Jacketheclipper brought this up in another thread but thought it deserved it’s own. Lowes has the LED Maglites 50%off (14.97) for Black Friday and can be bought online now. Free shipping over the next couple days too. Guessing only for US residents but I don’t know for sure.
I know these lights aren’t big on here, but at this price they make good gifts or good for modding (same price as the regular Mags). See www.Lowes.com and search Maglite LED
Garry
Anyone know if they're XML's or what LED?
They're XPEs
Was anyone able to snag one of these online? I had no problem adding them to my cart but got hit with "Limited Availability" message that prevented me from checking out.
Yep, same problem here. I finally chose a store 600 miles away that had them in stock and it let me choose "free parcel shipping". I went all the way thru the checkout and the server "hiccuped" and kicked me out and didn't process the order completely! Made me mad! No matter what I do (or which light I choose) I can NOT get the order to let me choose to have it shipped to me!
Garry
Amazon.com also has them on sale - $17.97 and if you spend over $25 you get free super saver shipping. This morning (Friday) servers were bogged down and kept kicking me off. I finally got an order in for 2 this evening. This was much better than fighting with Lowes.com and I didn't pay any shipping or tax.
Garry
P.S. Unsure how long they are on sale.
I think Lowes sale is over the weekend
Showing $21 for 3D black http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000IXAJVY/ref=noref?ie=UTF8&s=hi&psc=1
That's normal price for Amazon
I thought the sale price stuck until they sold out completely.
lowes website says through the 28th, but i bet most stores will run out
anybody know whats up w/ upgrading the emitter in these? I'm assuming they use a little bulb shaped drop-in like the upgrade units they sold.
if so, I'll probably skip picking one up since I've already got an old school one to modify.
While I haven't upgraded any yet, there are a ton of tutorials online for each version.
The ones I just picked up have either a Rebel (2D) or an XP-E (3D)
I found it had very good throw and was very bright stock. It replaced the light I had in my trunk.
I believe the Rebels are rated at 114 lumen, the Crees rated 134 lumen.
They do have good throw stock. The focus is abandoned in most upgrades, IIRC.
There was a great layman's (sight by eye) comparison between the Rebel and XPE iterations of the Mag 3D floating around somewhere on CPF about a year ago, complete with outdoor beam shots. The XPE very marginally outgunned the Rebel, but you had to look real close to see any subtle differences. I believe the XPE may also have been driven slightly harder, which could easily explain the miniscule advantage. Also, the "Rebel and XPE" mags feature thermal load throttling; the hotter the emitter pill becomes, the less current is delivered to the emitter to prevent burning out the emitter and driver. The reason for this is that nearly no mass from the host comes into contact with the pill to help cool it.
I swapped a 2D Mag pill into a 2AA Mag in about 5 minutes with astounding results... for a mini mag. The pills are interchangeable. Sure, Matches Mods will blow them away but at only a fraction of the run time. There are no free rides.
IMO, these are easily the best bargains in D and AA cell LED lights available, especially during Lowe's BF sale. Costco actually sold these in a blister pack of 2 flashlights last year (1 3D and 1 AA) for $25, complete with Duracell batteries and holster! I suspect they will do the same again this year for Christmas. They are already currently priced at $30 for the 2-pack. The well designed Rebel/XPE reflectors are very efficient and also work fantastically well with XM-L/SST mods.
Anyone on the fence? BUY ONE NOW!!!
I'd love to get an XML drop-in for my 4D and 3D (now unused) Mags. I have the 134 lumen 2 D one--really is a kickin' machine by way of throw and seems brighter and more intense than the 164 lumen 2C/6D 3xcr123 mod. I just wish they'd crank up the potency in the form of drop-ins.
Being very non-mechanical unlike most of you fellas, I have to wait for "plug-n-play" versions! 
Why did you not use the stock reflector? I have done a ton of XML and XPG mags and both work great with the stock reflector.
I got the 2D and mini (2AA). Bought them both from Lowe's online yesterday, but got a phone call from Lowes store this morning that they ran out already and I'd get a refund.
Headed to another location later today, and realized there were plenty of them there -- even though online showed 'limited availability'.
So I'd suggest make a phone call to a local store to find out actual availability even if it shows out-of-stock online.
Got the silver 2D. It looks like it has a Rebel.
HD has the Cree version I think as it says 137 lumens instead of 114 lumens.
Ah now I see why, without sinking the led through the reflector no way to get proper focus. The XPG has a really tight hotspot in the incan mag reflectors. Still has a little bit of useful spill, but they throw really well. I use either the 14mm stars from shiningbeam or the 10mm from illumination supply. The easiest way to dial focus in on them is to hold it about a foot from the wall and turn the head till you can just see a donut hole in the center of the hotspot. Then you can use a further target like about 10 feet to tweak it to the tightest hotspot. Just be sure to get the led as level and centered as possible. I always lightly sand the stars on a flat surface till they are as flat as I can get them. It does make a difference. The XML still has a good hotspot, but way more spill, and does not throw as far as the XPG. In fact I have a U2 XML driven to 3.15 amps in a mag rebel reflector, and it throws about the same as an XPG at 1.4 amps in a regular mag reflector, although it is much brighter. I also agree on the alkalines in a fullsize mag. I have one running at 1.4 amps on 3D cells and my wife has one running at 900ma on 3 c cells. Battery life is still really good, and they work just fine.