How things change over the years...The Maglite is actually pretty good

Hi looking for help can anyone recommend any good stores in uK to purchase a rechargeable mag light 5 cell Thanks

MagLite bashers are in their own little world. My first MagLite was a black 3 D cell that I used for more than 20 years. I won my first Mini at a business luncheon more than 30 years ago. It still does duty as one of my wife’s purse/nightstand lights. Of course, it has been modded with an LED module, and Kroll Clickie. My basic requirements for a light have always been: Brighter, and longer run time. With a relatively inexpen$ive LED module, you got it! “Oh”, you may say; ” it costs as much or more, with a new module than a newer whiz-bang Tactical light. Maybe…so what? And who steals a MiniMaglite? Not so. I gave one to my friend, and he left it in his car while it was being serviced. Trusting soul, isn’t he? Gone! :open_mouth: He is working a a security guard, and showed me what he was using for a light…woe! He immediately was sent my 3 D cell light with the pre-Malkovich (?) module. So far, he hasn’t had it stolen, and it has been YEARS! :slight_smile: Of course, he loses this one, and he is on his own! :wink:

Of the several other Minis I own/have owned, most of which have been given to various family members, I still own 2, which are rotated as nightstand lights. My nephew, the Airline Pilot , afaik, still uses the MiniMag with Led module I gave him 10 or so years ago, although he is now a Captain, and doesn’t do preflights.

I own 6-7 other brands of lights, acquired over the last 15 years or so. They are all good lights, but the worst thing you can ever say about Mag Incan models, is that they are “pretty good lights”. Fairly dim in unmodded condition, fairly short run time, and they do get awfully dim. They are much brighter with a Terralux module, and run time is increased many fold.

I dislike carrying my Luxeon III modded 3 D cell light, because it is heavy…but none of my “wonderlights” have the heft to be used as an impact weapon, and one of the famous name lights failed to run after a small impact. And…I change the batteries once a year, whether they need it or not!

I find the multi-mode frenzy to be just that…more ain’t necessarily better! Bright, Dim, and maybe strobe for calling in an air strike on those noisy neighbor’s parties! :smiling_imp: I do plan to buy one of the Pro + models, because I find the bright-low modes all that I reasonably need.

I had one of the many mode MiniMaglites, and found it awkward to use, so I sent it to my Granddaughter, (with instructions how to access the most useful modes. She is smarter than me!) as a replacement for the Inova X1 I sent with her.

The newer LED Maglite models…at least the 3 C-cell models are made out of lighter materials…not to say they are flimsy, but I returned one for just that reason. I have recently bought one of the incan 3 c cell lights. Put batteries in it,…didn’t work! Hmmmm, I said…passing strange…swapped bulbs, no luck. Checked the batteries’ expiry date; 2012! That might make a difference, ya think? DUH! Sooo…off to Costco tomorrow, and new batteries, which I am 95% certain will solve the problem.

Say what you will about Maglite’s behind the times design, or their marketing model, or whatever…fact is, the price is generally right, they are attractive and they make pretty good lights, useful enough for just about any need! After all, us Dinosaurs can’t be wrong all the time! :smiley:

P.S. New batteries worked a treat! Who’d a thunk it?

I used to be a Maglite follower. They were the leader in quality and durability. I think what made so many people piss is just the realization of lumens and LED revolution. Also how slow Maglite reacted towards the massive invasion of LED flashlights nowadays. I mean it wasn’t up until 2 years ago or so that Maglite finally made a LED flashlight. It’s sort of how we feel about domestic product in general sorta like WD taking forever to adopt SSD hard drives or domestic cards doing hybrid/electric motors etc… But yea it does really tick the budget buy off. Spending 30-50 dollars on a maglite only to be outdone by a 10-15 dollar LED flashlight that can output 2-3X the light. I used to be pissed about it but I just realized we just really want Maglite to be modern and successful.

They were never going to sell out their own heritage. Hence the slow reaction to the LED invasion.
It was a necessary move over to LED. Either that, or go outta business. I’d never run over any Chinese torch with an 18 wheeler - but I’d gladly put my 8-9 year old 6D under - knowing it’d still work on the other side of the hiding.

I quite agree…but, the odds are the Mag will be percolating along LONG after most of the $10-15 LED lights, or even the $65-100 multi-function Wonderfullights are long gone! And…there is always the comfort of knowing: you get hostile with me and my 3-4-6 C-D cell Mag, I’m gonna whup yo’ Yankee ass! :innocent:

Is there a single US based company making liion cell flashlights? Is this more a case of the big alkaline cell manufacturers(Duracell, Eveready, Energizer, Rayovac) resisting or fear of lawsuits? Regulation or reluctance?

This is the true forte’ of Maglite- durability. They weren’t the only light of this nature being made, but the others were being marketed only to specialty-use groups like Law Enforcement and Tony Maglica saw bigger things. He was also ahead of the others in automated machining so his lights were better made. Once he made the world aware of his product, his business skyrocketed and he dominated the flashlight market worldwide. And then he stopped development, much like Henry Ford did once the Model T took over the automobile market. That allowed smaller competitors to begin selling different better-performing products and they prospered, leaving the old standard behind. It wasn’t that the old standards were not doing the job anymore, but rather that they were being perceived as old-fashioned and obsolete. For most flashlight uses a Maglite is still good enough at making light, but there are far better choices now for most uses and most users.

I’m of he opinion that there was a ‘window of time’ where Maglite could have capitalized on it’s reputation and held it’s totally dominant market position had they just somewhat kept up with technological developments instead of falling behind. Most people have now seen equal lights for much less cost and more are daily discovering the higher-performing ones. If Maglite will stop the silliness of ignoring the times they might yet survive, but otherwise I see them fading away like an old soldier- always proud, noble, respected, and ready but no longer able to do much of anything useful. It will be a sad death and only those of us who love the history of flashlights will truly feel their passing.

Phil

I used to like my Maglights, about 25 years ago. But count me as a Mag-hater now.

They made great large incandescent lights/clubs last millennium. But they never managed to pull off small lights (all their AA and AAA lights sucked), and they never made a proper transition to LED. Even today, they are years behind the times. While not as expensive as the kinds of lights flashaholics tend to buy, they are too expensive for what you get. That is why they are being replaced by cheaper brands in hardware stores.

Mag used to own the flashlight market. They chose to sit on their designs, and didn’t innovate. They’re paying the price for that. I say, good riddance.

From what I have seen in Home Depot and Lowes, NONE of the big lights sell anymore. The biggest advantage to the LED is not the extra light output, it’s the increased runtime. That means the batteries can be smaller - hence smaller flashlights.
The same amount of light from a much smaller flashlight is what’s driving the market away from Maglites. Maglite has a chance with the Mag mini Pro, 2 -AA cells and 272 Lumen. Very nice light and pocketable.
BTW, 272 “Maglite” lumens equals 800 “Chinese” lumens. :wink:

I can’t see any reason to hate Maglites; indeed they deserve respect and recognition for what they brought us. We’d have nothing better than crappy “XXXfire” quality lights had Maglite not set the bar of build quality for the masses so high. We might not even be where we re now with compact lights had it not been for Maglite leading the way. But they are leaders no more with nothing to really recommend them today save for their ‘bomb-proof’ reputation.

I was exploring a cave with friends when I saw my first Mini Mag in action. It was the full equal of my 2D Eveready plus it focused- I had to have one. Then there was the Solitaire; the first light of that size which was a tool and not just a child’s toy. Again I had to have one and I’ve not been long without a flashlight on my person since. But past leadership is not enough in business today. You have to stay abreast of the latest developments and styles or have something useful to offer which nobody else does or you’ll be closing down sooner than you think. I don’t think the Mini Mag Pro is going to be enough to save Maglite from following other once-revered popular brands into oblivion. Look at Volvo cars, Gateway computers, Kodak cameras and all the others whose only fault was that they weren’t keeping pace with market demands for performance or styling and had nothing usefully different to recommend them over their equally-priced competition. The only market segment where ‘good enough’ will keep the doors open is at the bottom where cheapness is the only virtue you’ve got. Everyone else has to excel at something the market wants or close their doors for lack of sales.

Maglite was an important step in us getting to where we are now and in that they deserve respect, but that doesn’t mean they are a flashlight worth buying at retail prices anymore and save for a few special situations they really have nothing to offer which is worth having. It’s just sad to see what could have been but never was knowing that it didn’t have to be this way.

Phil

I’m with some of you. God I wish they made LED lights using our favourite LEDs and using liion.

I’d be in like Flynn if they made a C8 style light, or a light similar to any of the ones we here on BLF like and buy.

Can you just picture say, a Convoy L2 or multi LED plunger made by Mag ?? I would literally sell my soul to the devil for one. Even at 3 times the price. I want to breathe a new lease of life in to my 6D, God I wish I had OL’s skills. :cry:

I recently received a Maglite Pro Plus.

I only had one maglite until I received the pro plus… I only had an old krypton minimag that I upgraded to xenon and later upgraded to LED using the 140 lumen terralux upgrade.

I love them!!! Despite they are old desing… but… maglite will always be the classic flashlight that every flashaholic should have and… LOVE!!

As I told you guys… I received a pro+ a few days ago.

I am not from US. So I had to pay…. 36 dollars for it. I couldnt resist!! (28 for the flashlight, the rest for shipping cost to EU)

And… guess what. I would buy another maglite.

I did a short video about it… Nothing fancy but…

I love Maglites. Now I want a 2D or 3D with xenon bulb.

Damn! You people from US can get the 2D for 5.60 dollars and combo of AA Pro with AAA led for about 6.50 dollars. Arrgggggg

Lucky people. Wish I live in USA … XP

Yeah! Also a maglite pro 272 lumen for 6.5$…

Seen on ebay for +20$…

Tony Maglica was born in New York City during the depression. His mother took him back to her native Croatia as a small child. He returned to the US in 1950, speaking no English, and worked hard to learn English and save enough money to buy his own lathe. He worked making his own design flashlight in his garage in the LA area. The rest, as they say, is HISTORY. Contact – Maglite

Anyone with enough saavy to turn depression era into success has got my respect. And I have many of his flashlights, including a 2D that works like the day it was new some 30 years ago. Sure, I mod some today, chop em, modernize em, create monsters from em. But I do that to virtually any light made, including my own designs that I too make with my own lathe right here at home.

Way to go Tony! I salute you!

Own many Maglites, just added another yesterday.
The 2 cell AA models have been my go-to lights for years doing A/C repair work. They always worked….
Got into the newer flashlights and yes, they are brighter, smaller and fancyer….
But will alway have Maglites as my back-ups.

Lateck,

Dale, Tony M. did well- no complaints there. But he’s trying to sell an outdated product. and I fear that marketing strategy will take back the success he worked hard to achieve.

I just got my first LED Maglites from Dchomak’s relentless bargain hunts at H.D. and Lowes. I’d seen and used some before but never owned one. The 2AAA Pro (111 lum) has a nice beam profile and good power for it’s size- I like it. The 2AA Pro (272 lum) is OK, off-centered poorly focusing beam and not much brighter in actual use. It’s gone into my B.O.B. simply for battery compatibility reasons. The 2D is easily outdone by a C8 clone. Good to keep in a car console for use as a club maybe :expressionless: A Maglite still won’t let you down but don’t expect much from it as a flashlight.

What struck me most is the warranty. Excluded is “LED Burnout or LED Module Failure”. I did a WTF? on reading that. No coverage for battery related issues, modding, or abuse (sensible) so essentially as far as breakable parts go the warranty covers the switch and nothing more :open_mouth: I’m sorry but you can get better than that from Chinese Mega-Stores. I remember the old days when a couple guys I know got new lights because of leaky batteries, no questions asked. I’ll always have at least one Maglite- an incan one as they’re EMP-proof :expressionless:

These are dark and sad times for Maglite. I think of what could have been and I almost cry.

Phil

Hmm… I’d think that everything BUT modding and battery leaks would be covered. It isn’t Maglite’s fault we left alka-leaks in our 3D Maglite for 16 years waiting for the Y2k apocalypse. On the other hand, if they are confident in the quality of the LED emitters that they are installing… and the drivers that they are making (or having made), then those should be included in the warranty. Otherwise, what the hell else is there to cover? Cross threaded tail caps?

IMO, it’s pretty clear that M@g gave up on quality, service, and innovation a long time ago. They’re now just trying to make some bucks before they completely drive the company and name into the ground.

Well, to be honest, it was a Mini Mag 2AA that started the whole flashlight thing for me! So that makes for a pretty nostalgic and positive bias I have towards them :slight_smile:

I also like the way they aesthetically “age” with scuffs that gradually reveal the gbare aluminium underneath the polished surface. They look cool well beaten, can’t say that for me let lights.

I had in my hands a newer “pro” led model once and it was a fine light, I gifted it and it was appreciated.

I also think I can get more for the same money, stuff that has become important to me like NW tint and a clickie switch, bit that’s mostly “because of the internet” and would not complain about Maglite lights as an absolute matter.

Well maybe- JasonJ posted this pic on another thread:

Only 200 lumens claimed but an up-to-date form factor!

Now if they’d just add a LiIon, a built-in USB charger, and upgrade the driver/LED to match MagLite would have a real winner at the retail stores.

Phil