Ok ok, forgive me while I reminisce for just a paragraph. If you want to skip my nostalgic ramblings and go right for the technical info please skip to the third paragraph of this post.
Every year both brick and mortar stores and knowledgeable salesmen become less and less. Stores are replaced by online retailers and salesmen are replaced by impartial customer reviews. In some ways this has lowered prices and led to more honest opinions but for those old enough to remember a dealership and an honest salesman there is just something missing about this whole new shopping experience.
As I've previously covered Maglite used to operate an extensive dealer and service network. Prior to the mid 90s these dealers and service centers were primarily based out of small hardware stores, sporting good stores, and law enforcement suppliers. These locations were pretty much where anyone would typically go to buy a flashlight. These stores were staffed with trained salesmen familiar with the light output, run time, and specifications of the lights. Maglite actually sent employees around to train the salesmen on the specific features of each light so they could be more profitable and provide better information to potential customers.
This experience was not unlike buying a car. Seeing how as these lights were $100 to $150 in 2018 dollars it's not unusual that so much time and care was taken with each buyer. This was the most expensive flashlight you could buy at the time. Which brings me to the light that is the subject of this post.
Maglite had an extensive parts catalog and some options for lights. It was rare that the lights were customized but this one was. It carries a silver bezel and very rare silver lanyard ring end cap. It looks very similar to a Vari-Beam with it's color scheme and seeing how as it's a 1985 model it would have been from right after Vari-Beam production ended. The silver and black was likely done to jazz it up and make it easier to find in a dark room. Shown below is this Maglite next to a Vari-Beam from around a year earlier.
This particular light came from the estate sale of the owner of a large electrical contractor in Iowa. The owner special ordered this light with the lanyard ring end cap and silver bezel from a local sporting goods store and used it for many years. The light is very clean which shows he took very good care of it and likely valued it very much. This is the only light I've ever seen with a silver lanyard ring end cap and I have not seen a Maglite part number for this accessory. The stock anodizing is very difficult to remove without an industrial strength acid so I do believe this end cap is genuine given that it has a matching bezel.
As always I'm looking to buy Vari-Beams and Vintage/Rare Mags. Please let me know if you have any, top dollar paid.
This experience was not unlike buying a car. Seeing how as these lights were $100 to $150 in 2018 dollars it's not unusual that so much time and care was taken with each buyer. This was the most expensive flashlight you could buy at the time. Which brings me to the light that is the subject of this post.
Maglite had an extensive parts catalog and some options for lights. It was rare that the lights were customized but this one was. It carries a silver bezel and very rare silver lanyard ring end cap. It looks very similar to a Vari-Beam with it's color scheme and seeing how as it's a 1985 model it would have been from right after Vari-Beam production ended. The silver and black was likely done to jazz it up and make it easier to find in a dark room. Shown below is this Maglite next to a Vari-Beam from around a year earlier.
This particular light came from the estate sale of the owner of a large electrical contractor in Iowa. The owner special ordered this light with the lanyard ring end cap and silver bezel from a local sporting goods store and used it for many years. The light is very clean which shows he took very good care of it and likely valued it very much. This is the only light I've ever seen with a silver lanyard ring end cap and I have not seen a Maglite part number for this accessory. The stock anodizing is very difficult to remove without an industrial strength acid so I do believe this end cap is genuine given that it has a matching bezel.
As always I'm looking to buy Vari-Beams and Vintage/Rare Mags. Please let me know if you have any, top dollar paid.
