I miss the CRI
I don’t miss:
the inefficiency
the horrible beam pattern (incandescent flashlights)
the short life
Do not forget the heavy, large and expensive D size batteries.
Nope. Not one thing.
In fact I still have several cards of Maglite AA and 2/3/5 D bulbs that I’m going to drop off at the charity thrift shop with my next den cleanup. Good riddance!
you can say that again, the poor battery life, the inability to recharge, the cost of new batteries
Edit: i just realized, the lack of modes
I don’t miss that they would burn out, blow, or break if you dropped them while on. I definitely don’t miss how the Mini Maglites and Solitaires bulbs would turn dark after just a few hours of usage, then burn out right when you need it.
They had a nice candle-warm tint, but i found LEDs that can offer the same tint now so i don’t really miss anything with incans.
Such a perfect light to use on zombie outbreak…make the situation more complicated and challenging
When I was a little kid I used to experiment different battery and bulb configurations, and one day I realized how a 3V bulb was brighter than a 6V one when using 3 batteries… I did this to a point where I was direct driving individual christmas light bulbs (rated 1.5V) with a 9V battery!! they shined really bright and only lasted a couple minutes but one strip of light would supply me 100 bulbs… for me it was almost infinite amount of fun, and I used to take my “DIY flashlights” everywhere I go.
I miss that, and I wonder if nowadays kids will ever have this kind of fun, or all they do is to play virtual games on their ipad… 
I agree, i find a lot of pleasure in understanding how things work and improving things, but kids today seem to enjoy playing video games and knowing nothing about anything, and not being able to do anything. And i have found when i get work done and its younger people doing it, they don’t even know why they do something or how what they are doing works, just do this and that because thats what they were trained to do. Recently I had a technician tell me i don’t need a combustion air source for my furnace since the basement has a lot of air in it (apparently 300sq ft will provide enough combustion air for an entire winter, and this is a person who holds TSSA certification…)
It does not bode well for the future
What I really miss is the first time you use a good LED flashlight.
This “whoa”-Moment when you realize, how awfully dark a M*gLite is 
I can’t think of one thing I miss.
Yes, the CRI most of all.
Also when the game was all about incans forum members and individual modders ruled the world ( I was just getting started with the hobby then). The game just had a different "feel" to it back then, a different magic I suppose. The passion and creativity that surrounded the hobby was paramount ( still a lot of passion now though). There were tremendous opportunities for the individual to create something rare, special, and unique.
Now were all drowning in a sea of manufacturers spamming the same buzzwords to death. XML, XPG, XML, XML, XML, XPG, XML, XML,XMLmxlxmlxmlxmlxmlxmlxmxlxmlxxmlxmlxlxmxlmxlmxlmxlxmlxmlxmlxmxlmxlmxlmxlxmlmxlmxxpxxpgxpgpxgpgxpgxpg
EDIT: One more thing I just thought of. No matter how hard you drive it no LED can match the pound per pound output of an over driven OSRAM bulb.
tell us more
I think if I had to go back to bulbs and Maglights again, I’d go back to just walking in the dark with it off, or with a mini Mag in my pocket and a walking stick. Supplying those D batteries just seemed like a waste for the kind of light you got out of it, and when you tried to save their power and in emergency lights, they’d end up leaking on you and ruining the light or just being dead when you actually need them. 
Maybe we need more warm tint range selection for LEDs though!
I have a 2D mag with kiu kit running a Welch Allyn 1274 or 1163 bulb off of two LiIon cells. I’ve been thinking and thinking and thinking about converting it to a MTG2, BLFDD light but, I honestly can’t figure out if even the MO ,MTG will match the incandescent’s tint.
I miss the slide switch, Off, middle position that enabled the momentary button, and On. Now we have flashlights with tiny computers in them but they rarely include the simple functionality of momentary on.
I miss a time before 'Attack bezels'. 
You could have bought rechargeables, I put 4AH Nicads in a 5D Rayovac with a xenon bulb, great performer. AA Nicads worked reasonably well in the small lights. Anyway, Radio Shack provided enough free D cells that we rarely had to buy them. 
Yes, but usually a drop just bent the filament supports and loused up the focus and a burned out bulb was easy, fast and cheap to fix.
Those tiny bi-pin bulbs were never designed for long run times, I think the Mfg. rating was ~10hrs. if memory serves, which it rarely does lately. 
Remember, although current flashlights can survive more abuse, your common Li-ion cells can't. A 3-5ft. drop may cause irreparable damage that you can't see but may lead to catastrophic failure.
I miss the little tiny screw-thread incandescent penlight bulbs with the lens built right into the glass.
Those were optically rather fine 100x magnifying lenses, usable to make homemade microscopes by mounting them in the hole of a flat washer, with the focus adjustable with a few bits and pieces of junkbox hardware.
Of course, once a kid can be trusted with a propane torch, there’s no need to find a premade lens, just make one:
http://archive.wired.com/geekdad/2011/07/take-a-close-look-at-backyard-microscopy/
No. 222's! 
The cost of the of my old streamlight ultrastinger batteries and expensive xenon bulbs burnout when you needed them most,
When i was a kid the only nicad rechargeables i had access to were C cells that didn’t hold charge long, could not sustain high discharge levels and just plain sucked. I did not know better ones were out there nor did anyone around here, Al Gore had not invented the internet yet
I miss the 100 CRI of my mag 85
I dont miss the runtime and unregulated mess and crappy beam pattern.
Is the CRI thing a bit overrated ? My incan mag has a terrible colour. I prefer a neutral whiter 3c~ tint.