Maglite is the Worst Flashlight on the Market

4Runner

Well-known member
May 24, 2007
660
110
Boise Idaho
I call Mag-Lites “ Lucas lights “ in my house. I depend on my flashlight most everyday for work and have had the best luck with Fenix products. Typically I have found that you need spend between 50 and 100 dollars ( no matter which brand ) to get one that’s going to be there when you need it. I have a few cheap lights around and one of them has also been super reliable but I don’t know how to pick out the good ones from the crap in the 10 to 30 dollar range.
 

kennith

Well-known member
Apr 22, 2004
10,891
172
North Carolina
I call Mag-Lites ? Lucas lights ? in my house. I depend on my flashlight most everyday for work and have had the best luck with Fenix products. Typically I have found that you need spend between 50 and 100 dollars ( no matter which brand ) to get one that?s going to be there when you need it. I have a few cheap lights around and one of them has also been super reliable but I don?t know how to pick out the good ones from the crap in the 10 to 30 dollar range.

You go below the ten to thirty dollar range to find the budget reliable units. Have a look at that Eveready in the picture. You've seen them for decades, now, and they are always there when you need them. They used to cost a dollar. They aren't the brightest lights in the world, but that was never the point. I always keep them around, and if they were rechargeable, I'd just keep those in the back of the Rover, at this point.

For the price range you specify, just buy a Nebo product. They really did hit the ground running a little while back.

That Slyde King is now, by far, my favorite flashlight. The battery lasts an incredibly long time, it's USB rechargeable, it can be focused, it has several modes, and slides open to reveal one of those bright strip lamps for more even illumination of a larger area. They even come with a screw-off rear cap with a very powerful magnet.

It's better than lights costing three to four times as much. If I can find brackets that will fit one of those, I'll be satisfied.

Cheers,

Kennith
 

JohnnoK

Well-known member
Mar 19, 2017
190
19
Cape Town, South Africa
In all fairness to Maglite, I have a 3D that lives on the floor next to my bed and in the 15 years I have had it, all I have had to do was replace batteries and once, I replaced the lamp with an LED.
It comes on every time I hit the switch, dim if the flatteries are not great, but it does what it says on the tin.

I have yet to use it to thump someone, came close once, but it has been reliable so far.
 

kennith

Well-known member
Apr 22, 2004
10,891
172
North Carolina
In all fairness to Maglite, I have a 3D that lives on the floor next to my bed and in the 15 years I have had it, all I have had to do was replace batteries and once, I replaced the lamp with an LED.
It comes on every time I hit the switch, dim if the flatteries are not great, but it does what it says on the tin.

I have yet to use it to thump someone, came close once, but it has been reliable so far.

Do you also have a functional Optima battery? :rofl:

Cheers,

Kennith
 

kennith

Well-known member
Apr 22, 2004
10,891
172
North Carolina

I'll have a closer look and see if they will work for me.

There's a good spot in the rear that's already got two holes present that I'm using. I'd like to keep using it without further drilling, but that might not work.

The brackets I've got are just coated spring clips that attach with a single bolt or screw. That's kind of what I was after for general use.

You can see how the Mag is mounted in the attachment. Two spring clips are present holding it. That's not perfect for washboard roads, but for everything else it's pretty much ideal. They get a darn good grip on that thing.

Cheers,

Kennith
 

Blue

Well-known member
Mar 26, 2004
10,043
856
AZ
I've had a 2-D Mag light mounted on my rear door for a while now. It usually comes right on but of course today went I went to use it to look down a hole I was drilling it didn't work. A good smack and it came on. I installed a 3-D on the front of my driver's seat base a few months ago and it works all the time. Both lights have the Malkoff LED conversion. The 3-D is so old that the Malkoff kit didn't quite fit - there's a wedge with a screw to tighten down the circular base and it was too loose in the 3-D. I had to improvise but I wanted to keep the 3-D as it was my fathers for years.
 

Tugela

Well-known member
May 21, 2007
4,754
562
Seattle
Nope, Optimas are almost Unobtanium in South Africa. We have the pleasure of other crap, instead.:D

Including Castle and Lion. But at least in Cape Town you have Mitchell's. And Kingsley Holgate autographed Defenders:

defender
 

kennith

Well-known member
Apr 22, 2004
10,891
172
North Carolina
I've had a 2-D Mag light mounted on my rear door for a while now. It usually comes right on but of course today went I went to use it to look down a hole I was drilling it didn't work. A good smack and it came on. I installed a 3-D on the front of my driver's seat base a few months ago and it works all the time. Both lights have the Malkoff LED conversion. The 3-D is so old that the Malkoff kit didn't quite fit - there's a wedge with a screw to tighten down the circular base and it was too loose in the 3-D. I had to improvise but I wanted to keep the 3-D as it was my fathers for years.

I kitted out a 3D with Malkoff stuff a few years ago. It did perform quite a bit better, naturally. The products are well-made.

Unfortunately, that one stopped working, as well. :banghead:

I became fed up with trying to make the thing work, and just gave it away. The dude still has it, and it still doesn't work.

The longest running Mag I've owned is a solitaire, followed shortly by one that I found in my Nissan 720 when I bought it. They ran for three years and one year (after a good cleaning and some new parts) accordingly.

Given a choice between a brand new Maglite and a lantern full of diesel, I'd take the lantern.

At least that is guaranteed to work. JohnnoK is probably familiar with that smell. You get used to it after a while. :D

Cheers,

Kennith
 

JohnnoK

Well-known member
Mar 19, 2017
190
19
Cape Town, South Africa
Including Castle and Lion. But at least in Cape Town you have Mitchell's. And Kingsley Holgate autographed Defenders:

defender

Castle?:ack: Seriously??? Sex in a canoe, mate...
Lion is back in production.
My Nanocom has bought me plenty of Black Label....:rofl:
Some really good Craft breweries have popped up in the last few years, too.
 
Jan 3, 2005
11,745
71
On Kennith's private island
I've spent $50, $70, and $100 on a flashlight. They're nice and all. But I needed a light just to keep in the truck and I saw a Groupon deal for $14.99 for an LED light. I got it. It's just as good as my $100 flashlight and the batteries last longer.
 

jim-00-4.6

Well-known member
Sep 30, 2005
2,037
6
61
Genesee, CO USA
I'll have a closer look and see if they will work for me.

There's a good spot in the rear that's already got two holes present that I'm using. I'd like to keep using it without further drilling, but that might not work.

The brackets I've got are just coated spring clips that attach with a single bolt or screw. That's kind of what I was after for general use.

You can see how the Mag is mounted in the attachment. Two spring clips are present holding it. That's not perfect for washboard roads, but for everything else it's pretty much ideal. They get a darn good grip on that thing.

Cheers,

Kennith

I mounted my 3D maglight vertically with 1 pipe clamp such that the back of it sat on the floor.
I also had a screw across the clamp, so you had to drop the light vertically down into the hole until it sat on the floor.
It was a very mall-crawler accessory; looked cool but didn't work for shit.
Kinda like the totally rusted hi-lift I saw on the back of a vehicle the other day; I doubt he could even get it off the brackets, let alone actually use it for something.
 

Tugela

Well-known member
May 21, 2007
4,754
562
Seattle
Castle?:ack: Seriously??? Sex in a canoe, mate...
Lion is back in production.

Hence my reference to your "other crap" comment. Sex in a canoe is right.

I much prefer the wines in the Cape - good memories at Boschendal.

Go Proteas!
 

kennith

Well-known member
Apr 22, 2004
10,891
172
North Carolina
I've spent $50, $70, and $100 on a flashlight. They're nice and all. But I needed a light just to keep in the truck and I saw a Groupon deal for $14.99 for an LED light. I got it. It's just as good as my $100 flashlight and the batteries last longer.

Alibaba, Ali Express, and places like Wish will land you with the expensive stuff, but without the expensive branding. Well, Wish will actually have the branding, but the rest will be using the same parts.

Yes, China rips stuff off frequently, but it's not too hard to figure out when they're not doing it; when manufacturers just bullshit people.

It'll be the exact same shit you'll get from most of those expensive "manufacturers". They browse trade show catalogs and put them together like Legos before selling them at a premium.

See how many parts you recognize in this pile of "Tactical Flashlight" listings. I used those terms because that's what every damned high-dollar company is cranking out these days.

Also, enjoy the interesting prices on some pretty impressive kits.

https://www.aliexpress.com/wholesale?catId=0&initiative_id=SB_20181002120241&SearchText=tactical+flashlight

Cheers,

Kennith
 

Blue

Well-known member
Mar 26, 2004
10,043
856
AZ
That's awesome. Lets you see the bloody corpse after you bludgeon the guy to death.
 

Blue

Well-known member
Mar 26, 2004
10,043
856
AZ
I've spent $50, $70, and $100 on a flashlight. They're nice and all. But I needed a light just to keep in the truck and I saw a Groupon deal for $14.99 for an LED light. I got it. It's just as good as my $100 flashlight and the batteries last longer.

Those simple $3, $4, or $5 LED flashlights at the Autozone or similar auto parts checkout lane are fine. I have a few of those in various drawers around the house, on my workbench, in the center console of my little car, etc. I think I'm inheriting my father's sickness - at his house you're never more than 2 steps away from an LED flashlight. They're in just about every drawer...has become a family joke. These things put out a good amount of realistic working light for most tasks. LED technology has changed the game for the former uber-elite flashlight manufacturers. That said, I do keep my LED conversion Surefire on hand at night but it's not there to help me find the toilet paper.