Mini Mag LED vs Nite Ize LED drop in

tknife

tknife

Joined
Mar 18, 1999
Messages
9,966
Like most of us here, I love flashlights and use one almost as much as I use a knife. But I also am cheap when it comes to lights. A few years ago I bought a Fenix L2D Q5 and thought I had found my ultimate backpacking/camping/all around perfect light at a reasonable price. And it really has been a great light with no problems.

Then several months back I got the Nite Ize 1 watt led and it breathed new life into my old Mini Mag. Two things bugged me though, the light output can be shaky and there is only one setting. The led and reflector seem to not seat in perfectly and from reading other reviews I think that is the cause of the shaky light output. Holding it steady makes it stay on but it's still frustrating.

I was set to drop the $20 or so on the Mini Mag LED, but I figured it would be the same. Fast forward to "Black Friday Weekend" My wife had me out shopping for most of the weekend, but we happened to go to Lowe's where they happened to have this light on sale for $10 and I couldn't resist! It not only puts out a solid and steady beam, along with having 4 settings (High, 25%, Blink and SOS) it also puts out a lot more light. It's rated at 69 lumens but seems even brighter than that. I have used it quite a bit over the past couple days, and there is no flickering in the light output. It puts out a really bright spot (with the normal Maglite halo around it)

So after the long winded write up, this light is definitely worth the $20 normal price. I am picking up a few to give as Christmas gifts. It really impressed me.

A couple comparison shots. the Mag LED has a longer head, so it's maybe 3/4" longer.
IMG_0466.jpg


Nite Ize on the left, Mag LEd on the right. HUGE difference!
IMG_0465.jpg
 
I also had fit and finish difficulties with the NiteIze aftermarket mod. It just didn't seem to fit well, and the head didn't screw very far down because of the depth of the LED module. Not impressed.

The clicky tailcap (purchased separately) is a nice upgrade for the MagLight though!

TedP
 
I bought a nite ize drop in kit for my minimag. Never got it to work. Piece of complete junk.
 
Avoid purchasing the Nite-Ize clicky tailcap that has an red light indicator, as it causes parasitic drain on the batteries. As for the Minimag LED, it's a pretty nice light for the money. For a 2AA light, it's quite small, and the multiple modes are very handy. When I picked up a Minimag LED and 3D Mag-Lite combo from Costco, I switched the LED pills. Now, the 3D Mag has four modes and makes for a great emergency car light.
 
For some years now I too limped along with the 5 buck Nite-Ize drop in LED thing. It breathed somewhat new life into the couple of old minimags I had.

The other day I finally broke down and bought the new factory LED minimag.

I LOVE THIS LIGHT!

I am very satisfied with the performance of it. Very good throw, not really bigger than the other minimag to matter, as it still fitas in the same flap cover nylon holster on my belt.

For 20 bucks, it's hard to go wrong with a made in USA light with great customer support. The lens on my old one crackled after many years, and in a couple of days of my call to Mag industries, I had a new one in the mail.

It's been 20 years, but I still love my mag lites!

It's just too bad it took them soooo long to get on the LED bandwagon.

Carl.
 
I made it into lowes during the sale and bought two of the AA mini-mags, a 2d, and a 3D. Heck of a buy. For the price you can't go wrong and you can never have too many flashlights.
 
YayILikePie said:
Avoid purchasing the Nite-Ize clicky tailcap that has an red light indicator, as it causes parasitic drain on the batteries.
Click to expand...

+1 on that. It also reduces light output without increasing runtime. The one I had crapped out after less than 15 minutes.
 
You'll really appreciate lighting technology if you ever decide to level up just a tad! I'm talking larger lights such as the 4Sevens Maelstrom

The big reflector means the light will travel a lot farther and have a tighter spot on the wall

I'm almost weening off smaller lights like the Fenix PD and LD series

Edit: I would still carry a small light in the EDC situation. At night is when you really appreciate a long throw, it's something I would like during camping
 
As far as MM drop ins go, about the only one I ever liked was the SMJLED which I doubt you can find anymore. Prefect amount of light for task/around camp and great runtime without heat issues.
 
Buck268 said:
As far as MM drop ins go, about the only one I ever liked was the SMJLED which I doubt you can find anymore. Prefect amount of light for task/around camp and great runtime without heat issues.
Click to expand...

The OPALEC NewBeam was another really good one. I don't think they're around anymore, either, though, unfortunately.
 
I wish I would have picked up the 2D version too when I saw it on sale, hopefully I'll catch another sale. Two weeks on now and I still haven't gotten any of the shaky/intermittent light issues I had with the Nite Ize. I use the light daily and I assume that it isn't as bright as it was, but I sure can't tell.
 
yes, a small flashing red led is really, definitely parasitic, might run your batteries down completely in a matter of just minutes. not.
 
xtestifyx said:
You'll really appreciate lighting technology if you ever decide to level up just a tad! I'm talking larger lights such as the 4Sevens Maelstrom

The big reflector means the light will travel a lot farther and have a tighter spot on the wall

I'm almost weening off smaller lights like the Fenix PD and LD series

Edit: I would still carry a small light in the EDC situation. At night is when you really appreciate a long throw, it's something I would like during camping
Click to expand...

Actually, if anyone has ever actually used the 2 or 3 D series Mag LED, you will know that it has superb throw capability. From the sidewalk, it will project its beam up to a 6 floor building rooftop on the other side of the block from across the street! Flower pots, antennas, humans- can all be made out without problem. I have these Maglites in all rooms in the house.

As for the Nite Ize drop in package with the LED and multiple mode tailcap, reely, don' t waste your money. If you want longer run time and potential impact implement use ;) go with the 3AA Minimag.

N.

www.dozierknives.com/forum
 
YayILikePie said:
Avoid purchasing the Nite-Ize clicky tailcap that has an red light indicator, as it causes parasitic drain on the batteries.
Click to expand...

I have that tailcap, just bought it and an LED drop-in a few weeks ago. It has been sitting on the same set of Energizer rechargeables for about 5 days now, just blinking away, with no real noticeable drain and it still functions through all modes just fine. I work in a night club, so the thing sees fairly regular use. I think I will test drain time on the next recharge.
 
Nakano 2 said:
Actually, if anyone has ever actually used the 2 or 3 D series Mag LED, you will know that it has superb throw capability. From the sidewalk, it will project its beam up to a 6 floor building rooftop on the other side of the block from across the street! Flower pots, antennas, humans- can all be made out without problem. I have these Maglites in all rooms in the house.
Click to expand...

I'm sorry, but that's no contest to modern day technology. If anyone has used a 2D or even a 4D Maglite, they can tell you it functions better as a club than as a lighting instrument

The Maglite is fantastic, as a hammer, club and baton

Go to 2:29 and you'll see a finger sized light compared to the Maglite 4D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lr04yACUc-E
 
I must have had a run of bad luck with LED Mini-Mags. I had batteries leak and the lens bulge out on two Mini's with the three LED Nite-Ize upgrades. My wife handed me one that she used saying that the head was hard to turn. I looked at it and the lens was bulged out by about an 1/8". When I opened the tailcap, there was a very loud pop. The batteries had leaked worse than any I had seen up untill this point, not a chance of getting them out. Wrote it off as a freak accident. Within a few months had the same thing happen to another with the three LED upgrade and one with the Nite-Ize one watt single LED upgrade. Don't know what the problem was, all the batteries were new and not mis-matched. Gave up on the Nit-Ize upgrades, three strikes and you're out.


Bruceter
 
xtestifyx said:
I'm sorry, but that's no contest to modern day technology. If anyone has used a 2D or even a 4D Maglite, they can tell you it functions better as a club than as a lighting instrument

The Maglite is fantastic, as a hammer, club and baton

Go to 2:29 and you'll see a finger sized light compared to the Maglite 4D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lr04yACUc-E
Click to expand...


Will a Quark tactical 123^2 provide a brighter beam? Probably. Does that in any way reduce the function of my 3D MagLED? Nope. Great light if you need it. My go-to light for truck-stuck-in-the-mud-at-night type of jobs, in fact. Do I carry everyday, certainly not.... And the batteries are popped out every few months and inspected because I dont trust alkalines. But it CERTAINLY functions fantastic as a flashlight. And only well as a club ;)
 
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