# are the Maglite LED upgrade kits worth it?



## mike_s (Oct 16, 2008)

I've got several 3D cell Maglites with Halogen bulbs.

Is the LED upgrade Kit worth it?

It alsmost seems that a new light is only a little more.



What about for the AA Maglites? It seems they put out a lot more power with the LED compared to their older counterparts?


anyone on either of these light setups?


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## asdalton (Oct 16, 2008)

See the reviews that I linked to here:

https://www.candlepowerforums.com/posts/2663068&postcount=29


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## metlarules (Oct 16, 2008)

I have the magled 4d and it makes an excellent emergency light. The long runtime is it's forte.It puts out enough light to light a large room during a power outage to see what your doing and walking.


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## Bobpuvel (Oct 16, 2008)

I personally don't think the LED upgrade for the 3D is not worth it because it doesn't last longer(noticeably) and the regular bulb puts out a warner beam which makes it seem more affective.(just my thoughts) the minimag upgrades aren't the best(tend to break when dropped in my experience)...but the AA minimagLED is worth it. It is way brighter than the regular minimag and you can get the 3AA(Which I have) which is brighter and... cooler looking.(I like the long look)


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## sawlight (Oct 16, 2008)

I also have the stock bulb for the 4D, LONG run time, but it's blueish/purple tint makes it useless outside IMO. I am not that impressed and think I should have held out for a terralux or even a Malcov upgrade.


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## mike_s (Oct 16, 2008)

with the "LED bulb", how is the focusing of the light compared to the regular bulb?


like from flood to 'spot' ? etc.?


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## metlarules (Oct 16, 2008)

Bobpuvel said:


> I personally don't think the LED upgrade for the 3D is not worth it because it doesn't last longer(noticeably) and the regular bulb puts out a warner beam which makes it seem more affective.(just my thoughts) the minimag upgrades aren't the best(tend to break when dropped in my experience)...but the AA minimagLED is worth it. It is way brighter than the regular minimag and you can get the 3AA(Which I have) which is brighter and... cooler looking.(I like the long look)


 If it doesn't last longer than the stock incandesent bulb something is wrong with it. See the reviews in the above post.


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## Gatsby (Oct 16, 2008)

At full price I'm not sure they are worth it. But I've bought a few on closeouts and in the marketplace and at those prices they are well worth it. It is a pretty significant upgrade over the incandescent, much brighter, much longer running, better regulation and great as emergency lights. But they are subject to the Luxeon lottery moreso than a lot of lights we're used to here on CPF - I have two that are nice and decent tint and one cat urine green one. But they are still worth it but $19 is steep I think for what you're getting.


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## cslinger (Oct 16, 2008)

Yes. The beam is better then stock, it lasts a hell of a lot longer, is brighter and throws extremely well.

Is it a flashlight enthusiasts light, not at all. Is it a damn good working/around the house light yes.

My 2Ds will run for around 32-33 hours straight as bright or brighter then the incan on fresh batteries and then put out several hours of diminishing but useful light. I have tested this myself.

Focusing still works but still with the black hole in the middle. When properly focused though the beam is much better then stock IMO.


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## Hellbore (Oct 16, 2008)

If you already have the Maglite and you really like it, maybe the MagLED upgrade is worth it.

However, there are other readily available complete lights for cheaper that are brighter. Two I can think of off the top of my head are the Husky 4 Watt LED light (uses 2 D cells, black body with silver head, looks like a lightsaber, can find it at Home Depot) and the Task Force 3 Watt LED light (2 C cells, silver body with black rubber grip, says 60X on the package, can buy from Lowes). Both lights are significantly brighter than the MagLED module, and are designed around the LED.

Then if you want to get into higher-end lights, shoot, there are tons! If you read around on the forum you'll see there are many many good lights, some affordable, some more expensive, whatever you are looking for. Almost any of the higher-end Cree or SSC P4 lights and even many of the cheap junk ones, will be brighter than the MagLED.

The MagLED has its charms though. I think personal preference is important here, if you love your Maglite then this is an easy drop-in way to make it run an LED.

Also, like another posted mentioned, the MagLED module has great runtime. You don't always need a super bright scorcher of a light, in some ways it might be better to just have a light that doesn't eat batteries and is reliable and there when you need it! I think the MagLED fits this bill, as do many well-built lights.

If you really want to have some fun, do what I did, I had a MagLED module that I took apart, removed the stock LED emitter from, and installed an SSC P4 emitter into. This made the light WAY brighter and it has worked out awesome!

If you are interested in that, you would have to buy the MagLED module and an SSC P4 emitter, and then use some thermal epoxy to affix the P4 onto the MagLED, being careful not to let the base of the P4 make electrical contact with the MagLED module case. I think there is a thread on here detailing how to do it.


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## toolpig1 (Oct 16, 2008)

Absolutely worth it. You'll get a better pattern of light, brighter output, and way more life from a set of batteries. Read this review that came out when the upgrade first hit the market. The graph really shows the difference between the original bulb and the LED:
http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/maglite_mag-led.htm


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## squaat (Oct 17, 2008)

I just upgraded my 2D Mag LED to a TerraLUX MiniStar5 TLE-6EX (from shiningbeam). I've been using it for almost a month now. To make the 2D a six cell I picked up some 3AA -> D cell (series) from KaiDomain. With some minor mods to make the battery holders connect to the mag springs it worked and it was considerably brighter than the Stock 2D mag LED. The runtime seems very decent too. (no scientific test just from my usage) 

When tightly focussed I find that it's too intense at close range (say within 10 ft) so I have to de-focus the head to spread the beam out into more spill so I don't blind myself.

I would really like to try the TerraLUX Ministar30 300M or a build my own drop-in, or make a real thrower with an aspheric lens. But for now I am quite happy with my current terralus drop-in running of 6AA.


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## PhantomPhoton (Oct 17, 2008)

[email protected] LED upgrade? No not worth it at the normal price. 
[email protected] upgrade, depends on which one.


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## Zenster (Oct 17, 2008)

I think the Maglite brand LED upgrades are "worth it", but so is a McDonalds hamburger "worth it".
However, when I want a really good hamburger, I don't go to McDonalds.

The best thing to happen to flashaholics is the Maglite brand of lights, not because of the quality of the lighting they emit, but because of the exceptional quality of their lights as _hosts_ for a whole lot of better lighting alternatives.

People who have stock Maglites and are thinking of upgrading should first be looking at upgrade options from people like Malkoff or Elektrolumens and other really talented makers of drop-ins that fit the Maglites.
Even at two or three times the price of Maglite LED upgrades, drop-ins from companies such as those guys are way more "worth it".

My .02


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## Hamster (Oct 17, 2008)

A much brighter idea is to mod a Mag with a $22 P7 and an $11 HEAT SINK. I am very pleased with this mod.


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## gallonoffuel (Oct 17, 2008)

If you're going for the cheaper options, Sears sells a 'universal' luxeon LED upgrade for PR bulbs for $10. It's noticably whiter and brighter than the Maglite replacement LEDs. They say universal because you can run it on anywhere from 2 to 6 cells, and it gets brighter the more cells you use. Quick, cheap, and it works.


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## AKCamper (Oct 17, 2008)

I put a TERalux Drop in upgrade in my 3D mag and i love it. I always get guys at work asking why my mag lite puts out so much more light than theirs. 
I am very glad i got my mag upgrade becasue of several reasons, 
1. Mag light bodies are extremely durable and if need be you can use it as a hammer or club
2. The runtime is awsome, i grabbed a box of D batteries of the shelf at work thinking i was going to burn through batteries quicker with the drop in. I was pleasently pupprised in that i have not had to replace the batteries once and i have worked at night for nearly 2 months.
3. the increase of the light output is really really nice and it is more durabul becasue there is no glass bulb to break.

The only thing i wish i would have done is not been such a cheep a$$ and shelled out the extra cash for the Malikoff Drop in. It is much better.


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## GPB (Oct 17, 2008)

I really liked the 3D MagLED for all the reasons mentioned above. I then went and got the Terralux drop in which is few dollars more and think its noticeably better. Probably not better enough to justify the upgrade, but if you are starting with the incan version, I'd go with the Terralux bulb for $25 instead of the Mag bulb for $18. I think the Malkoff is around $50 and I kinda wish I did that instead now....since I a, probably going to end up there anyway.


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## Hellbore (Oct 17, 2008)

Well, IMO if you already purchased the MagLED module, you should buy an SSC P4 bare emitter (not star) and upgrade your MagLED module, you'll be surprised how much brighter the SSC P4 is compared to the emitter that comes on the MagLED!

To my very untrained eye it appears to be twice as bright!


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## bluesbeat (Oct 17, 2008)

Just upgraded my Maglite 3D with the Mag LED Upgrade, well worth it IMHO, as basically I was no longer using the old incan set up, just wasn't bright enough. The new LED is a lot whiter and on a tight focus throws a lot further and brighter.
Got mine here for $A20 as they are closing and with the exchange rate in your favour you should get a bargain http://www.southern-lights.com.au/


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## dmonay (Oct 18, 2008)

It's a no brainer to upgrade your Maglight.
I've upgraded my AAA with a Teralux TLE20, two AA lights one with the Nite Ize 1 watt with clickie and one with the 3 led $5.00 drop in. Then I found a Mag Light led on sale for my 3-D cell Mag light and, oh man, its bright ! Compared to the stock incan bulb. Next I need to upgrade my 4-D light. I also have the 3AA led mini mag it too is impressively bright !
Most of my mag lights are at least 20 years old and they'll be around for many more when all those foreign lights with all the lumens and strobes are gone. Thats not to say those lights are no good but Mag Lights are work horses that are built solid and are very dependable.
I will be purchasing a few of those "foreign" lights soon. A Nitecore D10 a Fenix LOD Q4 and I'm looking closley at buying a Novatac edc 120 E first, to keep my E2D led defender company. 
I'm not a Maglight snob, but they are a worthwhile light to own and upgrade. Good for emergencys,  and good to have around the house. :thumbsup:


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## Hellbore (Oct 18, 2008)

dmonay said:


> Most of my mag lights are at least 20 years old and they'll be around for many more when all those foreign lights with all the lumens and strobes are gone.



I think there are plenty of other brands as durable or more so than Maglites, some of them "foreign". Lots of machined aluminum lights with solid-state LED's out there, some of which have good heatsinking, direct-drive, a quality switch, and good waterproofing. Such a light would have no reason for not lasting many many years IMO. Country of origin does not guarantee quality or lack thereof.

I would like to see Mag Instrument design an LED light from the ground up rather than just a drop-in module that, frankly, has to compromise in performance to work reliably in the difficult thermal situation of the stock Maglite. Sure the drop-in is nice for current Maglite owners but it is about time they put their flashlight designers to work (do they still have any? the ones that designed the Maglite must be dead by now) and designed something new that can take full advantage of today's technology.


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## chewy78 (Oct 18, 2008)

You are better off with a terralux tle-6ex with 4 c cells in there with the spring reversed and a piece of one inch pvc pipe cut off to fit.Or a malkoff device in it. The terralux tle-6exb version is junk and breaks very easily, I had 2 of those which did.


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## Zenster (Oct 18, 2008)

Hellbore said:


> I would like to see Mag Instrument design an LED light from the ground up rather than just a drop-in module that, frankly, has to compromise in performance to work reliably in the difficult thermal situation of the stock Maglite. Sure the drop-in is nice for current Maglite owners but it is about time they put their flashlight designers to work (do they still have any? the ones that designed the Maglite must be dead by now) and designed something new that can take full advantage of today's technology.


 
I'll respectfully disagree.
The Maglites are already the best thermal dissipators going being that they are all aluminum and relatively massive.
In so many ways, the Maglites were decades ahead of their time because they turned out to be truly perfect hosts for hot LED's.
Any drop-in that's worth using in a Mag host is going to have it's own reflector and base made of brass or other heat dissipating material that further works by sending any heat out to the Mag body.
Plus, the Maglite has all those features you like already built in such as direct drive (not built in but determined by the drop in driver), a quality switch, and o-ringed waterproof.

It's got nothing to do with country of origin, just the design of the light, and the Maglite is a popular mule to use for aftermarket LED conversion precisely because it's "ready to go" for the purpose.

In my mind, the only other light that's "better" than the Maglite for conversion drop-in purposes is the Surefire 6P which is now a bedrock classic, not because of it's original form, but because (like the Maglite) it makes such a great host for drop-ins for people who want a smaller form factor than the Maglite.

You're right that the Maglite brand LED drop-ins are pretty lethargic, but that's OK since we have so many _better_ alternatives.

My .02 and worth every penny.


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## metlarules (Oct 18, 2008)

I believe that the magled drop-in has better thermal regulation than the terralux.The mag uses a thermistor to limit current.I don't know if terralux uses anything like that due to the heat coming off of the terralux drop-ins.


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## Hellbore (Oct 18, 2008)

Zenster said:


> I'll respectfully disagree.
> The Maglites are already the best thermal dissipators going being that they are all aluminum and relatively massive.



Well, also respectfully, I think you are disagreeing with something I didn't say. I said the MagLED module has to compromise in performance because of the poor heat dissipation of the stock MagLite.

That means the stock bulb socket, which is not massive at all and offers very little heatsinking, and is thermally isolated from the "massive" aluminum body by PLASTIC! 

Stock MagLites offer very poor thermal dissipation and that's all I was talking about, stock MagLites, which is what the MagLED drops into. The poor heat dissipation of Maglites is the reason why the MagLED module needs a thermistor, and why the MagLED light output graph drops off so quickly, for examle (from the flashlightreviews.com review of the MagLED):







Due to poor thermal dissipation, the light output is only maybe 60% of its initial value after only 5 minutes  So my point was, the stock Maglite's thermal dissipation is pretty dismal, and that is obvious for anyone to see.



Zenster said:


> In so many ways, the Maglites were decades ahead of their time because they turned out to be truly perfect hosts for hot LED's.
> Any drop-in that's worth using in a Mag host is going to have it's own reflector and base made of brass or other heat dissipating material that further works by sending any heat out to the Mag body.



As you say, they only become good hosts for these hot LED's after you have replaced the reflector and base with aftermarket ones, which are not designed my Mag Instrument and exist precisely because the Maglite isn't a good LED host without them!

You can't give the Maglite design credit for something that is only a result of aftermarket modding and enginuity. 

Don't get me wrong, I own several Maglites and I like them, they are affordable and readily available, the fit and finish is wonderful and they make good modding hosts, but "the best thermal dissipators going"? Definitely not in stock form, and even in modded form I question that statement. There are other purpose-build LED light bodies that have more mass, fins, and other heat-dissipating features. Sure they can be MADE into excellent thermal dissipators but now we are talking about customization, and with enough work there is no reason you can't turn any bulky metal flashlight into an equally good heat dissipator. 

Maglites happen to dominate the bulky metal flashlight market and they have since long before LED flashlights emerged, and I believe that is the real reason why there are so many Maglite mods. There are good reasons why they dominate that market, but I think those reasons have little or nothing to do with LED use, they are the same reasons Maglites dominated the market before anyone had LED lights.


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## etc (Oct 18, 2008)

I have a 3D Mag with Malkoff, a 4D Mag with Mag LED, and another 4D with Nite-Ize for really long runtime.


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## dmonay (Oct 19, 2008)

I for one would be thrilled if Mag Light designed a Multi lumen light In the 100 to 200 lumen range and variable or pre set levels (5-50-100%) brightness, and with the reliability and toughness of the lights they now build. This seems like a logical progression for the mag light. Keep the price competitive with most other lights, just not in the range of Surefire lights. 
The average flashlight buyer that knows the mag light reliability will be introduced to the world of the LED flashlight and what it can do.

Just think of all the new flashaholics it will create!!


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## Robocop (Oct 19, 2008)

I recently found 3 packs of the upgrade kit for what I believe was 6 dollars each. It seems many places eventually discount these as they dont seem to move very well from store stock. I think it was worth it for a discounted cost however I have used these kits on other projects with better heat transfer.

I do have a few Mag LEDs with the upgrade regardless and they do pretty well for what they are. We have many threads here that end up becoming a heated debate over Mag quality or value. If you look around it is easy to find as much as you can read so lets not let this one become an argument please.

So on topic with the OP I say if you can find a discount price it is worth the swap simply to have something a little different than an incan Mag. If they are still around 20 dollars then I would personally have to pass it up as eventually you will probably be able to find some cheaper.


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## nitesky (Oct 19, 2008)

Robocop said:


> So on topic with the OP I say if you can find a discount price it is worth the swap simply to have something a little different than an incan Mag. If they are still around 20 dollars then I would personally have to pass it up as eventually you will probably be able to find some cheaper.


 
Agreed. They also make good upgrade gifts to people you know with Maglites.


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## metlarules (Oct 19, 2008)

Also, if you don't already have a maglite to put the upgrade in its cost beneficial to order it with the led. I got mine(4d led) off of amazon.com for $31 shipped.So that comes out to about $11 for the drop in.Not a bad price if you ask me.


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## etc (Oct 19, 2008)

dmonay said:


> I for one would be thrilled if Mag Light designed a Multi lumen light In the 100 to 200 lumen range and variable or pre set levels (5-50-100%) brightness, and with the reliability and toughness of the lights they now build. !



It sounds good on paper but I fear that multi-mode will lessen reliability...


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## chickenlittle (Mar 9, 2009)

dmonay said:


> It's a no brainer to upgrade your Maglight.
> I've upgraded my AAA with a Teralux TLE20, two AA lights one with the Nite Ize 1 watt with clickie and one with the 3 led $5.00 drop in. Then I found a Mag Light led on sale for my 3-D cell Mag light and, oh man, its bright ! Compared to the stock incan bulb. Next I need to upgrade my 4-D light. I also have the 3AA led mini mag it too is impressively bright !
> Most of my mag lights are at least 20 years old and they'll be around for many more when all those foreign lights with all the lumens and strobes are gone. Thats not to say those lights are no good but Mag Lights are work horses that are built solid and are very dependable.
> I will be purchasing a few of those "foreign" lights soon. A Nitecore D10 a Fenix LOD Q4 and I'm looking closley at buying a Novatac edc 120 E first, to keep my E2D led defender company.
> I'm not a Maglight snob, but they are a worthwhile light to own and upgrade. Good for emergencys,  and good to have around the house. :thumbsup:


How do you plan to upgrade your Maglite 4 D? I was wondering what the best LED options are for drop in or minimum modification.


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## DaveAngel (Mar 9, 2009)

I bought a 3D Mag LED upgrade a couple of years ago and its still going strong.

The beam is very simular (although you loose the focusing ablity) but the run time goes through the roof. For the cost of a couple of sets of batteries i think its well worth it.

Just ordered a Fenix TK11 - cant wait


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## BBnet3000 (Mar 10, 2009)

its definitely worth breathing new life into an old flashlight


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## Hercanstein (Sep 16, 2012)

I really liked my Mag LED upgrade. I went with the Mag upgrade over the Niteyeze, and was very happy with it, brighter than the incandescent with MUCH longer runtime. I was showing off it's toughness by smacking it against a log fort the fiftieth time when it broke... now I guess I will replace it again.


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