Mag-Lite Competitors/Alternatives? (1 Viewer)

[James Edward]

We use Mag-Lites on the job all the time. Generally, the 2 cell AA model is the one in use. However, I feel there must be an alternative that is better... They eat batteries, always have to be shaken to get a brighter light(I hear movement inside, like the batteries are loose), and the bulbs burn out in no time(and are not cheap).

Any suggestions for an alternate? I do like the size and metal casing, so who else is out there?

 

[Greg_R]

I have a mag-lite, a mag-lite rip off, a Pelican light, and a Gerber. The Gerber has good battery life (it's an LED light) but is not that powerful. The Pelican light is great all around, waterproof and very durable. Your local dive shop may carry them. There are also high-end flashlights (some people actually collect them) that are machined out of solid blocks of steel, etc. I'm sure someone will chime in with their $100 flashlight soon...

 

[Dustin B]

I've got the 3 led pocket style Matterhorn AAA from these guys.

http://www.peakledsolutions.com/

Bulbs last forever, really really hard to break and I think the little tiny guy I have is as bright or brighter than the AA maglite.

They have LED flashlights that range in price from $30 to a little over $100 and from 30 to over 1000 candle power. The big advantages with LEDs are longer battery life for the cp, the bulbs last many thousands of hours and the bulbs have no filaments to be broken so they can be badly abused and still work.

 

[GordonL]

Retrofit your AA MagLites with this. Under $5 at Walmart.

 

[Jay H]

I would say find something with a focused LED. I've seen some LED headlamps (petzl, black diamond) that are very bright and uses 2 AA batteries. If you can find something like that, in flashlight form, it would certainly reduce the costly mag-lite bulbs...

A BD Zenix IQ or a petzl Myolite comes to mind for headlamps...

Jay

 

[DaveMcS]

Go cruise around the Candlepower Forums. Flashaholics Anonymous online HQ. M@glite is a bit of a sore subject over there due to their highly litigious tendencies..but you'll find more about flashlights. lumens and milliamps than you could ever feel comfortable with. There's a good sized B/S/T section too!

 

[Greg_S_H]

I like my SureFire, but it eats batteries quicker than a MagLight, and it takes fairly expensive 123A batteries.

 

[BrianW]

Look for a flashlight that has a 1-watt (or greater) Luxeon LED. These LEDs produce a much whiter light than other LEDs, and they're brighter than any bulb flashlight I've ever seen.

I got mine at Sam's. They're machined out of aircraft-grade (whatever that means) aluminum and are EXTREMELY durable. They are palm-sized and have a very nice heft to them. They operate on 3 AAA batteries, which will give you about five hours of light to a set. Sam's sells them under the Element brand in a two-pack for only $27.

These are honestly the brightest flashlights I've seen that operate on regular batteries, and definitely the best bang for the buck as flashlights go.

 

[ChrisHeflen]

This is such a timely thread for me as my second 3cell (D) maglite just quit working. Just stopped. Like the last one.
Sure I have dropped it but that was a long time ago. They both just stop. I don't get it.

I do like the size and look though of them, but will look elsewhere I guess.
(is Maglite the Monster Cable of flashlights?)

I got the Costco version of this as a fun gift for Fathers Day...
http://www.overtons.com/cgi-bin/over...item_num=71466

It lights up things, like the day, blocks away. Amazing! I accidentally landed a small plane the other nite.

 

[Bry_DD]

Go with the Surefire can't go wrong with that..

 

[Greg_S_H]

On a somewhat related note, is there a national chain where one can pick up colored mini Mag-Light lenses? I don't find them amongst the Mags at Fry's or Lowe's. I used to have some, but I have no idea where they got to. Red and blue. I don't even particularly want them for my flashlights, but I have a Halloween decoration that I want to spruce up with colored lights.

 

[James Edward]

Thanks for the replies. I knew posting this question here would get me on the right track. I'll let you know how it works out.
Oh, and I love the "is Mag-Lite the Monster Cable of flashlights?" line. I believe they might be...

BTW, my backup is a 3 LED light from RadioShack that uses 3 'N' batteries. It is fairly bright, and has been on the same batteries for 2 months, but is too diffuse for all but the closest work. And the 'N' batteries aren't cheap to replace, either.

 

[BrianW]

James, don't let the poor performance of the LED flashlight from Radio Shack steer you away from an LED flashlight. Luxeon LEDs truly are the best and brightest. Just do a Google search for "luxeon LED flashlight" to find some retailers.

Here (CyberGuys) is a 3-watt version of the 1-watt flashlights I got at Sam's. My 1-watt flashlight is blindingly bright -- I can only imagine what a 3-watt Luxeon emitter would do. They even have 5-watt versions. (Remember that 1 watt of light from an LED is many, many times brighter than 1 watt from a regular bulb since most of that power is used to generate heat in a regular bulb.) According to Popular Science, the military recently adopted a multi-emitter flashlight (with Luxeon 5-watt emitters) and calls it the brightest flashlight in the world.

Don't be fooled into thinking that more LEDs is better, and don't get an LED flashlight unless it has a Luxeon-brand emitter. The flashlight in my link above is quite a lot of handheld light for the money. Mag-Lite can't even come close to the quality and brightness of this amazing flashlight.

 

[GordonL]

Flashlight Reviews

 

[Max Leung]

Thanks GordonL - when I get a chance I'll look for that Maglite bulb replacement. My maglite mini (I think it's the 2xAA one?) bulb burnt out which really pissed me off.

 

[James Edward]

Mag-Lites have a spare bulb under the spring at the bottom- so if you haven't already used it, you won't have to look far...

 

[Max Leung]

You are a genius.

 

[Jay Taylor]

Nice thread James!

GordonL, thanks for the link to Flashlight Reviews.

Here's a review from the Flashlight Reviews web site of the Peak LED Solutions "Caribbean" flashlight with a Luxeon I LED. It's hard to believe this thing is a pocket single cell flashlight.

Peak LED Solutions "Caribbean"

From the review:

 

[Johnny Angell]

According to that review, the Caribbean is $100. I saw those Sam's lights and almost bought them. Sounds like its a much better deal.

 

[BrianW]

Sorry, tried to post from my phone and double posted. I took apart my flashlight after posting, and discovered that the lanyard hitch is protected by a very well-hidden O-ring, and I've corrected my contribution below accordingly. I even dunked the flashlight, just to be sure. (So what if I ruin it? I've got spares! )