Maglite 2D LED drop in upgrades ???

[12345678910]

There are at least three of these in the family
Car emergency use.
Toolbox
Going to the bathroom at night.

I'm not ready to toss them, but compared to the cheap Chinese led flashlights I don't like the brightness and colour of the light anymore.

I do like the physical package, rugged case, reliable switch, waterproof.

What drop in LED upgrades 2 cells, 3 volts are good, reliable, bright white light 5000k or higher.

Lumens ?
Bright enough to see with my old eyes.
Something that makes this big old flashlight worth carrying vs the little hotrods out there.

Reasonable battery life.


I want to keep the reflector and zoom adjust feature.


Related question
Same question for the 2AA traditional mini maglite.
I prefer clicky switches, but the hardware store led's I have go out if you bump them.
I know I could buy new and I probably will to get the tail clicky
but for now, same question, drop in LED's to keep these useful.
Except for the 3 I lost due to battery swelling and leakage ( all Duracell); I still have a bunch of these, maybe six or so.

 

[Hickory n steel]

Nite-ize has their " high power " drop in that is supposed to get about 70 lumens, or you can get the standard one that gives 50 lumens.

That's about the best you're going to get for something that's reliable and affordable enough to outfit multiple flashlights.
The standard is $10 and the other $15 I think.

I've had the standard one in my maglite for a few months now, the battery life is quite good considering how efficient led's are.


No it's not great, but makes those D Cell maglites worth buying batteries for when you've still got 'em laying around.


Since you already have a bunch of the minimags I say just buy inexpensive LED bulbs off Ebay and look up the installation tutorial on YouTube.
Basically you're just plugging the led bulb into the light ( gotta put it the right way ) and maybe enlarging the hole in the reflector.
If anyone doesn't already have the AA minimag laying around I say just get the $17 AAA led minimag.
A great light for the money, and the 100 lumens is very respectable.

 

[donn]

There are at least three of these in the family
Car emergency use.
Toolbox
Going to the bathroom at night.

I'm not ready to toss them, but compared to the cheap Chinese led flashlights I don't like the brightness and colour of the light anymore.

I do like the physical package, rugged case, reliable switch, waterproof.

What drop in LED upgrades 2 cells, 3 volts are good, reliable, bright white light 5000k or higher.

Lumens ?
Bright enough to see with my old eyes.
Something that makes this big old flashlight worth carrying vs the little hotrods out there.

Reasonable battery life.


I want to keep the reflector and zoom adjust feature.


Related question
Same question for the 2AA traditional mini maglite.
I prefer clicky switches, but the hardware store led's I have go out if you bump them.
I know I could buy new and I probably will to get the tail clicky
but for now, same question, drop in LED's to keep these useful.
Except for the 3 I lost due to battery swelling and leakage ( all Duracell); I still have a bunch of these, maybe six or so.

These are available in the UK. Sorry I've no idea whether their available outside the UK. Maybe try Amazon?

LED Bulb Upgrade Conversions for Traditional Torches and Petzl Headlamps

TTS Cree LED bulb conversion upgrades to convert traditional torches eg Maglites and Petzl head lamps to LED torches / flashlights.

www.thetorchsite.co.uk

 

[bdmicarta]

I used to be on candlepowerforums a lot and I'm sure there is more information there. Just a few years ago there were some fairly powerful led replacements on ebay, in the $50 price range. At this price they weren't feasible compared to other choices on the market, although there are still a few advantages to the maglite package. I was curious and just did a search- I found a couple of drop-in led modules on ebay for around $10 each. One of them claimed 200 lumen which is a very usable light level. If I wanted to convert an old maglite, I might consider something like this. Maybe there are other options available on amazon or the various flashlight retail websites.

 

[moshow9]

Matt at Lumencraft has a 2-6 cell Maglite conversion kit, it should be cool white. For 2 cells it looks like output would be 235 lumens and it retains the ability to focus. Pricing is $21.69 plus shipping.

Gene at Malkoff Devices also has a cool white drop-in for a 2D Maglite, but requires that you cut your reflector or purchase one of his precut reflectors. Output is 270 lumens and it retains the ability to focus. The drop-in is pricier at $58.99, plus an extra $15.99 for the precut reflector, and shipping.

Both are good people and make a great product if you are looking to update your current 2D's.

 

[Hickory n steel]

I decided to have a look on maglites website yesterday because I was curious about the cost of their 6D model.
I was surprised to see that they're only $27.95, I was interested but didn't order.
Today I get a discount code from them so I decided to go ahead and order one.


Litt industries offers a 350L led bulb so I ordered that ( not going to be quite 350L I'm sure ).
I also ordered a 2 cell extension tube, but 8 batteries will probably overpower the bulb, so I'll probably just have to turn the 3D I have into a 5D.

I will look into it and see what exactly the risks might be if I'm not using the light for very extended periods of time.