Maglite AA tactical switch

Louky

Louky

Joined
Apr 21, 2003
Messages
511
Does anybody know where I can find this kind of AA Maglite switch ? I think it is a great device to improve this flashlight. I also take an interest in the LED conversion, can you tell me your experience ?

I own some Sure-Fire flashlights, but I’m looking for something less expensive (the batteries and the bulbs are very expensive). In addition, the Maglite spare parts are very easy to find here in France. But if you can advice me an other brand… ;)

Thank in advance ! :D
 
I think they're called Kroll switches. Search for that on Candlepowerforum.com, there's a guy that makes LED sandwich boards on there that carries all of that kind of stuff.

I've converted all of my Maglites to LED except my Solitare, which just hangs out on my keychain. I've got an Inova LED on there, too, so I never use it anyway. I put a Terralux Ministar in my Green Minimag, it's nice but it has the rings that are common to the Maglite reflector. My Blue Minimag has a Lambda SMD+ kit, and it's great. Nice beam due to the NX05 (I think) optic. I like the form and fit of the Minimag, plus it's fun to tease my non-LED flashlight friends with something that's so much brighter than they've got it's not funny. I use whatever AA batteries are on sale, and they all work fine, plus you can find them anywhere, which isn't something I can say about the lithium cells. .
 
Louky,
I have a Surefire too (an E2E with KL4 head) but my minimag fitted with Kroll tailcap, Opalec Newbeam and mineral glass lens sees more use than my Surefire, or any other of my lights.
The Opalec is a great mod. Not the brightest, but the batteries will produce regulated light that lasts for 10 hours.
I find that some lights can be too bright. The Opalec output is just right for "seeing where I am going" and "what I'm doing". Not so good for seeing "what's over there".
Read some of the reviews on the net. The Newbeam gets good press.
Newbeam Review.

I also have a minimag modded with a single Luxeon Star LED, a Badboy 400 Q3L. This is very bright, but does not offer the run-time of the Opalec.
Check out Candlepowerforums.com.
 
http://www.inovalight.com/

I stick by my Inova X5. It comes with the "tactical" endcap you're looking for and you can turn it so its on "constant OFF" for storage. 5 recessed LEDs in your choice of colour (including UV) capped with stainless steel means the bulbs won't ever need replacing. The rest of it is drilled from one piece of aircraft grade aluminium thats thicker than a maglight (there are some who claim to have run it over without damaging it and the specs claim its crush proof +2000 lbs) so I doubt you could break it. Its sealed and water proof etc. just like a maglite. The drawbacks are the batteries. It uses very little battery power and it doesn't dim noticeably until they're nearly spent. It takes two 3V batteries (one if you go with the red light edition) not AA or AAA which cost almost as much as the torch itself! You Can get nickel cadmium rechargeables at that size but they don't fit in standard chargers so you'll need to get a seperate charger too...

Maglites and Surefires EAT batteries. Apparently you can take spent Surefire batteries and put them in the Inova and it'd still give light for a usable amount of time although I haven't personally tried this...
 
yeah ya can use 123's that are low in your inova, they last a pretty good while after not working in a SF anymore.
 
Thank you very much for your pieces of information. I was looking the Invoa web-site and I’m very impressed by the X5 flashlight specifications : waterproof, crushproof, it uses the 2 same batteries than my 2Z Sure-fire, but with a 20 hours run-time !!! :eek:
Where is the trap ??? The LED lifetime or the beam intensity are very low ? What is your experience, compared to a Surefire 65 lumens flashlight how looks the beam ?

Have a nice day ! :D
 
I have a bunch of flashlights, and my AA Mag with Opalec Newbeam module easily gets the most use. The beam is just perfect for normal chores, and batteries last for a long time. I like it much more than my X5, as the Opalec module is regulated and there are none of those expensive CR123A batteries to use in the Mag.
 
Surefires are for when you need the distance or to blind someone. I don't know the output of an X-5 in lumens but I know its much brighter than a maglight and plenty for every day stuff. The slightly blue light takes some getting used to though... The only catch is the specialised batteries as far as I can see. I've had bad experiences with maglights. They're plenty tough but the bulbs go very quickly, the spares are fiddly at best and the battery life is appalling.

I just saw this today:

http://www.themartialist.com/nightcutter.htm

Might be worth looking at. I haven't tried one personally but I'm guessing it will handle like a X-5 but with a pocketclip and anti-roll head. The build tolerances are probably slightly lower and the light isn't as uniform but I don't think you'd mind. Again the same battery "problem".

The newbeam module sounds interesting (the X-5 is regulated too fyi) so if you have an existing maglight it'd probably be worth a look at. Anyone got/tried the X-O?
 
You can purchase the Nightcutter directly from the manufacturer. PLUS if you order from them, you get free laser engraving of anything you want.

http://www.lightshipenterprises.net/index.html

The best place to look for reviews and new lights is definately Candlepowerforums. I think I spend as much time there as I do here.. (which doesnt leave my much time for anything else....)
 
I just order the Opalec LED conversion and the backswitch to this French seller. I will go to my gunsmith this weekend to see the X5 Inova…
Thank you very much for your advices, and for the different links you bring me ! ;)

Have a nice day. :D
 
If you haven't ordered yet check out the Streamlight Jr. luxeon light at brightguy.com. This light is AA and 1 watt luxeon powered. I just ordered two the other day. It also has an improved metal kroll tailcap switch. Patrick
 
Beware! There are two kinds of tail switches for maglites (they also fit the Streamlight Twin Task 3AA and some other streamlight models btw). One is the Kroll, which I have never used, but the other is by some company called RAM. The RAM ones are the black metal ones with a red plastic button. Avoid them. I bought one of these for a streamlight and it simply doesn't work. Worst $7.32 I ever spent. I hear good things about the Kroll clickies, but I don't have any first hand experience.
 
My Minimag has been replaced by a Dorcy AAA LED I got at Wally World for 6 bucks. It sucks down the power from my old AAA batteries from calculators, remote controls, etc. It's bright, it's small and easy to carry, and it's so inexpensive that I can lend it out with no worries. It got me through a crowd of drunken Jimmy Buffet fans Thursday night, and it got the boat out and back Friday night. .
 
I second the notion of looking at the Streamlight Jr. Luxeon. I got one last week (through www.pocketlights.com ) and it kicks butt.

The Streamlight Jr. Luxeon is around the same size as the mini Mag (about 3/4" longer), and it also takes AAs. But the Streamlight already has the kroll switch and a Luxeon LED (the color of mine is a nice white). The Streamlight is much brighter than an Inova X5 or a mini Mag.

I'm going to send my Inova X5 back to the factory sometime soon, by the way. It always flickers whenever you press the tailcap for a momentary on.
 
I'd imagine that it depends on the conversion. Some of the conversion kits use a run of the mill Nichia, which I'd guess would be someplace in the ballpark of the Arc AAA with more runtime due to having 2 AA batteries instead of 1 AAA. If you go crazy with a sandwich with a Luxeon on there, I'd guesstimate that it'd smoke the baby Arc. I don't have an Arc to compair to yet, but I'd be openly shocked if it came anywhere near my Lambda SMD+. .
 
The Opalec Newbeam conversion for the Mini-Mag is much brighter than my Arc AAA Premium. There's no comparison. The Opalec module has 3 LEDs, compared to a single LED in the ARC.
 
The Newbeam wont be bright as the incan initially, but it's not as yellow nor will it dim. (or give you that ringy beam or useless spot)
 
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