moding maglite is almost never about saving money,
i have a mag mod where driver alone cost $40, and oversized refelctor\head $140 .
almost none mag mods i did cost less than 50
I don’t get the appeal of maglites. I have several old ones, but they are just simple designs without much character. All, IMO, of course.
I can understand someone that wants to mod them; they make descent hosts. But I’d only mod it to do something unique, like put in some disco RGB flashing LEDs, or something crazy. Something you couldn’t buy in a stock light.
Like others have said, it doesn’t make economic sense to spend more $$$ to mod it, if all you’re doing is creating a basic light that would otherwise cost you half as much.
I suppose some people see something in old mags that I don’t.
I guess. They were good lights back in the day. Functional, certainly. But aesthetically pleasing? Meh.
I can understand one good use for the 4xD or 6xD form factor, and might be worth upgrading. If you need it as a defensive tool (security guard or something like that), it makes sense to keep it.
I have a one off maglite modded by Old Lumens, one of my favourite lights, and it’s priceless.
Sometimes you just need to accept that not everyone hast the same tastes as your own.
@jacktheclipper … Nice 2C … I like the C models, and recently got the “Chevy Trucks” one.
Thanks for the suggestions folks. To me, a $30 LED upgrade brings a 35 yr old $10 incan Mag from useless to a dependable backup light, self defense possibilities aside. I’m not worried about a few $$, but not looking to build a $150 custom light.
I buy/sell/trade/restore all sorts of vintage items that some people consider junk, or don’t understand the values of. Cha-ching $$, thank ya very much.
I too, like the look and simple styling of the Maglite, and enjoy collecting them and having them around my multiple buildings, basements, workbenches, and on the truck seats. Looking at auctions sites, I’m not alone. I sure hope my other brands of modern lights sell for more than what I paid for them in 30 yrs.
I think I have the bases covered with bright tacticool lights, and they are what I carry for daily illumination needs.
zen
Those are some good old lights , Zener .
Well I ordered the Malkoff 3-6D which uses the Cree XP-G2. It’s on sale, and I like Gene’s products. I have no doubt it will be well built.
I sprung for the crenellated bezel & glass breaking tail cap as well, just because I always wanted to try them, so what the heck.
Here’s a pic I got of a few of my C Mags. The two 3Cs are pre letter, from the mid 80s, and the one is near mint. One has a decent led upgrade already … and one of the best things about Maglites - I got them cheap. :money_mouth_face:
zen
…because a Maglite is forever. Simply that 
Good choice. They are quality drop-ins. For my Vehicle light, I have a 2C with Malkoff Dropin, glass breaker and bezel like you. Because it sits in my car year round and it gets to –35 to +40. I only use AA Energizer Lithium primaries. i use an empty roll of toilet paper tube as a spacer. its been on the same set of batteries for 5 years and still turns on. Reliable and won’t ever leak. Due to the way things have progress i doubt i will ever buy a maglite again.
I also have a Malkoff 3D in the house which i regret getting because at the time it was around $80(shipped to Canada). Doesn’t get much use at all. Also don’t like the fact they are single mode.
All before I learned about 18650. Too many great options now.
I thought I’d update the thread, and give a thumbs up to the Malkoff drop-in. Hope ya’ll like pics. I put all of the parts onto a mint 4D dated to the mid 90s, although I’m going to end up putting them on separate lights, and the LED will soon go into one of my 3D truck lights.
So it looks like it belongs in the Batmobile. Not cheap either, but I always wanted to do that to a Maglite, so what the heck. The bezel and tailcap are very well made, and would no doubt break something if need be.
The Malkoff drop in is the best led upgrade I’ve tried. It’s the ~325 lumen one, and I can’t imagine the 700L one, because this is almost too bright for some close up uses, having only one mode. On a full tight focus, it will really put a spot out there. I haven’t taken it down to the river yet.
It’s great for a spare Maglite, and I’ll get another one or two for my C mags, but the beam is still limited to what a maglite beam always was. It won’t take the place of my modern multi mode lights in the pic above, but I never expected it to. I do want to try an OP reflector and see what difference it makes. If anyone has tried one, please let me know if it improves the beam much.
zen
Nice lights! I’m a big fan of modded Maglites myself and trust me they last a lifetime.
Needless to say I have a bunch of them including all kind of accessories. 
I really don’t care about the Maglite haters. 
Then they are cheaper in the UK than buying them straight from Adventure Sport Flashlights. (29.95 GBP vs 56.00 USD).
Right! Not everyone likes the same car too. Some even spend a fortune on a vintage car. Then people turn their heads for some piece of old iron. So, why then blame people who still love to own, mod and use a Maglite? 
Lime Green Maglite 2C 
When my neighbor called for help breaking up a teenage party and convincing a bunch of uninvited dropin boys to leave the yard (they were hanging out in the bushes and trying the windows), I took my 7D M@g along.
I don’t think a little 18650 light would have been as convincing, even though brighter.
Teenage nighttime flash crowds grew really fast in those days.
> M@g
Came into use, as far as I know, when people learned that the M@g corporation started lawyering a trademark, or was it copyright, claim threatening to put Arc Flashlight out of business.
As with most historical happenings, there are various versions of the story, some perhaps accurate.
:+1: … Yep, +1
Exactly…
Say watt ya will about MagLite, their shortcomings against today’s better throwers and flooders, butt IMO MagLite’s momentary side switch has from the earliest get-go been a stroke of unparalleled ‘switch genius’ if there ever has been one.
Whenever I pick up a C/D cell MagLite, old or new, becuz of that switch I feel at home.
Can’t say that about ANY other flash out there. MagLite switches: Simple, direct, and no BS. They work dam near everytime and they still do it silently first off the bat - which is how it should be. Not the other GD way around.
To wit, if you’re gonna make/incorporate reverse switches for all your lights at least make them silent.
Do I really NEED to hear a GD LOUD CLICK everytime I turn on a flash?
I mean really. Sheesh. I think this rant almost deserves a standalone Notta rant. 
