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First, a little history about Maglite.
Mag Instuments was set up with a second hand lathe and a rented workshop by Mr Anthony Maglica, a Croatian immigrant to the US back in 1955. He spoke Serbo-Croat and hardly any English, but that didn't stop him breaking into the market for precision ... Read review
Advantages: Exceptionally bright beam, easily adjustable beam from flood to spot,very high quality construction,very durable, comprehensive instructions, negligible running costs. Disadvantages: No indication of battery life at all (see review), high initial outlay, VERY difficult to locate in a shop as are the accessories (see review)
...intensive research and development the Maglite Rechargable Flashlight system (originally termed MagCharger) was born -the rest is history.Further releases included thr Mini Maglite AA and AAA torches and the diminutive Solitaire torch powered by a single AAA battery. Finally Maglite were awarded recognition for their acheivements by being placed in a "what America does best" catergory in a leading publication.
History lesson ... ...
1x Maglite Rechargable Torch
1 x NiCad 'stick' of 5 1/2 D cells which are sealed.
1x Cradle to hold the torch when charging
1x 240v AC adaptor (110v available as an optional extra in the UK std in the US etc)
1 x Cigarette lighter adaptor-very useful if you are keeping the torch in a car or a boat for example.
1 X Mounting Bracket+ screws allowing the charging ... more
It's a term that in my opinion is bandied about too often-the best money can buy. Often it is used to describe an item which somebody is totally bowled over with but has very little experience of an alternative or alternatly on a product which happens to the the most expensive in its class so the owner thinks it's just got to be the best.
As we all know these charateristics do not necessarily mean an item is the best just because it fits into those catergories. How dors another person know, when the product is lined up against it's competitiors,that it's going to be the best.
Well this is a term I've used here and I will attempt to justify the reason why an everyday item should be woth a sum of money well into the three figure mark.
First, a little history about Maglite.
Mag Instuments was set up with a second hand lathe and a rented workshop by Mr Anthony Maglica, a Croatian immigrant to the US back in 1955. He spoke Serbo-Croat and hardly any English, but that didn't stop him breaking into the market for precision aircraft components. The business started small but went from strenght to strength and built a reputation for reliability, innovation and precision in a notoriously difficult market. Mr Maglica then decided to turn his talents to a not so obvious gap in the market-torches (or flashlights as they are termed in the US). He set about designing a product so innovative and reliable that it became a household name-Maglite. Released in 1979 the C Cell and D Cell torches soon found favour with the Armed Services, Fire Departments and Police forces throughout the US and then throughout the rest of the world. However, he decided to listen to suggestions from his customers. Coupling this with a desire to be the best, Mr Maglica decided to design and lauch a premium quality product which had to combine top spec,quality and reliability. So after a peroid of intensive research and development the Maglite Rechargable Flashlight system (originally termed MagCharger) was born -the rest is history.Further releases included thr Mini Maglite AA and AAA torches and the diminutive Solitaire torch powered by a single AAA battery. Finally Maglite were awarded recognition for their acheivements by being placed in a "what America does best" catergory in a leading publication.
History lesson over.
Well the Maglite Rechargable is a very special torch indeed. I purchaded mine from a shop called Five Ways High Fidelity in Islington Row Middleway, Birmingam back in 1993 for £120.
£120?
Oh yes the most expensive torch available back then. Today it retails for £149.95 in most good outdoor shops (caution see drawbacks in a sec) but is also available online at www.thetorchshop.co.uk and others at £115.95+p&p.
Jessops and Halfords supply to Special Order.
In the box there is contained.
1x Maglite Rechargable Torch
1 x NiCad 'stick' of 5 1/2 D cells which are sealed.
1x Cradle to hold the torch when charging
1x 240v AC adaptor (110v available as an optional extra in the UK std in the US etc)
1 x Cigarette lighter adaptor-very useful if you are keeping the torch in a car or a boat for example.
1 X Mounting Bracket+ screws allowing the charging cradle to be mounted on virtually any solid surface.
1 x Set of Instructions.
1 x Bulb already fitted into the head of the torch and 1 x spare bulb placed in the base of the battery cap as a spare.
Measurments are as follows
Length 319.79mm
Diameter 39.67mm
Head Diameter 58.72mm
Weight 907.18g (thats 2 pounds in imperial)
Light output 40000 Peak Beam Candlepwer which assumes a new bulb and fully charged battery
Burn time 2 hours assuming fully charged fresh cells
Life of battery up to 1000 cycles but this depends on lots of factors such as ambient temp used in,the battery being fully run down before charging
In practice 500 cycles is more likely.
The torch is supplied in any colour you like as long as it's black unless you want to order and pay for 1000-ask Mag Instuments for furthur details.
It is made of military grade aerospace aluminium and is double anodised-a process which adds considerably to the hardness, durability,scratch resistance and corrosion resistance properties of the Torch body It features an adjustable beam from flood to spot with a quck turn of the head,a unique three way self cleaning switch( On/Off and on by holding down-ideal to send morse code for example), a Sodalite glass front (an extremly hard temperature resistant glass), high quality O seals for weather resistance,a patterned grip to improve holding when wearing gloves, a precision reflector in the head assembly to enable accuracy in the light beam shape and finally each torch is serial numbered for guarantee registration purposes.
Well there's the spec but how good is in use.?
FANTASTIC -after an 18hr charge as per the instructions-I turned on the unit and was literally dazzled by the amount of light coming out of it. It formed a very wide flood and then a very tight spot. My particular unit has a less powerful lamp in which gives 30000 PBCPbut even so the light emitted is like a searchlight...I was in a rural area in the middle of the night in winter a few years back and turned the torch on,the spot beam stretched for miles. it has proved very durable and reliable, surviving a 15ft drop onto hard concrete/stone paving slabs and regularly taking a good soaking c/o our lovely British weather. When you pick one up you realise it might have other uses but the instruction manual specifically advises against them.
Running costs consist of the very occasional bulb change (once every five years in my experience cost about £8), the negligible costs of recharging,the negligible cost of lubricating the seals with petroleum jelly and the occasinal need to change the battery pack (once in 13 years at about £40)
So far so excellent.
Drawbacks?
Well if I was being picky, I'm not a fan of NiCad batteries knowing them to be prone to reduced capacity caused by "memory" effect- a phenomenon which results in less and less battery life so a more up to date power supply such as NiMh (Nickel Metal Hydride), Lithium-Ion or even Lithium-Polymer technology should become available.
The torch can run out with the minimum of warning, you only know when the light becomes deep yellow in colour and dim.From that point on you've got five less than illuminating minutes until the battery runs flat.
And worst of all it the most AWKWARD product to find I've ever looked for-I had to order it, unlikely you will be purchasing off the shelf in the UK. So your best bet maybe the internet but that doesn't help if you want to see it first or you don't want to trust the net This goes for the bulbs also . I was so fustrated after going on a fruitless search in Birmingam yesterday, I emailed the UK distributor with my concerns.
However, if you can overcome the availability obstacle you will be rewarded with simply the best torch of it's type money can buy. Others like Surefire are brighter still but considerably more expensive (10 x Dominator), others are brighter and cheaper but are considerably more bulky and made of cheap plastics which can become dangerously hot in my experience (may have been faulty, I don't know). Still there are others like the Streamlight UltraStinger which are a near clone (who Mag Instruments Inc won a multi million dollar lawsute against for breach of patents), brighter but bigger and more expensive.
If you ever want to buy a torch once in your life, do yourself a favour and buy one.
It's the only torch you'll ever need-foibles and all.
Sites are as below:
www.maglite.com www.burtonmccall.co.uk ( UK distributors) www.surefire.com www.streamlight.com www.thetorchshop.co.uk www.jessops.com
