I get this question a lot. There are tons of flashlights on the market right now. Some much more expensive and some much fancier than a Maglite. So why go with a Maglite and not one of these "higher end" models? Better yet why bother spending any money at all when you can pickup "budget" LED flashlights for $5 a pop? I'll answer all of these questions and more in this post!
In short Maglites are the best bang for your buck, period! They will never let you down and will provide all the light you could ever need or want.
What is the best light to buy right now?
Hands down the Maglite ML300L.
The ML300L has 3 brightness settings, going up to 625 lumens and awesome run times:
16 Hours on High (675 lumens)
77 Hours on Medium
117 Hours on Low (115 lumens)
Try and find any light with better run times. Guaranteed there aren't many out there.
Throw in a few NiMH rechargables that will never leak and you have yourself the best flashlight on the market that will last a lifetime. The light will run you $40 on Amazon and the batteries about $20 plus a charger if you need it. $100 gets you the whole shebang.
Are these fancy lights really that much brighter?
Yes, but do you really need all that light? I've had these lights and I don't think so. In fact sometimes the extra brightness is a disadvantage.
Most higher end lights out now will easily put out 5,000 to 10,000 lumens which is a startling amount. I reviewed a high end Adventure Sport Maglite that puts out 4,000 lumens. I've had it for over a year and I use a flashlight every night for work and weekends when I'm having fun. I probably use one far more than the average user does. How many times have I needed 4,000 lumens? None. I also have a Malkoff 800 lumen drop in in an old beat up 4D. How many times have I used it? None. Not only do they go unused but I couldn't use them if I wanted to. They are actually difficult to use because of the amount of light that bounces back to your eye. They will temporarily blind you in close quarters like a house or working on a car. If you're using them around co-workers or buddies you'll definitely blind them. About the only use I could see for these lights are impressing your friends or if you were employed on a search and rescue team.
I'll also warn the folks that are reading that no one checks or verifies lumen ratings on lights. Many many manufacturers will print any lumen rating they want on a light and there is no real recourse you can take if it is not accurate. Tools to measure lumens are not cheap so most consumers rely solely on how bright they perceive the light to be and unfortunately sometimes how good the marketing of the light is. I have seen $5 and $10 lights at Lowe's that advertise 1,000 lumens and having owned several 1,000+ lumen lights and seeing how much light they throw this is simply not true. Most large manufacturers have their name to stand behind when publishing lumen ratings and for Maglite this is no exception.
So, what amount of light do you need?
300 to 600 lumen LEDs seem to be the sweet spot. Having multiple brightness modes also makes the light more versatile too.
Let's be honest, incans aren't going to do it anymore. I love incan lights and I use them a lot mainly because I'm nostalgic though. 150 lumens is the max a big light is going to put out with any reasonable run time and that's just not enough for most situations. I have found that around 300 to 400 lumens is just the right amount. To get that you're going to need to go to LED. I personally use a Malkoff XP-G drop in that puts our around 350 lumens. Unlike other lights the Malkoff is heat sinked so it's going to put out 350 lumens for a long long time. Other lights are rated for 350 lumens or more but only for the first few seconds when the temp increases and the brightness decreases.
For most folks it doesn't make sense to upgrade an old incan light unless you're really attached to it. But have no fear Maglite makes several brand new lights that fit comfortably into this lumen range and even have multiple brightness levels to increase their versatility.
What kind of batteries do you need? Is lithium ion worth all of the hype?
Rechargeable D cells or high quality Alkalines are your best bets. Fancy lithium ion batteries have more power but are high maintenance and cannot be replaced by inexpensive Alkalines in a pinch. They also don't have the capacity and run time of a D cell.
For most average users lithium ion batteries are not going to worth the extra money or effort. Do they throw more current and volts from a smaller package? Yes, but there is special care involved in maintaining the cells and they are significantly more expensive than rechargeable D cells. I highly recommend NiMH rechargeable D cells or high quality Alkaline D cells like Energizer or Duracell. As with any alkaline cells though keep a close eye on them or better yet store them separate from the light if it isn't used very often. Skip the 18650s, 26650s and all the like as you won't find those at a gas station at 2AM if they die. Rechargeable Ds can always be replaced by cheap Alkalines in a pinch whereas lithium ion cells cannot. The run time is also worth mentioning and is another huge advantage. The highest capacity batteries you can get today are likely 18650s. There are some higher capacity lithium ions but they are fairly uncommon sizes. You'll need at least 3 18650s until you get to the run time of a 2D Maglite.
What about tint?
LED Maglites may not have the best beam color (tint) but it won't make much of a difference to the average user.
Ok ok, so tint might be a spot where a Maglite could use some improvement. However, most folks don't even know what tint is or probably care to know. Malkoffs have a much nicer tint than stock Maglites but stock Mags really aren't that bad. The average user is not going to see an increase or decrease in the red spectrum at night and will likely never appreciate a "warmer" beam of an expensive light. I use my light every night and the Malkoff renders colors just fine for me.
For those wondering tint is the color of the beam. Incan lights throw a beam that is very close to natural sunlight and renders all colors the same as they are in the daytime. LEDs cannot match that but more expensive lights get close. Less expensive lights have a blueish or greenish tint to the beam and as such they will skew colors at night.
If Maglite or Malkoff is reading this I think they could go far with a "warm" LED. It isn't much more expensive to produce and if the benefits are marketed correctly I could see users paying a small premium for the light. Please find a pic of incan beam color (tint) vs. LED beam color. The LED is on the left and the incan is on the right.
How much do I need to spend?
$50 gets you a good light. $100 gets you a better light. $170 gets you an awesome restomod light.
As I priced out above if you want a good off the shelf light plan on spending $50 or so for an ML3000L. If you really want to go all out for rechargeable batteries and a charger $100 tops and you have a light that's good for life and won't ever be obsolete.
If you want to piece together a vintage beauty with some real authentic scuffs and nicks my breakdown is as follows:
- Ebay TM or R bezel D Cell Maglite $30 shipped
- Malkoff D Cell Drop In and Adapter Sleeve $60 shipped
- KAIDomain.com Aluminum Reflector $10 shipped
- FlashlightLens.com Glass Lens $15 shipped
- 4 Pack Tenergy Centura LSD Rechargeable NIMH D cell - $25 shipped
- Battery Charger - $30 shipped
Total - $170
I'll also build these to order for a small premium from my stock of old lights. If you're interested my contact info is at the right. I did a more detailed post about these restomods a couple months back.
What light do you carry every day?
A 2001 3D Incan Maglite with a Malkoff XP-G LED upgrade and rechargeable batteries.
Shown below is the 3D I've carried day in and day out for the last 16 years as of this post date. I'm pretty attached to this Maglite because my dad and I bought a bunch of Maglites when we went into business together and this was the one I ended up with. It's been upgraded to an aluminum reflector, glass lens, with a Malkoff drop in and I use rechargeable batteries but otherwise it's the same light. This option is for the folks that would rather drive a Grand Wagoneer or a Ford Bronco rather than any of these bland looking crossovers.
What are the reasons to own a Maglite?
There are many great reasons to own a Maglite. They are American made and wonderfully reliable. They are as American as apple pie and really are a part of American heritage and history. Despite what many folks in the flashlight community and elsewhere say, they are extremely relevant today and are the best tool to get the job done. Speaking from experience I've had zero failures in thousands of hours of service. Every failure I've ever seen on any of the lights I've worked on has been from battery corrosion from cheap alkaline cells left in the light for far too long. Overall it's very satisfying to carry such a well worn, trusted tool with me that I know will be around long after I'm gone.
As always I'm looking to buy Vari-Beams and Vintage/Rare Mags. Please let me know if you have any, top dollar paid.
How is the OP reflector working out for you?
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