tear but it will be relegated to knock around duty in vehicles and rural after dark walks.


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## bykfixer (Dec 6, 2020)

jabe1 said:


> What 25% off coupon? I don’t see it anywhere.
> 
> I never should have started reading this thread...



You join Maglite Nation at the Maglite site and they send you emails with new products and sales codes. Or like them on fakebook if you're into social media. You have time. This sale lasts until Christmas day but they say order by the 13th if you want it by Christmas. Oh, and if you join when there isn't a sale they send you a code worth either 10 or 15% off your first order. And if you refer a friend they send you a 20% code.


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## orbital (Dec 6, 2020)

+

I got the 20% coupon & Free Shipping by setting up the emails, 
think it's just for your first order w/ them,, or not}}


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## jabe1 (Dec 6, 2020)

Thanks!

Not that I need another one. I started counting Maglites last night; full and midsize I think I have 10, and a few mini mags and one lone Soli.

None are matte finish and grenade grip though!


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## Beamhead (Dec 6, 2020)

Is the discount on top of the sale price?


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## bykfixer (Dec 6, 2020)

So it has for me beam. Items called "on sale" and items in the outlet.


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## IowaCobweb (Dec 6, 2020)

LeanBurn said:


> I happened to come across an older Maglite 3D incan where I replaced the bulb with an EBLCL LED drop in. I was pleasantly surprised at its output and beam pattern. The Maglite itself has a fair bit of wear and tear but it will be relegated to knock around duty in vehicles and rural after dark walks.



Sounds a bit like me and my old (as in early 1980s) 3D Mag-Lite with the Malkoff drop-in LED. It was my first good flashlight and was used as-is on almost all the nighttime "family emergencies" that cropped up from the time of my marriage to the time my son went into the army... lots of "that was bad, but we got through it" stuff. People can bellyache all they want about MagLites, but that one never let me down when I needed it. 

It got put on the back burner for a while after I found CPF, but the LED conversion made it viable again.


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## bykfixer (Dec 7, 2020)

The Malkoff module in a 3D Maglite is a wonderful upgrade. So simple, yet unless the LED pops out of the module while driving nails with the head it should be very reliable too.


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## LeanBurn (Dec 7, 2020)

While I understand the Malkoff LED is formidable, the USD $49 + $40 shipping to Canada is cost prohibitive. Its almost as if priced to have CONUS business only. 

I was looking to bring the light up to decent output and runtime for minimal cost and USD $12.50 was quite reasonable as it was a found light to begin with.


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## Chicken Drumstick (Dec 7, 2020)

LeanBurn said:


> While I understand the Malkoff LED is formidable, the USD $49 + $40 shipping to Canada is cost prohibitive. Its almost as if priced to have CONUS business only.
> 
> I was looking to bring the light up to decent output and runtime for minimal cost and USD $12.50 was quite reasonable as it was a found light to begin with.


+1

I have zero time for Malkoff. They seemed completely uninterested in wanting to ship to the UK when I asked them, unless I wanted to pay through the nose and way over the top. Poor customer ethics IMO.


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## bykfixer (Dec 7, 2020)

As a person who has been involved with shipping lights outside the US I can tell you Malkoff does not intend on only selling to Americans. It costed me as much to send a light to anywhere outside the US, whether the Kongo, Brazil, Australlia, places in China that don't even show up on Google maps or 52 feet north of the US border. And that cost with tracking available is $39 for the smallest box USPS priority (with tracking) ships. It goes up from there for larger boxes. UPS, Fed Ex, and DHL are no less costly. 

The reason we get "free" shipping or really inexpensive shipping from China and other places is because their government finances the majority of the cost. American postal companies bear their own costs. Now should shipping to 67 feet north of the border cost as much as shipping to Instanbul Turkey? Maybe not but Gene has no say so in that.

I gave folks the option of sometimes paying more to ship than the product itself and hated to have to, but unless I chose to stuff it in a box, send it off and cross my fingers that it arrived or provide the customer the security (and insurance) their purchase whereabouts was being kept up with the choice was easy. I did send a box or two to the UK without tracking and that was $25.


----------



## Chicken Drumstick (Dec 7, 2020)

bykfixer said:


> As a person who has been involved with shipping lights outside the US I can tell you Malkoff does not intend on only selling to Americans. It costed me as much to send a light to anywhere outside the US, whether the Kongo, Brazil, Australlia, places in China that don't even show up on Google maps or 52 feet north of the US border. And that cost with tracking available is $39 for the smallest box USPS priority (with tracking) ships. It goes up from there for larger boxes. UPS, Fed Ex, and DHL are no less costly.
> 
> The reason we get "free" shipping or really inexpensive shipping from China and other places is because their government finances the majority of the cost. American postal companies bear their own costs. Now should shipping to 67 feet north of the border cost as much as shipping to Instanbul Turkey? Maybe not but Gene has no say so in that.


It is possible to ship cheaper. I have often bought other items from the USA. But yes, I agree it is more pricey than shipping from China etc.

I have bought online and had a radiator shipped over for my Camaro and new brakes for less money than what Malkoff wanted to ship a Mag drop-in! (the rad was big and brakes really heavy). I can't find the email now, but I think Malkoff also wouldn't even process the order unless I spent more with them first. And refused to consider any other form of shipping. This was a few years back, but it really puts you off dealing or bothering with a company.


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## bykfixer (Dec 7, 2020)

I think discussing Malkoff's shipping policy belongs somewhere else. I was just pointing out that shipping a flashlight outside of the US is costly, be it a Malkoff or a Maglite.

Now sometimes a product is so profitable it's easy to ship it cheaply still make money. I once owned a bike shop and would reduce the price of some items below my cost if attached to an item I was making a sizeable profit from. A $600 bicycle that costed me 60% of that meant I could easily absorb $15 or 20 from without issue. So I could charge a customer say, $75 for an upgrade part to that bicycle that cost me $100 and it was a win-win for both parties. 
A $40 item that costed me 60% did not have room for that and me stay in business. So a $50 Maglite for example would be one of those times.


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## bigburly912 (Dec 7, 2020)

I just shipped a bezel to the UK..... shopped around for the best price and with tracking it cost almost as much as the bezel itself. Could have saved significantly without tracking but didn’t trust it to get there. It’s expensive and a huge hassle. Our mail system is broken, not Malkoff. I understand your frustrations though as that is ridiculous to have to deal with on the consumer end.


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## bykfixer (Dec 7, 2020)

Today is a day to remember the 79th anniverssary of Pearl Harbor. Dec 7, 1941.






I posed a light next to a photo of my pop (RIP) the day he returned from basic in 1948.
He served in Korea as the guy who peeked through a scope in a bomber and said "now" when it was time to drop bombs. He was never asked to drop bombs onto people but was training to do so while learning the machinist trade he later made a living from fixing broken parts to lathes and other machinery in an alluminum tube factory. 

He got word my mom was carrying my oldest brother so when his term was up he did not re-enlist. The plane he trained in was later shot down and all aboard perished. 

He was tasked in the early 1980's with installing early edition CNC technology to factory equipment made in the 1950's. He never flew again nor did he own a home computer. Actually he did fly one time shortly before he was called home in order to visit the grand canyon he never had gotten to see during family cross country camping trips in the 1970's.


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## xxo (Dec 7, 2020)

Years ago, I worked with a gentleman who was stationed at Scholfield barracks the morning of Dec. 7th. - not many of the Pearl Harbor vets still around sadly.

A lot of the Korean war vets are gone too, including a couple of my uncles, one of them I never knew had served in Korea until he was being laid to rest in when I found out he had been awarded the Silver Star in Korea, in addition to his decorations from WWII. Like many combat vets he would never talk about the war(s).


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## IowaCobweb (Dec 8, 2020)

bykfixer said:


> Today is a day to remember the 79th anniverssary of Pearl Harbor. Dec 7, 1941.
> 
> I posed a light next to a photo of my pop (RIP) the day he returned from basic in 1948.
> He served in Korea as the guy who peeked through a scope in a bomber and said "now" when it was time to drop bombs. He was never asked to drop bombs onto people but was training to do so while learning the machinist trade he later made a living from fixing broken parts to lathes and other machinery in an alluminum tube factory.



My dad was an "intercept technician" in an AC&W squadron on Okinawa when the Korean War broke out, communicating mostly with B-29s going in and out of Kadena and the F-82s ("Twin Mustang" night fighters) from Naha or Japan. He had a voice that modulated well on the radios of the time, so essentially became a controller who talked to the pilots when they were over the sea and out of range of the tower at Kadena. Dad was voluble about the funny/odd incidents of his time in the USAF, but did not say much about talking to aircraft when things went bad.

As I have mentioned elsewhere, my dad did not spend money - which was always tight when I was young - on flashlights; he spent his life with dismal examples that frequently didn't work at all. Well, most of his life...

After he had retired and I had been poking around on CPF, I bought him a Zebralight one Christmas, and he was absolutely gobsmacked by it. The small size, the amount of light... he had no idea such lights existed. The Mag-Lite I was using didn't really impress him (being merely a better version of the same old thing), but the Zebralight was a whole different ballgame. He kept it ready on the endtable next to his favorite chair until the day he passed away, and as far as he was concerned it was very much THE flashlight.


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## bykfixer (Dec 8, 2020)

My pop was tight too corncob. Growing up in the Depression when there really was 1/3 of Americans without jobs and not the manipulated numbers we see today and nobody mailing out money for food and rent, those with jobs paid very close attention to what little money they had. Often those folks were happy to have more than one meal each day too. My mom told stories of eating potato's everyday because bread was scarce. So when good times returned they often lived as if any day the Depression could return. 

So at one point my dad had a 3D Kel-Lite knock off from Radio Shack. I was proud when he picked me to hold the flashlight. My mom had a job where she interacted with police often and one day came home with a 4C Maglite. "You paid how much for that?" he asked her. But he "borrowed" it from her often. Then he had his own 3D Maglite that hung around for years. In his later years he had flashlights all over the house but they were usually plastic body numbers. My brother in law's father has that 4C since when my mom passed away he gave away everything that reminded him of her except the stuff promised to my sister like jewelry. 

I have a vintage Maglite 4C similar to the one my mom had that I use a 3 cell Maglite krypton bulb in. I also have a Don Keller built Kel-Lite made the way the Radio Shack knock off was. It has 1st gen parts with the medium head that was not used on Kel-Lites until gen 2. The Radio Shack knock off had the medium head and that was the sized head Maglites used for C and D lights. 

The irony is that the early cop lights by Don Keller and Tony Maglica were made of tubing that my dad may have played a role in producing. The factory he worked at had contracts to make the tubing that became sprinkler lines for fire suppresion systems, which is what the early cop light bodies by Kel-Lite, LA Screw and Maglite used.


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## bykfixer (Dec 8, 2020)

Mrs Fixers 2CLX showed up two days early. Yay!! I'd forgotten I also tossed a 2cell ML100 in the cart. Now UPS is typically pretty acurate with delivery dates so this was a pleasant surprise. Mrs Fixer was not home when I brought the box in so she does not know she is getting a battleship gray 2C Maglite for Christmas. 
I took it out of the box and man is that a sweet little light. She prefers factory setting over the cop setting so I played with it for 10 seconds and re-glued the little flap on the box with a drop of E3000 so she will not know they don't come with batteries already installed. A little trick I learned from a place called Milepost 28.





Mag-Swag. 





The we never left 40th anniverssary shirt. 





USA USA!!


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## orbital (Dec 12, 2020)

+

Coupon thru Sun. 25% & Free ship.

*25DAYS*
*25 days*

*25 days*


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## bykfixer (Dec 12, 2020)

Thanks orbit-dude

No gap between 25 and days. Days is all lower case. At least that's what worked for me. 

At checkout my total amount was discounted including sale items and clearance items. Some of their past sales did not discount everything so this one is sweeter than a Reeses cup. 

After the laundry was done I noticed my "we never left" shirt ended up in Mrs Fixers dresser drawers. Hmmmm. Wonder how that happened…… 
I ordered another before the 11th and Maglite said if ordered before the 11th it will arrive before Christmas day. So she'll have one of her own under the tree. Gimmee my shirt back dawg gonnit.

Edit: correction; removed words saying $35 order required for free shipping
Maglite saying $0 shipping on all orders. Nice 
End edit.

One more thing, they've added 2, 3 and 4 C incans at the outlet ($12, 12.50 and $13) if anybody wants one of those to hotwire.


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## bykfixer (Dec 13, 2020)

It seems today was the last day of no cost shipping on any order. However the email I got this evening said "day 13" and nothing about this being the last of the 25days sale. Now the one this morning said it was the last day to get free shipping on any order. 

I placed an order for the ML150 LRS(X). The one with the matte finish. The matte finish costs a little more so I figured it's a Type 3 hard annodize but I could not find it written anywhere so I'll ask Maglite. 





More stealthy?


Next day edit: 
25days sale continues. 
End edit.


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## xxo (Dec 14, 2020)

The matte finish looks good - should wear like iron if it's type III. I wonder why they didn't go with the grenade grip on these?


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## cottonmouth71 (Dec 14, 2020)

Ill always have a big maglite under the seat of my truck !!!


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## bykfixer (Dec 14, 2020)

The granade grip is nice. I really look forward to some LX lights being delivered soon. 

I speculate they stuck with a mild knurling for less snag when deployed from some holsters. An old school thing from the 1970's when some cop light makers (such as LA Screw) used extra deep grooves in the knurling on their alluminum tubes and officers complained of snagging in or shredding their holsters. Early Kel-Lites had some what more aggressive knurling. 
I noticed with my first Stinger they used a rubber grip with vertical grooves that I surmized aided in quick deploy of the light. So I figure Maglite stuck with the ML50, 100 and 125 style knurling for the new MagCharger model(s). Is the 'matte' version a type 3 annodize? I'll ask Maglite. 

I wonder if an ML75 ever was or ever will be made.


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## xxo (Dec 14, 2020)

Makes sense about the holsters. I had a streamlight scorpion xenon light years ago and I didn't like the rubber grip for that reason - too snaggy.

Never heard of a ML75, but if I remember right, Mag was supposed to come out with a ML150 back around 2010, apparently they kept putting it off until they finally came out with the current ML150, though it was not the same light by then.


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## bykfixer (Dec 15, 2020)

Perhaps the (as of today) unused ML75 monicker could be used for a rechargeable ML25? ie a shrunken sized ML150 that operates like a minimag, uses the same battery as an ML150 LRS and same style charge points. And give it the grenade grip……

Maglite has a facebook page that started showing up in my "ads" one day. I liked it so it would continue to show up. Some of those ads allow comments. And boy-o-boy do some people like to bash good old Maglite. "Not relevant since the 80's", "they'll never catch up" and stuff like that. I gloss over most in ignore mode but every now and then when somebody posts something about metal being cold in winter or something I have to pop in with "I wear gloves in winter, why? Because it's cold outside". One time I commented "yeah, the 45 caliber Colt 1911 is pretty dated too".

Sure, Maglite is not up on all the latest gadgetry and gizmos, nor are they the ones to lead the way in output. They inovate in ways many don't notice or understand while providing a traditional approach to a lighting tool. Like a pair of pliers, they stick with what works and improve on that instead of trying to re-invent the pliers. I have all kinds of re-invented pliers in my tool chest that either do not perform the basic function well or just get passed over. Some were great when new but failed after a time. Meanwhile a pair of pliers my grandfather owned are usually the ones that get the job done. Modern Maglites are like those pliers with a plasti-dip comfort grip applied.


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## LeanBurn (Dec 15, 2020)

I agree bykfixer. Maglite still has their signature look, various sizes and the reliability that people trust. They have essentially the same line up they always have but upgraded to modern outputs and I think they have done a pretty good job at adaptation.


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## adamlau (Dec 15, 2020)

Will I turn into a Maglite fan once again? Not unless fivemega churns out an Elephant III


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## Chicken Drumstick (Dec 15, 2020)

LeanBurn said:


> I agree bykfixer. Maglite still has their signature look, various sizes and the reliability that people trust. They have essentially the same line up they always have but upgraded to modern outputs and I think they have done a pretty good job at adaptation.


I don't dislike their line up, but I think they have missed some obvious gaps in their range.

1AA Solitaire
1AA Mini Maglite
Stumpy 4AA D cell sized light (i.e. D cell head, 1D length body with 4 AA's a bit like Lenser P7 but AA not AAA)
Complete lack of 18650 or Li-ion support


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## El Camino (Dec 15, 2020)

I recently got a 6D incan model and put a Terralux (RIP) 1000-lumen LED drop-in in it. I totally didn't need the light, but I've always wanted the big one. It's my household security light now. 

I have an ML100 that I bought way back when they were new. It's only 137 lumens, but it out throws 600 lumen light I have. It's comfortable, and the smaller head is really nice. I didn't like it that much at first, but once I figured out how to adjust and center the LED, it became one of my favorites. The amount of engineering that went into this light is amazing and sadly overlooked. That said, I don't get Mag's naming conventions. It went from ML100 then ML125, then ML25, then ML50, then ML150R.

I also have a few 2AA incans that I really like, most of which have been LED-converted. I have a Minimag Pro which is powerful, but the bluish beam isn't my favorite. Nearly all of them have tail-cap switches, because I'm not a fan of twist-on lights. I like being able to "dial in" the beam and having it instant-on when I need it.

I also have an XL200, which I love, as well as a Mag-Tac, which is a great light, but I wish it had a mechanical switch. The electronic switch on that one is kind of buggy. Maybe I should email MagLite about that. 
Speaking of Mag-Tacs, looks like a new version is coming...
https://www.womenandguns.com/mag-tac-ii-tactical-flashlight-review/


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## xxo (Dec 15, 2020)

bykfixer said:


> Maglite has a facebook page that started showing up in my "ads" one day. I liked it so it would continue to show up. Some of those ads allow comments. And boy-o-boy do some people like to bash good old Maglite. "Not relevant since the 80's", "they'll never catch up" and stuff like that. I gloss over most in ignore mode but every now and then when somebody posts something about metal being cold in winter or something I have to pop in with "I wear gloves in winter, why? Because it's cold outside". One time I commented "yeah, the 45 caliber Colt 1911 is pretty dated too".
> 
> Sure, Maglite is not up on all the latest gadgetry and gizmos, nor are they the ones to lead the way in output. They inovate in ways many don't notice or understand while providing a traditional approach to a lighting tool. Like a pair of pliers, they stick with what works and improve on that instead of trying to re-invent the pliers. I have all kinds of re-invented pliers in my tool chest that either do not perform the basic function well or just get passed over. Some were great when new but failed after a time. Meanwhile a pair of pliers my grandfather owned are usually the ones that get the job done. Modern Maglites are like those pliers with a plasti-dip comfort grip applied.




There's a bunch Mag haters all over the net. It seems that either the only Maglite they own was made before 1990 that is probably stuffed full of leaked alkalines for over a decade or they need to justify to themselves why they spent more on a Chinese light with loaded with goofy play toy “features” that is not as practical as a simple Mag.

I think that the ML50/ML300/ML150 LED Mags have just about all of the “up to date” features that I want or need (OK, a 5th​ function set that starts in eco would be nice).

And the ML25's are great for simple utility at a budget price.

While Maglites are fantastic, alkaline batteries do suck. Unfortunately, alkalines are what most people use. The good news is quality NiMH's, Li-ions and lithium primaries all run fine in Mags and won't leak. Once you free yourself from leaky alkalines, Maglites become even more enjoyable to own and use.


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## Beamhead (Dec 15, 2020)

bykfixer said:


> …….........
> 
> Maglite has a facebook page that started showing up in my "ads" one day. I liked it so it would continue to show up. Some of those ads allow comments. And boy-o-boy do some people like to bash good old Maglite. "Not relevant since the 80's", "they'll never catch up" and stuff like that. I gloss over most in ignore mode but every now and then when somebody posts something about metal being cold in winter or something I have to pop in with "I wear gloves in winter, why? Because it's cold outside". One time I commented "yeah, the 45 caliber Colt 1911 is pretty dated too".
> 
> Sure, Maglite is not up on all the latest gadgetry and gizmos, nor are they the ones to lead the way in output. They inovate in ways many don't notice or understand while providing a traditional approach to a lighting tool. Like a pair of pliers, they stick with what works and improve on that instead of trying to re-invent the pliers. I have all kinds of re-invented pliers in my tool chest that either do not perform the basic function well or just get passed over. Some were great when new but failed after a time. Meanwhile a pair of pliers my grandfather owned are usually the ones that get the job done. Modern Maglites are like those pliers with a plasti-dip comfort grip applied.





xxo said:


> There's a bunch Mag haters all over the net. It seems that either the only Maglite they own was made before 1990 that is probably stuffed full of leaked alkalines for over a decade or they need to justify to themselves why they spent more on a Chinese light with loaded with goofy play toy “features” that is not as practical as a simple Mag.
> 
> I think that the ML50/ML300/ML150 LED Mags have just about all of the “up to date” features that I want or need (OK, a 5th​ function set that starts in eco would be nice).
> 
> ...



I am late to this thread so forgive me if this was mentioned already but Mag ( [email protected]) has a bit of a dark history here on the forums, they litigated against a founding force here on CPF which caused some serious bad juju.


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## bykfixer (Dec 15, 2020)

I read about that BH, believe me I read alllllll about it. Some were still mad in 015 when I joined. Some may still be. 

But I'm pretty sure the haters on fakebook don't even know about that. Heck some may not have been born yet when that happened. 

Today the ups man brought me a 2 cell ML300LX two days early. Nice. I plucked some Rayovacs from an upgraded 2D classic and went out side to enjoy the thing. I'll keep this one stock interface so I can take advantage of the 146 lumen "low" for up to 101 hours (versus 20 hours with the previous version). Turned to low lessons the spill a lot but the throw is still much like a classic D cell Maglite. 

Actually I ordered a gray one and a black one. The black one came in a clamshell package and the gray one in a box. The gray one will remain in the box for a while. Both are the updated version with about 37 lumens less than the previous version but much better run time. Well except for high that says 6.5 hours from both the 524 and the 487 lumen versions. The low and eco in the previous version had the same (146 and 58 lumen) output in both versions. I'll take extended runtime over more lumens anytime. Especially when it was already plenty bright for my uses. 

I put the glass lens that was also in the package in the upgraded 2D classic and put the utra clear anti reflect coated acrylic from that one in the LX. I noticed the 2 cell ML300 is shorter than the classic 2D by a couple of inches. That makes it so I can stuff it (head down) in the back pocket of my jeans and walk around without it falling out. Nice surprise there. And the grenade grip is noticeably better, even with my favorite Mechanix impact gloves on. 

Fun with flashlights.


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## El Camino (Dec 15, 2020)

Beamhead said:


> I am late to this thread so forgive me if this was mentioned already but Mag ( [email protected]) has a bit of a dark history here on the forums, they litigated against a founding force here on CPF which caused some serious bad juju.



In their defense, there have been direct copies of mags, (Brinkmann 2AA comes to mind) so that probably got them in a litigious mood over the years. Plus lawyers love to find a reason to sue, legit or not. I know the light in question had virtually nothing in common with existing Mag models, but that was 15 years ago, and people modify and sell mags here all the time, so I guess it evens out. 

But the products themselves are what matters, and ML has come a long way. At least they are honest about their lumens, etc, and still make them in America.


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## Beamhead (Dec 15, 2020)

El Camino said:


> In their defense, there have been direct copies of mags, (Brinkmann 2AA comes to mind) so that probably got them in a litigious mood over the years. Plus lawyers love to find a reason to sue, legit or not. I know the light in question had virtually nothing in common with existing Mag models, but that was 15 years ago, and people modify and sell mags here all the time, so I guess it evens out.
> 
> But the products themselves are what matters, and ML has come a long way. At least they are honest about their lumens, etc, and still make them in America.


True, I have way to many Mags now lol and love the new hard ano ML. I have a 3D Streamlight from the mid 80's when they were still made in Barstow Ca and often wondered why they avoided court? :shrug:


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## bykfixer (Dec 15, 2020)

Streamlight was nearly a memory from using a stamped bezel ring without permission that was patented by Tony Maglica. If memory serves it was the Excalibre (that actually was not a very good light compared to the 3rd gen Kel-Lites that were called Streamlight). The Scorpion was what saved them some said. Well, a large military contract for said Scorpion. Otherwise Streamlight may not have survived. 

I suuspect the direct minimag clone by Brinkmann was Don Keller sticking his thumb in Tony's eye but don't know enough about certain time lines of when Tony and Don were friends or mad at each other. But I have one of those Brinkmann's, stamped bezel ring and all. If I recall the parts from the Brinkmann can lego with the Maglite or vice versa I forget. The switch differs a little but not a lot. 

I have good luck with Rayovac alkalines and use them in several lights. Energizer, not so much and Duracell that come with lights don't even go in them. Out of a couple hundred Rayovacs used in the last few years I had one leak and it was setting on a shelf for testing purposes. I prefer to use lithiums but don't fear the US made Rayovac.


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## El Camino (Dec 15, 2020)

bykfixer said:


> Streamlight was nearly a memory from using a stamped bezel ring without permission that was patented by Tony Maglica. If memory serves it was the Excalibre (that actually was not a very good light compared to the 3rd gen Kel-Lites that were called Streamlight). The Scorpion was what saved them some said. Well, a large military contract for said Scorpion. Otherwise Streamlight may not have survived.
> 
> I suuspect the direct minimag clone by Brinkmann was Don Keller sticking his thumb in Tony's eye but don't know enough about certain time lines of when Tony and Don were friends or mad at each other. But I have one of those Brinkmann's, stamped bezel ring and all. If I recall the parts from the Brinkmann can lego with the Maglite or vice versa I forget. The switch differs a little but not a lot.
> 
> I have good luck with Rayovac alkalines and use them in several lights. Energizer, not so much and Duracell that come with lights don't even go in them. Out of a couple hundred Rayovacs used in the last few years I had one leak and it was setting on a shelf for testing purposes. I prefer to use lithiums but don't fear the US made Rayovac.



I'd love to read a book about the history of Kel-Lite, Mag-Lite, Streamlight and Brinkmann. I'm sure it would be an interesting read. 

As for Rayovac batteries, I don't trust them. I've seen the big packs of AA's leaking in the store. I use Duracell Procells at work, but that's not my choice. It's what the procurement dept orders, so I test them often and replace them as soon as they get weak. For personal use, I've preferred Energizer lately. I wonder if there are regional differences within brands, perhaps the result of multiple places of manufacture? Obviously, Eneloops and Energizer Lithiums are better, and I need to get some more of the former.

Back to lights, I have a Mag-Charger that I really like. It was the last incan model, which I bought because it was one sale for $50. It's probably my favorite incan light, though I may upgrade it to LED at some point. The ML150 is pretty interesting to me, though.

I do wish ML would make a single AA light, similar in looks to the XL series. Seems like a no-brainer to me.


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## bykfixer (Dec 15, 2020)

Well here's a place to start el camino

https://www.candlepowerforums.com/v...e-vintage-California-cop-light-company-thread
Put together by a few contributors here at CPF


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## bykfixer (Dec 16, 2020)

Back at the fakebook Mag site there were more defending Maglite than opposing with some Mag-fans retorting to the nay sayers. I read those comments to get a feel for where things stand in the world outside CPF since many of the complaints are "bulbs keep blowing" type comments. Bulbs? Really? You did not know Maglite has LED lights now? 
It was an ad for the ML150LR with a photo of a smiling male model looking fellow setting on the floor of a kitchen with a cabinet door open. He was holding his shiney new ML150LR looking like he was wearing brand new attire he bought for the photo shoot. That might work for selling soft drinks or dog food, but for selling rugged flashlights to Johnny Six Pack, dude needs to appear a bit more……rugged. Not Marlboro man rugged necessarily but certainly an appearance of a person who does not pay somebody to dust the furniture in their home. Sheesh.

I heard back from Maglite regarding the matte finish on the ML150. Well sorta. A warranty manager responded (paraphrase) "the ML150LR has a shiney finish, the ML150LRX has a matte finish". Uh……thanks……I think. 
I suspect it's simply an unpolished type 2 like a Streamlight Stinger. I'm really stoked about the LX finish and grip and figure that little 2D may replace my 2D classic as the go to for colestrol reducing walks in the evenings now that it's dang near dark by 4:30pm.


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## El Camino (Dec 16, 2020)

Yeah, I've read the same comments, saying they are "stuck in the '80s" "don't have LEDs" and "why don't they have tactical lights that use CR123 batteries?" These are people too lazy to look things up or are simply trolls.

What this proves to me is that Mag needs to really work on customer education about their products. They also need to point out that their specs are ANSI certified, as opposed to simply made up like most ebay/Amazon lights. I agree that their promotional photos are...not the greatest. They've been relying too much on reputation from the old days, but younger buyers are not going to care how great they were in the '80s. If they'd just listen to us, they would be on top of their game again.


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## bigburly912 (Dec 16, 2020)

All I know is there was a mag lite bag on my porch yesterday. Don’t know what would have possessed my wife to order me something from there (ha) but I’m not complaining. Will be fun to check out mag lite again. I don’t use any of my little promo/limited edition lights


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## xxo (Dec 16, 2020)

bykfixer said:


> I heard back from Maglite regarding the matte finish on the ML150. Well sorta. A warranty manager responded (paraphrase) "the ML150LR has a shiney finish, the ML150LRX has a matte finish". Uh……thanks……I think.
> I suspect it's simply an unpolished type 2 like a Streamlight Stinger. I'm really stoked about the LX finish and grip and figure that little 2D may replace my 2D classic as the go to for colestrol reducing walks in the evenings now that it's dang near dark by 4:30pm.




Could be hard ano like on the Mag Tac and the ML50 and ML300 LX's. As with many companies, Mag customer service is not always the best at answering technical questions, though they do a good job with the usual customer service issues.


Mag should come out with a dual switch option for the ML150, like on the Streamlight Stingers, for the law enforcement market.


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## bykfixer (Dec 16, 2020)

When I opened up a 2cell ML50LX from a clam shell package to wrap it I noticed the specs had been updated and……down graded. Yikes. 
Makes me wonder if restesting found original numbers a bit too optomistic. 





I removed the stickers covering previous specs and moved them to compare. 
In the photo on the left is original specs with specs from 3/20 below. Note everything was slightly less. 
On the right of the photo the original specs are to the right of the new specs beside it.


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## xxo (Dec 16, 2020)

Retesting is going to give slightly different numbers each time, if you look the raw numbers that Mag publishes. If you make some tweaks with the driver, maybe a different batch of LEDs, different testing lab, etc will also affect the numbers. Also keep in mind that these numbers are averages of several lights submitted for testing and there is going to be some variation from one light to the next and from batch to batch.


Mag also seems to have changed batteries in the last few years from duracell to energizer/rayovac (energizer and rayovac are the same company).


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## bykfixer (Dec 16, 2020)

So Eveready owns Rayovac. Crazy. 
A bit over 100 years ago the French Flasher company was American Novelty and Electric manufacturers arch enemy. Rayovac and Eveready as we know them now. Both had long ago been swallowed up by bigger fish but it's just interesting that they now live under the same tent.

I put the ML150 back to factory setting to see if the low acts like the ML50 does. It's obvious the light output is dialed way down from high to what Maglite calls low. Now some would call that setting medium. Anyway spill is greatly dialed back but the throw is still pretty throwey. I do like the "cop" setting though.


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## El Camino (Dec 16, 2020)

It's possible they updated them with better tint LEDs, which often is a slight lumen sacrifice. Probably not noticeable in terms of brightness, but would offer a more pleasant beam. I'd be fine with it if that's the case.

Oh, and bykfixer, thanks for the link above.


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## bykfixer (Dec 16, 2020)

That's a good point EC. Had not considered that. Trouble is I do not have a previous version of the 2 cell ML300 to compare the two.


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## xxo (Dec 16, 2020)

bykfixer said:


> So Eveready owns Rayovac. Crazy.
> A bit over 100 years ago the French Flasher company was American Novelty and Electric manufacturers arch enemy. Rayovac and Eveready as we know them now. Both had long ago been swallowed up by bigger fish but it's just interesting that they now live under the same tent.
> 
> I put the ML150 back to factory setting to see if the low acts like the ML50 does. It's obvious the light output is dialed way down from high to what Maglite calls low. Now some would call that setting medium. Anyway spill is greatly dialed back but the throw is still pretty throwey. I do like the "cop" setting though.




It seems that most of the complaints about Mag, stems from leaking alkalines, instead of blaming the batteries, they blame Mag.

Switching to Energizer lithiums for everything that comes with AA or AAA cells and even for C cell lights using spacers, as part of a promotion with Energizer, seems like a no brainer for Mag. It would be great if Energizer, or someone else when the patents run out, would make Ultimate lithium D cells – would be a big step up in performance with no more leaks.....and teaming up with Maglite would be a great way to introduce them to the public.


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## aznsx (Dec 16, 2020)

bykfixer said:


> Meanwhile Duracell......



....Duracell, which was of course part of Mallory back in the day. I still remember reading through my first Mallory Duracell catalog in my early teens. I just read the first few paragraphs of this Mallory writeup to check on something, and it literally made my head spin. It occurs to me that at some point, M&As in some respects replaced some of the true innovation of the old days. I'm not sure the world is better off for that. Now it seems it's more about companies constantly buying and selling each other / themselves / products & technology to drive stock prices rather than driving innovation. I suppose that was inevitable, but I'm not sure it has made the world a better place except for investors. I guess it's easier and more profitable to buy and sell technology than to actually innovate. Having spent my whole career working in the electronics industry for several of the big 2/3-letter household name corps, and also my share of startups you've likely never heard of, I understand and guess I should fine with all this...but for some reason certain aspects of the way things are done today still just bothers me. I probably just have a bad attitude, huh?. I hope ML remains who they are and keeps doing things their own way. There's something refreshing about that!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P._R._Mallory_and_Co_Inc


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## xxo (Dec 16, 2020)

aznsx said:


> ....Duracell, which was of course part of Mallory back in the day. I still remember reading through my first Mallory Duracell catalog in my early teens. I just read the first few paragraphs of this Mallory writeup to check on something, and it literally made my head spin. It occurs to me that at some point, M&As in some respects replaced some of the true innovation of the old days. I'm not sure the world is better off for that. Now it seems it's more about companies constantly buying and selling each other / themselves / products & technology to drive stock prices rather than driving innovation. I suppose that was inevitable, but I'm not sure it has made the world a better place except for investors. I guess it's easier and more profitable to buy and sell technology than to actually innovate. Having spent my whole career working in the electronics industry for several of the big 2/3-letter household name corps, and also my share of startups you've likely never heard of, I understand and guess I should fine with all this...but for some reason certain aspects of the way things are done today still just bother me. I probably just have a bad attitude, huh?. I hope ML remains who they are and keeps doing things their own way. There's something refreshing about that!
> 
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P._R._Mallory_and_Co_Inc





Eveready invented the alkaline battery, twice once by Edison in 1901 and a again by Lewis Urry in the 1950's, but they decided not to produce them on a large scale because their plants were set up to make old carbon zinc cells.

Mallory introduced “Duracell” alaklines to the public in 1980. Later, after seeing how much duracell was making selling alkalines, Eveready had to scramble to come up with their own “Energizer” alkalines and it took them many years and millions in advertising dollars to even begin to catch up (don't know if they ever did?). If eveready came out with alkalines in the late 50's early 60's their patent would have been still good and they would have had the consumer alkaline market to themselves.


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## Chicken Drumstick (Dec 17, 2020)

bykfixer said:


> So Eveready owns Rayovac. Crazy.
> A bit over 100 years ago the French Flasher company was American Novelty and Electric manufacturers arch enemy. Rayovac and Eveready as we know them now. Both had long ago been swallowed up by bigger fish but it's just interesting that they now live under the same tent.
> 
> I put the ML150 back to factory setting to see if the low acts like the ML50 does. It's obvious the light output is dialed way down from high to what Maglite calls low. Now some would call that setting medium. Anyway spill is greatly dialed back but the throw is still pretty throwey. I do like the "cop" setting though.


Does it have PWM for the lower modes?

While I love my XL200 the tint and PWM are two of its biggest detractors.


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## Chicken Drumstick (Dec 17, 2020)

xxo said:


> It seems that most of the complaints about Mag, stems from leaking alkalines, instead of blaming the batteries, they blame Mag.
> 
> Switching to Energizer lithiums for everything that comes with AA or AAA cells and even for C cell lights using spacers, as part of a promotion with Energizer, seems like a no brainer for Mag. It would be great if Energizer, or someone else when the patents run out, would make Ultimate lithium D cells – would be a big step up in performance with no more leaks.....and teaming up with Maglite would be a great way to introduce them to the public.


30 years ago Mag would have had less options. But today they could avoid this by better supporting other battery types.

They (almost) actively dissuade people from using things like Lithium primaries or Eneloops and actively encourage users to use batteries that are likely to leak and ruin the torch. And of course the elephant in the room, no Li-ion support at all.


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## bykfixer (Dec 17, 2020)

I read yesterday that Duracell had 46% (world) market share in 2019 and Energizer 23% pre-Rayovac/Varta purchase. So no the Energizer bunny is still way behind the copper top tortaise.
Now regarding batteries and Maglites, Tony probably brokered deals with the battery companies who supplied them to him at very little or no cost. 

If you look at the general flashlight market the main selling points are price and lumens these days. A market that trades up celphones every couple of years or trades in the car every few years are not thinking 25 years from now that Defiant or Nebo will still be working. No offense to Defiant or Nebo. So Maglite is in a position where to stay afloat and keep that small city sized factory humming they are competing with the Defiants, the Coasts, the Ozark Trail. And all of those companies still build around alkalines. Often double a or triple a battery carriers. So when Maglite comes out with a 4D long running light the market says "now hold on a minute Velma, you're telling me a flashlight can run for two weeks-non stop?" Most of those people think SureFire is the name of a charcoal grill, Elzetta is a long lost relative and Malkoff is a rare form of influenza. Now they've heard of Streamlight though. Seriously. I'm not kidding. When asked "ever heard of SureFire?" about half the people I asked replied "they make great charcoal grills".


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## xxo (Dec 17, 2020)

bykfixer said:


> I read yesterday that Duracell had 46% (world) market share in 2019 and Energizer 23% pre-Rayovac/Varta purchase. So no the Energizer bunny is still way behind the copper top tortaise.
> Now regarding batteries and Maglites, Tony probably brokered deals with the battery companies who supplied them to him at very little or no cost.
> 
> If you look at the general flashlight market the main selling points are price and lumens these days. A market that trades up celphones every couple of years or trades in the car every few years are not thinking 25 years from now that Defiant or Nebo will still be working. No offense to Defiant or Nebo. So Maglite is in a position where to stay afloat and keep that small city sized factory humming they are competing with the Defiants, the Coasts, the Ozark Trail. And all of those companies still build around alkalines. Often double a or triple a battery carriers. So when Maglite comes out with a 4D long running light the market says "now hold on a minute Velma, you're telling me a flashlight can run for two weeks-non stop?" Most of those people think SureFire is the name of a charcoal grill, Elzetta is a long lost relative and Malkoff is a rare form of influenza. Now they've heard of Streamlight though. Seriously. I'm not kidding. When asked "ever heard of SureFire?" about half the people I asked replied "they make great charcoal grills".




Energizer maybe in a similar situation with ultimate lithiums that they were in just before Duracell took over the alkaline market in the 1970's. Energizer has a game changing innovative product that they patented, but failed to capitalize on in a big way – they seem content to sell them for use in cameras and other niche markets while spending a fortune advertising to increase their alkaline sales. When was the last time that energizer put out a ad specifically for ultimate lithiums? When was the first time? Whenever Energizer's patents run out (if they haven't already) the door will be open for a competitor to swoop in and take over the market and displace alkalines in the same way alkalines displaced carbon zinc cells.

Teaming up with Mag, and others would be a great way for Energizer to promote ultimate lithiums to the general public and would also help Mag by beginning to get away from leaking alkalines. Alkalines could still be used in Mags of course, but customers would start to learn that they are supposed to be using the better leak free batteries and if they ignore this and their light is ruined by leaking alakines, they would know why.


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## El Camino (Dec 17, 2020)

They should partner up with Panasonic and offer Eneloops with chargers and C/D cell spacers. I'm a bit mystified as to why they don't do it already.


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## hsa (Dec 17, 2020)

If it weren't for alkaline batteries Maglite might be out of business. It's one of the only things that will make them stop working.


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## IowaCobweb (Dec 17, 2020)

hsa said:


> If it weren't for alkaline batteries Maglite might be out of business. It's one of the only things that will make them stop working.



That has been the case at this house. We still have the first one, but its identical backup and an extra Mini Maglite for the hiking gear both succumbed to alkaline batteries.


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## bykfixer (Dec 18, 2020)

I joined the facebook thing around 15 years ago to see what all the fuss was about. Much to do over nothing really. I kept a membership over the years for various reasons but mainly to laugh, smile or weep with a small group of people I walked the planet with some time ago. Along the way I liked a few things like businesses I support or groups doing good things for the comunity at large. But man, facebook has become something entirely different these days. That part is not new, it's just a lot worse. There was a point in time where folks would speak their mind in a positive or negative way in a dialalogue that was worthy of discussion. Now, it's hate hate hate. It's really sad to watch some companies place an ad for a product and just get bomabarded with negative upon negative ignoramous comments. 

At a Maglite ad for a minimag/solitaire combo in rose gold it was like watching a pack of jackyls attacking a zebra. To prove brand B or C is perhaps an alternative to a brand A is one thing but to say brand C is better, cheaper and you're stupid if you don't agree is just sad to see. Folks were even bashing the color rose gold. It was an ad that said "gifts for her" and it was if Maglite was placing an ad saying women should stay in the kitchen barefoot and pregnant. 

I checked around other brands facebook pages and found the same thing. Keyboard warriors leaving pollution in their ads too. So it wasn't just Maglite. 

That brings me to my point. This thread. This thread has been an enoyable place to post likes and dislikes about Maglite products in an orderly fashion and has remained calm the entire time. I think it is an example of CPF members in general. A classy bunch of folks you are. On my portable device my screen shows it is 6 pages so far and not once have any moderators had to step in. Keep it up CPF members. Please. You represent the flashaholic in a very positive way in a year where the world has been turned upside down, shaken then stirred. 

I drew the short straw at work yesterday meaning I have to pull a double or perhaps a triple if things don't go smoothly. Actually it did not come to drawing straws since I pulled out the sharpest knife in my pocket, grabbed a straw, folded it over and cut it in half. I have a couple of brand new Maglites to try out and figured right here at Christmas is probably the best time since the daylight hours are near the shortest time of the year.


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## El Camino (Dec 18, 2020)

IowaCobweb said:


> That has been the case at this house. We still have the first one, but its identical backup and an extra Mini Maglite for the hiking gear both succumbed to alkaline batteries.



I have a 3x AA LED Minimag go bad from alkaleaks. Destroyed the pill. I was able to get them out, but it's pretty much an empty shell now. It's the kind with the different tail cap, like a tiny D-cell. 

bykfixer, this whole thread has indeed been a pleasure. Maglite is the reason I love flashlights, and always will be.


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## bykfixer (Dec 19, 2020)

I had the pleasure of working an all nighter recently and was looking forward to trying out my shiney new ML150LR and showing off the burley ML300LX but……the place was so lit up 






A flashlight was like holding a match up to the sun looking for a difference. 
So I just saved my battery for a time when it's dark outside.


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## IowaCobweb (Dec 20, 2020)

El Camino said:


> I have a 3x AA LED Minimag go bad from alkaleaks. Destroyed the pill. I was able to get them out, but it's pretty much an empty shell now. It's the kind with the different tail cap, like a tiny D-cell.



The Mini Mag-Lite we lost to the alkalines was rarely actually used, but nonetheless it was relied on as a backup in my ES gear of the time (which was itself an odd combination of "the latest thing," 30-year old mil-surp, and items Horace Kephart would be familiar with). The gear got wet during a thunderstorm, and the one item in the lot that I did not scrupulously dry out was the Mini. Months later I was half-awake one night and suddenly thought about that light for no reason; on examination it not only didn't function, I could not remove the tailcap without destroying something. Flashlight forensics led me to believe that the alkalines had indeed leaked at some time prior to the soaking, and the subsequent rainwater marinade made the corrosion pretty doggone comprehensive.

It was actually a salutory experience in that it showed how complacent I had become WRT some of the "backup" portion of my kit. It also convinced me to use only lithium primaries in about anything that I might have to rely on.


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## xxo (Dec 20, 2020)

El Camino said:


> I have a 3x AA LED Minimag go bad from alkaleaks. Destroyed the pill. I was able to get them out, but it's pretty much an empty shell now. It's the kind with the different tail cap, like a tiny D-cell.



I had one of those for a while, kind of a odd duck, but starting to become a collector's item since not that many were made compared to the 2 cell versions. You might be able to resurrect it as a incan with a switch from a incan Mini Mag; though I don't know if such a switch would work in the 3 cell LED barrel and might be difficult to find 3 cell bulbs for it.


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## bykfixer (Dec 21, 2020)

I'm a ML150RLSX fan


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## xxo (Dec 21, 2020)

^ Looks real good!



I still think the Mag Charger has the best charging cradle set up - the new lock on the ML150 should make it better than ever.


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## bykfixer (Dec 21, 2020)

The only other cradle chargers I own are Stingers and Strions so cannot say a lot about them in general but these new ML150 cradles are dang sure more user friendly. And instead of having to find a small area on the body with which to charge from it uses a pair of circles that run around the entire light. There are two fairly easy to see pins on the cradle and unless you really try to screw it up the light rests just right in the cradle and the "eject" button releases tension on the cradle while held down for ease of removal once charged. 
Only change I would request from Maglite would be a piggy back attachment to keep a spare battery at the ready for when you don't have 30 minutes to wait on the 80% recharge. 

As a rule I don't dig on rechargeable lights but these new generation of the MagChargers are fine with me. Between the performance of them and the charging cradle they make for some mighty fine modern cop lights. The matte finish checks a bonus points box in my flashlight collecting brain. I hope they are big sellers for Maglite.


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## Former_Mag_User (Dec 22, 2020)

*My Christmas shopping is done... LED Solitaires for all! *


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## bykfixer (Dec 22, 2020)

Sweeeeeeeet.
Those the 47 lumen versions? Those appear brighter than the numbers suggest.


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## Former_Mag_User (Dec 22, 2020)

Yes, 47 lumens. They're pretty bright! I should have one extra that I may have to keep for myself

I still have an ARC aaa on my keychain. I don't see it replacing that though. I like the ARC too much


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## bykfixer (Dec 24, 2020)

If I had an ARC on my key chain the only Solitaire I'd replace it with would be the spectrum warm version. 





32-ish birthday candle bright in a creamy warm tint.
The spectrum series did not seem to catch on that well but the warm aaa minimag and solitaire are both sweet little LED flashlights. 
Actually the aa minimag is pretty nice too but the aaa is much more portable. I cannot imagine in 1990 folks carrying a 7D Maglite saying "that aa minimag is just too big" but in 2020, it's easy to say.


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## bigburly912 (Dec 24, 2020)

Got an ML300lx for Christmas. Can’t wait to try it out and see what I’ve been missing in the world of maglite


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## bykfixer (Dec 24, 2020)

I gave Mrs Fixer an ML50LX and went to turn it on and……nothing. Batteries in correct, swap known working batteries……nothing. Huh? Knowing ML25's and 50's share same tailcap I swapped an ML25 tailcap onto it. Let there be light. 

Get out volt meter to see where break in circuit is and notice Maglite coated the entire tailcap. Well there are two spots on the tailcap that need to be bare to cause electricity to flow from point A to Z. Where it touches the body and where the spring touches the tailcap. 

Dremel to the rescue. About a minute of grinding off the coating in both spots and everything was working proper. 





The two places that need to be bare. 
So if anybody else receives a tailcap that is completely coated just scrape the coating off at those two locations and you're light should work normal. I will finish sand the areas later. 

Merry Christmas everybody.

Edit: 
Added better contrasting colored tailcap to accentuate where the tail cap needs to be bare. 





End edit


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## bykfixer (Dec 25, 2020)

Ho Ho Ho





Merry Christmas


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## bigburly912 (Dec 25, 2020)

My wife told me she got the maglite to REPLACE my 1920s lighthouse brand 2D. Said every time I went outside with it she felt sorry for me. Haha 

What else can you say but thank you and enjoy the new mag?


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## DavidABQ (Dec 25, 2020)

I don’t know if you will turn into a Maglite fan again but would that be so terrible? 

I have a couple of the older 2D cell flashlights around the house, a Maglite XL50 in the center console of my vehicle and a Solitare in my pocket as an EDC. 

I REALLY like the Solitare! It is simple too use, easy to find batteries for it and it is bright enough for my purposes! 

I have discovered that sometimes good enough works just as well as exceptional for everyday uses.


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## Former_Mag_User (Dec 25, 2020)

bykfixer said:


> If I had an ARC on my key chain the only Solitaire I'd replace it with would be the spectrum warm version.
> 
> 
> 32-ish birthday candle bright in a creamy warm tint.
> ...



I'm a big fan of warm LEDs. 
I didn't even know they made a WW solitaire. Only $20. Hmm...


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## bykfixer (Dec 26, 2020)

The spectrum series came out in 2017 or 18 if I recall correctly. Solitaire, both minimag sizes and the XL50 had blue, red, green or warm option. They were about as popular as a head cold. 
And Maglite did not really advertize them but big box 'outdoors' stores like Cabelas and Bass Pro Shops carried them for a time. 

The red was popular with astronomers. Forensics folks went for the blue and hunters went for the green. Strangly the warm were the least popular. I'd speculate that the reduction in output combined with the more lumens the better they sell thing was the reason. 

I started out with a 36 lumen warm solitaire and liked it. So next was the 50 something lumen aaa minimag. I bought a few of each. I did end up with a 60 something lumen double a minimag too. It lights up an area better than the incan version but the incan version with fresh batteries throws further. The warm LED version has the Pro plus features of hi/lo,strobe and beacon so if you like the Pro plus you get around 65 lumens of warm output with that one. My favorite is the warm triple a minimag. Never liked the XL series enough to try that one. 

If I want colors from my minimag I just use a colored lens from the aa minimag lens kit. 

A while back I asked Maglite if they would consider a warm ML25 or the classic 2D LED. The response was "we'll look into that"…… but I haven't been holding my breath.

Note: tailcaps are able to swap between ML25, 50, 100, 125 and 150. (The slightly taller of the 100 and 125 will.) Lenses and bezel rings for all listed except the ML25 are swappable. Springs and switches as well. The ML25 spring is a thinner guage and softer stiffness but works too. It is actually easier on the battery and allows tailcap to screw on easier.

The XL50,100 and 200 bezel and tailcap are swappable. Lenses are same size as the aa minimag. 

The aaa minimag and solitaire tailcaps are swappable. But for some reason those meant for incan lights may or may not work on their LED counterparts. I have one from an incan that works on an LED but others I tried did not. 

ML300 shares same size lens as the classic big head Maglite.


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## xxo (Dec 27, 2020)

DavidABQ said:


> I don’t know if you will turn into a Maglite fan again but would that be so terrible?
> 
> I have a couple of the older 2D cell flashlights around the house, a Maglite XL50 in the center console of my vehicle and a Solitare in my pocket as an EDC.
> 
> ...




The LED Solitaire is a great little light, nice and simple to use and bright enough for a keychain light. Throws pretty good too for what it is, especially the old 37 lumen version.

I have carried the Solitaire in my pocket very day since it came out....the anodizing is pretty much worn off as are the little ribs in the aluminum form my keys, but it still works perfect.


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## bykfixer (Dec 31, 2020)

I chuckle when reading folks say the 2 lumen incan Solitaire isn't bright enough then say a firefly mode of 0.5 lumens in another light is too bright. 

Yup. 

Happy New Year


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## aznsx (Jan 1, 2021)

bykfixer said:


> Happy New Year



Same back at ya, to you and yours, Mr. bykfixer!

Edit: ...and to everybody else reading this too, by the way!


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## DavidABQ (Jan 1, 2021)

Maglite fan? I am! My EDC is a little Maglite Solitare, the 47 lumen version and I love it! I have some of the older 2-D cell around the house. They may not be the brightest light on the market but they just don’t seem to die either.


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## the.Mtn.Man (Jan 3, 2021)

I still appreciate Maglite. They may not be the brightest or most feature rich flashlights on the market, but they have consistently good quality, are inexpensive and readily available, _and_ they're made in the USA which is a big plus in my book.


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## Chicken Drumstick (Jan 3, 2021)

Well my ML25LT has eventually turned up. Got stung on import VAT and the Royal Mail fee (double the VAT!!!!). But still worked out a lot cheaper than buying in the UK.

It is quite a likeable light, I'll try and get it reviewed this week.







Question to those running these on Li-ion (21700/18650). Are you running Li-ion on the 192 lumen version or the older 177 lumen one? I'm keen to try this out, but obviously don't want to burn the driver out. Thanks.


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## Dr. Strangelove (Jan 3, 2021)

the.Mtn.Man said:


> I still appreciate Maglite. They may not be the brightest or most feature rich flashlights on the market, but they have consistently good quality, are inexpensive and readily available, _and_ they're made in the USA which is a big plus in my book.



Plus, you can hand it to anyone and you don’t have to explain how to turn it on.


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## xxo (Jan 3, 2021)

I've used Li-ions in both my 177 lumen and 192 lumen 2C ML25's with no problems, but there is no guarantee that Li-ions are safe in all 2C ML25's as you are running them about a Volt higher than they are designed for and there maybe some variations in the lights.

There does seem to be a difference in the drivers used since the 177 lumen single mode will run on a single 1.2 Volt NiMH (at least mine does) while the 192 lumen 2 mode needs higher Voltage to light up – based on this I would guess that Li-ions would be safer in the 192 lumen 2 mode and I would recommend avoiding them in a 177 lumen ML25 unless you are willing to take a little more risk.


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## Chicken Drumstick (Jan 5, 2021)

Some early thoughts on the ML25LT:


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## bykfixer (Jan 5, 2021)

ML25 is a goody!!! 

I did something I never thought of trying today with a flashlight. From 75' away with my ML150LR I lit the shadow under my work truck in daylight to check for an oil drip on the ground. I had the oil change yesterday and noticed a spot under the truck this morning. So I took it back to the place and they said it was not leaking. An hour later at work I checked the ground from 75' away and it turns out they were right, no leaks. 

Ford is famous for putting the filter and oil pan plug over top of things that puddle oil. Some shops do a better job at cleaning up the spill than the spiffy-lube shop I used yesterday. On the way to work I got a call that I had the day off so on the way home I stopped at the closest (to my house) place the fleet management authorizes. I've used that spiffy-lube for years with no issues. 

Eh, it gave me a chance to show off my sporty new 1000 lumen Maglite and hear my coworkers say "holy *** that thing is bright!"


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## xxo (Jan 5, 2021)

Do they still stick in those rubber stoppers after they strip out your drain plug with their impact wrench?


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## bykfixer (Jan 5, 2021)

The fine folks who brought us the Pinto have begun using a single use bung instead of a screw anymore. Saving grams means better able to meet government MPG requirements and still provide enough horsepower to keep the interest of the American consumer……same folks that buy lights for their lumens numbers too. 

One place I took the truck to a while back reused the single use bung so I left little dots everywhere I parked at. That was a different chain near my work at the time. 

So since I had carried my new ML150 santa left at my home it came in handy in daylight. I've kept it set on factory because I like the mid-level (called low) output at night.


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## xxo (Jan 5, 2021)

That sucks. Looks like they went with a plastic oil pan. Good thing you have that ML150 to check for leaks!


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## Beamhead (Jan 5, 2021)

bykfixer said:


> ML25 is a goody!!!
> 
> I did something I never thought of trying today with a flashlight. From 75' away with my ML150LR I lit the shadow under my work truck in daylight to check for an oil drip on the ground. I had the oil change yesterday and noticed a spot under the truck this morning. So I took it back to the place and they said it was not leaking. An hour later at work I checked the ground from 75' away and it turns out they were right, no leaks.
> 
> ...



Diehard Ford owner here, 3 in my driveway. I always state that they clean the cross members and other oil puddle catching items on every oil change. I even offer to pay extra but my dealership is very familiar with me so they don't. 21 years on my newer driveway and not a single oil drop yet.......knocking wood.


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## bykfixer (Jan 6, 2021)

If my family had a family crest it would likely have a blue oval in it, a chimney on top (for the tobacco smoker gene) and a Maglite panther in it some how. But we don't so…… 
When the guy at skippy-lube started explaining to me why I had two drip spots I said "yeah, yeah, yeah I get the Ford thing, do I have a leak or not?" Another pipes in and says "we reccomend you drive the F-150 100mph for 5 minutes after an oil change." My reply was "I reccomend you use those 'shop supplies' you charged my company $5 for to mop up the extra next time"……the manager stepped in and says "guys, all this man brings in here are Fords you should know he aint some nit-wit who doesn't know how to put air in his tire, next time do a better clean up"……

My local stealership has been plagued with absentee-ism due to the out break so it's a 2 day wait on services like oil changes. It's the only remaining Ford store in the area so I chose to go to the chain again. 

Now will I buy another Ford in the future? Waiting to see how this 018 work truck holds up. That's for another thread at a Ford forum I suppose. 
Will I buy another Maglite product? You betcha.


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## xxo (Jan 10, 2021)

Chicken Drumstick said:


> Some early thoughts on the ML25LT:





How does it compare to the LED Mini Mag Pro?


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## zoulas (Jan 10, 2021)

Maglite's peak happened a long time ago. Those days are gone forever. They simply cant compete with the chinese sweatshops.


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## bykfixer (Jan 10, 2021)

See, that's where a lot of people misunderstand the modern Maglite. 
They don't even try to compete with the sweat shop factories much like HDS, and SureFire don't. They go their own direction following a path laid out long before those new companies came along. Much like Converse still makes the Chuck Taylor All Star shoe or Vans still makes the classic checkered slip on shoe, albiet with some upgrades to the original designs, Maglite has stuck to some original ideas with some modern technology that is aimed at a market not really looking for the latest, greatest fashionable tints and interfaces. Just a solid performing lighting tool that will still be around in 20 years. 
No longer king of the hill Maglite still has a large following. Mainly because you can hand nearly anybody a Maglite product and they will instantly recognize how to use it. And at the end of a year they probably sell as many flashlights as most of the new players who are really not as big as some would think outside of the flashaholic realm.


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## Chicken Drumstick (Jan 10, 2021)

xxo said:


> How does it compare to the LED Mini Mag Pro?


I think it is a more likeable light than the current Mini Mags. As it is fatter/wider you don't mind the length so much. The Mini Mag should in my mind be a pocket EDC torch. And the old incan ones are (I have a modded p60 one). But the current ones are too long for their length IMO.

Different beam profiles too. The Mini Mag has a small reflector, albeit quite deep and uses a Cree XP-G2. The ML25LT has a much bigger reflector and an even smaller LED the Cree XP-E2, it therefore has a much tighter beam. But is arguably less versatile overall in this regard and aspect.


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## Snulfur (Jan 12, 2021)

Pondering about getting a Maglite 3D, but what kelvin does the LED models have? And is it possible to change the LED out for something else if you'd want to, and if so, how hard is it to do so?


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## Chicken Drumstick (Jan 12, 2021)

Snulfur said:


> Pondering about getting a Maglite 3D, but what kelvin does the LED models have? And is it possible to change the LED out for something else if you'd want to, and if so, how hard is it to do so?


Maglite don't advertise the K rating or even the emitter type/make. However my experience is most of the tints are cool white and often verging on the not so great. I think they have improved in recent times, but might just be pot luck due to general manufacturing of the LEDs has probably improved.

I'd guess in the 6000-6500k range.

I'd also say they would be very hard to mod in order to swap the LED out for another.


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## Snulfur (Jan 12, 2021)

Curses, it's the one thing that is holding me back from getting one. I hate the cold whites. Time to get an incandescent I guess, hohoho.


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## hsa (Jan 12, 2021)

The tint isn't that bad at all. I think the Ml series is a bit warmer. Everyone should own a D cell Mag.


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## Chicken Drumstick (Jan 12, 2021)

hsa said:


> The tint isn't that bad at all. I think the Ml series is a bit warmer. Everyone should own a D cell Mag.


Guess it depends on what you compare it too though. While I can live with the Mags tints. There is no denying they are long way off what you can get from other makes in this regard.


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## bykfixer (Jan 12, 2021)

Heading my way soon; incan aaa minimags from zbattery. 
Purple, green and gray.


----------



## hsa (Jan 12, 2021)

I agree. In many respects Mag caters to a market that everyone else left behind. Alkaline batteries, long throwing reflectors, swithches that work, long run times. It still works for a lot of folks. I am one of them and if you are as old as me you call them "real flashlights". Ha. Of course to find out how old I am , Carbon Dating is necessary. Cheers.


----------



## Bluemondo (Jan 12, 2021)

I had 3 maglites a 26year old 6d a 3d led and a pro+ which I recently lost and I'm looking to replace after reading this thread I'm going for the ml25lt 2c but I can't find one in blue at a reasonable price in the UK so looks l will be buying a grey on for £27


----------



## bykfixer (Jan 12, 2021)

They say carbon dating is only acurate to 36,000 years :nana:

You had fire on a stick for a billion years, candles for a few thousand years, wak-a-palm flashlights for 80 years and Maglites in 1980.


----------



## hsa (Jan 12, 2021)

Bluemondo, grey ones look great, you will like it and use it a lot probably. Byk, 36,000 years, I just made it under the wire.


----------



## Chicken Drumstick (Jan 12, 2021)

Bluemondo said:


> I had 3 maglites a 26year old 6d a 3d led and a pro+ which I recently lost and I'm looking to replace after reading this thread I'm going for the ml25lt 2c but I can't find one in blue at a reasonable price in the UK so looks l will be buying a grey on for £27


Where have you found them for £27 in the UK? Thanks.


----------



## Bluemondo (Jan 12, 2021)

On Amazon free shipping to uk with prime 
Sold by Amazon us £27.20


----------



## Bluemondo (Jan 12, 2021)

Yes I will use it a lot it will be my edc torch hopefully I won't lose this one I have lost 4 aa mags


----------



## Chicken Drumstick (Jan 12, 2021)

Bluemondo said:


> On Amazon free shipping to uk with prime
> Sold by Amazon us £27.20


Don't suppose you could post a link? I've had a look on amazon dot com and can only see them with $200 shipping.

I did find an AAA Mini Mag LED for under $20 shipped including taxes, but is out of stock until 4th Feb.

Or were you looking on amazon.co.uk?


----------



## Bluemondo (Jan 13, 2021)

Yes I was looking on Amazon UK I don't know how to post links but will try


----------



## Bluemondo (Jan 13, 2021)

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B016U0F49K/


----------



## Chicken Drumstick (Jan 13, 2021)

Bluemondo said:


> https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B016U0F49K/


Thanks.


----------



## Chicken Drumstick (Jan 13, 2021)

You have to wonder who comes up with these shipping rates.... is it even worth the effort of listing. Nobody in the history of humanity will be taking them up on it. Very odd business tactics...


----------



## LeanBurn (Jan 13, 2021)

Chicken Drumstick said:


> You have to wonder who comes up with these shipping rates.... is it even worth the effort of listing. Nobody in the history of humanity will be taking them up on it. Very odd business tactics...



I know your pain, in Canada its the same dang rip off.


----------



## bykfixer (Jan 13, 2021)

I think what they are saying is they really don't want to send them overseas but if you pay them the million billion dollars to do it they will.


----------



## bykfixer (Jan 15, 2021)

In post 306 I mentioned a tail cap issue. An email to Maglite warranty was answered in a couple of days saying a new tail cap is on the way. They did ask for a photo of the offending part. I was expecting to have to send them the light as is so that was a pleasant surprise.

Edit: And on another happy note a box of 4D xenon lights showed up 2 days early. Yay!! 
Silver and gray are on sale at Maglite. 

The box says 98 lumens with a 237m beam distance. It throws like a much bigger light. I mean old 7-10 cell numbers with gigantic heads. 

The one I set on my shelf was made in late 018 and serial number 15 million xxx, xxx.
End edit


----------



## NitrousZ28 (Jan 16, 2021)

Just can't go wrong with their quality engineering. I have modified quite a few of these, there is a ton of room to heatsink LEDs or even Laser Didodes. I have one that puts out 7 watts of blue laser, it's like a lightsaber.


----------



## xxo (Jan 18, 2021)

bykfixer said:


> In post 306 I mentioned a tail cap issue. An email to Maglite warranty was answered in a couple of days saying a new tail cap is on the way. They did ask for a photo of the offending part. I was expecting to have to send them the light as is so that was a pleasant surprise.
> 
> Edit: And on another happy note a box of 4D xenon lights showed up 2 days early. Yay!!
> Silver and gray are on sale at Maglite.
> ...




It's sad to see the old 4D incan being phased out. I suppose the 2D and 3D xenons will hang on a while longer, but there does not seem to be much of a market for incan Mags anymore.


----------



## Chicken Drumstick (Jan 18, 2021)

Managed to snag myself a AAA LED Mini Mag from Amazon.co.uk the price was ok, but shipping was quick. I did order one from the USA and the same place I got the ML25LT from. But they cancelled the order claiming their stock had been damaged. Not sure I believe it. I suspect the shipping price changed.










It's a very nice useful light. I like the size and general performance. Glad I got this one.


----------



## bykfixer (Jan 18, 2021)

The dynamic duo. Such irony that your 2aa is the warehouse lighter and the 2C is the thrower. 

What a drag that Maglite products aren't easily available across the big pond these days.


----------



## Yates (Jan 19, 2021)

maglite.eu opened recently, nice website but no buying options yet.

I find it interesting that the ML300L 4D is 1002 lumen, while the ML300L 6D is only 694 lumen.

Say what you will, the classic Mag design is timeless and has class.


----------



## bykfixer (Jan 19, 2021)

Super!! Looks a lot like the American site.


----------



## orbital (Jan 19, 2021)

+

Only fair I do a follow up on my ML50LX LED 2-Cell C ordered in Dec.

The first one came doa,, just hate to say it but have to. Wasn't sure if my C cells couldn't do the Amps so I got more C cells. No dice. 
There was no way I was going to listen to some guy at Maglite tell me I didn't know what I was doing ,,,, so ordered one from A~Z.

That one was fine,, so returned one to the easiest of the two lol 

==== OK, now for the better part,, I'm more into throwers than pure flood lights & the beam is surprisingly good. 
The size of a two C setup is only a bit bigger than a 21700 light & having now a bunch of C cells, good w/ my alkaline setup.

Everyone should own a Mag.. that's just my opinion.

cheers

___________

note: I did put a tint filter on it, since I have tons of rosco 304


----------



## bykfixer (Jan 19, 2021)

I had an LX (2C) arrive with the entire tailcap coated instead of having the two areas normally uncoated-uncoated. So it appeared to be DOA. I removed the coating and asked Maglite to send me a proper tailcap. They asked for a photo so I sent them a photo after removing the coating with a dremel. It was easy to see and Maglite responded "we can see where you attempted to remove it and will send you a new tailcap". 
Main thing was they wanted to know for QC purposes the S/N. I suppose so they'd know how many got out that way.
I got it working by adding some grease to the threads, which allowed an easier effort to screw down the tailcap better for proper ground. But a new tailcap is on the way. 

Was it gray Orbital?


----------



## orbital (Jan 19, 2021)

+

yep,

btw, the spring was a bit softer on the second.


----------



## bykfixer (Jan 19, 2021)

I have a couple of ML300's that had a softer, thinner wire but more tightly coiled spring. Much easier to reassemble with that one versus the thicker, stiffer one. I think it's a ML25 spring.






Tailcaps from ML25 and ML50LX


----------



## CanAm (Jan 20, 2021)

Chicken Drumstick said:


> Maglite don't advertise the K rating or even the emitter type/make. However my experience is most of the tints are cool white and often verging on the not so great. I think they have improved in recent times, but might just be pot luck due to general manufacturing of the LEDs has probably improved.
> 
> I'd guess in the 6000-6500k range.
> 
> I'd also say they would be very hard to mod in order to swap the LED out for another.



Seconded, the tints are OK but not great. It's my main complaint with the current D-cell lights. Good build quality, great runtimes, plenty of light, but...
I've considered dropping in a piece of Lee Filters CTO, which is a filter for adjusting color temperature of photo & video lighting, in front of the glass. Just worried about loss of light from that approach. 

If CRI is critical, a warm white drop in would probably be better, BUT, then you'd likely lose the multiple brightness levels which is a very nice feature.

A few months ago my LX50 walked away on a job, and I've replaced it with the warm-white version. Definitely much nicer. I wish they'd offer the ML300's with that option, I'd probably buy two on the spot. 

Also, seconded that their non-US availability is poor and getting poorer. Hardware stores usually have a few (that's where I got my ML300), but other than that, it's online only and often from the states. In 2012 or 2013 I bought my original LX50 from Mountain Equipment Co-op, but they've since stopped stocking Mag. Which is a shame... 

Luckily I have friends and family in the US who can forward things to me or bring them up when they visit, but it does add time and expense. Shipping to Canada is often similar to the shipping to England described in this thread.


----------



## xxo (Jan 27, 2021)

CanAm said:


> Also, seconded that their non-US availability is poor and getting poorer. Hardware stores usually have a few (that's where I got my ML300), but other than that, it's online only and often from the states. In 2012 or 2013 I bought my original LX50 from Mountain Equipment Co-op, but they've since stopped stocking Mag. Which is a shame...
> 
> Luckily I have friends and family in the US who can forward things to me or bring them up when they visit, but it does add time and expense. Shipping to Canada is often similar to the shipping to England described in this thread.



Unfortunately, Mags are getting harder to find in big box stores in the USA also. The few big box stores by me that still sell Mags only have one or two types to choose from. Not too long ago these stores had a decent selection of Mags.


----------



## bykfixer (Jan 27, 2021)

I really miss going to WalMart to see if they have the latest Maglite products or colors of stuff they did not have the last time I was there. Black 3 cell ML300's is all they have anymore.


----------



## xxo (Jan 28, 2021)

About the only box stores by me that still carries Mags is wallymart and lowes. last time I was at wm, they had some 3C ML50's in a display box and a couple loose MM Pro's that looked like they didn't have a spot on the shelf (not sure if they will be restocked?). And lowes still has a few XL50's and MM Pros.


----------



## bykfixer (Jan 28, 2021)

I was in a target not in my usual circle around Christmas looking for some office stuff and they had 2 incan 2D's for $19 each. 

They were on the same row as brooms and dust pans.


----------



## CanAm (Jan 28, 2021)

Same up here, I've found them at Lowes. Not sure about Wally World. 
Other than that, I think Grainger's might have them, and that's about it. I couldn't even find an online distributor in Canada.
When I bought my first XL50 in 2012 or 13 I got it from MEC (think REI, but Canadian), and I was definitely seeing them on a lot of other hardware and outdoor store shelves. MEC had minimags up to (I believe) 4Ds in a display case with a good variety of other brands of headlamps, lanterns, etc. 
Now? Mostly Fenix. Nothing wrong with Fenix, but a shame to see MAG get cut out completely.


----------



## bykfixer (Jan 28, 2021)

Maglites are like home computers. Nearly everybody who wants one has one. Unlike home computers that are upgraded before you get your BR549xg home and plugged into the wall, the LED flashlight has hit a wall. 300-500-1000 lumens? Yawn! Be it an ABC brand, or top of the line number the market just isn't there in 020/21 like it was in 2015-018.

And since big box stores stock shelves with things that sell like crazy, and the flashlight market has dwindled they make shelf space available for stuff that sells instead of flashlights. 

Why Maglite has never capitalized on the 1aa market is beyond me.


----------



## Yates (Jan 28, 2021)

Maglites are for the average person who does not care for lumens or throw.

But when every phone has a light, it takes some good marketing to convince regular people to buy flashlights.


----------



## Chicken Drumstick (Jan 29, 2021)

bykfixer said:


> Why Maglite has never capitalized on the 1aa market is beyond me.


Agree fully. A 1AA Solitaire and a 1AA Mini Mag would be brilliant easy additions to their line up.


----------



## bykfixer (Jan 29, 2021)

And while wishing……
ML12.5…… a 1C maxi minimag with lots of throw like the ML25.
And spectrum warm while we're at it.


----------



## Beamhead (Jan 29, 2021)

I think they need to step up their marketing, perhaps a TV commercial ...... a person holding a new MLX300X blasting out full lumens with a voiceover saying "not your Dad's Mag anymore, but if you want your Dad's we still make them" :thinking:


----------



## Devildude (Jan 29, 2021)

bykfixer said:


> Why Maglite has never capitalized on the 1aa market is beyond me.



That is one of the best ideas that would drive more people to Mag light. Something bullet proof with easy to source batteries that fits in the pocket unobtrusively. If they could get a decent tiny on it and do all of the usual colors it might be a hit.


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## bykfixer (Jan 29, 2021)

(Sam Elliott voice) "this is not your fathers Maglite, but we still have those too"……


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## Beamhead (Jan 29, 2021)

Bingo!


----------



## bykfixer (Jan 29, 2021)

In another thread the 87 lumen aaa minimag was mentioned today. I had forgotten about those. So I checked old faithful zbattery and yup, they had a few so a couple are on the way. They also have the 111 lumen version. But I remember people here a few years back saying the 87 was just better all around. I bought a slew of 87 lumen ones and gave them away one Christmas. Everybody commented how bright they were. After reading the folks saying the 111 ones weren't as good I avoided the LED aaa minimag for a while. Then for whatever reason I bought a 100 lumen one. All I have at this point are krypton bulb'd and the 100 lumen version and I really like those.


----------



## xxo (Jan 30, 2021)

For some reason there have been a lot of different lumen ratings for the AAA Mini Mag LED. When they first came out in 2012 it was 84 lumens and went to 87 in c.2013, I assume that this was just a retest. In c.2015 they came out with both a 98 lumen version and the 111 lumen version – the 98 lumen appears to have a variant of the Luxeon C LED as used on the original 84 lumen model and throws the furthest, while the 111 has a larger, floodier LED. By 2017 they switched to the 100 lumen model, which from the specs seems to have also have a floodier LED.


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## bykfixer (Jan 30, 2021)

I remember now a day in Home Depot where they had the 111 version in the flashlight section and the 87 at the checkout counter. I was buying 5 that day. At the checkout display there were 6 hanging there. I looked at the package thinking 6 would be better. I noticed the specs and grabbed the 87's and hung the 111's where the 87's had been. I also remebered I kept a gray 87 and stored it in my work laptop bag for a while. Working in a windowless building one day the power went out. I pulled out my BiC lighter to find that minimag and... nothing. It did not work. The Energizer battery nearest the tailcap had leaked. Try as a might I never could get it to work again. It's one of the few Maglites I've ever tossed because I had distorted the barrel banging it on concrete trying to get the battery out. I've not used Energizers or Duracells since. 

Later down the road I replaced the 87 with a 100 and forgot all about those 87's until yesterday. So whenever the snail arrives with my package I'll have an 87 to compare to the 100. But I really really like the spectrum warm aaa minimag. At only 30 some lumens it's like an incan without the donut hole when first activated and puts out a nice broad beam for lighting up a dark shed or crawl space.


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## xxo (Jan 30, 2021)

I lost at least one AAA incan Mini Mags to alkaline leaks - no way to get the leaked cells out without ruining the light.

Virtually all of my LED Mags have never had alkalines in them – only NiMH, Energizer lithiums or li-ion.

I do accumulate alkalines from things that come with batteries included in case I need them for something like a extended power outage, which will probably never happen. I go through them once or twice a year to weed out the cells that are leaking, which there are always a few, even though they are not expired. To tell the truth, the alkaline D's are the only ones really worth saving as they have good capacity and they seem to leak less in storage than AAA's and AA's. If you want to stock up AAA's, AA's or even C's for emergencies, energizer ultimate lithiums are the way to go, for C cell lights running AA L91's in spacers will out perform alkaline C's at medium to high current draws.


----------



## bykfixer (Jan 30, 2021)

I must have a magic touch or something as I have batteries going all the way back to the 1930's that haven't leaked. 





A Burgess from the 40's, a WalMart brand from the 90's, a Bond from the 30's and a Radio Shack from the 90's. 
I bought a slew of those Radio Shack batteries on clearance. 

Now I've had plenty of leakers but it's the fung-chang kind that come in $2 lights or remote controls. My dad swore Maglites had a special coating that sucks out the paste of an alkaline battery.


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## xxo (Jan 30, 2021)

I think some of the old cells leak less than the new ones, I have a couple of rat shack D's from the 90's that haven't leaked but I have had a bunch of defiant (home depot house brand) leak new in the package. Duracells are almost as bad, a lot of leaks in packages with fairly newly purchased items.


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## Chicken Drumstick (Jan 31, 2021)

Anyone know what emitters have been used in the AAA Mini Mags? I believe there have been 2 or 3 generations. 

My ones has what looks like a Cree XP-E2 in. Which I assume is latest Gen. would be interested to know what else has been used.


----------



## ItnStln (Feb 1, 2021)

xxo said:


> About the only box stores by me that still carries Mags is wallymart and lowes. last time I was at wm, they had some 3C ML50's in a display box and a couple loose MM Pro's that looked like they didn't have a spot on the shelf (not sure if they will be restocked?). And lowes still has a few XL50's and MM Pros.


The WalMart where I live doesn't carry Maglites anymore, sadly. I went in yesterday to purchase one as my OLIGHT fell out of my pocket at work and I couldn't find it. I guess I'll stop by Home Depot tonight and hope they have them! Maglites are the only brand of flashlight that have not disappointed me.


----------



## parnass (Feb 1, 2021)

Check the farm supply stores in your area for Maglites. Our local Farm and Fleet store carries them.


----------



## bykfixer (Feb 2, 2021)

I had a ML50LX arrive DOA at Christmas. I contacted Maglite about it around mid-January as I had gotten it working but I preferred to have a proper tailcap instead of one I had modified with a dremel. They said they'd ship out one at no cost and frankly I forgot about it. Last night out of curiosity I emailed Maglite to see if they had mailed it yet. I got response this morning that said in so many words "check your mailbox"…… (tracking was included in the response.)
Get home from work and viola, a new tailcap was in my mailbox. 

Also in my mailbox was some 87 lumen aaa minimags and some lenses from flashlightlens. Chris had cut me some acrylite lenses for my aaa minimags. And I had purchased some of his new ultra-clear glass he calls UCLv3, which is ultra clear borofloat with anti reflective coating on both sides at a good price. 1.75mm thick so it fits just like stock too. 

I put the new tailcap on and hit high and eh, 411 lumens aint bad in my daylight lit den. Put in the new glass and holy mackeral……like the light has turbo now. The difference was striking. I sat it next to one with a stock lens aimed at an eggshell wall 10 feet away and oddang that was a bad idea. I was seeing spots after taking a photo with my phone cam. Then I stuck one in the 846 lumen ML150LRXS and giggled like a school kid. 

An acrylite in an incan aaa minimag leaves a 1mm gap between the bezel ring and head but man does it clean up the beam. Virtually no filament shadow or spider web in the beam and the spot can be adjusted much wider before the donut hole begins to be visible. 

So anyway, Maglite did me right on the ML50LX.






The spot is noticeably more intense through the glass.


----------



## Yates (Feb 3, 2021)

I'm a great fan of the camo finishes Maglite does, I don't think many other flashlight brands do that.

Gotta love this ML300L


----------



## xxo (Feb 3, 2021)

That beam is looking good with the glass lens BYK!

And Yates, that camo ML300 is looking good too - I like how they put the markings on their own camo rectangle.


----------



## ItnStln (Feb 4, 2021)

parnass said:


> Check the farm supply stores in your area for Maglites. Our local Farm and Fleet store carries them.


Thanks, I'll have to as Home Depot in my area doesn't sell any flashlights worth buying.


----------



## bykfixer (Feb 4, 2021)

If you like a 3D flashlight a camo version can be had in the ML300, the classic LED and a jungle camo 3D incan at Maglite. 





Dawg gonnit……


----------



## Chicken Drumstick (Feb 4, 2021)

Chicken Drumstick said:


> Anyone know what emitters have been used in the AAA Mini Mags? I believe there have been 2 or 3 generations.
> 
> My ones has what looks like a Cree XP-E2 in. Which I assume is latest Gen. would be interested to know what else has been used.


Im guessing not then....


Done some research and I've seen pics of what I guess is an early LED AAA Mini Mag with the Luxeon C (same as the 37 lumen Solitaire). Circa 2012






Output: 84 lumens
Intensity: 3,380 candela

Would think these are quite nice if the Solitaire is anything to go by.


My Uncle has a LED AAA Mini Mag I bought him a few years ago, maybe 4-6 years back. It has a Cree XP-E in it. I recall someone mentioning 87 lumens, but maybe less throw.

And the new one I currently have which is claimed 100 lumens from a Cree XP-E2 but with only 2456cd


----------



## bykfixer (Feb 4, 2021)

The 87 was listed as 3387 with a 5 hour runtime. 
There was a point where you had 84,87,98,111 and 100.The 100 appears to have similar specs to the 111. 
I like the 100 just dandy. But the spectrum warm one is my favorite even though it only puts out 30 some lumens. 

The 87 has ability to shrink the hotspot way better than the 100 and with the runtime being 5 hours it's a good choice if you use a aaa minimag a lot.

Edit: took Mrs Fixers ML50LX with ultra clear lens out for a stroll. The real magic was when using low and eco. Amazing. 
End edit.


----------



## jon_slider (Feb 5, 2021)

My son in law just sent me his 2xAA Maglite. There are a pair of Alkaleaks inside, and I cannot get the light open.

I give up on that one.

I considered buying him another.. but there must be something better by now

so then I considered the LED version, but saw this review:

-Maglites-becoming-a-bunch-of-junk


lightyearsaway said:


> I just got two 2AA LED mini maglites, this is the normal one, no pro or pro + or anything like that, this is just the basic 2AA minimag. They suck.
> ...
> Beam: Terrible, they say 141M, I laugh, what a joke. More like 10-20M and that's pushing it.
> Spot: Full of holes, as usual, this was common for incandy lights, but I was shocked to find this on LEDs now too. But only this one so far. I am shocked.
> ...



so Im not so sure another Maglite is a wise option..


----------



## Dr. Strangelove (Feb 5, 2021)

That review is from 2012 and was for a model that they don’t make anymore. The Pro + fixed most if not all of those issues.


----------



## Chicken Drumstick (Feb 5, 2021)

That sounds more like someone with a chip on their should than a person actually owning a modern Mini Mag LED. 

You might find other lights with more output and some with better tint. And even a few with more modes. But the Mini Mag is quite good, esp at the price point. And probably the best if the intent is to run alkaline batteries (I’d always suggest not too).


----------



## xxo (Feb 5, 2021)

jon_slider said:


> My son in law just sent me his 2xAA Maglite. There are a pair of Alkaleaks inside, and I cannot get the light open.
> 
> I give up on that one.
> 
> ...




Get him a AAA Mini Mag LED and some Energizer ultimate lithium batteries, I doubt that he will be disappointment at all. If he needs a bigger light with more throw get him a 192 lumen 2C ML26 with some AA to C spacers and some AA ultimate lithiums or eneloops.


----------



## jon_slider (Feb 5, 2021)

Dr. Strangelove said:


> That review is from 2012 and was for a model that they don’t make anymore. The Pro + fixed most if not all of those issues.



thanks
I looked at the Pro+ before posting:

"(1) The PRO+ offers new, powerful electronics, driving the state-of-the-art LED light engine to an impressive lumen output at the "high" setting and (2) The PRO+ lets the user choose between two output levels one for maximum brightness the other to conserve power."

the Pro+ adds a PWM based lower mode.. 
and it sounds like it is brighter

but I dont see mention that the beam changed since 2012 in the LED non Pro+ model



lightyearsaway said:


> Spot: Full of holes



did they fix the beam?




Chicken Drumstick said:


> That sounds more like someone with a chip on their should than a person actually owning a modern Mini Mag LED.



that sounds like Character Assassination (a legal technique to discredit a witness and ignore his evidence), but does not speak to the actual issue raised: Holy Beam

Im concerned that the beam is not clean..

can someone show me the beam of a 2xAA LED Maglite? (definitely NO to the two mode Pro model, I dont buy PWM). And please dont ask me to watch a video.


----------



## Chicken Drumstick (Feb 5, 2021)

What evidence? I didn’t see any pics or videos? All I saw was someone whinging. And the stuff they were saying just sounds like utter nonsense. 

10 meter beam distance ffs????

The beam is good on all I’ve seen including those I own. 

I don’t have a vid of an AA Mini Mag, but here is one of my AAA. 



The AA version has a slightly more intensive hotspot and more throw than the AAA.


----------



## bykfixer (Feb 5, 2021)

So don't buy another Maglite Jon. 
Problem solved. 

Now back to the Maglite fan thread……


----------



## jon_slider (Feb 5, 2021)

Holy Beamshots:





and
a video of the PWM


----------



## bykfixer (Feb 5, 2021)

Welp this one made it nearly 400 posts before the drama ensued……

Here we go……
:shakehead


----------



## Chicken Drumstick (Feb 5, 2021)

jon_slider said:


> Holy Beamshots:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



+ 1 to what bykfixer said. Don’t get one if you don’t want one. 

But for the record, lots of lights have PWM. Many that are more expensive the Mags. And they have a focusable head. I’m not sure I believe pics above, as you can focus the head in and out several times before unscrewing it. 

I’m off for an evening walk in a few mins. Going to take my Mini Mag. Might try and get some footage for you.


----------



## bigburly912 (Feb 5, 2021)

If it’s not against a white wall where 99.9999% of people don’t even use lights then your outside footage probably won’t matter.


----------



## bykfixer (Feb 5, 2021)

A brown wall





A brick wall





A white wall





A blue floor





Blue jeans

No hole. None. 

Actually the aa minimag is my least favorite Maglite, but I'll give credit where it's due. Snot a bad flashlight. 
If you don't like it, buy something else. Lots of companies make lights that flicker when power is reduced. Some even came up with catchy names for the same process. So what? 
Lots of people like Maglite products for lots of reasons and this thread thusfar has been a place to celebrate a product the posters like. If someone wants to break in and begin a bash-fest there are plenty of "I hate Maglite" threads where they can have at it. But please don't do it here. 
Pretty please with sugar on top.

Not to imply loyalty to Maglite is required to enter, but it's not a place to display the stale rhetoric about Maglite being behind, and all that other same old same old about everything wrong with a Maglite. Unkay?


----------



## Lord Flashlight (Feb 6, 2021)

The recent AA mini mags have been good. In fact I have minimag pro model from when they first came out and it is excellent still. Why would anybody be finding excuses not to buy one.


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## bykfixer (Feb 6, 2021)

I put Panasonic tires on a bicycle I was turning from a hybrid touring bike to 1911 style racer based on a guy in a bicycle shop who sells bikes the pro racers ride in Tour-de-city races. My brother says "Panasonic uses tired old technology" to which I replied "$12 a pop on a bicycle I bought for $75, good enough". Oh he had every reason the Panasonic tire was the wrong tire for my project. "A guy on you tube says this and that"……… I said "don't put Panasonic tires on yours then". Then my other brother jumps in and starts calling my non Panasonic tire fan brother names…… "if you don't like Panasonic tires you're a blockhead"……
I said "guys, take it outside before you get blood on my light blue alpacka carpet, seriously". 
The Panasonic tires I chose did not have the latest rubber compound nor did they have the ability to get 1000 mile tread life. But they hold air and ride decent. Good enough. 

There are some out there who are annoyed that Maglite is even still in business. That's ok. And if another wants to critique a Maglite product and share their view about why they give them the thumbs down that too is ok, aint it? The title of the thread afterall is "will I become a Maglite fan again?" For some the answer is "no"…… some never were and lets face it, probably never will be. Cool. It's when 2 little Hitler keyboard warriors begin to duke it out on a forum where the problem begins. And CPF is certainly not the place where that is allowed to continue. I applaud the staff for that and have had my hand slapped a few times here. Yet keeping things in check ensures lively discussions can take place without the ridiculous free for all battle royal events you see at many other places. This place is part resource and part social media. And thusfar the combination of the two provides a good experience regardless which side you take on the Maglite products.


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## Chicken Drumstick (Feb 6, 2021)

Here are some beam shots from my AA Mini Mag Pro (272 lumen version bought June 2016). Not quite white wall as the ceiling isn't actually white. Also only off an iPhone, beams look cleaner in person.

Spot focus:





Flood focus:






Got some video footage uploading....


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## bykfixer (Feb 6, 2021)

Now which model CD? 
There are sooooo many versions of the aa minimag. Some provide way uglier beams than others. 
The one I posted pix from is a green body 332 lumen aa minimag from a SprawlMart purchase pre-pandemic. I believe it was around $25.
Some say the 332 has more blue in the beam than the previous version. I don't know as I never bought a 274(?) version. I never got past the 137(?) version as once I discovered the aaa minimag in LED I never kept any aa versions for myself. I gave away a few for Christmas at times to folks who generally used cheap batteries so most of those (I hear) are long gone. 
I bought the 332 because it has a green body.


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## hsa (Feb 6, 2021)

I have the 272 lumen version. It's about five and a half years old, I use it 365 days a year to let the dog out in the morning. Looks about like yours, you would probably have to hold them up side by side to tell the difference. I don't know about the tint, don't really care. My dog likes it. She told me so. She wants one of those Fraz things cause they look like a dog bone.


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## bigburly912 (Feb 6, 2021)

As I’ve said before the only mags I have owned have been mini mags. Aa or aaa. I’ve never had one that had a beam that looked like an anus as the beamshot Jon posted. That looks like a full on butthole up yonder on that wall. I don’t even know how they made it do that


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## Dr. Strangelove (Feb 6, 2021)

I've always been a Maglite fan, at least for the Minimag. As someone who has needed a small, pocketable EDC flashlight for work since the mid-70s, it was a godsend when it came out. While we laugh at its minuscule output and poor beam pattern today, compared to what was available at the time it was a game changer. All of mine were upgraded to an aftermarket LED when they became available, then the LED version, and then the Pro and Pro+. Today I have four Pro+: one in the garage, one in my tool tote, one in my backpack and the latest 332 lumen version in my car. I appreciate flashlights for what they do for me rather than for the flashlight itself. The Minimag Pro+ checks so many boxes: Small, inexpensive, decent beam pattern and brightness, good runtime (with Eneloops or or lithium primaries, never alkileaks), reliable and fairly rugged. Another important feature: you can hand it to anyone and they can turn it on without explanation. Is it perfect? No, but I haven't found the perfect flashlight yet. Does it fill my need for an inexpensive, reliable, easy to use flashlight I can stash where I might need it in the future? Absolutely! Of course, YMMV.


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## Chicken Drumstick (Feb 6, 2021)

bykfixer said:


> Now which model CD?
> There are sooooo many versions of the aa minimag. Some provide way uglier beams than others.
> The one I posted pix from is a green body 332 lumen aa minimag from a SprawlMart purchase pre-pandemic. I believe it was around $25.
> Some say the 332 has more blue in the beam than the previous version. I don't know as I never bought a 274(?) version. I never got past the 137(?) version as once I discovered the aaa minimag in LED I never kept any aa versions for myself. I gave away a few for Christmas at times to folks who generally used cheap batteries so most of those (I hear) are long gone.
> I bought the 332 because it has a green body.



Sorry, have edited my post. It is a 272 version, got while I was on holiday (vacation) in Sarasota, Fl.


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## Chicken Drumstick (Feb 6, 2021)

jon_slider said:


> Holy Beamshots:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Hi Jon,

Hope this helps you make a decision.


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## bykfixer (Feb 6, 2021)

Chicken Drumstick said:


> Sorry, have edited my post. It is a 272 version, got while I was on holiday (vacation) in Sarasota, Fl.


That's it, 272. For some reason I thought it was 274. Heck, they may have had a bunch that said 274 then ran another test and found it to be 272……or not lol.


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## xxo (Feb 6, 2021)

The tints on the older Pro/Pro Plus where much nicer than the latest 332 lumen Pro/351 lumen Pro Plus which tend to be very blue. Of the two, I normally recommend the Plus version as it makes the light so much more useful than the single mode Pro. The Pro is basically limited to out door use because it is too bright for inside/up close. To tell the truth, I much prefer the 192 lumen 2C ML25 to the Pro and Pro Plus as an out door light because it has so much more throw and a much bigger spill that is bright enough without completely killing your adapted night vision. The spill beam on the Pro/Pro Plus is too small and too bright, so you get some glare from the spill up close and you have to keep moving the light to scan to see where you are going or what's out there in front of you. The Pro/Pro Plus are about as good as other AA LED lights, but they can't compare with the ML25.

For general use, I think the AAA Mini Mag LED is far more useful than the AA Pro and even a little more than the Plus. Despite being a single mode light, the AAA MM has a much nicer beam with a big, not too bright spill and decent throw, though less than the AA Pro/Pro Plus.


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## greenpondmike (Feb 8, 2021)

I'm still a fan. It would be nice to have an incan version that has gold contacts in the switch assembly instead of brass- no resistence. I wonder what that would cost?

My chickens think I have too much time on my hands.


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## xxo (Feb 9, 2021)

bykfixer said:


> That's it, 272. For some reason I thought it was 274. Heck, they may have had a bunch that said 274 then ran another test and found it to be 272……or not lol.




You might have been think of the sort lived 274 lumen 2D Pro:

http://www.led-resource.com/2012/12/maglite-pro-2d-led-flashlight-review/


.....basically a LED 2D with a XP-G instead of a Rebel or an XP-E.


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## bykfixer (Feb 9, 2021)

I bought a Pro for $35 then a 170 something and preferred the 170 something one for $20 so I gave away the Pro on a job site one night. The 170 something still rides in my work truck in an incan packaging with batteries removed.


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## xxo (Feb 10, 2021)

bykfixer said:


> I bought a Pro for $35 then a 170 something and preferred the 170 something one for $20 so I gave away the Pro on a job site one night. The 170 something still rides in my work truck in an incan packaging with batteries removed.




A lot of people must have felt the same way as the 2D Pro didn't last long and it seems not many were made - it already is becoming a collector's item.


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## jon_slider (Feb 11, 2021)

Free 2xAA Mini Maglite Incandescent with alkaleaks stuck inside.. pm for details






edit
Light has been claimed.


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## kelmo (Feb 15, 2021)

In 2019 before COVID-19, I gave out Minimag AAs (272 lumen version) to my co-workers as Christmas gifts. We do a lot of inspection work but get cheap LED lights assigned to us so the Mags were a great update. I did get myself one and have gravitated back to Maglites. I love the red Solitaire. It is the 1st bright red LED I have owned and used. It really lights up what is in front of you. I'm going to order the red XL50 today! I really don't need one but you know how it goes.

I got Minimag AAs stashed in my workout bag, truck, and the latest Pro just because. I got the white light wand for the one in my workout bag. Since COVID closed the gym I belong to I've been going to the local park to workout with exercise bands. When it was getting dark around 4:30 pm I popped on the light wand to use as an area light along with a Streamlight AA camp lantern.

I got a Minimag AAA attached to my cell phone pouch to complement the Arc AAA in my pocket.

Lumens are fun but too many just aren't practical. I've been into AA and AAA lights since lockdown.

kelmo


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## The Hawk (Feb 16, 2021)

Just when I thought I was finished buying flashlights (yeah, right), I read this thread and started researching Maglite. I ended up ordering a ML300L LED 4D cell Maglite. It claims to have 1002 lumen on high with a 5 hour run time. Also claims 18 day run time on Eco mode. They had a discount code of 30% off. Regular price was $90. I got mine for $66.75 including tax with free delivery. Thanks for the info.


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## xxo (Feb 16, 2021)

The Hawk said:


> Just when I thought I was finished buying flashlights (yeah, right), I read this thread and started researching Maglite. I ended up ordering a ML300L LED 4D cell Maglite. It claims to have 1002 lumen on high with a 5 hour run time. Also claims 18 day run time on Eco mode. They had a discount code of 30% off. Regular price was $90. I got mine for $66.75 including tax with free delivery. Thanks for the info.




The 4D ML300 seems like a great light, I may have to get one. Do you have the coupon code?


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## bykfixer (Feb 16, 2021)

SW30…… 30% off anything. 

I'm in……


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## The Hawk (Feb 16, 2021)

I think bykfixer beat me to it. SW30 is what I used. Ordered from their website. Good luck.


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## xxo (Feb 16, 2021)

Thanks fellas!


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## bykfixer (Feb 16, 2021)

I opted for a HALO edition ML50LX and a St Jude solitaire. 
That will complete the St Jude collection as unless you look in the St Jude section the solitaire version does not show up anywhere else. 

The HALO is program created by a double amputee Dana Brown to assist fellow wounded warriors. 

I struggled between the Popular Mechanics 4D, the National Association of Search and Rescue 4D or a plain one so I opted for the ML50LX. At around 8 hours (or less) per night the ML50 would light my den for up to 2 weeks.

On another note, in my mailbox this morning was a pewter color 2aa minimag from around Y2k with an inova nite ize triple that uses 5mm LED's and along with that was a mint condition gold colored 2aa minimag from around 1986. Member JayHawk said he was thinning the herd so he sent them to little ole me. That was awesome!! 






The triple minimag





The (g)oldy but goody.

The Nite Ize bi-pin drop in pits out around 25 lumens or so like having 3 Yujis in a circle. 
Up close to a wall the beam looks like a radioactive symbol but back away a few feet and you get a nice floody beam good for checking that bump in the night without waking anybody. 





Up close and personal





A few feet away things look normal


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## xxo (Feb 16, 2021)

I have one of those tripple LED nite ize drop-ins in one of my old mini Mags, got it a walmart back around 2005. To tell you the truth, I was never all that impressed. I doubt mine was 25 lumens and the beam is all flood with no real focusability. I tested the run time on eneloops and brightness dropped off a lot in the first two hours to about 6 lumens and by 11 hrs it was down to about 2 lumens. Back in 2005 LEDs were not all that efficient. One thing I did like was that it was good for "candle mode" using the head as a stand for the rest of the light.


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## bykfixer (Feb 17, 2021)

I was figuring 'not bad for 2005 territory'. Not bad at all. 

Then I fired up the pristine '86 minimag and thought "no wonder these things sold like 1/2 price beer. Good gosh it's bright"……not realizing just how dirty my users are.


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## xxo (Feb 17, 2021)

bykfixer said:


> I was figuring 'not bad for 2005 territory'. Not bad at all.
> 
> Then I fired up the pristine '86 minimag and thought "no wonder these things sold like 1/2 price beer. Good gosh it's bright"……not realizing just how dirty my users are.



Yup, that was state of the art back then, LEDs were just beginning to be offered to the mainstream public and most people were amazed at the light they put out, their longer battery life and the fact that the LEDs last pretty much forever. Maglite didn't come out with a LED MM until 2006 (running a Luxeon III), so something like the Nite Ize drop in is what was available in c.2004/5 if you didn't come up with your own LED mod.

BTW that gold MM looks real nice, I always like the gold Mags, but they seem to be something of a rarity or at least one of the colors you don't see all that often.


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## bykfixer (Feb 18, 2021)

The triple also came with a really well designed holster by RIPOFFS. 





Easy slide over belt or molle strap.





Secure in foot pursuit but easy to deploy.


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## aznsx (Feb 18, 2021)

bykfixer said:


> The triple also came with a really well designed holster by RIPOFFS.



Was lookin' at a couple of their rigs lately and thinking I might give 'em a try. If it looks decent to you, I'll put that down as a 'plus'


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## bykfixer (Feb 21, 2021)

I suppose there was a time when the minimag was popular enough to have an accessory industry built around it kinda like the P60 later on did. And the ripoffs minimag holster was much nicer than those provided by Maglite at the time. Today there are so many choices out there that the minimag got lost in the crowd with Joe the Plumber types. 

From time to time my fakebook page has a Maglite ad. And the typical reply is "phonix is better" or "maglite can't compete with q light" type comments. What I saw yesterday were "thank you for eco mode" type comments from people who had lost electricity in recent storms in America.


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## knucklegary (Feb 21, 2021)

^^ Plus.. RIP-Offs is veteran owned company

BrightGuy dot com has a nice collection of RO holsters offered at decent prices!  🇺🇲


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## xxo (Feb 21, 2021)

bykfixer said:


> I suppose there was a time when the minimag was popular enough to have an accessory industry built around it kinda like the P60 later on did. And the ripoffs minimag holster was much nicer than those provided by Maglite at the time. Today there are so many choices out there that the minimag got lost in the crowd with Joe the Plumber types.
> 
> From time to time my fakebook page has a Maglite ad. And the typical reply is "phonix is better" or "maglite can't compete with q light" type comments. What I saw yesterday were "thank you for eco mode" type comments from people who had lost electricity in recent storms in America.




There used to be a whole cottage industry making Mini Mag accessories - I think that's how Nite Ize got started?


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## bykfixer (Feb 21, 2021)

Nite Ize started in 1989 in Colorado making a head band to hold a small flashlight. Perhaps the minimag played a role in their success. 
In 2010 they acquired the Inova brand after colaborating with Emissive Energy for a few years. Emissive Energy was responsible for many developments in LED technology. So the partnership may be what led to Nite Ize selling the bi pin drop ins for minimag lights from technology acquired from Emissive Energy who chose to focus on military products like InForce lights.


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## xxo (Feb 21, 2021)

bykfixer said:


> Nite Ize started in 1989 in Colorado making a head band to hold a small flashlight. Perhaps the minimag played a role in their success.
> In 2010 they acquired the Inova brand after colaborating with Emissive Energy for a few years. Emissive Energy was responsible for many developments in LED technology. So the partnership may be what led to Nite Ize selling the bi pin drop ins for minimag lights from technology acquired from Emissive Energy who chose to focus on military products like InForce lights.



That small flashlight was the Mini Mag. NiteIze used to make a stand with 4 movable legs so that you could set it down and light up something you were working on, a neoprene, soft grip sock and a thingy that went on the back that you could bite on to hold the light with your teeth – all for the Mini Mag.


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## aznsx (Feb 22, 2021)

xxo said:


> There used to be a whole cottage industry making Mini Mag accessories



Absolutely, such as my incan MM 3xAA conversion kits w/Al reflector, extension tube (w/coupling w/second spring), and appropriate lamps for the app. Those were circa 1995 from TacStar. Oddly, I just got one of those out and played with it last week


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## xxo (Feb 22, 2021)

aznsx said:


> Absolutely, such as my incan MM 3xAA conversion kits w/Al reflector, extension tube (w/coupling w/second spring), and appropriate lamps for the app. Those were circa 1995 from TacStar. Oddly, I just got one of those out and played with it last week




Cool. I remember those but I didn't know who made them or much of anything about them. Maybe we need a thread on Maglite accessories?


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## aznsx (Feb 23, 2021)

bykfixer said:


> Nite Ize started in 1989 in Colorado making a head band to hold a small flashlight



I think they still sell those. I picked one up only ~5 years ago. I've used it with 1xAAA/AA/123 lights as a cheap and dirty, fold up and slip in a pocket 'emergency' head light when mobile hands-free light is needed in a jam. A MM 2xAA is probably near the practical weight limit, and they may not be ideal, but hey - the thing works, and is way better than nothin', and better than sticking the thing in my mouth! I always have such a light with me, and it takes very little room in a pocket etc.


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## aznsx (Feb 23, 2021)

xxo said:


> Cool. I remember those but I didn't know who made them or much of anything about them. Maybe we need a thread on Maglite accessories?



TacStar has also produced a remote pressure switch setup for the MM - if you can believe that! No, I don't have one


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## xxo (Feb 23, 2021)

aznsx said:


> TacStar has also produced a remote pressure switch setup for the MM - if you can believe that! No, I don't have one




Looks like someone is selling them on [email protected]


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## kelmo (Feb 25, 2021)

Greetings

I got a 3D ML300L yesterday. I used the SW30 coupon and the light cost me $35! It gets better, when I ordered it I was under the impression I was getting an older 600+ lumen variant. What I got was the latest 746 lumen model! I took it to the local park last night and lit the place up. I forgot how much heft these lights have. On the same order I got a 47 lumen Solitarie for $8.75. 

I'm thinking about getting a 2D ML300L and the tube extender which is used for storage. I will fill it with basic 1st aid supplies for a bugout bag. To bad we have to use alkaleak batteries to power them...

kelmo


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## xxo (Feb 25, 2021)

No need to use alkalines. I don't believe I've ever had an alkaline in my ML300. Right now I am running a 26650 in an adapter, in the past I have used soshine NiMH D's or AA eneloops in 3AA to D adapters


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## kelmo (Feb 25, 2021)

xxo said:


> No need to use alkalines. I don't believe I've ever had an alkaline in my ML300. Right now I am running a 26650 in an adapter, in the past I have used soshine NiMH D's or AA eneloops in 3AA to D adapters



Awesome, thanks!

Are Maglite fans called Magits?!


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## CanAm (Feb 25, 2021)

kelmo said:


> I'm thinking about getting a 2D ML300L and the tube extender which is used for storage. I will fill it with basic 1st aid supplies for a bugout bag. To bad we have to use alkaleak batteries to power them...



It's not necessarily cheap to get set up, but you shouldn't have any issues with good rechargeables. Tenergy & Powerex seem to be the preferred option for D cells, and of course you could use any decent 3xAA parallel battery carrier. It's nice to be able to use alkalines as backup (especially if you can get them from work ) but you're certainly not chained to them for everyday use. 

I haven't measured, but I haven't noticed any changes in output when using NiMh in Mags. 

The 2d ML300 is great for a car light or as a larger backup to any EDC or work light. Mine flip flops between my car and my work bag. I'm planning to pick up a 2nd and drop in UCL glass down the road. 
If only the tint wasn't so cold and we could get an OP reflector....


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## BigusLightus (Feb 25, 2021)

To answer the original question, No. I just visited the Mag website and viewed many of their lights and prices. At those prices I have no intention of buying another Mag. The competition among lesser priced lights is fierce and there are many to choose from. The Mag website doesn't appear to indicate any knowledge of CRI, temerature or tint.


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## bykfixer (Feb 25, 2021)

I use PowerX but the trouble with those is self discharge. Nothing major but if you only use the light on occasion you may be in the dark. I let a pair of C size set around for about a year in an ML25 and when I went to use it……nothing. 

I use eneloops in some but you just don't get the run time with those. So if you use the light for hours at a time keep extras charged and on hand. 

Another thing to remember with ML50's and 300's (or the older ML100/125 lights is that the switch is on standby so it's using a bit of electricity when idle. Just twist the tailcap with the light on to loosen until it shuts off and for good measure another quarter turn or so to cut off the drain. 

Maglite did a limited run of what they called Spectrum lights where there were red, blue, green or warm beams. They sold about as well as ice at the north pole so don't look for them to put out warmer tints in the ML series. I figured they may back off the temperature some like Streamlight and Elzetta have done but so far they've stayed with tints in the 6000 range. Probably to try to compete in the market of lumen output over appealing tints. Take the Spectrum warm aa minimag for example. It puts out 63 nice warm lumens. Tim the Toolman wants POWAH!! not some puney little 63 lumens. He wants MORE LUMENS. His type say the 332 lumen version is a good start.


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## bykfixer (Feb 26, 2021)

SW30 is back……


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## hsa (Feb 26, 2021)

Sw 30?


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## BigusLightus (Feb 26, 2021)

Just read the warranty on the Mag website. It is only tens years and does not include the LED! So I guess they warranty the aluminum tube, spring and switch?


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## aznsx (Feb 26, 2021)

BigusLightus said:


> Just read the warranty on the Mag website. It is only tens years and does not include the LED! So I guess they warranty the aluminum tube, spring and switch?



When I've poked around sufficiently on various flashlight manufacturer websites, I've found that most (almost all) warranties (independent of duration) have similar 'exclusions'. Off hand, I believe my only lights with warranties that do not have such exclusions for specific parts or types of parts are my ASP lights (which are also 'lifetime' duration).


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## bykfixer (Feb 26, 2021)

Pelican went from "guarenteed against anything except 5 year olds and bear attacks" to "lifetime against breakage or defects excluding lamp and batteries". 

Streamlight offers lifetime against "defects" except for batteries, bulbs, normal wear and abuse. Electronics and switches have a 2 year warranty. 

My Energizer Hard Case is warrantied "for the life of the product"……well the day it breaks was the end of it's life? Exclusions are normal wear or abuse.

SureFire says if you purchase a light from them they will determine if the light is free from defects or workmanship during your lifetime. Switches not included.


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## aznsx (Feb 26, 2021)

bykfixer said:


> Pelican went from "guarenteed against anything except 5 year olds and bear attacks" to "lifetime against breakage or defects excluding lamp and batteries".
> 
> Streamlight offers lifetime against "defects" except for batteries, bulbs, normal wear and abuse. Electronics and switches have a 2 year warranty.
> 
> ...



Yeah, 'normal wear / abuse / misuse' is practically a universal clause, which is why I left that out and referred to 'specific parts and types of parts'. That (along with duration) is where I see difference(s), and exclusions some might not ordinarily expect to see. Which others that you're aware of (besides the ASPs I mentioned) don't exclude 'specific parts or types of parts', and are they also lifetime duration? If anyone knows of some, I'd like to know that info, as I do find it interesting. I could've missed some last time I looked around. I'm not knocking anyone's policy and that's for the buyer to judge, I'd just like to know for my own info. And BTW, I don't consider replaceable cells / batteries to be at issue, and I sort of exclude those from consideration. Typical examples of the types of parts I'm referring to often include (but are not necessarily limited to) 'LEDs', 'electronic parts / electronics', 'switches', etc. Most of the manufacturers I know of include one or more of those. It sounds like your Energizer might be another exception! (or not). Actually, I guess my original point was really.....Yeah, Maglite excludes a part or two, but so does almost everyone else!


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## bykfixer (Feb 26, 2021)

Oh I agree AZ. 
Used to be a time when many of the big players had practically anything goes warranties where now they word-smith things to where you're not even sure what it means anymore.


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## revscott (Feb 27, 2021)

I just got a Maglite ml25lt 2C that I ordered from Amazon. It came in a small box (about the size of the light) vs the blister pack that was pictured on Amazon. Is that normal?

But my major concern is when I twist it on and adjust to a tighter hot spot, the threads on the head get loose and rattle when carrying the flashlight. I am so used to maglites having a consistent feel to the twisting action that this caught me by surprise and I don't like it. Is this a quality control issue or something else like evidence of a fake?


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## BigusLightus (Feb 27, 2021)

On the otherhand, I just found a pair of ML50L 4C Mags for $20 each. I'm very happy with that deal.


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## xxo (Feb 27, 2021)

revscott said:


> I just got a Maglite ml25lt 2C that I ordered from Amazon. It came in a small box (about the size of the light) vs the blister pack that was pictured on Amazon. Is that normal?
> 
> But my major concern is when I twist it on and adjust to a tighter hot spot, the threads on the head get loose and rattle when carrying the flashlight. I am so used to maglites having a consistent feel to the twisting action that this caught me by surprise and I don't like it. Is this a quality control issue or something else like evidence of a fake?



It shouldn't rattle. I would send it back for an exchange. I have never heard of fake ML25's, but anything is possible. Blister packs are the most common, but Mag does have boxes as an option for most of their lights.

BTW a little super lube grease or petroleum jelly on new Mag threads makes them feel silky smooth and may take up a tiny bit of play if it exists, but again the head should not rattle.


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## xxo (Feb 27, 2021)

BigusLightus said:


> On the otherhand, I just found a pair of ML50L 4C Mags for $20 each. I'm very happy with that deal.




Sounds like a really good deal. I assume you meant 2C or 3C unless they started making 4C ML50's?


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## revscott (Feb 27, 2021)

There is some resistance (like I have felt on other maglites) when first turning the head but there is a noticeable point when the resistance stops and the turning is very loose. This happens right as the hot spot is getting tight at a distance.


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## revscott (Feb 27, 2021)

Anyone tested or know of someone who tested the runtimes for a ml25lt using two AA Eneloops in C adapters?


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## xxo (Feb 28, 2021)

revscott said:


> Anyone tested or know of someone who tested the runtimes for a ml25lt using two AA Eneloops in C adapters?




I got just under 2 1/2 hrs with the multi mode 2C running eneloops.


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## bykfixer (Feb 28, 2021)

I'm working on a year and a half of occasional use with eneloops and still have hi and lo.

There is definite flop on the 2nd gen ML25 after turning it about a half turn or more that I do not have on my first gen. When twisting the head off the 2nd gen it puts up a lot less resistance as well. Maglite used a thinner diameter o'ring for the gen 2.


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## revscott (Feb 28, 2021)

bykfixer, when you say flop are you referring to movement within the threads while the light is on? Does the head rattle a bit when you shake it while it's on and focused with a tight hot spot? I am trying to figure out if I want to go through the trouble of an exchange with maglite. If the replacement they send me will only be marginally better or potentially marginally worse, I don't want to hassle with it. I am asking about the 2nd Gen ML25LT.


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## xxo (Feb 28, 2021)

Just checked my three ML25's, an old 2C, 3C and a newer 2 mode 2C - seems like the O ring on the newer 2 mode 2C is slightly thicker than the older 2 and 3C's (opposite of Byk's). O ring thickness may play a roll, but none of my ML25's rattle or feel loose, though I do keep the threads and O rings lubed. All 3 of my ML25's go from off to fully focused in about a quarter turn of the head, so there is not a lot of travel on the threads, but even when I turn the heads out several full turns with the beams completely defocused, there is no looseness/play much less rattle.


OK after playing around with these, I think that the length of the cells being used may play a bigger roll than variation in the O rings. I noticed that I was able to get some play with the heads turned all the way out about 1 thread from the very end when the head is about to screw off completely. If you are using eneloop AA's in adapters they may be a little too long for your light. AA's are actually a little longer than C cells by about 0.5 mm per cell and NiMH's tend to run a little longer than alkalines. When I used to use AA eneloops, it was sometimes difficult to screw the tail cap on because the eneloop AA's were a bit longer than the usual alkaline C's (BTW twisting the head a couple turns in to the on position makes it easier to get the tail cap on and cinched down for good contact to the body of the light). I eliminated this problem with my 3D printed 18650 and 21700 adapters by designing them to be close to the minimum length for C cell alkalines so that the tail caps are easy to screw on.


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## bykfixer (Feb 28, 2021)

revscott said:


> bykfixer, when you say flop are you referring to movement within the threads while the light is on? Does the head rattle a bit when you shake it while it's on and focused with a tight hot spot? I am trying to figure out if I want to go through the trouble of an exchange with maglite. If the replacement they send me will only be marginally better or potentially marginally worse, I don't want to hassle with it. I am asking about the 2nd Gen ML25LT.



If I shake it, yes it rattles some, yes. The one in the photo. My other gen 2 are hit and miss for that. I have a few. 
For kicks and giggles I tried wrapping telfon tape 2 wraps thick just now on the red one in the photo above and wobble is completely gone. Neeeeeeat!! 
Everybody should have at least one roll of teflon tape (plumbers tape) in their home along with kite string and duct tape. So if you don't it's time to head to a hardware store and solve that issue……


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## revscott (Feb 28, 2021)

bykfixer, did you wrap the entire threaded section with the teflon tape? Was the turning operation still smooth? Did you add lube on top of the teflon tape?


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## bykfixer (Feb 28, 2021)

Two wraps the width of the tape. Operation feels like the gray one in the photo above. No lube. 
The flashlight was a St Valentine gift to Mrs Fixer. 





Yup, I'm a Maglite fan, yes. 





So is my bird we call Maglite head or maggy for short.


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## revscott (Mar 1, 2021)

Has anyone had issues with mode changing on the 2nd gen ml25lt? I have been trying the eneloops with c adapters and I have to turn off/on several times to get the high mode selected.


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## bykfixer (Mar 1, 2021)

Find the beam you like and try using the tailcap for on/off.

Once I figured out I could use the tailcap for on/off I stopped using the front end for that. I found that trying to find low using the front end was not as consistant for me as using the tailcap. Maybe others can chime in with their method of changing settings.


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## revscott (Mar 1, 2021)

The mode change works every time with alkaline C batteries and sporadically with the eneloops and c adapters. I had taken the eneloops straight out of the package and put them in the flashlight. I am charging them now to make sure that wasn't the issue.


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## jabe1 (Mar 1, 2021)

revscott said:


> The mode change works every time with alkaline C batteries and sporadically with the eneloops and c adapters. I had taken the eneloops straight out of the package and put them in the flashlight. I am charging them now to make sure that wasn't the issue.



Reading this thread, it seems that battery length is frequently the problem with the ml25lt. Eneloops are slightly longer than alkaline AA or C cells.


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## xxo (Mar 1, 2021)

I've never had a problem with accessing the low mode, though you do need to be quick. I usually give a twist just enough to come on then a quick twist off/back on to get to low. If you are too slow it times out.


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## bykfixer (Mar 1, 2021)

Thats why I use the tailcap xx. I take too long twisting it at the front end.


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## xxo (Mar 1, 2021)

bykfixer said:


> Thats why I use the tailcap xx. I take too long twisting it at the front end.




I usually turn it on with one hand - haven't figured out how to twist the tail cap and hold the light to do that.


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## kelmo (Mar 1, 2021)

bykfixer said:


> Two wraps the width of the tape. Operation feels like the gray one in the photo above. No lube.
> The flashlight was a St Valentine gift to Mrs Fixer.
> 
> She's a keeper!
> ...


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## bykfixer (Mar 1, 2021)

(Don Adams Maxwell Smart voice) "The old turn the twisty head Maglite on at the front with one hand trick."
I can do it one handed but definitely not change settings one handed at the front end. However, holding the light head down and using my thumb and forefinger to loosen/tighten the tailcap I can just fine. Lubing the threads helps.


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## xxo (Mar 1, 2021)

bykfixer said:


> (Don Adams Maxwell Smart voice) "The old turn the twisty head Maglite on at the front with one hand trick."
> I can do it one handed but definitely not change settings one handed at the front end. However, holding the light head down and using my thumb and forefinger to loosen/tighten the tailcap I can just fine. Lubing the threads helps.




Cool! I figured that you had a way of doing it.

first thing I do when I get a new Mag is lube the threads, tail cap. head and bezel ring. I hate the dry squeaky threads as they come from the factory.


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## xxo (Mar 1, 2021)

kelmo said:


> I tried to take the bezel off my new ML300L to lube the threads and I don't think it was designed to be removed. I hope I didn't damage the indent...




It's actually pretty easy, first you take off the bezel ring, than the rest of the head can be gently pushed down away from the focus ring backwards towards the barrel of the light. The head will only drop down so far before it is stopped by a retaining ring. Normally there is no need to disassemble any further than that to lube the threads.


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## bykfixer (Mar 1, 2021)

Cool! 
The old slide the bell head down the barrel like the ML100 trick…
ML50 candle mode!! Heck yeah. 

I use either Honda Shin Etsu silicone grease or vasoline for Maglites. The Shin Etsu was used on old rubber gaskets and moldings on my Honda cars and a little bit went a long ways. I did 3 cars and a van with it and still have about half of the 8oz tube. It can be found in generic form these days for about 60% the price of the Honda tube I bought years ago. Also great at keeping car doors from freezing shut in really cold climates.


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## xxo (Mar 1, 2021)

bykfixer said:


> Cool!
> The old slide the bell head down the barrel like the ML100 trick…
> ML50 candle mode!! Heck yeah.
> 
> I use either Honda Shin Etsu silicone grease or vasoline for Maglites. The Shin Etsu was used on old rubber gaskets and moldings on my Honda cars and a little bit went a long ways. I did 3 cars and a van with it and still have about half of the 8oz tube. It can be found in generic form these days for about 60% the price of the Honda tube I bought years ago. Also great at keeping car doors from freezing shut in really cold climates.




I usually use petroleum jelly as that is what Mag recommended for years. I think they also recommend super lube now. I have used silicone a few times, but I never use random lubricants because I don't know if they will damage the O rings.


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## bykfixer (Mar 5, 2021)

Each year about this time I celebrate March Magness by adding to the Maglite quiver. It started the March that the ML25 was available. Many were acquired at WalMarts or Home Depot since Maglite web site had things priced much higher. One year the Maglite site did not have the 2 speed 2D classic yet so I bought that at Grainger. 

This years March Magness was celebrated in Nov/Dec 2020 during the 30% off black friday sale and 25% off during the 25 days of Christmas sale. So last evening while lurking the site there just wasn't much I wanted that I don't already have. Realizing I no longer have a black gen 2 ML25, I did contemplate pulling the trigger on one of those and perhaps a 127 lumen aa minimag with the HALO logo on it, but I emptied the cart and went to bed instead. 

I probably will end up grabbing that minimag at some point. 127 lumens with 6k+ cd sounds good to me.


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## xxo (Mar 5, 2021)

The other night, I dug out my old 77 lumen MM and set it up as a lantern with a 3D printed base and defiuser. The flashing beacon mode should work real well for marking the location of a camp site or the like.


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## bykfixer (Mar 5, 2021)

That's pretty cool double x

It was actually a NASAR logo on the minimag. National Search and Rescue. I bought that and a digital camo minimag holster combo that are both 127 lumens with nearly 7k candela. And while at it I tossed in a NASAR solitaire. I just prefer to buy lights that a portion of the proceeds goes to a charity. 

Btw the SW30 code did not work. It seems this round it only works for the long run ML300.
So March Magness continued for 2021.


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## TwiceFuzed (Mar 6, 2021)

revscott said:


> Has anyone had issues with mode changing on the 2nd gen ml25lt? I have been trying the eneloops with c adapters and I have to turn off/on several times to get the high mode selected.





TwiceFuzed said:


> I’m really enjoying my ML25LT when it has fresh batteries. Once the batteries drop down to 1.32 volts each or ~2.65 volts together, the lights do not want to turn on in high mode most of the time. It will reliably turn on, but it comes on either in low mode or sometimes it turns on with an output that is less than low mode. Cycling it from off to on a few times will usually get it to come on in high mode. It does this with both my Amazonbasics C rechargeable batteries and brand new AA eneloops in C adapters.
> 
> I ran down a set of eneloops a tad until it started having the switching issue and then got it to turn on in high mode and let it run in high mode for around 2 hours until the batteries were almost completely discharged and it dimmed significantly. The batteries can clearly put out plenty of current to run the light. However, unless the batteries are fresh off the charger it is difficult to get the lights to turn on in high mode.
> 
> Both of my brand new ML25LTs do this. Is anybody else having this issue?


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## bykfixer (Mar 6, 2021)

I keep an ML25 fed by eneloops in the door of my truck and today at 40 degrees I tried it out to see if it would start on high. It did not but hi was available. Actually I'm ok with that.

Edit: brought the ML25 inside and let it warm up a while. It still starts on low. It still has high available and I'm still ok with that. 
Now the one I have on a shelf fed by PowerX cells and the one I gave Mrs Fixer fed by Rayovac alkalines both work normal. Easily prompt high to low consistantly where the eneloop fed one does not prompt high to low and back consistantly but at times takes two or three tries to change the setting. I'll try some eneloop pro cells soon but the pro's are at 1.28/9 volts and the regular at 1.32 volts. 
End edit

Next morning edit: 
Fresh off the charger at 1.52 volt regular eneloops were installed and it works normal again. No struggle with mode changes either. The eneloop pro cells are still charging. I stuck them on a charger last night but unplugged it about a half hour later. Now the pro cells have been in a pair of 1 cell lights I rarely use for 3+ years so at 1.28/9 volts that says a lot about how well they avoid self discharge. Both lights are direct drive so the eneloop pro were chosen for their more steady flow that means the lights dim less quickly. 
End next morning edit.


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## aznsx (Mar 8, 2021)

BF - I'm unfamiliar with this light, and a bit confused by all this, but when you get to root cause I hope you'll net this out for my simple mind, as it sounds 'disturbing' (in an interesting way and I'd like to understand.


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## bykfixer (Mar 8, 2021)

The ML25 is in essence a 2C sized minimag. They did a 3 cell one that's much like carrying a Stinger (pre-big head) size minimag. They came out in late 2016 and sold pretty well due to a $20/25 price tag at WalMart, Home Depot etc. Now while the flashlight world was crossing the 1000 lumen mark Maglite put out a sub-200 lumen light. But……it has a small LED so it throws very well. 25,000+ candella from 170 something lumens. It throws like a 7D Maglite. 

In 2019 Maglite upgraded the 2 cell version to have 192 lumens (w/28,000+ candela) and a low of around 40% give or take. Twist it on like a minimag and a quick twist for low. Now many here shy away from alkaline batteries so eneloop in C size adapters are popular. Some are saying theirs won't do the high mode with eneloops. Mine fed by eneloops was acting erratic. Now it had been riding in my truck door for 18 months or so without charging the batteries. It only gets used occasionaly and usually for short bursts. The other day I noticed mine was misbehaving in cold air so I let it warm up and same thing happened. After charging up my batteries it worked normal again.






Top to bottom
- aaa minimag LED
- aa minimag LED
- 2 cell ML25 LED 
- 3 cell ML25 LED (with Stinger Anti-roll)
- Stinger LED (with Stinger ant-roll)

Maglite also made an incan version of the ML25.


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## xxo (Mar 9, 2021)

Eneloops may be better than alkalines, but they are still not that great in the cold. In cold temps they lose power and go dead quick. Energizer L91 ultimate lithiums are the way to go for improved cold weather performance (down to – 40), but these are not rechargeable.


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## bykfixer (Mar 16, 2021)

A digital camo 127 lumen version aa minimag arrived today along with what was labeled at Maglite as the 127 lumen version with the NASAR logo on it. (National Association for Search And Rescue.) Turns out the NASAR is an updated to either 272 or 332 as I can't really tell. It has Energizer Max batteries that expire May 2030 so I suppose it's the 332 lumen version. 

It's pretty obvious it's not the 127 lumen version by all that extra side lighting and when holding it lit side by side with the 127 lumen version the spot is pretty similar. To this point I had not really cared for those really bright minimags but today I found an appreciation for this 272/332 version but will probably prefer the 127 lumen version simply because it does not have all that bright side lighting. It's more like using a double a sized ML25.





Also bought a NASAR clad Solitaire
This was my annual March Magness purchase for 2021.


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## The Hawk (Mar 16, 2021)

Hey gang. I just saw on Maglite's website that they are offering 30% off their entire collection. Use code SPD30 for discount. I ordered a ML300L 4D model last month when they did that. It is quite a torch! Sale is for today only. Good hunting.


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## rrego (Mar 17, 2021)

Hey all, did Maglite update/bump up the output of the ML50L 3-C cell model to 705 lumens?

I came across one on the bay and purchased. I was searching for the ML50L 2 or 3 cell model specifically, noticed that many of the 3-C cell models are reasonably priced. I kept scrolling and scrolling and came across that one, was the only one that had these updated figures.

I could tell by the pictures on the listing, that there are updated stickers on both sides of the clamshell with the updated figures.

I went onto Mag's website but did not find this updated info. I hope it is not counterfeit :duh2:

I'll find out when it comes in.

The info per the stickers of the 705 lumen model are:
High: 9 Hours 45 Minutes
Low: 43 Hours
Eco: 184 Hours

The specs on the 611 lumen models that I see on the packaging are:
High: 16 Hours
Low: 42 Hours
Eco: 153 Hours

I don't know how to decipher all of this info, other than the High is lower runtime than the 611 lumen model. It simply caught my attention due to the updated specs and curiosity. I know it wont be very noticeable but still cool to have an updated model if that is the case.

I do already have a 611 lumen model (3-C) and a 490 lumen model (2-C).


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## bykfixer (Mar 17, 2021)

The 3 cell ML50LX is shown as 705 lumens at Maglite. So it stands to reason the standard ML50L is now same.

Nice score.


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## Yates (Mar 17, 2021)

rrego said:


> Hey all, did Maglite update/bump up the output of the ML50L 3-C cell model to 705 lumens?



Mag does this a lot it seems, silent updates.

This could explain why prices for the ML50L 3-C have come down recently, seeing some listings under $20.

Would be great if you could post the full model number, or a pic of the label.


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## bykfixer (Mar 17, 2021)

When Maglite updated the 2D classic to 213 lumens and hi/lo the model number remained the same. I ordered one from Grainger who sent the old version. They responded "oops, keep the old one" and had the new version overnight'd to me. 
Point being you get what you get if you base it off a model number. The idea, especially if you are buying at eBay or Amazon is to make sure the output of the one that particular seller offers. Often times I'll place orders on things because it is listed as an older version and end up with the newest version of Streamlight, Coast and other brand's products.


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## Yates (Mar 17, 2021)

2D classic LED.

Different part and model numbers, *but same UPC* which is kind of annoying.


Here is a 213 lumens label.






And here you have a 168 lumens label.


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## rrego (Mar 17, 2021)

bykfixer said:


> The 3 cell ML50LX is shown as 705 lumens at Maglite. So it stands to reason the standard ML50L is now same.
> 
> Nice score.




Thanks Byk


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## rrego (Mar 17, 2021)

Yates said:


> Mag does this a lot it seems, silent updates.
> 
> This could explain why prices for the ML50L 3-C have come down recently, seeing some listings under $20.
> 
> Would be great if you could post the full model number, or a pic of the label.




Yates - I don't know how to post pics :shakehead, but I could PM them to you from the listing, if you'd like to post. I see you do know how to post pics.


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## jabe1 (Mar 17, 2021)

Has anyone opened up an ML25 to modify or change the driver and led? Or is it all still too proprietary?


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## rrego (Mar 17, 2021)

Yates said:


> Mag does this a lot it seems, silent updates.
> 
> This could explain why prices for the ML50L 3-C have come down recently, seeing some listings under $20.
> 
> Would be great if you could post the full model number, or a pic of the label.




I think this worked?

Yes! I figured it out!


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## LeanBurn (Mar 17, 2021)

Enjoy the pricing US citizens, anywhere else in the world and its near double the cost.


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## bykfixer (Mar 18, 2021)

At one point I noticed it was the same cost to ship a package via USPS to Asia, Europe, the Congo or 10' north of the US border. I thought that rather strange. It was a bargain for the person Taiwan considering how many kilometers it travelled but to the Canadian it was pretty drastic I thought. If it was non tracked the cost was way less. Not long ago one sent to Australlia took 8 days total while one coming my way from 3 states away took a month. 

Last night I took the 332 and 127 lumen minimags out for a trial in side by side use. Close up and way in the distance the 332 was superior but for just walking around the 127 appears almost as bright. At 150 feet things appeared pretty equal for both throw and spill. As in angled to light up an object at that distance the nearby spill was about equal and so was the spot. At an angle to see 300 feet the 332 was definitely lighting the object better. At 50 feet the 332 lit up everything it's beam hit pretty evenly. 
The reason for buying the 127 in camo was so that at a glance I'd know which one it is. It has lo/strobe/signal as well where the 332 I was carrying is hi only. At Maglite it's the 'aa minimag holster pack'. The package had 5/20 on it and batteries that expire 12/2030, so I do not know if it's just left in the pipeline or if they were still producing them late in 2020.


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## aznsx (Mar 23, 2021)

bykfixer said:


> The ML25 is in essence a 2C sized minimag. They did a 3 cell one that's much like carrying a Stinger (pre-big head) size minimag. They came out in late 2016 and sold pretty well due to a $20/25 price tag at WalMart, Home Depot etc. Now while the flashlight world was crossing the 1000 lumen mark Maglite put out a sub-200 lumen light. But……it has a small LED so it throws very well. 25,000+ candella from 170 something lumens. It throws like a 7D Maglite.
> 
> In 2019 Maglite upgraded the 2 cell version to have 192 lumens (w/28,000+ candela) and a low of around 40% give or take. Twist it on like a minimag and a quick twist for low. Now many here shy away from alkaline batteries so eneloop in C size adapters are popular. Some are saying theirs won't do the high mode with eneloops. Mine fed by eneloops was acting erratic. Now it had been riding in my truck door for 18 months or so without charging the batteries. It only gets used occasionaly and usually for short bursts. The other day I noticed mine was misbehaving in cold air so I let it warm up and same thing happened. After charging up my batteries it worked normal again.



Thanx, BF. Ask the man a question, and you get a proper answer - complete with supporting info and a photo!


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## xxo (Mar 23, 2021)

I have been having trouble with a eneloop fed energizer light kept outside in a shed this winter. The eneloops kept going dead or getting weak enough to flicker/not turn back on after very little us. They worked fine for awhile after recharging, but the eneloops apparently don't like prolonged storage in below freezing temps.


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## CanAm (Mar 23, 2021)

Also helps to unscrew the tailcap slightly. The newer mags have an electronic switch that causes a little bit of drain. Not ideal for long storage.


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## bykfixer (Mar 24, 2021)

xxo said:


> I have been having trouble with a eneloop fed energizer light kept outside in a shed this winter. The eneloops kept going dead or getting weak enough to flicker/not turn back on after very little us. They worked fine for awhile after recharging, but the eneloops apparently don't like prolonged storage in below freezing temps.



I keep an eneloop fed ML25 in my work truck but also keep extra batteries like alkalines or ultimate lithiums just in case. I started using ultimate lithiums years ago in my unheated garage in order for the wall clock to work all year. It costed about a $2.50 a year because 4 were $10 back then and a cell would last about a year. 
Later I started storing lithiums in the flashlight in my unlit shed.


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## wjv (Mar 29, 2021)

My 3x'D' - ML300XL in Follage Green arrived today.

I had to buy it off of the Maglite web site in order to get the latest version with the new extended run times.

746 lumen - 32h
130 lumen - 112h
58 lumen - 298h

Not that I actually expect those numbers. . But if I get a solid 8 hours -> 50% on high I'll be very happy.
If I get the same, 1/4 of spec -> 50% for the other setting it will be fine with me.

The infamous donut hole is mostly gone. If you play with the zoom a bit you can still get a faint shadow of the hole, but it is easy to make it disappear with an adjustment of the zoom.

It now has a true wide angle beam that while not quite as good as a fixed flood light, is pretty acceptable. I also like the 1/4 head turn to change from wide -> focus -> wide. No more rotating the head 2-3 time to get the beam pattern you want.

Beam color is not bad, but I would have liked something a bit warmer.

I also wish that they had added a mode that started with low (1-click) instead of High (1-click). It's not horrible, but I use low and medium a lot more than high on my lights. But if I worked in security or law enforcement, I could see how they would prefer 1-click to high.

I also like the new "grenade" style grip. 

I think this will be a great home emergency light. In a power failure, set it on low (or med), set it on flood and tail stand it. If you can get ~58 lumens for even 75 hours or so, that's 15 days @ 5 hours per day on one set of batteries.

It also will be a good dog walking light. Let's just say Maglites are known for being versatile implements of defense, and leave it at that.

Edit:

Took it out once it got dark. I think the throw numbers are a bit optimistic.
Compared it side-by-side with my Fenix TK15UE - 1,000L/325M.
I actually thought the Fenix did very slightly better than the Mag, even though the Mag is rated at 403 Meters. 

I suspect part of the problem is that to reach max throw with the Mag, you need to have the focus dialed it 100% correctly. If you are off just a tiny bit you won't get max throw.

That said I do believe that this is the best Maglite I have ever owned. The beam is better. The output is better. The throw and flood is better. But I am a bit spoiled having other lights that put out 1000, 1800 or 3200 lumens using precision flood or throw reflectors. My Olight SR52UT has a 800 meter throw and my SR MINI II can light up half a football field. That type of performance is hard to beat.

Edit 2:
I discovered that if I focus the beam properly I can get a solid 240 meter throw out of it. I know the distance to some houses across the way and was able to illuminate them with a *usable* amount of light. (Used "free map tools" online to find the distances). Before I was setting the Mag to the smallest hot-spot. Today I set it to the smallest, most well formed, circular hot-spot, and saw an improvement in throw. 

Then I compared it to my TK51 which is a light from ~2014. The specs using the throw beam on the Fenix are very close to the Maglite - 900 Lumen / 425 meter. Bluntly, the Fenix blew the Maglite away. Much brighter and able to see way more detail.

But. . . The Fenix cost $160 back in 2014 and has 2 separate reflectors. One for flood and one for throw. So each reflector is highly tuned to the specific task and beam type.

This does not negate the Mag as being a good light. Most people have little need for a light that can reach out hundreds of meters. For the market that it was designed for, I think the ML300XL is a good, well built, versatile light and will do most everything that a non-flashaholic will want. Additionally, lights like the Fenix require dealing with 18650 batteries. Something that a lot of people do not want to do.


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## xxo (Apr 2, 2021)

Mag did a great job with the ML300. Most people think that a Maglite is a Maglite and don't realize how much better the newer ML300 (and ML50) really are. Considering that they are $25-$40 for the basic versions (a little more for the grenade gripped LX's) and that are intended to run on alkalines I think the ML50 and ML300 series perform about as well as can be expected. Plus they are still made in the USA!

I agree that the should have a function set that goes eco-low-high - this is something I have wanted for a long time, even though I mostly use function set 3 (momentary-high-Eco).

BTW I run all of my Mags on NiMH or Li-ion batteries; I think that these perform a little better than alkalines, plus they won't leak.


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## bykfixer (Apr 2, 2021)

32 hours on high is crazy long. Now it probably isn't still on full blast after all that that but I'd say it safe to predict at that point it's still brighter than the old 3D incan Mag with fresh batteries. 

I received an email from Maglite saying "thanks for your input" to which I suppose was due to asking them a few times to consider adding an "eco" setting to the mode groups. One time I said "you guys advertize the 4D as a long run light when it's on eco so why not incorparate a "power out" mode for times when one needs that long run time"…… sure it's great to have 1000 lumens but when the power is out one might prefer not to be blinded while clicking from high, to low to eco. I don't about you guys but when the power is out at night my home is pretty dark so the last light I'm reaching for is a gigantic 1000 lumen number. A candle puts out plenty at those times so a tailstood 50 something lumen eco mode Maglite is very useful. 
Actually if it had an eco option I'd probably use that the most with some of my ML lights. I'll always have my ML150LRSX set on cop mode though 'cause I love love love that 846 lumen momentary thing. Heck yeah, "take that perp" zzzt goes the retinas baby!!


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## xxo (Apr 5, 2021)

It shouldn't be too hard for Mag to update the firmware for a start on eco "weather emergency" function set. While they're at it, how about a tactical momentary only set or maybe a momentary/triple click for constant on set?


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## bykfixer (Apr 5, 2021)

I went to sprawl mart today looking for solar lamp batteries and ran across Westinghouse AA batteries for about $2.50 each (4 pack for $10). The package says 2000mAh so for my 3-6 lumen yard lights, why not? Now I'm thinking of trying them out in an ML25 I don't use much and see about how well they hold a charge. If they suck at holding a charge I'll just keep them for yard light replacements. I bought 3 packs for 4 lights so I have some extras. 
They also had 3.7 volt 18650 cells 4/$14.


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## xxo (Apr 5, 2021)

Don't know about the westinghouse AA's, but I have a few of the westinghouse 18650's that I got super cheap on clearance at the end of the season a few years back, they seem to be fairly typical low cost unproctected 2000mAh nominal cells - should be fine for yard lights and other applications where you don't need a protected cell or really high performance. I sometimes use them in my ML25's, though it is best to use protected cells for this.


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## bykfixer (Apr 6, 2021)

I had considered buying some of the 18650's for my 3 cell incan ML25 with 4 cell bulb but since I rarely use it and have a half dozen yard light batteries for that one already…… 
At one point I was using that type of battery and 5 cell bulbs in various 2C flashlights but kinda lost interest in obtaining more vintage flashlights but it is kinda cool to have a 7D bright output coming from a 1950's baby cop light. 

It's kinda strange how I grew up with light bulb'd flashlights and never once considered "today the bulb might blow", but nowdays when I opt for an incan flashlight I always consider which bulb is in it and where did I stash the spares. I used a 2aa minimag for years with the factory bulb. I finally had to change it when I dropped it in a pond in really cold water and the bulb blew. But even now it still uses the spare that was in the tailcap. It burns pretty dull compared to an incan one with only a few minutes use. Don't know what has gotten coroded over time but it definitely does not burn as brightly anymore.


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## xxo (Apr 6, 2021)

It's always fun to run a big cell bulb in a smaller cell light. I have a 2D Mag set up to run a 6 cell bulb on 6 eneloops in a couple of 3 AA to D cell series adapters and a 3C xenon Mag that I can run a 6 cell xenon bulb in with a pair of protected 18650's or 21700's. Back in the day, I used to run a 6 cell bulbed 2C Mag on 3 CR123A's.


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## bykfixer (Apr 6, 2021)

I have a 2c outfitted with 2 lifepo 18500's using a TL2 bulb in it. I prefer the 2c Kel-Lite with same batteries using a 4 cell Maglite PR xenon bulb but the Maglite is pretty sweet.


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## bykfixer (Apr 13, 2021)

My local Lowes store has Maglite products again. After not seeing a single Maglite product in my local Lowes store for oh I dunno 3? 4? years? they had XL50's and Solitaires at the checkout counter. Now this particular Lowes does not have a "flashlight section" like a lot of stores but instead places various brands in various locations along one main artery aisle that leads to the aisles with screws or lamps or paint. So as you stroll past the cash registers you see Craftsman flashlights, you get near the auto tools and see Kobalt flashlights and an occasional Rayovac or Energizer display here and there. Lux Pro were over by the kitchen area. So there may have been a Maglite display somewhere that I didn't see. 
But it was nice to see some Maglite products at Lowes again.


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## bykfixer (Apr 17, 2021)

Maglite has colaborated with the American Radio Relay League for an ML300, an XL200, a rechargeable MagTac and both 2 aa and aaa minimag. Tomorrow (4/18/21) is national ameteur radio day so they have a 20% coupon with code AARL20 at checkout if interested


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## bykfixer (Apr 18, 2021)

I hate to be that guy who posts a bunch of posts in a row in the same thread but I suppose I'm going to be that guy (again).

Not since my ROP have I had a 2C sized Maglite shut off photo cell light in my backyard from 50 feet but the ML150LRS does just that. 






Mrs Fixer is so proud of her little 8x8 garden she lights it up at night. 





The ML150LRSX makes the main light think it's daylight.

The flower garden used to be a stump that had been ground when we first arrived. One year we used a grubbing hoe to lift out the saw dust and pry up roots, then placed a bunch of shredded leaves into the craters left and mixed those with the wood chips. We waited iirc 2 years then started planting stuff. Some stuff made it, some did not. But little by little she has tried unusual and old school plants. This year we expanded it some and made a nice border from river rocks from a nearby creek that range in size between a softball and a football. I have about twice that size prepared but as things flourish we expand it a little each year. It was about 4x4 feet when she started. Nearby is a 15x15 foot building that's in pretty rough shape under a few hundred year old oak tree so when that comes down we'll use the concrete slab for a patio to gawk at her little garden from. My neighbors would say "tear down that shack" to which I'd reply "it keeps my mower dry, so if you don't like it you tear it down". After the ice storm this year my mower gets a little wet when the wind blows a certain way. 

Man, I really think Maglite has a winner with the new ML150 magchargers. When they had their black Friday sale I bought both sizes, but I really like the short one. So much that I bought the matte finish one during their Christmas sale. I'll set outside this fall and giggle like a school kid while turning off her solar lamps with them.


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## xxo (Apr 19, 2021)

Cool garden!

I still need to get me one of those ML150's.....kinda wish the matte finished one had the grenade grip. I'm guessing that the grenade grip is not all that popular as Mag hasn't offered it for the 4 and 6 cell ML300's either.


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## bykfixer (Apr 20, 2021)

If you are ok with a 3c sized light the ML150LR gives nearly 2x the runtime of the 2c sized LRS. 1082 vs 846 lumens isn't really worth quibbling over in my view. 
If you prefer the shorter body pay the extra $8 for the matte finish LRSX. The knurling is like an ML50L but it just feel a bit less slippery with a bear, dry hand. 
With the grenade grip I get a sense like a rain tire that grip would be better when wet due to moisture being displaced and it probably really helps if wearing tactical impact type or warm gloves. So yeah, it was be nice to see the ML50LX grip available on both ML150 versions. But I use a tailcap from an alkaline leak ruined ML25 I drilled holes in and placed a wrist strap on. I just rotate it to which ever ML150 I'm taking with me.


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## xxo (May 12, 2021)

Went to the local wal of mart and looks like they stopped selling Mags completely, last time I was there a couple months ago, they still had ML50's and a hand full of MM Pros. And at ho depot the Mags are long gone with no sign of coming back - I saw that they have a lot of their old junk lights from last year on clearance to make room for a bunch of new junk lights for this year....kinda sad really.


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## kelmo (May 12, 2021)

I got the 2D, 3D, and 4D ML300Ls.

My favorite is the 2D, the ideal combination of heft, output, and runtime IMHO. I got a white light wand and all 3 battery configurations make a great lantern with the wand attached. I bought them with Maglite e-coupons, 20-30% off. If you don't mind a big light these are a great value!

I got all my ML300Ls for what I paid for a single Surefire. 

A Surefire will always be on my belt but a Mag will always be in my bag!

kelmo


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## xxo (May 12, 2021)

Maglite's make great lanterns. I have been 3D printing bases and diffusers for assorted Mags, everything from AAA Mini Maglites to the big D cell Mags. Alkaline D's should give a lot of runtime during a power outage, though I run mine on 26650's or 21700's in adapters.


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## bykfixer (May 22, 2021)

For some reason I remembered buying a 2 cell ML300LX at Christmas tonight. 
Rather, for some reason it was stashed. In a side by side with Mrs Fixers ML50LX those 70 some lumens more were able to reach a lot farther. The ML50 was amazing but the 300 looks a lot brighter. The ML50 has borofloat from FlashLightLens.


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## xxo (May 23, 2021)

Nice! Gotta love them matte black, grenade gripped LX's.


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## bykfixer (May 23, 2021)

I took the photo by krypton table lamp bulb and it turned out like I posted it. 
They're both gray. The more I tried to tweak the photo the more they either looked olive green or charcoal black.


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## xxo (May 23, 2021)

I can see that now that you mentioned it, gray is just as cool looking.


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## bykfixer (Jun 26, 2021)

New camera yields more accurate colors.


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## aznsx (Jun 26, 2021)

bykfixer said:


> New camera yields more accurate colors.



New 'real' (purpose-built) camera, or a new telephone that can take pictures?


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## bykfixer (Jun 26, 2021)

New camera that doubles as a cellular phone. 

Last year I bought a nice Panasonic point n shoot but since acquiring the iPhone 12 max it has been collecting dust lately. The previous photos of the gray Maglites was taken with an iPhone 7.


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## greenpondmike (Jun 28, 2021)

[I used a 2aa minimag for years with the factory bulb. I finally had to change it when I dropped it in a pond in really cold water and the bulb blew. But even now it still uses the spare that was in the tailcap. It burns pretty dull compared to an incan one with only a few minutes use. Don't know what has gotten coroded over time but it definitely does not burn as brightly anymore.[/QUOTE] 


I would check where the spring meets the incap, bykfixer. A fellow not too long in the recent past came on here and drew attention to that spot. After that I got out my dad's 2d maglite and I knew the batteries were good, but it just seemed not to put out quite as good as before. I pressed on the endcap spring and rotated it with some pressure and put it back together and it put out way better. I think that man said to take the spring out and clean up the corrosion in the endcap using something or other. Anyone remember that post?- it was from this year-maybe late winter or early spring.


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## aznsx (Jun 28, 2021)

greenpondmike said:


> I think that man said to take the spring out and clean up the corrosion in the endcap using something or other. Anyone remember that post?- it was from this year-maybe late winter or early spring.



I recall that post, and it was spot-on. Electrolysis generally involves dissimilar metals and some moisture (electrolyte), leads to oxidation, and that wreaks havoc with all sorts of electrical connection points in all sorts of applications. Many like that 'de-oxit' stuff for correction and prevention. I have some but have never used it on anything yet (which is pretty dumb.

- AZ via Anniston/Montgomery


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## bykfixer (Jun 29, 2021)

The light I was speaking of gpm has been retired. At one point when installing a nite ize bulb in it the switch broke. Member Poppy sent me a switch he had retrieved from a light ruined by alkaline battery leakage. It did not allow the proper current flow (as in has high resistance) I suppose from getting some alkaline leak inside the switch assembly itself. Since at the time incan minimags were $7 or less at walmart I just set it on a display shelf along with some other momentos from that period of my life. I suppose one day I'll buy a new switch for it, and give it a good going over stem to stern with some Tarn X I have left over from restoring 100 year old flashlights. 

These days I use a spectrum warm aaa minimag. I bought a spectrum warm aa version too but prefer the beam of the incan over that one as it has much better throw than its warm LED counterpart.


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## fuyume (Jun 30, 2021)

When Mag Instrument decides to be competitive with newer brands in terms of functionality and runtime, then I will give them a chance again. I just paid $21.56 for a Fenix E12. When Mag can match that product, I'll buy it. 5 lumens for 70 hours on one AA with one-handed operation.


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## fuyume (Jun 30, 2021)

I just looked at the Maglite website, and they don't even list the specifications of the Mag-Tac CR123. Did they think not listing specs was a good marketing idea?


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## hsa (Jun 30, 2021)

Specs can be found on this page by clicking on specs.
https://maglite.com/collections/oth.../mag-tac-cr123-led-flashlight-plain-bezel-mto


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## fuyume (Jun 30, 2021)

hsa said:


> Specs can be found on this page by clicking on specs.
> https://maglite.com/collections/oth.../mag-tac-cr123-led-flashlight-plain-bezel-mto



Thanks for that. I was looking at https://maglite.com/collections/compact-size/products/mag-tac®-cr123-led-flashlight-crowned-bezel and there are no specs on that page.

But, unfortunately, Maglite declines to provide any specifications for the output of the Lo mode, which is rather important, and 17 hours runtime on Lo from 2xCR123A seems pretty dismal when I can get 70 hours out of a 1xAA Fenix E12, unless that “low mode” is more like a medium mode.

The Mag-Tac seems to be about equivalent to the Bushnell 2xCR123A flashlight I bought a few years ago on a whim at Wal-Mart, which I think, if I recall correctly, has something like 270 or 300 lumen Hi and 25 lumen Lo modes, but the Bushnell was half the price (it’s also extremely uncomfortable to hold, so I rarely use it, lots of very sharp edges).


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## aznsx (Jun 30, 2021)

bykfixer said:


> New camera that doubles as a cellular phone.
> 
> Last year I bought a nice Panasonic point n shoot but since acquiring the iPhone 12 max it has been collecting dust lately. The previous photos of the gray Maglites was taken with an iPhone 7.



I figure only two things matter here: that your updated device works for you / is doing what you hoped it would, and that you like it (sort of the 'I'd buy it again' thing). If one of the things you were hoping that the new device would give you is higher quality images, then I'd say you did well! Just from a casual comparison with my crummy eyes on my very 'ordinary' screen, the second image appears to be of noticeably higher quality than the first image. Good on ya!


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## bykfixer (Jul 2, 2021)

AZ, I carry an ML25 and a short version of the ML150 in the door of my work vehicle. Yesterday I used the new "camera" to photograph a tough scene to get right, even with an SLR. 





The super hi/lo contrast scene in mid-day sunshine. 
The "camera" excelled at the task and got both the shiney lens correct without over exposing and the shadow correct without under exposing. Before downsizing resolution for posting on a forum board the letters showing on the ML150 were nice and crisp.

Yes I'd buy it again.


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## vicv (Jul 2, 2021)

I just purchased an ml50xl 3 cell. I don't think maglites are dead. Would I prefer they have more honest drivers? Yes. But almost all companies do it anyway.


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## jrmcferren (Jul 7, 2021)

I just bought a Maglite ML300 2D last week. I've been looking for a more powerful EDC that uses standard cells for a while now and with the high output, simple mode switching, and decent battery life, I finally pulled the trigger. A 2D is rather large for EDC, but I'm getting used to it. I'm just glad I didn't go for 3 or 4 D.

As for batteries. I'm currently still on the 2 Energizer Max cells that came with the light and I bought an 8 Pack of Rayovac for spares. I am going to investigate Rechargeable cells as a matter of course. My main concern is the current drain, I have already checked perceived brightness and NiMh appears to be just as bright on high power, but I will do more comparisons in the near future.


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## xxo (Jul 7, 2021)

jrmcferren said:


> I just bought a Maglite ML300 2D last week. I've been looking for a more powerful EDC that uses standard cells for a while now and with the high output, simple mode switching, and decent battery life, I finally pulled the trigger. A 2D is rather large for EDC, but I'm getting used to it. I'm just glad I didn't go for 3 or 4 D.
> 
> As for batteries. I'm currently still on the 2 Energizer Max cells that came with the light and I bought an 8 Pack of Rayovac for spares. I am going to investigate Rechargeable cells as a matter of course. My main concern is the current drain, I have already checked perceived brightness and NiMh appears to be just as bright on high power, but I will do more comparisons in the near future.



Mags run fine on NiMH's, though I generally run my 2 and 3D cell LED Mags on single 26650's in adapters – a lot lighter than D cell NiMH's and there's only one cell to charge, not to mention no leaks that are always a possibility with alkalines.


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## jrmcferren (Jul 7, 2021)

I just performed some testing on my ML300 and determined that some additional testing is required. Note, all tests performed on High.

Partially used Alkaline still providing full visible brightness: 1.1 amps dropping to .8 amps in about 5 to 10 seconds settling at about 0.8 amps. The intensity does not vary.
Harbor Freight NiMh that has likely had some self discharge: 2.2 amps and steady, no visible increase or decrease in output.
Tenergy Centura recharged within the past few months: 2.3 amps and steady, no visible increase or decrease in output.

My RadioShack battery tester shows the NiMh (both Harbor Freight and Centura) on the border of recharge and good, but measures 1.2 volts (about 18 Ma test current from the tester). My partially used Alkalines show 1.4 volts (with the test current applied from the tester), a good on the tester, and the test current is a slightly higher 21ma.

I have the Harbor Freight cells on the charger now, a full charge on NiMh puts us around 1.4 volts which is about what I'm getting from the Energizers on the tester.

Current result: Inconclusive
Next question to answer. Is the current dropping due to an increase in voltage caused by the Alkalines recovering from an inrush surge?
How I'm testing: Freshly charged NiMh will present a higher voltage to the driver, if the current drops on testing the freshly charged NiMh from 2.2 Amps, there is some evidence of higher battery voltage = lower current.

Ironically, the question I was trying to answer to begin with was if it was possible to duplicate the Alkaline claimed High runtime with NiMh cells and what capacity would be required.


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## xxo (Jul 7, 2021)

You should have no trouble matching the actual alkaline run time with any decent 8,000-10,000 mAh NiMH D cells, though the alkalines will do a little better on eco mode. Problem is most of the name brand NiMH's only have a 2,500 – 3,000 mAh sub-C cell inside which is hardly any better than a single hi cap AA NiMH.



A single 5500 mAh 26650 should also give pretty much the same run time as a pair of alkaline D's on high.


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## bykfixer (Jul 8, 2021)

I like Imedion D cells. Kinda pricey and don't store as well as say, eneloops but if it's a daily user those have a big storage tank of electric fuel.


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## vicv (Jul 8, 2021)

Why don't they store well? My imedion AAs have finally given up the ghost and I bought them 10 years ago


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## jrmcferren (Jul 8, 2021)

Further testing indicates that as the voltage of the cells go up, the current drain decreases and vice versa. This combined with no real change in brightness means we have another valuable feature and that is regulation! I've quoted a few replies below and added some comments.



xxo said:


> You should have no trouble matching the actual alkaline run time with any decent 8,000-10,000 mAh NiMH D cells, though the alkalines will do a little better on eco mode. Problem is most of the name brand NiMH's only have a 2,500 – 3,000 mAh sub-C cell inside which is hardly any better than a single hi cap AA NiMH.
> 
> 
> 
> A single 5500 mAh 26650 should also give pretty much the same run time as a pair of alkaline D's on high.



Yes, my Harbor Freight ones are just like that 2500 mAH. I also think the 6.5 hours Mag Quotes for high includes time when the light drops out of regulation as the FL-1 standard they use allows for the output to drop to 10% as the cut-off for battery life. This would make the real regulated time line up with what you get out of NiMh cells. At least that's what I'm going to go with since the math and my numbers don't add up to 8000 mAH giving 6.5 hours of runtime and I'd really not start an argument in the first thread I've participated in for several years. 



vicv said:


> Why don't they store well? My imedion AAs have finally given up the ghost and I bought them 10 years ago


I think he's referring to self discharge. Panasonic still has a lot of the competition beat on the reduction of self-discharge. I started the transition to Eneloop in 2016 for AA/AAA cells and I'm going to accelerate the transition on the AAAs a big by using my non-Eneloop cells in cordless phones that murder cells. (Ironically these are Panasonic phones and they murder Eneloops).


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## vicv (Jul 8, 2021)

I have both eneloops and imedions. I find them equal in performance. Now have some Amazon cells that seem good too.
I'm genuinely surprised by your findings. Especially the difference between alkalines and nimh. 0.8A to 2.2A is a huge difference for a tiny difference in voltage. That'll be over twice as bright on nimh.
From looking at runtime graphs, it look as though the light drops output continuously on high from the moment you turn it on. So I find your tailcap readings interesting. I have a ml50lx on the way and will get out my dmm when it arrives and check it out


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## xxo (Jul 8, 2021)

jrmcferren said:


> Further testing indicates that as the voltage of the cells go up, the current drain decreases and vice versa. This combined with no real change in brightness means we have another valuable feature and that is regulation! I've quoted a few replies below and added some comments.
> 
> 
> 
> Yes, my Harbor Freight ones are just like that 2500 mAH. I also think the 6.5 hours Mag Quotes for high includes time when the light drops out of regulation as the FL-1 standard they use allows for the output to drop to 10% as the cut-off for battery life. This would make the real regulated time line up with what you get out of NiMh cells. At least that's what I'm going to go with since the math and my numbers don't add up to 8000 mAH giving 6.5 hours of runtime and I'd really not start an argument in the first thread I've participated in for several years.



yes, these lights are well regulated and run time will pretty much depend on the Watt hrs. of the cell or cells used, but keep in mind that there is a timed step down over the first hour to around 65% - by this time alkaline cells can no longer keep up with the power needed to run at this level and will continue to decline in output. NiMH's of Li-ion cells will tend to level off at the level that the light stepped down to until they are almost dead when they drop out of regulation.


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## jrmcferren (Jul 8, 2021)

Of course, I had the light running for less than a minute, Mag uses temperature sensing as an input too. A drop down would make the numbers add up. Thank you. I guess I need to order some Tenergy Centura Cells to go with my Mag then. I probably should also upgrade the incandescent mags we have for emergencies with some drop ins, already use the Centuras as I was afraid of loosing them to leaking Alkalines or getting into a "toss them if needed or not" routine. Of course at that time, I was still using store branded Alkalines. I've since adopted (for alkalines) a Made in USA, name brand, and no Duracell rule. I have just recently added the no Duracell rule due to some stuff I've been seeing on YouTube about high Duracell failure rates, Duracell had always been in disfavor anyway due to price.


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## vicv (Jul 8, 2021)

For my "when I need them lights" I use Energizer L91s in adaptors. No chance of leaking or self discharge. If I need it in am emergency, I really don't care about the shorter runtime as I can always switch to available c and d cells when they go dead. Without having them leak in the light


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## xxo (Jul 9, 2021)

jrmcferren said:


> Of course, I had the light running for less than a minute, Mag uses temperature sensing as an input too. A drop down would make the numbers add up. Thank you. I guess I need to order some Tenergy Centura Cells to go with my Mag then. I probably should also upgrade the incandescent mags we have for emergencies with some drop ins, already use the Centuras as I was afraid of loosing them to leaking Alkalines or getting into a "toss them if needed or not" routine. Of course at that time, I was still using store branded Alkalines. I've since adopted (for alkalines) a Made in USA, name brand, and no Duracell rule. I have just recently added the no Duracell rule due to some stuff I've been seeing on YouTube about high Duracell failure rates, Duracell had always been in disfavor anyway due to price.




Well there's one way to find out, charge up a couple Tenergy cells and see how long they run in your light. And duracells do suck, they seem to be getting worse and worse.


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## xxo (Jul 9, 2021)

vicv said:


> For my "when I need them lights" I use Energizer L91s in adaptors. No chance of leaking or self discharge. If I need it in am emergency, I really don't care about the shorter runtime as I can always switch to available c and d cells when they go dead. Without having them leak in the light




L91's will actually run longer than alkaline C cells in anything that draws a half Amp or more. Considering all of the other advantages of L91's (longer self life, better performance in high and low temps, light weight and no leaks) and that they cost about the same as alkaline C's, I don't see any reason not to use L91's in place of alkaline C's. Of course, once you have the AA to C spacers you can also run eneloops and the like as well for a rechargeable option.


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## vicv (Jul 9, 2021)

It's really too bad they don't make a lithium C and D cell. They'd last forever!
Duracell are that bad? I thought they were the best alkaline? If one needs to run alkaline, which one?


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## bykfixer (Jul 9, 2021)

Capacity-wise the Duracell and Energizer alkaline are pretty much the same. If I'm not mistaken Energizer bought a large slice of Duracel or vice versa. 
I use Rayovac cells for 2 reasons. First they cost less yet have the same capacity. Next, I've had very few leak in the last few years versus Energizer and Duracell in Maglite products. Others have disagreed but my results have found Rayovac to be the brand I trust for not leaking, even in high drain lights or extreme temperatures. But I don't store my flashlights inside a container like a glove box or console. I don't know if that matters or not.

I have an older model 2D LED in my truck that uses the Duracells it came with (ie it doesn't get used very often) but both light and batteries are stored in the package with the batteries outside of the light. A Coast HP7 and a Streamlight headlamp both have Rayovacs stored inside of them without any issues for a few years now. But my ML25 is stored with eneloops inside C cell adapters.


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## xxo (Jul 9, 2021)

vicv said:


> It's really too bad they don't make a lithium C and D cell. They'd last forever!
> Duracell are that bad? I thought they were the best alkaline? If one needs to run alkaline, which one?




It would be nice if the lithium-iron cells replaced alkalines completely, but I won't hold my breath, there's still a lot of people that buy zinc chloride heavy duty cells because they are a few cents cheaper.

which alkaline doesn't leak is like asking what brand of cigarettes to smoke and not get cancer......all alkalines suck, duracell just sucks worst when it comes to leaks. The newer duracells seem more likely to leak than the old ones, the only alkalines that leak quicker are the home depot defiants.


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## xxo (Jul 9, 2021)

bykfixer said:


> Capacity-wise the Duracell and Energizer alkaline are pretty much the same. If I'm not mistaken Energizer bought a large slice of Duracel or vice versa.



Energizer bought rayovac. Duracell was bought by a couple of old koot billionaires, known for running companies into the ground to squeeze whatever profit out of them that they can.


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## jrmcferren (Jul 12, 2021)

I just finished the last of the Amp draw tests today. With a fresh set of Alkaline cells the ML300L 2 Cell takes 1.7 amps on high and starts rising up over a few seconds presumably as the battery voltage decreases.


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## vicv (Jul 13, 2021)

So I received my ML50LX 3C in green in the mail. It's daylight so I'll know more tonight. That being said, holy crap I like this light. It may replace my polystinger as my favorite LED light. It feels fantastic in the hand. Smooth and soft somehow but grippy. Awaiting more AA to C adaptors so it's filled with alkalines right now. Not sure I care too much for the way output is selected but the button does feel nice. The proper spot focus is just a tad away from full stop CCW. Will have to wait to tonight's dog walk to be sure. Where I'm sure the neighbors will be wondering why such a white beam is shooting across the sky


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## xxo (Jul 13, 2021)

jrmcferren said:


> I just finished the last of the Amp draw tests today. With a fresh set of Alkaline cells the ML300L 2 Cell takes 1.7 amps on high and starts rising up over a few seconds presumably as the battery voltage decreases.



Alkalines don't have much chance of sustaining current draws at that level for long, even with a step down to 65% after an hour, they can't keep up. For people who really want to run alkalines, the 3 cell versions are better since they don't draw as much Amps.


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## xxo (Jul 13, 2021)

vicv said:


> So I received my ML50LX 3C in green in the mail. It's daylight so I'll know more tonight. That being said, holy crap I like this light. It may replace my polystinger as my favorite LED light. It feels fantastic in the hand. Smooth and soft somehow but grippy. Awaiting more AA to C adaptors so it's filled with alkalines right now. Not sure I care too much for the way output is selected but the button does feel nice. The proper spot focus is just a tad away from full stop CCW. Will have to wait to tonight's dog walk to be sure. Where I'm sure the neighbors will be wondering why such a white beam is shooting across the sky



The ML50Lx's are really nice, I have a green 2C version and also a 3C standard ML50L, great lights. The switch does take a bit of getting used to but it is fairly simple and intuitive. I usually keep mine set to function set 3 - momentary-constant high and eco, unless I am using them as lanterns, then I like function set 1 - high, medium and eco. 

The best way to run these that I know of is on a protected 21700 in an adapter - this will run longer than full capacity NiMH C's and weighs a lot less. AA Eneloops/Fujiloops run pretty well too, but of course run time is less.


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## vicv (Jul 13, 2021)

Agreed. Seems kind of a waste to put a 70mm long battery in a 150mm long tube. But the 2 cell light probably has a different driver. That being said I kind of like the solid feel the full size batteries give it. 
Already I am getting more used to the switch. It's just different. No pause to click between modes. I'd definitely say the lx versions are worth it. Just feels so much better than the standard


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## bykfixer (Jul 13, 2021)

The grip of the LX and the more durable coating make it worth the extra coins in my view. 

About the only Maglites I use lately besides the warm aaa minimag are those ML150's Santa brought me. The short one is like carrying a 2 cell ML50 but puts out light a little brighter than a 3 cell ML300. The longer version puts out light like a 4 cell ML300.

Perhaps someday Tony will opt to put out a grenade grip ML150 like his MagTac lights are.


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## lumen aeternum (Jul 14, 2021)

xxo said:


> The ML50Lx's are really nice, I have a green 2C version...
> 
> The best way to run these that I know of is on a protected 21700 in an adapter - this will run longer than full capacity NiMH C's and weighs a lot less. AA Eneloops/Fujiloops run pretty well too, but of course run time is less.



Can you point me to such an adapter? I guess its as long as 2C cells?
Anyone cut down the light to 70mm length, or is tail circuitry an issue?


----------



## xxo (Jul 14, 2021)

lumen aeternum said:


> Can you point me to such an adapter? I guess its as long as 2C cells?




I make them for 2 and 3 cell lights (on limited basis), with the protected 21700 cell in place they are the same length as 2 or 3 C cells. All have built in mechanical reverse polarity protection to help prevent damaging the light if a cell is put in backwards, because of this a button top cell is needed to make contact. They are 3D printed with solid brass hardware.













I also make some adapters for battery other sizes.


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## vicv (Jul 15, 2021)

Those are pretty cool adaptors.

Ok so after having my ML50LX for a couple nights I'll give my opinion on it. I'm sure everyone was on the edge of their seat waiting for it!

First: As I said before this thing feels great in the hand. I love the texture. I love the grip. I even love the way it looks. I probably would have gone with a two cell as they are even more comfortable, but this is going to be a primary's only light and I don't like high output lights that rely on boosting alkaline batteries so you need three for the proper voltage.
Second: modes. Like has been mentioned here before I wish they would add a mode that would start with eco, low, high. That being it said I understand this is more of a tactical light. And the way it is no matter what program mode you're on a double-click will always bring high. Which is how they want a light being used. I can accept that.
Third: performance. In all honesty the high mode on this thing is ridiculous. It is completely unnecessary to have this much power on high. When it's dark out low mode seems quite bright and eco is great for just walking around. If I could have my choice I would have liked the beam to be a little tighter. So maybe Replace the XML with an SST 20 at a lower drive current on high. Even a high of 400 lumens would be great in this head. But people like to see high numbers. For me high will very rarely be used.

Overall though I really like this thing. My favorite LED light is still a streamlight poly stinger just because I prefer the beam of that flashlight over this one. And it's a little shorter. But looks wise and feel in hand this is a better light.


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## bykfixer (Jul 15, 2021)

Many here have aaked ole Tony to add a eco/lo/hi mode. So far all we've heard is crickets chirping. 
I ten tap my Streamlights (when possible) to start on low. Same with Pelicans. 

A few years back Maglite did 2 cell (and 3 cell) ML100 that is a C cell light that was in between the size of a 2 and 3 cell ML50. It has a reasonable output from the old throwey LED days much like today's SST. Those are still available at Maglites site. It was the first ML. Then a 125 came along and that one gave you a choice of Stinger sized battery or using 3 c cell primaries. It too is still at the Maglite site. You click accessories/outlet/outlet. 
Neither have the grenade grip option though. Oh, and both gave you the option to tweak the position of the LED slightly so you could dial in the throw or the flood to your liking. Both appear very bright for a sub 200 lumen flashlight.


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## xxo (Jul 15, 2021)

A "weather emergency" eco-low-high set would be great, should be pretty easy to add going forward with a firmware update.

A smaller, lower lumen, throwier LED sure would improve the ML50's - unfortunately most people tend to buy whatever claims to have the higher lumen number.


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## vicv (Jul 15, 2021)

Ya I mean I still like it. A lot. It's just the high is almost useless to me because it's so ridiculously bright. And I don't know how they managed to do it with alkalines. I mean at turn on it must be putting close to 3A to the LED to get 705 OTF. How alkaline C cells are doing that is unknown to me.

I know people like to see high numbers. But with a well focused beam I just don't need that much. That doesn't mean someone else might not. Maybe searching for someone on the other side of a lake for instance!


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## bykfixer (Jul 15, 2021)

Maglite is the official flashlight of the National Association for Search and Rescue. They also cater to folks who have to holler "halt in the name of the law" and sponsor things like the national officer memorial foundation, recently the National Association for Amatuer(sp?) Radio joined up with Maglite. Folks that use really bright lights at times. 

Now Tony likes to tout his 4D ML300 and how many "weeks" it can run on a set of batteries in bad weather, yet there's no "power out for who knows how long" mode where it would start on eco (scratching head)……


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## jrmcferren (Jul 16, 2021)

I've thought the same thing about having Eco, Low, High in that order. Makes sense as I like to use Eco mode the most. Ironically, if the Alkalines are discharged enough High and Low become the same so high becomes a shortcut for low. That said I'm going to switch to the Law Enforcement mode (Momentary, High, Eco) set for a bit to see how I like it.


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## xxo (Jul 16, 2021)

vicv said:


> Ya I mean I still like it. A lot. It's just the high is almost useless to me because it's so ridiculously bright. And I don't know how they managed to do it with alkalines. I mean at turn on it must be putting close to 3A to the LED to get 705 OTF. How alkaline C cells are doing that is unknown to me.
> 
> I know people like to see high numbers. But with a well focused beam I just don't need that much. That doesn't mean someone else might not. Maybe searching for someone on the other side of a lake for instance!




Sounds like you would like the ML25, lower lumens with a throwier beam,


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## bykfixer (Jul 16, 2021)

jrmcferren said:


> I've thought the same thing about having Eco, Low, High in that order. Makes sense as I like to use Eco mode the most. Ironically, if the Alkalines are discharged enough High and Low become the same so high becomes a shortcut for low. That said I'm going to switch to the Law Enforcement mode (Momentary, High, Eco) set for a bit to see how I like it.



If you use the light in short bursts often such as walking around in light polluted areas and need to shadow bust at times the "halt in the name of the law" mode is great. I keep my D sized Mags set on that mode along with the shiney ML150's. The Mrs prefers hers set to factory. But I find I keep my thumb near the button anyway since the bubble on ML lights is not as easy to feel as the classic Maglites. So I just hold the button while I need light and click a second time for full time light. 

Now one thing I like about the "low" mode (some would say medium) is that it turns off a lot of the flood but preserves most of the throw. So I keep my matte finish ML150 set on factory for that reason. 

My ML25's are mostly fed off eneloops with adapters or Imedion C size rechargeables. That one is likely one of the most under rated flashlights available today. Especially the 019 version with the hi/lo option. And it's $20!!


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## vicv (Jul 18, 2021)

For light polluted areas, which I tried last night, I can see the use for the blistering high mode. For my use case though, not only does that rarely happen, but in those situations I don't feel the need for a light. 
But that's my use case which is not indicative of everyone. 
This light is just so useful. I've now got an xl200 on the way


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## bykfixer (Jul 18, 2021)

Oh my, you'll like the 200. The 100 is way more throwey, but the 200 does all kinds of cool stuff. I really like the "what level you left it on last" feature. 

One thing about the 50/100/200 is you can swap tailcaps and turn your 200 into a 50 (hi/lo/strobe clicky) or use the 200 on a 100 to get 200 features and 100 beam. Just remember these have parasitic drain.


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## vicv (Jul 18, 2021)

I'm surprised by that. Judging by the deep smooth reflector and xg-p emitter, I assumed it would have good throw for it's size. Mag rates it as 6663cd which is pretty decent for 230L. Actually mag has it as ~2k more CD than the xl100


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## xxo (Jul 18, 2021)

The XL50 (Cree XP-E) was pretty throwy as I recall, don't know about the XL200, never owned one. I like my XL100 for what it is, not the highest lumens or the longest throw, but I like the tint on the old Luxeon Rebel LED and I really like the night light mode (I think the XL200 has this as well)....only wish that it ran on a AA, or better yet a single C cell instead of 3 AAA's.


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## vicv (Jul 18, 2021)

Thanks. I think with a AA or a single C it would require a boost circuit. Wouldn't be as bright or efficient.


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## xxo (Jul 18, 2021)

vicv said:


> Thanks. I think with a AA or a single C it would require a boost circuit. Wouldn't be as bright or efficient.



Well my XL100 doesn't have the greatest runtime (around 2 hrs), in fact I get slightly longer runtime with my Streamlight L1-1AA, both running eneloops and the Streamlight is brighter. Having to buy 3 AAA's instead of 1 AA is not cost efficient. And a good NiMH C cell should double the run time of 3 AAA Eneloops and you wouldn't need a battery carrier.

The XL200 tested by Robin Wang only did a little over an hour and a half on Eneloops back in 2011, despite a step down to 50% within the first 15 min.

http://www.led-resource.com/2011/06/maglite-xl200-led-flashlight-review/

I would think the current XP-G LEDs are a bit more efficient, but not by a whole lot.


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## vicv (Jul 18, 2021)

Fair. I did not know the battery life is so bad. I have that streamlight as well but I figured the mag light would be brighter as not only does it have higher lumens by 75 but also a larger deeper reflector and more than double the cd


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## xxo (Jul 18, 2021)

The XL200 should be brighter than the 1L-1AA initially when running on a AA in terms of both lumens and more importantly cd, but after the first 15 min, both lights seem to step down to comparable lumen levels, though the Mag should still have more throw. When running a CR123A, the Streamlight has the edge in lumens but the Mag still holds a very slight lead in cd according to the specs.

I have always wondered why Mag went with the 3 AAA format for the XL series. The battery carrier is not cheap, especially being made in the USA, and I'm thinking that the must be using a boost/buck driver of some sort not a cheap direct drive or linear driver like most 3 AAA lights use.....it's almost like some marketing consultant convinced them that 3 AAA lights are what people want.


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## vicv (Jul 30, 2021)

Well when I bought a bunch of 5 cell and 6 cell bulbs from a mag distributor(old stock) I screwed my math up and over paid by $5. They were insistent I stop by to retrieve my $5. Instead I gave them an additional $20 and bought a 3c mag incan. So there's another 3c I have. Along with a 3d, a 3c ML50LX, an xl200, and a 2c ML25it on the way. 
I think the new one is going to get a fancy reflector, glass lens, and some 21700s along with a brighter bulb. I'm wanting around 350-400L


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## xxo (Jul 30, 2021)

Sounds like you are on your way to becoming a Mag fan again.


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## vicv (Aug 3, 2021)

So I got some AA to C adaptors in the mail. Had to modify them as they were two short to hold nimh cells. But nothing a drill press and a step bit will not solve quickly.
So I tested my ML50LX 3 cell on three different chemistries.
On frest C alkaline cells (Duracell pro cells) I got 1.6A on high and it quickly started falling.
On 3x nihm AA (white Amazon basics 2000mah made in china cells) I got 1.8A pretty steady.
On 3x l91( expired in 2020 but measured 1.8v) also gave 1.6A but held firm at that draw.
I had previously had a set of rayovac C cells when new hit 1.8A but after less than an hour of use of mostly low and eco with only short bursts of high, they're already at .8A draw on high.
This light is pretty hard on alkalines and you will only ever get the 700L high on the first minute or so on fresh cells. You'll never see that output again until you give it fresh batteries.
I've gotta wonder though. Even at 1.8A I have to doubt this light will actually hit 700L. That would require about 1000 emitter lumens. That's not going to happen on 1.8A. Don't get me wrong this light is plenty bright, but I can't see it being much more than 500L going by the current draw.


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## hsa (Aug 3, 2021)

Just wondering if you are using a clamp meter to check draw.


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## vicv (Aug 4, 2021)

No. A fluke 179 and I'm putting the meter in series.


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## xxo (Aug 4, 2021)

vicv said:


> So I got some AA to C adaptors in the mail. Had to modify them as they were two short to hold nimh cells. But nothing a drill press and a step bit will not solve quickly.
> So I tested my ML50LX 3 cell on three different chemistries.
> On frest C alkaline cells (Duracell pro cells) I got 1.6A on high and it quickly started falling.
> On 3x nihm AA (white Amazon basics 2000mah made in china cells) I got 1.8A pretty steady.
> ...




Don't know about the new 700 lumen ML50's but my old 600 lumen ML50L seems to have the advertised lumens, the best as I can tell comparing with other lights.

The Amp draw on high is not sustainable for alkalines, which is why good NiMH or protected Li-ion cells are the way to go - plus they are rechargeable and generally don't leak.


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## fuyume (Aug 5, 2021)

xxo said:


> Energizer bought rayovac. Duracell was bought by a couple of old koot billionaires, known for running companies into the ground to squeeze whatever profit out of them that they can.


That probably explains why I can no longer get the Rayovac CR123As I used to buy at Wallyworld.


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## bykfixer (Aug 5, 2021)

I see Energizer 123's at Wal Mart, Home Depot and Lowes now. Still plenty of Rayovac alkalines tho.


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## xxo (Aug 5, 2021)

duracell and enegizer/rayovac have been closing plants in the USA and consolidating production of alkaline cells.


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## bykfixer (Aug 27, 2021)

Maglite has Marvel series 3 lights out now. MARVEL25 gets you 25% off. 

There are now 2 marvel themed ML25's.


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## Lawman VII XIV (Aug 31, 2021)

I had my fair share of Mini-Mags and then some, but otherwise was never a fan. They were OK and got the job done. For years my daily work light was a Streamlight, probably the very first iteration, and besides the short run time, was so much better than the 5xD monster that we were issued. I always carried a charged spare battery in my patrol box. Later I got a second Streamlight and just switched the two out when one ran low.

So not to long ago Amazon had a sale on 2D Maglites for $15 each, free shipping. On a WhatTheHeckWhim I got two. They turned out to be very nice lights. Decently made, very nice beam (depending on where you sent the Zoom) and acceptable spill and throw to keep one around the house and in the car.

Had I known I'd like that particular light so much, I'd have grabbed a couple more. Even with some Olights and a couple of other LED rechargables, it's always handy to have lights that can use off the shelf convenience store batteries, be it an AA, AAA, or whatever light. The 2D Maglites were a pleasant surprise.


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## vicv (Aug 31, 2021)

Lawman VII XIV said:


> I had my fair share of Mini-Mags and then some, but otherwise was never a fan. They were OK and got the job done. For years my daily work light was a Streamlight, probably the very first iteration, and besides the short run time, was so much better than the 5xD monster that we were issued. I always carried a charged spare battery in my patrol box. Later I got a second Streamlight and just switched the two out when one ran low.
> 
> So not to long ago Amazon had a sale on 2D Maglites for $15 each, free shipping. On a WhatTheHeckWhim I got two. They turned out to be very nice lights. Decently made, very nice beam (depending on where you sent the Zoom) and acceptable spill and throw to keep one around the house and in the car.
> 
> Had I known I'd like that particular light so much, I'd have grabbed a couple more. Even with some Olights and a couple of other LED rechargables, it's always handy to have lights that can use off the shelf convenience store batteries, be it an AA, AAA, or whatever light. The 2D Maglites were a pleasant surprise.


Is this an incandescent or an LED?


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## Lawman VII XIV (Aug 31, 2021)

They're LEDs, which was the only reason I considered Maglites again. Well 2xD/LED/$15. The 5xD monster was incan, and the Streamlights, LED of course.


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## eff (Aug 31, 2021)

The Mini Maglite 2xAA Pro and Pro+ versions are also a good alternative : Led, 200+ or 300+ lumens, decent runtimes with rechargeable AAs.


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## 3_gun (Aug 31, 2021)

Never stopped being a MagLite fan, just stopped buying new ones. Most of the ones I have have cost $1. Really no one wants 2/3 C/D cell MagLites so you can buy them at garage/estate sales for one dollar. Leave no MagLite behind is my motto. MiniMags can be had for $.50 .. yes fifty cents. I've got 11 working AA, C & D cell lights so far & won't stop when they're just 100 pennies or less


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## bykfixer (Sep 8, 2021)

I did not know the 2D ML300LX had a tan option. 
Welp, I ordered one so it'll arrive in a few days. That and a midnight blue 2D bipin that I'll probably convert to a PR base type and use a Brinkmann krypton bulb in it.


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## xxo (Sep 11, 2021)

bykfixer said:


> I did not know the 2D ML300LX had a tan option.
> Welp, I ordered one so it'll arrive in a few days. That and a midnight blue 2D bipin that I'll probably convert to a PR base type and use a Brinkmann krypton bulb in it.


Those desert tan LX's look way cool! Kinda rare too. You don't see too many midnight blue D Mags anymore either.


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## bykfixer (Sep 16, 2021)

To me the coyote tan one looked even better in real life. So did the midnight blue. 


The side by side production blue versus the midnight blue









The ML300LX coyote tan is a 500+ version versus the sub 500 lumen gray one next to it in the top photo. 
I'm still amazed at the beam from a 27 lumen Maglite as well


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## xxo (Sep 16, 2021)

Sweet! is there a low serial number on the desert tan ML300LX?


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## bykfixer (Sep 16, 2021)

#00009507

Thing is the 487 26kcd gray one appears brighter than the tan 524 33kcd one in a distance competition.
I could see the individual branches of a pine tree better with the gray one at around 500 feet or so.

The midnight blue 2D xenon was 38,xxx,xxx

Edit: 9307 not 9507 and 37,xxx,xxx not 38,xxx,xxx.


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## vicv (Sep 16, 2021)

That's ok. My 2c ML25it with it's smaller head and ~6800cd seems brighter and farther throwing than my full size 3d which is like 15kcd


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## bykfixer (Sep 16, 2021)

Both 487 and 524 are plenty bright to me.

I am still amazed by the ML25. All versions.


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## xxo (Sep 16, 2021)

bykfixer said:


> #00009507
> 
> Thing is the 487 26kcd gray one appears brighter than the tan 524 33kcd one in a distance competition.
> I could see the individual branches of a pine tree better with the gray one at around 500 feet or so.
> ...


Cool. Is there a letter after the 2D that denotes desert tan?


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## bykfixer (Sep 16, 2021)

I was trying to get the S/N of the blue showing better from a photo I took earlier so pardon the exagerated photo.
I've no idea what those letters mean


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## xxo (Sep 16, 2021)

Thanks. I don't know either. I was looking at my foliage green 2C which has the same letters except of course there's a C instead of a D and I thought maybe the F stood for foliage, but apparently not, since your Desert tan 2D also has the F.

The M2 is on my ML300L and ML50L, so I am guessing that it is used to differentiate these from the older Mags. The standard L models seem to have a L in place of the F, which I am now thinking might signify a LX model.


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## bykfixer (Sep 17, 2021)

Apparently one can get the info from Maglite regarding what means what and even get the build month/date based off the serial number. 

There was a decal on the box with the model number. That is likely what signifies the actual color. I suspect Maglite engraves serial numbers based on the barrel size and style without regard to what color it will end up being coated with. 

One thing I noticed is both the short and long version of the ML150 serial number starts out with M2 then a bunch of numbers. My long version is approx M2oo, ooo, o17,xxx where the short version is M2oo, ooo, ooo,144. Yet if I'm not mistaken the short version arrived well after the long version. But I vaguely recall that when the long version came out there was talk of a short version too. 

I really would like to see the ML series have an option starting on eco.


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## hsa (Sep 17, 2021)

My standard ML50l is 5 years old and black, has 3clm prefix. These letters are confusing. I would like to see an option to start on eco also. The Mag 'e' switch is easy to operate though.


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## GarageBoy (Sep 18, 2021)

How bad is the parasitic drain on the ml50 and ml300 series lights? I want to get my mom a ml25, but she's definitely not going to remember to twist the head ...


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## vicv (Sep 18, 2021)

Twist the head? To focus it?
That being said it's 473 microamps. Pretty small


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## GarageBoy (Sep 18, 2021)

ML25 is twist on like a mini mag, right?


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## vicv (Sep 18, 2021)

Yes. But you said ML50 and ml300......
As for the the ml25, if she doesn't remember to twist the head, parasitic drain is moot point as the batteries will die from the light not being turned off. And it has a mechanical switch, so no parasitic drain at all.

Apologies I read your post wrong. You want to get an MO50 instead of an ML25 because of the head twisting switch. Gotcha. Then I wouldn't worry too much about the parasitic drain


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## hsa (Sep 18, 2021)

On ML50 and 300 you twist the tailcap to defeat the standby drain. No drain on the 25 and the head is very easy to operate.


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## hsa (Sep 18, 2021)

Mo50?


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## vicv (Sep 18, 2021)

hsa said:


> Mo50?


Yes because MO 50 is better than less 50


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## hsa (Sep 18, 2021)

I need more coffee. I don't know what an MO 50 is.


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## vicv (Sep 18, 2021)

If you use context in the last few messages it was clearly a typo meaning ML 50. So I made a joke thinking that you were also joking


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## hsa (Sep 18, 2021)

Gotcha.


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## bykfixer (Sep 18, 2021)

The ML25 is a C cell sized minimag GB. It's just that simple. Some used to refer to it as a 'maxi-minimag' when it first arrived.

The parasitic drain of the ML50/300 is minimal but if you store it for long periods it may be dead when you actually need it. A quarter turn to loosen the tailcap cuts the circuit if your mom will remember to do that. 

Another option is the 2D LED classic model at Maglite. Good old Maglite shape and size, no mechanical switch and a big ole side mounted on switch. The newest one has much longer runtime than previous versions. Comes in colors like silver, gray, blue, red and black.


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## GarageBoy (Sep 18, 2021)

Thanks the 2D classic may be the key. She doesn't associate tightening the head (or a tail cap) to turning on a flashlight - button is the answer 

On a similar note - my dad will never remember that multi mode lights need you to tap the switch. He complained to me that the Convoy T2 I gave him (which has mode memory) must have dead batteries because of the low output... The Klarus that I gave him has a push to on, push to change modes, push and hold to turn off - he figured that one out, go figure


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## xxo (Sep 18, 2021)

The 2D LED Mags seem like a good choice. The old 168 lumen ones are single mode while the newer 213 lumen ones have 2 modes, though it is hard to tell low from high indoors because it is such a throwy light.

You can get 3AA to D parallel adapters to run AA L91 energiver lithiums or eneloops so you can avoid leaking alkalines.


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## bykfixer (Sep 18, 2021)

Hey GB, 
Wally world sells a Coleman flashlight that has a slider switch. First 'notch' is low, next is high. About $15. Great for old school folks. Runs off 3 triple a batteries. Your pop should be able to negotiate that tricky interface too. lol


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## GarageBoy (Sep 18, 2021)

These guys?


https://www.coleman.com/lighting/flashlights-spotlights/batteryguard-350m-flashlight/SAP_2000032709.html


Interesting - the "425M" version outputs less than the "350M" version, but costs more and both use 6xAA

I see the come in different sizes too


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## bykfixer (Sep 19, 2021)

The ML25 shown for size


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## Blue72 (Sep 19, 2021)

Just bought an ml25 LED

I’m in love with maglite again. The sexy timeless streamlined design makes it the best looking flashlight ever

love the throw, love the brightness, and love the runtime

unless technology drastically improves, I don’t see a need for anything else, besides my headlamp and keychain light

long live the maximag


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## bykfixer (Sep 19, 2021)

Don't forget you can set the beam of the ML25 and twist the tailcap loose or tight a bit for on off.

And, they work great fed by eneloop batteries with c cell adapters.


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## vicv (Sep 19, 2021)

Awesome you like it. I'm not really into led lights, and have more than I'll ever use, but if I ever see maglite in a store again, and they have one of these for a decent price, it'll be coming home with me.


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## hsa (Sep 19, 2021)

Put a flashlightlens.com ucl in it. Just because it deserves it.


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## Blue72 (Sep 21, 2021)

after some more use. I haven’t been this satisfied with a mag light since it’s hey day in the 80’s and 90’s. Maybe even more so


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## 325addict (Sep 21, 2021)

bykfixer said:


> Oh, you should try the ML25*IT*. He he he…
> They came in 2 and 3 cell versions. They were bi-pin bulb'd and the fastener is surrounded with a really hard plastic, almost like ceramic.
> 
> Z Battery may still have some. A 3/4" gas service pvc pipe for battery spacer and solar lamp batteries make the 2 cell one a really fun flashlight. Just as bright as the ML25LT.
> I used a pair of low output 18650's and a Streamlight TL3 bulb in the 3 cell version. The bulb is slightly under driven but puts out a better beam than a Maglite bulb.


In the mean time, I really bought the 3-cell ML25IT... the best incan money can buy nowadays (I mean: standard, non-modified lights). Compared to the ML25LT, the quality of the light is way better of course (incan) but the downside is of course runtime... hardly over 3 hours!


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## xxo (Sep 21, 2021)

325addict said:


> In the mean time, I really bought the 3-cell ML25IT... the best incan money can buy nowadays (I mean: standard, non-modified lights). Compared to the ML25LT, the quality of the light is way better of course (incan) but the downside is of course runtime... hardly over 3 hours!


What batteries are you using? You could probably inrease the run time with a 5000 mAh protected 21700 in a adapter.


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## Olumin (Sep 21, 2021)

xxo said:


> What batteries are you using? You could probably inrease the run time with a 5000 mAh protected 21700 in a adapter.


Adapter isnt even necessary, works perfectly fine without and next to no rattling. If you wanna use your light like a whack stick cop-style however... tho at this point the batteries are worth more then the light.


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## xxo (Sep 21, 2021)

Olumin said:


> Adapter isnt even necessary, works perfectly fine without and next to no rattling. If you wanna use your light like a whack stick cop-style however... tho at this point the batteries are worth more then the light.


you need an adapter for one 21700 to make the conectionin a stock ml25. if you are running 2 21700's in series with a 6 cell bulb/drilled out reflector, you only need a spacer of some sort to keep the cells from rattling.


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## Olumin (Sep 21, 2021)

xxo said:


> you need an adapter for one 21700 to make the conectionin a stock ml25. if you are running 2 21700's in series with a 6 cell bulb/drilled out reflector, you only need a spacer of some sort to keep the cells from rattling.


yea I use 2 21700 in 3c. No spacer or adapter required. No rattling, works great!


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## vicv (Sep 21, 2021)

For that you'd be better off with the 2 cell model and installing 3 cell bulb. That being said eneloops in adaptors will give a flatter runtime while being plenty long. The best would obviously be some LSD C NIMH


xxo said:


> What batteries are you using? You could probably inrease the run time with a 5000 mAh protected 21700 in a adapter.


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## xxo (Sep 21, 2021)

A single 5000 mAh 21700 cell has slightly more energy/Watt hrs than 3 high capacity NiMH C cells.


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## vicv (Sep 21, 2021)

Agreed but not as nice of regulation. And looking at charts a lot of the capacity on the big 21700 cells is at low voltage. Like the old Panasonic 18650NCRb cells. So with 3 NIMH, it will be brighter and whiter for longer


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## xxo (Sep 21, 2021)

True, 3 good NiMH C's will run at slightly higher Voltage, though the 21700 will have more total energy.

I think I would prefer a 3 cell ML25IT to a 2 cell running a 3 cell bulb on a 21700, just ecause I could switch between Li-Ion and NiMH and alklines in the 3 cell without having to change bulbs and with a 3 cell you always have the option to use a 6 cell bulb and two 21700's if you want more output.


----------



## Ishango (Oct 9, 2021)

I recently bought the Mag-Tac plain bezel (non rechargable) since it was on sale for real cheap. It doesn't have the output modern similar sized lights have (or smaller high power lights), but still the build is pretty good and the output is usable. I did not expect it to be, so it serves a purpose in it's own right. The mode spacing could have been a bit better. 

It now keeps my Mini AA Pro+ and ML150LR company as my only "modern" ML's I have. 

I recently sold my 100 lumen 4D LED Mag in a garden sale because I never use it anymore. I'm looking into replacing it with the ML300L(X) or the ML150LRS. The latter is on the Mag website for a while, but isn't (yet) for sale in my country.


----------



## bykfixer (Oct 9, 2021)

In my inbox this morning was an ad for a 6 cell ML300. 
674 lumens with 177 hour runtime on eco.


----------



## bykfixer (Nov 3, 2021)

Often you don't know what you had until it's gone. 

I had been so enthralled by the 850 lumens of the little ML150LRS that I failed to realize how awesome the 1085 lumen ML150LR was until the battery went bad. Replace the battery and gya-lee! What a sweet flashlight. The 2c sized LRS is pretty amazing but side by side beams on a tree about 500 feet away with the 3c sized LR…… amazing.


----------



## GarageBoy (Nov 9, 2021)

Do the 2 cell C/D have flatter regulation compared to the 3 cell models?


----------



## xxo (Nov 9, 2021)

Except for the single mode ML25's, all of the ML series have a timed step down, usually to around 50-75% with the 2 cell versions usually having a bigger step down than the 3 cell models. The original single mode ML25's don't step down, but have fairly short run times, particularly the 2C. The newer 2C dual mode 2C ML25 has a step down to increase battery life.

Alkalines will fall out of regulation fairly quickly even with the step down - if you want flatter regulation you need to run NiMH's or Li-ion's.


----------



## vicv (Nov 9, 2021)

And the step down is only if you run it continuously on high. If you only run high for 5 to 10 minutes at a time, each time you turn it on it will go to full brightness. As long as the batteries can supply the voltage. Ad xxo said, NIMH will let you have full brightness right until the batteries are dead as long as high is only used in bursts


----------



## GarageBoy (Nov 9, 2021)

Thanks. I'd get a 2 cell over a 3 cell if the 3 is just direct drive


----------



## vicv (Nov 9, 2021)

It's not direct drive. Otherwise it wouldn't have a stepdown. It has good regulation either way. But the time it will stay bright is much, much longer with 3 cells as there's no boost circuit. The lights hit alkalines hard enough without needing to boost the voltage.


----------



## CelticCross74 (Nov 9, 2021)

ML125 is the rechargeable big Mag right? Just getting back into lights after a couple of years. Trying to brush up. Yes a flashlightlens.com UCL lens tops off any Mag properly. That being said I have a couple new hard coated and double sided AR coated acrylic lens from them for my inbound ML50XL foliage green 2xC cell to experiment with.


----------



## xxo (Nov 9, 2021)

The ML125 is the older rechargeable and the ML150's are the newer versions.


----------



## xxo (Nov 9, 2021)

vicv said:


> It's not direct drive. Otherwise it wouldn't have a stepdown. It has good regulation either way. But the time it will stay bright is much, much longer with 3 cells as there's no boost circuit. The lights hit alkalines hard enough without needing to boost the voltage.


 I think that the step down is a good idea, if i'm running a light more than 10 min. I would gladly trade some lumens for run time and a quick click on/off is all that is needed to get back to full brightness.


----------



## bykfixer (Nov 10, 2021)

Hey CC74,the ML125 could also run off 3 C cells in a pinch.
Kinda jelly about that green 2c. Enjoy.


----------



## xxo (Nov 10, 2021)

The 2C ML50LX is a great light - it's a handy size with just the right brightness (some of the higher lumen ML series Mag's are little too bright for me) and ya gotta love the hard anno grenade grips on the LX's.


----------



## hsa (Nov 10, 2021)

Yep, that's purdy.


----------



## bykfixer (Nov 10, 2021)

Alright, details required about the anti roll device double x. 
I have a Stinger one on an ML25 and D sized "filter" holder on an ML300, but none for an ML50


----------



## xxo (Nov 10, 2021)

They don't make one, so I made my own (3D printed).....I needed it to get the ML50LX to sit still without rolling away to take the photo. The anti roll ring also fits the ML100, ML125 and ML150.


----------



## bykfixer (Nov 10, 2021)

^^ Cool! ^^



My LX collection so far





Nine-Line has a 2 cell ML50LX back in stock so……
Edit: forgot about the HALO


----------



## bykfixer (Nov 17, 2021)

So I'm looking at the Maglite web site putting together a want list for the black friday sale when I noticed a 3 cell ML150L is 611 lumens but the LX version is 705.

First off I was amazed a 3C flashlight could put out over 500 lumens, but 600+ and 700+? Good gosh. I know I know they don't hold steady at that rate, yet that's not some turbo number either.

It's kinda between a forest green 50LX and 300LX, 3 cell version. Perhaps both.


----------



## xxo (Nov 17, 2021)

bykfixer said:


> So I'm looking at the Maglite web site putting together a want list for the black friday sale when I noticed a 3 cell ML150L is 611 lumens but the LX version is 705.
> 
> First off I was amazed a 3C flashlight could put out over 500 lumens, but 600+ and 700+? Good gosh. I know I know they don't hold steady at that rate, yet that's not some turbo number either.
> 
> It's kinda between a forest green 50LX and 300LX, 3 cell version. Perhaps both.


Can't go wrong with either of those! But of course the way to decide is to get both.

I still need to snag some more LX's to go with my foliage green ML50.


----------



## Yates (Nov 18, 2021)

There's a new version of the 3 cell ML150L with 705 lumens, released a few days ago.

Mag again silently updating lights without saying anything.


----------



## hsa (Nov 18, 2021)

That's an ML 50lx that is 705 lumens. ML 150 
lrx is 1082 lumens.


----------



## Yates (Nov 18, 2021)

It's the same old packaging with a new sticker, will try to get a photo of it.


----------



## hsa (Nov 18, 2021)

No, that's ok, you are right. The ML50lx goes from 611 to 705. The ML150 is the rechargeable model. Makes me wonder though, my six year old ML 50 hits my meter right at the same candella as the new model, upgraded one.


----------



## Yates (Nov 18, 2021)

Got a photo, two labels actually.

Not sure what Mag is doing, I do hope it's not a mistake.


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## bykfixer (Nov 18, 2021)

Often they have a bunch of packaging ready to go and they place a sticker with the new specs over the older specs. If you look at the rear of the package, often in the lower right corner (but not always) you'll see a month/year (example 10/19) that indicates what year the package was made, not what's inside it necessarily.

I had an ML25 package with a sticker saying 192 lumens over the 177 lumens when they upgraded in 2019 and the package rear said 10/15.

Probably not a mistake.




Here's one that said 524 before but the new sticker said 487


----------



## bykfixer (Nov 19, 2021)

Black Friday sale started today. 12% this year.


----------



## aznsx (Nov 19, 2021)

bykfixer said:


> Black Friday sale started today. 12% this year.



That's funny man. From out of nowhere, I was just singing 'Private Idaho' to myself a day or two ago. Hadn't thought about it for a long time. Today your location jumped off the screen at me and I realize you live there!! What's the weather like there? (just in case things get worse here and I have to move!)


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## pumps (Nov 19, 2021)

I was out running errands just now and stopped by one of the local Lowe's and they did not have a SINGLE Maglite on the shelf. There was a guy working in that aisle and he said yep they have priced themselves out of the market. Well I don't know if THAT'S the story or not but evidently people aren't buying them at Lowe's in my area. LuxPro , Craftsman and Coast is pretty much what they're selling.


----------



## hsa (Nov 19, 2021)

@aznxz, spoiler alert. He doesn't live in Idaho.


----------



## bykfixer (Nov 19, 2021)

aznsx said:


> That's funny man. From out of nowhere, I was just singing 'Private Idaho' to myself a day or two ago. Hadn't thought about it for a long time. Today your location jumped off the screen at me and I realize you live there!! What's the weather like there? (just in case things get worse here and I have to move!)


I'm just starin' at the world……from my little private Idaho
And I say hey yeah yeah……everywhere I see……

It's lyrics from the opening song on the Bodeans live album called Joe Dirt car, an album I wore out at a low point in life.





One day I took a picture of the world outside of my apartment as that song was playing. That frozen lake outside my home was my own little Idaho. It was great year round since no power boats were allowed and I knew where all the good fishing spots were. Very peaceful year round. 


Back then my favorite flashlight was a 2aa incan minimag.


----------



## bykfixer (Nov 20, 2021)

Torn between 2 cell and 3 cell ML50LX. 





Or perhaps a red 6D incan to collect dust next to these dudes.


----------



## Olumin (Nov 20, 2021)

bykfixer said:


> Torn between 2 cell and 3 cell ML50LX.


Yea me too. Anyone knows how they run on NiMH Cs?


----------



## xxo (Nov 20, 2021)

Olumin said:


> Yea me too. Anyone knows how they run on NiMH Cs?


They run fine on NiMH's and you can also run them on a single 21700 or 18650 with an adapter. A 5000 mA 21700 has more energy than 3 high capacity NiMH C's, it's alot lighter and you have only one cell to recharge, so that is what I normally use.


----------



## xxo (Nov 20, 2021)

bykfixer said:


> Torn between 2 cell and 3 cell ML50LX.
> 
> View attachment 20047
> 
> Or perhaps a red 6D incan to collect dust next to these dudes.


Cool!


----------



## bykfixer (Nov 20, 2021)

Being the BF sale is 12% that meant a 3 cell ML50LX could be had for the price of a 2 cell. Same with the ML300LX. I flipped a coin. ML50 was heads, 300 tails. It landed in between the cracks of my sofa cushion in the vertical position. Well that solves that……both. 

Every year Mrs Fixer says "what would you like for Christmas". I say "I don't know". She says "I got you that last year, pick something else". I'll hand her the ML300 and say "this" this year. 

Went with forest green for both. 

I have some Maglites loaded with Imedion C cells that I charge every few months. They work great but don't hold a charge for a year like eneloops and since I don't have a 3D printer I don't have any 18650 or 21700 adapters.


----------



## aznsx (Nov 20, 2021)

bykfixer said:


> Being the BF sale is 12% that meant a 3 cell ML50LX could be had for the price of a 2 cell. Same with the ML300LX. I flipped a coin. ML50 was heads, 300 tails. It landed in between the cracks of my sofa cushion in the vertical position. Well that solves that……both.


That's simply beautiful. Thanx for that good laugh!


----------



## Yates (Nov 20, 2021)

bykfixer said:


> I had an ML25 package with a sticker saying 192 lumens over the 177 lumens when they upgraded in 2019 and the package rear said 10/15.


I wish Mag would stop doing these silent upgrades, and have predictable dates and model numbers for new releases.

Right now, the average Mag owner has no idea which version they have, but if the lights had versions, Mag could market each new iteration and folks will upgrade to the ML50L 2022


----------



## hsa (Nov 21, 2021)

@bykfixer, you could PM xxo and whine and wheedle your way to a 3d printed 21700 adapter. He can make anything.


----------



## bykfixer (Nov 22, 2021)




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## junkman (Nov 22, 2021)

pumps said:


> I was out running errands just now and stopped by one of the local Lowe's and they did not have a SINGLE Maglite on the shelf. There was a guy working in that aisle and he said yep they have priced themselves out of the market. Well I don't know if THAT'S the story or not but evidently people aren't buying them at Lowe's in my area. LuxPro , Craftsman and Coast is pretty much what they're selling.


Maglite left the big box stores a year or 2 ago. To get the type of margins the bigboxes demand Mag would have to off shore manufacturing. Being made in California/USA seems to be very important to Mr Maglica so I think as long as he is around it will stay that way. They are now only direct to consumer via their website or through Amazon. 
.


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## bykfixer (Nov 22, 2021)

Ace Harware stores and Grainger have contracts with Maglite now.


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## DoctorMemory (Nov 22, 2021)

Maglites? Depends on you. Do you go to McDonalds and get a "great" burger you like for $3? Or do you go to Five Guys and spend $10 for one of their burgers?


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## bykfixer (Nov 23, 2021)

I go to Burger King doc. But I see your point. 

As I get older I get more inclined to stick with what I know product-wise. Yet as quickly as things change these days there are times I cannot due to that product being no longer made. 
My car key for example is this battery operated thing that opens like a switchblade knife most of the time and reveals a twig that feels like it's going to break off in the ignition switch at any moment when starting the vehicle. 
Gone from the dashboard is a clock that has been replaced with a computer screen. If I mess around and press the wrong button the car talks to me demanding I enter a command then does not understand the command to "shut the front door". 

At least with a Maglite product I get a traditional flashlight that looks and acts like a traditional flashlight with the option of changing some stuff. 

I'll take the $3 burger any day.


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## bykfixer (Nov 24, 2021)

How 'bout a 5C ML25?
Nah, seriously it's a 3 cell version with one of those storage containers. Twist the extension for on/off instead of the tailcap. 
I actually bought to use on an ML150LR but ended up liking it on the ML25.


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## DoctorMemory (Nov 27, 2021)

bykfixer said:


> I go to Burger King doc. But I see your point.
> 
> As I get older I get more inclined to stick with what I know product-wise. Yet as quickly as things change these days there are times I cannot due to that product being no longer made.
> My car key for example is this battery operated thing that opens like a switchblade knife most of the time and reveals a twig that feels like it's going to break off in the ignition switch at any moment when starting the vehicle.
> ...


I go for the Double Cheese and Fires at McDonalds, $3 deal. But I appreciate a $7 burger when I buy one.

I have vowed to never buy an Internet connected car, nor any car with a touchscreen. I still use a flip phone. Mind you, I have been programming for 51 years now and design industrail control systems. But the excitement of a new toy with a big manual has worn off, I seek simpler times. 

FWIW, I've been an Olight fan for many years now and they have never left me confused or puzzled or disappointed..


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## bykfixer (Nov 27, 2021)

The "car" I speak of Doc is a company provided vehicle. My personal ride has a cassette player and a pea soup display. It's old enough to vote. It does have a key fob but that stopped working long ago. I like to say "I'm still learning to program a VCR"…

I have a friend from high school who runs a McDonalds so every few months I pop in and he cooks me a fresh double quarter pounder with just the right amount of black pepper. Yum yum.

I did not own very many modern Maglites until this thread started. Now I have several (with 2 more on the way). The C sized minimag (ML25) is my favorite but those new mini Magchargers (ML150) are right up there with them. Especially the 2C sized one called ML150LRS.


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## bykfixer (Dec 1, 2021)

A 3 cell forest green ML50LX arrived today, a day early. The box had a sticker over the 611 lumen notation stating 705. And a bunch more run time on eco mode.

So my brain was thinking at night my eyes probably wouldn't see a difference between 600 and 700. Or not much difference between 500 and 700, or even 400 and 700. However shined against the side of a shed in daylight at 75 feet showed me where those extra lumens are.




About 3:30pm on the east coast aiming south east.


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## wacbzz (Dec 16, 2021)

I picked up the green and blue XL50 Spectrum Series lights. I was impressed enough with these two lights that I also just ordered Mag TAC plain bezel rechargeable light. Maglite is not Malkoff by any means, but I’m more open minded about lights than I was a few years ago and much more willing to give it a try...


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## bykfixer (Dec 17, 2021)

Don't forget the XL series lights have parasitic drain from the electronic switch.

I still cannot convince myself to pull the trigger on a MagTac for some reason. No particular reason, except perhaps I already have plenty of 2x123 size lights. There was rumor of a MagTac 2 that was less XL-50 shaped, more grippy and was 700+ lumens but so far it's not shown up in their lineup.

BTW the XL series clip fits a Malkoff MD-2 just dandy. Well the pre-pineapple body anyway. Don't know if it fits the pineapple.

Why use a Maglite clip on a Malkoff? Got me, but it fits.


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## aznsx (Dec 17, 2021)

wacbzz said:


> I also just ordered Mag TAC plain bezel rechargeable light.


If I were to order a ML today, that's the one I'd get. It's the one that would fit my needs best. I've considered it, but haven't 'pulled that trigger' - yet. Perhaps the flashlight budget in '22 will allow that. I blew the '21 budget pretty badly, and already ate into next year's budget with that new Elzetta Alpha Gen 3 that's in my pocket:-(


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## bykfixer (Dec 18, 2021)

In a way I'm glad the Maglite Black Friday and Christmas sale were lame this year. Kept me from adding more flashlights to the stockpile. I used to say quiver but is now a stockpile. Last year at Black Friday it was 30% off everything for a few days and Christmas they did 25% off everything for 25 days, and one weekend added $0 shipping on any purchase. Holy smokes. 

I even bought my wife's valentine present, a red ML25 with "to my sweetheart" engraved on it. It was $15 shipped!! My favorite was the shorty ML150. It's like having an ROP without worry the super-rare bulb blows next time I use it to turn off light sensing porch lights from 75 feet away. 

This year my only purchase for Black Friday was a pair of 3 cell ML LX models since the 12% off meant they were priced like a non LX 2 cell. They were forest green version of a 50 and a 300. 

I used to keep them set in cop mode with "momentary, retina scorcher and ticket writing" output mode but have come to appreciate the medium enough to put the users back to factory mode. In the middle setting (they call low) the surrounding spill is greatly reduced yet the throw is like a classic Maglite pencil beam. So I keep the 300 models set for cop mode and 50's set factory since I mainly use the 50's for general use and 300's for candle mode (they call eco) in power outages. 

Here's what I mean by the middle setting still throws well. A 3 cell ML50





Before: lots of light pollution





High: a bush is lit about 700 feet away





Low: not bad for sub 200 lumens.


----------



## hsa (Dec 18, 2021)

Is the beam shape on your ML 150 about the same as the ML 50?


----------



## xxo (Dec 18, 2021)

bykfixer said:


> I used to keep them set in cop mode with "momentary, retina scorcher and ticket writing" output mode but have come to appreciate the medium enough to put the users back to factory mode. In the middle setting (they call low) the surrounding spill is greatly reduced yet the throw is like a classic Maglite pencil beam. So I keep the 300 models set for cop mode and 50's set factory since I mainly use the 50's for general use and 300's for candle mode (they call eco) in power outages.



I also used to keep all of my programmable Mags set to momentary - high - eco, now I use the default high - low (medium) - eco setting for the ones I have set up as lanterns. The middle mode is great for this as it is not that much less bright than high, but does run much longer - eco mode also works great for lanterns with crazy long run time.

The military momnetary - high - strobe setting should be good for a light kept in a vechicle as the strobe is great for use with a traffic wand for getting driver's attention.


----------



## bykfixer (Dec 18, 2021)

Good idea xxo. I'll have to set up the ML I have a traffic wand on with ability to flash. 



hsa said:


> Is the beam shape on your ML 150 about the same as the ML 50?


Yeah pretty much best I can tell. 
On high the bright spill goes so far on each one it's hard to tell where the cone actually ends. 
I suppose viewed from an airplane could really answer the question.


----------



## hsa (Dec 18, 2021)

I've been thinking about a ML150 but I use the full range of focus on the ML 50 and it works out great so I wondered if the ML 150 is the same. Thanks.


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## bykfixer (Dec 18, 2021)

I had not tried the 3 cell ML50 side by side with the short (or long) ML150. This evening I did.

For broad focus or wide hot spot they're pretty equal, but the hotspot on the ML150 focuses a little tighter.

The short ML150 is like a 2 cell ML50 in length and 3 cell in brightness. The regular ML150 is like a 3 cell ML50 in length. Oh it's brighter than the 3 cell ML50, but not like some humongous difference. One thing to keep in mind though is a new battery for the longer ML150 is a lot less than the short version (at this point).


----------



## hsa (Dec 19, 2021)

Thanks, Byk.


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## bykfixer (Dec 19, 2021)




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## wacbzz (Dec 21, 2021)

After waiting 7 days from order,I finally got an update on my order for the plain bezeled MAG TAC. It was in the form of an (sorta) apology email from a CSR telling me that the light “kit” I ordered was shy a part “due to high demands for this model.” Shipping would start again within a “week or so.” Their apologies.

I sent an email back wondering why it took them a week to inform me of this and no shite, this was her reply:
“_To be honest with you sir, I sent all customers that ordered this model an email last Wednesday. Unfortunately, there were a few that I noticed were still in my draft folders which I caught today, so I just resent with todays date on them_.”

Work for word.

Additionally, before I sent my reply email, I went to the Maglite website and saw that one could still put the light in the cart and get to the purchase/how do you want to pay for this page. I asked her how this was possible? IF THEY KNOW THEY ARE MISSING A PART AND CANNOT SHIP THE LIGHT OUT, WHY WOULD THEY STILL MAKE THE PRODUCT AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE?

She said:
“_I did send the suggestion about putting these out of stock on our website until we get the part in._”

So, more than likely, due to “part manufacture,” the “Christmas Holiday,” and the “New Year’s Holiday,” it will be sometime into January before I see the light.

Doesn’t make me want to shout the highest of Maglite praise from the rooftops...


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## bykfixer (Dec 22, 2021)

I see they did remove the "built in US and ready to ship" from their website and ads.

Bummer about the delay.


----------



## knucklegary (Dec 22, 2021)

I wonder what part of the Mag Tac kits are missing, and how much is made in USA?

Appears spare LifePo batts are available..

Do you think CS will give out that info.. ?


----------



## Beamhead (Dec 27, 2021)

These just go together.


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## wacbzz (Dec 27, 2021)

knucklegary said:


> I wonder what part of the Mag Tac kits are missing, and how much is made in USA?
> 
> Appears spare LifePo batts are available..
> 
> Do you think CS will give out that info.. ?


She didn’t say what part, only that it was a single item. 

And, I just checked my account - my order is still “unfulfilled.” Ordered Dec 14. 

This thing had better be the very best Maglite I’ve ever laid my hands upon. With my luck though, it will be like the one HDS light I ordered that came without a lens...


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## knucklegary (Dec 28, 2021)

I was considering the LM150 LRS/X until I viewed price of a spare battery. It doesn't make sense the shorter battery being twelve bucks more than it's larger counterpart

It would be my first LiFePO4 chemistry rechargeable flashlight.. 

Now the LM150 LR/X is about 5oz heavier, and only couple inches longer.. plus extra cell savings, but the matt finish ten ducats more than the shorty version

Anybody ask if the matt finish a baked on powder coat, or anodized?

Thx..


----------



## hsa (Dec 28, 2021)

All the other LX models are type III anodized, this one should be too.


----------



## hsa (Dec 28, 2021)

I checked their web site. It's anodized.


----------



## knucklegary (Dec 28, 2021)

Thanks Hsa.. I finally found it under Specs.. Previously was checking out the 3-C matte foliage green and thought the matte might be a powder coat. Which is pretty tough stuff


----------



## hsa (Dec 28, 2021)

The green one is purdy.


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## knucklegary (Dec 28, 2021)

Got that ML50 Green in my cart...

Btw, MAG20ONUS til end of Dec.. 20% off + free shipping is motivating


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## bykfixer (Dec 29, 2021)

I asked Maglite last year how was the ML150LRX coated. 
They said "matte"… 
so I asked "is it anodized" the answer was…… "matte coated".
Next question was "is it type 2 or 3"? Answer……
"yes". 
I just stopped asking. 

Now for no particular reason I'm using my shiney coated ML150 shorty for work instead of my matte coated shorty and it's blemish free so far after riding in a dusty door pocket for the better part of a year. I would have thought the dust and the shaking inside a truck door would cause small scratches but so far so good. I did replace the lens with a glass one though. 
It now rides with a traffic wand over it in a box with other in case of emergency gear instead of the door. 

I had considered buying a spare battery to stay charged but like KG said it's more expensive than the longer battery. So an eneloop fed ML25 is the back up light.


----------



## knucklegary (Dec 29, 2021)

ML25 as backup makes sense.. Unless I'm missing something, carrying a spare battery, for either model ML150, at some point the low cell needs to be loaded into host and cradle for recharge, correct?

Who's best mfgrs for the eneloops adapters to C.. Other than Panasonic, I view EBL Chinese offerings look like quality but do all fit cells the same?


----------



## bykfixer (Dec 29, 2021)

Correct, at this point Mag does not make/sell an external way to charge their ML150 battery. I thought maybe the ML125 charger may work but that battery for ML125 is about an inch longer than the 150 battery.

Now Maglite has the ML150 charger set up to charge it up to 80% from like 15% in like 30 minutes or something. But I'd rather have 100% available in the time it takes to swap batteries. That's one sweet option for the 125……insert 3 C cells while the battery charges.

I use genuine eneloop adapters that came with a set. But a few years back I bought a kit at Amazon with eneloop pro cells and Edison Bright adapters. It was 8 pro cells and 4 adapters in a kit. But all my pro models were spoken for before acquiring ML25 lights.


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## aznsx (Dec 29, 2021)

bykfixer said:


> Correct, at this point Mag does not make/sell an external way to charge their ML150 battery.



Not that it helps in this case, but I've noted that Streamlight is pretty good about offering outboard charging option(s) for their similar applications (Strion cells, Stinger batts). I guess their pro user community demands that. Would be nice if ML would accommodate the pro users with such.
EDIT: I'm a pro Strion user so I knew about them, but was referencing this with regard to Stinger (which is a piggyback thing):


https://www.streamlight.com/docs/default-source/info-sheet-with-part-numbers/stinger-ds-led-hl_sup.pdf





https://www.streamlight.com/docs/default-source/fact-sheet/226.pdf


----------



## Ishango (Jan 14, 2022)

bykfixer said:


> [...]There was rumor of a MagTac 2 that was less XL-50 shaped, more grippy and was 700+ lumens but so far it's not shown up in their lineup.


Only article with a picture I was able to find is here. Sure looks different, but this is from Jan 2020, so it would be about time to actually release it. Still I can't even buy the ML150LRS here in Europe.


----------



## bykfixer (Jan 14, 2022)

So the magtac unicorn does exist. Thanks for confirming that ishango.


----------



## bykfixer (Mar 3, 2022)

It just dawned on me this morning that some of the crowd who say Maglite is behind the times are touting the latest beams from other brands that throw like a Maglite. Now they don't name Maglite directly, which is why this dim bulb took a few minutes to think "hmmm, it seems brand B now has a model that throws almost as good as the $20 ML25 from 2016"……
Way to stay out front brand B


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## lumen aeternum (Mar 3, 2022)

It would be interesting to put the green LED from the AAA into a larger Maglite body. Maybe just need a sleeve to make it the bigger diameter?


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## bykfixer (Jun 22, 2022)

Saw this on the Maglite fakebook thread.






Bravo!!


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## Monocrom (Jun 23, 2022)

A company that caters to LEOs, and Security professionals, offers a spring-loaded center-punch with a pocket carry clip. Honestly would be better for busting out windows than any flashlight. Has the company name on the center-punch, so not going to mention the brand here.


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## knucklegary (Jun 23, 2022)

Monocrom said:


> A company that caters to LEOs, and Security professionals, offers a spring-loaded center-punch with a pocket carry clip. Honestly would be better for busting out windows than any flashlight. Has the company name on the center-punch, so not going to mention the brand here.


Automatic center punch is in every machinist tool box. I own Starrett as well General.. But beware, cops don't like seeing ugly civilians carrying one in your pocket. Especially late at night roaming around neighborhoods. It would be safer to have a Bust a Cap on end of a Mag-Lite


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## Monocrom (Jun 23, 2022)

knucklegary said:


> Automatic center punch is in every machinist tool box. I own Starrett as well General.. But beware, cops don't like seeing ugly civilians carrying one in your pocket. Especially late at night roaming around neighborhoods. It would be safer to have a Bust a Cap on end of a Mag-Lite


Some tactical pens have non-spring loaded center-punches on one end or the other. But for LEOs, unless regulations prevent it, yeah; a Bust-a-Cap is a good idea on a full sized Maglite.


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## bykfixer (Jun 23, 2022)

Welp I suppose officer Magee did not have said center punch....


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## Monocrom (Jun 23, 2022)

I just find it odd that a clip-carried center-punch _isn't_ standard-issue gear for all officers. I keep one in the passenger's side seat map-pocket (behind the seat) in one corner. I can reach over and access it easily if needed.


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## knucklegary (Jun 23, 2022)

I keep seatbelt cutters in my vehicles. They have a hardened steel point in one end.


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## bykfixer (Jul 3, 2022)

Random AAA minimag spectrum warm pic.


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## knucklegary (Jul 4, 2022)

^^ Two things a guy should never be without


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## bykfixer (Jul 9, 2022)

Top to bottom
3xML50LX forest green
2xML50LX battleship gray
ML125
2xML100


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## vicv (Jul 9, 2022)

That top one is a good one


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## bykfixer (Jul 10, 2022)

- The ML125 was a dual fuel number that gave the option of a rechargeable cell or 3 C sized primaries. Not the first to be capable but nobody had that listed as a feature prior. Don Keller's short lived ProLite brand had a 3D capable rechargeable light.
- The ML100 2 cell had the same output as the 3 cell but the 3 cell had much longer run time.
- Both 100 and 125 had ability to focus the LED to either obtain a wider spot or dial in a pencil spot for more throw. Then one could adjust the reflector like a normal Maglite. 
- The more modern ML50's have much brighter output in the 3 cell version. In true dark the 2cell is not so overwhelming but in light pollution the 3 cell gets it done much better.


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## Beamhead (Jul 11, 2022)

Just got a Coyote Tan ML300LX from the Independence Day sale. Fingers crossed on my Crimson Red to come through to add to my Black/Foliage Green/Coyote Tan group.


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## bykfixer (Jul 13, 2022)

MagTac 2 is in stock at Maglite's web store. 
Two versions with two sets of features. 










I'll probably go for the plain bezel option.


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## vicv (Jul 13, 2022)

Ya that looks awesome. And they haven’t gone crazy on the lumens and kept lux high. Unfortunately it looks a bit bigger now with its larger head. Won’t be as pocket friendly as the original tube shape


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## knucklegary (Jul 13, 2022)

It's nice ML sourced the cr123 batts from a California based company, even if the batteries are made overseas..

Byk, I heard Tenergy uses Elmer's glue in the batteries.. So don't chew on them! 😎


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## xxo (Jul 13, 2022)

Honestly, the Mag Tac 2 seems underwhelming.

They should have used programmable function sets like on the ML50 and ML300 instead of two lights, in fact they should expand the function sets to include high only and something that starts on low.

And they should have made it a dual fuel light to also run on a 18650 cell.

The plastic clip should have been replaced with a metal one. 

And what's up with the Chinese batteries?


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## knucklegary (Jul 13, 2022)

I think most all 123 primaries are made overseas. These can be easily sourced from Tenergy location in NorCal to SoCal. Makes sense to me.

Agree on your other criticisms. Retail price is not cheap either.


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## bykfixer (Jul 13, 2022)

Well, I pulled the trigger on the plain bezel'd version. I like the (ML mode 3) cop mode, plus it was $10 less. This is the only MagTac that ever piqued my interest. And frankly I'm glad to see the output not be some super-duper battery drainer but touts a 4 hour runtime on high instead. 

It was a surprise to see the source of batteries and not US made Rayovacs, Panasonics, or Duracell. I will use some Battery Stations I have. 

I get the impression Tony and the Magliters weren't trying to reinvent the MagTac entirely but instead were applying some changes in order to create a light that provides a better confidence when used in cigar mode. It almost looks as though they've created a bit of a niche tactical light this time. And old school tac lights don't use a battery with a low voltage cut off like the 18650. It ensures if dropped or voltage runs low no sudden darkness. I'll speculate it's regulated with a long tapering dimming. 

So far the plastic clip on lights I've used it on has held up well. I'll probably try the Elzetta speed clip with a segment of bicycle inner tube to see how that works.


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## vicv (Jul 13, 2022)

Ya dual fuel seems a bad idea to me. This thing will run forever on a pair of primaries. It’s a tac light. It’s not meant to be used for hours on high. I’ve had my original for 3 years and just swapped the cells and I use it regularly. The primaries in my Incan aviators have been in it for 5 months and it’s my edc


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## xxo (Jul 13, 2022)

bykfixer said:


> I get the impression Tony and the Magliters weren't trying to reinvent the MagTac entirely but instead were applying some changes in order to create a light that provides a better confidence when used in cigar mode. It almost looks as though they've created a bit of a niche tactical light this time. And old school tac lights don't use a battery with a low voltage cut off like the 18650. It ensures if dropped or voltage runs low no sudden darkness. I'll speculate it's regulated with a long tapering dimming.


it seems like more of a niche light for use with a handgun than the original; for this reason I kinda doubt it will be a huge seller for Mag, unless they sell a bunch to larger law enforcement agencies.


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## bykfixer (Jul 13, 2022)

When I saw the prototype in a SHOT show video I kinda figured it was Tony Maglica doing his version of a Malkoff Bodyguard but instead of super bright for 10 seconds he opted to go for a steadier Maglite-esque output. 
It's a surprisingly radical shift in body style for Maglite. I'll know before long if the OD up front is any bigger than the XL lights I have and they look pretty much the same size as a MagTac


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## knucklegary (Jul 13, 2022)

You'll have to see if a 16650 protected cell fits as an option.
Specs read ML retains a manual focusing head on this model. Not sure why, except for tradition. It has little functionality, and barely worth while on ML50


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## Monocrom (Jul 13, 2022)

bykfixer said:


> MagTac 2 is in stock at Maglite's web store.
> Two versions with two sets of features....


Have to be honest, I'm disappointed.
I carried and used the original Mag-Tac model for months before doing a review of it on my YT channel. Mine was the crenulated bezel version. With the exception of that and the U.I., I didn't find anything else to recommend it. Output significantly lower than other similar sized lights from other companies. Polymer plastic clip that breaks too easily and losses all retention in a pants pocket after several weeks. A company like Maglite including Made in China cells with one of their lights.

It's like buying a Chevrolet Corvette.... then being told the performance engine is from Hyundai. Nothing wrong with Hyundai. Drove a Hyundai Accent hatchback for 2 weeks as a rental vehicle. Other than the A/C which was anemic, the rest of the car and features surprised me in very positive ways. *Still....* some things are expected to be done in certain ways by your customers. Made in China cells for a brand like Maglite is definitely NOT something customers would typically expect.

Not only did Maglite not make the improvements needed, but the Mag-Tac 2 looks significantly less pocket-friendly than the original.


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## Monocrom (Jul 13, 2022)

knucklegary said:


> I think most all 123 primaries are made overseas...


No, not really. I can easily find Made in USA CR123 primaries even in Brick & Mortar stores. They just cost quite a bit less online.


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## vicv (Jul 14, 2022)

I would not call the magtac anemic. It may have only been 300 lumens, but was over 9k lux. There’s more to a flashlight than large area lighting


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## bykfixer (Jul 14, 2022)

I was never a fan of any corvette after 1963 and was never a fan of the MagTac before this new version. I may still feel the same after actually trying it out but if not it'll look nice on a shelf with my other tacti-cool lights.


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## xxo (Jul 14, 2022)

The E switch on the old Mag Tac was fantastic - hope that it was carried over on to the new version. I'm sure the new grip is much better for shooting, but I always liked the look and feel of the old grenade grip design.


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## knucklegary (Jul 14, 2022)

Appears the crenelated version is already sold out, not viewing it on the website today.


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## Monocrom (Jul 14, 2022)

vicv said:


> I would not call the magtac anemic. It may have only been 300 lumens, but was over 9k lux. There’s more to a flashlight than large area lighting


True. But pragmatically speaking, beam shape, throw, and flood (with tint to a lesser degree) is what matters most with a tactical light in terms of output. I went back to using my Streamlight Polytac 2xCR123A flashlight after those months of testing the original Mag-Tac were over. At 600 rated lumens, the SL trounced that ML model in every category mentioned above. Also, not as though runtime suffered horribly with the Polytacs double the output of the Mag-Tac.


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## Monocrom (Jul 14, 2022)

xxo said:


> The E switch on the old Mag Tac was fantastic - hope that it was carried over on to the new version. I'm sure the new grip is much better for shooting, but I always liked the look and feel of the old grenade grip design.


As far as e-switches go, credit where it's due, the Mag-Tac has the best one I've ever used.


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## hsa (Jul 14, 2022)

Is the e-switch on the Mag Tac like the one on the XL 50?


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## Monocrom (Jul 14, 2022)

hsa said:


> Is the e-switch on the Mag Tac like the one on the XL 50?


Certainly looks the same. But I've never owned an XL-50. 
Sorry, but I stay away from LED lights that are 3AAA and over $5.oo


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## hsa (Jul 14, 2022)

It was pretty impressive 12 years ago with it's 100 lumens. The switch was and still is great. 
I didn't know what an 18650 battery was back then.


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## knucklegary (Jul 14, 2022)

Have y'all seen this new addition to Malkoff site?
I've always wanted to run M61's in my old incan 2-3 cell C/D.. Appears we can now also run M91BN or "T" modules if one desires  
View attachment 29846


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## bykfixer (Jul 14, 2022)

Finally the ability to have a warm LED in a classic Maglite.


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## F89 (Jul 14, 2022)

bykfixer said:


> Well, I pulled the trigger on the plain bezel'd version. I like the (ML mode 3) cop mode, plus it was $10 less. This is the only MagTac that ever piqued my interest. And frankly I'm glad to see the output not be some super-duper battery drainer but touts a 4 hour runtime on high instead.
> 
> It was a surprise to see the source of batteries and not US made Rayovacs, Panasonics, or Duracell. I will use some Battery Stations I have.
> 
> ...


I'd be interested to know what you think of it, I also like the sound of the plain bezel model.
While not inline with tactical/reliability theme, I'd be interested to know if this light can safely/reasonably run on a 16650 battery.


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## aznsx (Jul 14, 2022)

bykfixer said:


> Finally the ability to have a warm LED in a classic Maglite.



I'm far from expert on these specific matters, but this would sound to me to be a significant milestone along the highway/timeline of flashaholery


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## bykfixer (Jul 15, 2022)

For a time now AZ the LED's available for C and D Maglites has always been on the cool side of the kelvin range. And Maglite themselves have always opted for a cool white LED as well. But now that Gene Malkoff has made it possible to install an M module that opens up a wide range of options.

And the MagTac2 running on a 16650? I'll never know unless I read about it. If an eagtac 17650 can squeeze in it I'll try that because I have 2 of those but I do not own a 16650 cell nor do I plan on having any.


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## xxo (Jul 15, 2022)

Single Li-ions don't work in my old MT, Voltage is too low.


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## knucklegary (Jul 15, 2022)

^ then probably won't work in the new version as well


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## aginthelaw (Jul 15, 2022)

Malkoff devices has new products for the old maglite. Just hit his webpage


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## SMar (Jul 16, 2022)

aginthelaw said:


> Malkoff devices has new products for the old maglite. Just hit his webpage


Yes--the new adapters allow their P60 size drop-ins (M31, M61, etc) to be used in Mags!


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## dano (Jul 16, 2022)

Initial thoughts. 
Size is very nice and compact. Weighs almost nothing. Bezel is the same size as a AA Mag. 
The two grip rings are part of the body, but don't hinder usage, at all.
Switch is excellent. very tactile, and responsive, though there is a slight delay with the momentary during depression (turning light off).
Clip is plastic, same setup as the first Mag-Tac. The tip doesn't sit flush with the body. 
Output will disappoint those who like lumen monster lights. It is respectable and very useful. 
Tenergy cells. Interesting as they are Chinese origin, and Maglica always espouses Made in the U.S.A. Makes me wonder if domestic cells were not available in the numbers needed to launch the product. 
16650. mine is too long, so that is an unknown. 

Overall, i like it a lot.


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## vicv (Jul 16, 2022)

Bezel is the same size as AA mag?

Never mind I was mistaken for some reason. I had assumed because in the pictures it looks like it has a larger head than the barrel? But in the specs it’s the same. I wonder how they managed that


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## bykfixer (Jul 17, 2022)

Keep in mind the minimag and XL/MagTac lights use the same lens. (22.61mm). So does a Malkoff VME. 






Looking at an E light vs the XL200 there's a lot of girth that could be removed and a CR123 still fit.


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## ItnStln (Jul 17, 2022)

Does Maglite sell replacement clips for the Mag-Tac? I can't find them on their site.


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## xxo (Jul 17, 2022)

ItnStln said:


> Does Maglite sell replacement clips for the Mag-Tac? I can't find them on their site.


yup.









MAG-TAC / XL Series Pocket Clip and Tool


MAG-TAC / XL Series Pocket Clip and Tool




maglite.com


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## Monocrom (Jul 17, 2022)

dano said:


> Tenergy cells. Interesting as they are Chinese origin, and Maglica always espouses Made in the U.S.A. Makes me wonder if domestic cells were not available in the numbers needed to launch the product...


Highly doubt that was the issue. The very early Mag-Tacs were advertised with two Duracell CR123 cells clearly visible in the blister pack. And, with a company as huge as Panasonic supplying various branded, Made in USA CR123 primaries; Tenergy likely promised Maglite CR123s at a lower cost, so the company went with them.


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## xxo (Jul 17, 2022)

The earliest Mag Tacs came with panasonic cells.


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## ItnStln (Jul 19, 2022)

xxo said:


> yup.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Thanks!


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## bykfixer (Jul 20, 2022)

Mag Tac 2 tail stands. Yay!










Compared to an E and an XL

The matte finish felt kinda chalky like hard anodize. 

The "momentary" stays on for about a half second after released. In other words click once and it stays on about a half second. Click twice to get full time high. Thrice to get a low that appears to be about 25% give or take. 

It has lockout with about a half rotation of the tail cap.

It has an adjustable beam much like the XL50. It's a thrower that the hot spot can be widened some until a donut hole appears. In other words the user can soften the hot spot for a less intense throw. 

Overall if folks are looking for stunning output this is not it. It is a nice cop light though with "quick deploy" written all over it. I like the grip rings. 





Nice low serial number. 

The beam is cool but not your old school slightly blue tint number but has a slight yellow like it's 6000k or so. Reds look red, greens look green. It does what it needs to do. 

Hopefully Maglite will eventually lower the price on these. I'm pretty pleased with it though.


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## bykfixer (Jul 20, 2022)

Obligitory beam pix:




High with tight spot





High with softened spot





Low with tight spot




Low with softened spot


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## vicv (Jul 20, 2022)

If that’s not stunning output I don’t know what is. Looks great


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## bykfixer (Jul 20, 2022)

What impressed me most vicv is the 4 hour runtime. That to me is the thing lacking in modern LED lights. Instead of cranking up the output and having one hour, this one added some additional output but up'd the runtime so an officer doesn't have to keep swapping out batteries as often. 

Speaking of swapping batteries, I forgot to add to remove the tailcap it only takes a few twists like an Elzetta making the swap take less time.


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## xxo (Jul 20, 2022)

Cool! 

Nice low SN and beam shots Byk.

The delay in shutting off on momentary is only when you turn it on/off in the first second of so – after that there is no delay. At least that's how my old MT works. I guess the delay is there so that the light doesn't shut off when you double click for constant on.


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## vicv (Jul 21, 2022)

bykfixer said:


> What impressed me most vicv is the 4 hour runtime. That to me is the thing lacking in modern LED lights. Instead of cranking up the output and having one hour, this one added some additional output but up'd the runtime so an officer doesn't have to keep swapping out batteries as often.
> 
> Speaking of swapping batteries, I forgot to add to remove the tailcap it only takes a few twists like an Elzetta making the swap take less time.


Ya I completely agree. I wasn’t being sarcastic. It looks very bright. I have the original magtac it’s probably silimar. Very bright and throwy. But you’re defocuses better


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## hsa (Jul 21, 2022)

That adjustable beam looks really good.


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## bykfixer (Jul 21, 2022)

What I'm used to is the ML series way where it stays on as long as you hold the button and instantly turns off when you let go. Hold button get light. Let go, light turns off. Click once quickly and only get light while pressing the button. As in an instant flash of light that lasts only as long as the connection was made in the switch. 

With the MagTac2 press and hold works the same way but a quick click to on provides light for about a half second. I have been unable to duplicate that with an ML model thus far.


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## bykfixer (Jul 21, 2022)

vicv said:


> Ya I completely agree. I wasn’t being sarcastic. It looks very bright. I have the original magtac it’s probably silimar. Very bright and throwy. But you’re defocuses better


I did not think you were being sarcastic. It is pretty bright for "only" being 300+ lumens.

I can only compare it to XL models focus-wise and this one definitely 'de-focuses' better even though the lens appears very similar. Perhaps they changed a radius near the LED?

This one didn't knock my socks off like the ML25 did when it first arrived. Maybe because the ML25 was such a throwback to the future where this one is yet another 6 volt cop light in a crowded world of 6 volt cop lights, I dunno. Or maybe I just like the super simple approach of that maxi-minimag with it's size taking me back to the days of a 2C Kel-Lite. Either way it's a real nice flashlight I'll carry with me often.


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## vicv (Jul 21, 2022)

That ml is a nice light. I have 2 incan ones. A stock and a suped up one. Both 2 cell.


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## knucklegary (Jul 21, 2022)

Byk, While riding in pocket, front or rear, does the two machined grip rings stay off of human anatomy tender spots? (Reminds me a little of massage roller my wife bought lol)

MT2 momentary function sounds sketchy.. I do like the way momentary works on my ML50, with next click to high beam.

So if I understood you, with new MT momentary press/hold works same as ML50 except second click goes into a .5 second flash?


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## Monocrom (Jul 21, 2022)

bykfixer said:


> Mag Tac 2 tail stands. Yay!
> View attachment 29994


Must admit, I do miss candlestick mode. 
Always found that feature far more useful for lighting up a small room than ceiling bouncing a beam.


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## knucklegary (Jul 21, 2022)

ML25 for a general, emergency, rolling blackouts, etc.. you can't beat these flashlights!


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## bykfixer (Jul 21, 2022)

knucklegary said:


> Byk, While riding in pocket, front or rear, does the two machined grip rings stay off of human anatomy tender spots? (Reminds me a little of massage roller my wife bought lol)
> 
> MT2 momentary function sounds sketchy.. I do like the way momentary works on my ML50, with next click to high beam.
> 
> So if I understood you, with new MT momentary press/hold works same as ML50 except second click goes into a .5 second flash?


The MagTac2 the first click leaves the light on about a half second after the button is released. However if you press and hold it stays on until released then stays on about a half second after released.
The ML50 the first click provides light during the click that turns off the instant you release the button. Press and hold it stays on until you release the button and turns off instantly after released.
Second click with both yields high (if the ML is in police mode).

I'm still trying to get my mind around the benefit of that half second still on "feature". I say feature because I'm thinking Maglite built that in on purpose.

Pocket carry would be a drag with painted on tight pants I suppose. But no more than a different brand with grip rings......


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## Monocrom (Jul 21, 2022)

I don't think that half second thing is a feature. Really can't think of a benefit to it at all. If a Police officer was working the night shift, main light goes down, he reaches for his Mag-Tac 2, checking the inside of a darkened structure, suspect shoots at his beam. Officer is going to want the light to switch off, immediately. Half second gives the suspect literally another pull of the trigger. 

More likely, something in the design prevented instant deactivation of the light. Maglite's engineers couldn't solve it. Company execs. decided it wasn't a big enough deal to delay the release.


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## knucklegary (Jul 21, 2022)

What purpose does that .5 sec delay offer, I can't think of any?
I tend to agree with Monocrom, it's a slight glitch in the UI. 
In a life or death situation, that half second could mean "goodbye cruel world"


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## bykfixer (Jul 21, 2022)

So you push the on button for momentary for oh lets say 1/4 second and "oh crap a perp". Light stays on for a half second after. Or it doesn't. Perp knows where you are already either way, right?

They already have a "program" for police mode from of ML lights so I don't see there being a need to redesign an interface, which is why I figure it was actually built with the stay on time on purpose, not some design flaw. Same as when PK did a 20 seconds to reset back to high on his FL2. Many did not understand why he did that instead of 1 second so they dismissed it as a flaw. Right now I forget why he did that but when he explained it here at CPF the crowd of naysayers either said "oh yeah that makes sense" or "well that's just stupid and why isn't it a neutral tinted"...

Perhaps the user can do a quick sweep of an area with the 'predictable' on for 1/2 second without accidently activating the stay on feature. I can sweep about 45 degrees in the time it stays on by clicking once and know it will turn off. If I press and hold the button for about 1/2 second (or longer) it turns off when I release it. I just learned that.


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## knucklegary (Jul 21, 2022)

Good point Byk.. If the prep is armed he ain't going to wait for that half second to expire, and neither should you! 
Oh c®ap, I can see the law suits already (-;


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## Monocrom (Jul 21, 2022)

bykfixer said:


> So you push the on button for momentary for oh lets say 1/4 second and "oh crap a perp". Light stays on for a half second after. Or it doesn't. Perp knows where you are already either way, right?


No, he's already spotted your light and fires on you. You let go of the tailcap to switch it off and immediately duck down or move. That half a second of linger let's him easily get off a 2nd shot. He might have missed with his first, maybe he didn't. Easier to survive one shot to the torso vs. two.


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## knucklegary (Jul 21, 2022)

Are cops still trained to flash and dash?
Just make sure that second round does not hit you in the a$$.. If you survive,, u won't be able to live that one down.


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## aznsx (Jul 21, 2022)

re: Magtac 2

My first question is always 'does it work as documented?'. After that, I get around to determining if it works the way I'd want it to.

_*[user instructions] 
"Momentary" *_mode: Press tail cap switch button and hold it down; light remains on only until button is released.

Well, it does say *"hold it down"*, although not for how long a duration. Sounds like BYK's saying that value likely is and thus this probably should state a 'min. duration ~.5 sec', or something to that effect.

I'd probably answer the first question 'Yes, works as _poorly_ documented'. As for working the way I'd want it to, to each their own. I try to stick to facts over opinion whenever possible - but words matter. I will say that's not how I would design a light to operate, but I only design some other things - certainly not flashlights. I'm just a flashlight user, so the only decisions I make are purchase decisions.

I guess it requires a re-definition of the term 'momentary' as used in accepted electronics and flashlight industry terminology. I use the term as BYK (very clearly stated) in post #773:


bykfixer said:


> What I'm used to is the ML series way where it stays on as long as you hold the button and instantly turns off when you let go. Hold button get light. Let go, light turns off. Click once quickly and only get light while pressing the button. As in an instant flash of light that lasts only as long as the connection was made in the switch.



To my way of thinking, anything else is essentially a re-definition of the term. There's nothing wrong with designing something to work differently, but it should be more clearly specified in the documentation when that's the case.

I guess that's why I read stuff here - to find out how things _*actually*_ work, as a lot of flashlight documentation is well below other industry standards (to put it kindly. This is yet another case where that policy came in handy!


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## bykfixer (Jul 21, 2022)

Here's what the MagTac 2 was designed for.

Often true tactical lights are misunderstood by folks who are not trained to use that particular model. One called First Light Tomahawk (for example) is absolute genious, once you've learned the whys and hows of its variety of features no other flashlight brand has. I used it and only it for about a week getting familiar with the interface and layout. After that period it became second nature but, hand it to somebody not used to it and they say "I don't get it" and hand it back.


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## Monocrom (Jul 21, 2022)

bykfixer said:


> Often true tactical lights are misunderstood by folks who are not trained to use that particular model. One called First Light Tomahawk (for example) is absolute genious, once you've learned the whys and hows of its variety of features no other flashlight brand has. I used it and only it for about a week getting familiar with the interface and layout. After that period it became second nature but, hand it to somebody not used to it and they say "I don't get it" and hand it back.


Been trained on how to use a tactical light. And, I own the LE version of the First Light Tomahawk. I'm sorry but it's too complicated to be a true tactical light. Made worse by the tiny smiley-face layout of the buttons. Under stress, far too easy to hit the wrong button. Also, being a right-angle light, the user then has to re-train himself to instinctively grab it and point it properly. I put mine away in storage shortly after buying it because stress training, I was grabbing the Tomahawk the wrong way when reaching for it. 5,000 repetitions _minimum_ just not worth the time to re-train myself and develope new muscle memory. Plus, doesn't fix the other issues with the light.

I do agree with you that it's a genius design. But with a tactical light, the simpler or "dumber" the design; the better. Along the lines of a SureFire 6P but with a higher-output LED instead of an incandescent lamp inside.


----------



## bykfixer (Jul 24, 2022)

I added the (included) clip to my MagTac 2 actually prefer it with the clip. Not because it means it has a pocket clip or anti-roll device, but because the plastic circle makes for a good grip ring. 

The MagTac 2 won't replace my PKDL FL2 as my benchmark but I like the light in general and it'll have a home next to some of my classic favs like a Pelican M6 (2390), Pentagon LX2 and Streamlight TL2 LED.


----------



## dano (Jul 29, 2022)

They screwed up the clip design. It needs to sit flush with the body, especially being so thin. But, it doesn't sit flush, at all. I've thought about using some heat to "re-mold" a curve in it, but I dont think the plastic will be able to handle it.


----------



## Monocrom (Jul 30, 2022)

dano said:


> They screwed up the clip design. It needs to sit flush with the body, especially being so thin. But, it doesn't sit flush, at all. I've thought about using some heat to "re-mold" a curve in it, but I dont think the plastic will be able to handle it.


Maybe if it was ordinary ABS plastic. But it's one of those glass-filled nylon affairs. Feels like zytel. If it breaks, you could order a replacement clip from Maglite.


----------



## bykfixer (Aug 2, 2022)

MagTac can use a conventional ring type clip. And a lanyard ring if not part of the clip. I had a couple of clips leftover from PKDL PR-1's since I remove them so it'll fit in my pocket better. I have a daily, a backup and a backup backup.

Anyway dremel about a mm around the inside of it and it fits numerous 6 volt flashlights.

I also used an Elzetta wire lanyard ring with an Elzetta G-Line adjustable wrist trap and for good measure a Maglite XL series filter holder/ antiroll device.






The lanyard ring and clip in tandem





The finished product.
I removed the clip later on as I really didn't care for a clip on the MagTac2.




How it looks now.


----------



## Monocrom (Aug 2, 2022)

Honestly wish Maglite had done that from the factory.


----------



## aznsx (Aug 2, 2022)

Monocrom said:


> Honestly wish Maglite had done that from the factory.



Those compelled to mod/customize something (of which I'm not one) will be happy to have an outlet for that need. Seriously though, I thought the clip was like that of the original MM (*EDIT: MT*), which I thought I'd read others liked so much they ordered them to fit on other lights! Doesn't seem to be that popular so far with this light, but it's early days yet. That might be due to the different profiling of the housing of this one - who knows. That's all 'just the way things work' and to be expected though.

That said, I do however appreciate at least some form of integral factory roll resistance (which I suppose this lacks w/o the clip[?]), although given its targeted tac apps user segment specifically, that may be missed by very few compared with lights targeting more general / broad use / EDC, etc. Personally, I have to set my working lights down at least briefly on a regular basis, often on flat surfaces, in proximity to areas it would be unrecoverable from if it rolled off!


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## bykfixer (Aug 2, 2022)

Tony does what Tony does. Change comes very slowly at Maglite.


----------



## bykfixer (Aug 11, 2022)

So I found this little bust-a-glass type tailcap on the www somehow and mulled over it for a few days because it was $20. It is supposed to be for the ML25, which was also $20. Then it occured to me the threads and tailcap are the same on the ML25 as the ML50, 100,125 and 150. Well the 100 and 125 differ some but the threads are the same.

Anywho, since the ML150 was over $100 another $20 didn't sound so bad. It arrived today. And came with stickerrrrrrrz.




It's a normal shape tailcap with removeable cap to expose a glass buster.
Now, the Maglite has a sorta gasket on the tailcap. The Litt has an over sized o'ring. What that does is provides resistance to the tailcap, which in turn makes it easier to twist off the glass breaker covering than removing the tailcap from the light.
Neat!! The remaining portion is grippy enough so if you don't intend to remove the glass breaker cover you won't.

Ok so it did not come with a spring. Removing the Maglite spring is easy enough. Putting it back was not so easy, nor installing it to the Litt. I tried and tried to no avail. Handy pliers and a light bend to the end of the spring allows the first half coil to fit into the stock or Litt tailcap and you twist from there. Press down on the spring to seat it and done.





Does loosening the lit cut the circuit like the stock tailcap? You betcha. No parasitic drain woes with the aftermarket tailcap. And still allows the tailcap to be the on/off switch on an ML25. 
Yay!

It adds about an inch to the length of the light. So the change is noticeable on a 2 cell length light but not much with a 3 cell length light like the ML150LR. Threads are nice, coating is good and I did not see any machine marks or flaws. Litt also has some other cool add ons for other Maglite products. Oh, US made too. 
Bonus.

Now that's a throwback modern cop light




Add the storage container and that extra inch does not matter. It's already a big-*** light anyway.


----------



## Monocrom (Aug 11, 2022)

Hopefully Maglite will buy the company out, and start offering those.


----------



## bykfixer (Aug 11, 2022)

Litt Industries is an American off road accessories manufacturer. Dude's wife likes Maglites so they expanded the lineup. 
Their story:








Company


Off-road Accessories, Designed and Built for high performance, rugged, long lasting applications.




littindustries.com


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## nikocamf (Aug 11, 2022)

325addict said:


> Well, it has been some years that I didn't take a look at what Maglite had to offer. I thought they would either still make those C and D heavy and large incans forever, or they would go bankrupt still producing these.
> How different the reality was!! I went through the site over and over again, learned that a 4D cell Mag now puts out a thousand Lumens, and there were cheap and small 2C lights to have, with two modes, very easy to use, and still with MORE light than a 6D incan with MagNum star bulb...
> The cute little ML25LT light has all that right Maglite feel and is built like a tank. I seriousy think it will last the rest of my life and then some.
> I didn't regret the purchase of this new Mag at all - maybe I'll even buy more Maglite LED lights. And I'm not a big LED fan, you should know, but the Mag-LEDs certainly "have that something special" a Maglite always had for me...
> ...


I used to use the old mag incans years back.they were the dogs watsits back then but I've been swayed by the LED lights now and theres no going back! I still have a couple of my original Mags though. A two and a three D cell which I don't use now but keep them more for the history of them.


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## knucklegary (Aug 12, 2022)

bykfixer said:


> So I found this little bust-a-glass type tailcap on the www somehow and mulled over it for a few days because it was $20. It is supposed to be for the ML25, which was also $20. Then it occured to me the threads and tailcap are the same on the ML25 as the ML50, 100,125 and 150. Well the 100 and 125 differ some but the threads are the same.
> 
> Anywho, since the ML150 was over $100 another $20 didn't sound so bad. It arrived today. And came with stickerrrrrrrz.
> View attachment 30773
> ...



Anodized finish looks shinny too!

Btw, I've found sometimes, if you ask Maglite CS nicely they'll accommodate sending spare tail springs.


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## Beamhead (Aug 12, 2022)

cc


bykfixer said:


> Tony does what Tony does. Change comes very slowly at Maglite.


Tell Tony to make the ML---LX series in Crimson Red again please!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## bykfixer (Aug 12, 2022)

knucklegary said:


> Anodized finish looks shinny too!
> 
> Btw, I've found sometimes, if you ask Maglite CS nicely they'll accommodate sending spare tail springs.


When I told Maglite I had screwed up the bezel of an XL100 trying to install a glass lens they sent me a replacement for $8. 
When I told them they they had screwed up a tailcap on an 50LX they sent me a replacement for no cost. 
So, yeah I'm pretty sure they'll send a spring for a small fee unless it arrived defective.


----------



## hsa (Aug 12, 2022)

@Beamhead. Yes, yes, yes. I would pre pay for any size crimson LX.!


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## xxo (Aug 12, 2022)

This time they need to make a *4 cell* crimson red ML300LX.


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## knucklegary (Aug 12, 2022)

bykfixer said:


> When I told Maglite I had screwed up the bezel of an XL100 trying to install a glass lens they sent me a replacement for $8.
> When I told them they they had screwed up a tailcap on an 50LX they sent me a replacement for no cost.
> So, yeah I'm pretty sure they'll send a spring for a small fee unless it arrived defective.


One of my newly purchased ML25LT when unscrewed tailcap, surprise no spring! Guess it was a Friday assembled light. Took awhile but a spring finally showed up Free of charge. Customers need to have patience with ML CS..


----------



## bykfixer (Aug 12, 2022)

It's funny how when I saw crimson red 2D's I had no interest. I wanted coyote tan and viola, one day coyote tan was back.
You can have any color 4D you want as long as it's black.
The spring for the ML25 is good for 50's and 150's. I accidently killed an early ML25 by zapping it with a pair of 18500's. So I ended up with spare parts and used the spare spring for the Litt tailcap.






I'll buy one


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## bykfixer (Aug 13, 2022)

Looking for the above posted flashlight (ie doggy footprints minimag) it dawned on me that it would be nice if the Maglite e-store had a 'what's new' section. That way repeat buyers or even some setting on the fence could save a bunch of time looking around for special edition numbers, upgraded versions and anything just released like the MagTac2. 
Eh, some of us have been hoping for warm beam big lights or lights that start on eco to no avail so I won't hold my breath on this idea either. But it would be something that could actually boost sales, even if just a little.


----------



## knucklegary (Aug 13, 2022)

Someone needs to send Tony a lifetime CPF membership?

Hopefully then he'd be prone to listen to some great ideas from real users..

Unfortunately his contacts, email addy is guarded like King Solomon's gold, through ML website is not publicly available

I've found a ML CS gal named Esther gives out info., if you promise ice cream. And then she's limited to what devulgance is permitted.. 
If she talks too much Maglica will have his henchmen pull off her false finger nails (-;


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## bykfixer (Aug 13, 2022)

PK once told me "if you can get 10 cpf members to agree on a neutral tint for the PL-2 I'll make 100". 
I got 11 different preferences from 11 members. Not even 2 agreed on a tint. 

It's marketing that needs to be lurking CPF. Trouble is Maglite still thinks like a giant company. And giant companies don't do special editions unless there's a study that shows lots of sales would result. They market at places like fakebook where 50% of the responders say Maglite sucks. If they'd think small like Gene Malkoff or Henry at HDS they'd probably put out more "flavors".


----------



## aznsx (Aug 13, 2022)

bykfixer said:


> PK once told me "if you can get 10 cpf members to agree on a neutral tint for the PL-2 I'll make 100".
> I got 11 different preferences from 11 members. Not even 2 agreed on a tint.



Thank you.


----------



## bykfixer (Aug 16, 2022)

Now available
It's a special edition smooth barrel old school (read 127 lumens, 6093cd) 2aa minimag with a lens kit, wrist strap and pocket clip. 
Says 11 hour runtime on high. I'm glad to see runtime taking center stage over super-nova outputs.


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## Burgess (Aug 16, 2022)

Saw this today.


----------



## xxo (Aug 16, 2022)

Burgess said:


> Saw this today.



Cool! 

couldn't find it on Mag's website yet.


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## bykfixer (Aug 17, 2022)

It's spelled different. Not made by Maglite.
Nifty little light though.


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## Burgess (Aug 17, 2022)

bykfixer said:


> It's spelled different. Not made by Maglite.



Ohhhhhh . . . .
That EXPLAINS it !
< D'oh >

I saw this video on The Weather Channel page,
so I simply "assumed" it was legit.

Otherwise --
My BullShirt Detector would've been triggered
a lot sooner . . . .


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## bridgman (Aug 17, 2022)

Pity... I liked the look of it.


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## knucklegary (Aug 17, 2022)

The tactics of similar "play on" words probably works more than a few times. Anything to trick the consumer


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## Burgess (Aug 17, 2022)

I'm sure it was JUST a coincidence !


_


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## bykfixer (Aug 17, 2022)

*Mag*lite
*Mag*light

Yup just a coninkydink


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## Monocrom (Aug 19, 2022)

I'm not the biggest MagLite fan. But I really wish _they_ had come out with that 8-in-1 light.


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## jz6342 (Aug 19, 2022)

Sooo....I was a HUGE Maglite fan from the 80's; my first duty flashlight was a 4 D cell that was way too heavy for the amount of light it put out. I carried a Mini Maglite on my belt or in my pocket well into the 90's. Then I fell out of love; newer models and makers created better lights that were easier to use and carry. Then, about three years ago I found myself looking at a 3 C cell LED. I carried the incandescent version for most of the later part of my career and decided to give it a chance. To quote George Takei, "OH Myyyyy" - very bright, great UI and as easy to carry as I remember. I immediately bought three more for our cars and camper! Then I found the LED Mini Maglite - 332 lumens? Yes please! 

I'm a fan again.


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## bykfixer (Aug 19, 2022)

Thank you for helping keep your community safe jz. Welcome to cpf

My mom was a city official where I grew up and a police officer gave her a 4c, to which my dad jokingly called her "girl light" compared to his 3D "real man light". Yet I noticed he used my mom's light pretty often.

My first LED Maglite was a 2D with a paultry 168 lumens, but it shined a lot farther than any of my 300+ lumen lights.

The first time I saw the beam of the short version of the ML150 it caused me to giggle like a school kid who got away with looking up teachers skirt.


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## Beamhead (Aug 21, 2022)

Picked up a ML50lx Grey with the Coyote tan. I love the 2-c format. I need a Crimson Red!


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## knucklegary (Aug 21, 2022)

What's up with all the bumper training wheels


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## fuyume (Aug 21, 2022)

I've spent hours on the phone with my mother this weekend finally getting her user data backed up and transferred from her slow-as-molasses 2012 Samsung laptop to her new 2020 Apple MacBook Pro M1 (14x faster), and she mentioned to me that her flashlight (a Sofirn that her late husband had gotten as convention swag) was acting up and flickering.

So, after spending a few hours thinking about what kind of decent flashlight would work for a 75 year old woman with advanced Multiple Sclerosis, that would have good color rendition and be not too expensive, relatively easy to operate for someone with limited and declining manual dexterity, not too dim or too bright, not too complex, and have little risk of creating a burn or fire hazard if inadvertently activated, I settled on a Mini Maglite Spectrum Series 2xAA Warm White LED model.

I was actually kind of surprised that when I thought about what might work best for her, this was the model that seemed to best fit the bill.

I did find out later that she is OK with the tail switch on the Sofirn, which also surprised me, so if she finds the Maglite too difficult to operate (two hand twisty), maybe I'll look at a Fenix or Nitecore 2xAA, but I think the Maglite will actually be OK.

At 57 lumens in the default high power mode, it won't be horrifically blinding, as many high spec flashlights can be if you inadvertently activate their high power modes when you aren't expecting it.

I ordered it from B&H Photo, and it comes with a free Nitecore Tube v2 keychain light. I'll update this once she gets it and tells me how it's working for her. Oh, and I ordered an 8-pack of Energizer L91s, so she doesn't end up sticking alkaleaks in it (hopefully).


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## xxo (Aug 21, 2022)

My Mom loves her Mags. She has a 98 lumen Mini Mag LED in her purse, a 272 lumen Mini Mag Pro she keeps in the kitchen and a 2C ML25 I gave her set up as a lantern that she uses all the time around the house wherever she needs a little more light - all running eneloops.


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## aznsx (Aug 21, 2022)

fuyume said:


> I've spent hours on the phone with my mother this weekend finally getting her user data backed up and transferred from her slow-as-molasses 2012 Samsung laptop to her new 2020 Apple MacBook Pro M1 (14x faster), and she mentioned to me that her flashlight (a Sofirn that her late husband had gotten as convention swag) was acting up and flickering.
> 
> So, after spending a few hours thinking about what kind of decent flashlight would work for a 75 year old woman with advanced Multiple Sclerosis, that would have good color rendition and be not too expensive, relatively easy to operate for someone with limited and declining manual dexterity, not too dim or too bright, not too complex, and have little risk of creating a burn or fire hazard if inadvertently activated, I settled on a Mini Maglite Spectrum Series 2xAA Warm White LED model.
> 
> ...



Sounds a lot like me not so long ago. Good on ya. With all due respect however, and I really do mean that because I'm certain you're trying to do the right thing, I'm afraid she's gonna hate that light. She may not tell you, but I'd bet she'll hate it. My Mom would have deserved a light with a 'proper' switch that can be easily operated one-handed; tail or side, but a 'proper' switch. I hope I'm wrong, but in case I'm not, go ahead a have a 'plan B' in mind!


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## bykfixer (Aug 21, 2022)

Good on you fuyume. 
With the MS being advanced it may be easier for her to use both hands to operate a flashlight due to lack of dexterity. 

57 lumens of an incan looking beam should provide that old school light she is used to. Being a Maglite it'll be throwey like a light bulb'd light too. 

I used to give away aaa Maglites at Christmas with ultimate lithiums for spares. When yours arrives perhaps load the light with a pair and stick a pair in the gift box it came in. The rest whereever she prefers.


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## Stefano (Aug 30, 2022)

My only Mag is a AAA Solitaire I bought in 2006 or 2007.
Then it fell and has been flickering ever since, changing the light bulb didn't help.

(but I still have it and even though it may have an unstable light it still works)
However, I continued to carry it until 2012 when I bought a Fenix PD32
I saw today that it is still on sale in the Classic version (2 lumens) and in the led version (47 lumens?)

To those who are experts in this brand I would like to ask:
What tint does the Solitaire (led version) have?

There are also 2C and 2D models for sale on Amazon,at a good price (led and Xenon)

What tint these models have?
Is there a standard (led) Mag Lite with a very warm tint?
Thanks


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## Beamhead (Aug 30, 2022)

Apparently, this is the closest I will get to owning an LX series in Crimson Red.


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## hsa (Aug 31, 2022)

I like it. What is it?


----------



## Beamhead (Aug 31, 2022)

hsa said:


> I like it. What is it?


A plastic buck and a quarter store flashlight.


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## bykfixer (Aug 31, 2022)

Stefano, Maglite put out a series they call "spectrum" a few years back. Spectrum red, spectrum blue, spectrum green, spectrum warm. 
Solitaire, 2x aaa minimag, 2x aa minimag and XL50 were the models available. Black body lights with a tail cap color to represent which color the beam is. 

The tint of the spectrum warm looks like a 219b in that it's got a hint of rosey tint while appearing very similar to a krypton light bulb tint. I'm fond of the spectrum warm solitaire and 2x aaa minimag. Both put out 30 some lumens.


----------



## knucklegary (Aug 31, 2022)

Beamhead said:


> A plastic buck and a quarter store flashlight.


 Purdy! the finish sparkles like metal flake. How's the beam?


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## Monocrom (Aug 31, 2022)

knucklegary said:


> .. the finish sparkles too!


That makes everything better. 🥳


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## Stefano (Aug 31, 2022)

bykfixer said:


> I'm fond of the spectrum warm solitaire and 2x aaa minimag. Both put out 30 some lumens.


Thanks, I'll try to see if they are available here even though I don't seem to have read "spectrum" anywhere.


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## bykfixer (Aug 31, 2022)

They were a limited run and may not have made it to the other side of the big pond. I would wonder if authorized European Maglite dealers could get them.


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## Stefano (Aug 31, 2022)

bykfixer said:


> They were a limited run and may not have made it to the other side of the big pond. I would wonder if authorized European Maglite dealers could get them.


Thanks I found Spectrum series on the maglite.eu website

Edit:
That maglite.eu site looks like just a catalog but I don't see any chance to buy. 

I searched for Spectrum on my local Amazon, the prices are very high, almost double, I assume for import charges and taxes but I got three choices: 
1xAAA red light, 2xAAA and 2xAA 
I am interested in the MiniMaglite Spectrum 2xAAA but I wonder if this version has a single light level or are there two? 
Is the warm light of the Spectrum series 2700K or 3500K? 
On the American site of Maglite I find no information on this, it only speaks of "warm light". Thank you


----------



## bykfixer (Aug 31, 2022)

If I had to guess I'd say around 3500. Except for the XL50 version they are one setting. High only. Not sure about the XL50. 
Over here they are pricey also.


----------



## Stefano (Aug 31, 2022)

bykfixer said:


> If I had to guess I'd say around 3500. Except for the XL50 version they are one setting. High only. Not sure about the XL50.
> Over here they are pricey also.


Thanks for the info. 
On the US site I was able to see that the Mini Maglite 2xAA "Spectrum" appears to have two light levels but no information on the 2xAAA version.
The Mini Maglite 2xAAA led Spectrum in USA costs 24.25 dollars, here 44.29 euros


----------



## Stefano (Aug 31, 2022)

knucklegary said:


> Stefano, There's this guy located in Britain. I can't vouch for him since never bought anything. But he sounds legitimate and read no bad reviews.
> 
> Ross Hamilton, Torch Upgrades dot com
> He sells on Amz as well
> View attachment 31490


Thanks, it's an interesting site, I have placed it in my bookmarks. 
But from what I see it does not sell Maglite but only accessories for them.
It can be useful if I buy some Maglite at a reduced price and do an update, now I see if it has led with warm 2700 tint


----------



## bykfixer (Sep 4, 2022)

Beamhead said:


> Picked up a ML50lx Grey with the Coyote tan. I love the 2-c format. I need a Crimson Red!
> 
> 
> View attachment 31155


The 25% off Labor Day sale at Maglite was a chance to purchase a 3 cell gray ML50LX with a discount that covered to cost of shipping.
I keep my eyes peeled for a crimson red and will notify you if I see one.











Neighbors roll their eyes thinking dude's bought another flashlight


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## knucklegary (Sep 16, 2022)

knucklegary said:


> Stefano, There's this guy located in Britain. I can't vouch for him since never bought anything. But he sounds legitimate and read no bad reviews.
> 
> Ross Hamilton, Torch Upgrades dot com
> He sells on Amz as well
> View attachment 31490





knucklegary said:


> To prospective customers in EU. I would avoid this online 3rd party seller and go directly to his source for Maglite parts; Burton-McCall dot com. Located in UK, this is a bonafide brick'n mortar store, and a business where you will receive fast and honest customer service.


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## Stefano (Sep 16, 2022)

Thank you
Edit: But I think I will orient myself on a Convoy 2700 K 
(undecided between a led 351 and 519A)


----------



## knucklegary (Sep 16, 2022)

Stefano said:


> Thank you
> Edit: But I think I will orient myself on a Convoy 2700 K
> (undecided between a led 351 and 519A)


I'd definitely go with 519a. My experience with 351 some (4000k) bins have a greenish ring around the corona. 
I've heard nothing but good about 519a. 
Myself, I like the contours of the 2x AA Convoy


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## Chicken Drumstick (Sep 18, 2022)

Anyone got or used the ML150LR or ML150LRS (not sure what the (x) means in the names on the Maglite website)...

Can't seem to find any reviews (written or Youtube) on these. So, wondering if anyone here had either?


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## bykfixer (Sep 18, 2022)

The x is the matte finish version of each one. 
I have the longer one and shorter one in shiney version and the short one in matte version. 

The short one is impressive in that it's about the same size as a 2 cell ML50 but way brighter. The longer one is a little brighter than the short version. 

Here's what one cop says:


StackPath


----------



## Ishango (Sep 19, 2022)

Chicken Drumstick said:


> Anyone got or used the ML150LR or ML150LRS (not sure what the (x) means in the names on the Maglite website)...
> 
> Can't seem to find any reviews (written or Youtube) on these. So, wondering if anyone here had either?



I've got the ML150LR and it is quite a good light. Similar in size to the old 3C Maglites and puts out a 1000 lumen for a very decent amount of time. Functionally a really well thought out product.

The ML150LRS is still unavailable over here (in Europe), but would be glad to buy one after using the bigger version.

EDIT: spelling, should have posted before, not past, bedtime


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## bykfixer (Sep 20, 2022)

I thought perhaps "similar" was spelled differently in europe. It's too bad the LRS is not available in Europe (yet). 
I asked Maglite if the matte finish X models were hard anodized type 3. They said "they are matte".


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## Ishango (Sep 20, 2022)

bykfixer said:


> I thought perhaps "similar" was spelled differently in europe.


Could have been, but this is just a typo on my account 

It always remains an interesting language as a second language to me. But English is spoken a lot in Europe and most of the literature in my trade is as well. I can usually easily switch between "The Queen's English" (which they teach here in school) and American English, but I do often mix it up when I'm not thinking about it.


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## Dicaeopolis (Oct 9, 2022)

I was given an old Maglite 2D by someone I know. I have quite a few with aftermarket LEDs and will probably get one for this too. I was just wondering if Maglite used to ever come stock with a frosted reflector because this has one and I know the guy who gave it to me didn't do it.


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## knucklegary (Oct 9, 2022)

Is it a stock Mag blue/chrone plastic reflector, photos?

There are lens filters frosted like you describe.


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## Dicaeopolis (Oct 9, 2022)

It is the stock blue/chrome. Here the incandescent is next to a newer Maglite.


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## knucklegary (Oct 9, 2022)

It looks like someone gave the chrome a soft blasting with very fine abrasive. 
How's the beam profile, are the rings smoothed out?


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## Dicaeopolis (Oct 9, 2022)

It is smooth, but not very bright, and has the donut hole. I like the new Maglites with their brightness, multi mode options, and quicker focus. I will probably try the new M31 drop in when they come back in stock. Wasn't going to get one, but now I have an excuse.


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## knucklegary (Oct 9, 2022)

Dicaeopolis said:


> It is smooth, but not very bright, and has the donut hole. I like the new Maglites with their brightness, multi mode options, and quicker focus. I will probably try the new M31 drop in when they come back in stock. Wasn't going to get one, but now I have an excuse.


I talked with Gene, the new v2 Mag drop-in will be more compatible with C cells as well D's. He said placed order with machine shop, and should be available before Xmas 👍


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## Dicaeopolis (Oct 9, 2022)

So you are not talking about the new adapters that take the M31, but a different drop in like the ones he used to have? I am not sure what v2 is.


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## knucklegary (Oct 9, 2022)

Yes, I do mean the latest version for Mags that holds M31/M61. He is making a few adjustments to specs so the heads will screw down past body orings. As they now are, the heads sit just shy of oring coverage.
I labeled it v2 as in 2nd version (-;
Btw, if you're thinking of replacing the lens along with the drop-in, FlashlightLens dot com sells a UCL AR coated glass lenses.
D/C lens oring size: 49.15 x 1.78mm, Buna N


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## bykfixer (Oct 10, 2022)

Dicaeopolis said:


> It is the stock blue/chrome. Here the incandescent is next to a newer Maglite.


Could be someone fogged it with clear enamel spray paint.


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## bykfixer (Oct 16, 2022)

Maglite AA minimag pro now has eco. 
Don't know the details tho just that instead on on/off only it now has eco option too.


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## xxo (Oct 16, 2022)

That's interesting. Mag has this on their site:

*NOW WITH NEW ECO MODE FEATURE, JUST TWO QUICK TWISTS TO ACTIVATE.*

So seems that it must work like the standard/non Pro Mini Mag LED.

I see that Mag listed the run time on eco at 13 hrs vs 27 hrs on low for the Pro Plus....I think I would rather have the longer run time and lower lumens of the Plus, but I'm glad Mag added the eco to the Pro.


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## bykfixer (Oct 17, 2022)

Does the pro plus still use PWM to achieve the 27 hours? 
Not that it bugs me any but many are not a fan of it.


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## Monocrom (Oct 17, 2022)

Would be useful having a Mini-Mag bright as Heck! But also with an Eco mode geared for as much runtime as possible.


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## Chicken Drumstick (Oct 17, 2022)

Monocrom said:


> Would be useful having a Mini-Mag bright as Heck! But also with an Eco mode geared for as much runtime as possible.


Visible pwn is not great at all.

I’ve got a 245 lumen Mini Mag. Single mode. I find it is a little too bright indoors and up close. Especially with the cool white emitter. It does need a lower mode. But not one that makes movements strobe. 

As for the regulation. I much prefer the XL200 that steps down but is pretty consistent until it does. If I use the Mini Mag to go for a walk, it gradually dims. Which is annoying, as it starts doing it not long after activation.


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## bykfixer (Nov 4, 2022)

Maglite has rechargeable batteries for the 2 cell lights like ML25 and ML50 now. When I saw that in another thread here (thanks RWolf) I had to look twice then pinch myself then look again.

18650, 3400mAh, 3.7 volt micro usb port on the cell and a remaining power indicator. Comes with a 3 foot C to C cord and an adapter for micro (for the battery port) and B size (for the power source). Adapter kit is a battery adapter, a battery and cord kit. Or a 2 fer kit with 2 batteries and a cord (no battery adapter).

I hope they eventually sell and adapter for D size lights at some point but won't hold my breath.


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## g8trwood (Dec 15, 2022)

Well, I just moved to a smaller place and found my old mag charger from the early 80’s (with Gene’s LED). A flashback, but what a game changer this light was from a 2 cell candle  when searching the woods or warehouses.

Thinking of using their trade in program on perhaps the 150? I have smaller lights, but not larger with multimode. Not looking for killer max brightness any ore.

Thanks for your thoughts.


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## hsa (Dec 15, 2022)

I don't think you will regret that for a minute. You oughta hang on to the old light though.


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## knucklegary (Dec 15, 2022)

@g8trwood, if you decide to trade in your Mag charger definitely remove the Malkoff drop-in.
Personally, I'd hang onto Mag charger and buy the 150 during one of their sales promotions


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## g8trwood (Dec 15, 2022)

I was thinking of keeping it, needs a new battery and charger. The trade in program is 71 for a 150


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## hsa (Dec 15, 2022)

Only disadvantage to the ML150 LR is you can't get the grenade grip. Well, that and you can't get it in Crimson.
The Federal Trade Commission should do something to Tony about that. The gray one look pretty good though.


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## bykfixer (Dec 16, 2022)

The ML150 LR is roughly the size of a 3C Maglite. The shorter one, the ML150 LRS is about the size of a 2C Maglite. Both are very bright for how small they are.

I don't think the promotions they have going right now would discount either down to $71. I did however pay $80 for the LRS the year they had 30% off on black Friday. It was $115 back then. Right now they have a 25% sale going until Christmas. Go to their website, sign up for emails and get a 20% discount any time of the year.

Another cool option is the somewhat outdated ML125 that can use the rechargeable or 3C cells. Don't let the low numbers make you think it isn't bright. It has a thrower beam but also has a way to adjust the way the LED hits the reflector (in addition to focusing head) for a much wider hot spot if throw is not at the top of your list. Best part is it's fairly inexpensive there at Maglite.

Only qualm I have with the ML series is you must remember to slightly loosen the tailcap or the electronic switch will drain the battery past the point it will take a charge. Fine if you keep it on the charger or top up once a month or so.


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## hsa (Dec 16, 2022)

^ What is the other way to adjust the beam?


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## bykfixer (Dec 16, 2022)

From the instruction manual.
The ML100 and ML125 had that feature in case the LED was misaligned. I used the feature to dial the spot to tighter to increase how far away I could light up reflective signs in the daytime or look for critter eyes in the woods at night.


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## hsa (Dec 16, 2022)

Amazing. Thanks


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## Dicaeopolis (Dec 17, 2022)

Does anyone have experience with the 4D long run Maglite? Also, what is the best setup for rechargeable batteries for that light, if any?


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## bykfixer (Dec 17, 2022)

24HF30 will get you 30% off today, that's my only experience with it. That includes the Popular Mechanics and the 'national association for search and rescue' (nasar) versions.

I haven't chosen it simply because i don't want a ginormous 1000 lumen flashlight, Give me 350-500 lumens and a 1000 hour eco setting and I'd buy 3 or 4. Or since they tout the long run thing include an option where it starts on eco and not the battery gulping 1000 lumens until you click it down to low. 

I like Maha Imedion batteries but 4 of those would cost as much as the light did if you used the discount code for the light.

Powerex are a little less expensive.

There's always the aa eneloop in adapters option too.


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## hsa (Dec 17, 2022)

I just converted a 17 year old Maglite 2d to a 800 lumen adventure sport 800 lumen 4d and I'm running Eneloops in adapters.
It outperforms their advertised specs. but run time isn't it's strong suit. I did it for the medium mode though (about 300 lumens) and it's not bad at that level. 
I'm having fun with it though and it is big.


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## Dicaeopolis (Dec 17, 2022)

I have always wanted a Maglite that comes on low also. I am looking for a large light with high lumens and good throw though, at this time. I want the option of the alkaline batteries and the weight of the 4 D. I have the 2D, but it doesn't have quite the lumens and throw I want in the dark, rural area I am using it.


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## xxo (Dec 17, 2022)

bykfixer said:


> 24HF30 will get you 30% off today, that's my only experience with it. That includes the Popular Mechanics and the 'national association for search and rescue' (nasar) versions.
> 
> I haven't chosen it simply because i don't want a ginormous 1000 lumen flashlight, Give me 350-500 lumens and a 1000 hour eco setting and I'd buy 3 or 4. Or since they tout the long run thing include an option where it starts on eco and not the battery gulping 1000 lumens until you click it down to low.
> 
> ...


Is that code only good for the 4D ML300?


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## bykfixer (Dec 17, 2022)

The 3D ML300 is amazing but if one wants heft of the 4D Maglite the long run ML300 is a good one no doubt.

Double x I get texts from Maglite at times with special deals for "loyal customers" (in other words I haven't bought anything from them this month lol). The other day the code was for the XL50, today it's for the 4D and assorted bundles like a "complete home bundle kit", and "aviation kit", "home protection bundle", "ML300 road tool bundle", "prepper bundle" and "national security bundle"


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## Dicaeopolis (Dec 17, 2022)

The 3D ML300 does run a lot longer on high at 746 lumens (32 hours) with 403m beam distance. That is pretty impressive to me.


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## aznsx (Dec 17, 2022)

bykfixer said:


> I haven't bought anything from them this month


You what? I'm surprised they didn't send you a 'get well' card!!


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## bykfixer (Dec 17, 2022)

Dicaeopolis said:


> The 3D ML300 does run a lot longer on high at 746 lumens (32 hours) with 403m beam distance. That is pretty impressive to me.


And it's available in black, forest green or gray hardcoat with grenade grip.





4D incan vs the 3D ML300LX
Note the Nine Line edition with an antiroll device/filter holder



aznsx said:


> You what? I'm surprised they didn't send you a 'get well' card!!


Little by little I have acquired several Maglites through their website over the last 2 years or so post WalMart availability. Mostly the kind where a portion goes to charities. So they send me e-coupons at times.


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## xxo (Dec 17, 2022)

bykfixer said:


> The 3D ML300 is amazing but if one wants heft of the 4D Maglite the long run ML300 is a good one no doubt.
> 
> Double x I get texts from Maglite at times with special deals for "loyal customers" (in other words I haven't bought anything from them this month lol). The other day the code was for the XL50, today it's for the 4D and assorted bundles like a "complete home bundle kit", and "aviation kit", "home protection bundle", "ML300 road tool bundle", "prepper bundle" and "national security bundle"


I guess there is no 30% site wide code this year?


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## knucklegary (Dec 17, 2022)

A couple weeks ago I got a ML 30% code. It was only good, active, for a week or so.


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## bykfixer (Dec 17, 2022)

xxo said:


> I guess there is no 30% site wide code this year?


The black friday/cyber monday was 25% site-wide this year iirc. The 25% for the 25 days of Christmas has been specfic items each day. Day x was camping, day y gifts for him etc. Like KG said there was a brief one post BF/CM. 

I would like to purchase another 40th anniverassary light but just haven't yet.


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## Poppy (Dec 17, 2022)

bykfixer said:


> Only qualm I have with the ML series is you must remember to slightly loosen the tailcap or the electronic switch will drain the battery past the point it will take a charge. Fine if you keep it the charger or top up once a month or so.


I just got the ML25LT. Does this have the parasitic drain you refer to above.?


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## bykfixer (Dec 17, 2022)

I cannot say for certain the gen 2 ML25 does not have an electronic switch because I read somewhere (but don't recall where) that the multi setting minimag uses an electronic switch. But the first gen ML25 was mechanical.

I have gone to use ML50's or 300's that sat a few months and the batteries were depleted but not the gen 2 ML25 in my den. Before I did not loosen the tail cap on the 50's and 300's but do now, however not the ML25.


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## Poppy (Dec 18, 2022)

@bykfixer ,
Thanks for the response. I just discovered that my cheap multimeter, does not have a milliampere setting, so I can't test my ML25LT for parasitic drain. I guess I'll just have to keep an eye on it, or break down and buy myself a better multimeter.


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## bykfixer (Dec 18, 2022)

The one I keep in the den has Power Ex batteries and this morning they were depleted. I had forgotten that back in the Spring I found them depleted, charged them up, returned them to the light, unscrewed the tail cap some and figured on checking them a few months later. I believe it's the batteries self discharging and not the light draining them. 

I say that because I keep a gen 2 in the door of my truck with tailcap tightened since around 2019 and it still lights each time I use it. It has eneloops. 




I just brought it in from a the truck that's 20 some, maybe 30 degrees and it lit just fine. I'll charge the batteries today since it's been about a year or so since they were charged. I rarely use it anymore because I also keep an ML150 with a traffic wand and an Elzetta Bones it there too.


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## Chicken Drumstick (Dec 18, 2022)

Poppy said:


> @bykfixer ,
> Thanks for the response. I just discovered that my cheap multimeter, does not have a milliampere setting, so I can't test my ML25LT for parasitic drain. I guess I'll just have to keep an eye on it, or break down and buy myself a better multimeter.


Pretty sure they work a bit like a large Mini Mag and the head breaks the connection.


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## Poppy (Dec 18, 2022)

Chicken Drumstick said:


> Pretty sure they work a bit like a large Mini Mag and the head breaks the connection.


Yeah, I'm thinking that because it doesn't have memory, there shouldn't be any power drain to remember where it last was.


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## knucklegary (Dec 18, 2022)

Got a couple m25lt I've been using during power outages. No parasitic drain left loaded. And No leaking issues with Rayovac C (blue/silver wrapper) High Energy cells. I do unscrew the tailcap, a turn or so, just in case of leakage it will make it easier cleaning out batts..
Gotta say with low candle mode, this overgrown Mini is the most used around my house. Even my neighbor has a loaner. I told him to hang on to it for next outage. The guy returned a brand new one the other day. Good neighbor, we watch out for each others property


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## xxo (Dec 19, 2022)

knucklegary said:


> Got a couple m25lt I've been using during power outages. No parasitic drain left loaded. And No leaking issues with Rayovac C (blue/silver wrapper) High Energy cells. I do unscrew the tailcap, a turn or so, just in case of leakage it will make it easier cleaning out batts..
> Gotta say with low candle mode, this overgrown Mini is the most used around my house. Even my neighbor has a loaner. I told him to hang on to it for next outage. The guy returned a brand new one the other day. Good neighbor, we watch out for each others property


The ML25 is great for power outages. We used a couple during the last power outage when a tree fell taking out the power line during a storm. The ML25's worked real well for assessing the damage caused by the fallen tree and after that we used them set up as lanterns.


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## bykfixer (Dec 19, 2022)

The maxi-minimag is great when it's dark out, like no light pollution but for shadow busting in the light polluted places it runs out of steam quickly. Even my 850 lumen ML150 seems paultry in those scenarios. 
In a different time it may have been Maglites best seller.


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## Poppy (Dec 19, 2022)

Dicaeopolis said:


> The 3D ML300 does run a lot longer on high at 746 lumens (32 hours) with 403m beam distance. That is pretty impressive to me.


Here is a link to a review of the 3D model:





Maglite ML300LX Review - LED-Resource







www.led-resource.com





It includes a time output graph.
It shows that the output on high drops to 40% at 4 hours, and 25% at 8 hours.
Still, at almost 200 lumens, with a focused beam, that is still useable light.

I like 3D cell lanterns at less than 300 lumen output. Because they'll give similar performance to a 3 x 18650 light at 300 lumens or less.


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## xxo (Dec 19, 2022)

Poppy said:


> It includes a time output graph.
> It shows that the output on high drops to 40% at 4 hours, and 25% at 8 hours.
> Still, at almost 200 lumens, with a focused beam, that is still useable light.


That's only because alkalines suck and fall out of regulation fairly quickly. If you use NiMH's or Li-ions it will level off at around 70%, though total run time will be shorter.


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## xxo (Dec 19, 2022)

bykfixer said:


> The maxi-minimag is great when it's dark out, like no light pollution but for shadow busting in the light polluted places it runs out of steam quickly. Even my 850 lumen ML150 seems paultry in those scenarios.
> In a different time it may have been Maglites best seller.


Mag would have sold untold millions of the incan ML25's if they came out 25-30 years earlier. The LED ML25 must still be one of Mag's best sellers, bridging the gap between the Mini Mag and the big C/D cell Mags.


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## hsa (Dec 19, 2022)

Also, you can find the on/off switch with even the heaviest of mittens. Just twist. On Thursday we are getting well below zero here so I am charging the batteries for mine now.


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## bykfixer (Dec 20, 2022)

When the upgrade 2 cell version arrived the fate was already sealed for Maglite, in that those smaller, brighter numbers at WalMart were selling while the boxes of Maglite products collected dust including the improved ML25. I saw month after month the same 3 or 4 ML25's, and some 3 cell ML50's in their display box. Even when they were clearance priced.... then one there were no more Maglites. I did scoop up a few 3 cell ML50's. The 3 cell ML300 did seem to sell though. 

But the first year or so the ML25 was sold at big box hardware stores and SprawlMart they disappeared from store shelves quickly. I used to check serial numbers of the stock in a local Home Depot and saw the numbers go from ten thousand to one hundred thousand in about a year. The 3 cell version not so much, but at the work site at night I saw mostly 3 cell ML25's versus other Maglites. Little by little each died a typical Maglite death.....alkaleak. 🥴


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## bykfixer (Dec 21, 2022)

24HF30 for 30% off the ML150 LR or LRS on national flashlight day 2022 (as in today 12/21/22)


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## rwolfenstein (Dec 24, 2022)

I know its old school but I would love to find a terralux conversion for my magcharger.


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## greenpondmike (Monday at 5:03 AM)

Bought a LED (luxan rebel) 2D maglite back in 2010 and later sold it to my brother in law. He not long ago gave it back and the switch was bad. Ordered the switch under warranty--paid $12 for shipping. The lady said the switch assembly came with the led and I was thinking that it would be nice if it came with the updated led and the high and low settings.....it did!! Wow, what a difference! Me got new toy he he. 

Thanks Tony


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## bykfixer (Tuesday at 9:24 PM)

Good score gpm!!


A lot of folks didn't like the low setting saying it wasn't low enough. I like it because it looks almost as bright but with 10x runtime.


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