Talk:Maglite

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What type of bulbs are found in Maglite flashlights? —This unsigned comment was added by 71.4.51.150 (talk • contribs) .

Krypton, sometimes with Xenon gas mixed in. C- and D-cell Maglites use PR-base type bulbs. The Solitaire and Mini use bi-pin bulbs. - S. Komae (talk) 22:45, 22 March 2006 (UTC)

Contents

[edit] TBD

  • mods (e.g. LED insted of bulb)
  • criticism of Mag quality (see e.g. "Mag failed me stories" on candlepowerforums.com)

Apokrif 18:28, 16 July 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Article title

Isn't Maglite supposed to be spelt: Mag-Lite? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Akosygin (talk • contribs) 01:56, 7 August 2006 (UTC)

On Mag Instrument's webpage MAGLITE, MAG-LITE and Maglite seem to be used interchangeably. Bergsten 09:55, 7 August 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Efficiency of LED flashlights vs incandescent

This concerns today's change to maintain the wording that the efficiency advantage of LED flashlights is mainly restricted to lower output levels. While LEDs in general are commonly described as much more efficient than incandescent bulbs, such statements are a broad generalization and often don't apply to the higher-powered LEDs used in flashlights. This is especially so when driven at the high output levels common in Luxeon flashlights. Since the article is about LED flashlights, not LED indicator lights (which are much lower powered and more efficient), the wording should reflect the efficiency picture of the usage mode. For more info on relative efficiency of LEDs vs other lighting sources, see: [1] Joema 15:02, 20 September 2006 (UTC)

its still more efficient, the minimag led goes for 3.5hrs before 50% brightness according to flashlightreviews.com http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/maglite_minimagled.htm —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 75.30.77.143 (talk) 08:15, 16 December 2006 (UTC).
The above-referenced wording change was not about Maglites in particular, but LED vs incandescent lights in general. Previously the wording was: "LED flashlights are generally much more efficient than incandescent bulbs", and was changed to "LED flashlights are more efficient at lower output levels than incandescent bulbs". This can easily be seen since high output LEDs when driven at high levels have efficiency per watt which isn't greatly above incandescent. At lower output levels LEDs become more efficient. However LED technology is constantly improving and it's likely in the relatively near future LED lights will greatly surpass incandescent bulbs at high output levels. The article wording should properly reflect the current situation. Joema 13:01, 16 December 2006 (UTC)
Hmm...Technically true, but the Mag does not have a 'low' setting, so I do not see that this is relevant. Also, people will probably replace the battery before it gets to a low light level where this would be relevant. People might think you are referring to battery life and blissfully unaware of discharge curves, so I removed the entire sentence. A comment about battery life vs. brightness for a specific model of Maglite would be helpful, as would something comparing the measured brightness of the same Mag, once with incandescent bulb and again with an LED. Jerry guru (talk) 03:25, 27 March 2008 (UTC)
Sorry-since this info is not about Maglites in particular but flashlights in general, I decided to remove my edits and replace it with a reference to LED and Flashlight entries. Jerry guru (talk) 00:59, 28 March 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Explanation of revision to paragraph about police and Maglites

Revised paragraph for various reasons: (1) Article is about Maglites in general (incl. LED models which don't have as marked ring patterns) not just about incandescent models. (2) Ring pattern is due mainly to focusing ability, which most focusable lights (not just Maglites) will have.

Revised statement about reduced output relative to other tactical flashlights. Reason: the most common Maglite in law enforcement use is probably the Mag Charger, which is more powerful and has better "throw" than many tactical lights, thus the statement as originally written wasn't really correct.

Statement comparing LED lights to Maglites was misleading since Mag makes LED lights, plus purpose of article isn't a pro/con consideration of Maglites vs other tactical lights or incandescent vs LED. Statement about battery life being shorter than LED lights wasn't generally correct, because (1) Mag makes LED lights, and (2) Incandescent Maglites have very long battery life, just not a favorable discharge curve, so much of the battery life is at a lower luminous output but is nonetheless long. Joema 23:28, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Spare Bulb

How to you retrieve the spare bulb out of the tailcap? Mike

You pull the spring out, the bulb is behind it. It should just pop out. Senatorpjt 10:38, 31 July 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Paint

I don't know anything about the camouflage Maglite, but the rest of them aren't painted, they're made of anodized aluminum. I changed the mentions of paint. Senatorpjt 10:35, 31 July 2007 (UTC)

The camo maglite is painted - it's a bit of an anomoly. --RedHillian 22:30, 31 July 2007 (UTC)

[edit] 2xAAA Most Popular?

I've never seen one.

Georget99 (talk) 23:22, 17 November 2007 (UTC)

  • +1. And, I do know a few LEO's and military. Jerry guru (talk) 01:39, 27 March 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Major Surgery

Sorry, I cannot stand it. I will try to fix the patient without killing him/her/it. I will attempt to remove the salesman pitch from the intro, and remove the collector's opinions from the 'Popular' section. Mainly, I will delete and do minor editing. These are the materials I removed and why:

  • also known as MAGLITE, MAG-LITE (according to company website, Maglite is correct spelling, but some minority of products have the name hyphenated)
  • The Maglite was an improvement over the Kel-Lite, after which the Maglite was patterned (opinion, speculation)
  • an aluminum alloy (repetitive)
  • The durability trait has long been a major selling point of Maglite advertising. One Maglite commercial features a tractor-trailer truck driving over a black D-cell Maglite, followed by the driver stepping out and discovering the Maglite still functioning. (advertising)
  • family of flashlights has a large set of , ranging from (advertising)
  • and a bewildering array of (not confusing: xenon or LED)
  • developed and marketed (advertising)
  • Many police officers carry Maglites, as they are durable, focusable, and generally produce better output than inexpensive mass market flashlights. However in recent years police departments have been adopting more expensive, higher performance "tactical" flashlights from companies such as SureFire and Streamlight. (opinion).
  • A signature feature of a Maglite is its spare bulb. Most conventional Maglites are equipped with a spare light bulb encased in the tailcap, making replacement of a burned out bulb convenient. (advertising)
  • are out of production due to lack of demand) (opinion)
  • == Popular Maglites == (title not related to section content; I have renamed this section 'Variants')
  • The two most popular Maglites are the 2xAA cell battery Mini Maglite and the 2xAAA cell battery Mini Maglite (both pictured above). These 2 Maglites are small and light yet powerful and water-resistant. This is ideal in camping situations as bigger flashlights such as the 6 D-cell Maglite are awkward and often inconvenient to use. Most police forces as well as the US Marines have a 2xAAA cell battery Mini Maglite as part of their uniform.(advetising, and partially not true; I converted the AAA military reference to a bullet point)
  • Maglites have also drawn a number of private collector's and often releases models with special paint schemes. (unverifiable opinion)
  • There are also some models that are mass produced, but not readily available. The pink AA is only available at some Walmart locations, no other retail outlets, aside from collector outlets. (opinion)
  • for instance, are fairly rare, as well as some sizes of camouflage. Certain colors of 4, 5, and 6 D-cell Maglites can also be difficult to find. Most of the models are rare for the simple fact that most public retailers don't stock them. Some collectors believe certain items should be standard equipment with Maglites, such as the available glass lenses, which are not offered in any retail packages. (opinion)
  • "Original research|section|date=September 2007" tag. (since I have deleted most of this section, I have removed this tag as being, hopefully, no longer true).

Jerry guru (talk) 01:30, 27 March 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Whew!

That was a big change. I have no doubt that I excised too much; that is why I listed all the deleted text. If you think something should be reinstated, please be my guest. Also, the article still needs fleshing out. I did not remove the tags at the top of the article; I think the article still needs cleaning (in particular, I am uncomfortable with many statements in the LEO baton weapon section, but I am not qualified to pass judgement; suggest a LEO take a good, hard look at this section), but go ahead and remove them if you think I did a sufficient job.

[edit] LED, too

I also edited the LED section:

The only apparent downfall being the LED models emit light so evenly that it does not focus like a typical Minimag.[1] (this comment is peculiar to this one brand only, not to LED's in general)

Niteize produces a variety of after market LED modules for use in Maglite products. (advertising)

LED flashlights are more efficient at lower output levels than incandescent bulbs, and are also more resistant to physical shock. LEDs also have a longer lifespan than incandescent bulbs and can last for 10,000 hours of use or more. (misleading, not entirely true)

In keeping with tradition. (advertising)

feature a patent pending power management system designed to balance optimal light output with extended battery life (advertising)

line also features (advertising)

Jerry guru (talk) 02:12, 27 March 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Removing Almost All of the Weapons section

I was sufficiently skeptical of this section to remove ALL of it, save for the one verifiable news story. It is mostly, if not all, either anecdotal or personal opinion. If you are a LEO or other person who has personal, first-hand experience or a verifiable reference, please reinstate some/all of what I removed. For reference, here is sum total of all I removed from the article:

Due to their size, shape, mass, and hardness, the larger C- and D-cell Maglites are also useful as ersatz batons, and in the past a handful of law-enforcement agencies have even trained officers in the use of Maglites as weapons. Security personnel (who often must carry flashlights in the course of their work) and private citizens have also used their lights as relatively effective mêlée weapons in self-defense.

The popularity of large flashlights such as the Maglite as a weapon in law enforcement has diminished in recent years, following the availability and widespread adoption of collapsible batons. Many agencies and departments, in an effort to improve law enforcement's public image by appearing less aggressive and militaristic, discourage or outright prohibit the carrying of rigid batons, either the straight, "billy club" style or the side-handled model (known as the PR-24), under routine circumstances. Flashlights such as the Maglite became popular for their benign, functional appearance, yet still allowed personnel to effectively escalate the level of force used in violent encounters without resorting to firearms. Such activity may appear problematic or impossible with some Maglite models, such as the "Mini Maglite" and "Maglite Solitaire". The Mini Maglite is often used in place of a pocket stick, kubotan, or yawara.

If you have verifiable information that warrants reinstating any of the above deletions, please put it back in. Jerry guru (talk) 03:03, 29 March 2008 (UTC)

[edit] removing all of See Also section

I removed these references, since they are not relevant to the current entry:

Jerry guru (talk) 03:21, 29 March 2008 (UTC)