I have a large Mag-Lite and i seen some conversion kits for LED , has anyone had good luck with the conversions .
I need a bulb so i thought of changing over instead to the LED
I need a bulb so i thought of changing over instead to the LED
Conversion kits for lights
- Thread starter welder516
- Start date
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DutchV
Ultimate Member
- Jul 8, 2012
- 4,726
This guy does nice ones:
https://malkoffdevices.com/collections/maglite-drop-ins-and-accessories
I've had one for at least eight years. It's been great. Nice & bright, although obviously not as bright as the newer ones.
https://malkoffdevices.com/collections/maglite-drop-ins-and-accessories
I've had one for at least eight years. It's been great. Nice & bright, although obviously not as bright as the newer ones.
+1 for malkoff
I have converted a ryobi flashlight to LED, only replacing the bulb. It is brighter, but the light pattern is a little scattered.
When I looked at replacing flashlight bulbs, the conversions were often more expensive than a new Mag-Lite flashlight with LED from the factory. You can convert just the bulb and it will be better than what you have now, but not as good as one built for LED.
Matlack
Scribe
- Dec 15, 2008
- 8,557
It's just a bulb swap. I did mine a year or so ago. Well worth it, its much brighter.
Just ordered a Malkoff , pricey but i think it will be just fine for me . Plus this Mag-Lite is heavy and could be used to defend if need be .
Mine is 5 - D batteries
Mine is 5 - D batteries
Al Neri approves
-Z/28-
I wanna go fast
For what those cost you can just buy an LED Maglite. I have both an ML50L 2 cell and an ML300LX 3 cell. Both are great. The ML300LX is 625 lumen on high and throws pretty far. You can get online for around $45.
I already paid several years ago on the Matco Truck for the light so i figured i would just jump in and update .
I was not going to just put aside and do nothing with .
But if you are looking a better deal you are more then correct .
I bought one off Fleabay for about $20 for four cell Mag lites. They have been working for about 4 years now. Very white bright light but I can't recall the make. (other than Made in China probably)
If I had seen this earlier, I would have told you to hold off till I could get home and look at the packages for the mag lites I bought kits for them.
They weren't that expensive and have been some of the best money I've spent in a while. I was ready to scrap them before I tried these LED's.
They weren't that expensive and have been some of the best money I've spent in a while. I was ready to scrap them before I tried these LED's.
What kits did you buy?
The Mag-Lite i have stands erect at 17" and is a Matco Tool brand with all the Mag-Lite markings .
Last edited:
Bullfrog
Ultimate Member
If the kit you bought only includes the led 'bulb' and not a new reflector keep in mind it may change the light pattern considerably.
alucard0822
For great Justice
There are a ton of self-contained LED conversion bulbs out there, basically just swap the original bulb to one of these for $10 and done
https://www.amazon.com/ABN-Maglite-Flashlight-Replacement-Conversion/dp/B0195I3XA6
The main issue is that LED bulbs and even some kits can give a goofy light pattern being the reflector was designed for a light source sticking 1/2" out in front of the bulb base, not flush with it. The other issues are that battery tech has come further than LED tech, so even with a retrofit, you still have a giant heavy light with giant heavy batteries that can't match the capacity or performance of a small modern LED/Li-ion pocket light. The retrofits can't push more than maybe 3 watts being there is no real way to cool the circuit(new lights can put out 10+ watts) .If you want a giant heavy light, then by all means, swap in a $10 LED bulb, but if you want an actual improvement in output in a usable size, then look into a new light.
https://www.amazon.com/ABN-Maglite-Flashlight-Replacement-Conversion/dp/B0195I3XA6
The main issue is that LED bulbs and even some kits can give a goofy light pattern being the reflector was designed for a light source sticking 1/2" out in front of the bulb base, not flush with it. The other issues are that battery tech has come further than LED tech, so even with a retrofit, you still have a giant heavy light with giant heavy batteries that can't match the capacity or performance of a small modern LED/Li-ion pocket light. The retrofits can't push more than maybe 3 watts being there is no real way to cool the circuit(new lights can put out 10+ watts) .If you want a giant heavy light, then by all means, swap in a $10 LED bulb, but if you want an actual improvement in output in a usable size, then look into a new light.
omegared24
Ultimate Member
I converted my big Maglite a couple of years ago with an ebay sourced LED kit. It was like 10 bucks and has been working great. No problems at all. My little one is always dropping it on the floor and beating things with it and it just keeps working.
I also have converted 2 AA Maglites with LED kits and again, they work fine with no problems. One kit came with a button tail cap. I purposely let my 3 year old play with it because I wanted to see how durable the damn thing is. Again, he drops it, clicks it on and off 100 times every time he plays with it. That thing just keeps working. The one issue I see is you need to make sure the head of the light it twisted to the point where it is on permanently. I'm sure I could rig it so it doesn't twist all the way to the off position. Just haven't had a chance to modify it yet.
Keep in mind that the conversions don't work as well as the original LED kits. I believe the reflectors are different for the factory LED Maglites. They do work better and last longer than the original bulbs so don't get me wrong. They just aren't going to give you that Surefire light.
FWIW...I'm a fan of Maglite even though it's dated. For the price, they just work and they haven't been defeated by a rowdy 3 year old.
I also have converted 2 AA Maglites with LED kits and again, they work fine with no problems. One kit came with a button tail cap. I purposely let my 3 year old play with it because I wanted to see how durable the damn thing is. Again, he drops it, clicks it on and off 100 times every time he plays with it. That thing just keeps working. The one issue I see is you need to make sure the head of the light it twisted to the point where it is on permanently. I'm sure I could rig it so it doesn't twist all the way to the off position. Just haven't had a chance to modify it yet.
Keep in mind that the conversions don't work as well as the original LED kits. I believe the reflectors are different for the factory LED Maglites. They do work better and last longer than the original bulbs so don't get me wrong. They just aren't going to give you that Surefire light.
FWIW...I'm a fan of Maglite even though it's dated. For the price, they just work and they haven't been defeated by a rowdy 3 year old.
I'll check when I get home from work tonight.
That particular kit only has a Cree XP-G2 which is the kind of thing you find in a decent quality 2AA sized modern LED lights. It may be bright compared to an incandescent bulb but it sucks in the grand scheme of things.
For that same $50 you can gen something designed for LEDs that is 4-10x brighter and also pretty high quality. Cree XM-L2(1200 lumen) and Cree XHP35(1800 lumen) are current top of the line buils. LEDS. Nightcore EA41 is my current favorite flashlight. It can run at 1lumen for 400 hours or 1000 lumen over 1 hour with several settings in between. It is solid aluminum so you can also wack someone with it.
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/forumdisplay.php?45-LED-Flashlights
For that same $50 you can gen something designed for LEDs that is 4-10x brighter and also pretty high quality. Cree XM-L2(1200 lumen) and Cree XHP35(1800 lumen) are current top of the line buils. LEDS. Nightcore EA41 is my current favorite flashlight. It can run at 1lumen for 400 hours or 1000 lumen over 1 hour with several settings in between. It is solid aluminum so you can also wack someone with it.
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/forumdisplay.php?45-LED-Flashlights
omegared24
Ultimate Member
You're right about what you are saying but one reason many people like those big ass lights is the ability to beat things with it. When I take the trash out at night I carry my big Maglite because it will take an animal or person down with a few good wacks. This second reason may be stupid but it's almost impossible to lose in the house. It's just not practical so it doesn't get slipped in a pocket or a bag. Plus, that battery life is ridiculous.
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