Posted: 12/2/2007 12:56:16 PM EDT
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I had to make a trip to Lowe's today for some lightbulbs and a new step ladder, and saw that they had the LED upgrade for 3-cell Maglites. This is been something I've been looking for, as we have a 3-D cell Maglite at the house, so I added it to my cart. The upgrade from the old krypton bulb to the new LED was easy. Just unscrew the head, unscrew the bulb retainer, remove the bulb, and reassemble with the LED. It took just a couple minutes. Maglite doesn't make specific claims on their website or the packaging about how much longer the light should run with the LED, nor any specific claims about improved brightness. However, it should increase battery life, and it is quite a bit brighter (I checked brightness with the room lights off before swapping out the old bulb). Like the krypton bulb, the illumination pattern with the LED can be changed by focusing the flashlight. The light color is different. While the krypton bulb provides a yellowish light, the LED emits a very white light. Lowe's has the old fashioned 3 D-cell Maglites for about $18 - $20. The same light with an LED goes for about $39. The LED conversion bulb sells for about $19. I think it's a worthwhile upgrade for non-LED Maglites. |
Thanks for the equipment report! I have been considering making the switch myself.
LEDs use considerably less current than krypton bulbs do, so the batteries should last 4-6 times longer. Also, LEDs retain a steady output until the battery is nearly exhausted; that fact alone makes them valuable, as the krypton bulb dims as the battery ages. |
Double that and that is what I have for my 3cell "D" unit... I ran it for 3 hours straight looking for a set of keys a relative lost on July 4th. Others have pointed out the blue tint as an issue... which I will say you either get used to, or, you go back to a traditional bulb. (I still keep a regular bulb as a backup) |
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I cannot imagine that the batteries in the LED version would last much longer than a good Fenix light. Is it really worth bothering? I would definitely spend $45 on a Fenix L1D before I spent one cent on a $39 led maglite. When I was 12, we were very poor and all I wanted for my birthday was a mini mag flashlight! It was all I could think about and the absolute coolest flashlight available. She tried to save one dollar and bought the Brinkman version instead. It didn't work at all, so we went back to the store and traded it in for a real mini mag! I still have it, but it is only sentimental now. Compared to my Surefires and Fenix lights its just a toy for a 12 year old. Even $18 for the conversion is way too much. I have a 3 cell light and I would rather give it away before I would buy something to improve it. Does anyone have run time figures on this conversion? I just want to raise the point incase someone hasn't considered it from this perspective. |
The Mag-Lite's reflector can be adjusted to "throw" the beam considerably farther than any Fenix model I'm aware of. The reflectors of Fenix's products are compromised between throw and flood, with neither characteristic being optimum - Unlike a Mag-Lite, you can't adjust a Fenix to be all-throw, or all-flood. Also, the Mag's size and shape gives it certain "tactical" advantages...  Although the MagLED isn't dimmable for longer battery life, you can always swap in a smaller LED bulb to conserve the batteries. Nite-Ize's redesigned PR LED conversion bulb would make a good choice for this purpose (provided you don't accidentally buy the sucky original version instead!). |
The quality of the Fenix beam is almost as good as surefire, with the throw being extremely good in every one of my lights, except for the L0D key chain light. The Fenix beam does both jobs better than any maglite I have ever witnessed personally. I have personally lit up houses well enough to see detail from over 100 yds. with my P2D and its extremely small. Is the beam quality better with the LED conversion? I hate poluted light. The artifacts included in every maglite beam are distracting. I will not purchase a light that doesn't have a solid, artifact free beam, with good center spot and wide flood. Do you have a way to post beam shots? I don't have my camera with me this week so I can't take pictures of the Fenix beams. |
I found that batteries that were worn enough to not produce any effect with th Krypton bulb operated the LED bulb. LED requires very minimal energy to light-up. I use my LED lights to frequently with "dead" batteries from my surefires, cameras, etc.... and it's amazing how much more life they still have in them. |
That's a good tidbit of info right there. |
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I bought the Cree LED bulb for my 4D maglight. I think it set me back $25 or so. Last summer I went camping and I took my Maglight (cree), Surefire M3 (3 cr123a) and my 2 cr123 Fenix. I have gone caving with family numerous times where I have the Maglight, Surefire and Fenix as well as numerous generics. I have had the oppertunity to compare all three lights many times. The moon was maybe a quarter full and there were no man made lights around so it was pretty dark. I tested all three flashlights and the Maglight smoked the Surefire and Fenix. The Maglight lit up the other side of the Deschutes river which was at least 200' wide. I could clearly see the bushes and tree branches, it truely amazed me. The Fenix is very bright and lit up anything I needed to see within maybe 50-75'. It also set off road reflectors up to half a mile away on a large hill across the river. The Surefire did a little better and the light quality was stronger. Over all, if I were doing anything tactical I would use the Surefire first then the Fenix then the Maglight, because when I run out of ammo I have a handy club. If I were doing any type of search and rescue I would use the Maglight. I can clearly identify just about anything the Maglight hits. I have heard that LED light does not do well in smoky environments, but I have not tested that. Having said that the 4D Mag is 10 times heavier and bigger than the other two. While caving the Maglight is great for my nephew as he is a goofy 10 year old. I don't care if it gats dropped or banged up and it will never break. I wouldn't let him hold my $280 Surefire or $60ish Fenix. In complete darkness the Surefire and Fenix are very close performance wise but the Surefire is easier to hold as it doesn't heat up as bad and it is bigger. Underground I noticed that the Maglight does not spill as well as the Fenix and Surefire. You have to have the Maglight set to spotlight and that doesn't hit the walls and often low craggy ceiling. I am going to get a cree bulb for my 2D maglight and test that as a happy medium. I wouldn't bash Maglights just because there are other smaller, brighter, cooler lights out there. It may not be the best but it still can be good. |
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The Maglite is nice because it is fairly inexpensive. If you are doing work where it may be damaged, it's nice to know that you are only out $40 for the light. Also, the thing is damn near indestructible. With the LED upgrades it becomes truly useful again (pulling it out of the 1980s-COPS-rerun-timewarp it had recently been occupying). Finally, three words really make it appealing: MADE IN USA. |
| Malkoff Devices makes a LED upgrade kit for the MAG-Lite that really takes advantage of the MAG's adjustable reflector. Most LED upgrades are limited in maximum brightness due to the flashlight's lack of provision for carrying heat away from the LED, but Malkoff's design includes a retrofit heatsink to solve this problem. It also uses a regulated LED driver circuit, so the brightness stays pretty constant as the batteries discharge - excellent product for the money. |
Just make sure that everyone understands that you are talking about a cree LED and not the Maglite brand conversion. They are two entirely different things. Have you had a chance to compare the regular LED conversion to the Fenix? |
That is correct; my upgrade is a Cree drop in bulb.
I am going to try that Malkoff heat sink and compare it to my non- heat sinked regulated Cree.. It looks amazing and I can't wait. I really like the Maglight and have used them in the worst, wet, dirty conditions imaginable and I have never had one fail.
Batmanacw, I re-read your post and I think that I should address your comments on beam quality and light color (from my point of view). My Surefire M3 has the 125 lumen 60 minute run time bulb in it as I want the longer runtime and I do not need 225 lumens for 20 minutes. For me the ergonomics on the Surefire are better (I have larger hands) but I EDC the Fenix due to its size and extreme runtimes on medium high. For me small blotches and dimples in the beam are not a problem at all. Having said that I would say that the Surefire's beam is outstanding and I feel something stir inside me when I light up a cave or dark night with it. It has a great spot with near perfect (for me) spill with no dark spots. My brain does not associate any color to the light that comes out of the Surefire, I just hit the tail cap and light just appears. The Fenix is 95% as good but lacks a certain something that I can't put my finger on. My Fenix has adjustable modes and a seizure inducing strobe that the Surefire does not have. It is also small enough to fit securely in to the change pocket of my jeans. The amount of light that comes from the tiny Fenix is amazing and everyone who sees it wants to examine the light. The beam is very pure with a great spot and a little less spill than the Surefire. The light is definitely a nice pure white. My Fenix will easily light up anything within 50' or 75' quite nicely. Back to the OP's question re the LED for the Maglite from Lowes, I wouldn't get it. The Lowes LED (a dimmer Luxeon probably) is 6 dollars less than a really nice Cree bulb drop-in. Battery Junction If you are at all like me you will be more willing to use an indestructible, cheap light like a Maglite for serious work. During the course of everyday work I am more likely to lose a flashlight than when I am engaging in a hobby. When you lose a light in a cave you figure it out pretty quickly. If I had a tactical job I would carry the Surefire and Fenix but my Maglite lives in my van. I will not bring a $60 or $250 light under a sewage contaminated house, I love them too much (yes I am weird). |
Seizure inducing?  I think that the CRee upgrade would be much more worth the money for the maglite and I definitely see the advantage of the hard use maglite compared to a more expensive light. The lower quality of the light output would still bother the heck out of me, but I am a flashlight addict. |
As a fellow Flashaholic (when my wife lets me) I am happy to use a cheap bright Maglite that I can dump on and lose everyonce and a while. I would be seriously pissed at myself if I lost one of my expensive lights. BTW the Cree upgrade for the Maglight has a bluish tint. |
| some people have mentioned diminished throw w/ the LED lamp. does anybody have an estimate of how much it is diminished? our house sits in an open field, about 150 yards from our woods. occasionally, the coyotes get brave and slowly creep out of the woods and our animals let us know about it. i have a 3d mag lite and i can light them up w/ the mag when the batteries are new, when they've got some hours on them the light barely lights up half way to the woods. i have a bulky 2 million candle power light, which more than does the job, but i prefer the mag - just don't like the battery life. |
| With either the Terralux or Malkoff upgrades in a 3-D MAG, I don't think you'd have any problem lighting up coyotes at 150 yards. Part of the Cree LED's reputation for reduced "throw" comes from the fact that it is often installed in lights that have a diffused, non-focusable reflector (i.e., a compromise between a floodlight and a spotlight beam). However, the MAG's reflector doesn't suffer from that problem. |
Gene Malkoff quit his regular job to start making conversions full-time. I have one of his drop-in LED modules in a Surefire. It is my favorite flashlight. |
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Incredible! I can't believe the difference. My 4 D CEll Mag Lite has been relegated to the bottom of the toolbox... However, the last time I got it out to use it, the bulb had gone Tango Uniform. So I was in HD tonight and bough one of the LED repalcement bulbs (and one of the 2 AA lights to have in my bump-in-the-night bag). I CAN NOT believe the difference. If you own a Maglite, I would highly recommend this upgrade. it also means my Surefire's on going in the EE... |