1990 and 1991 Transitional Maglites

Summary: In 1990 Maglite started to modernize their lights. This marked the end of the vintage Maglite era and the lights started to look more like the ones produced today.

Since 1979 Mag Instrument has been dedicated to finding ways to cut costs through manufacturing efficiencies instead of raising prices on their lights. Throughout the 1980s Maglites remained largely unchanged except for minor cosmetic differences. That changed in 1990. By 1992 the light's design was completely overhauled into the flashlight that's currently available today. In this post I'll discuss the 1990 and 1991 model lights. Most collectors refer to these as "transitional" models. Before I start it should be noted at all parts interchange between the 1991 and prior models even though the aesthetics changed slightly. This is not the case with 1992 and later lights where most parts will not interchange. Shown below is a 1991 Red Transitional 5D and a 1983 Black Vintage 5D. I'll discuss the differences shortly.

One of the changes that started in early 1990 was that the light's grip size was reduced. The grip size was reduced due to the fact that the grip near the end of the flashlight went largely unused as most users held the light near the switch or in the middle for a better balance point. The decision to reduce the grip saved on production time and tooling costs. Grip sizes were reduced according to the table below and the grip length was standardized to it's currently available length. Also shown below is a picture comparing two 3Ds. The top one is a vintage light that is an example of the 1989 and prior models and the bottom one is a 1990 that is a good example of 1990 and 1991 transitional lights. This picture show the overall reduced grip length. This change makes it very easy to spot the older lights on everyone's favorite auction site or in photos. Along with the bezel style it is a very useful tool in determining the age of a Maglite without knowing the serial number.

The bezel also changed. Like the Mini Maglites I covered earlier the bezel on the original models was stamped and the stamping was then filled in with white paint. Over time the white paint would sometimes wear away and the bezel stamping sometimes produced quality control issues. The laser etching, like the grip size change, reduced production time and although it was a large capital investment at the time the overall production cost was again reduced. Shown below is a picture of the difference between a stamped bezel on the pre 1990 models and a laser etched bezel of a 1990 light. The light on the left in both pictures is a laser etched bezel and the light on the right in both pictures is a stamped bezel. It's much easier to tell these apart in person because the laser etched bezels are smooth whereas the stamped bezels are indented and there is a groove for each letter.

In addition the switch style was also changed. Up until 1989 the switches used an aluminum retaining ring that screwed into the inside diameter of the light and held the switch in place. Starting in 1990 Mag Instrument changed this to a plastic retaining ring and it is now the only style available when ordering replacement switches for older style lights. I've detailed the benefits of this change in my post on removing stuck retaining rings. I do have a large collection of NOS (new old stock) metal retaining ring switches that I use for restorations so I can use the correct switch for the light being restored though. Shown below is a picture from that thread showing the difference between the switches. The older style switch is on the left and the newer style switch is on the right.

These "transitional" lights kept the same barrel size and non-letter serials as the pre 1990 lights. In 1992 the Maglite was completely re-designed into the model that's available today. Details on those changes can be found here. Most collectors regard the 1991 models as the last year of vintage Maglites and some even regard 1989 as the last year. I have several "transitional" Maglites but they are not as collectible as earlier lights. In fact most folks confuse these with the 1992+ "Panther" Maglites because they look so similar. I enjoy these lights because they still have the larger barrel even though they may be some of the least collectible Maglites.

Colors were very limited on these lights. This was mainly due to the fact that Mag Instrument was starting to modernize their facility and starting to build new tooling and assembly lines for the switch over to the redesigned lights in 1992. I've only seen these in black, red, blue, and silver. Serial numbers are going to be around the values listed in the table below as I have examples of each D cell transitional model and they were only produced for 2 years.

It is interesting to note that these serial numbers are also the production numbers of each model D cell up until 1991. So, in around a decade 4,000,000 3D Cells were produced. This is a good example of how popular, or unpopular, certain models are. I've always been curious as to why Maglite produces a 5D seeing how close in length they are to a 6D and 4D and how unpopular they are. I posted a D Cell Quick Dating Guide that shows round about serial numbers for each model and the above table can also be used to guesstimate the age of your light. Production numbers were low in 1979 and 1980 but were pretty constant throughout the rest of the 80s. Of course, Maglite can tell you the exact date your light was manufactured if you send them an info request on their web site. It's also interesting to note that in the 90s some model Maglites sold in these numbers in a single year. For example 3Ds would easily sell 2,000,000 a year or more in the late 90s. This puts into perspective how rare the 1991 and prior lights really are.

As always I'm looking to buy Vari-Beams and Vintage/Rare Mags. Please let me know if you have any, top dollar paid.