Which Maglite?

[MitchT]

I was thinking of buying a Maglite - I only need a small one so it should be a straight-forward purchase... except I notice that they now do LED ones as well as the conventional type. Should I go conventional or LED? What are the pros and cons of each? I just want it so I can see where I'm putting my feet when negotiating a couple of very dark spots on my walk to work on a morning, nothing more serious than that. Any thoughts?

[TheEnd]

LED - lasts for ever, lower power consumption, more light

Halogen - has a spare bulb in the end cap.

[Bee_Jay]

Ultimate torch thread: http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

Read it all...

[Hyperion]

With a Maglight you're just paying for the name.
Take a look here: http://www.dealextreme.com/products.dx/category.90...
Anything with a latest generation Cree Q5 emitter will be extremely bright, but the previous generation Cree's are pretty amazing.

[$nake eye$]

If you decide against Maglite, you could look at one of these. I keep one in the car, and its really bright for a little fella..

http://uk.farnell.com/ansmann/5816013/torch-cree-l...

[Strangely Brown]

Isn't the advantage of the big multi-D cell maglites that they make rather nice clubs too?

[wrightyrs]

Check out Surefire torches.

[Mars]

Buy a Fenix. http://www.fenixtorch.co.uk

I've got this with an overdriven battery. It's farkin' bright... as in generating WOAH comments from people who see it:

http://www.fenixtorch.co.uk/led_torches/fenix_ld01...

[MitchT]

I'm open to anything really, doesn't have to be Maglite... but it must be very small - max 15cm long and light. Basically I only need it for a couple of minutes out of a 20 minute walk each morning and evening, so I'd like something that is effective for the small space of time that I need to use it but which I don't notice is there for the rest of the time.

[magpie215]

Fenix P1D cree is a great little torch only downside is it runs on cr123 camera batteries bit harder to obtain than AA's but worth the effort IMO

[Dupont666]

Strangely Brown said:

Isn't the advantage of the big multi-D cell maglites that they make rather nice clubs too?

yep, i went the whole hog and got the metal one that is a 4 cell, i call it he burglar basher, on a side note do they do a led upgrade for the halogen lights?

[AndrewTait]

If you really want to buy a maglite, get the conventional one, as you can always get the LED conversion later, which means that you can use either LEDS or Halogen. I believe the LED ones are LED only.

[gingerpaul]

Have a look at some of the torches in here:

http://www.ultraleds.co.uk/led-torches-c-29.html?o...

I got a cheap one from there that was something stupid like £3 and it's actually pretty good. It was better than a mini Maglite, although not as robust. Perfectly good enough for ordinary use though.

[Bee_Jay]

Dupont666 said:

Strangely Brown said:

Isn't the advantage of the big multi-D cell maglites that they make rather nice clubs too?

yep, i went the whole hog and got the metal one that is a 4 cell, i call it he burglar basher, on a side note do they do a led upgrade for the halogen lights?

Here: http://www.shop4torches.co.uk/acatalog/Terralux_TL...

[benoli]

Strangely Brown said:

Isn't the advantage of the big multi-D cell maglites that they make rather nice clubs too?

I only hit him with my torch m'lud. !

[Cotty]

TheEnd said:

LED - lasts for ever, lower power consumption, more light

Halogen - has a spare bulb in the end cap.

I have had a 2 cell maglight for 16 years and never had to change the bulb. Ok it does not get used regually but if I ever get a power cut its the first think I reach for and still going strong.