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[Remark on Nov 27, 2011]
Amazon has combined the 2-D and 3-D cell versions of Maglite LED flashlights into one product page. The following review was original written for the 3-D cell version. See my other review if you are looking for the 2-D Cell version.
==== Original Review follows ====
This Mag-Lite ST3D016 3-D Cell LED Flashlight features the second-generation LED technology by Maglite. You may be alarmed that many of the older Amazon reviews are highly critical about this product. However, please note that the 2nd-gen LED Maglite was not even available before May 2009. That means earlier reviews were all based on the inferior first-gen Maglite LED flashlight.
The 2nd-gen Maglite LED flashlight offers many improvements over the first-generation version:
1. Brighter LED:
The new Maglite uses a Luxeon 'Rebel ES' 3-Watt LED as light source (check my Customer Image to see how it looks like). This LED is significantly brighter, whiter and more energy-efficient than the previous 'Lux III' LED used in 1st-gen Maglite.
2. Improved Heat Sink:
The overheating problem found in 1st-gen LED modules has been solved. That is, the light no longer dims down after just a few minutes of operation.
3. Better Power Management:
The new Maglite maintains constant power consumption of 2W as long as battery voltage is above 3.5V. That means it produces the same brightness whether powered by 3x NiMH cells (3.75V), or 3x alkaline cells (4.5V). When battery voltage drops below 3.5V, the light dims down gradually to conserve power, instead of abruptly drops dead like in 1st-gen. (See my Customer Image for chart of Input Power vs. Battery Voltage)
4. Sharper Focusing:
The 'Spot' mode is now very tight, with hardly any spill over. The 'Wide' mode is more even, without an ugly black hole in the middle. (See my Customer Image for beam shots)
Some other observations:
Light output of this Maglite 3-D LED flashlight is rated at '104-lumen'. I have no reason to doubt this number, because it is significantly brighter than the Maglite 2-AA mini LED, which is rated at 69-lumen. This claim is also consistent with the spec sheet of Luxeon Rebel ES LED, with the input power at 2W.
The battery life is rated at '72-hour'. This number seems a bit optimistic to me. Based on energy calculation, a set of three alkaline D-cells should be able to power the light at full power (2W) for about 20 hours. After that, the light will start to dim down gradually over the course of next 30-40 hours.
The only 'shortcoming' of this 3xD-cell Maglite is its size and weight. It is true that you can find other LED flashlights that also advertise '100-lumen', but powered by just 2xAA or even 3xAAA cells. However, the total energy stored in each D-size alkaline cell is about 7x greater than that in one AA cell. So by using three D-cells instead of two AA cells, this Maglite is able to burn at full brightness for 10 times longer. Most other LED flashlights only provide full brightness initially, when batteries are fresh. Physics don't lie. Marketing people do.
Bottom line:
Don't be discouraged by outdated negative reviews! This 2nd-gen Maglite LED flashlight is a very capable, rugged workhorse. Of course, if you need a more compact unit, then consider the MAGLITE 2-AA Cell Mini-Maglite LED Flashlight instead. It offers the 2nd-gen LED technology, too.
[Update on Feb 23, 2011]
I did a comparison between this 3-D Maglite and its 2-D cousin (ST2D096), and found them to be identical in terms of brightness and beam shape. The only difference is in runtime (about 20 hours for 3-D, 12 hours for 2-D). So just pick one depending on your preference in size.
[Update on Oct 26, 2011]
A reader informed me that the latest 3-D Maglite is using 3rd-generation LED, possibly Cree XP-E. I just confirmed this at my local Costco. The new package says '131 lumens' (previous one says '104 lumens'), and the LED inside has a square green base (previous one has a rectangular white base).
Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>
****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.
Best Deals for MagLite ST3D016 3-D Cell LED Flashlight, Black
After doing exhaustive research on the web for LED flashlights, I decided to give this one a try. I have owned other LED flashlights and have NOT always been happy with these products. Some reasons why I like this one more than the others include: 1) price, 2) quality, 3) adjustability of the beam (small bright dense center or wider softer light), 4) includes an extra bulb in the base just in case the first one breaks, 5) you can purchase other types of bulbs, like Xenon, separately if you need them, 5) has good battery life (some lose brightness intensity very fast after a few minute of continuous use. Other LED flashlights have smaller multiple light bulbs and you can't adjust the beam intensity as you sometimes need to do on search and rescue missions. Of the 4 LED flashlights I own, this one is my favorite. It works great in a power outage, for hiking/backpacking (only when using out of the car, a little too heavy for a few night loop), and for search a rescue missions. For the price and quality you can't beat this powerhouse flashlight.I bought 2 and use one for a polyanna gift exchange we do a Christmas with my husband's family this one was stolen the maximum number of times per our rules (3 times) early on in the game.
Honest reviews on MagLite ST3D016 3-D Cell LED Flashlight, Black
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.
Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for MagLite ST3D016 3-D Cell LED Flashlight, Black
This is the same high quality Mag Lite that has been around for so long, but with a 3 watt led to replace the incandescent bulb.One would expect a bright white or bluish led light, but a pleasant surprise is that Mag selected slightly yellow LEDs and so there is not an overly blue beam.
The beam throws well, and is a bit brighter than the incandescent.
The battery run time is 5 times as long than before, and while the incandescent gets to half brightness in 90 minutes, it takes 6 hours to 50 percent brightness with this flashlight, with the remainder of the life about 20 hours with usable brightness.
The led is rated at 50,000 hours of life.
Recently my 3 D Mag Lite slipped and fell on concrete head first, with no noticeable damage.
This light is still focusable as before, via turning the head which contains the usual parabolic reflector.
The 4 D Mag Lite seems a bit large and clumsy, but this 3 D is just right. And I have noticed, quite by accident, that no one seems to argue with me when I am holding this particular size light.
To sum up, much longer batter life, brighter, durable, high Mag quality.
A great light.
Shop for price, it can vary from 20 dollars on up.
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