# Bright Maglites used by police?



## gbelleh (Jan 4, 2010)

I recently acquired an old 3-D cell Maglite that belonged to my grandfather in-law. After getting it working again, it seems almost absurdly dim and extremely yellow. I'm not sure if this is because I'm so used to high powered modern, LED lights, or if this particular light really is dim. I've tried new batteries and new bulbs with the same results.

I've also noticed that even in old episodes of COPS, their Maglites always look really bright and white. About 10 times brighter than mine. What are these cops using?


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## Rexlion (Jan 4, 2010)

Hmm, can't say that I know about their lights, but I do know that photography can make a dim object look bright and vice versa. Film and digital sensors don't have the same dynamic range as our vision. In darkness, I think even a Fenix E01 could be made to look really bright (relative to the surroundings) on film/video.


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## Conte (Jan 4, 2010)

It's very possible that you are lumenocitized. 

I've noticed that some old configs that used to seem so bright, don't seem as bright anymore, Unless, I am actually using them outside at night away from ambient light sources. 

When I'm inside, comparing my lights, a magcharger seems pitiful. Especially after I've been playing with my Mag 11 or 85.
But then I recall using the same light outside one night, and it seems almost blinding when shining it on close objects. 

ANOTHER thing that could be happening is, are you familiar with the term patina ? Years later a subtle oxidization has built up on metal surfaces causing then to develop some resistance. If you tore the light down, cleaned and polished all its contact surfaces you might gain a few lumens. 

What did you have to do to "get it working" ?


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## gbelleh (Jan 4, 2010)

I'm sure some of it is that I'm used to brighter lights now. My Surefire E2e used to look amazingly bright, but it looks pretty dim now too. But it's still a very respectable and usable amount of light and a great beam pattern, so I still carry it occasionally.

As far as getting this Maglite working. Someone put some kind of foam thing under the tailcap spring that I didn't see right away. Once I removed that, it worked. But I'd already tried new batteries and bulbs.

I just checked the contact surfaces and threads, and they all look very clean.

I guess it could be the camera that's making the cops' light look so much brighter. But it seems hard to believe they could use a light this dim for their job, which is why I wondered if they used special, modified lights back in the 80s.

I'll try using this Maglite tonight in the dark house and get an idea of how useful the output is without comparing it to a Jetbeam or Quark.


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## carrot (Jan 4, 2010)

Try cleaning all the contact areas anyway. Isopropyl alcohol will do nicely, but ProGold/DeOxit will work even better. And replace the bulb with the Maglite MagnumStar Xenon bulbs for an added boost.


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## [email protected] (Jan 4, 2010)

gbelleh said:


> I've also noticed that even in old episodes of COPS, their Maglites always look really bright and white. About 10 times brighter than mine. What are these cops using?



Magchargers!

Rechargeable high output (well they were back when they were released) halogen bulbs rated around the 200Lm ~ 300Lm range :thumbsup:


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## Dioni (Jan 4, 2010)

10 times more powerful? Possibly they use MagCharger.

However, as said, the balance settings and light sensors of the cameras may change the results and elicit false perceptions of brightness.


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## gbelleh (Jan 4, 2010)

I'm new to big Maglites, and I haven't seen the Magcharger before, but that must be it. Those lights on TV looked good for 200 lumens.

I'll try cleaning up this light. It's another nice way to remember my grandfather in-law, and I want to keep it in good shape and use it.


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## Conte (Jan 5, 2010)

Now when I suggest taking it apart to clean, I mean go all the way. 

Remove the switch assembly, remove the switch, dismantle the switch.

There are a few parts to it, but its really easy. 
Taking apart the switch is like taking apart a clicky ballpoint pen. 
If you can get one of those pens apart and back together, then you can handle the switch. 

Once you've been in and out of a maglite, you'll realize how ingenious yet simple the design is.


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## souptree (Jan 5, 2010)

Most LEOs using Maglites are using MagChargers because they have an in-car charging station. In theory, every time they yank that sucker out, it should have a full charge.


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## N10 (Jan 5, 2010)

the foam under the tailcap spring is i believe the same foam that usually holds the spare bulb..so it's not supposed to prevent the spring contact with tailcap


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## Swedpat (Jan 5, 2010)

gbelleh said:


> I recently acquired an old 3-D cell Maglite that belonged to my grandfather in-law. *After getting it working again, it seems almost absurdly dim and extremely yellow. I'm not sure if this is because I'm so used to high powered modern, LED lights, or if this particular light really is dim. I've tried new batteries and new bulbs with the same results.*
> 
> I've also noticed that even in old episodes of COPS, their Maglites always look really bright and white. About 10 times brighter than mine. What are these cops using?



You are not alone about this experience! With the new lighting technologies we get new frames of references. After I had been used my new LED-lights for a while I tried my old Maglite incan 2D again. I became surprised and thought: *did I considered this light to be bright to be a 2D-light???* Poor yellow light... Similar when I tried the 6D (which I once thought was the king of flashlights) And I tried with fresh batteries. MagCharger still feels like a quite decent flashlight in this respect, though I have several brighter LEDs. But some day I will mod my 6D to a monster incan... :devil:

Regards, Patric


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## Conte (Jan 5, 2010)

Swedpat said:


> But some day I will mod my 6D to a monster incan... :devil:
> 
> Regards, Patric



I'm waiting on a set of NiMH D cells for my 6D. 
I will make for one long Running Mag 11. 
Not sure if that's monster enough for you, tho.
I have considered Ten 1/2D's for some form of 12v beast.

But then this would be getting off topic, wouldn't it ?


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## gbelleh (Jan 5, 2010)

I'm not sure what was going on in the tailcap, but the foam was lodged under the spring, blocking it from seating properly. :shrug:

I found some really old 2-D plastic Eveready flashlights in my basement recently, and they were also incredibly dim and yellow. It makes me wonder what we'll have in another 10 years.


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## Conte (Jan 5, 2010)

Man, could we even imagine.

I've already noticed LED technology following along the same lines as computer technology.

At one point they stopped being able to make them clock any faster (mhz/ghz), so the answer is to put more cores on each die.

As you may have noticed, the lastest thing with LEDs is putting more then one of the same high output emitter on the same die like the P7 and MC-E.

Soon they will shrink that same emitter to a quarter the size, cram 8 of them on one die doubling the existing output, and, we're not even 10 years away yet 


"In the year 2020, there is no such thing as a 'hot spot', jsut a giant flood of light where the entire spread is one big hotspot." :laughing:


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## T0RN4D0 (Jan 5, 2010)

Yep, but more dies isn't a solution at this moment. We either need active cooling, which won't happen on flashlights, or better efficiency of LEDs, so they put more light out and at the same time convert less of the energy to heat. For high powers it seems HID is gonna be the way to go for some time.


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## Swedpat (Jan 5, 2010)

Conte said:


> I'm waiting on a set of NiMH D cells for my 6D.
> I will make for one long Running Mag 11.
> Not sure if that's monster enough for you, tho.
> I have considered Ten 1/2D's for some form of 12v beast.
> ...



I already have 12Ah NiMh D-cells in the 6D. But used to the stock 6D bulb it´s boring dim... 
Ok, using 7,2V maybe not will make a monster light. Around 1000lumens shall be possible to achieve with right bulb, however. Compared to stock 6D it's maybe a bit monster...
But as you mention; I think this is off topic and I will not continue more in this thread about this.

Regards, Patric


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## [email protected] (Jan 12, 2010)

Swedpat said:


> I already have 12Ah NiMh D-cells in the 6D. But used to the stock 6D bulb it´s boring dim...



Overdrive a 6v bulb! :thumbsup:


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## Cosmo7809 (Jan 12, 2010)

I agree with the OP when he says the lights look 10X brighter. 

Sometimes these average looking light have a perfect beam, and great side spill... They all look like perfect beams.

I would say that the camera must pick it up different from the human eye.


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## jaundice (Jan 12, 2010)

The vast majority of cops don't use maglites, they use streamlight SL-20x's. The SL-20x has a 10 watt halogen lamp powered by a 6V nicad powerpack, which is quite a bit brighter than a 3D maglite. 

The streamlight is a much better built flashlight than the maglite. At first glance, they look similar.

-John


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## merrimac (Jan 12, 2010)

check the sales of 3D mags compard to streamlights, you will find cops use mags 100 to one.....


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## LuxLuthor (Jan 12, 2010)

Sounds like you are underdriving the bulb, either from too little battery power, a bulb with too high of required voltage rating for your battery setup, and/or poor electrical contacts, and/or too much resistance in the metal parts. Check list in my sig.


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## jaundice (Jan 13, 2010)

merrimac;

That's like saying, "check the sale of Chevy Impalas to Ford Crown Victorias. Cops use Chevy Impalas 100 to 1." While I agree that SOME police officers drive Impalas as patrol cars, the VAST majority drive Crown Vics. Most Impalas are probably sold to rental car fleets. You're right that Maglite has produced many times the number of flashlights that Streamlight has, but Maglites are a consumer product, and probably consumers buy most of them. Comparing Streamlight to Maglite is like comparing Snap-On tools to Craftsman tools: both are good tools, but Snap-on is clearly industrial grade for serious users; Craftsman is the best quality of consumer grade tools. 

That said, it might be a regional thing. In my region, cops use Streamlight and drive Crown Vics, almost universally. In yours, perhaps maglites and Impalas.

-John


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## Howecollc (Jan 13, 2010)

jaundice said:


> The vast majority of cops don't use maglites, they use streamlight SL-20x's. The SL-20x has a 10 watt halogen lamp powered by a 6V nicad powerpack, which is quite a bit brighter than a 3D maglite.
> 
> The streamlight is a much better built flashlight than the maglite. At first glance, they look similar.
> 
> -John


The MagCharger, at first glance, looks exactly like a 3D Maglite. It, just like the Streamlight SL-20, has a 10 watt bulb powered by a ni-cad battery pack. Its build quality and ergonomics, however, blow the SL-20 away.


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## fivemega (Jan 13, 2010)

Howecollc said:


> The MagCharger, at first glance, looks exactly like a 3D Maglite. It, just like the Streamlight SL-20, has a 10 watt bulb powered by a ni-cad battery pack. Its build quality and ergonomics, however, blow the SL-20 away.



*Especially, 360 degree charging position.*


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## TorchBoy (Jan 13, 2010)

carrot said:


> Try cleaning all the contact areas anyway. Isopropyl alcohol will do nicely, but *ProGold/DeOxit* will work even better.


I've pondered getting some of that for a while. Is 4sevens.com the best place to get it for folk Down Under?


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## nighttrails (Jan 13, 2010)

Howecollc said:


> The MagCharger, at first glance, looks exactly like a 3D Maglite. It, just like the Streamlight SL-20, has a 10 watt bulb powered by a ni-cad battery pack. Its build quality and ergonomics, however, blow the SL-20 away.





fivemega said:


> *Especially, 360 degree charging position.*


 
Introduced in the early 80's, the magcharger was an awesome flashlight for its time. It still is a good, reliable flashlight for those wanting the color rendition of an incandescent. If it could be known how many cops used magchargers over the years, and across the country, I'm sure it would be a staggering number. 

A magcharger comes with wiring to provide ac or dc powering of the charging cradle. Many cops rigged the cradle in their patrol cars to charge and conveniently store the light at the same time. Hot off the charger a Magcharger is really quite bright. It has a reflector that throws very well and would look bright on film.


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