What's the hoopla over flashlights and what's wrong with a good ol' plain Maglite?

Yvsa

Yvsa

Joined
May 18, 1999
Messages
15,395
Gang I need educated on the new flashlights and what all the hoopla is about.;) :D

Like the title says, "What's wrong with a plain ol' Mag Lite?" :confused:
Mag Lites are reasonably priced, come in a variety of sizes and colors, and they're dayumed near nigh indestructible.:thumbup: :cool:
I have a 4-D cell and a couple of the Mini Maglites that take 2-AA batteries.
I also have an old Military Flashlight that we use in the Lodge so the Firekeeper will be able to put the Grandfather Rocks in Their place safely.:thumbup: :cool:
And not a flashlight but we also have a 4-D cell or six volt battery powered lantern for when the power goes out.
As far as I can see we have what we need in the way of flashlights.
Personally I don't or can't see the advantage of having these little high-powered lights that from what I've seen eat batteries like Al Bundy's old lady eats Bon Bons.:rolleyes: :p

So let the teaching begin, and remember to be easy on me, after all I'm just an ol' dumb ndn.;)
 
I guess it's a sickness, just like knives. But to be honest, it's just plain cool. Flashlights, pens, and knives are just developments of some of mankind's most important inventions/discoveries (i.e., fire, writing, and sharp rocks).

Not all flashlights are the same. Your D cell maglite is a fine tool, but let's be honest, it weighs a ton. Do you take it around with you, or do you leave it in your truck? I have an Inova X5 that I normally keep in my bag. However, I can easily slip it into a pocket without noticing it as it is not much bigger than a folding knife. With the X5 in my pocket I always have a incredibly bright light. If I had to carry a D cell mag, I probably would just do without.

A lot of the new lights also use LEDs instead of incandescent bulbs. That means never having to replace it as the lifetime of the LEDs is something like 10,000 hours.

Also, not every new light sucks batteries dry. Some of the high powered ones do, but several don't. The X5 again is an excellent example of this. The manufacturer says that it will provide light for 20 hours. I'm skeptical of this claim, but even if the light provides 1/2 the time claimed I'll be happy.

Finally, a lot of the new lights use lithium batteries. Your Maglite uses alkaline. Compared to alkalines, lithiums have a long shelf life. You can keep them around for ten years and they'll still work. Plus, lithiums are not as affected by temperature. Hot or cold, they'll work.
 
Their more like a candle than a flashlight compared to the little ones.

That being said, I still have a maglight next to my bed. Both have their purpose IMO. The Surefire E2e works great for occasional very bright light (brighter than my 4D Mag), and Mag for little light and heavy impact ;)

Keno
 
i like the little super bright led flashlite i carry in my back pocket, it has a perfect reflector so the light provides a perfectly even spot of light instead of the normal set of uneven concentric dark & light bands you get from most others. takes a single aa cell & lasts forever. has a good switch button on the tail end, you can screw down the tail end to either turn it on continuously or to enable the button for signalling, or back it off to keep the lite from coming on at all. body of the light is titanium. cost a small fortune and a blood sacrifice tho.

i was forever dropping my minimag & those little bulbs are fragile & hard to find in the stores here (they want you to buy a new flashlite instead). i have found a source for led replacement bulbs for them tho, might retrofit one of my old ones some time if i get the urge.
 
I personally don,t think Mag-lites are reasonably priced . Where I live the 2 AA mag-lite must be made of gold for what they charge .
Considering the advancements made in rL:E:D: lighting mag-lite is going to lose its crown as the working mans flashlight . I went through at least two and sometimes three 2 AAs a year when I worked construction .Don,t get me wrong I have a 3 D , 3C , 1 AAA and so many busted 2AAs lying around I could proabably make one from parts . I know there are upgrade L:E:D: kits available for mags . That along with their rechargeable versions stops me from saying they have rested on their laurels completely .
The new L:E:D: flashlights are awesome and cheap . They do not consume a battery nearly as quick and have a much longer full illumination cycle than a mag . All they have to do is come up with a construction friendly version and Mag-lite better do some thinking fast . Oh yeah . If you drop an L:E:D: bulb it doesn,t break like a mags either .
 
The small rechargable Streamlights were great and really bright. Some of the new Surefire flashlights are so bright you cook an owl on a tree branch from 50 paces, but they do eat batteries.
So if you wants something not nearly as bright but will last a long, long. long time go with the LED flashlights. Some of the headlamps by Petzl and REI have LED and halogen bulbs with a switch that allows either, or both.
If they were giving them away I'd take on of those super powerful Surfire's, but since they are'nt ever going to do that, and I'll never spend $500.00 (10X Dominator) on a flashlight, I'll stick with the little Streamlight and a LED headlamp. If they have an REI near you check out the LED lanterns Yvsa, that's something I think you would really like, perfect for in the lodge.
 
Simply put, the LED flashlights batteries abd bulbs last for a very long time.

I have an ultra bright flashlight that is blinding in output. Battery lasts about an hour. The battery is proprietary and costs a lot when it needs replacing.

I have a one watt LED that is small, durable. Looks like it puts out about the same light as small mgalite with an incandescent bulb. I use it all the time and the battery shows no sign of going dead.

Got it for $30 at Home Depot. All aluminum case. Looks very sturdy. Also got a light that you wear on the head, one watt, use it daily and never replaced the batteries. It was $20 at Home Depot.

Guess I belong to the "Church of Home Depot." They get at least 10% of my income!:D :eek: :D

Anne says that the three words a man loves to hear are, "Power Tool Sale."

I also have a few Maglites. I love them! I like the weight, and if I needed to conk someone, I'd be glad to have one handy.

There are also conversion kits to turn the Maglite into an LED, but most I have seen cost as much as an LED flashlight.

Mostly, it is a shiny new toy and how can I turn that down?
 
They are worth it Edutsi...more light, better light, longer lasting light and smaller size.

Kinda like a coal headlamp vs a hurricane lamp.
 
Yvsa, here's my take. I use my flashlight every day as an aircraft mechanic. I have a 3-d Maglite in my toolbox but generally use my Streamlight PolyStinger. It is smaller ,providing better access in small spaces, has much better illumination, no yellow tint, and it's a plastic case which, if you ever tried it, makes a far inferior conductor of electrons than an aluminum cased Mag.
Here in AZ a Maglite is useless on the job if you are outdoors due to the sun dipping several million miles closer as it passes over us.Way too bright to see in the shadows. A strange orbit indeed. The PolyStinger makes numbers actually readable on buried engine parts. (The best light source is a mirror and the sun which I use often) My only real beef is the battery life . I have 2 rechargables but they only last about an hour of continuous use. A minor inconcenience. I keep several Maglites at home because I dont want a battery going dead in a minute when I need light. You get a weeks notice if the Mag needs batteries. Proper tool for the job I suppose.
 
And if you decide to get one, there's some up-to-date homework done right here...

Mag-Lites have had their day. Seen as people-beaters by the Left, most LEO's have switched to SureFires & the like- but because they fit on your tactical rails, are brighter & lighter.

I have 4 busted Mini-Mag lites in a junk drawer. There's probably a spare bulb pack in there with them.

LED's last, functionally, forever. And as far as lithimum 123 batteries, for $30 SF sent me two dozen- will last me years, as Inova X5 runs about 20-24 hrs a set.


Mike
 
Yvsa, I kind of felt the same way as you. I have 3 or 4 mag-lights of various sizes around the house and in the car. Then my brother gave me an Inova X-5 for a present a couple years ago. Man what a difference! Lighter, smaller, brighter. Not perceived as a weapon at first glance, either. Not that they can't be, GG&G makes some nasty little accessories for flashlights. I also have a LaRue Tactical Battlelight for my M-4, which comes with 2 bodies,
one with a built in cam-lock for piccitany rails, and one for hand-held use.
I will also concur with Severtecher, I used my Inova while working as a motorcycle prep mechanic, and doing Honda GoldWing frame inspections and cooling system updates during the recall campains in 04. My Mag-light stayed in the toolbox, the Inova fit in spaces that hadn't seen daylight since those bikes left the factory. The Inovas are a good value, costing a quarter as much as some Surefires and other ubertactical brands.

DaddyDett
 
Have any of your guys had any experience with a brand of flashlight mods called Niteize (or something like that). I like my little and big maglites. I just don't need a flashlight that often. The big one lives in my truck and has seen use a few times when I had a break down. I like to pack a little one when i travel to tourist spots where packing a knife other than a SAK will get me death looks, but a small strike tool won't get a second look. It IS a flashlight;) Besides, the last time I traveled anywhere they were talking about "soft targets". If something happened I wanted to be able to see.
Anyway, back to the Night Eyes mods. They have a 10 dollar LED/end click switch that will fit the minimags. I found a review on the web where a hiker had been using this mod on his minimags for a few months. Supposedly, the LED mod runs on next to nothing. He said something about using his AA's in some device, the switching them to his GPS when they got weak, and finally to his minimag LED mod. He said the light lasted FOR HOURS on super weak batteries. He said he even plunders the battery recycle bin at his work for free batteries.
If these things do in fact burn for 10,000 hours and you can get a lot of life out of plain ol' AA batteries, then this little 10 dollar mod might be more my speed. The light, I know, will not be Surefire quality, but a flashaholic I am not:)
I think i might give it a shot. For ten bucks, i think it wouldn't be a bad experiment.

Jake
 
Yvsa, don't get me wrong, I'm a fan of the old Mag-Lite too, and for the money they're a hell of a deal. But once you've used a light the size of a Mini-Mag that's three times brighter than a 6 D-Cell full size, all the hoopla might start to make sense. I had a SureFire L4 (Spectre has it now) that my brother nicknamed "The Sun". It would fit in a jeans pocket and light up an entire room. Everyone who saw that light came away impressed.
 
Jake - The little conversion kits work better than the stock setup for close up work and generally throw a gentle, soft and wide beam. I have given up on the idea of a strike tool as they are rarely needed, a pain to haul around, better lights are cheaply available (Photon Freedom on the provided necklace for example) and impact tools are easily obtained. There...that's about $.02 worth!
 
Jake, My best friend at work gave me a AA MiniMag several years ago. Every time I leave it at home she asks me where it is.:) So I'm kind of stuck with it, even though there are better lights available. (the friendship is worth much more than the light) I tried one of the 3 LED conversions (Opalec?)and it was ok, but more of a flood than a spot. Then I got a Terralux 1 watt conversion and I really like it. It's not cost effective at $25.95, but because I MUST use a minimag, it's great! Info is at http://www.brightguy.com/detail_int.php?Sku=TERTLE5LW

It will focus like the original lamp and the battery life and light output is good.

Steve
 
Thanks, Nasty:) Much appreciated. Actually, i very seldom need a light at all. I might invest in some form of little light to keep in the glove box for reading maps and the like. My truck long ago lost its domelight. I guess for casual use for that function a small LED photon would be best suited. Great one more thing I HAVE to have;)

Jake
 
I have a Surfire.

The light output is phenominal. I think you could blind someone with it.:eek:

HOWEVER I think the tail cap switch is kind of poorly designed, the batteries are WAY more expensive, and the battery life is really short:thumbdn:

I do like the LED's. I have a Black Diamond Moonlight headlamp that I use almost every day on the farm. It is great uses normal batteries and burns a long time.:thumbup:

I have had TONS of mini mags. They are good lights but I have a box of them somewhere that don't work anymore. I think the bulbs burn out quick too.:thumbdn:
 
I don't think there is a better flashlight than a 4 D cell mag lite for changing a flat tire in a bad part of town or county road. I guess for everything else, the new hot shots win.

It's a truck flash. I don't carry it with me. But if I need security when some yahoo's pull up, I'll take the big cylinder every time.


munk
 
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