Hey, flashlight nerds!

(And I know you're out there....)

What can the Hive tell me about upgrading old flashlight bulbs/housings to new LED stuff? I know it's possible, but I also know that a total n00b such, um, myself can get lost in a swamp of bad information and low-grade crap products.

Haven't tried it, but I can tell you that Home Depot puts some pretty good LED lights out in the "get a gift for dad!" section during shopping season. I think the brand is Reliance. Solid, I can hand them to my 3 y.o. nephew without a worry.

I've done the LED upgrade to a MagLite and A Stinger, neither had impressive and/or long lasting results.

So many great new LED lights for cheap it's not worth the hassle.

Amazon sells LED "bulbs" for three-cell Maglites. I couldn't bring myself to throw out the old Maglite, so I gave it a try (I think the LED's are like $15.) The new "bulb" throws a ton of light and I get to keep my Maglite! Can't speak to the longevity, but I was pleased with the results.

1988RedT2 wrote: Amazon sells LED "bulbs" for three-cell Maglites. I couldn't bring myself to throw out the old Maglite, so I gave it a try (I think the LED's are like $15.) The new "bulb" throws a ton of light and I get to keep my Maglite! Can't speak to the longevity, but I was pleased with the results.

I went this route as well. Easy and works pretty damn good. Brighter than original x2 easily.

I did the same with my 3 cell maglight. It makes it so you can run it with cheap harbor freight rechargeable batteries for a long time.

Might have to try the Maglite LED conversion, not for light output per se but it could make a handy weapon.

fasted58 wrote: Might have to try the Maglite LED conversion, not for light output per se but it could make a handy weapon.

Yep, I rented a tent cabin in Yosemite a while back and discovered that the poor fella before me left his Police Brutality series Maglite with the Excessive Force shaft extension upgrade behind.

I’ve been happily keeping it on my nightstand ever since but my highly fearful 11 y/o daughter recently moved it to her room so I’m now in the market for another one.

Flashlights are like nail clippers or pens for me. Never around when I want or need one, so I have many, many of the darned things. I buy the disposable size little pocket flashlights (like the ones they give you free with purchase at HF). They light up an acceptable amount with their 6-8 LEDs and use three AAA batteries. There are probably 25 of them in my house. With 4 kids always wandering off with thems it's the only way.

The old fashioned 4-D Maglight does live beside the bed but I can't remember using it as an actual flashlight.

Those HF freebies are terrible things. Get yourself a few good ones and you'll start paying attention to where they are Spend an extra couple of bucks on these and they'll work when you find them.

As long as all of mine produce light, I am happy.

In reply to Keith: Just for fun, I looked on the Home Depot dot ca site, and the closest they can come is a two-pack (not 3) of 150-lumen (not 80-lumen) Defiant flashlights for C$16.98. Also, the bezels are slightly different. Cross-border capitalism is bizarre... although I think this means I would pay less per lumen up here, even with the exchange rate.

C and D cell batteries are the limiting factors on stuff like Maglites. New LED bulbs paired with modern battery tech like 14500s or 18650s are nuts, and they allow super-powerful lights to be tiny. Even CR123s are impressive.

Here's a great example: single CR123 or 16340 cell light. Maxes out at 450 lumens. Includes rechargeable battery and charger.Smaller than your thumb. $35. I have two on keychains for a couple cars.

Tiny flashlights are cute and all that, but there is still something to be said for one like the Maglite that can be used to smash someone's skull in. I guess it speaks to the caveman in me.

Stealthtercel wrote: In reply to Keith: Just for fun, I looked on the Home Depot dot ca site, and the closest they can come is a two-pack (not 3) of 150-lumen (not 80-lumen) Defiant flashlights for C$16.98. Also, the bezels are slightly different. Cross-border capitalism is bizarre... although I think this means I would pay less per lumen up here, even with the exchange rate.

Don't look at the price for the two-pack of 150 lumen lights in the US, then Aboot $10 IIRC. I'm pretty sure the 80s are what I have, which is why I linked to them. Regardless, I've had good luck with various Defiants. They survive bouncing around in toolboxes and put out good light. I got tired of the HF cheapos, they never worked when I needed them.

I tried the LED conversion on a mini-mag.. the light output was worse than with the incandescent.

I recently purchased this as my new work flashlight after my truck flashlight died. My old work flashlight is now my truck flashlight.

Rigid RI-800H

I am pretty impressed with it, but I miss the ability to go from flood to spot and the lens area was a bit bigger than I expected

A purpose build LED flashlight almost always works better than a conversion.

If you want a large quantity of light to see with, as opposed to a narrow long reaching pencil beam, consider the likes of a Big Larry. They are less than $20 now at Walmart and such.

1988RedT2 wrote: Tiny flashlights are cute and all that, but there is still something to be said for one like the Maglite that can be used to smash someone's skull in. I guess it speaks to the caveman in me.

I've got some 18650 powered torches that are fantastic. They also are really good at keeping you warm in the winter. The one has a much warmer beam and it's oh so nice to use. Very natural color.

That being said, I do occasionally miss the heft of a 2D Mag. I wish someone made a two-cell 18650 with the diameter of a D-Cell Maglite, throw in multiple modes, side clicky, and a tailcap moonlight/flasher and it'd be the perfect vehicle light.

EDIT: Glo-toob makes something similar, the Flash Cap.

I carry this with me wherever I go (barely larger than a AAA battery). Fits in a pocket easily, acceptable light output, and the flashlight you have with you is always better than the super fancy one that's sitting at home.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00143JZ08/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

There are only two reasons to convert a Mag light.
1. It's sentimental. They last long enough you can easily have one from 30 years ago.
2. You like a flashlight that is also a weapon. They're nice to keep next to the bed and are plenty bright for use in the house.
Other than that I use the "10 hammers" philosophy of flashlights. This came from an old farmer who wrote about all of the time spent looking for his hammer. He was careful with it as it was a nice one that had been handed down to him, but inevitably he'd be on the tractor and need it and it would be in the workshop or he'd be in the basement and it would be in the back of the truck. He finally went to the store and bought 10 cheap hammers and put them in a pile in the barn. Every time he needed one he grabbed one from the pile. Eventually he had hammers in pretty much every place he usually used them and saved hours of frustration a year looking for a hammer.
I have at least 10 $1 led flashlights from WalMart all over the house and in pretty much every car. I don't go looking for them and my old mag light stays next to the bed just in case.

mazdeuce wrote: I use the "10 hammers" philosophy of flashlights. He finally went to the store and bought 10 cheap hammers and put them in a pile in the barn. I have at least 10 $1 led flashlights from WalMart all over the house and in pretty much every car. I don't go looking for them and my old mag light stays next to the bed just in case.

Spot on. I'm not quite as cheap, but $15 LEDs work well enough it's hard to justify spending $60 per light.

Another issue with the D-Cell Mags is the rechargeable options. I can get 18650 for a few bucks a pop and they seemingly last forever. A rechargable D-Cell is like $12 a battery.

My answer has been to get a bunch of low-drain rechargable AA with a $1 AA-D Cell Adapter. That way I've got tons of AA laying around and my Mags still get power.

I have a streamlight I use for work, it's not cheap but I use it probably 5 hours a day, 5 or 6 days a week. Led, rechargeable, crazy bright and great battery life

1988RedT2 wrote: Amazon sells LED "bulbs" for three-cell Maglites. I couldn't bring myself to throw out the old Maglite, so I gave it a try (I think the LED's are like $15.) The new "bulb" throws a ton of light and I get to keep my Maglite! Can't speak to the longevity, but I was pleased with the results.

Yeah, this. I bought Hazard Fraught LED replacement lamps for both of my big Maglites. They don't see really rough duty, but they're at least a year old and work great. Much brighter than the incandescents they replaced, and they were like $8 each or less.

Thought the thread title said Fleshlight nerds, then got here and read closer and realized I had nothing to contribute to the conversation. Carry on.