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Just returning after a looong absence: Looking through my collection of lights, I came across an older MagLite 2 AA that I had installed some flavor of LED upgrade in and added a Kroll clicky. I’m considering buying one of the newer LED Mags, and wonder if the Kroll would work with it. Are they even available now?
I bought a Streamlight 4AA Propolymer for the car, and had left it in the console for who knows how many months. It worked fine, and I found I had used a set of my Eneloops. So, I charged them and put the combination back into the car. I think it went through last winter. We’ll see how it works this year.
Welcome back!
Any reason you want the mag in particular and not another 2xAA light with tail clicky?
The convoy T4 gets good reviews and is available in many anodised colours and plenty of LED/CCT options.
My most modern 2AA format light is the Jaxman M2 which is a bit old now, but I really like the very simple 2 mode user interface.
The acebeam pokelit 2AA might be another contender; it runs on the included (weird size) rechargeable lithium cell or takes regular NiMh AA cells.
Note the 2 mode interface is (in my opinion) spaced badly, on the included rechargeable 14100 cell low is 20lm and 600lm but steps down agressively to c.300 after 90 seconds. I think they should have made the low slightly higher (50lm) and the high should be 350lm.
Also note, on AA cells, the output is like 1lm/300lm which might not suit your needs.
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Well, I guess it is mostly nostalgia, and the fact that I like the 2AA MagLites. I was looking through my flashlights last night…I try to rotate them for nightstand duty, but I’ve got a few more than I remembered. MagLites, Fenix, 4/7s(Remember those?) And I have my first LED light…a little green single AA light…very dim, that Gerber bought from its original source. I haven’t kept up with developments in LED technology, except I had a Sofirn light that I liked very much before it died. I’ve heard of the Convoys, but again, know little about them. I think I’m going to thin my herd, and replace them with one or two reliable good-quality lights…if such can be found in the “Budget light” category.
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Can’t argue with this, get what makes you happy Vs the “latest and greatest”.
FourSevens is still around after it was bought by Prometheus.
I still have a bunch of 2011-2015 era lights that still work fine, I’ve updated the LEDs on a few of them- my Fenix LD20 which was the first “proper” light I bought in 2011, got a Nichia 219 some years later, and now I’m wondering if I should upgrade it with a 519a or something similar!
You might be surprised at the prices some of the “vintage” lights can fetch, if you’re certain you wish to part with them.
Reliable, budget lights exist, the offering has changed for the better since pre-(?)2019.
Convoy is pretty good if you’re willing to do some research on driver and LED combinations, and excellent for those not scared of a soldering iron. Simon has a huge range of lights and all are customisable (colour, LED, driver etc).
“Hank” (Emisar) lights at intl-outdoor are very customisable and fairly reasonably priced for the “premium Chinese” category of lights.
Fenix still pumping out new models, their use of cold white LEDs and built-in and or proprietary cells turns me off them though.
Down at the inexpensive end of the market, Wurkkos is producing some quite popular lights (the TS10 has recently been discontinued but it gets a lot of traction on here and reddit). Sofirn hasn’t put out anything that’s excited me for a while now.
On the modding front, Fasttech has sadly gone but kaidomain still has lots of parts for modding.
Likewise, there are a wealth of drivers, LEDs etc on AliExpress should you wish to roll your own flashlight.
I have old inc. minimag aa, and a new led, inc model equiped with the IQ switch, which is an after market switch much like yours, but it has a circuit inside, has several modes… Anyway both tailcups have identical dimensions they are interchangeable. inc light works just fine with the tailcap from led model, led however does not, but it is due to electronics in the IQ switch , it needs bulb’s resistance to work, but it fits just fine, so your switch should work ok with a led model, since yours is just a switch.
Get a step-bit, D26 pill, and goggle “match mod”, and you can modernise your minimag with whatever emitter you want. 800mA boost driver works great with alkaleaks or NiMH cells and runs forever. Or get a 14100 for running with a single Li cell, and your driver of choice (within reason).
I hate those rattly tail switches, as they ruin the clean sleek design of the MM.
Continuing the discussion from MagLite questions:
Thank you all for the welcome. Quickly looking through the Website and the lights, things have changed since I modded my 3 D cell MagLite. I can’t remember what I did…I followed directions from a modding site, added a heat sink and LED, and It worked! Now, I have a 3 C cell Mag and a military angle head light I have dropped LED replacement bulbs in, and have used for years with satisfaction. The 3 C cell is a bit unwieldy for walking the pooch, but is a pretty good and innocuous impact device, should the need arise. The LED in the angle head flickers a little, so I’ll probably need to replace it. Boy, the choices there! More than in days of yore! There are some very interesting lights, and the newer battery formats were just appearing when I was first involved, soooo many of the “current” terms and products are totally new to me. I learn slow, but I learn good. 
How is the experience with the overseas sites…Banggood and Aliexpress? I remember ordering some things from one of them, but am curious how the tariffs are affecting things, if at all. There is a new site…TEMU…What are the experiences with it?
Thanx! 