PROs:
Outstanding brightness. According to the package itself, the upgrade is rated at 140 Lumens. It is brighter than the Nite Ize version, and definitely brighter than the incandescent bulb it comes with.
You maintain focusing ability of the Mini-Mag. For some it might be a pro, for others it might be a con. The good thing is that when you change from spotlight to floodlight, you don't get the annoying dark spots as much.
-It is easy to install, and a simple 4-step instruction card is included.
-It comes with a smooth reflector, which helps the light travel a bit further.
-The LED is a bit "whiter," it does not have the bluish tint a lot of LEDs have.
-Your batteries last longer.
CONs:
-The package states that the upgrade will give you a 140 lumen light. However, I think it is more between 80-100 lumens. My 80 lumen Dorcy light outperforms it. And we definitely cannot compare this light to a Surefire or any other tactical light that runs on 123A's like someone else reviewing this upgrade mentioned.
-Although this is the CLOSEST you'll get the mini-mag to tactical level, I do not recommend it for such use. The "throw" is not good enough despite the smooth reflector.
-It is easy to insert the module incorrectly. If the light does not turn on at first, remove the module, rotate it half-way, and re-insert.
Overall the PROs outweight the CONs on this upgrade. I would recommend that you upgrade your Mini-Mags with this module and store them for emergency use, in emergency kits, or in the car. You'll truly be surprised by the potential that old Mini-Mag actually has with the right kind of upgrade!
P.S. Anything over $18 (including shipping) is too much to pay (Might as well get the complete Mini-Mag LED at Wal-Mart). Look elsewhere till you find a cheaper price, I got mine at eBay for $16 + Free Shipping.
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After looking at all the available options to convert my very old Minimag to LED, decided upon this one. Received it today, took two minutes to install. Measured before-and-after light output with CEM DT-1300 photometer:BEFORE (incandescent)
340 LUX @ 1 meter
4000 LUX @ 10cm
AFTER (LED)
720 LUX @ 1 meter
16500 LUX @ 10cm
Conclusion: focussing is much better with original, light output more than double with LED kit.
Details: fresh alkaline batteries, incandescent was replaced less than six months ago.
Comment: will try to improve focussing per other reviewers later, but well-satisfied with improvement now.
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I purchased this from another website for a bit cheaper than Amazon has it for. I was expecting it to be what it says, 140 Lumens.. it's not. I have a previous LED upgrade, not the 3 LED version but the 1 Watt LED version which is pretty good and probably puts out about 40-50 Lumens. I got it with the Smart IQ switch which I still have and works great.This LED is a bit brighter than the original with a whiter color and better overall throw which does allow you to see more at night as it has wider coverage, but again, it's no where near the 140 Lumens I was expecting. I'd say it's putting out about 70-80 Lumens.
Though it comes with the new reflector, I found it very difficult to get it to a full spot beam. I had to unscrew the lens cap about a turn or so to allow the extra space for it to truly focus correctly. You can get a flood light but it just gives you a ring effect which doesn't do a whole lot. But then as mentioned, because the area light is much better with this light, you don't even really need to use the flood effect on it.
So if you are still using an incandescent bulb and want to upgrade, it's worth it in that case.
However, the best thing to do is to just get the new 2nd Generation Maglite 2 AA LED version with the 4 modes as that is Very bright, has the dimming, flash and SOS features and comes with the usual batteries and carry case for about $20 or less on Amazon. That light is rated at 69 Lumens and it does have a very good beam that travels about 200 feet and because Maglite improved the reflector, you do get the old fashioned Spot to Flood capability back that was so popular in the original AA Mini Maglite with the Incandescent bulb.
NOTE: I found that if you're using this or any LED bulb with the IQ Switch, that you will get about 20-30% less light out of it. After removing the IQ Switch from this LED bulb, it was noticeably brighter. Though it's still not 140 lumens as far as I can see.. it is a good bit stronger and at least more in line with what I was initially expecting.
My 104 Lumen XL50 still blows it away though. Not sure if that's because of the larger reflector with a better matching design or because the actual light output is better from the XL50 or not. The website I bought my version from did say that it was 140 Lumens (At the Emitter) which could mean that it is actually throwing more light than it appears because of the smaller and limited capability of the replacement reflector causing the beam to not throw anywhere near as far or as powerfully as the XL50 for example.
But overall it does light up an area pretty nicely, but you're still better of spending a little extra and getting the 2AA LED MiniMag version instead.
If you are looking to make your old Incandescent MiniMag useful again, then this will definitely do the trick nicely.
Honest reviews on TerraLUX TLE-5EX MiniStar2 Extreme LED Upgrade for Mini Maglite 2AA
I purchased this upgrade to replace the old incandescent bulb in my Mini-Maglite. I was very surprised by the increase in light output. With the old bulb I considered the flashlight barely usable, useful for walking out to my car at night (I live in the woods with no lights around) but that was about it. With the terralux led I consider it an actual flashlight now. The beam is very clean with a decent size bright center at 10 ft and has a large spill over effect providing good ambient around the bright circle. In pitch black woods I get a usable amount of light for about 100 125 ft. and can use to scan the tops of tree's around me. In ambient lighting, like in a city, I get a usable amount of light for about 50-100 ft. depending on lighting conditions. The light is perfect for scanning objects and rooms at a close to medium distance. While the light is clean and focused it still has more of a flood effect than a beam effect. If the power goes out in your home this is the perfect light. In candle mode it will light up a decent sized family room or kitchen and it won't be to bright on your eyes while using it as a flashlight around the rest of the house. This is a very handy flashlight to have and I find that I kept reaching for it when I need a good light around the yard or house. For seeing into the back of stores in a mall or looking down alley ways I would suggest a more powerful flashlight like a new Maglite D Cell LED or something that has a tight beam that will throw light for a couple hundred feet.Update 1-31-2012
I just received a few of these modules in the mail as a gift for a family member and noticed that I got a different LED module than I did the first time. First off the new module is a smaller LED on a black circuit chip and comes with a deeper reflector. I contacted Terralux to see what the difference was and found out that it is the same Cree XR-E LED module only slightly updated, but the circuitry has been updated to be more efficient and slightly brighter. In real world testing I have found that the new module is brighter by a fair amount and has a more neutral white color (versus the old blue color) with a more intense hotspot. It throws more light, farther away than the original did. I also found that the new reflector retains more of the focusing feature that the original Maglite had. It allows you to go from flood when you turn it on (useful inside a house) to spot to see things farther away (useful outside). (The old version mostly had spot and not that great of a flood setting) My previous review remains essentially the same only the distances will be somewhat greater (but not by to large of a margin). I will post pictures soon of the new beam and module compared to the old one for people who have the old on to see. (If your LED is a large one on a green background you have the old one) I know that I will be picking up one of these new ones for myself and update my Maglite, I definitely prefer this new beam's color and throw.
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Bought 3 of these to upgrade the 2-AA flashlights I already have with the incandescent bulbs. Now just as bright if not brighter than 3-AA LED Maglite! Also brighter than TerraLUX TLE-20 that's in another 2-AA flashlight. Great upgrade.
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