Mag lite or alternative?
Mag lite or alternative?
Author
Discussion

Mike400

Original Poster:

1,026 posts

251 months

Thursday 30th April 2009
quotequote all
Pistonheads - lighting matters....

Thinking of buying a D cell Maglite, probably the 3 cell one like this:

http://www.thetorchshop.co.uk/acatalog/Maglite_3D_...

Now I know its only £20 so its neither here nor there BUT are mag-lites all hype or worth the money?

And is there anything out there around the same price that would be better value?

Like I say we are only talking £20 but I may as well buy whatever the better product is...

Shar2

2,251 posts

233 months

Thursday 30th April 2009
quotequote all
The three and four cell maglites are not only great torches, but may be able to be used as defensive weapons as well, (not that I'm advocating this of course).

_Batty_

12,268 posts

270 months

Thursday 30th April 2009
quotequote all
10p says this get moved to a new sub-forum called PH: light matter(s) or something...

rhinochopig

17,932 posts

218 months

Thursday 30th April 2009
quotequote all
Nearly everyone in our Mountain Rescue team (me included) have moved from Maglites to LED Lenser torches. Much much brighter and much longer run times. They're really well made bits of kit.

You can get cheaper LED torches - try ebay - but the Lensers are superb bits of kit.

Duke of Rothesay

671 posts

200 months

Thursday 30th April 2009
quotequote all
You can get LED conversion kits that make them much better.

DrTre

12,957 posts

252 months

Thursday 30th April 2009
quotequote all
This place is populated by torch fetishists (or Tactical Nocturnal Illumination Specialists)

You'll be sorted soon enough, can't remember the thread but it was relatively recent (last 3 months) that began quite innocuously before developing into a frenzy of lumens, LEDS, lasers, masers and phasers. It was like the Jean Michel Jarre Appreciation Society in here.

markh1

2,846 posts

229 months

Thursday 30th April 2009
quotequote all
There was quite a long thread on torches on the old P&P, damned if I know what the thread was called though.

Mike400

Original Poster:

1,026 posts

251 months

Thursday 30th April 2009
quotequote all
Shar2 said:
The three and four cell maglites are not only great torches, but may be able to be used as defensive weapons as well, (not that I'm advocating this of course).
Theres a thought scratchchin

Part of the appeal is the ruggedness of them, I think they look and feel pretty good

rhinochopig said:
Nearly everyone in our Mountain Rescue team (me included) have moved from Maglites to LED Lenser torches. Much much brighter and much longer run times. They're really well made bits of kit.

You can get cheaper LED torches - try ebay - but the Lensers are superb bits of kit.
The cheap ebay jobbies just dont inspire the same confidence....Just had a look at those Lenser torches, they look pretty good and are actually cheaper than the equivalent LED mag light...and I suppose in the long run you might save the difference when you consider longer battery / bulb life

Duke of Rothesay said:
You can get LED conversion kits that make them much better.
Wonder if that would work out more cost effective than buying a Lenser then?


gti tim

1,633 posts

221 months

Thursday 30th April 2009
quotequote all
Tesco do a LED torch for around £10 - much lighter and brighter than a 3 or 4 cell Maglite. I had a Maglite for work, but switched to a LED torch from Ebay - cost me £15 from Hong Kong delivered, runs on 3AAA so is cheaper, and is much brighter than my Maglite was, even with the LED conversion i had in it.

tonyvid

9,884 posts

263 months

Thursday 30th April 2009
quotequote all
Tesco are still doing the 2xAA battery LED torch for about £8 - it looks like a mini Maglight and is a wonderful piece of kit, incredibly bright. No use for tting someone with though!

spooky!

Edited by tonyvid on Thursday 30th April 10:52

Mike400

Original Poster:

1,026 posts

251 months

Thursday 30th April 2009
quotequote all
DrTre said:
This place is populated by torch fetishists (or Tactical Nocturnal Illumination Specialists)
Weird, but torches are just one of those things that you must have as a bloke.

I have a 1 million candle power super torch jobbie I keep in the car, and countless cheapy tesco style ones dotted around the house for powercuts etc

But I need a proper man torch, hence this thread!

Jonny671

29,725 posts

209 months

Thursday 30th April 2009
quotequote all
gti tim said:
Tesco do a LED torch for around £10 - much lighter and brighter than a 3 or 4 cell Maglite. I had a Maglite for work, but switched to a LED torch from Ebay - cost me £15 from Hong Kong delivered, runs on 3AAA so is cheaper, and is much brighter than my Maglite was, even with the LED conversion i had in it.
I bought that one too after reading the other thread I drove 50 mile round trip, just for that torch.

Its very very good!

For some reason I have a torch fetish biggrin

rhinochopig

17,932 posts

218 months

Thursday 30th April 2009
quotequote all
Mike400 said:
Shar2 said:
The three and four cell maglites are not only great torches, but may be able to be used as defensive weapons as well, (not that I'm advocating this of course).
Theres a thought scratchchin

Part of the appeal is the ruggedness of them, I think they look and feel pretty good

rhinochopig said:
Nearly everyone in our Mountain Rescue team (me included) have moved from Maglites to LED Lenser torches. Much much brighter and much longer run times. They're really well made bits of kit.

You can get cheaper LED torches - try ebay - but the Lensers are superb bits of kit.
The cheap ebay jobbies just dont inspire the same confidence....Just had a look at those Lenser torches, they look pretty good and are actually cheaper than the equivalent LED mag light...and I suppose in the long run you might save the difference when you consider longer battery / bulb life

Duke of Rothesay said:
You can get LED conversion kits that make them much better.
Wonder if that would work out more cost effective than buying a Lenser then?
I also have a maglite with a terralux LED bulb conversion (£25-35 just for the bulb). It is not as powerful as the Lenser (I have the P14). So by the time you add up both bits of kit, plus some good D rechargeables, you're looking at £50-80.

The lensers also use AA batteries so are lighter, cheaper, and typically have a better power density. IMHO they are also better made. The Ally casing is harder.

If you want a good hard wearing torch, IMHO there is not better than the Lenser.

TBH I would consider the Lenser H7 head torch. It's tiny, is about 3 times as bright as the standard maglite, and you can use it hands free. Useful when in the loft, working on the car etc.

I've used mine on my MTB before at night and it offers enough light for riding off road in the dark.



Edited by rhinochopig on Thursday 30th April 10:57

killsta

1,828 posts

248 months

Thursday 30th April 2009
quotequote all
Have a look at Fenix torches - I have one and use it all the time at work smile

markmullen

15,877 posts

254 months

Thursday 30th April 2009
quotequote all
Have a look at Surefire, not cheap but excellent and bright enough that if you had to defend yourself with one a quick flash in the eyes is enough to deter an assailant, or at least long enough for you to practice your ninja skills on him.

NDA

24,127 posts

245 months

Thursday 30th April 2009
quotequote all
DrTre said:
This place is populated by torch fetishists (or Tactical Nocturnal Illumination Specialists)

You'll be sorted soon enough, can't remember the thread but it was relatively recent (last 3 months) that began quite innocuously before developing into a frenzy of lumens, LEDS, lasers, masers and phasers. It was like the Jean Michel Jarre Appreciation Society in here.
You're right - it was full of 'once fired up, this baby will pull 2,000,000 candles' that kind of comment. Chortle.

However on the strength of that thread, I bought an 'LED Lenser'. Very powerful, I never use it - sits in a drawer. Obviously.

andy400

11,120 posts

251 months

Thursday 30th April 2009
quotequote all
All I can add is: I have owned, used and abused several maglites, from 2xAA cell up to 4xD cell, and whilst I've lost a few and had a couple stolen, I've never had one go wrong.

(Except the tiny single AAA things which are more of a ladies' handbag thing and shouldn't really carry the Maglite name IMO)

wiffmaster

2,615 posts

218 months

Thursday 30th April 2009
quotequote all
gti tim said:
Tesco do a LED torch for around £10 - much lighter and brighter than a 3 or 4 cell Maglite.
We've got two of these and they're brilliant; incredibly bright considering the price and size. Infinitely better than torches costing five times as much and seem to be well put together as well.

Plotloss

67,280 posts

290 months

Thursday 30th April 2009
quotequote all
The power of one million candles, for ten pounds.

They're £1.99 for four in Tesco

Thats a saving of over four hundred grand!

rhinochopig

17,932 posts

218 months

Thursday 30th April 2009
quotequote all
NDA said:
DrTre said:
This place is populated by torch fetishists (or Tactical Nocturnal Illumination Specialists)

You'll be sorted soon enough, can't remember the thread but it was relatively recent (last 3 months) that began quite innocuously before developing into a frenzy of lumens, LEDS, lasers, masers and phasers. It was like the Jean Michel Jarre Appreciation Society in here.
You're right - it was full of 'once fired up, this baby will pull 2,000,000 candles' that kind of comment. Chortle.

However on the strength of that thread, I bought an 'LED Lenser'. Very powerful, I never use it - sits in a drawer. Obviously.
But like a nuclear weapon, it's comforting to know that it's there, should the need arrive.