Mag Instrument (MAGST3D016) Maglite LED 3-Cell D (Black) # ST3D016
- Battery Type: D
- Flashlight Type: Standard Flashlights
- Flashlight Feature: Waterproof Security / Industrial Reinforced (Unbreakable)
- Bulb Type: Krypton LED
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Maglite 3D LED, a perfect LED flashlight for the money
Pros
Bright, durable, nice light color, good coverage.
Cons
Beam isn’t perfect.
Recommended it?
Yes
The Bottom Line:
The best D cell LED flashlight for the money.
In my search for the best and cheapest LED flashlights out there, I bought this off of Amazon just for that purpose not knowing what to expect. Every LED bulb (except 1) has impressed me. I have converted several AA maglite flashlights and one 2 D cell maglite. I finally bought the 3 watt 2 AA maglite late last year and I was really impressed. In my opinion, it is the best 2 AA LED flashlight for the money. I won’t buy any more conversion kits because the 2 aa is just that good.
So I had to buy this one to give into my current obsession, and I was equally impressed with the light it produced as well as the cost. For the price, probably the best on the market. (but if you disagree, you are always welcome to send me one to review.)
I love maglite products. While they are not the smallest, nor the brightest. They are the best value for your money in my opinion. And they are nearly impossible to destroy. There is not one Maglite product I have owned that I have been disappointed with. And now that they finally have good LED flashlights, they are even better. I will never go back to an incandescent bulb again.
LED's of the past had a bluish light to them. This is not the case with the new LED's. They are very close to white light. Now this flashlight is not perfectly white, but it is pretty close.
Battery life is the number one reason you want an LED. The site lists it as 72 hours. This would of course be for normal alkaline D cell batteries. The amp hours for these batteries run 10,000 and up. So battery life does depend on the Manufacturer. They do make very expensive D cell rechargeable batteries with that much battery life but I don’t own those. My tests are based on how I would use them in my real life and that is with rechargeable batteries listed at around 2,500 amp hours. These rechargeable batteries are also 1.25 volts, where as alkaline are 1.5 volts. This makes a big difference.
For my first test I turned it on at 4:30 pm and left it on. It was still at high brightness when I fell asleep at 8pm. I woke up at 2:30 and couldn’t get back to sleep. The flashlight was on but it was the brightness of a 2aa incandescent. Good enough for seeing in the immediate area, but not good enough for normal usage. I would have changed out the batteries at that time. From experience with other LED’s, I expected it to cut out real fast. Nope, at 6:30 am it was still at the same brightness. So for emergency purposes it worked, but not well enough for its intended usage.
Before I state my second test I need to explain something about LED’s. Most (if not all) are controlled with a circuit board/ controller of some sort. This usually keeps the LED at the same brightness for a long period of time (“Intelligent Energy Source Management” is what Maglite calls it). Then when it dies, many die a quick death. This is different from our incandescent bulbs that slowly dimmed as the battery power reduced. Now some LED flashlights don’t do this and this flashlight sort of does that. This is one weakness I found in this flashlight. I would rather have sacrificed battery life for consistent brightness. For my next camping trip I’ll see how it performs with alkaline. Also some lights have a very high initial brightness for 5 minutes then settle down to just a high brightness. I didn't find this with this flashlight. So keep that in mind.
I did a second test with my 3 2,500 amp hour batteries fully charged at 6:30 am. At 9:00 am it was still as bright as when I started. At 10:30 is when I noticed it wasn’t that bright and would have changed out the batteries if I could easily charge them (like I can at home.) If I was camping with a limited supply of rechargeable batteries I would have kept them in for another 3-4 hours. If it was alkaline then I would have kept them in for longer than that.
So considering the huge difference in amp hours and the 1/4 voltage difference per battery. I can see it lasting 72 hours. But I seriously doubt it would last 72 hours at the same brightness it had at the beginning.
I put in alkaline batteries and found the brightness was around 50% brighter. Because of that I would put in alkaline batteries when I went camping. For keeping it around the house, I would use my rechargeable batteries.
When you are buying a Maglite you are buying a heavy metal rod. It is not cheap plastic like some other flashlights. You can do some serious damage with this flashlight. Basically a legal nightstick. It is treated as a weapon in certain circumstances, where as plastic would never be. I have easily indented concrete with it and once hammered in tent stakes (yes it was really difficult). But doing these things does scratch off the paint. The only way I have killed a Maglite is by letting acid leak out of old batteries. So when you compare prices, keep in mind that you are buying a very durable product. The only issue with durability is in the cosmetic department.
Also a note about luminosity. Different companies measure it in different ways. Maglite's numbers seem lower than other companies, yet their bulbs are brighter than these same companies. My Terralux conversion bulb is listed at 140 lumens but is less bright then this flashlight.
This flashlight is listed at 104 lumens. It is only slightly brighter than the 2AA 3-watt Maglite, but the difference is this has a much wider beam the covers more area. So while brightness differences are not as great as I would like, the coverage is greater and more consistent. It is way easier to see my bushes 100 feet away with this flashlight than any other flashlight I own.
The middle of the light is white and clean. You do see a tinge of blue on the outside of the beam but it isn’t a problem for me. The tinge is barely noticeable.
You also don’t need to focus this beam. While the site says you can widen the beam, it really does a poor job at doing that. That is the biggest weakness in this flashlight in that the beam is not perfect. You can also turn this into a lantern like other Maglites by unscrewing off the front cap.
The flashlight is easy to hold. In the middle is a indented grid to increase resistance. The caps at both ends also have some indentations so they are easier to screw. The on/off button is covered by a piece of rubber so it is easy to press and does not irritate the fingers. It will tire our your hand for extended periods of time and the weight will be a bit much for young children.
Durability shouldn’t be a problem. I have never had a problem with any other D cell Maglite and this looks exactly like my other incandescent Maglites.
By the way, there is no spare bulb.
It comes in black, blue, red, silver, gray, and camo.
There are the basic accessories. Holsters, loops, colored cones, brackets, colored lenses, etc.
The only reason I would not recommend this flashlight is because of the weight. It isn’t the lightest out there. It is long so it will not do well if you crawl in caverns. For cave crawling I use my 2AA flashlights and my 3aaa Petzl headlamp. If you go in caves, GET AN LED HEADLAMP.
Here is some data from their website:
• "Spot-to-Flood" adjustable LED beam
• Anodized for corrosion resistance and durability
• Rugged, machined aluminum case
• Momentary On-Off
• Intelligent Energy Source Management -
continuously monitors the balance between high brightness and efficient power usage allowing for prolonged battery life
• Powered by two (2) or (3) D-Cell alkaline batteries
MAGLITE® LED 3-Cell D Flashlight Specifications:
Length: 12-11/32" (313 mm)
Barrel Diameter: 1-9/16" (39.67 mm)
Head Diameter: 2-1/4" (57.00 mm)
Weight with batteries: 30 oz. (856 g)
Do I recommend this over a LED conversion kit. Absolutely. But there are two reasons I would recommend that you get a conversion kit. One is if you want to be responsible and “recycle” your incandescent flashlight. The second is if you want a longer life for your incandescent flashlights (but the 10-20 dollar conversion kit LED's will not be as bright as this flashlight.) The conversion kits that might be as bright (I haven’t tested them) are much more expensive then this flashlight. So just buy this flashlight.
© Alan Lake's Kitchen 2011
Other reviews you might be interested in.
Maglite 2 AA 3 watt maglite flashlight
Maglite 2 D cell LED flashlight
Nite ize conversion kit that I like for the price
Nite ize 1 watt conversion kit for those that want a better performing bulb than the LUC2
So I had to buy this one to give into my current obsession, and I was equally impressed with the light it produced as well as the cost. For the price, probably the best on the market. (but if you disagree, you are always welcome to send me one to review.)
I love maglite products. While they are not the smallest, nor the brightest. They are the best value for your money in my opinion. And they are nearly impossible to destroy. There is not one Maglite product I have owned that I have been disappointed with. And now that they finally have good LED flashlights, they are even better. I will never go back to an incandescent bulb again.
LED's of the past had a bluish light to them. This is not the case with the new LED's. They are very close to white light. Now this flashlight is not perfectly white, but it is pretty close.
Battery life is the number one reason you want an LED. The site lists it as 72 hours. This would of course be for normal alkaline D cell batteries. The amp hours for these batteries run 10,000 and up. So battery life does depend on the Manufacturer. They do make very expensive D cell rechargeable batteries with that much battery life but I don’t own those. My tests are based on how I would use them in my real life and that is with rechargeable batteries listed at around 2,500 amp hours. These rechargeable batteries are also 1.25 volts, where as alkaline are 1.5 volts. This makes a big difference.
For my first test I turned it on at 4:30 pm and left it on. It was still at high brightness when I fell asleep at 8pm. I woke up at 2:30 and couldn’t get back to sleep. The flashlight was on but it was the brightness of a 2aa incandescent. Good enough for seeing in the immediate area, but not good enough for normal usage. I would have changed out the batteries at that time. From experience with other LED’s, I expected it to cut out real fast. Nope, at 6:30 am it was still at the same brightness. So for emergency purposes it worked, but not well enough for its intended usage.
Before I state my second test I need to explain something about LED’s. Most (if not all) are controlled with a circuit board/ controller of some sort. This usually keeps the LED at the same brightness for a long period of time (“Intelligent Energy Source Management” is what Maglite calls it). Then when it dies, many die a quick death. This is different from our incandescent bulbs that slowly dimmed as the battery power reduced. Now some LED flashlights don’t do this and this flashlight sort of does that. This is one weakness I found in this flashlight. I would rather have sacrificed battery life for consistent brightness. For my next camping trip I’ll see how it performs with alkaline. Also some lights have a very high initial brightness for 5 minutes then settle down to just a high brightness. I didn't find this with this flashlight. So keep that in mind.
I did a second test with my 3 2,500 amp hour batteries fully charged at 6:30 am. At 9:00 am it was still as bright as when I started. At 10:30 is when I noticed it wasn’t that bright and would have changed out the batteries if I could easily charge them (like I can at home.) If I was camping with a limited supply of rechargeable batteries I would have kept them in for another 3-4 hours. If it was alkaline then I would have kept them in for longer than that.
So considering the huge difference in amp hours and the 1/4 voltage difference per battery. I can see it lasting 72 hours. But I seriously doubt it would last 72 hours at the same brightness it had at the beginning.
I put in alkaline batteries and found the brightness was around 50% brighter. Because of that I would put in alkaline batteries when I went camping. For keeping it around the house, I would use my rechargeable batteries.
When you are buying a Maglite you are buying a heavy metal rod. It is not cheap plastic like some other flashlights. You can do some serious damage with this flashlight. Basically a legal nightstick. It is treated as a weapon in certain circumstances, where as plastic would never be. I have easily indented concrete with it and once hammered in tent stakes (yes it was really difficult). But doing these things does scratch off the paint. The only way I have killed a Maglite is by letting acid leak out of old batteries. So when you compare prices, keep in mind that you are buying a very durable product. The only issue with durability is in the cosmetic department.
Also a note about luminosity. Different companies measure it in different ways. Maglite's numbers seem lower than other companies, yet their bulbs are brighter than these same companies. My Terralux conversion bulb is listed at 140 lumens but is less bright then this flashlight.
This flashlight is listed at 104 lumens. It is only slightly brighter than the 2AA 3-watt Maglite, but the difference is this has a much wider beam the covers more area. So while brightness differences are not as great as I would like, the coverage is greater and more consistent. It is way easier to see my bushes 100 feet away with this flashlight than any other flashlight I own.
The middle of the light is white and clean. You do see a tinge of blue on the outside of the beam but it isn’t a problem for me. The tinge is barely noticeable.
You also don’t need to focus this beam. While the site says you can widen the beam, it really does a poor job at doing that. That is the biggest weakness in this flashlight in that the beam is not perfect. You can also turn this into a lantern like other Maglites by unscrewing off the front cap.
The flashlight is easy to hold. In the middle is a indented grid to increase resistance. The caps at both ends also have some indentations so they are easier to screw. The on/off button is covered by a piece of rubber so it is easy to press and does not irritate the fingers. It will tire our your hand for extended periods of time and the weight will be a bit much for young children.
Durability shouldn’t be a problem. I have never had a problem with any other D cell Maglite and this looks exactly like my other incandescent Maglites.
By the way, there is no spare bulb.
It comes in black, blue, red, silver, gray, and camo.
There are the basic accessories. Holsters, loops, colored cones, brackets, colored lenses, etc.
The only reason I would not recommend this flashlight is because of the weight. It isn’t the lightest out there. It is long so it will not do well if you crawl in caverns. For cave crawling I use my 2AA flashlights and my 3aaa Petzl headlamp. If you go in caves, GET AN LED HEADLAMP.
Here is some data from their website:
• "Spot-to-Flood" adjustable LED beam
• Anodized for corrosion resistance and durability
• Rugged, machined aluminum case
• Momentary On-Off
• Intelligent Energy Source Management -
continuously monitors the balance between high brightness and efficient power usage allowing for prolonged battery life
• Powered by two (2) or (3) D-Cell alkaline batteries
MAGLITE® LED 3-Cell D Flashlight Specifications:
Length: 12-11/32" (313 mm)
Barrel Diameter: 1-9/16" (39.67 mm)
Head Diameter: 2-1/4" (57.00 mm)
Weight with batteries: 30 oz. (856 g)
Do I recommend this over a LED conversion kit. Absolutely. But there are two reasons I would recommend that you get a conversion kit. One is if you want to be responsible and “recycle” your incandescent flashlight. The second is if you want a longer life for your incandescent flashlights (but the 10-20 dollar conversion kit LED's will not be as bright as this flashlight.) The conversion kits that might be as bright (I haven’t tested them) are much more expensive then this flashlight. So just buy this flashlight.
© Alan Lake's Kitchen 2011
Other reviews you might be interested in.
Maglite 2 AA 3 watt maglite flashlight
Maglite 2 D cell LED flashlight
Nite ize conversion kit that I like for the price
Nite ize 1 watt conversion kit for those that want a better performing bulb than the LUC2
