They are a most useful tool:

MagLite just came out with LED version, which is far brighter than the old incan version, consumes far less power and the bulb supposedly never blows. It runs at 3W and the 4D version should last about 30 hours on a set of cells.

to get an idea what's on the market, check out

flashlightreviews . com
and
ledmuseum . org

Here is a review of MagLite LEd 3AA

http://flashlightreviews.com/reviews...imagled3aa.htm

 

Thanks, I've been waiting for Mag to make an LED version. too bad it has to be 3 cells though... oh well.

 

i got a 9 led light that uses 3 AAA batteries in a side by side holder. it looks very much like the military/police tactical light, and works very good for distance under 10 feet. and the best part about it was it came from a store called 5 below, where everything is less than $5. total price?? $3.20, with tax.

after seeing how good it works, there is now one hanging off the keyring in every vehicle i own

 

MagLite now makes several leds:

2AA
3AA

2D
3D
4D

and I believe same in C cell size

They aren't the best in the LED world (just well priced), but a big improvement over the old "bulb" version.

 

I should hope so. I can't count how many bulbs I've bought for my mini mags. and they're not exactly cheap.

 

Gotta get one of those ones that ya shake up the keep it going haha.

 

Most LED versions I have seen are horrible for distance. I have a River Rock 2AA 1.5W LED unit I found at Target for $10 (regular $20) that has a lens in front of the LED that focuses the light into a beam. It works well even at 100 feet but it does not have a lot of spill or sidelight. It is also not adjustable but I use the light every day and love it!

 

I bought a 2-pack of led flashlights last year, with hand cranks to charge the battery and the battery went out on the one I had in my truck, so if you want light from that one, you have to continuously crank it.

I've always liked the adjustability of the maglites, hopefully, that will make up for the lack of distance that is typical with led's.

 

That is what I am most concerned with, distance.

 

Tim- Grab one of those River Rock 2AA like I have at Target. They may not be as (cough choke) "high tech" as some of those lights costing 2-10X as much but they work well. There are better lights but they cost more. I actually have two of the RR lights to keep a spare around. I found one before Xmas last year for $15 and bought another after Xmas for $10. Regular price is $20 but they have sales and even $20 seems to be a good price. Remember I am cheap... The LED is slightly blue-white in color and the output dims over time as the batteries die but the light output is good clear to the end. About 3+ hours runtime. It will really kill a set of batteries tho, discharging them below what most devices do. When the lens accumulates dust like they will when you wear one in a belt holster they have a little more light spill. I use mine a lot and replace batteries every couple months. When I ran the batteries WAY down the only indication that the batteries were about dead was the fact that the light showed a hesitation turning on when the switch was operated. When I compared the light output to the second unit with fresh batteries my uncalibrated eye told me it was half as bright but still blue-white. At least that is better than sick yellow with an incandescent.

EDIT- I don't see them in the present product lineup at Target tho so a phone call or stop at customer service may be needed. They seem to be the same as an Aurora 2AA.

 

first off, let me disclose my dog in this fight: I'm a distributor for Coast brand LED flashlights.

The thing with LEDs, if you want distance do your research. The problem with most LED flashlights is that they use cheap LEDs with an unfocused beam. The typical pattern on an LED is about 20 degrees or so. Its a pretty diffuse pattern that works good for close up work, but doesn't have the power to throw the beam out a good distance. Adding more LEDs to the head doesn't get you any more distance, just more light up close. Also the cheap LEDs that you find in the $10 lights don't have the optical quality to get good distance. I don't know about other brands, but the LEDs Coast uses in it's upper end lights cost around $25 or more just for one LED itself.

I don't know how the MAG stuff does with respect to distance, but I'm looking forward to checking it out. I will tell you that Coast's lights do a pretty good job of getting light out because they use a lens system on some of their lights that focuses the beam to get distance. From personal experience I can light up my shop good enough to see it in pitch black night from my front porch, probably a distance of 300 feet or so. And that's with a 3W tactical light that fits in the palm of my hand.

 

my Streamlight "twintask" 3-C cell flashlight ROCKS and its a good sized flashlight also, comfortable and VERY bright

 

check this one out:
http://www.pelicanproducts.us/detailaspx185.html

I like mine.

 

I have a V1 Power Lenser from Coast that I carry on my keyring. Purchased Oct 2004, so 2 years with the same set of 4 each AG13 (LR44) alkaline 1.5V button cell hearing aid batteries. Had to modify the end cap to take a decent S-hook to secure it to my keyring. The cheapo OEM swivel broke in about 2 months, almost lost the light. Other than that the light is great for quick emergency use and it is always with me.

 

I have on of the Everlight LED flashlights that you shake to charge. Thing works great, and gets the forearms built too.lol