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Posted: 2/20/2006 12:41:46 PM EDT
I was at the Wallyworld today looking for closeout winter stuff (of which there was none) and found a "Nite Ize" L.E.D. Upgrade for an AA Mini Maglight. I've been wanting to make my AA Mag a bit brighter, since the stock bulb is rather anemic, especially in comparison to the new breed of lights. Well, this is what I found. And, it was $4.97 at Wallyworld. My digital camera's batteries are dead, I can't snap any pics, but I can honestly say that the beam is much brighter with the LEDs. It's a solid white beam and it's fairly well focused. The installation involved a bulb change and a reflector change; 5 minutes and I was blinding myself with my newfound toy
 I don't know how well it'll hold up, but I intend to test it a bit more. But, for under $5, it's a great bargain. YMMV.
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Posted: 2/20/2006 12:45:35 PM EDT
[#1]
i found one similar at the hardware store. i paid $10. i've only had it a month but have been satisfied so far. my old maglights turn switches always stopped working after only a few months. My new LED conversions kit came w/ a tailcap switch which has been very nice.
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Posted: 2/20/2006 12:45:56 PM EDT
[#2]
Check out CandlePowerForums.com there is a shit load of upgrades for the mini mag. These guys look at flashlights the way we do guns lol. Good stuff on there.
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Posted: 2/20/2006 12:46:43 PM EDT
[#3]
They also make upgrades for the c- and d-cell lights.
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Posted: 2/20/2006 12:47:17 PM EDT
[#4]
Interesting. I have an old Mini at home.
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Posted: 2/20/2006 1:03:33 PM EDT
[#5]
I bought the upgrade from County Comm w/ the replacment clicker cap. The bulb replacemnt works great, but the clicker has me worried. It doesn't seem very solid.
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Posted: 2/20/2006 1:07:56 PM EDT
[#6]
They're nice. They don't "throw" the beam worth a crap though.
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Posted: 2/20/2006 1:14:37 PM EDT
[#7]
tag
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Posted: 2/20/2006 1:49:09 PM EDT
[#8]
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Posted: 2/20/2006 2:08:48 PM EDT
[#9]
I am one of those candle power forums guys.... I do like my flashlights. The nite-eyes, is an EXCELLENT use of 5 bucks. The batteries in the minimag will last a LOT, and i mean a LOT longer. The three 5mm LEDS use very little power. Think of it as the LED portion of the Surefire A2. I bought one... and i use it as a reading light in my car. The beam is NOT a throwing beam... the stock incan will throw much further. BUT... the LED beam is VERY smooth and even, and it makes it very easy to see things up close. Also... it is a "fixed-focus" design... you dont have to worry about focusing. If you have a choice, do NOT buy the nite-eyes that comes with the additional tail switch... it is not of the best quality. Just stick with the LED upgrade. The stock mag switch is more rubust. Also... they now have different color LEDS, red, blue, and green are now options... if you are interested in that. Red is good for maintaining night vision Blue helps you find blood. Green... well... green is green.  I have been a CPF member for a long time & it was confusing at first, so if anyone here has any questions, feel free to IM me. I would be more than happy to help you, or point you in the right direction. Examples.... you want a 900 lumen 3D maglite, no prob... you want an exotic multi-luxeon light that puts out over 200 lumens & runs for hours, no prob either... And if you REALLY wanna put that P90 in your E2E... it can be done. have a good one. |
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Posted: 2/20/2006 2:19:42 PM EDT
[#10]
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Posted: 2/20/2006 2:25:38 PM EDT
[#11]
Ahhh... The Lumen gods smile down apon you! |
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Posted: 2/20/2006 2:42:11 PM EDT
[#12]
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Posted: 2/20/2006 2:48:53 PM EDT
[#13]
I have several Mini Maglites, and I carry one every day. It has saved my butt several times. I go through bulbs like crazy, so I think I'll try one of those LED set-ups.
I'll bet that the CPForums will experience an increase in bandwidth useage this evening...
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Posted: 2/20/2006 3:36:53 PM EDT
[#14]
Well, I know that there are other ways to push the limit with flashlights, and it's great the CPF guys have that kind of passion. I'm a klutz when it comes to electronics so I try to stay away from them, lest I get BBQed by a pair of AA batteries
or set my carpet on fire  But, asides from that, I've read about other ways to convert the venerable AA Mini Mag to a brighter light, but it would inevitably require some PhD level Astrophysics or a couple of Andrew Jacksons, and thus this little $5 part saved me a lot of hassle. It also fills in a niche that I don't have lights to fill, that is, a small, cheap fairly bright task light that I can use and abuse rather than burning expensive CR123s in my Surefires. Stainless, what's wrong with the clicker switch? Is it poorly made or something? I'd like to be able to use my MiniMag (especially now) one handed. |
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Posted: 2/20/2006 3:44:01 PM EDT
[#15]
Yes, it feel kinda cheap and often doesn't have a positive "Click" it just kinda slides. My min-mag sat in a drawer doing nothing for about 4 years, I just got tired of replacing the bulbs, and there were better lights out there for cheap. Now my min-mag sit on the desk here in my home office and get's used all the time. |
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Posted: 2/20/2006 3:58:08 PM EDT
[#16]
Yes sir, it is. Let me translate this from CPF to ARFCOM..... Nite eyes LED bulb upgrade = LMT Nite Eyes tailcap switch upgrade = Hesse Cool now? 
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Posted: 2/20/2006 4:05:23 PM EDT
[#17]
Crap, so does this mean when I'm fishing at night and I hook a big'un, that I'll have to hold the rod in one hand while frantically pawing through my pockets for the light, reaching for it, then holding on to it with my teeth while I turn the switch? Crud!
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Posted: 2/20/2006 4:35:57 PM EDT
[#18]
umm.. to be honest with you.... i dont have a problem turning on my nite eyes mini maglite. man.... this is gonna be misquoted... but i will do it anyway.... you grip the body of the flashlight... and then with your thumb and index finger, you twist the head. it's easy one-handed operation. |
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Posted: 2/20/2006 4:37:03 PM EDT
[#19]
Here is another upgrade for the mini mag home.mchsi.com/~lambda_lights/smjled.htm
It’s a little more money but it is brighter and with the reflector upgrade it throws pretty good |
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Posted: 2/20/2006 4:40:45 PM EDT
[#20]
I have the Wallyworld one and one from Brigade Quartermaster HEREwith the push button rear. I like 'em both.
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Posted: 2/20/2006 4:41:12 PM EDT
[#21]
fixed it 
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Posted: 2/20/2006 4:42:01 PM EDT
[#22]
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Posted: 2/20/2006 4:43:23 PM EDT
[#23]
Huh uh huh huh he said twist the head. 
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Posted: 2/20/2006 4:49:25 PM EDT
[#24]
The coolest thing about this upgrade is that, because the power draw needed to light the LEDs is far below the max output of the batteries, you can use batteries that are too dead to work in anything else and they'll still work great in the MiniMag for a long time.
-Troy |
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Posted: 2/20/2006 5:03:37 PM EDT
[#25]
I used "dead" batteries from someone's GPS unit to power my LED flashlight during this month's Survival Forum campout. You couldn't even tell that they were "dead". Worked fine the whole weekend, and still going strong. |
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Posted: 2/20/2006 5:10:18 PM EDT
[#26]
Taglite.
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Posted: 2/20/2006 5:11:46 PM EDT
[#27]
I've been afflicted with this problem with every mini-maglite that I've ever owned, and that has been a few. The problem was so bad when I put the LED conversion in, that I decided to strip down the flashlight to its base components. The solution was obvious; simply bend the negative electrical contact on the bulb recepticle ever so slightly (where it makes contact with the body of the flashlight). Problem solved; perhaps permanently. Also, I can vouch for the cheesiness of the tail cap switch that comes with some of the Nite-Ize LED mods. The switch feel extremely mushy, and it wouldn't even screw into the flashlight straight. It went in at an angle that was about five degrees off. Really looks stupid. It wasn't threaded correctly at the chinese prison camp where it was made, I guess. |
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Posted: 2/20/2006 5:14:33 PM EDT
[#28]
and...........fwiw, i found brinkmann to be no better. i've kind of resigned myself to getting a new light every year. |
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Posted: 4/6/2006 11:19:42 AM EDT
[#29]
I bought one of the Nite Ize LED upgrades for the Mini Maglite about the same time as the previous post here. It was super bright, and it didn't seem to run the batteries down at all. It worked fine a day or two ago, but when I went to try it today, it was dead. I tried to open the flashlight, but I had to use pliers... the batteries had leaked and wrecked the flashlight.
I took the LED part out and threw away the rest. I went and grabbed another brand-new Mini Maglite that I wasn't using and got two brand new batteries for it. I plugged in the LED and no worky. I was fiddling around for a few seconds and the LED unit started to smoke. LOL... I guess I'm back to incandescent bulbs again, for now. I don't know if this was a fluke, or if anyone else has had any problems with these. Just thought I'd relate my experience with mine. |
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Posted: 4/6/2006 11:27:41 AM EDT
[#30]
Hearing that makes me nervous to leave the thing inside of my range bag (which is kept in the house).
Mine is still going strong, even after another camping trip last week. Still on the same "dead" batteries. |
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Posted: 4/6/2006 11:36:18 AM EDT
[#31]
I bought them too after reading this a couple weeks ago. It is great. Buy one if you can.
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Posted: 4/6/2006 11:47:16 AM EDT
[#32]
That's weird. Mine works fine. I have only smoked one led and that was when I didn't step down the voltage on a pin head size led. |
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Posted: 4/6/2006 12:05:54 PM EDT
[#33]
Just one warning on the LED "upgrades" for the minimags. I normally run everything in the house off rechargeables, and the LEDs don't have a driver circuit, so they require Alkaline batteries to run, they're very, very dim off rechargeable batteries.
I've got the Lambda lights in mine, they work great and the long battery life makes it more palatable, but I wish they ran off rechargeables. I've got some of the Nuwai 1/2 watt and 1 watt lights, they're very nice and do have driver circuits, much nicer light and much brighter. The 1/2 watt lights are going for about 10 bucks and the 1 watt lights are around $20. |
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Posted: 4/6/2006 12:07:58 PM EDT
[#34]
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Posted: 4/6/2006 12:09:15 PM EDT
[#35]
..
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Posted: 4/6/2006 12:23:21 PM EDT
[#36]
What's the theory/reasoning behind the low "throw" distance for LED lights? Do the photons not travel the same speed as they would from a filament bulb?
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Posted: 4/6/2006 12:54:17 PM EDT
[#37]
tag
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