Mini Maglite with LED

Mini Mag Lite path to LED, AA and AAA upgrade issues. About the durability and versatility of the Mag Lite Mini.

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Original Problems with the Mini

When the Mini was first introduced back in 1980s it had a serious downside - the on-off switching...The mechanism was badly resolved.

Back then it was controlled by the rotating motion of the lens housing. Problem was that after some use they could easily switch on by themselves as a result of twisting and turning in your pocket.

If left uncheked, this would suck clean the batteries. And because the Miini Mag Lite is so very durable, they would likely not be checked in obscure pockets for months on end. And of course, Murphy's rule is that those are the kinds of places you usually leave such precious little items. But the case was not closed on the dubious switching design just yet.

The other downside was also somewhat obscure:- It showed up only on hot days when temperatures rised too quickly or in an environment with unusual heat conditions - such that happens to firefighters for instance.

Because as a result of that sudden heat expansion the flashlight body got swollen and stuck against the threading of the head which apparently expanded just a bit less. But that made it plenty hard if not impossible to turn on the flash light as you can imagine.

Luckily, both these problems have been successfully resolved in subsequent model upgrades. Except for one...

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Belated LED Conversion - Starts with the Minis

For a long time, MAG was actually reluctant to go with the flow and upgrade to LED. But when the company finally decided to begin convertingthe old models it had, it is a historical fact that the process started on the Minis --ahead of all other Mag lite flashlight classes.

Could it be because the body of the Mini was arguably the mostdurable in the market?

Well, it's hard to say. But what points in this same direction was not quite happy news for MAG. Precisely for the same reason - Mini fans could own their product over generations and MAG was slow to  upgrade to LED - folks started to take matters in their own hands. Mag has tried to put up a fight citing that many of those upgrades will void the warranty. And only at this point has Mag decided to release upgrade kits on its own.




The LED version of the original Mini comes in two sizes built for 2 or 3 AA alkaline battery cells. Accordingly the models are called AA or AAA Mini Maglite LED Cell flashlights.

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Versatility of the Mini Mag lite

With a good ol' mini, for the price of one you could get many functions and a lot of flexibility. Those include the key-chain and the candle modes. ( So far the Mini Mag Lite series is the only one with a 'built in' candle mode.) And as said, you could also convert a Mini to LED. But once upgraded you could also  and still keep the candle function. 

How the candle mode works

Unscrew the head part and place it down on a table or other such flat surface. Next you set the flashlight barrel (rest of the body) into the head part sitting flat. And there you go you have an electric candle.

pros

• The Mini had this practical and handy function for a long time. And after the official upgrade the Mini mag lite LED version retained it also.

• If you are bothered by the sight of a cool white candle you can convert it back with a standard lamp and get a 'warmer' candle.

cons

• It does not utilise even the simplest additional functionalities - such as flickering for example - a LED candle could easily achieve.

• The sight of a laser white candle may bother some.

So if you want a real LED candle - flickering and all - consider these options.

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Related Articles, Resources:
These LED candles even change colors
 


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