So, I really really want to not “throw” away my many Maglite flashlights (AAA, AA, C, D). But upgrading (at least the C & D) is expensive compared to buying a new flashlight.
The cheapest would be the Nitize (sp?) ; 30-100 lumens. $5-10. Terrible, right? LED has spoiled us.
I think Maglite make conversion kits? Don’t know how much or if they even make them any more.
Then it goes up and I believe are all “custom” made (small batches) and starts around $40-$50 ~ 500-1000 lumens?
A 4D LED Maglite ~1000 lumens is ~ $60. Retail brands like Coast or even store brands like Husky, Defiant, and Kobalt have 1000+ Lumens for as low as $20. More expensive which uses larger cells or carrier (e.g. 3 x (3 x AAA)) and/or rechargables. Not to mention the brand leasing by Craftsman, Duracell, Energizer, Rayovac, etc.
I really want to use them… but they compared to LEDs – there is no comparison. My 10+ year old TechLite, Lumen Master ($15, 3-pack, 200-250 lumen) from Costco has better output than my 4D mag… (IMHO). Granted the runtime is only 20% using 3xAAA vs 4D but the output of the TechLite doesn’t diminish much over time vs the 4D.
… so they sit in the back/bottom with no batteries because I don’t the alkaline to leak inside the tube.
Those are available. But it is a bit a lottery. You might get a well focused white beam or a messy fried egg projected on your wall.
But we all love polishing a turd. Last week I bought yet another stainless (??) 2D flashlight like this.
Since third time’s a chance I can start lego-ing a (near) mint original version and a souped up led/Li-ION version.
When you say upgrade, a simple 5mm yuji with a resistor in a 3D mag is a pretty substantial upgrade in terms of runtime…
I’ve asked over in the other forum, but has anyone tried a yuji in a 3d mag WITHOUT a resistor? I only have a handful of them, and once they’re gone, they’re gone, so I’d prefer not to waste them to test with…
I got myself a Thrunite drop-in that I was gonna stick into a 2D (3D?) Mag.
The only work it needs is to file down the back of the reflector somewhat, the squared-off ledge that should be “rounded” to fit in the head. Pretty sure that was about it, but while I got the drop-in right here, I never got arsed enough to do it, and/or just forgot when I did have the time.
This was back in the Fasttech days that I got the drop-in, so that should tell you how long it was just lying about.
Really nice purple Mag, and another “gunmetal” Mag, so 2 really nice ones to play with, only I never got around to it.
Anyway, any place that sells drop-ins (KD?) should have one that you could guesstimate would fit, as long as you’re willing to do some work to fit it.
Oh, I should add that you unscrew the bezel and the drop-in would be captive inside the head, so it would mean (for me) to do rough-cuts, fit the lens+bezel, see how much it sticks up, then shave down the ledge a bit more, rinse, repeat, 'til it would fit. Then the contact point where the bulb-socket is would be the electrical contact. Use a driver, resistor, contact-board, whatever you want.
There have been many Maglite modification posts here over the years so maybe 1 of them may inspire you to do something with yours. It seems like a waste not to try to use them.
I prefer to keep my 1, and only 1, stock to remind me of how far we’ve come even though at the time I thought it was great and was all I needed for an EDC.
And dont forget the Mag lights were considered very advanced in the 90’s. Before that we had generic Rayovac 2D flashlights that were bordering useless.
They were an improvement, but I always felt that they weren’t enough if an improvement to get that excited about. That didn’t happen for me until the LED started to become available.
They were The Shiite because of the “spot to flood” adjustable beam, and rugged all-metal construction.
“Metal” flashlights back then were the thin-shell ribbed kind, if that. Would still dent if you dropped them, etc. Mags could be tossed off a cliff and still come out relatively unscathed, and have a lifetime warranty if not.
Still, the Minimag I’d immediately twist to spot, and the regular Mags I’d keep adjusted to spot and leave it. Only way to get a non-nauseating beam, with its Dark Doughnut-Hole Of Death™ if you wanted a floody beam.
But they were still The Shiite compared to everything else at the time.
I disagree.
When you say something is good or something is bad, you are comparing it to something else.
How can they have been sheeit if there was nothing better at the time?
You can say “in retrospect” they were sheeit. That would be true.
You can say this sheeit smells worse that that sheeit because you smelled both and you made that determination.
Or you can say this is sheeit because I am an expert in sheeit and that would make it more believable.
