Maglite 6D killed by battery leak, New Torch time!

[roguekiller23231]

(quick summery if you dont want to read it all) torch died, recommend a new one for around £37

(full question)
so my Maglite 6d, heavy and not that bright, died when a battery leaked inside and got stuck. I used it quite a lot, was like a workout using the thing every time though.

Duracell are in the process of 'compensating' me £37 for it, so i'm in the market for a torch around that price, i don't mind paying a little more.

the main points i'm after are

Reliability
Brightness,
Battery run time
Power saving modes (not important but a plus)

doesn't have to be a Maglite either.

 

[santaman2000]

Forget Duracell and mail it directly to mag Instruments. they will replace it and deal with Duracell. They've done the same for me (lifetime warranty) only in my case the batteries were Ray-O-Vac.

 

[huginactual]

I recommend the zebralight h51.

http://www.zebralight.com/H51-Headlamp-AA-200Lm_p_37.html

I have the h501 and its the best flash light (torch) I've ever used.

The h51 is a new and improved version. The h501 is discontinued.

You can Google a couple of reviews on the h501.

 

[ged]

The world's the mollusc of your choice really. Take a look at the Flashaholics website for example. I've recently started to use a Zebralight and the construction is excellent.

There are quite a few threads about torches here on BCUK, use your favourite search engine. This search just gave me over 2,000 hits:

http://www.bing.com/search?q=torch+...m=QBLH&filt=all&pq=torch+site:bushcraftuk.com

 

[sxmolloy]

I really like Tesco's own 2AA LED Cree torch. Very well built and at £11 a massive bargain. It has 2 modes, on or off, so nothing fancy just a very bright, rugged torch with a decent battery life.

I also have a torch I picked up in Aldi, a lot of other members also bought them at the time. This has 3 modes being full beam, power save mode and SOS mode. There is also a very clever flood to spot feature. This is brighter than the Tesco torch, runs off 3 x AAA, costs around the same price and has roughly the same battery life.

Both bargain torches, very well built, and very bright. Hope that helps.

Here's a link to the Tesco torch http://www.tesco.com/groceries/Product/Details/?id=270576285 which I found after making the post, slightly cheaper but I don't think you would be disappointed with this product. Also as a carry option I bought the Maxpedition flashlight sheath as seen here: http://www.heinnie.com/Maxpedition/...on-Universal-Flashlight-Sheath/p-289-583-481/

 

[Wook]

How about a Fenix E21?

http://www.fenixtorch.co.uk/led_torches/fenix-e21.html

I have several Fenix Torches (a discontinued L2D and a LD20) and they are mind bogglingly bright as well as compact. The E21 will be as bright or brighter as your Maglite 6D when it has brand spanking new batteries, and it will stay that way a whole lot longer while being much more compact. Your total run times may be shorter though. Unlike maglites LED torches run at peak output for a few hours, then performance quickly drops off. They are very consistent though, so it should be easy to determine how much run time a fresh set of batteries will give you.

I'd suggest investing in some rechargeable AAs.

The closest Fenix do to a 6D maglite is probably the TK60

http://www.fenixtorch.co.uk/led_torches/fenix-tk60.html

It's £100, but it is much, much brighter than anything Maglite make and will last a lot longer.

Alternatively there are drop in LEDs that considerably improve the performance and brightness of old style Maglites, although they are a very mixed bag. The best ones if you can get them are Maglite's own upgrade modules - now sadly discontinued for reasons that escape me. I suppose they figure everyone who wants to upgrade has done so, and new customers are expected to go buy one of their new LED range:

http://www.maglite.com/Maglite_ML125_LED_Flashlight.asp

 

[ol smokey]

Don't know technical terms like "lumens " but I have just purchased a two "D" torch from Tesco this week for about £14. And it is the brightest torch I have owned and I have a large collection one of which is a 4 "c" Magnum, Just had to pass on the word to all those interested in brights. No connection with Tesco other than being a satisfied customer, I have Three of their torches of various sizes, and I am pleased with all of them.

 

[pauljm116]

I've been using a LED Lenser P7 for a while and its a great torch with a focusable beam and I'm still on my first set of batteries.

 

[320ccc]

the battery thing isn't brand dependent.

it can happen with any light and any battery.

changing the batteries often will usually prevent the leak. but we aren't likely to do that.
swab the inside of the tube with vaseline or a silicone lubricant before you insert new batteries will allow the battery to be removed if it does leak.
lubing the o-ring on the cap occasionally helps to keep it watertight.

if you are home when you discover the stuck battery working vinegar into the tube will dissolve the corrosion eventually and the battery can be removed.

personally, for the money, i'd stick with the maglite.

 

[roguekiller23231]

i was looking at the Lenser P14 or P17, they look pretty good.

 

[santaman2000]

To the OP: It might help if you give us some info on the intended use (kept in the car, carried in a backpack, ordinary home use, etc.) I assumed you wanted to use it for the same type uses as the 6 cell you had. If so, I'll stick with my original suggestion to just send it to Mag Instruments and let them replace it free under their lifetime warranty.

 

[Bucketosudz]

What Santaman said, send it back to Maglite they'll replace it! Great deal even if you decide to purchase something else in the end.

 

[santaman2000]

If you do send it back to Mag Instruments and if that needs to be their California headquarters then I might add another suggestion as well. In the enclosed letter requesting warranty service you might also request that they mark the return package as a warranty replacement and possibly avoid any duties.

Hopefully that won't be an issue and there is a warranty center in the UK.

 

[FGYT]

bin the maglight unless you want a big stick (which you cant do legally in UK ) these days a single AAA LED can put out more light and probably more battery time

B&Q also do a good range ofCREE lights the small 90 lumin one is great no levels but odes have a flood to zoom head

 

[DavidJT]

Can't go wrong with one of the two Tesco Cree lights at £10 / £15. The 2AA one will prob be much brighter than your old school Mag. Having said that brightest is not always best and a dimming / energy saving feature would be a boon. I just use tape / gel on mine and pack extra batts.

 

[vizsla]

I had the same problem with my large maglight, shame as the torch was like new

 

[santaman2000]

bin the maglight unless you want a big stick (which you cant do legally in UK ) these days a single AAA LED can put out more light...

I haven't seen one that will; at least not without burning the battery down in an hour or so. Although it is possible with a high tech lithium batteried one that size. That said, the 6 cell mag today has 3 options:
1. Regular 6 cell flashlight bulb = regular brightness and regular battery consumption
2. Krypton bulb = brighter but quicker battery burn
3. LED = reduced brightness (but not much) and greatly increased burn time.

Also if I understand current UK law, the light itself isn't illegal; rather using it as a weapon is. There are other uses for the "big stick" aspect than simply a weapon. While stationed in England I found occassion to use mine to break a car window to rescue an unconscious crash victim locked in said car.

 

[Wook]

I dunno Santaman, a quick googling for the phrase "Maglite confiscated" revealed several anecdotal accounts of 6d Maglites being seized as offensive weapons.

 

[santaman2000]

Maybe so. I suspect more details on those incidences might turn up more reasons the police suspected they were (or would be) used as such though. There's often more to an incident than is apparent from short bites of info in the media or online.

 

[Wook]

Maybe your right, although sometimes I get the impression some cops get disappointed when a hunch doesn't pay off and they look for something to get you on anyway, just to make it worth the trouble they'd gone to.

In any case, I was looking at the newer Maglite 3D-Cell LED Torches - they look pretty good. They'd make a great just-heard-breaking-glass-in-the-middle-of-the-night torch. You could use it to find the burglars and then club them with it

According to Maglite it puts out about 130 lumens, about the same as that Fenix I linked to earlier. Costs about the same too.

If you really like your Maglite, maybe an LED equipped model would be a good buy.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Maglite-ST3D016-Cell-LED-Torch/dp/B000IXAJVY/ref=pd_cp_sg_1