LED VS. INCANDESCENT: I can think of 5 reasons to buy an LED flashlight over a regular incandescent flashlight:
1) An LED will usually last for tens-of-thousands of hours. In regular use, it shouldn't burn out.
2) White LEDs are so "white" that they make incandescent bulbs look dull yellow by comparison.
3) LEDs tend to be more rugged than incandescent bulbs,
4) LEDs don't eat batteries quite as fast as equivalent-light incandescent bulbs
5) LED flashlights tend to stay bright until they abruptly die
Their only disadvantage is that they cost more, though this up-front cost may be ameliorated over time since you should never need to buy another bulb.
Whiter-than-White--our eyes perceive white light with a slight blue tinge as being whiter than true white. White LEDs tend to cater to this bias, so we see their light as being REALLY white. The end result is that LED bulbs make incandescent bulbs look dull yellow by comparison.
Ruggedness--Some LEDs employ two thin wires that connect their substrate to the leads, but the LED's plastic body holds these wires immobile. Common sense would indicate that these two wires are probably less prone to damage than the thin, unsupported coiled filament in a regular incandescent bulb that glows at 3000+ degrees Fahrenheit. I have never managed to break a Maglite LED bulb, though I've dropped one several times on grass, carpet, and concrete. Finally, LED bulbs are used in "tactical lights" that are attached to handguns without the rubber buffering rings that incandescent bulbs required.
Battery Duration--When I first bought this flashlight, I put fresh Duracells in it and also in a regular Maglite and turned them both on. Technically, both lasted for 24 hours, but at the end of that period the regular Maglite's beam was an unusable dull orange glow while the LED flashlight still produced a beam you could read by. Furthermore, after letting the batteries rest for a day, I turned the LED flashlight back on and it burned for another 6 hours!
Maglite's Competition--These days, you can buy small LED flashlights that are smaller than a roll of quarters that put out more light than this Maglite. I own several of them myself. However, these flashlights tend to be powered by photo or AAA batteries, so they typically don't last more than an hour or two between battery changes. Only the expensive units tend to match Maglite's lifetime warranty. Finally, many of the small LED flashlights don't have adjustable beams. You can adjust this Maglite's beam to see a wide area close up or a small object in the distance by rotating its head.
Maglites have enjoyed a well-deserved reputation as being quality-built flashlights. There are more expensive gee-whiz flashlights out there like the amazing 4Sevens Quark, but Maglites are generally recognized as your basic, solid "working man's" flashlight. Keep fresh batteries in them and they'll never let you down. On the offchance you buy a lemon that fails after a few years, rest assured that Maglite honors its lifetime warranty. Once, they even upgraded my broken unit to a newer one (like they did for H. Ngai in my "Comments" section). They also makes comforting clubs if need be.
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The 2-D cell version of MAGLITE LED Flashlight (ST2D016) is rated for 114 lumens light output, and 9 hours 15 minutes runtime. The 3-D cell version (ST3D016) is rated for 104 lumens, but suppose to have an incredibly long runtime of 72 hours. I find this claim very hard to believe based on simple physics, which is why I have to verify it for myself.Before we start, please bear in mind that most of the older Amazon reviews are based on first-generation MagLite LED flashlights. The two MagLite LED flashlights I tested are both second-generation models, which contain the following improvements:
Brighter Luxeon Rebel ES 3W LED
Better optical reflector design
Better battery utilization
(See my upload in the Customer Images section, if you need to find out whether your Maglite has the 2nd-gen LED technology)
EXTERIOR:
From the outside, both 2-D and 3-D Maglite LED flashlights have exactly the same shape and finish. Of course the 3-D version is longer, but the difference is not as dramatic as one would imagine. That's because the 2-D version actually has the length of four D cells stack together. So the 3-D version is only 25% longer.
INTERIOR:
There is a subtle difference in the positive contact inside the two Maglite flashlights. The ST2D has a slightly recessed contact point, which means if the first battery's positive terminal is just slightly wider than that of a standard alkaline cell, it will not make electrical contact. So initially I was not able to use any rechargeable D cells (such as the Energizer D Rechargeable NiMH) in it. I have to add a tiny solder bump to the positive terminal for it to work.
BRIGHTNESS:
On paper, the ST2D should produce more light output than ST3D (114 lumens vs. 104). But in real life, I cannot tell which flashlight is brighter even in a side-by-side comparison. They both have the same LED and the same optical reflector design, which means they should generate the same brightness as long as they are driven at the same power.
POWER CONSUMPTION:
According to my own measurements, both versions consume roughly the same input power (hence light output) with fresh alkaline cells. The main difference is in how the input power changes over battery voltage range.
For the ST3D, input power is tightly regulated at 1.9-2W as long as the battery voltage is over 3.5V. Below 3.5V, however, the power drops rapidly. The light becomes nearly useless when battery voltage drops below 3V.
For the ST2D, input power is not as well-regulated. It consumes about 1.7W at 3.0V (two fresh alkaline cells). As the battery falls all the way down to 1.5V, the input power actually increases to almost 2.2W. Below 1.5V, the input power drops off quickly, but the light is still useable even at 1.0V!
(See the "Input Power vs. Battery Voltage" chart in Customer Images section)
RUNTIME:
A typical alkaline D-cell is rated for about 9,000mAh when delivering a constant current of 500mA. So its total energy (assuming an average voltage of 1.3V) is about 12Wh. Based on my energy calculations:
Two alkaline D cells should be able to power the ST2D for about 12 hours at full brightness.
Three alkaline D cells should be able to power the ST3D for about 20 hours at full brightness.
There is absolutely no way three alkaline D cells can sustain 2W for 72 hours, because that will require each cell to pack 48Wh of energy. Why did MagLite rate the runtime for ST3D as '72 hours'? I can only imagine that's the time it takes for the light to drop to 10% of its full brightness.
CONCLUSION:
The 2-D and 3-D versions of MagLite LED flashlights are identical in terms of built-quality, light output, and beam shapes. The main difference is their runtimes. But this difference is more like 12 hours (for 2-D) verses 20 hours (for 3-D), instead of 9 verses 72 as Maglite claimed.
Presently, the two versions are priced similarly. So unless you expect to use your Maglite as an impact weapon, the shorter 2-D version may be a better choice.
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Overall this light is a nice light for the low cost. The construction is classic Mag; durable and able to stand up to daily use. Battery life seems to be fairly long with normal use. The light output is a lot nicer than standard halogen bulbs with a white color output that makes standard lights look "yellow." The focusing ability is perfect to give you a very small focused spot that should throw far. The only downside is with wide beam focusing which has noticeable "rings" of light. Overall this is a nicely built light for everyday use.Honest reviews on Mag - Lite Mini Mag - Lite "AA" LED Flashlight
After hours of research, I decided to go with this flashlight. First, you CAN NOT beat the quality of Maglite at any price. I have one over 10 years old that still works like new despite the droppings, the scratches and dings. Secondly, the specs on this model are impressive, 114 lumens with a spot light range of 298 meters all with a run time of 9 hours and 15 minutes. The bright white is spectacular compared to the old bulbs. I have attached a video shot in my bedroom approximately 15 feet away from a white wall showing the differences in light quality. The video will say it all.
The only other model I would consider is the 3-D cell LED Flashlight that unfortunately Amazon was out of stock a couple of days ago when I bought 2 of these models instead, one black and one red. Regardless, I DO NOT regret my decision.
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