Mag-Lite ST3D016 3-D Cell LED Flashlight, Black
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Tools and Hardware Reviews of Mag-Lite ST3D016 3-D Cell LED Flashlight, Black
Customer Review: Classic Light Leaves Much to Wish For
Summary: 3 Stars
****REFER TO THE CUSTOMER IMAGE I UPLOADED****
The 3-D LED Maglite is indeed an improvement from the traditional krypton Maglites that were used by police in the past. Nowadays police prefer xenon or LED models, especially the Streamlight Stinger or Pelican 7060, especially after allegations that these lights were being used with excessive force.
However, the LED Maglite left much to wish for, especially when compared to other LED lights.
PROs:
*Much brighter than the krypton Maglites
*Has spare krypton bulb in the tailcap should you ever manage to break the LED module, something that rarely happens.
*The focus ability of this light allow you to decide whether you want to use a lot of "sidespill" to light up the room, or to focus all the light into a tight beam to get a lot of "throw." Unfortunately the "throw" only allows you to see things up to 2-3 blocks away.
*Solid construction, the flashlight looks nice in any color, and it is a good self-defense tool. You can either blind an aggressor and if that is not enough it is a nice impact weapon. You do not need the 4 cell, or 6 cell Maglite to defend yourself, a 6 inch light will do if you know how to use it.
*Runs on 3 D cells, which are relatively cheap, and easy to find as opposed to CR123A's. The big batteries do add to the weight and strength of the light if you ever need to use it as an impact weapon.
*You can purchase a separate "Bust A Cap" device to attach to the tailcap of the flashlight. This little device will allow you to break car windows in case you need to get yourself or anyone else out of a vehicle during an emergency. Without the device, you will struggle to break the window, and you might damage your flashlight.
*The LED drains batteries slower than incandescent models.
*The 3-D Cell Maglite IS the BEST of all the other Maglites (2-D cell, 4-D cell, 6-D cells, etc) because it is the brightest and lasts the longest time on a fresh set of batteries.
*Momentary on, or constant on click-switch on the neck of the light. Some folks might prefer a "tactical switch" on the tailcap of their light, so if this is an issue, this light is not for you.
Now that I reviewed the PROs you might be wondering why I only gave it 3 stars. Here is the why: I expected more out of this light now than it has been promoted to LED status, especially since it is a Maglite. However, it failed in the following areas:
*POOR REFLECTOR. Maglite allows us to focus our light by rotating the head, but in doing so, it sacrifices the smooth beam that characterizes other LED flashlights. As a result you are left with "dark spots" and a "black hole" in the middle of the beam. These areas of darkness prevent you from seeing thins you need to see in the dark.
*The LED itself is not as bright as you would expect. I've seen many more LED lights, and my cheap Dorcy 3AAA 80 lumen light valued at $17 is WAY brighter. I am being fair in using a Dorcy within the same price range, you can't say I'm comparing the Maglite to a Surefire or Pelican.
*The LED has a "purplish" tint to it. Other LEDs offer a very white light. Others emit a somewhat bluish tint. This one emits a purple tint, and although it is bright, the weird tint is somewhat disturbing.
*The flashlight DOES get a bit dimmer as the batteries die down. Then it suddenly dies on you. This means if you intend on using this light for emergency preparedness, you better have fresh batteries so you won't be left with a dead light.
It's good that Maglite finally realized that LED is the future of flashlights, but they still have a lot to improve so that their products are high quality. The problem is not with the body of the light, all they need to fix is the reflector and the LED module. Police departments throughout the nation have seen these weaknesses in Maglite flashlights, so they have switched to Streamlight, Pelican, Inova, and Surefire. In order for Maglite to keep up, they need to work on their small blemishes.
The only exception is the AA LED Maglite, which is perhaps the best light they've made. The LED is smooth, with no dark rings around it.
Customer Review: Classic Qlassic Quality of MAGLITE
Summary: 5 Stars
This new LED flashlight by MAGLITE is the best thing. I bought one for my Wife at Christmas and she enjoyed using if for our farm that I ordered a second.
Customer Review: Durable but Lacking Performance
Summary: 1 Stars
Maglite has been known for decades for a quality powerful light with a terrific warranty. Unfortunately their attempt at quality LED lighting is far from terrific. The LED lights if left on for more than 5 minutes sees a significant decrease in the brightness of the light. This is due to a failure to provide a proper heat sink for the LED light. The longer the light stays on the dimmer and dimmer it grows. To say the least this is really disappointing. Improper heat removal from the LED will significantly reduce the life of the bulb as well.
Second, the power derived from the 3D batteries is not properly circuited or managed to provide a powerful beam that you would expect from the power that it is given. The biggest disappointment to prove this came when I recently ordered a Fenix key chain light that ran on 1 AAA battery. To say the least the light was as bright as my Maglite. After 5 minutes of operation the AAA Fenix light was brighter than the 3D Maglite because of the missing heat sink to effectively dissipate heat. Really disappointing.
Third, the adjustable focus is worthless as the light only provides quality lighting when completely focused for the greatest throw of the light, which due to its poor power management does not give the 3D batteries justice. The light is completely unusable in the flood focus as a big black dark spot appears in the middle of the projection. The light to say the least needs a better focusing system. Not to mention that the reflector is made of plastic. Aluminum would be far better and could provide a nice heat sink.
After about 6 months of light use my Maglite switch failed. This was after Hurricane Ike moved through my area and we were without power for 10 days. To say the least this was disappointing because of the quality that Maglite has been known for. I contacted Maglite via the internet as soon as my power was restored explaining my problem and they immediately sent out a replacement part, instructions, and tools necessary to change out the switch. I received the part within 10 days. It was an easy install and the correspondence was hassle free. In a time when corporations try to get out of warranties or force you to go through a long drawn out process it was refreshing to see Maglite honor their warranty with no hassle.
The durability of the light is not in question. It is made from quality components and should offer a long life of use.
Summary: The attempt at LED technology by Maglite is quite poor. The light is durable and Maglite does keep there word on their warranty. Still I do not recommend this light because inefficient power management, inadequate heat sinking, and poor focusing mechanism are all big problems with this light.
Customer Review: Everyone should have one
Summary: 5 Stars
This is one of those things that just has no negatives. It should be standard issue in every house whether its for just everyday use of walking around the back yard at night, to investigating the strange noise you heard downstairs in the middle of the night.
I hadn't used a Maglite for several years, but always remembered that I wasn't that impressed with the light quality. I decided to give the LED a try and, I was really pleasantly surprised by its light quality. It is very bright (3W LED), and has a nice, tight beam that is pretty uniform in intensity. Also, its peripheral area is surprisingly bright and uniform. This allows you to project a bright beam at whatever you are focusing on, and also have plenty of light to see the periphery. The light is very white and really projects. Also, the 3 D cell is a very good size. Not too big to be cumbersome, but just right if you want to "speak softly and carry a big stick".
Great overall flashlight, but its weight and size will make it a burden for many uses, such as hiking, where you need to keep the weight low. It is also too bright for close in use, such as reading a map or looking for a tool in the garage. But unrivaled if you need a bright light where the size and weight of a club could come in handy. Also rare to find this kind of quality materials and workmanship now-a-days.
Customer Review: Fantastic flashlight
Summary: 5 Stars
Exact same tough aluminum body you expect from Maglite, but with a super-bright LED lamp. I can't imagine buying a flashlight based on a krypton bulb anymore. These things are incredibly bright and the batteries last so much longer.