They're flashlights. They don't change that much. Look at a cast iron pan and its the same as it was thousands of years ago. They aren't being bought by anyone except those who remember them, and even then have you see the selection? They're C cells and really expensive. Nobody in the last 20 years knows what maglite is unless they had one as a kid, I am a bit older so older people had them but I wouldn't have a clue either if my grandpa didn't have one that was rarely used since the D cells were so expensive.
It does matter to people. They don't know it but they are not going to use the flashlight that dies quickly, the one that looks ugly or the one that is too bright. They may buy it, find it insufficient and stop using it or use it once. There isn't a great demand for flashlights since so many things have LEDs in them now.
Have you been in a store recently? Nobody buys maglite, they get a free/cheap $1 9 LED battery that uses 3xAAA with one mode until it dies or use their phone. It has no brand recognition anymore and people aren't buying it. I have never seen a single one being used in the last 20 years, everyone uses their phone, the LEDs on the drill, or a cheap/free chinese light. How often do you see maglite in the wild? I looked at CostCo and they only have Duracell flashlights with High/Low/Strobe, so it is happening. https://www.costco.com/work-lights-flashlights.html
Rip on Mags all you want. They are a tried and true brand still made in the U.S. of A. Sure, I have plenty of the new hotness rolling out of China. You know what else I have? A 2AA mini mag with its original incandescent hanging out in the bathroom. That mini serves a very specific purpose in my house that NO newer more powerful light would do as well while remaining comfortable for its purpose. Also, still banging around the house is my slick, black 4D Mag club. I recently bought a drop in Cree led upgrade emitter and a glass lens for that beauty. It’s like having a fresh experience with an old friend. Great beam, plenty useful, and a hefty weapon in a pinch. Gonna club that thug with your MS18? I bet not.
When somebody wanders into this forum, with little knowledge of what is really out there, and asks, “What is a good light I can buy?”, invariably someone will answer in reply with, “Well, what are you going to use it for?” My point being, that every light both new and old, both complex and simple, both “anemic” and surface of the sun, has a use and purpose that is fits like no other. Sure we can sit back and be flashsnobs all we want, but that helps nobody. Every good torch has a purpose, every good torch can outshine another when fitting its niche. Mags have been proven performers for different reasons over the years, and continue to prove themselves as a good torch. Even if nothing else applies, a cheap Mini-Mag could be the reason some little kid ends up falling into our collective hobby/passion. I was THAT little kid, and my bright red 2AA Mag was the bee’s knees.
Very true. I was that kid in boy scouts in 1985 with my royal blue mini-mag. They can definitely be a gateway device.
They’re not the brightest, they’re not the smallest, they’re not the lightest, but they are tough and reliable. That has always been the main feature and selling point of the product, IMO.
Y’all seen Malkoff new Mag adapters? Allows use of (all) of his M-drop-ins to snuggle into a C/D head.
Gene also supplies a 2x 21700 sleeve to D…
Personally I am fond of 2x 18650 running in 3C cell. The smaller diameter body eliminates “grip slip factor” when used as a ninja beater
I really enjoyed reading this thread. I still hold Maglite in high esteem. It just does so much for so little money. Look at Maglite 2xAA and compare with Tektite and their version of a 2xAA light that is 10 times the cost if made from Aluminium.
When I first had flashlights that weren’t the for children type it was Eveready 2xD plastic and the sqeeze light that had a little ball chain that fits on your keyring. These were ok then and then my father got my mother a MiniMaglite. At first it was just a flashlight in a plastic box no big deal. Until I held it once. Then it was all I wanted.
I used it at nights to read books with when I was supposed to be asleep and even lost the bulb taking it apart. At that point I put it back in the box until I found the bulb some weeks later. I burned it out using it so much and a classmate told me there would be another in the end cap. That got me back in buisiness. I started buying my own bulbs from a True Value just to keep it running and batteries too. Alkalines that were so costly especially from a book shop or grocery store.
At some point I’m gifted a blue 2xAA and had my own. Then I got a 3D and more. Many many Maglites. In 2009 the quality seemed shoddy. I got some at Walmart that had bad anodising and moved on to other brands from Europe.
Well recently I bought some newer models. The colours are very interesting nowadays and the fit and finish seems as I first remember. I don’t usually buy a premium model of anything but this time I got a Spectrum and boy is it worth it. It has an Incan like yellow beam as I recall.
I’m planning on a large purchase of lights from them next month. I think modding some would be fun and some are good as is.
I had one of those LED Lenser V2 flashlights back in the day. Not only could the body be unthreaded on each side but it was equipped with a plastic sleeve. It was like it was designed that if the batteries leaked they could be knocked out of the light and any component was modular. A really brilliant design given the in use batteries at the time. Too bad it was 17 lumens.
I used to EDC a green 2 aa MagLite. Thought it fantastic at the time. Still have it and now find it hard to believe that I thought it was so good;-) Also had a 3D which I liked a lot until the alkaleaks destroyed it. Got both of my current faves in green to honor the maglite. Blows me away that my little E03H pretty much matches or exceeds the 3D in both output and runtime with a much much better beam (perhaps a bit less throw) on one single AA! The TS10 is just plain fun and great to hold in the hand. My current 2 AA EDCs are so far beyond and I feel privileged to be able to use them.
I wonder why Maglite never did a high output(60 lm) bi pin Xenon light running off of 2 CR123 batteries like the Streamlight Scorpion? It would have been minimal redesign.
I find it incredibly wasteful that most Maglites aren't designed for modern lithium cells, instead using alkaleak primaries that have a habit of prolapsing their contents out and ruining the light. That's also an environmental nightmare.
I do keep a Skilhunt E3A on my keyring which I DO run off a single alkaleak as it's something that gets very little use (cell will last me all year). Yeah, that's wasteful, but not as bad as throwing out several D cells.
I think leaking batteries are more of a user problem than a Maglite design problem, given that rechargeable NiMH cells are inexpensive and readily available!
Maglite wanted their products sold in Home Depot, Lowes, Wal-Mart, etc . Those places would never touch a lithium based light like a Convoy etc. Too much liability.
Don’t forget the flashaholic community is very small compared to the entire population of flashlight owners.
I still have and use my first two “upgrades”. Both are 2C Mags, with 3*CR123 (for 9v) and 7v PR-based incandescent bulbs. If I stop caring about CRI, I can swap in a 6D LED for runtime.
Beautiful beams, incredible shelf life, easy to adapt to batteries & bulbs in the field.
I have LSD NiMH cells in my D cell lights (three 3D and a couple of 4D). Too bad I never found any Eneloop “true” D cells. They all have LEDs. Including one with an SST90 and 8 level E-switch, good for 1550 lumens OTF. With the big AL focusing reflector and UC dual coated lens, great runtime with the 10 amp hour NiMh “D” cells, it gives a lot of the current lights a good run. But yeah, it is huge…
I have Eneloops in all of the Two AA lights (all with clicky tail switch and LED conversions). Fortunately I only had a mild case of Alkaleak corrosion in a two AA light early on. I was able to clean it up and it works fine. But I learned my lesson.
I have something over 10 of them stashed around the house and in the cars for backup. Good little lights for what they are.
Time moves on. The lights I use the most now are things like the TS10, Sp10 Pro, or Tool AA…
