Maglite 3D upgrade options?

[mountainpete]

Hi gang,

I have two Maglite 3 D-cell flashlights that I would like to upgrade a bit since the bulbs are all broken. I know there are some good LED, etc, upgrades out there and looking to go bright!

Any suggestions on how to turn that 3D into something that will be so bright it will allow me to X-ray woodland creatures from 50 feet?

Pete

 

[Carlyle]

I put the Mag Lite 3 watt Led's in all my Mag Lites including a 3D and have been suitably impressed. Maybe there are better upgrades, but these are very nice and easy to find.

 

[calamaridog]

You want this TLE-6EXB TerraLUX LED instead of the Maglite brand one. This is a great upgrade and retains full adjustability of the light. They say 150 lumens and I'm sure it is close.

http://www.batteryjunction.com/tle-6exb.html

I have ordered stuff for work and personal use from this vendor and they are great.

I should add that the price has gone down to $22.95 USD from $25.95 USD.

 

[jsolorza]

check this website out www.candlepowerforums.com
a lot of info.

 

[peekay]

Hi gang,

I have two Maglite 3 D-cell flashlights that I would like to upgrade a bit since the bulbs are all broken. I know there are some good LED, etc, upgrades out there and looking to go bright!

Any suggestions on how to turn that 3D into something that will be so bright it will allow me to X-ray woodland creatures from 50 feet?

Pete

On Candlepowerforums, the recognized best Maglite upgrade is the Malkoff devices Cree upgrade. I don't have one but I do have a Cree powered light. Simply put, they are amazing. Way way brighter than the stock Maglite, and maybe 10-20x's the runtime.

 

[FLYFISHEXPERT]

I think any LED upgrade will make you happy. All of my MagLites are LED,2 3D and 1 3AA. Last spring we went searching for a couple of people in our group that got lost out in the desert and I had my 3D LED and everybody kept asking me what flashlight I was using. It was amazing the light output of these things. I was able to purchase all three at a decent price, they were all misspriced at $19. I couldn't pass it up.

I also agree with the Cree option. I have a Fenix L1D CREE which puts out 120 Lumens. The thing is great. I now have the Fenix P3D Cree Premium Q5 on my wish list - output is 215 Lumens.

Plus the great thing about the LED is battery life. I used my 3AA one nearly everyday for 10 months and I only had to replace the batteries once. My coworker had to replace the batteries in his about once a month.

 

[4RunAmok]

You want this TLE-6EXB TerraLUX LED instead of the Maglite brand one. This is a great upgrade and retains full adjustability of the light. They say 150 lumens and I'm sure it is close.

http://www.batteryjunction.com/tle-6exb.html

I have ordered stuff for work and personal use from this vendor and they are great.

I should add that the price has gone down to $22.95 USD from $25.95 USD.

I second the TerraLUX.

This simple cheap upgrade nearly bested by $165 LAPD Pelican, not quite, but nearly.

 

[SOAZ]

I did the led upgrade and didn't think it was that big of a difference, but it sure helped.
Then I got my hands on a surefire led flashlight....
It fits in my pocket and throws more light than my giant maglight.
80 lumens. I got the little g2. 80 lumens. 12 hours of use on a set of batteries.

I'm in the process of thinking how my old mag light mount will work as a shovel mount since I just don't need it anymore.

 

[mountainpete]

Thanks for the information guys!

I'm not sure which way to go. I really like some of those conversions but they are much more expensive then I expected! I'm considering just parking the Maglites and buying something else now...

I did pick up a Leatherman LED at Costco in the USA on my last trip (which is actually what got me thinking about converting the Maglite in the first place). I picked that up for around $30 and it's super bright. I'm thinking I'll just buy a few more of those now.

If anyone is curious about that flashlight, there is a great review of it here: http://edcforums.com/index.php?topic=12937.msg157635

 

[kjp1969]

I just ordered the Terralux for my 25 year old 3D Maglight- I got this flashlight as a present from my Dad when I was 12 or 13 and its done it all, from fixing cars to trips into the crawlspace, camping, etc. It's kind of a big old dinosaur, but it lives in the Bronco now and its got sentimental value. Now hopefully it will shine as brightly as my Surefire.

 

[mountainpete]

I just ordered the Terralux for my 25 year old 3D Maglight- I got this flashlight as a present from my Dad when I was 12 or 13 and its done it all, from fixing cars to trips into the crawlspace, camping, etc. It's kind of a big old dinosaur, but it lives in the Bronco now and its got sentimental value. Now hopefully it will shine as brightly as my Surefire.

Can you report back with your impressions on the brightness? I'll hold off doing anything until then

 

[kjp1969]

Can you report back with your impressions on the brightness? I'll hold off doing anything until then

Sure- it'll be here in a few days. I previously got a Maglite brand LED upgrade for a 2D flashlight that we keep in the kitchen, and it works well. It's not like a car headlight or anything, but I usually grab it when I want to light up a possum in our backyard. It works well for that!

 

[4RunAmok]

Sure- it'll be here in a few days. I previously got a Maglite brand LED upgrade for a 2D flashlight that we keep in the kitchen, and it works well. It's not like a car headlight or anything, but I usually grab it when I want to light up a possum in our backyard. It works well for that!

The TerraLUX will be as bright or brighter than the car headlight.

The Maglight LED upgrade that I bought originally is now in the battery cap compartment. In a maglight to maglight comparison, one with the Maglight LED Upgrade and the TerraLUX in the other, the maglight upgrade hardly showed up next to the TerraLUX. The only thing brighter that I have is my Pelican 7060 LAPD LED Flashlight, priced at $165.

 

[kjp1969]

The TerraLUX will be as bright or brighter than the car headlight.

The Maglight LED upgrade that I bought originally is now in the battery cap compartment. In a maglight to maglight comparison, one with the Maglight LED Upgrade and the TerraLUX in the other, the maglight upgrade hardly showed up next to the TerraLUX. The only thing brighter that I have is my Pelican 7060 LAPD LED Flashlight, priced at $165.

So I'm not the only flashlight geek out there? My wife made me count them up a while ago, I stopped counting at around 25. Only two are surefires, 3 streamlights, a half-dozen maglights of different kinds, 2 headlamps, a couple of lanterns, and the rest are miscellaneous.

She doesn't know about the new bulb yet- I don't think it should count against me. . .

 

[Tucson T4R]

OK, you guys sucked me in too! :sport_box Thanks a lot, now I have one of the TerraLUX maglight upgrades on order.


I have to quit reading about all these cool ideas. :shakin: