Maggie and Me

So I’ve known this girl for a while. At first when I met her I thought she was one of the brightest girls around. We went everywhere together, and she was always ready to light up my life. She was so warm, and easy to position to exactly where I wanted her. I thought I was in love, but as these things go I started to wonder if she was really the one I wanted to spend another 40 years of my life with. I admit, I started to look at other girls, eventually that led to fondling, and eventually cheating on her with a bunch of newer sexier girls. I kept wondering if I was making a mistake, and maybe I should focus on trying to make her the best she could be and see if that helped our relationship out. So I got her some implants, helped her shed weight where she didn’t need it so she could carry her new implants more easily. Got her some nice jewelry, and even talked some things out so now she more than ready to get hot for me when I want her to.

There’s only one problem, yeah it’s easy to turn her on and get her hot and ready, but I can see there is still a lot of coldness when we’re together. It used to be the whole world looked rosy when she was around, now it looks like winter is here and although I still love her, I think she and I will probably separate eventually.

To be continued………

So I suppose I should post a picture of her so you guys understand why I have tried so hard to stick it out with her.









As you can see her implants aren’t too noticeable at a glance, but boy, they sure did go to her head. I think that’s why she’s so cold nowadays even when she’s heating up.

Here’s a few of her implants. Of course I had to give up a few things, like her ability to focus, but she’s so much brighter than she used to be that it’s no big loss.





Some things don’t require implants, just a lift and tuck.

So this is obviously written to amuse up to this point, here’s the lowdown on the light.



XHP 70 N4 1D - The source of the coldness I talked about, 5k is too cold for my taste

BLF22DD Version 1.0 with zener mod - spring removed before install, wired directly to positive wire coming out of switch

Huge brass pill for driver and MCPCB - light press fit into mag body with a machine dowel pin to lock position in same spot every time

Copper pipe press fit into tailcap - acts as both a centering device for the 26650 batteries and allows for their extra length, side benefit of pulling their heat to the tailcap instead of absorbing the heat that eventually builds up in the head

Jax Z1 replacement lens - held in place by two machined aluminum rings, sits fully below surface of bezel and trapped on both sides by o-rings, so it’s reasonably protected

Modified stock switch - basically went through and put wires everywhere there was just a spring connection, I think this is still the weak link in the system limiting maximum output, but honestly I probably don’t need to chase the last 1000 lumens that may be possible to squeeze out of it.



I need to measure output again, but the first result netted about 4200 lumens. No easy way to do a tailcap reading, but I can probably get the voltage across the led fairly easily if anyone is curious.

I’ve dropped it almost 3 feet onto a concrete sidewalk with no detrimental effects other than the damage to the aluminum on the outside.

Even with the much lighter 26650 batteries this light is significantly heavier than stock. Heck, I think just that brass pill is at least as heavy as the entire stock light without batteries.

And no, I don’t plan to sell it, it will be my camping floodlight/memento.

Love the use of copper to fill in the body with the cell size change. Ties it in and give much more heat sink ability to the pill. Sweet!

Heck of a light now, isn’t it? :slight_smile: Well done, thanks for showing her off…. hope you don’t mind a bunch of guys drooling over your sweet Maggie……

Well done, that looks like a great light!

Modders from the States are pretty handicapped in that they mod Maglites all the time, it takes at least a dozen extra alterations to make them work compared to using a well chosen chinese budget host.

I find it charming reading about these mods though :bigsmile:

You should be writing books instead of these hobbies. Great mod.

@djozz, you guys just have Maglite envy cause they cost so much over there. Once you switch to Mag, you never go back.

Hey now, I may be handicapped but surely that’s not the fault of the maglite. :bigsmile:

In all seriousness, I much prefer modding cheap Chinese lights from the cost/performance aspect. However modding the maglite was fun, and I’ll be doing a few more, but I will be surprised if I sell any. They’re just too labor intensive for someone to pay me what I’d have to get out of one, so they will be getting some wild builds just to stretch the ol’ noggin into having to solve as many issues per build as possible and have some cool lights to show off what can be done.