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Deuterium
     
location:
PNW
Gender: Male
 |  | Review: Mini Maglite LED 3AA
< on 9/29/2006 2:35 AM >
|  | | | I recently got a Mini Maglite LED 3AA.
From the outside, it looks just like a Mini Mag that has been around since 1984.
As you can tell from the name, it is powered from common AA The Mini Maglite LED You can run standard alkaline batteries or rechargeable AA batteries.
Comparatively, it is slightly taller than a 2D Maglite and slightly taller than a beer bottle, but it is thinner than your thumb and fits into the bottle.
The MiniMag LED has a 3 watt rated Luxeon III white LED. The light is pure white similar to xenon HID headlights on luxury cars. I've found it to be brighter than a 2D Maglite with a standard bulb, although it can't focus quite as well because of a smaller reflector.
The pictures don't show it too well, but the focusing mechanism works quite well.
As with every Maglite, the light can be focused from flood to spot with a quarter turn of the head or you can remove the head and use the head as a base to enjoy "candle mode"
. Additionally, if you keep loosening the head
the light returns to flood and begins to dim as the head is pulled further away from the LED giving you an ability to dim to about 1/3 the full output.
While the flashlight continues to use the same amount of power from batteries, this is useful when excessive light is not desirable.
The MiniMag LED is a very good urban exploration light. It is readily available at a very affordable price of $20-25 from big box stores such as Home Depot and Wal-Mart and I suspect it will be soon on shelves at Canadian Tires. It is available in 2AA and 3AA sizes and each light comes with a nylon belt sheath and Duracell alkaline batteries.
All that and it's one of the very few affordable lights Made in the USA.
I'm not a big fan of Mag lighhts and I almost never use that 2D light in the first picture, but the LED MiniMag is an exception.
No doubt there are superior flashlights available from specialty online dealers, but you are not going to find one for $25 in a department store.
Yay
Availability
Focusing beam
Good value
Made in the USA
Lifetime warranty thorough Mag Instrument, Inc, USA
Nay
No lanyard attachment
Round... Don't let it roll to fall
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Explorer Zero
| |  | Re: Review: Mini Maglite LED 3AA
<Reply # 1 on 9/29/2006 10:22 PM >
| | | | well one thing is for sure
it cant possibly be any worse than the 2AA incandescent model
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Deuterium
location:
PNW
Gender: Male
| | Re: Review: Mini Maglite LED 3AA
<Reply # 2 on 9/29/2006 10:56 PM >
| | | | Posted by 2Xplorations
well one thing is for sure
it cant possibly be any worse than the 2AA incandescent model
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It's WAY better. If you don't like it, take it back to Wal-Mart.
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'Dukes
Noble Donor
Gender: Male
At least someone llikes me
| |  | Re: Review: Mini Maglite LED 3AA
<Reply # 3 on 9/30/2006 1:53 AM >
| | | | The size and cheap batteries always made the 2aa a winner. This upscale version sold me.
The size is odd though, it's pretty long for such a skinny light.
Good review.
I got your tour winner right here pussies, at least he'd crash out trying. |
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Deuterium
location:
PNW
Gender: Male
| | Re: Review: Mini Maglite LED 3AA
<Reply # 4 on 9/30/2006 7:22 AM >
| | | | Posted by 'Dukes
The size and cheap batteries always made the 2aa a winner. This upscale version sold me.
The size is odd though, it's pretty long for such a skinny light.
Good review.
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If you want it smaller, you CAN get a 2AA LED version. Here's a size comparison I found on a different forum. Standard Minimag, 2AA MM LED, 3AA MM LED, respectively.
Here is an independent comparative review of the Minimag LED against the Fenix L2P, a light known to some members here. As you can see, they're both fine lights. Fenix is offered with niche features such as glass lens, stronger body finish and a few minor details, but not without a significant expense. You can get a 3AA Minimag for $20 at Home Depot, 2AA for $24 at Wal-Mart. If you want a Fenix L2P, you will have to order one online at a cost of $45.
For equal price, its a hard decision, but the fact Minimag is about half the price while still being a high quality product is a major competitive advantage.
[last edit 9/30/2006 10:04 AM by Deuterium - edited 2 times]
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