# Legacy light thread



## bykfixer (Mar 12, 2019)

This thread is to discuss flashlights that not only changed the game but was in production for several years or even decades.

I'll begin with the Rayovac Sportsman. What was seen as a camper or hunter flashlight due to being made of more durable components than ordinary lights, the Sportsman was a popular light for law enforcement, search and resue folks, boaters, home owners, mechanics etc. 

The Sportsman was introduced in (edit) 1953 (end edit) and was built until the 1970's in a variety of sizes and platforms. As much as 6 D cells, a variety of C cell sizes, even a 1x AA. And there was a lantern version as well. One was so big it came with a shoulder strap. (Edit) In 1963 Eveready introduced the Captain as a competitor. (End edit)

The lenseless baby Sportsman was by far the brightest 1x AA light of the time. And that was before krypton, xenon or halogen. 
(As a CPFr I appreciate the oversized barrel that allows the use of a 10440 and an overdriven #224 to put out around 50!! lumens.)

If you watch movies or crime shows during those decades (like Clint Eastwood Dirty Harry movies, MASH, and others) you'll note that most of the lights they used were a Sportsman of one variety or another. Either that or another legacy, the Eveready Captain. 

In 2014 Rayovac re-introduced a 3xAAA LED version. It can be found in some box stores like Lowes for around $10 US. 

A quick search on the big auction site reveals there are lots still available. Early versions used all metal bulb fasteners, metal reflector and a glass lens. So they can be hotwired within reason, yet a 2C can easily be made to put out 150 lumens.

A couple of 1960's Sportsman





3D and 1AA

(Edit)




The modern Sportsman can run off a LifePo4 18500.
There is now a modern Sportsman lineup of lights that include headlamps, modern lanterns and a 3c version of the alluminum one shown above. (End edit)


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## Ozythemandias (Mar 12, 2019)

Good thread. 

Arc light AAA obviously.


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## xxo (Mar 12, 2019)

I’ll nominate the Eveready 6V No. 108 lantern (also known as the All American and as the Dolphin Mark 1). Seems like just about everyone had one of these back in the 70’s; they weren’t bad as far as plastic 6V lanterns go, more reliable than typical 2D lights of the day (which usually needed to be shaken and slapped around a bit to get them to light up) with longer throw and longer run time on the big 6V battery.


http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?445967-Eveready-Dolphin-Mark-1


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## irongate (Mar 12, 2019)

Thank you as always for your great information on old lights.


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## bykfixer (Mar 12, 2019)

Ozy, I had a tough decision where to post this thread because of greats like the ARC and Fenix E01 that were never incan based. I did one in the LED section called "blast from the past" with a similar intention. 

I was awakened at 2am this morning by the notion of starting a Legacy thread about the Eveready Captain because it kept showing up in episodes of the Rockford Files I've been binge-ing on lately. 

But I started out with the Sportsman since Rayovac brought it back. I'll post pix later but right now I'm about 150 miles from my Sportsman lights. (And Captains for that matter.) 

One that may become a legacy is setting next to me right now. The Maglite ML25 LED version that is lit by another legacy, the BiC lighter. lol




Fed by eneloops. 
A familiar sized light using the legacy minimag operating system. 

Anybody who ever back yard camped as a lad probably used a plastic 6 volt lantern. And that Eveready shown is certainly a legacy. I'll do a bit of research on when those became popular. I know I had a few in the 70's and back then you could buy the light with a battery and spare bulb for like $3 where a replacement battery was like $4....so naturally we'd just toss the used one and use our little bubble gum money to buy another kit. I may have kept one along the way thinking I'd put another battery in it someday. 

Yup, we called those fridge mount numbers "wack-a-palm" lights because if you gave it a proper wack it would get all bright for a minute or two.


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## Thetasigma (Mar 12, 2019)

Hmm, Surefire 6 or 6P? First lithium powered Surefires and the start of an era.


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## kelmo (Mar 12, 2019)

Maglights!


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## xxo (Mar 15, 2019)

Byk, I think the ML 25’s are instant classics!


Another to add to the classic incans: the old military crookneck/angle head MX991 “moonbeam” which came out at the start of the Vietnam war era and was based on the TL122D from the end of WWII.


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## id30209 (Mar 15, 2019)

Not so old but Surefire A2 was and still is the only mass production incan torch with softstart and regulated.


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## bykfixer (Mar 15, 2019)

Maglites and SureFires definitely deserve legacy status. 


Well speaking of right angle lights...





Legacys going back to WW2
R to L:
- Boy Scout light that mimics the TL122A and was carried by numerous scouts going back to the 1930's.
- MX991/U that was introduced late in the Korean conflict or early in the Vietnam conflict depending on what you read. 
- TL122A was introduced in the late 1920's but was issued to troops in WW2. 
- Later the 122B was introduced. It was much lighter due to being made of plastic. The polyester it was made from smelled awful so many were thrown in the trash after the war. Lots were made but they're pretty scarce anymore.
- TL122C was like a B without the stink. Funny thing is my C smells worse than the B. Sitting on a shelf all seems normal, but crack it open and awe man...even the dogs skoot. 

These were made by ABC, Fulton, GT Price and others, but Eveready chose not to compete. Some were made but they were for consumers. Fulton still sells them today. Their website sells parts for these including gaskets, filters and a real nice LED upgrade module. 

The TL-122D was the first to add a filter holder tailcap and later became the 991/U. The Fulton MX991 came with a '/U' or '\U'. Nobody including the folks at Fulton know why there was two different directions for the slash. The MX99, 991 was considered water proof thanks to rubber gaskets. 

In the 70's some 2x AA were produced and were fairly bright due to the focus tip #224 bulb. 
There was an MX99 made at first but the revision added guards along the switch to thwart soldiers accidently activating the light in heavy brush or jungle conditions.
Edit:
It should be noted that the TL122B was the first flashlight to be considered waterproof. 
End edit.


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## xxo (Mar 15, 2019)

bykfixer said:


> Maglites and SureFires definitely deserve legacy status.
> 
> 
> Well speaking of right angle lights...
> ...



Beautiful collection Bykfixer!

From bits an pieces of info I have found on the MX991:

- It was standardized in 1960, just in time for the Vietnam war. Apparently based in part on Patents by the Gits brothers, who were pioneers in the injection molding industry and came up with improvements for the TL122D which they manufactured during WWII. 

- The switch guards were added post Vietnam. They were put in the specifications in late 1973, but apparently manufactures continued to make guard-less moonbeams until their molds needed replacing or perhaps until their current contracts were filled. GT Price added guards in the mid to late 70's followed by Fulton in 1984.


I am not sure if the "MX99" is really a thing, officially. I have seen one but it has late MX991 features including the switch guards, I could be wrong but I doubt it proceeded the 991. Could it be that someone screwed up when setting up the stamp leaving out the 1 the same way someone at sometime apparently got those slash marks turned around?

Unfortunately good accurate information on these lights is not easy to find.


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## bykfixer (Mar 15, 2019)

Good info xx. 
Thanks. Olive Drab dot com mentioned the "99" model.


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## novice (Mar 15, 2019)

bykfixer said:


> - Boy Scout light that mimics the TL122A and was carried by numerous scouts going back to the 1930's...



I had one of these when I was a Boy Scout. My father, who was the co-owner of a store that sold trophies and billiards supplies, had my name engraved on the clip, using the engraving machine that they had for the trophies. Lost to the mists of time, sadly. Back then all of my BSA gear was bought at the J.C Penneys downtown.


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## bykfixer (Mar 16, 2019)

xxo said:


> I’ll nominate the Eveready 6V No. 108 lantern (also known as the All American and as the Dolphin Mark 1). Seems like just about everyone had one of these back in the 70’s; they weren’t bad as far as plastic 6V lanterns go, more reliable than typical 2D lights of the day (which usually needed to be shaken and slapped around a bit to get them to light up) with longer throw and longer run time on the big 6V battery.
> 
> 
> http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?445967-Eveready-Dolphin-Mark-1



There was a version of the All American in 1965 




This from the 1965 Eveready catalog.
Check out the 1965 price of $3.79. Pretty pricey at that time when a car could be had for about 2 grand. 

There was a 108A that was deemed waterproof. It was updated in 1976 to the one we all recognize to this day.


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## xxo (Mar 16, 2019)

bykfixer said:


> There was a version of the All American in 1965
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Cool! I've never seen one like that with the screwed on head before, according to Eveready's Australian site the Dolphin Mark I came out in 1967

http://www.dolphintorches.com/home/heritage

and their pic shows it with the plastic clips, like mine that I posted above mine is NOT marked All American just Eveready and No 108:






Some (later?) have riveted on metal clips and are often marked as being "All American" sometimes with a white rubber switch cover like this:







....the price had gone up some by then....$5.33!


EDIT found one of the one's like in the catalog on an image search:


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## xxo (Mar 16, 2019)

novice said:


> I had one of these when I was a Boy Scout. My father, who was the co-owner of a store that sold trophies and billiards supplies, had my name engraved on the clip, using the engraving machine that they had for the trophies. Lost to the mists of time, sadly. Back then all of my BSA gear was bought at the J.C Penneys downtown.





I think JC Penney used to be the official supplier of BSA gear, when I was in the scouts I got a lot of my stuff from a church thrift store, but I don't remember anyone in my troop having an official boy scout light, though I do remember the official pocket knives and even axes.


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## bykfixer (Mar 16, 2019)

Cool pix xx. That $1.75 written on the box....nifty.

The 1965 all American photo came from the book by world class flashlight collector Bill Utely called Flashlights, which mentions a ton of history researched and compiled by Bill while chronicaling the history of Ever Ready. 


National Supply Service contracted JC Penney to be the brick and mortar Scout products store for boys, girls, cub, brownies. That info was found while researching a 1970's Cub Scout 2C light without any manufacturer noted on it. 





The Cub Scout light

One could also purchase scouting products through some outdoors-ey magazines who's names escape me now.


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## xxo (Mar 20, 2019)

bykfixer said:


> Cool pix xx. That $1.75 written on the box....nifty.
> 
> The 1965 all American photo came from the book by world class flashlight collector Bill Utely called Flashlights, which mentions a ton of history researched and compiled by Bill while chronicaling the history of Ever Ready.




Cool, Thanks.


I wonder when Eveready stopped using the Union Carbide NY address and started using the St Louis address, that mine is stamped with?


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## aginthelaw (Mar 20, 2019)

I remember a few of my classmates worked at the plant in Piscataway nj. I’m going to dig out my old 9-volt to see what’s stamped on it


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## bykfixer (Mar 20, 2019)

It seems Ralston Purina bought Eveready in 1986 and they are listed as a St.Louis company so perhaps when the change took place.


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## xxo (Mar 20, 2019)

Thanks much for the info, it's kinda surprising that they were still making these lanterns post 1986!


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## bykfixer (Mar 21, 2019)

Thought I'd toss in some info about the alkaline battery too.


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## xxo (Mar 22, 2019)

bykfixer said:


> Thought I'd toss in some info about the alkaline battery too.



Thanks again.

It is interesting that Eveready basically discovered alkaline batteries twice, Edison in 1901 and again by Urry in 1959, but didn't put them on the market until 1980, several years after Duracell started selling them and were eating into eveready's market share.

http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/energizer-holdings-inc-history/


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## bykfixer (Mar 23, 2019)

Folks would never know it today, but way back when the plethora of flashlight makers were selling batteries and in many cases the flashlights they made were simply a way to sell more batteries. As times progressed the "flashlight" became a tool to have around the house like a screw driver or a hammer. 'Fridge mount lights were often made of very inexpensive materials and were sold very cheaply. 

Like today, there were a large number of companies producing flashlights. Often times like today many were clones of the famous brands. At times the famous brands looked like clones of the little guy. Sometimes things ended up in court. And there were times when the little guy would beat the big guy but no money would change hands. Instead the big guy would produce a particular dollar value of the little guy's product up to a given dollar value. Or vice versa. 

One could argue that if not for Eveready there would be no CPF. Had David Misell not invented the bicycle light, and Conrad Hubert not deciding there was profit in those early lights that could only stay lit a short time....well you get the rest. 

For decades there were very few "Legacy" products like we have today. Just round tube shaped battery cases that could light up a bulb through an electrical connection and a sliding device that made or broke contact. The right angle light mentioned above was a certainly a legacy. 

But a little known company called Just Right started making one that eventually led to the SureFire A2 Aviator. Mass produced for the US military during WW2, the little 2xAA battery tube was innovated to throw a nice focused beam with a #224 focus tip globe bulb or an ingenious little slider caused the bulb to be covered with a see through slice of red plastic. That would provide a nice amount of diffused light inside the cockpit of a plane in total dark conditions while flying midnight missions instead "hey Joe, turn off that **** flashlight".






2 examples of the early aviator light. 

Top one is a plastic coated alluminum number from the WW2 era with the 'switch' at the top slid to inspection mode where it put out a whopping 5-6 candlepower. The pocket clip doubled as an on/off sliding switch.
Bottom was a Vietnam era all alluminum with the 'switch' slid to red light mode. It used a twisty tailcap for on/off, which was conceived not for signaling but to make sure there was no parasitic drain on the batteries that often occured with sliding switches. 











The JustRite company began in 1906 making 'safety' products for industry. Their original legacy light was what we now call "headlights" where you strapped a lamp to your head.


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## bykfixer (Mar 30, 2019)

Intrinsically safe, or sometimes called permissable.





The label shows the rating.

In early flashlight tech industry soon found these newfangled fire on a stick very handy. Yet there were places they were about as safe as lighting a match. Methane.

Methane gas is a natural thing, yet in some circumstances where mankind goes it is also deadly. Think canary in a coal mine. 

Static discharge was an issue so numerous companies came up with ideas to reduce or eliminate static discharge from flashlights. Plastic body's with copper parts were introduced in the 1920's. A company called Stewart R Browne manufacturing was on the cutting edge of plastics where he invented a formula called "tufftite" in the 1920's. He also invented a bunch of grounding methods to halt static discharge. Stuff we take for granted today like alligator clamped copper wire on oil drums that clamp to a ground rod.

During world war 2 they worked with the US Navy to build explosion proof flashlights using "tufftite" plastics and copper connections. Others caught on later and either duplicated or re-invented the process. 

Eventually intrinsically safe flashlights were produced by all the big companies and some not so big like Bright Star who landed a contract with the US Coast Guard for 'floating' explosion proof yellow bodied lights. 

Burgess likley had the best idea at the time where the light bulb was grounded to the plastic body of the light, which transferred the ground to the user via the metal on/off switch. 

Eventually even the battery was part of the equation when it came to rating a light intrinsically safe. Rubber o'rings and gaskets were used as well. 





Three intrinsically safe lights. 
- Bottom is a Bright Star light that was said to float. With three D cells that is hard to imagine, but if it fell overboard the bulb end had enough airspace to remain buoyant. 
- Next is a US issue Navy light by Stewart Browne. 
- Top is a modern intrinsically safe light by Nite Stick that mentions a specific battery to use. It has a set screw to ensure the head does not twist loose and allow static discharge to escape. Used by elevator mechanics, crane operators, and a whole bunch of professionals entering confined spaces. 





Note the specific fuel sources.





The set screw.
Dual switch for a throwey flashlight or a flooder via side light, or both. 





The Burgess










Did Burgess invent this? 
My guess is Eveready invented it, but I've yet to see it written down. Charles F Burgess invented a bunch of stuff too.

In time Ma Bell had large contracts with a host of companies. An eBay search will likely show lights stamped for phone companies, railroads, gas companies, fuel companies and others. 

The intrinsically safe flashlight comes in all sorts of shapes and sizes by all kinds of companies. Nothing sexy, nor tacticool about them. But if a static discharge can kill [email protected]$$, accept no substitutes....


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## xxo (Mar 30, 2019)

I think the explosion proof lights were originally intended for the mining industry and they were certified by the bureau of mines or some such.

BTW, there was an explosion proof version of the TL122D, known as the MX212/U (the MX212 predated the MX991 but since it is still being made, is now more similar to the MX991 than the old TL122D) these were apparently originally OD color, but were later made in pink so that they could be easily distinguished from the non-explosion proof angle heads. After that they settled on a black body with yellow tail caps and bezel rings for the MX212 (much like your Burgess).

Currently, Pelican and Streamlight also make explosion proof lights.


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## ZMZ67 (Mar 30, 2019)

Curious,I have a 3 cell light nearly identical to your 2 cell Burgess but it is marked "APPROVAL NO. 618 ISSUED TO THE FULTON INDUSTRIES INC. WAUSEON OHIO" It is the same as the Burgess with the forward body switch, not like current black and yellow safety models on Fulton's website that use the more typical "Fulton" mid-switch body style. Maybe manufactured at the same facility and rebranded?

Koehler Bright Star also still offers safety rated LED and Incan lights. The current 2 and 3 D incan models use a coil spring that goes between the lens and bulb. I try to add one or two of the incan models with my Brightguy orders since they are not all that expensive.They make good LED drop-in hosts but of course the safety rating is voided if you use a drop-in.


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## bykfixer (Apr 13, 2019)

The 2C flashlight:





Some examples of "the baby" flashlight.
L to R:
- 1969 Kel-Lite reinvented the baby cop light.
- 1921 Daylo introduced to two way clip.
- 1950's HIPCO were inexpensive, and durable.
- 1940's Bond 'safety light' with bezel that appeared to light up was an early traffic wand idea.
- the orignal baby cop light circa 1912.
- the improved Franco baby cop light circa 1920.
- the Eveready Captain from the 1970's was a popular baby cop light.
- a modern Maglite LED with 400+ lumen output.

Back in the stone age of flashlights and carbon filament bulbs in order to achieve a decent amount of light (equal to about a birthday candle bright) the lights had to use a bunch of fuel. A 3D cell was a small light way back around 1900. Early, early lights were called "table leg" lights because of the amount of fuel required to run them for more than a few seconds at a time. Partly because the carbon filament was very inefficient and partly because the battery tech was really weak compared to just a few years later.

Enter Charles F Burgess who created a formula in his basement after hours to try to not only create more fuel in a given cell, but to add shelf life beyond a few days. He perfected the carbon zinc formula and the C and D casing size. He also created a case that did not ooze acid from the body of the cell. Sure they popped at the end, but that obstacle was solved by simply taking out the batteries while the light sat idle.

A company called Franco (later Yale when Eveready mogul Conrad Hubert bought it) decided to try a C cell in a light back when vulcanized rubber was all the rage. A vast improvement over cardboard tubes the vulcanized rubber tube presented a challenge to get electricity from end to end like cardboard, but could withstand leaking battery acid a lot better. 

Before the dry cell battery folks carried a wet cell box in their pocket to light up say, a flashing tie or other novelty. It was similar to a miniature car battery. But a fellow named David Mosell invented a bicycle light using the new invention called the dry cell. The dry cell was what we now take for granted. But around 1900 it was about as radical as a water powered automobile.

Franco realizing this new style of filament made of yet another marvelous idea, tungstun had also radicalized the notion of electric fire on a stick. 

(Brb; brief pause while I fixed a running toilet, but I'm back now.)

Now, where was I? Oh the baby flashlight. Today we would not really consider the 2C light as a baby sized. And back then there were 2x AA vest pocket lights already. Even a few miniature pistol shaped numbers were made. Now this was a time when ordinary folks in places like Kansas did not even know electric fire on a stick existed yet. Wealthy folks and those visiting various World's Fair events were aware though. Conrad Hubert had given away a bunch of flashlights to New York policemen who had taken to them very well. Franco introduced the 'baby' cop light. It could fit into a jacket pocket very easily. Police uniforms back then included a jacket. No wonder people didn't live long back then. Wool coat in a New York summer? Heat strokes must've been common. 

At first the baby cop light didn't catch on. Sliding switches with parasitic drain combined with leaky batteries and miniscual fuel capacity caused folks to consider the D light to be the best option. By then Eveready had the D light market sewed up very well. The market for the baby cop light all but dried up until a better switch was invented and old Charles F Burgess style batteries were readily available through Burgess batteries. Ironically Burgess did not get in on the baby cop light idea for a while.

Conrad Hubert decided to go after a military contract with his "Daylo" series and built an engenious little number with a 2 way pocket clip slider switch. The switch slid forward and pushed down a spring activated ball that made contact. That thing also went a long way in halting parasitic drain as there was now a large gap between the soft metal (read easily bendable) copper sliding parts that ensured no contact with the switch slid back to off mode. The baby cop light was here to stay thanks to those Daylo numbers that were a dark gun metal for enlisted or nickel plated for officers. 




Note the gap between ball and slider.

The US did not issue the Daylo to soldiers in WW1, but they did make their way to a bunch of soldiers through an Eveready promotional campaign to attempt to have the Daylo in as many hands as possible. Conrad lost millions in his Daylo campaign yet some pretty cool inventions made their way into what we still use today. 

After WW2 the US flashlight factories were churning out millions of baby cop lights that were sold across the planet. See, German Japanese factories were largely destroyed as part of the defeat of those two military machines. Eveready was in Great Britain as well. 

Eventually the fridge magnet type of baby cop light was in homes all over the place. Even those ordinary folks in Kansas had them by now. Metal casings were also the norm. In the 1950's the baby cop light was made by a whole bunch of companies like Bond, Winchester, HIPCO, Burgess, Kwik-Lite, Rayovac and Eveready. Many were just smaller versions of D lights. 

In the late 1960's Don Keller had re-invented the flashlight body with alluminum tubing. He was building baby cop lights too. Using GE and Phillips bulbs with technology that was pretty standard at the time his little 2C numbers were changing the police issue standard. Of course back then bigger meant brighter. But his switch was very reliable so the 'wack-a-palm' was not needed to go from a sub-birthday candle orange glow to...3 or 4 birthday candle bright. And using polycarbonate for lenses meant better output too. In the late 70's Maglite had exploded on the scene like an atomic bomb with a giant head for maximum throw from a baby cop light. And the clicky switch on the Maglite was also a huge deal. No longer the baby size like those early Franco's the 2C Maglite was a big seller. 

In early CPF days the 2C Maglite was a popular host for the fabled ROP lights capable of 4 digit output eventually. 
So had it not been for those early baby cop lights, the "holy crap!!" mother of all things hotwire numbers may not have been invented around 100 years later.





A highly modified Maglite 2C


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## LiftdT4R (Apr 13, 2019)

Thanks for the good read!

Legacy lights are my favorite! Love to see these bad boys still kicking for their intended purpose.

Great read about the D cell too. I did not know that but certainly helps to explain the HUGE lights of days gone by!


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## bykfixer (Apr 13, 2019)

Some stuff from the book called "Flashlights" by Bill Utely.





A wet cell table leg number.





Lawsuits for copyright infingements began long before Maglite.





A very early dry cell flashlight.

The photos show how a 2C became known as a "baby" way back when.


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## thermal guy (Apr 13, 2019)

Kinda late to the party but I have one of those Nite Sticks. 3XAAA and throws like crazy.


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## Burgess (Apr 13, 2019)

Love this thread !


lovecpf
_


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## bykfixer (Apr 14, 2019)

The night stick is a goody TG.

A Burgess sighting, sweet. 

Wasn't real sure where to send this thread at the launch. I kept seeing Eveready Captains on TV and was going to talk about them at length but the voices talked me into opening up with a Sportsman by Rayovac. 

Then posts 6, 7 and 8 kinda set the tone. Why just one model by one brand the whole time? Why not a genre perhaps with some specifics mixed in. Example would be expand on the aviator style light from its inception to that mother of all inventions, the regulated incan/LED marvel the SureFire A2. 

There's been a lot of talk about a certain 300+ lumen minimag lately. Perhaps some minimag history is in order.
Anybody?


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## xxo (Apr 14, 2019)

bykfixer said:


> The 2C flashlight:
> 
> 
> 
> ...




Back in the day, C cells never seemed all that popular compared to D cells, in the incan era, the vast majority of flashlights used D cells. Even the C cell Mags were kinda uncommon compared to the D cell versions, though some in law enforcement and security did prefer the C cell Mags because they are lighter and will fit in the old baton holder rings. In the 90's there were a lot of DVD players that took C cells, but still not a lot of C cell flashlights compared to D's. With the more efficient LEDs that we have now this may be changing - more people seem to be opting for C cell LEDs (like the Mag ML25's and ML50's). I think alkaline C cells would be more popular if they cost less than alkaline D's.


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## xxo (Apr 14, 2019)

bykfixer said:


> The night stick is a goody TG.
> 
> A Burgess sighting, sweet.
> 
> ...



I would like to know more about the Mini Mag's history!


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## thermal guy (Apr 14, 2019)

This was my dads mini mag. He passed in 2000 and found in amongst His stuff. He used it to get to his hunting stand in the morning. Couldn’t save the bezel but the rest works just fine. Absolutely amazing we got by with such little light ain’t it.


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## bykfixer (Apr 20, 2019)

Sprinkler pipe flashlights:

In the latter part of the 1960's there was a period of unrest in these United States. Civil rights protests and anti-Vietnam protests were popping up across America. But those were not a situation that police were unable to handle. Yeah, it was ugly but things settled down. 





L to R:
-1970 2 C Kel-Lite (1st generation)
- circa 1976 2D B-Lite by Bianchi (small head version)
- circa 1976 LA Screw smoke cutter head a tail on a regular 2D body with a prototype toggle switch that never went into production. 
- circa 1985 2D Maglite with lanyard tailcap.
- circa 1983 2D Streamlight (3rd gen Kel-Lite)

But the police issued flashlights left a lot to be desired. Thin wall tubing shaped for strength were ok, but a sheriff deputy from Los Angeles decided to try something better. Don Keller had an idea that began with alluminum sprinkler pipe. Using slider switches with improved stability combined with a fairly light weight but very durable tubing the alluminum tube light was born. 

We take it for granted that a flashlight is made from alluminum. But there was a time not that long ago it did not exist yet. Was Don the first ever to try it? I do not know. But his D cell light was certainly the first one history talks about. It led to a number of companies trying it out. Most were made in California back then, but after a while some were manufactured in other parts of the US by big names at the time. 

They were expensive to say the least. We don't flinch at a $20 price these days, but when the best lights like Eveready Captain were $4.95 the $20 price tag was huge. At first sales were slow at Kel-Lite. But as word got out there were police (and others) willing to pay that amount. At one point Elvis Pressley himself was seen tossing his Kel-Lite to the ground to show how durable it was. 

Kel-Lites were made with improved tried and true parts in well machined (and coated) bodies that came in any color as long as you chose black. In time other colors were available but black was the preferred color. 

Later on LA Screw tried a new type of switch and contact method that on paper should have worked well. Trouble was it involved copper parts subject to bending in ways that made them less than reliable. LA Screw sold a bunch of lights too. 





An early LA Screw 5D showing the modular setup with centered switch. That was a push button that poked through the body. Push down on the red rubber for on. Other side had a black rubber button indicating off when pushed. Novel idea that never caught on. 

Like prior to the sprinkler pipe idea, more batteries in series meant brighter output. LA Screw had a modular system that allowed their switch to be located mid-way through the barrel of a big, heavy D cell light. Wrist fatigue was said to be reduced versus a switch near the head. 

By the late 1970's alluminum lights were here to stay. Many duplications were made and some outright rip offs were being done. My dad had a Hong Kong made first gen Kel-Lite rip off by Radio Shack for years. It got away with it because it had the mid sized head from the second generation Kel-Lite that was never placed on the first generation barrel. I asked Don about it and he made me one like it from surplus parts he has. 





Left is the clone of a clone.
Made with brand new genuine Kel-Lite parts, it mimics the Radio Shack light my pop had. Don told me a movie producer asked him to produce ten lights like that for a movie so he assembled #11 for me. 

To the right is the 3 generations of the D sized Kel-Lite. Big head first gen, small head second gen with signaling switch and a Kel-Lite factory made Streamlight. 

In 1979 Maglite arrived on the scene. Their self lubricating clicky switch set the tone from that day forward. The Maglite changed the flashlight game for a long long time until Dr John Mathews perfected the tiny (by comparison) 6 volt flashlight using camera batteries. That's for another story. But Maglite had devised a flashlight where rotating the head made it a flooder, a spotlight of in between. Focus beam was tried long before the Maglite but was perfected by Tony Maglica. Later came zoomies, which were based from a really early Rayovac idea. Kinda...





Early focus beam lights.
Bottom to top:
- perhaps the first to try it, a circa 1917 Franco executive miner light where twisting the head caused the fisheye lens to produce floody to even more floody output.
- a 1930's Rayovac idea where the second switch pushed a collar around the bulb to block spill. 
- 1930's Burgess Range Finder where the switch pushed or pulled the bulb in or out of the reflector. All metal reflector and bulb housing like this one were used later on by makers using halogen bulbs.
- 1920's Rayovac twist head that used wide thread pitch and flat lens to change the focus.





The Rayovac collar idea.
Later on companies used a similar approach to change the beam, but instead of the collar the head slides back and forth and the lens shape does the rest.

Once the clicky switch was devised there was no looking back in terms of reliability and ease of use. Again, we take the clicky for granted. It was based off automobile lighting where instead of using a toggle one pushed a button to turn the light on or off. Many light bulbs used in flashlights were derived from automobile lighting as well. Turn signal bulbs in many cases, or side markers, interior bulbs and the like that were bright thanks to being able to handle 12 volt setups. So the big ole flashlights could use auto light bulbs. 

The alluminum tube light was also when the halogen bulb gained popularity. In the mid 70's LA Screw had colaborated with a manufacturer of rechargeable batteries (Qualtech) and there were some special made tail caps for Kel-Lites and LA Screw that allowed the flashlight to become rechargeable. Later Maglite perfected that. But halogen bulbs were tried and found to be a pretty good alternative to the argon bulbs of the time. Heat required alluminum reflectors, all metal bulb retainers and glass lenses, none of which were new ideas. Older lights had used those ideas before plastics could be made cheaper. So again the industry went back in time some and found that using old school parts with those newfangled rechargeable cells and halogen bulbs combined made the police flashlight pretty bright. 

Eventually Streamlights SL20 took over the market. Ordinary cops had the ability to recharge their flashlight inside the car. Marketing played a role there. Tony Maglica arrived late to that game so the MagCharger did not outsell the SL20. By the 1980's competition was severe as there were millions of dollars at stake. 
Maglite was king.

A little known company made a LA Screw modular type of light. It was called the Tru Grit. The Duke sued for copyright infringement of the name and the Tru Grit was no more. LA Screw had been bought out by GT Price who focused on how cheaply lights could be made and that ended up being the demise of LA Screw and GT Price. Don Keller had left Kel-Lite and had been involved with a number of projects on a limited basis. B-Lites by John Bianchi the leather master were a hit but that one fizzled out for various reasons. Don did Pro-Light and Sigma-Lite for a time but had landed at Maglite where he devised the krypton bulb. In time Tony and Don parted ways. Streamlight had bought Kel-Lite and the 3rd generation Kel-Lite bore the name Streamlight. 

Streamlight made a variation of the D cell Maglite that also had a focus ability. It went off early Franco concept where twisting the head eventually changed the dynamics but Maglites cam design was far superior. The idea is still being used in 2019 by Maglite. 

The 1970's was a pivitol time for flashlight history. Many long forgotten but major break throughs took place. Although no longer the big sellers of long ago, the alluminum tube chassis C and D flashlights can still be found in millions of homes across the planet. Last year was the 50th anniverssary of Kel-Lite and this year is the 40th of Maglite. Fellas, ya dun good.


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## archimedes (Apr 20, 2019)

Hope yer saving all this info for a book, someday, Byk ....


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## bykfixer (Apr 20, 2019)

Eh, I might do alright at flashlight Jeopardy? 

"Inventors for $1000".

"Name the inventor of the flashlight".

"Alex, do you mean the actual inventor or the guy who stole the idea from the inventor for a few dollars then made millions?" 


Now maybe someone else can fill in the blanks about the origins of the CR123 battery. Best I can find is the chemistry was developed during Albert Einsteins day but when the little battery used in SLR cameras was introduced is something I've yet to read about. 

It created a whole new world for flashlights.


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## xxo (Apr 23, 2019)

It seems that most of the early development of the CR123A centered on use in photography. In 1980 3V lithium button cell camera batteries were introduced but never worked properly, leading to development of small 12V camera batteries and larger cylindrical 3V lithium cells. Panasonic came out with the BR-2/3A 3 Volt battery for use in the Kodak disc camera in the very early '80's - the BR indicating lithium polycarbon monofloride (PCMF) chemistry and the 2/3A indicating a length of 2/3 that of the now obsolete A size battery. The lithium manganese dioxide (MD) chemistry CR-2/3A followed. The CR-2/3A worked well, but there were safety issues. One was the danger of short circuits/explosions when carried loose in a pocket or in a camera bag. In about 1987, a PTC (positive temperature coefficient) device was added that increased resistance if the cell overheated was added along with a pressure safety vent and a safer microporous polypropylene separator. This cell was designated CR123A and is pretty much the version that we have now.

The military became interested in these cells for such things as powering night vision devices due to their light weight, high energy and ability to function in both cold and hot temperature extremes. Since the military was using CR123's it must have made sense for Surefire to use them in their laser sights and flashlights. The problem was CR123's where hard to find on the commercial market – only camera shops sold them and they were very expensive. To remedy this, Surefire came out with their own brand of CR123's which they sold at lower prices. Streamlight, Inova and Pelican soon followed Surefire with CR123A lights of their own.


BTW Surefire might not have been the first to make a CR123 flashlight. If I remember right, there was a little survival kit light that ran on a single CR123A (possibly Explorer brand?) that might have come out before Surfire's lights.


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## bykfixer (Apr 23, 2019)

Thanks xx. Great info.

I read somewhere the SureFire's first light was a weapon mounted light that used "camera" batteries in 1985. That the CR cell was devised in "the 1970's" for use in SLR cameras and camera flash's. But that was the limit of info I could find. 

Early on Tekna lore they had a CR123 dive light too. 

And apparently Benjamin Franklin devised the first lithium battery idea.

So I suppose the next legacy entry should be about....
Wait for it....

The 6volt flashlight using lithium primaries.


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## xxo (Apr 23, 2019)

I remember the Tekna light, but I wasn't sure exactly when it came out.

Apparently the first commercial lithium camera battery was the 2L76 developed in 1980 and put on the market by Sanyo and Mallory in 1981 – this was said to be the first lithium manganese dioxide camera battery. The 3V 2L76 was designed to replace two 1.5V silver oxide EXP76 or MS76 button cells which were commonly used in cameras, but due to their short shelf life were often dead by the time the camera was sold causing a lot of complaints from customers. The new lithium 2L76 was rated for 5 + years of shelf life was intended to solve this problem, but for some reason it caused many of the cameras to think the battery was dead and shut down or to have other malfunctions, leading to the development of the larger BR-2/3A. At around this time Duracell came out with the 6V PX28L lithium battery intended as a replacement for the silver oxide PX28 batteries used in many Cannon and Nikon cameras. The CR-2/3A went back to the MD chemistry because it offered better performance at low temperatures and a little higher capacity.


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## bykfixer (Apr 23, 2019)

More good info xx. Mucho gracious.

Being that Dr. John Matthews had begun his business with gun mounted lasers it is logical his lighting tools would include a fuel source that the military was interested in. (ie CR123 fuel.)

The Tekna company began about the time alluminum tube flashlights were really becoming popular (1974) and about the time Dr Matthews had sold his laser invention to the US military. But Tekna was making diving products and used lightweight plastics in their flashlights to aid in making them buoyant. It appears as though they began making lights well after John Matthews had used lithium fuel for his products.

The current owner of Tek-Tite is a member here. '[email protected]' is his user name. But he is the second owner of Tekna lighting tools who sold the company to a few different others. Rayovac bought some of the inventions, a famous dive dude bought the diving knives etc. 

http://www.tek-tite.com/proddetail.php?prod=Tektite-TEKNA_History
A link to Tekna history. 
I've yet to see exactly when they began making the 6 volt splashlight, which was one of their early products that went with their 3 volt lights that used a proprietary 3 volt cell the size of a pair of N cells end to end. They used the E10 screw in type bulb (10mm edison style). 

PK told me at one point in early SureFire days they used bulbs made by Streamlight that went into the Scorpion. 

At that time Streamlight had lost a huge case to Maglite for of all things a stamped bezel. Yup Maglite to this day owns that. So they needed cash and fast. John needed light bulbs. They worked out a deal until Carley was chosen to supply SureFire. 

The US military had a soft spot in their heart for Streamlight for making a 5 million candle power light for NASA in the Apollo days (called Streamlite back then) so they gladly bought a bunch of Scorpions when they first were conceived. It probably saved Streamlight. But SureFire's 6P was more popular with soldiers.


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## xxo (Apr 23, 2019)

The Explorer brand light/survival knife kit that I was thinking about may well have been made by Tekna.....I see that Tekna made a similar knife that held a splashlight in the handle. A while ago, someone had a similar Explorer brand knife that he said he got in the late 80's and still had the original CR123 battery. I have a different Explorer brand knife (sort of a high end K-Bar style knife made in Japan). The Explorer knives were all high quality some made in USA, some Japan, I think they were popular around the time of the first gulf war.


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## bykfixer (Apr 23, 2019)

There's a splashlight thread in the LED section (probably 15 pages back by now) where the writer still uses his from the 90's.

https://www.candlepowerforums.com/v...age-California-cop-light-company-thread/page3
See post #119 for an early CR123 light and in #136 Scott at tektite popped in breifly.


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## bykfixer (Apr 27, 2019)

The next is the 'portable' 6 volt flashlight. 






Former 6 volt versus new 6 volt.
I used the term portable because at one point it took a body about the size of a souvenier baseball bat to achieve 6 volts in a flashlight until the camera battery was utilized. Either C or D cells were the norm for decades. Putting out about 1.2 volts each it took 5 cells end to end to add up to 6 volts. 1.2 x 5 = 6.0. 

As mentioned above by xxo, the military was interested in lighting from smaller, more powerful fuel sources. The military not one to shy away from potentially harmful compounds was also not shy about investing big resources into new ideas. 

Enter Dr. John Matthews. Many here know the SureFire owner John Matthews had invented a laser system for use as a forward projecting sight for guns. If I recall correct it was the US Navy that bought the patent. Perhaps for use by Marines but that is speculation on my part. Anyway, most do not know that he also played a part in the invention of light transferred through glass that ended up becoming fiber optic transmission cables later. Those two inventions left Dr Matthews in a positive situation cash-flow-wise. Another little known fact is that John Matthews wanted to produce his own pistols. That part never came to fruition though. Suffice it to say the pistol had already been invented. 

Instead he went the way of the flashlight. He perfected the use of camera batteries and over driven bi-pin light bulbs in a what was seen at the time as a tiny flashlight. 

So this legacy I'll simply call "the SureFire phenomenon". 

The use of alluminum tubing was already perfected. Mr. Maglica was riding high on his portable flashlight called 'the minimag'. At about 15 candle power it was a huge success as now military and police could carry a viable backup to the larger flashlights of the day. It could easily light up a room in pitch black conditions or focus to toss a beam out some 50 feet away in a dark alleyway. Yet in a little known shed sized facility behind a warehouse in California, a much brighter 'minimag' sized light was being conceived. 

By the late 1980's millions of $19.99 minimags roamed the streets at night. Meanwhile the new $65 "laser products" number called "the SureFire" was barely noticed. "$65? For a flashlight? Are you kidding?" By then Dr. Matthews has bought that warehouse near his 2 room shed and outfitted it to make Laser Products flashlights. It was a big shed. At least big enough to have a drawing table, a secretary and an office for Dr. Matthews. 

Word started getting out of the Laser Products new gizmo and when the phone rang with a potential new customer it was usually asked "got any of those SureFire's in stock?" One day it was decided to rename the company SureFire. Throughout the 1990's the now called SureFire company was not making a profit. Yet undaunted by that Dr Matthews invention was gaining market share and had landed a military contract. By then they were devising alternatives to the fabled 6. 

A flashlight about the size of an average man's hand that put out as much light as a cutting torch, but could easily light up a small warehouse was a huge change. But it was expensive. The average Joe was not on board yet. Nor were police departments. 

By 2000 the flashlight world was changed forever. Competion had sprung up by Streamlight a dive light maker called Pelican, and another new outfit soon followed called Pentagon. Providing camera battery powered flashlights for less cost than the SureFire helped cement the notion of tactical flashlights being small and bright. Reliability was key. Twisty on/off switches were the norm. SureFire had an invention called the lock out switch. 

Streamlight developed a tiny version of their big rechargeable light called the SL20 with one called The Strion. SureFire had tried a rechargeable light that never caught on. By then they were also using a plastic called Nitrolon for their more affordable G2 line. It met with great success in time. 

The undisputed King, Maglite was still selling well. The world was still ok with the big sized flashlight. In the 1980's Margaret Thatchers military were issued D sized Maglites mounted to rifles and minimags were issued to police (bobbies) across the big pond. There are photos on the web of her security detail outfitted with Maglite clad rifles. But Maglite was facing an unknown foe at the time. 

By the mid 2000's LED's were becoming the norm, yet they were still largely seen as a novelty by the masses. 

In 2000 a forum called Candle Power was begun. It centered around folks who devised ways of making the flashlight super bright using all kinds of marvelous inventions or methods that achieved maximum output from a light bulb. Through politics some early pioneers started other forums for this reason or that. But Candle Power remained popular. Folks like PK, Scott Mele (Tek-Tite owner), Don Keller, and flashlight guru Bill Utley were particpating members back then. 

The 'portable' 6 volt flashlight spawned an entire industry, be it alternatives to "the SureFire 6" or just ways to make the wheel go round and round even better. 

Here in 2019 SureFire still plays the game with largely domestic products assembled in the warehouse behind the shed. Maglite is still trying to catch up in a crowded market replete with foreign built products, while Pelican and Streamlight catalogs are still expanding their niche roles for targeted markets. 

The days of that tiny flashlight powered by camera batteries for military uses is being replaced with night vision gear. Meanwhile millions upon millions of Joe 6 pack homes are outfitted with alluminum tube flashlights.


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## xxo (Apr 29, 2019)

Thanks Much for the info Bykfixer!

a few random thoughts:

I think the Surefire 2 CR123A lights came along at a good time, many law enforcement agencies were getting away from the big Maglites and discouraging them for a substitute for a baton and 2 CR123A lights really took off when more affordable options from Streamlight and others came on the market. Streamlight has long been a go to for law enforcement while Surefire seems to be oriented a bit more towards the Military, large agencies, like the FBI and a tiny group of flashlight enthusiasts (CPF seemed like a Surefire forum in the early days).


Surefire used to advertise a lot and I think they were the first to taught lumens instead of candle power…. I think this was because a 2 cell Surefire had almost the same lumens as a 4 Cell Mag but not near as much candlepower or throw.

One thing that was nice about the Streamlights is that many held a spare bulb inside the head, while the Surefires had big/expensive prefocused bulb/reflector assemblies that you had to carry separately.


Maglite had just broken into the consumer market in a big way and had still had a good amount of military and law enforcement sales but for some reason never came out with a 2 CR123A incandescent light. Maglite only belatedly came out with a LED 2 CR123 with the Mag Tac originally for a military contract (the military likes to buy products made in the USA and except for Surefire and Mag, most of the others have moved production to China). The Mag Tac is an excellent design but it doesn’t seem to be a big seller for Mag in what is a very crowded field with all of the Surefires, Streamlights, Pelicans and Chinese brand 2 CR123 lights out there.


BTW the SAS guys had MP5’s with big 4 or 5 cell Mags cobbled to them back in the 80’s - the lights were near as big and heavy as the guns they were mounted on!


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## bykfixer (Apr 30, 2019)

Good thoughts xx. 

If the MagTac were shaped like a standard Mag with a 2x123 fuel I'd probably have some. Shaped like an XL50,100 etc just doesn't interest me. Indeed it is a great light. 

I like the XL50 a whole bunch but it mentally just doesn't click with my brain that it's a flashlight. 

I suppose I'll do some 'coulda been' legacy lights that just didn't catch on someday. MagTac will be included.


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## xxo (Apr 30, 2019)

Maybe a more Mag looking Mag Tac would have sold better. To be sure, the Mag Tac is derived from the Xl series, but it is a completely different animal in terms of looks, feel and performance. The XL's always seemed liked puffed up Solitaires to me and feel kind of toyish (although the XL 100 was very innovative with lots of cool features leading to a complicated UI). The Mag Tac looks much better with the hard anno'd grenade grip, feels better in hand too, and operation is simple - overall it gives me the impression of a no nonsense tactical light, which it what it is.


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## InvisibleFrodo (Apr 30, 2019)

I’d agree that the XL series does feel like a big solitaire. I actually own all three 100, 200, 50. They don’t see use anymore, but there was a time when my XL100 and my Nitecore EA4 were my most carried lights...
I’ve been eyeing the spectrum series XL50 for some time now. Anyone here try one? How is the beam pattern? I was actually super impressed with the spectrum solitaire. The beam pattern is really really nice and I love the tint.


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## bykfixer (May 4, 2019)

This one is focuses on "the doctor light". The fabled pen light. 

Very early in flashlight history portable was a goal. But prior to the reliable dry cell folks had to deal with a cord. The vest pocket light had been invented where the user could place said portable light in their vest pocket and pull it out when needed. They were about the size and shaped like a little whiskey flask. Some of the earliest used a wet cell attached to a cord that stayed in a gentlemen's trouser pocket. Not very convenient. 





True gentlemen's light of the time. 
Leather covered, focus'd globe little light started it all. 
Picture borrowed from Gotalight.net

Soon after the dry cell idea seemed like it was here to stay companies like Eveready and Franco devised a battery pack that was basically what we now know as AA batteries inside a wrapping that had a small cord from it that attached inside the light. They were a side by side configuration. Some were both positive up, some were not. 

I do not know who invented the pen light, nor when but at some point by the 1930's there were AA battery tube flashlights. They became popular with doctors, dentists, rescue workers and gun smiths etc. 





Some examples.
Bottom to top:
- 1940's Burgess
- 1950's Underwood
- 1970's Eveready
- Early 2000's Streamlight Stylus LED. (Touting "ice blue" beam)
- 1950's Rayovac nickel plated twisty.
The penlight in essence was a 2 cell tube with a push button on the tail that did not hold like modern day lights. It stayed on until you let go of the button. 





The Burgess touted a comfy rubber coating.
Big deal at the time versus the stabby Underwood button. Like said the Rayovac was a twisty. 

These lights used a focus tip'd bulb that sent all 2-6 candle power forward versus the typical floody beams from bigger lights. 





A magnifier at the tip. 
Early optics later used in modern day zoomers and throwers LED Lensers or SureFire Backups. 





A typical bulb of the early days in flashlights.
It produced a floody beam that relied on the chosen nickel plated reflector of the day, which were not very shiney. So dull in fact some chose a white coating instead. 

A family operation in Conneticut devised a typical slider switch based off the 1aa Tom Thumb lights of the 40's and 50's. 





The HIPCO was a nice little light. 
With the advent of the slider switch came the 'wack-a-palm method as the internal copper and brass sliding parts were not very efficient at optimum connections. Back then it was normal to move around the tv antenna for fuzz free viewing or wack-a-palm for best flashlight output. Usually a light tap would do. 

So at some point when visiting a doctor they had a 2aa light in their white coat chest pocket and used the focus tip to shine in your ear, your nose, "say ahhh" and into your throat. It was a style of flashlight that remained intact all the way up to the LED days. 

I speculate that an enterprising person swapped out a globe bulb for a focus tip'd bulb to cause their baby cop light to shine 15-25 feet forward while searching for Chester the cat looking for a dropped coin way back when. 

The HIPCO used 1aaa battery. The Streamlight used 3aaaa batteries. Not a typo, there used to be 4a batteries used in penlights for that super slim pocket light. Good luck finding those in a grocery store these days. My local Batteries Plus Bulbs said "yeah we can order you some of those". 

Now days penlights come in all kinds of configurations such as bendy's, coin cell operated antenna type, bright throwers like a Streamlight Stylus Pro, or floody doctor /inspection lights.




A few examples of modern day 'doctor lights'.
There's even a penlight that well...writes like a pen.





Two of my favorites.
The right angle mechanics light that uses a magnifier lens to maximize the 3 lumen coin cell sipping LED and the 100 lumen minimag shirt pocket light. 





Using ancient technology.
Super lightweight lights up an engine bay (or your childs throat) very well. Can be a straight, or right angle or in between. 

Yup, the early doctor light has a lasting legacy still being expanded upon in 2019.


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## xxo (May 4, 2019)

Thanks for the write up on these Byk.

Penlights were around during the first world war - they were known as "Spy lights" because of their concealability, but I am sure they were used a lot by soldiers in the trenches. These were apparently powered by what we know today as 2 AA's, but back then they would have been known by the battery maker's proprietary number and likely consisted of 2 cells wrapped in a "battery" (the AA designation was not used until long after world war one). 


BTW, 6 - AAAA's are what's inside a alkaline 9V battery, though the polarity is usually reversed (button end negative).


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## bykfixer (May 5, 2019)

More good info xx. I had not heard the term "spy" light, but it makes sense. 

By the end of WW2 the advent of plastics gave way to the 1aa 'lipstick' light that later were called Tom Thumb lights. These days some would call them jewel thief (joule) lights. 




A crude lipstick light.
Brass tube that had a small piece of wire molded into the tip to complete the circuit between battery and bulb. 





The original style lipstick light.
Shown with a nickel plated HIPCO Tom Thumb style I incorparated a #112 bulb in for a jewel thief dim light. The original 'lipstick' light had a plastic end for dispersing light like a traffic wand and magnifier tip bulb for throw. It also inovated a twisting clicky switch. Twist until a click for on, twist again to click it off again. Shown is a generic lipstick light. 

Kwik-Lite made a 1aa they named Tom Thumb that were very popular post WW2. Big companies like Rayovac and Energizer made version of their Big Jim Commander and Sportsman in those sizes. I suppose these led to todays keychain lights and the Mag Solitaire. 

I also found a 1950's dentist light by Rayovac that used a 3 way toggle switch. It was in my nightstand drawer with the lipstick and Tom Thumb. Toggle left or right for on, back to center for off. 




Nice nickel plated body.

I did some reading this morning at Stuart Scheiders page at the Flashlight Museum and he wrote that vest pocket lights had "B" cells, not AA like I had said in my previous post. 





My little 1912 Franco pistol did use a AA battery pack though. 

I've been thinking of having flashlight guru Steve Giterman build me a battery pack for it. He repairs old lights and builds battery packs upon request. He taught me the initial steps in getting antique flashlights working again. 





A sample of his collection


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## xxo (May 5, 2019)

During WWI, spys would have used lights to mark locations of landing or airdrop locations – back them spys behind enemy lines mostly used carrier pigeons to communicate. During WW2 spy lights became more sophisticated and were used in conjunction with special radio signals.

The B cell was used a lot early on, usually in batteries consisting of 2 or 3 cells side by side (like the 4.5V 3R12 battery) – these were used in box and flask shaped pocket lights, small lanterns and in early radio sets.


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## bykfixer (May 18, 2019)

The classic D cell Maglite. 

The original D size was introduced in about 1979. All through the 80's it was the undisputed king of durable flashlights thanks to a ridiculously durable body and a very reliable switch system. A cam'd reflector made it adjustable from an old school floody beam (repleat with ugly donut hole and filament shadows) to a pencil beam spot with an incredible (for the time) throw from a new kid on the block krypton gas bulb. 

At first they had the typical PR base argon gas bulb. Don Keller told me while working at Maglite his first stint he helped perfect the krypton bulb. When asked "what should we call it" he said "the krypton bulb". It stuck. Mag called it the White Star krypton. 

Later Mag developed the PR based xenon gas bulb. It was called Magnum Star xenon. At one point they devised a bi-pin bulb called "Magnum Star II xenon. Refill packages allowed it to replace the PR based bulbs since it included an adapter. 

Eventually Maglite joined the new millenium with LED versions. My first 2D LED was called "Pro". I bought it at Home Depot for $35 in 2014. It was next to a $20 incan version. I do not recall the lumen output it stated. But it threw like a classic Maglite with a hint of ice blue in the beam. 

At my local WalMart there was a 168 lumen 2D was common in 2016. Recently Maglite has introduced a 213 lumen version with a low setting. 

The 2D Maglite was/is certainly a legacy. 

BRB with pix.





Some versions over the decades.
2 and 3D versions from the 80's to a few days ago. Top two are 3D krypton versions circa early 2000's. Next is a pair of 80's with lanyard tailcaps.
Bottom are a new black 213 version and blue 168 lumen version of the LED version. 
I do not know what became of my "Pro" version. 

The simple genious cam'd reflector.




A new twist on an old idea (no pun intended) where twisting the head relocated the bulb versus reflector to change beam character. Kel-Lite came up with a washer setup to tweak the bulb for throw or spot. Early Mag 7D bulb packages came with washers for that purpose.





The various Mag bulbs post argon. 

The 7D bulb with washers.









Make your 7 cell light better.

An improved 2C by Kel-Lite circa 1974 using a Mag bulb.




A pair of LifePo4 18500's, 4 cell PR based Magnum Star xenon, ultra clear lens and a washer for better throw. 
That little number puts out about 100 lumens.


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## xxo (May 18, 2019)

IIRC, the white star krypton bulbs were sold as upgrades to the standard vacuum bulbs, later they came out with the xenon PR bulbs (which are my favorites) and the krypton bulbs became standard at around that time. I think they should have just standardized on the xenons and have been done with it as these give the brightest, whitest and best focused beams. I still don't know why Mag went to the trouble and expense of the new bipin xenon bulbs and bulb holders so late int he incan game, these are not as good as the PR xenons because they seem to be near impossible to get the perfectly centered for a good beam.


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## bykfixer (May 18, 2019)

True, the bi-pin version leaves a lot to be desired.


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## bykfixer (May 25, 2019)

xxo said:


> ~snip~
> 
> Penlights were around during the first world war - they were known as "Spy lights" because of their concealability, but I am sure they were used a lot by soldiers in the trenches. These were apparently powered by what we know today as 2 AA's, but back then they would have been known by the battery maker's proprietary number and likely consisted of 2 cells wrapped in a "battery" (the AA designation was not used until long after world war one). ~snip~



So I'm watching this crime show series set in the early 1980's where season 1 was circa 1980. Season 4 1983. So time is passing not quite a year per season. Russian spies and government agents trying to outwit each other. It's called "the Americans". 

Anyway, twice the Russian spy dude had a minimag sized flashlight in a couple of scenes where he was cracking a safe or pilfering through a desk. Now they were not minimag shaped at the head, but more like a parallel sides with slightly larger diameter to the body. One time it was a black body. Another time silver. An FBI agent went pilfering through an apartment with a red beam from his 2aa light with same shape. The show depicts pretty acurate props and the minimag was not available in 1983. 

When the scenes begin they show the lights already on and end the scenes without showing them turning off said flashlights. It causes me to think "hmmmm, what did the minimag improve upon?" The Mag C and D improved upon the alluminum tube light of the late 60's to late 70's. But lights shown on the show appear to be tactical shaped 2aa pre-minimag. 

I have several post mimimag tactical numbers but nothing pre-minimag, nor did I know any existed until watching the tv show. I wonder if the super spy agencies had technology unavailable at the time regarding 2aa flashlights akin to spy pens, spy cams, and other miniature (for the time) gizmos. Or perhaps they were using an available light not known to the general public at that time that was meant for police detectives and CIA types? 

While the minimag has now crossed the 300 lumen threshold I'll be researching tactical 2aa flashlights from the pre-minimag era to see just what super-sleuths used to use in order to fill a gap in the history of the legacy light, the 2aa.


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## Grijon (May 28, 2019)

What a wonderful thread!

Thank you for the great history shared here.

I second Archimedes - I hope there’s a book in development here.


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## xxo (May 29, 2019)

bykfixer said:


> So I'm watching this crime show series set in the early 1980's where season 1 was circa 1980. Season 4 1983. So time is passing not quite a year per season. Russian spies and government agents trying to outwit each other. It's called "the Americans".
> 
> Anyway, twice the Russian spy dude had a minimag sized flashlight in a couple of scenes where he was cracking a safe or pilfering through a desk. Now they were not minimag shaped at the head, but more like a parallel sides with slightly larger diameter to the body. One time it was a black body. Another time silver. An FBI agent went pilfering through an apartment with a red beam from his 2aa light with same shape. The show depicts pretty acurate props and the minimag was not available in 1983.
> 
> ...





I don’t recall very much in the 2AA format beyond a few plastic cheapies from the pre-mini Mag era. I don’t think that the mini mag was based on anything it was intended to improve on – just a 2AA light with the looks and durability of the big C and D cell mags. It was also intended to function as a kuboton.


Don’t know about special light designed for spys; I would guess that they would use standard lights if possible. 

Here is an excellent docudrama on how spys used flashlights and more sophisticated means to set up drop/landing zones in occupied France during WW2:




The actual British SOE operatives and French resistance played themselves in the film and they mentioned using “ordinary little pocket lamps with 4 Volt batteries” (presumably 3R12 4.5V), though several different types of flashlights are shown throughout the film.


It is also kinda neat that the used an old truck that ran on charcoal and wood chips to deliver Bren guns.


There were a lot of penlights developed for aviators and even astronauts (there was a thread on one of these not too long ago). Often flight crews used red filters on their penlights. BTW I think(?) that the reason AAAA penlights were developed was to fit inside the pen loops on flight suits.


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## bykfixer (May 29, 2019)

JustRite did the first "aviator" I've seen for WW2 pilots. It was updated up to the Vietnam era. 

Ironically they still do industrial products, but none have anything to do with flashlights. The other day I saw a box of "JustRite" caulk for use in joints on a bridge deck.

Perhaps the tv show was using reproduction lights from earlier eras but they sure looked like square head minimags like those Sigma Lites Don Keller did in the 90's. I say square head because minimag are a bell shape flair where the Sigma were right angle'd heads.

Whenever they showed folks with flashlights in Russia they looked like 1930's American stuff.


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## bykfixer (Jun 4, 2019)

The one that has perhaps changed the game for current lighting technology in terms of tiny size and big output is the 1x AAA Maglite Solitaire. Like Don Kellers sprinkler pipe cop lights changed the game from thin wall tubing flashlights to capable of being used as a hammer, the 2 lumen Solitaire opened the door for todays current crop of tiny flashlights capable of big output. Not big like several zeros long big output, but like the ant, capable of amazing effort from such a small physical body. 

Back in the latter half of the 1980's decade Tony Maglica's marvels were the undisputed king of the flashlight world. Companies like Streamlight, Bright Star and others were building their own versions of Maglite creations. As the story goes, Tony built a 1x AAA bi-pin bulb flashlight for his girlfriend and called it the Marquis. A couple of batches were produced and sold in California stores. Tony realized that name was already used elsewhere so he renamed it Solitaire. Capable of being attached to a keychain was not a brand new idea. But sprinkler pipe durability in a really small flashlight was. In time the idea caught on. Now being limited at the time to about 2 candle power was stepping back in time in terms of output. Yet those candles could be focused to a pencil beam and light up a small targeted area some 20 feet away. 

Again, others built their own versions. Streamlight did the Keymate, BrightStar did a 1x AAA with a clicky and Don Keller was heading up a start up called SigmaLite where he took some Mag ideas and incorparated some Keller tweaks. But the Solitaire was tough to beat. 






Some incan Solitaire-esque lights. 
A 2x N cell Sigmalite, a 1x AAA Bright Star, a 1x AAA Brinkmann, a Streamlight Keymate and a Solitaire. 

With a wider head the Streamlight was actually brighter. But to avoid being sued again by Maglite they devised a funky way to change batteries which easily resulted in a broken flashlight. 




The KeyMate and it's flaws.
A small pin retained the bulb fastener to the light with a push and twist. The pin moved or fell out. If it moved it dislodged from the channel in the light body and the bulb retainer would get stuck in the head due to a tight fit of the bulb inside the reflector opening. If you dropped the tiny pin you were out. You either had to find it or make a new one. Yeah, right. 
The tight fit of the bulb into the reflector at times resuluted in a crushed bulb. 
And it did not have a removable tailcap so if your battery leaked onto the spring at the tail end getting conductivity through the spring again was an excersize in futility. At $12 it was far from disposable for most. A great light when things went well. But too many things could go wrong too easily. 

So for a long time a single triple a flashlight was an aenemic source of light, yet enough sold to remain a viable product for the industry. Then the invention of the LED began to shape the future in ways not many dreamed of. Like older flashlight tech from the 20th century, bright was not available for a while. But thanks to some inovative thinkers the LED triple A was capable of lighting as well as the Solitaire or KeyMate, then the Keymate was gone and LED lights were way brighter than a Solitaire...yup 10!!! lumens. Then 15, then 20. The battery was the achiles heal back then. Alkaline cells just couldn't hold the voltage enough to provide consistant output for very long. 

Perhaps the Energizer lithium saved the triple a flashlight from falling into oblivion with the hoola hoop. Designed for high drain stuff like toys, once they had begun to be seen as a viable source of flashlight fuel, the sky was the limit. 

The SureFire 2x 123 lights had changed the game by then. PK once told me he was devising a 1x AAA for SureFire but battery tech made it a moot point. No way to make a SureFire bright capable light from a triple a fuel source. He said in time he was learning from his brother who worked at Motorola in Florida and ARC's Peter Gransee to learn the LED. 

Peter was likely one who opened the door to what we see today. SureFire continued to focus on brighter light bulbs until they had their own LED ideas capable of SureFire reputation for output and tint. Maglite was quietly working on LED's while tweaking xenon bulb technology. Still strapped for cash Streamlight was generating revenue via police issue and fire personnel products. 

Eventually the Solitaire was available in LED format. But by then the market had left Maglite. ARC, Peak and others were the new players. 

The industry was showing the public that LED lights were here to stay. And LED clad 1x AAA flashlights were selling well enough to entice the market to partake in lights with brightness never considered possible in the days of the inception of the Maglite Marquis. 35, 50....60 lumens. Then the Fenix E01 touted sprinkler pipe bomb proof durability with plenty of useable light with long long runtime. 

Lumen wars caused exagerated specs with brief bursts of whopping output. PK had left SureFire and for a blip in history had the brightest 1x AAA light ever made. 100 lumens, sustained. He called it PL2. The PL1? Who knows if it was his design from SureFire days or a PKDL idea that didn't make it off the computer screen? 

Lumen wars touted unheard of numbers but the market wanted runtime and better tint. Neutral began to show up via Nichia LED's. Modes, modes and more modes meant outputs as low as the original Solitaire or less. Firefly mode became an option. 

So now that the originator, Maglite is relegated to an also ran in the field of flashlights they have introduced a warm version of the Solitaire that mimics a xenon clad original with 10x the output. Thusfar it's high only but lately they have introduced 2 setting versions of some classics. Like PK's PL2 with a twist on for high or second for a useable, battery saving low time may reveal a 2 speed Solitaire. The venable E01 is discontinued and ARC is long gone. A new player Sofirm built some Yuji clad E01 style lights and now have 2 speed versions. They went with a mid-ground tint color for those. 

So the legacy of the 1x AAA flashlight has evolved into a big player in a small package.


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## gurdygurds (Jun 5, 2019)

:bow::bow::bow:Excellent post my sir! Has me thinking about how awesome a warm led two more Solitaire would. 2 lumen low as an homage to the original, and then full output. That would have my heart.


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## Burgess (Jun 5, 2019)

Fascinating thread here !


I'm now 65 years old,
and well remember, at age 4 and a half ( ! ) (truth)
realizing that 1xAAA flashlights are
Virtually USELESS ! ! !


THIS is what I had at the time !

BIG difference Nowadays !
:-D


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## Burgess (Jun 5, 2019)

Just for Kicks . . . . .


What was the mAH capacity
of a carbon-zinc AAA cell
in 1959 ? ? ?
( sixty years ago )


I see today's Energizer E92 alkaline AAA
at 100 mA current drain is about 900 mAH


Energizer L92 Ultimate Lithium AAA
at 100 mA current drain is about 1200 mAH


Today's Typical carbon-zinc (type R03)
(from Wikipedia)
is listed as 540 mAH (no current drain specified)


Wonder what it was, 60 years ago,
in the early days of my youth.
:-O


AND --

Wonder what is the current draw of a
#112 lens-end light bulb ?


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## bykfixer (Jun 5, 2019)

I remember as a kid it took two batteries to get decent output (to see past the length of your arm). The side by side double a light was the first 'portable' I had. They were disposable. But a Solitaire changed all that as I recall.


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## azkid (Jun 5, 2019)

This thread—really fascinating by the way—got me remembering my first flashlight that I yearned and saved for... a Durabeam, 2D, krypton bulb, impact resistant and weatherproof (I think... It's been what 30 years?).

Generic photo reproduced for educational purposes:






I also had a milsurp light, not right angle though, and when younger I remember being fascinated by an all-metal Eveready sportsman (I think).

Lastly, my daughter and I have been listening to a a couple of Jules Verne books which make mention of a portable, electric, Ruhmkorff lamp so named by Verne after the person, first name of Heinrich, who commercialized an induction coil, patenting it in 1851.






The lamp used this coil to created an arc to fluoresce a Geissler tube. The light system was actually developed by Alphonse Dumas, an engineer at a mine, for use in mining. It was the first portable, electric, fluorescent lantern.

Here's a video of a replica in operation:

https://vimeo.com/21551806

The above puts _Journey to the Center of the Earth_ in a whole new light...


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## bykfixer (Jun 5, 2019)

Holy Crap Batman!!! Awesome post.

Roar of the Pelican, 1851 style. Really cool. 

In case not familiar, the RoP was a 2 cell Maglite with a really, really, really overdriven 6 volt bulb from a rechargeable Pelican Big D firemans flashlight (or perhaps Big Ed?). In the right hands they could be made to put out as much as a thousand lumens. Roar of the Pelican was the nickname of said contraption.





Highly modified inner workings.





Special plastic compound space filling sleeve keeps batteries in a straight line. High output batteries really make the RoP shine. High current flow tail cap mod and on/off switch keep resistance low allowing maximum current flow.


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## xxo (Jun 10, 2019)

Burgess said:


> Just for Kicks . . . . .
> 
> 
> What was the mAH capacity
> ...



Standard (non heavy duty) carbon zinc batteries sucked bad - I don't think the solitaire would have been successful without alkalines.


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## Phil2015 (Jul 11, 2019)

Hi, When I was a kid back in the 80s and 90s we always bought these huge heavy torches, they ran off 2 6v batteries if I remember rightly.


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## bykfixer (Jul 11, 2019)

Sheez-awe-mighty man! Bet you had Popeye forearms bro.


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## xxo (Apr 30, 2021)

Before there were Photons and even before there were Solitaires, I used have one of these on my keys:






....the Eveready Squeeze light! Not bad for what it was at the time. The batteries were built in and light was disposable, when they went dead you could get a new one for cheap at the super market checkout or at a drug store.


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## bykfixer (Apr 30, 2021)

I probably had one of those at one point, paid for with soda pop bottle money. 

NitIze has a little 4 lumen number that has more of a physical button and runs off replaceable coin cells. I think it was $4 at the big orange store.


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## snakebite (May 4, 2021)

my ge datasheet from the 50's shows 112 at 1.2v 220ma.
no specs for a carbon zinc aaa but even with the improvements over the years they are lousy at any real load.
the way these little keychain lights worked is they were momentary only.
with long periods of rest between uses.
lock one down and runtime is a few minutes till it rests.
flashlight true to the definition.


Burgess said:


> Just for Kicks . . . . .
> 
> 
> What was the mAH capacity
> ...


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## bykfixer (Dec 24, 2021)

Holiday bump. It's that time of year when a lot of people exchange gifts. Sometimes it's a flashlight. Not long ago I sent a flashlight to a friend on the opposite coast and when it arrived we struck up a conversation about flashlights among other things. He mentioned a Legacy light that had given him awesome service for a long time years ago.

The Streamlight Stinger. What a marvelous invention that one was. Now it was pretty much the perverbial 'better mousetrap' in that it used ideas already invented like a rechargeable battery, a cradle and a C cell sized flashlight but in a combination that turned out to be a huge seller. In the days of the Mighty Mag and Streamlights big ole SL20 it must have been a huge relief to patrol officers and mechanics to have the benefit of putting a down sized big light into a charger cradle between uses. And with that simple striped rubber sleeve over the body it would not be slippery when wet.

From what I understand if dropped it still worked so that too must have been seen as a huge change for the good. Small enough to keep on the belt while riding in the car but large enough to tuck under the arm pit while moving forward with weapon deployed so no interuption in lighting down range.

To be honest I do not know when the Stinger was first adopted by police, nor do I know much about the evolution of the mighty Stinger. Member Dano indicated in an old thread here that it came out in '95. At some point there was a Stinger X, XT, an intrinsically safe poly Stinger, and of course now-days a slew of LED models. I remember seeing a Stinger on the belt of state police officers long ago at my work where they'd often help us guide motorists through work zones. But I'd also see them in auto repair shops.

One year during the summer, early in my flashlight hobby days I saw a Stinger LED kit in a store and commented to Mrs Fixer what a great flashlight that one was but so dang expensive. That year she hooked me up with it at Christmas. The 350 lumen model with an anti-roll device on the head sits idle most of the time due to much smaller flashlights yet it always puts a smile on my face whenever it gets the call of duty.

In 2020 Streamlight built a straight body version called Stinger 2020 aimed at auto repair shops or use as a work light. No sloping head like prior models. But has an anti-roll feature. Meanwhile incan Stingers can still be found, although Streamlight has stopped producing them. Heck even ole Tony finally got around to building a Maglite product to rival the mighty Stinger in about 2019.

If there were ever a flashlight hall of fame the Streamlight Stinger would certainly be inducted.





A Stinger next to the mighty SL20.


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## bykfixer (Dec 30, 2021)

When I set out to praise the Stinger it was in hopes of sharing lots of information regarding the incan models. Idea being search the CPF library and other sources of potential information. Not surprisingly the vast majority of threads here were about making it brighter or swapping to an LED. There were comparisons with a SureFire 9x(?) and a Tigerlite, which I'd never heard of yet was apparently popular in the early 2000's. 

It seems as though the Tigerlite had a dedicated following, yet like the rock band KISS people either loved them or loathed them. And it seems the SureFire was a hit except for the battery. So somewhere in the center were Stinger fans. Many of which were police officers glad to have a light that wasn't so big like the SL20 or the MagCharger. 

Now when venturing out on the ocean called the world wide web I was carpet bombed with ads trying to sell me a new LED stinger or parts for my old one. I was hoping to find old information at cop sites or the like using 3 search engines but gave up after a couple of days. 

It led me to conclude that the Streamlight Stinger was once like a butter knife. Millions sold but not many people expressing their views on them


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## vicv (Dec 30, 2021)

I don't have an incan one but my older 385 lumen led polystinger is my favorite out of many led lights


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## Incandescent (Jan 1, 2022)

On the topic of Stingers, I recently came across one at a thrift store which had absolutely no knurling on the barrel, and the anodization was still almost completely intact and it was in great shape overall, so it wasn't like it was just worn down to the point of not having knurling left. It was just a regular old Stinger, but with a smooth barrel. It didn't have a charger with it so I regrettably didn't buy it. I tried to find an answer about if/when they were produced with no knurling, but came up empty. Considering how popular the light is, I was also surprised by the lack of information and discussion about them out there. I still have no idea if they actually produced it with no knurling at some point, or if I stumbled upon a prototype. I could not find a single bit of evidence or picture of a Stinger without knurling on the internet.


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## bykfixer (Jan 1, 2022)

Perhaps it was one with the rubber sleeve gone. Don't know when they started putting the sleeve on them but my LED model has one.
Yet in the photo below (from an old thread here) shows that #393 was indeed knurled.
___________________________________________


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## Incandescent (Jan 2, 2022)

The Stinger XT has the rubber grip, so that's possible, although I could swear it was a regular Stinger and didn't have a thinner section where the rubber grip would have been. I really regret not buying it because now I'll just feel like I'm crazy for the rest of my life, haha.


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## bykfixer (Jan 2, 2022)

True. It would likely be recessed to allow the rubber sleeve to fit flush so it doesn't snag as the user slid it in/out of a holster. 

Perhaps life will allow you to return to that thrift store where that unit has yet to be sold. Yeah, I was also surprised how little information seems to show up about these lights. But Streamlight products just aren't discussed very much it seems and internet searches seem to be focused so much on comerce anymore that unless you know a specific site to look it's a daunting experience.


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