Maglite (also spelled Mag-Lite, stylized as MAG-LITE) is a brand of flashlight manufactured in the United States by Mag Instrument, Inc. Located in Ontario, California, and founded by Anthony Maglica. It was introduced in 1979. And receive a 20% OFF. promo code to shop Online at Maglite.com, FREE SHIPPING on orders over $35, NEW and EXCITING MAGLITENATION™ Exclusive/Loyalty Rewards and Promotions. Be the first to hear about offers, specials and giveaways.MAGLITE® (Maglite.com) online sales to U.S. Street addresses only; no P.O.

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I mainly collect 'non-letter serial' D cell Maglites. What does this mean? Maglites without a D in the serial number are from before 1992. These lights are quite a bit different from the later 'letter serials'. The biggest difference is the size of the light. Non-letter serials have a much thicker body and weigh much more. This gives them the feel of a much more sturdy, durable light. If you've never held one I highly recommend it versus a new Maglite as it feel like a different light entirely. See below for an example of a letter serial versus a non-letter serial.

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Sale is for 1 (one) well used, police issue, 3D Cell Maglite Flashlight. Second year production lights (1980). Serial numbers in the mid 20,000's. Each light is functionally perfect. Maglite Black 3 D Cell Torch Flashlight. An iconic black 12inch/31cm Mag-Lite. Known for a superior beam of adjustable light, this simple to use torch has the individual serial number 2. Excellent condition. This robust piece is in solid metal with a textured central grip strip.

Shown in the above pic is a 3D letter serial (bottom) from around 2000 and a non-letter serial 3D from around 1980 (top). The leading digit, 3, specifies the cell size in the non-letter and the leading D and 3 in the letter serial specifies the cell type and number of cells. The rest of the digits specify the number of the light in the production sequence. All lights started at number 1 and worked their way up. So, the earliest 3 cell light would be 30000001. The non-letter light on top is 30051558 so it is the 51,558th 3D cell light produced. This numbering carried over in 1992 and did not reset when the letter serials came out. Older lights did not differentiate between the cell type in the serial. Newer LED lights will also have other letters on the prefix side as well. This blog is specifically about incandescent lights.
Shown below is a new (1992+) end cap threaded into an old (1990) barrel to show the difference in size. The red barrel is an old production non-letter and the jade end cap from a new production letter serial.
The secondary update was to the switch. From 1979 until 1992 Mag Instrument used a retaining ring switch. The retaining ring was made out of aluminum early on but was changed in 1990 to plastic. The aluminum ring resulted in more difficult maintenance because the retaining ring gets stuck when dirt or corrosion get into it. The aluminum ring also resulted in higher production costs because the aluminum is more expensive to produce than the plastic. The 1992+ letter serial switches use a snap ring instead of a retaining ring which also results in less machining and a lower production cost.
Shown below is a 1979 to 1989 aluminum retaining ring switch on the left, a 1990 to 1991 plastic retaining ring switch in the center, and a 1992+ retaining clip switch on the right. The retaining clip is difficult to remove from the barrel and removal is not needed for most maintenance. It should be noted that Maglite still sells retaining ring replacement switch for older lights but they are now all of the plastic ring variety. The aluminum ring has been discontinued since 1989.

These non-letter serial lights are far less common than the later lights. A new 3D is around a 48,000,000 serial which means Maglite has produced around 48,000,000 3Ds as of this post date. Mag Instrument will actually tell you the date a light was produced based on this serial number although I have a Quick Dating Guide that will give you a rough idea without having to go through Mag.
It's interesting to note that when 1992 rolled around only 4,000,000 of each model, and sometimes many less, were produced when the lights changed to the currently available models. Currently Mag Instrument will sometimes sell 4,000,000 lights of each model a year so non-letter serials are much more rare due to their low production numbers and age.
The variations on the standard black model are also much more rare on the earlier lights. Lights came in far fewer colors and there were far fewer special editions than there are on the newer style lights. I've detailed these here.
Another easy way to tell the difference is the addition of the panther logo on the bezel of the new style lights. According to Mag Instrument a panther represents a creature of the night and was added when the models changed in 1992. Shown below is a new style letter serial with the panther logo on the bezel on the bottom and the older style bezel on top.

Maglite (also spelled Mag-Lite, stylized as MAG-LITE) is a brand of flashlight manufactured in the United States by Mag Instrument, Inc. located in Ontario, California, and founded by Anthony Maglica. It was introduced in 1979.^[1][2] Constructed principally of anodized6061 aluminum, they have a variable-focus beam. Maglites are produced in several colors such as black, silver, blue, red, green, purple, gold, and different finishes. Originally Maglite flashlights used krypton or xenon incandescent bulbs. Current models have LEDs, although the older models are still widely available.

Accessories include belt holsters, mounting brackets, colored and glass lenses, attachable fiber optics extensions, higher-powered incandescent bulbs, and LED conversion modules. The Maglite was an improvement over the Kel-Lite, after which the Maglite was patterned.^[3]

Timeline[edit]

A list of the sizes of Mag Instrument flashlights, and the years they were released:

• 1979: D and C battery models are put on the market; targeted to the public safety and industrial sectors (the 5C, 6C, 7C and 7D models are out of production)
• 1982: MagCharger: a larger more expensive model popular with public safety and emergency-services personnel. This light is much brighter than typical Maglites, and uses an incandescent Halogen bulb and a rechargeable NiCad or NiMH battery pack.
• 1984: Two AA cell batteries (Mini Maglite) Maglite's first personal size flashlight
• 1987: Two AAA cell batteries (Mini Maglite) A smaller version of the original Mini Maglite
• 1988: One AAA cell battery (Maglite Solitaire) Mag Instrument's key chain flashlight.
• 2006: Maglite LED Flashlight and Upgrade Module: 3-watt Luxeon III LED from Lumileds.^[2]
• 2006: Mini Maglite LED 2AA.
• 2008: MagCharger: Upgraded Nickel/Metal Hydride (NiMH) battery pack increases charge time and second generation Halogen bulb increases light output.
• 2009: Next Generation Mag-LED Technology: Featuring a new Luxeon Rebel LED and extended battery life.
• 2010: Maglite XL100: offers a motion-controlled user interface using a built-in accelerometer
• 2010: Maglite XL50: This is a simpler version of the XL100, featuring three modes that can be activated with consecutive presses of the tailcap switch. The XL50 will have a lower retail price than the XL100.
• 2011: a variety of LED and rechargeable flashlights introduced. These include the ML100 and the rechargeable/C Cell LED ML125
• 2011: Maglite XL200: This is similar to the XL100 but offers higher lumen output.
• 2012: Mini Maglite AA Pro 215 Lumens and Mini Maglite AA Pro+ 245 Lumens. A further upgrade of the Maglite MagCharger called
• 2012: Maglite 2D pro 274 Lumens with a Cree XP-G rather than a Cree XP-E, increasing brightness while decreasing beam distance efficiency.
• 2012: Maglite Mag-Tac flashlight plain bezel, 310 Lumens, low mode at around 100 Lumens. First Maglite flashlight to use CR123A batteries. Tactical style designed with military input.
• 2012: Maglite Mag-Tac crowned bezel, 320 lumens. This model has no low mode for light output.
• 2012: the V4 was also released with a newly developed electronic switch enabling a Multi Mode operation and a slightly more powerful bulb producing an output of 245 Lumens.
• 2012: In August, Maglite announced several new models including an LED version of the Solitaire, a Mini Maglite LED 2 AAA and a new version of the 2D LED termed the 2D LED Pro promising a beam in excess of 200 Lumens.
• 2013: Maglite released an LED version of the MagCharger. Features a 680 lumen output and spot-to-flood beam with a quarter turn of the head. Claimed 4 hrs of battery life on a full charge at full power. Other specs are as the Incandescent Version.^[4]

Models[edit]

Model	Incandescent	LED
Solitaire	Maglite Solitaire	Maglite LED Solitaire
Mini Maglite	Mini Maglite 2-CELL AAA	Mini Maglite LED 2-CELL AAA
Mini Maglite 2-CELL AA Xenon	Mini Maglite LED 2-CELL AA
Mini Maglite LED 3-CELL AA
Mini Maglite PRO LED 2-CELL AA
Mini Maglite PRO+ LED 2-CELL AA
Maglite XL	Maglite LED XL50
Maglite LED XL100
Maglite LED XL200
Maglite LED XL300
Maglite D	Maglite 2-CELL D	Maglite LED 2-CELL D
Maglite PRO LED 2-CELL D
Maglite 3-CELL D	Maglite LED 3-CELL D
Maglite 4-CELL D
Maglite 5-CELL D
Maglite 6-CELL D	Maglite LED 6-CELL D
Maglite 7-CELL D
Maglite C	Maglite 2-CELL C	Maglite ML100 LED 2-CELL C
Maglite 3-CELL C	Maglite ML100 LED 3-CELL C
Maglite 4-CELL C
Rechargeable	MagCharger - NiMH/Halogen	MagCharger LED and ML125
Maglite MAG-TAC	Maglite MAG-TAC LED 2-CELL CR123

Law enforcement use[edit]

Maglite flashlights have been known to be used as a ready substitute for a baton. In 2004, the Los Angeles Police Commission moved to use smaller flashlights, with Alan Skobin, the commission vice-president, stating that 'This policy makes clear flashlights are for illumination and discourages their use as an impact tool. And it ensures officer safety as well as protects the public.'^{[5][citation needed]} Security and police personnel often carry Maglite flashlights in red as they can be employed as a defensive weapon, especially at night or in dark locations. Police officers will often use Maglites during traffic stops or suspect confrontation, as the beam can disorient an attacker and the flashlight can be swung as a baton as a measure of last resort in self-defense.^[6]

On March 30, 2007, the Los Angeles Police Department announced that they would be switching to a smaller, lighter LED flashlight that cannot be used as a baton, in response to a highly publicized incident where an officer was accused of using excessive force against a suspect by using a Maglite.^[7]

Gallery[edit]

• Most Maglites have a spare bulb in the tailcap. LED lamps have a long life, and do not usually need to be replaced. Some LED Maglite models have a spare incandescent bulb.

• Closeup view of a 4D Maglite with the factory-installed Luxeon LED module. The inset shows the LED module with the reflector assembly removed.

• The 2xAA Mini Maglite in four colors

• Mini Maglite and belt holster

Maglite Serial Number Lookup

References[edit]

1. ^Nick Freeth. Made in America: from Levis to Barbie to Google MBI Publishing Company, 2005 ISBN0-7603-2270-8, pp.180-181
2. ^ ^ab'Maglite Event Timeline'. Maglite. Archived from the original on 7 October 2014. Retrieved 27 December 2010.
3. ^William Lidwell, Gerry Manacsa Deconstructing Product Design: Exploring the Form, Function, Usability, Sustainability, and Commercial Success of 100 Amazing Products Rockport Publishers, 2009 ISBN1-59253-345-0, pp.116-117
4. ^'Maglite MagCharger LED Flashlight System | Review'. Flashlight University. 2013-11-12. Retrieved 2016-07-09.
5. ^Winton, Richard (December 15, 2004). 'Police Panel Endorses Limits on Flashlights'. articles.latimes.com. LA Times.
6. ^'Tactical flashlights vs self-defense flashlights - Any difference?'. Million Candle Power. Retrieved 27 March 2016.
7. ^'LA police get flashlight that stuns, not strikes'. The New Zealand Herald. 31 March 2007. Retrieved 2010-03-30.

Maglite Serial Number Check Cashing

External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Maglite.