Anyone know of a suitable alternative to a 2D LED Maglite/MagLED?

My first one developed an intermittent fault, so I got it warrantied (took months) and now the replacement has the same issue.

I like the light output and battery life of the MagLED, but I miss the reliability of the old incandescent Maglites (don’t miss the battery life though!)

Fenix do a bunch of very good torches.

Fenix make some good lights. The E25 XP-E2 looks like a good 2xAA light.
There are numerous suppliers in the UK.

Impressive specs on those Fenix lights, cheers for the heads up.

It shouldn’t really matter (they’ll be used in the dark after all) but some of them must have had a fair old barney with the ugly tree:

I suppose the question is, did you choose the 2D for its, er, non-torch applications of being a plausibly deniable blunt instrument. If not, then get something small and LED-ish, and if I was you I’d not tie it to standard batteries either.

Just like bike lights there are some very good far eastern torches now but finding the good ones can be hard. I have 2 old Trustfires which have been brilliant- very reliable, excellent beam etc, but I wouldn’t know where to start with new models. Fenix will give you a bit more assurance of quality etc but at a price.

Quite a lot of these modern torches can actually be a bit impractical- my cheapo XML torch has stupendous range but it’s tightbeamed and all but the lowest modes are downright glarey- bounceback off shiny surfaces etc can be annoying and it blows your night vision completely. Easy to be antisocial with it and accidentally glare other people For just normal torch stuff- walking around, camping- I think i preferred my old incandescents even though they made hardly any light. Brighter isn’t automatically better for a lot of jobs.

You could do worse than one of these: http://www.dx.com/p/ultrafire-kf-t60-ha-ii-xm-lt60-5-mode-1200-lumen-white-led-flashlight-with-strap-1-x-18650-57003#.VGJuqIiQGK1
I’ve had one for several years, even used it on the bike with a mount I made out of some water pipe and a foam bike grip on the torch.
You need a charger and some 18650 Li-ion batteries, but they’re cheap as from DX. Excellent flashlight, just the right size to tuck into a pocket.
Or, if you want something a bit brighter, but more compact, then there’s this: http://eud.dx.com/product/ultrafire-7xt6-7-x-cree-xm-l-t6-3-mode-4200lm-white-flashlight-w-strap-black-4-x-18650-844285522#.VF5eCIiQGK1

Choice overload on the DX site!

Any idea what reliability is like on those?

What about a Maglite. I have a Maglite XL200 which is absolutely spot on. I have several other Fleabay Cree LED things which are all fab for the money but my Maglite is my preferred torch of choice.

I do have a bit of a torch/bike light fetish. When I’m out riding, I am that biker where you think ” what the hell is that coming towards us?” And away!

Do you have an old Maglite?

I just bought an Led bulb for my old 3 cell for £10 on eBay. Much brighter than the old bulb whilst still retaining the burglar repellent aspect of the 3 cell!

Regards

How small /large do you want? Get some decent lights from PhotonLight.com.

Maglite LED conversion kit is also good, but I also had a decathlon jobbie that was £6 which was very good and is still going well. I also treated myself to a Surefire when I was in the usa:)

Ken, they can be a bit variable, switches can be a bit iffy, but I’ve only had one torch from DX which has been a problem the one I have like that above has been reliable for five or six years. The stubby high-power one I’m not sure about, but I’m thinking about getting as a Xmas pressy for myself. Ultrafire ones are pretty good, so are TrustFire. You can’t go wrong with Fenix, but they’re more expensive. There’s also Foursevens torches: http://www.foursevens.com/products/flashlights/Turbo
But again they’re pricy.

Lenser are brilliant. Have the heft of the big maglites and very impressive beam. Pricey though.

People still use or buy maglites? Wow.

Try torchy the battery boy on eBay.

What Stoner said.

I’ve got a few maglites as we are issued with them at work but they are no match for the Feenix or DX Cree Torches at a fraction of the price.

Lenser P7.2 is my choice, and i’m happy with it. Nice size, bright, good beam pattern and zoom. Available in Cotswold outdoors if you have one locally (so you can go have a look/play with them).

I have an LED Lenser V2 but it does eat though batteries at a scary rate. Good thing is it seems to go from silly bright to progressively dim along a dying battery life curve. Which is preferable (to me) than just dying abruptly. Echo what someone else said, how bright do you need it to be? I’ve literally covered lenses with parcel tape to tone down the glare for regular use, being blinded to everything else except a narrowish beam is no fun in many instances.

These days I tend only to use a rechargeable road bike light/torch – which is actually an excellent torch in it’s own right (think you can remove the bracket block too, making it just a torch), with two selectable light levels (high and low). Fast charging, lasts ages – plenty bright, solid metal with some heft (not as hefty as a Lenser) not cheap though. roadCC tested it at 6hrs full beam then another 3hrs on low following the low battery warning. That seems about right. I rarely seem to charge it for regular torch use, ie weeks between charges 🙂

RSP Asteri 3