U. S. NAVY intrduced me to the maglite. Bought my first one at the ships store aboard the USS Independence in May of 1987. You talk about a reliable light. Used it in shipyard, used in in power failure and used it on the flight deck performing maintance. (with my red lens) love them lights . Thanks so much for this video. going ti do this to mine.
Left one in the woods in a primitive lean to shelter for two years. Cleaned it up at home, still works. That's after 2 bad winters and it be frozen with a corroded battery. Tank!
Reminds me of being a kid in the late 80’s and 90’s. We always had maglites kicking around. Used them for everything from camping to household projects to blanket forts. I still have three or four maglites that I really don’t use anymore but can’t seem to get rid of despite having better options. They’re just nostalgic.
If you were a sound-guy/gal or lighting tech during the 90s you had one or three of these. before headlamps came into play you would just hold it with your mouth. I guess I'm sounding old-school here. Thanks senor sooch.
Yes sir! I was an L.D. back in the early 90’s and everybody wore a mini-mag on a lanyard around their neck and some even taped a sharpie to the lanyard as well! That’s how you knew who was a pro!😆
Not a lighting or sound guy, but in the Navy 80s/90s/00s. Mini Mags were a lifesaver, especially on a ship in the shipyard (lots of holes in the deck that were basically bottomless pits, and lots of power outages).
You I thought this was an interesting video at first. Havent seen a maglite in years. Then I go to my recently deceased grandfather's house to clear some stuff out and I see his mini maglite in the garage, still fully functional. It's probably been 7 or 8 years since he's been in the garage or used anything in there. You better believe I took that home with me. Thanks for making me aware of some upgrades!
I love this company....I especially like the LED XL50 model they are great little lights I own about 5 of them...check them out. I saw an interview with the78 year old owner (he's much older now) they asked him why he didn't send his mfg to China...he said that his marketing people wanted him to do that and his reply was..."but then how do I tell the woman over there running that machine that she isn't going to be able to send her son to college because her job is going to China." He also said..."I know the company could make a LOT more money by going to China but I'd rather keep these people working right here in the U.S.A."
And another thought about the durability and the lower lumens of the maglite is the industrial maintenance use of them, in certain situations having too bright of a light can be a problem when looking at mirror or near mirror finishes for repairs and the like, you still need the durability but less lumens to be able to see up close and not be blinded by your own light.
I prefer the incondescent for close-up work, easier on the eyes while there is too much reflective white light with the LED. Also colors are much easier to distinguish with incondescent which is much better when working with color coded wiring. Both LED & Incondescent have strong & weakness points this is why I have both, depending on the task at hand...
Just get a high quality LED emitter. One with a CRI of 95 or so. I use one for work and at 4000k color temperature it's just like daylight. I use the Wurkkos TS21 4000Kk model.
I still have a couple old mini mag's around....lol..... they work when everything else has gone down and I still carried em on my bike while riding...can't beat em! Great video and thanks for sharing!
That was one of my first lights was a mini mag when I was a kid that started the flashlight craze for me. Believe it or not I still have that light and it still works I have the conversion kit as well
The XL50 is by far my favorite flashlight I’ve ever had. I’ve been using mine almost daily since 2014, and it has performed admirably without issue all this time.
An overlooked upgrade is to coat all threads and O-rings with a rubber-safe (synthetic/silicone) grease. It will make the focus and on switch of a Maglite very slick and will preserve the O-rings and enhance the water resistance a bit.
I still have my Maglite(s), 20 years later! 😊 They sit as dinosaurs, as I have not still made any light bulb to LED conversions. Now I use a 15yr old NITEFIGHTER (a not known but quality made LED 18650 torch), Fenix E15 2016, Lumintop EDC 01 (AAA), Lumintop EDC 3.0 (14500 & AA), Olight i1R2EOS (tiny, built in bat',) tiny and awesome, very practical, handy, useful. (...). Make a Torch and rechargeable battery reliable system, and keep it handy! God bless USA and Brazil!
Great video, I found an old four cell d battery maglight that was in the closet for ten years, I put the LED replacement in it and the batteries that I thought were dead work fine. I think it will last for a long time.
The Mini Mag was my go to back in the day some 20 yrs ago, would carry it in its matching belt pouch (the much nicer one with the closing flap that they sold separately but should have been included). The ability to adjust from flood to spot was probably one of the best feature of it. It's probably why I use an LED zoomie as my EDC today.
I have used those Mini Maglite s for years. With the news and mood of the country these days, I sought out a AA and AAA battery solar charger. It works great. Use with Ni-HH or NI-CD batteries
biggest problem is the batteries leak and corrode the inside and you can not get the batteries out to replace them with out a lot of work. almost a throw away and replace the whole mini-mag light.
I did these so-called "upgrades" over 2 years ago. Unless you have some obsessive love affair with your mini mag lite, just go buy an LED flashlight. You'll save money, have a better light, and likely be using more currently technology in battery power.
my biggest problem, you'll laugh, is that all the new high tech high lumen flashlights only come as a belt clip and no sheaths, i don't like belt clips and i cant find sheaths that fit them. Also, I'm talking about mini maglite size, not bigger and definitely not smaller. I can't stand those smaller ones, mini maglite fits really nicely in my palm.
@@drummerrene - It's because all of those "modern" lights are "tactical". That means lots of sharp edges, bulky ends, and nothing that'll actually slide into a sheath. With all of the old style Maglites, the head kept them from dropping out of a sheath, even if the bottom was torn - or if you used an open leather sheath, or even the ring used by security/watchmen (for the larger units).
I have NIMH batteries, and I have four mini-mags. A drop in LED replacement works for me. I have one, hadn't installed it yet, and was looking to order replacements for all of them.
Been subscribed for years and love your vids. I think this vid was dedicated to members of the "Mag lite Old timers club". Mag lites were great lights back in the day. Keep yours to show your grand kids. Move on and get an Olight.
Thanks; this helped a ton. I had taken my AA Maglite to a hardware store and they could not get the conversion to work. Thanks to your excellent camera work I was able to isolate the problem to an oxidized positive pad on the "do not remove" (lampholder) part. Also your video showed how the position the negative terminal (which had popped out on disassembly) when I put the lampholder back in. Thank you so much. A+++
You are a prophet...I am convinced. I was JUST thinking about this very topic...all the while musing over my old Maglite AA....just found it a few minutes ago. I still have an old pressure switch-tailcap mod to use the Mag as a weapons light on a long gun. Be honest....how many of you did not know there was a spare bulb in the tailcap?? Great video!
I have the keychain Mag and am amazed how bright that little guy is. Have a pink Mini Mag light that I almost never use but can't bring myself to get rid of. On the one hand, the LED upgrade would definitely make it brighter; on the other hand, sometimes you don't want a blinding cool light. A warm, dim light is occasionally better.
Simple and reliable. Many tradesmen carried one on their belt or pocket. Just the right amount of light. No charging cables or special batteries e.g CR123. We were happy just to have a reliable light, we didn’t need a flashlight to blind someone. Today we can build ANY THING!!! Do we need everything…eg.self driving cars and trucks!!!
Carried a mini mag light for years for work. Been carrying Olight the last couple years. You said it... no comparison! The heat shrink tubing is a great idea!
Thanks for the review brought back a lot of memories as a kid with his aa incandescent . I grew up with a 6 cell d my dad's go to flashlight at the time it was always a challenge trying to put that giant spring tail cap putting batteries back into it I would have to put all my weight into it lol
Hey! Ya forgot to test it as a candle! (-: ...them days ya just can't use/deal with the noise of a Coleman lantern. I like the lumens on the old Maglite/Pelicans cuz I can see again quicker when I turn it off. Mini still has it's place in my stash. Crazy vid SP, thanks
Hey Sootch... I am a Huge fan of Maglite Flashlights... I just recently visited their website and bought New O-rings...Lens...and Switches to rebuild a AA Mini Mag... You can't do that with most LED flashlights made in China...Bwa hahahahahaha Sadly...the only way I can get any of these Mag-Lites is by ordering off their website... None of my local stores sell them anymore...and that breaks my Heart... They are 100 percent made in the USA...and like you said..."Built like a Tank"... they can easily be upgraded to LED...as well... Thanks for doing this upgrade review...Kudos...my Friend...
them little mags are awesome power went out the mini mags saved the day ran one in candle mode in each room worked great I love them I'll never get rid of my 14 lumens I use it a lot for paperwork at night works great when you want to light up with out going blind😉
This video back me in my childhood.... MiniMag was my first "modern" flashlight after Varta with 3R12 battery pack :) How I use Imalent hr70 and Imalent ms03. Best of the best.
For anyone who came for LED upgrade, I just bought the Nite Eyez kit off Amazon for $15. This will turn your incandescent Mini into a super bright LED. I added the Eneloop Pro 2500 mah AAs, meaning I can pack 4 extra AAs and get about 50 hours of continuous light, or more with more AAs. I find this to be a big improvement over rechargeable devices which tend to die right when you need them
I've always wondered whether there'd be an upgrade for my old Mini Maglite and whether it's any good. Watched this video, went to amazon - now I'm happy. Thanks!
I own a double AAA mini Maglite, the spare bulb is still in its place. I think i bought it in middle '90 and it was expansive. I dont upgrade it, i dont like triple A flashlights but i like that its look vintage. My latest aquisition is Acebeam K75 with 2 sets of batteries, Acebeam and KeepPower.
Great Vid! I too bought a number of the old Maglite Xenon before the 'new' LED's came out. They still function, but comparison to new LED units are pretty poor. I next bought some of the LED XL50 units which are pretty darn good. I have them in each car, plus in the house. One of my old Maglite bulbs dies and I debated either just ordering new Xenon replacement bulbs or upgrading to the new LED conversion units. I didn't even know there was a replacement bulb in the end of the unit until I watched your video. Found it, replaced the old bulb and it works again I decided to just keep the old Maglites as extra lights instead of going to the higher cost of updating them to LED. That being said I feel sorry for the consumers that actually buy old technology Xenon flashlights because you can still purchase them.
My first pump shotgun was a Winchester 1300 that got bubba'd hard with all the ATI pistol grip furniture, heat shield and a mini mag light with a pressure switch. It was sooo classy.
I love my triple D mag light. The original bulb shows colors better than the LED. The LED is brighter. And I can use the mag light as a club if needs arise. I bought my mag light in 1990. I was 17. I’m about to buy the pro. It will last another 31 years, until my next mag light purchase. If there’s a way to plug it directly into a portable solar panel, that would be awesome. Just a replaceable buttcap upgrade, and rechargeable batteries( I’m talking to you maglight.) Pro tip: If you remove the cover off the top and slide the base into it. The light becomes a standup lantern with an exposed bulb.
I STILL HAVE MY OLD MAG LIGHTS AND USE THEM TO THIS DAY!!!!! I NEVER UPGRADED MY OLD ONES( I STILL USE THEM)WHEN I COULD BUY BETTER COMPLETE ONES FOR THE SAME OR LESS MONEY THAN AN UPGRADE KIT!!!!!
The clip is a must for me! I use it to clip my Mag Lite to my hat bill and use it for a headlight. Find a headlight that fits your pocket as nice as a Mag Lite Mini!
I always want a good regular battery-powered flashlight in addition to my Olights and other LED/Lithium lights. When there's no power for recharging, regular batteries come in handy.
it's great to have the Maglite still with us after all these years: I have them in multiple colors and sizes, with no shame. I've also used the upgrades, here and there, and I will warn everyone that the Nite-Ize button/switch upgrade can stop working after a while. (It didn't make me throw away my light, though: I just put the old bottom piece back in.)
I love maglite for their classic aesthetic simplicity and reliability ,I just wish they would introduce a much better reflector cone with no artifacts and hot spots. In my opinion Maglite makes the best looking flashlights, most modern flashlights these days are just ugly, too tactical and futuristic looking. Nothing comes close in slim compact size to the led solitaire, and the AAA led minimag is a great one as well for around $15. Btw Streamlight was actually first, and shortly after the minimag hit the scene Streamlight had the Mini mite light ( you'll find no information, they changed the name to something else I can't remember) which looked a lot like a minimag with a tail switch.
I have several mag lights but I gotta say the streamlight stylus pro is excellent. 100 lumens out of box. Being a mechanic I use this everyday without failure
Did this on my bigger D cell maglites but quite an expensive upgrade, I have recently bought ledlenser torches and much prefer them as well as their optics and features nowadays.
Back in the day, Maglite was the gold standard, but times have definitely left them behind. I think it's extremely hard to beat the Wowtac A1S now as far as light/for your $$. I feel it delivers a great deal more features for the same $30
I've tried upgrading a standard mag light mini to an LED and had nothing but issues. Primarily contact issues for the battery, and the LED kit I bought, was pretty low power.
I just got my first mini maglite as i always wanted one back in the 1990's when shops here in the U.K. stocked all the lovely coloured maglites. Anyway it arrived and to say I'm disappointed is an understatement. Here we are in 2024 and I unknowingly bought a torch with an incandescent light! Really irked as it is so dim
Even with todays newest leds, brighter than ever and longer lasting batteries, they never last for me. They always go dim after a year or so and aren’t as bright as they used to be. Working in a prison with an led flashlight at night and it going dim is a real nightmare scenario. So I’ve continued to use my old xenon mini maglite. And while it isn’t the brightest, unlike all my leds, it never quits. And if it does break, Unlike an LED circuit board, a normal bulb can be swapped out in the dark just by feel alone. Maglite is the only flashlight I will continue to use on a daily basis and trust with my life. But I do have tail switch upgrades. Like the button on the back, or sometimes I will use the “bust a cap” glass breaker tail replacement if I’m going for a long drive. I even bring a maglite when I’m hiking or hunting, on the job or just day to day out and about. Even though they aren’t the brightest, (there are new maglites that are led and a 1000 lumens, I’m talking about my old ones I still have) like you said, they are still the standard when it comes to reliability, dependability, and indestructibility.
I have a mini mag pro that’s 351 Lumens and a streamlight stinger HPL. I use both lights every day at work, definitely interested in getting the push on/off button for my mini mag pro.
Maglite is still around; maybe not nearly as prevalent as they used to be but they adapted to the times and "stayed in the game", unlike Sears Roebuck and Co. which could have been Amazon because they were A to Z but they failed to adapt to the internet commerce era and foundered.
100-200 lumens seem to respect colors and good for out indoors/repairs and the 300 good for outdoors or light an entire room aiming for the roof. Anything bellow 100 might be old trash at this point considering how good LED technology improve all this years on both power and efficient. Best review ever o/ just missing more testing grounds as some use them to repair their cars and stuff and not for outdoors, but we got the idea ;)
LITT website states “will NOT fit newer LED models. That’s really too bad. A tail switch would be great on these. Enter the XL50 I guess. XL50 is definitely the way to go imo. The tail switch is great. They also tail stand. Quick access to low mode is very handy when looking up close. FYI the mini mag (pro) has a low mode too. Quickly twist on and off or twice while holding directly downward the low mode should work.
13:50 is genius! The factory knurling on the Maglites was always very poor. Good knurling creates shape edges, like rows of tiny pyramids but the Maglite knurling was just awful and slicker than a plain surface.
I prefer to buy Maglite because they are made in America. They make some of the best physical quality flashlights on the planet considering what they charge for them. It's such a shame they don't take their specs more seriously. Could you imagine if they tried to engineer a maglite mini to outdo the other guys? I'm buying the Pro right now but I also bought a vintage model and I'm going to play around with some lithium ion batteries and see what I could whip up with some crazy LEDs from the Internet.
The current pro PLUS is 351 lumens and has hi and low......great option......sometimes you need runtime over excess light......the plus gives you that option......great review.
Ha ha, those are a blast from the past. I have probably 6 or 8 of them in a drawer in the shop. They were so junky and unreliable, I'd just wait until I had 4 or 5 that were inoperable, box them up and send them to california for lifertime warranty repair. After a very long wait, they would come back ( slowest warranty repair ever ! ), and I would start the process over.
feel ya! I have 2 Mini Mag Pro LED's. few years old, both intermirt flickering issues!! CAN NOT et any response from the "Factory". cant return them w/o the original package & ALL the accessories in the pkg. still have to use my original 30 lum Mini Mag from 25 years ago! IMHO: the springs are a real weak link!! always were!
thanks sootch I just threw one away and then dug it out of the garbage because I felt bad........ It was my Dads...................... I WILL REBUILD HER.............
They have LED flashlights with more than two settings (ON and OFF), many are dimmable and there's other "bulb" options like warm white instead of the harsher cool white bulbs.
Very awesome! My dad was a police officer, retired now but still works as needed. But he used to carry the big Maglite. I'm wanting to say it was rechargeable maybe? I think it had like a stun gun on the end of it... I can't remember that was years ago. I know he always carried the big one and we had one for the house and it was either C or D battery powered. I know it was heavy as hell. He said sometimes he had to use it as a baton lol! Cool video Sootch!
U. S. NAVY intrduced me to the maglite. Bought my first one at the ships store aboard the USS Independence in May of 1987.
You talk about a reliable light. Used it in shipyard, used in in power failure and used it on the flight deck performing maintance. (with my red lens)
love them lights .
Thanks so much for this video. going ti do this to mine.
Left one in the woods in a primitive lean to shelter for two years. Cleaned it up at home, still works. That's after 2 bad winters and it be frozen with a corroded battery. Tank!
Reminds me of being a kid in the late 80’s and 90’s. We always had maglites kicking around. Used them for everything from camping to household projects to blanket forts. I still have three or four maglites that I really don’t use anymore but can’t seem to get rid of despite having better options. They’re just nostalgic.
Remember my first maglite, thought it was the greatest thing ever.
If you were a sound-guy/gal or lighting tech during the 90s you had one or three of these. before headlamps came into play you would just hold it with your mouth. I guess I'm sounding old-school here. Thanks senor sooch.
Yes sir! I was an L.D. back in the early 90’s and everybody wore a mini-mag on a lanyard around their neck and some even taped a sharpie to the lanyard as well! That’s how you knew who was a pro!😆
Carried one 87-93 in the navy, it was great to look in equipment and digging in cable runs.
Not a lighting or sound guy, but in the Navy 80s/90s/00s. Mini Mags were a lifesaver, especially on a ship in the shipyard (lots of holes in the deck that were basically bottomless pits, and lots of power outages).
True😊
You don’t do that anymore…?
I still have 3, I did the led upgrade on all of them and 20 plus years later they still work
Try that with a cheap light from overseas…
You I thought this was an interesting video at first. Havent seen a maglite in years. Then I go to my recently deceased grandfather's house to clear some stuff out and I see his mini maglite in the garage, still fully functional. It's probably been 7 or 8 years since he's been in the garage or used anything in there. You better believe I took that home with me. Thanks for making me aware of some upgrades!
I love this company....I especially like the LED XL50 model they are great little lights I own about 5 of them...check them out. I saw an interview with the78 year old owner (he's much older now) they asked him why he didn't send his mfg to China...he said that his marketing people wanted him to do that and his reply was..."but then how do I tell the woman over there running that machine that she isn't going to be able to send her son to college because her job is going to China." He also said..."I know the company could make a LOT more money by going to China but I'd rather keep these people working right here in the U.S.A."
Yep i watched that video myself too. I still carry a mini mag. i like the newer lights also but i still prefer the mini mag at times for EDC
MADE IN THE USA. 🇺🇸
And another thought about the durability and the lower lumens of the maglite is the industrial maintenance use of them, in certain situations having too bright of a light can be a problem when looking at mirror or near mirror finishes for repairs and the like, you still need the durability but less lumens to be able to see up close and not be blinded by your own light.
I prefer the incondescent for close-up work, easier on the eyes while there is too much reflective white light with the LED. Also colors are much easier to distinguish with incondescent which is much better when working with color coded wiring. Both LED & Incondescent have strong & weakness points this is why I have both, depending on the task at hand...
Have to agree with you on this.
Just get a high quality LED emitter. One with a CRI of 95 or so. I use one for work and at 4000k color temperature it's just like daylight. I use the Wurkkos TS21 4000Kk model.
Something else to consider is battery life, the batteries last twice as long in the incandescent models.
I still have a couple old mini mag's around....lol..... they work when everything else has gone down and I still carried em on my bike while riding...can't beat em! Great video and thanks for sharing!
That was one of my first lights was a mini mag when I was a kid that started the flashlight craze for me. Believe it or not I still have that light and it still works I have the conversion kit as well
The XL50 is by far my favorite flashlight I’ve ever had. I’ve been using mine almost daily since 2014, and it has performed admirably without issue all this time.
Saw on Amazon for £35 do you think it's worth picking up? The 332 lumen mini is the same price not sure which to get
An overlooked upgrade is to coat all threads and O-rings with a rubber-safe (synthetic/silicone) grease. It will make the focus and on switch of a Maglite very slick and will preserve the O-rings and enhance the water resistance a bit.
More reasonable!! Any light is better than none
I still have my Maglite(s), 20 years later! 😊 They sit as dinosaurs, as I have not still made any light bulb to LED conversions. Now I use a 15yr old NITEFIGHTER (a not known but quality made LED 18650 torch), Fenix E15 2016, Lumintop EDC 01 (AAA), Lumintop EDC 3.0 (14500 & AA), Olight i1R2EOS (tiny, built in bat',) tiny and awesome, very practical, handy, useful. (...). Make a Torch and rechargeable battery reliable system, and keep it handy! God bless USA and Brazil!
Thumbs up for a made in the USA flashlight review. Hell has frozen over.
I have one from years ago. Been wanting. To do this. Tomorrow sootch00. I’m gettin r done tomorrow. God bless brother. 🇺🇸🙏🏻
Great video, I found an old four cell d battery maglight that was in the closet for ten years, I put the LED replacement in it and the batteries that I thought were dead work fine. I think it will last for a long time.
The problem there is the LED will work until the batteries leak and corrode the inside so that new batteries won’t slide in.
My great-grandparents had mag lights in every room.
The Mini Mag was my go to back in the day some 20 yrs ago, would carry it in its matching belt pouch (the much nicer one with the closing flap that they sold separately but should have been included). The ability to adjust from flood to spot was probably one of the best feature of it. It's probably why I use an LED zoomie as my EDC today.
I have used those Mini Maglite s for years. With the news and mood of the country these days, I sought out a AA and AAA battery solar charger. It works great. Use with Ni-HH or NI-CD batteries
biggest problem is the batteries leak and corrode the inside and you can not get the batteries out to replace them with out a lot of work. almost a throw away and replace the whole mini-mag light.
Thanks Don, stay frosty everyone
I did these so-called "upgrades" over 2 years ago. Unless you have some obsessive love affair with your mini mag lite, just go buy an LED flashlight. You'll save money, have a better light, and likely be using more currently technology in battery power.
Maglite seems really outdated and using outdated battery tech, 18650 and 21700 are much better
my biggest problem, you'll laugh, is that all the new high tech high lumen flashlights only come as a belt clip and no sheaths, i don't like belt clips and i cant find sheaths that fit them. Also, I'm talking about mini maglite size, not bigger and definitely not smaller. I can't stand those smaller ones, mini maglite fits really nicely in my palm.
@@drummerrene - It's because all of those "modern" lights are "tactical". That means lots of sharp edges, bulky ends, and nothing that'll actually slide into a sheath. With all of the old style Maglites, the head kept them from dropping out of a sheath, even if the bottom was torn - or if you used an open leather sheath, or even the ring used by security/watchmen (for the larger units).
I have NIMH batteries, and I have four mini-mags. A drop in LED replacement works for me. I have one, hadn't installed it yet, and was looking to order replacements for all of them.
@@drummerreneno, I agree!
I have the Nite ize upgrade to my mini maglite also and it has served me well. I would never get rid of it ever.
Been subscribed for years and love your vids. I think this vid was dedicated to members of the "Mag lite Old timers club". Mag lites were great lights back in the day. Keep yours to show your grand kids. Move on and get an Olight.
Thanks; this helped a ton. I had taken my AA Maglite to a hardware store and they could not get the conversion to work. Thanks to your excellent camera work I was able to isolate the problem to an oxidized positive pad on the "do not remove" (lampholder) part. Also your video showed how the position the negative terminal (which had popped out on disassembly) when I put the lampholder back in. Thank you so much. A+++
You are a prophet...I am convinced.
I was JUST thinking about this very topic...all the while musing over my old Maglite AA....just found it a few minutes ago. I still have an old pressure switch-tailcap mod to use the Mag as a weapons light on a long gun.
Be honest....how many of you did not know there was a spare bulb in the tailcap?? Great video!
These upgrades have been around for years - there's a market from the passionate Maglite fans out there!
I have the keychain Mag and am amazed how bright that little guy is. Have a pink Mini Mag light that I almost never use but can't bring myself to get rid of. On the one hand, the LED upgrade would definitely make it brighter; on the other hand, sometimes you don't want a blinding cool light. A warm, dim light is occasionally better.
Simple and reliable. Many tradesmen carried one on their belt or pocket. Just the right amount of light. No charging cables or special batteries e.g CR123. We were happy just to have a reliable light, we didn’t need a flashlight to blind someone. Today we can build ANY THING!!! Do we need everything…eg.self driving cars and trucks!!!
Video got me sad man, last time I saw a comparison video with a xenon maglite was with Marshall from Going Gear... rip man.. miss ya
Perfect timing just found an old one still in mint condition looks like its time for an upgrade
Carried a mini mag light for years for work. Been carrying Olight the last couple years. You said it... no comparison! The heat shrink tubing is a great idea!
Bought the Nite-ize kit about 7 yrs ago when it came out. My tail cap has a red beacon that flashes every 5 min after use. To help locate it. Cool.
Thanks for the review brought back a lot of memories as a kid with his aa incandescent . I grew up with a 6 cell d my dad's go to flashlight at the time it was always a challenge trying to put that giant spring tail cap putting batteries back into it I would have to put all my weight into it lol
Hey! Ya forgot to test it as a candle! (-:
...them days ya just can't use/deal with the noise of a Coleman lantern.
I like the lumens on the old Maglite/Pelicans cuz I can see again quicker when I turn it off. Mini still has it's place in my stash.
Crazy vid SP, thanks
Hey Sootch... I am a Huge fan of Maglite Flashlights... I just recently visited their website and bought New O-rings...Lens...and Switches to rebuild a AA Mini Mag... You can't do that with most LED flashlights made in China...Bwa hahahahahaha Sadly...the only way I can get any of these Mag-Lites is by ordering off their website... None of my local stores sell them anymore...and that breaks my Heart... They are 100 percent made in the USA...and like you said..."Built like a Tank"... they can easily be upgraded to LED...as well... Thanks for doing this upgrade review...Kudos...my Friend...
I still use a few of these Maglites. It is my standard to compare others.
them little mags are awesome power went out the mini mags saved the day ran one in candle mode in each room worked great I love them I'll never get rid of my 14 lumens I use it a lot for paperwork at night works great when you want to light up with out going blind😉
This video back me in my childhood.... MiniMag was my first "modern" flashlight after Varta with 3R12 battery pack :)
How I use Imalent hr70 and Imalent ms03. Best of the best.
Have carried a mini mag in one variety or another since 1997 great lights I have the mini mag pro now.
For anyone who came for LED upgrade, I just bought the Nite Eyez kit off Amazon for $15. This will turn your incandescent Mini into a super bright LED. I added the Eneloop Pro 2500 mah AAs, meaning I can pack 4 extra AAs and get about 50 hours of continuous light, or more with more AAs. I find this to be a big improvement over rechargeable devices which tend to die right when you need them
I've always wondered whether there'd be an upgrade for my old Mini Maglite and whether it's any good. Watched this video, went to amazon - now I'm happy. Thanks!
I own a double AAA mini Maglite, the spare bulb is still in its place. I think i bought it in middle '90 and it was expansive. I dont upgrade it, i dont like triple A flashlights but i like that its look vintage. My latest aquisition is Acebeam K75 with 2 sets of batteries, Acebeam and KeepPower.
I have an xl50 mounted on a shotgun held up really well.
Great Vid! I too bought a number of the old Maglite Xenon before the 'new' LED's came out. They still function, but comparison to new LED units are pretty poor. I next bought some of the LED XL50 units which are pretty darn good. I have them in each car, plus in the house. One of my old Maglite bulbs dies and I debated either just ordering new Xenon replacement bulbs or upgrading to the new LED conversion units. I didn't even know there was a replacement bulb in the end of the unit until I watched your video. Found it, replaced the old bulb and it works again
I decided to just keep the old Maglites as extra lights instead of going to the higher cost of updating them to LED. That being said I feel sorry for the consumers that actually buy old technology Xenon flashlights because you can still purchase them.
If they would make a compact 18650 as twist head in the old fashion retro style. The would be something many would buy I think.
My first pump shotgun was a Winchester 1300 that got bubba'd hard with all the ATI pistol grip furniture, heat shield and a mini mag light with a pressure switch. It was sooo classy.
Great to see increased frequency of videos on sensible prepper!
I love my triple D mag light. The original bulb shows colors better than the LED. The LED is brighter. And I can use the mag light as a club if needs arise.
I bought my mag light in 1990. I was 17. I’m about to buy the pro. It will last another 31 years, until my next mag light purchase.
If there’s a way to plug it directly into a portable solar panel, that would be awesome. Just a replaceable buttcap upgrade, and rechargeable batteries( I’m talking to you maglight.)
Pro tip:
If you remove the cover off the top and slide the base into it. The light becomes a standup lantern with an exposed bulb.
There is a glass lens available for the AA online. I don't recall who the vendor is, but it works very well. Great video!
I STILL HAVE MY OLD MAG LIGHTS AND USE THEM TO THIS DAY!!!!! I NEVER UPGRADED MY OLD ONES( I STILL USE THEM)WHEN I COULD BUY BETTER COMPLETE ONES FOR THE SAME OR LESS MONEY THAN AN UPGRADE KIT!!!!!
I have the 3 D battery led version I use at work and I like it. I have the SureFire XSC on my P365, I like my products Made in the USA🇺🇸
Thanks for filming
The clip is a must for me! I use it to clip my Mag Lite to my hat bill and use it for a headlight. Find a headlight that fits your pocket as nice as a Mag Lite Mini!
Love your gear reviews ... top notch!
I always want a good regular battery-powered flashlight in addition to my Olights and other LED/Lithium lights. When there's no power for recharging, regular batteries come in handy.
FWIW, Olight also has the i3e, i3t and i5t, which all use plain old AAA and AA batteries or disposable lithiums.
Had D cell big mag lights in my Jeep back in the day. Now, O-light fanatic.
Got 2 minis a 2, 3, and 4D cell. All great lights.
it's great to have the Maglite still with us after all these years: I have them in multiple colors and sizes, with no shame. I've also used the upgrades, here and there, and I will warn everyone that the Nite-Ize button/switch upgrade can stop working after a while. (It didn't make me throw away my light, though: I just put the old bottom piece back in.)
Thanks for this video Don, I throughly love my mini maglite flashlights.
Old school mag lite was the best in it's day
I love my o light pro warrior now but still have my 2 aa mini mag light in my get home pack
I have an xl50 as well. Probably close to 10 years and is my edc light. Great light for the money.
You can just stick a regular led bulb into the holes for the Xeon bulb and trim to fit.
Yeah I was able to mod 2 to work on 110 lumen SMD 3030 LEDs. Have some pics on my channel... 😄😏
I love maglite for their classic aesthetic simplicity and reliability ,I just wish they would introduce a much better reflector cone with no artifacts and hot spots.
In my opinion Maglite makes the best looking flashlights, most modern flashlights these days are just ugly, too tactical and futuristic looking.
Nothing comes close in slim compact size to the led solitaire, and the AAA led minimag is a great one as well for around $15.
Btw Streamlight was actually first, and shortly after the minimag hit the scene Streamlight had the Mini mite light ( you'll find no information, they changed the name to something else I can't remember) which looked a lot like a minimag with a tail switch.
Still have my first and only one I have bought (20+y), new bulb and batteries and good to go
Incandescent works best with blue filter for tracking blood over led.
I have several mag lights but I gotta say the streamlight stylus pro is excellent. 100 lumens out of box. Being a mechanic I use this everyday without failure
Excellent video. That was a lot of fun
Did this on my bigger D cell maglites but quite an expensive upgrade, I have recently bought ledlenser torches and much prefer them as well as their optics and features nowadays.
i have the 14lumen version and i love to use it as a lantern 😀you can do it by simply removing the main cap and use it as a stand
Those LED's are much more efficient and none of the battery power is wasted as heat. You can leave the flashlight on for days and it will still work.
Back in the day, Maglite was the gold standard, but times have definitely left them behind.
I think it's extremely hard to beat the Wowtac A1S now as far as light/for your $$. I feel it delivers a great deal more features for the same $30
The mini mags are still handy and don’t burn up your C123s. I used them with the red lens caps quite often playing Army.
I recently added a black led mini maglite with red lense to my kit. I know I could get brighter and lighter, but maglite is built like a tank.
I've tried upgrading a standard mag light mini to an LED and had nothing but issues. Primarily contact issues for the battery, and the LED kit I bought, was pretty low power.
I just got my first mini maglite as i always wanted one back in the 1990's when shops here in the U.K. stocked all the lovely coloured maglites.
Anyway it arrived and to say I'm disappointed is an understatement. Here we are in 2024 and I unknowingly bought a torch with an incandescent light! Really irked as it is so dim
Even with todays newest leds, brighter than ever and longer lasting batteries, they never last for me. They always go dim after a year or so and aren’t as bright as they used to be. Working in a prison with an led flashlight at night and it going dim is a real nightmare scenario. So I’ve continued to use my old xenon mini maglite. And while it isn’t the brightest, unlike all my leds, it never quits. And if it does break, Unlike an LED circuit board, a normal bulb can be swapped out in the dark just by feel alone. Maglite is the only flashlight I will continue to use on a daily basis and trust with my life. But I do have tail switch upgrades. Like the button on the back, or sometimes I will use the “bust a cap” glass breaker tail replacement if I’m going for a long drive. I even bring a maglite when I’m hiking or hunting, on the job or just day to day out and about. Even though they aren’t the brightest, (there are new maglites that are led and a 1000 lumens, I’m talking about my old ones I still have) like you said, they are still the standard when it comes to reliability, dependability, and indestructibility.
Die Nummer eins 💪🏻💪🏻👌🏻 Dann LED LENSER die zwei .
I have a mini mag pro that’s 351 Lumens and a streamlight stinger HPL. I use both lights every day at work, definitely interested in getting the push on/off button for my mini mag pro.
Im in the same boat. My AA lite sucks compared to the ne AAA LED lite. I was shocked! Hell i thought the batteries were worn down and they were new!
Walmart used to have these, but for the past 3 years I haven't seen them. I've also noticed nobody has them anymore.
Maglite is still around; maybe not nearly as prevalent as they used to be but they adapted to the times and "stayed in the game", unlike Sears Roebuck and Co. which could have been Amazon because they were A to Z but they failed to adapt to the internet commerce era and foundered.
100-200 lumens seem to respect colors and good for out indoors/repairs and the 300 good for outdoors or light an entire room aiming for the roof.
Anything bellow 100 might be old trash at this point considering how good LED technology improve all this years on both power and efficient.
Best review ever o/ just missing more testing grounds as some use them to repair their cars and stuff and not for outdoors, but we got the idea ;)
LITT website states “will NOT fit newer LED models. That’s really too bad. A tail switch would be great on these.
Enter the XL50 I guess.
XL50 is definitely the way to go imo. The tail switch is great. They also tail stand. Quick access to low mode is very handy when looking up close.
FYI the mini mag (pro) has a low mode too. Quickly twist on and off or twice while holding directly downward the low mode should work.
I tossed my old AA MINI MAG in my tool box. I have the new AA Mini mag LED for my tool bag. Its fukin awesome!
Olight has become the new Maglite
That's actually so true
Olight... Made in China 👎
@@bigbob16 Maybe get some good brands in the USA then instead of brands like Olight and Fenix from china outcompeting you
13:50 is genius! The factory knurling on the Maglites was always very poor. Good knurling creates shape edges, like rows of tiny pyramids but the Maglite knurling was just awful and slicker than a plain surface.
Can use old style as candle , remove reflector insert body. ✔
I prefer to buy Maglite because they are made in America. They make some of the best physical quality flashlights on the planet considering what they charge for them. It's such a shame they don't take their specs more seriously. Could you imagine if they tried to engineer a maglite mini to outdo the other guys? I'm buying the Pro right now but I also bought a vintage model and I'm going to play around with some lithium ion batteries and see what I could whip up with some crazy LEDs from the Internet.
The current pro PLUS is 351 lumens and has hi and low......great option......sometimes you need runtime over excess light......the plus gives you that option......great review.
Ha ha, those are a blast from the past. I have probably 6 or 8 of them in a drawer in the shop. They were so junky and unreliable, I'd just wait until I had 4 or 5 that were inoperable, box them up and send them to california for lifertime warranty repair. After a very long wait, they would come back ( slowest warranty repair ever ! ), and I would start the process over.
feel ya! I have 2 Mini Mag Pro LED's. few years old, both intermirt flickering issues!! CAN NOT et any response from the "Factory". cant return them w/o the original package & ALL the accessories in the pkg.
still have to use my original 30 lum Mini Mag from 25 years ago! IMHO: the springs are a real weak link!! always were!
Tolle Videos habe mir schon manche gespeichert.
thanks sootch I just threw one away and then dug it out of the garbage because I felt bad........ It was my Dads...................... I WILL REBUILD HER.............
Thanks for Ontario California shout out.
I like having one of the originals around. Sometimes the LED is just too much.
They have LED flashlights with more than two settings (ON and OFF), many are dimmable and there's other "bulb" options like warm white instead of the harsher cool white bulbs.
Very awesome! My dad was a police officer, retired now but still works as needed. But he used to carry the big Maglite. I'm wanting to say it was rechargeable maybe? I think it had like a stun gun on the end of it... I can't remember that was years ago. I know he always carried the big one and we had one for the house and it was either C or D battery powered. I know it was heavy as hell. He said sometimes he had to use it as a baton lol! Cool video Sootch!
I forgot how bad the old incandescent lights were. Holy cow. A lighter is brighter
I have my mini mag in the car. I use it for finding lost items In the car. Lol I have Olight’s but I will still have my mini. ✌️🌻🌻
If you ever watch 'clear and present danger' notice the captain is using a mini maglite with red lense on his lbv88.