Summary: ASP made an expandable baton attachment for C and D cells in the early 90s that didn't work all that well and is very rare today.
I am putting the finishing touches on this post today, 5/11/18. This is also the one year anniversary of my blog.
My first post was to simply explain the differences between a Maglite with a letter in the serial and ones without because I'd seen this question asked so much. I never intended this to be a blog with regular posts but merely a one time dump of all of the Maglite information I amassed from 8 or so years of collecting. It took me about 6 months to post everything I had. I took a hiatus for Thanksgiving and Christmas and during that time I found some new, interesting lights and researched out some more info I was curious about. I've been posting just about twice a month since March and I think I'm pretty close to complete again. In the meantime, please enjoy one of the most interesting lights I have and happy one year anniversary to me!
At first glance this may look like a run of the mill
6C Maglite which is rare enough considering they were discontinued in 2003 after only 400,000 or so made. This model happens to be a 1990 or 1991 due to the laser etched bezel and a lack of the Panther logo as can be seen in my
C Cell Quick Dating Guide. What makes this light unique is what's hidden inside!
This particular 6C has a suprise inside, it deploys an "attitude adjuster" more commonly known as a baton. These expandable batons were designed and manufactured by Armament Systems and Procedures, more commonly known as ASP to replace the end cap and take up 3 cells worth of space in a Maglite. They re-used the stock tail spring. They worked on 5, 6, or
7C cell lights. The bulb also needed to be changed to the correct voltage rating after subtracting 3 cells. In this case the light uses a 3 cell Maglite
Krypton bulb. A 5 cell light would be reduced to a 2 cell and a 7 cell reduced to a 4 cell.
These batons are very rare now mainly because they were produced in very limited numbers around 1991. The reason for this is that the already long lights became even more unwieldy when coupled with a 21" baton. Shown below is a pic next to a
7D and of the "ASP 21" stamping at the base of the baton.
The lights were very difficult to swing and were more menacing looking than anything else. It's no surprise ASP went on to work with Kevin Truax to develop the Nightstalker which added a compact CR123 light to the end of their baton and then later Don Keller to develop the Tac-Lite (Triad) as a baton attachment. Both of these lights offered their compactness as an incredible advantage to make the baton more manageable and easy to control. It's worth mentioning that Surefire also went on to develop a similar CR123 light that allowed for attachment to a baton too.
I'm surprised these attachments were produced considering a large C or D cell Maglite is a really a baton itself and doesn't need an additional baton. The baton, like most ASPs, is difficult to close and requires that the end be pounded against a solid surface like pavement or concrete. I managed to break the filament on a bulb closing this one so after repeated use in the field it's easy to see how it might not work so well. Even when coupled with a 7C the light output of the reduced voltage, 4C, bulb is still unimpressive when compared to a
Streamlight SL-20 or
Mag Charger.
As unpractical and unpopular as these C cell baton lights may be they are still a very interesting light that is a natural evolution from the super long earlier Kel-Lite Baton Lights. As far as I know these were put out in very limited numbers for D cell Maglites, C cell Maglites, and some Streamlights.
This one came from a survival instructor in North Carolina who bought it directly from an ASP sales rep in 1991 for self defense. Unfortunately the 6C he had it on had a battery leak and the light was lost. Luckily he saved the ASP attachment and I was able to purchase it. I installed it on one of the 6Cs I own which is from around the time the baton was produced.
It's interesting to see how the thinking really diverged in the 1990s. Up until then the mantra was basically "bigger is better". 3Ds or larger were the norm. It seems like with the advent of the collapsible baton, taser, and pepper spray there really wasn't much of a need to carry such a large light anymore. Out of all the officers I work with I almost never see a D or C cell light anymore unless it's in their cruiser as a backup. Streamlight Stingers and Surefires are by far the most popular lights I see. I've even seen a couple getting back into Maglite with the Mag-Tacs too.
As always I'm looking to buy Vari-Beams and Vintage/Rare Mags. Please let me know if you have any, top dollar paid.
