MaglitePRO+ Mini LED Flashlight , Black

I first bought a Maglite AA torch back in 1991. It was frankly amazing for the time. A small pocketable torch with an aluminium body which oozed quality and was as bright as my fathers Ever Ready 2 D cell torch. It was the bees knees at the time.Well times have moved on and in that time the introduction of the LED as a cost-effective alternative has taken the whole lighting industry by storm. And sadly the original incandescent AA Maglite has now become hopelessly outmoded. Chinese manufacturers such as Fenix were getting the market sewn up. So Mag Instruments had to respond and the LED Maglite AA is the answer.This is the latest in a list of Maglite AA LED variants which started off as very expensive upmarket model. But the pace of progress has brought better and cheaper LED’s ands as a result we now have a 280 Lumen version which is way in excess of anything Mag has done before.But the good news is that the increase in performance has not compromised the other attributes of the AA Maglite. The build quality is still there, being constructed of anodised aluminium which is both tough and hard wearing. And unlike almost all competitors the ‘spot to flood’ function beam adjustment is still there. In practice the AA Maglite produces a high quality bean with an almost perfect white colour. It also has a useful reduced power beam, activated by holding the torch down before turning on, a ‘candle mode’ where the head can be taken off, put face down then the tail of the torch placed in it turning the torch into a mini lamp..ideal for camping.As this torch uses AA batteries which are more leak prone than lithium CR123As for example PREMIUM CELLS LIKE PANASONIC EVOLTA, DURACELL ETC ARE COMPULSORY cheaper cells will leak and possibly ruin the torch (NOT covered by warranty).But as pocket torches go, this is an absolute bargain, is bright enough for almost all regular eventualities and is probably going to outlast more expensive more ‘tecchie’ rivals.Thoroughly recommended.

Cannot go too far wrong with one of these.Worth reading the instructions so you know how to turn it on in low power mode, because it will eat the batteries otherwise.In high power mode the brilliance of this torch is great, and the ability to focus the beam is as always very useful.Low power mode is all you need for close use, and the extended life you get out of the batteries is worth having.Team the torch up with a pair of Energiser Ultimate Lithium batteries and you have a torch that will perform well in pretty extreme temperatures, and provide better battery life too with the 3000mAh capacity of those batteries. The 'shelf' life of about 20years of these batteries also means that if you do leave it with these batteries in for an extended period you won't have leaks wrecking your torch.Robust, and able to survive drops this is one torch that should last you for ages.

MagLite - they're a design icon, lovingly engineered to be the best torch there is. The components are precision made, carefully finished, fit better than a tailored suit.And they have some mighty claims to live up to: "Built tough enough to last a lifetime", "they are water-resistant, shock resistant, corrosion-resistant and backed up by a limited lifetime warranty"Wait a sec - "limited lifetime warranty" - what part is 'limited'?A few days back I took a very late decision on joining a hike across Dartmoor, starting at 21:00, expecting to walk four hours into the night. I didn't check my five-year-old Mini MagLite AA incandescent - I'd used it intermittently over that time, it had never failed, hardly dimmed. No problem. Arriving at the start I suited up (it's Dartmoor, mid summer, and the mist and rain have kicked in. Situation normal). I dug out the MagLite, twisted the head, and on came the light. Then it flickered off, and on and off and... It was dimmer than I remembered, so maybe the batteries were failing. I carry spares, so off came the screw base. But the batteries won't budge, they're jammed inside the body. After some fiddling and no tools available another member of the group offers a spare head torch - the MagLite goes back in the bag, useless.Next day I research the problem. The MagLite 'limited warranty' states: "EXCLUSIONS:This warranty does not cover any of the following: 1. Battery exhaustion; 2. Battery leakage; 3. Lamp burnout; or 4. Damage to or failure of the flashlight or any component thereof due to alteration, misuse, battery leakage or lack of maintenance"...The (Duracell) batteries have leaked inside the body of my MagLite, and MagLites are built to provide a very snug fit for their batteries. There is a known fix for the goop which exudes from alkaline batteries, and that's to apply a weak acid - vinegar - to dissolve the effluent. While it's doing its thing I create a couple of tools to drive the batteries out of the MagLite body. The attempt fails. I also try driving a screw into the base of the one visible battery and pulling. That fails too. I conclude that even if I extract the batteries the MagLite body is likely to be corroded, scarred, close to unusable. It's binned.So: "Built tough enough to last a lifetime"? "corrosion-resistant"? Try Googling 'batteries stuck in MagLite'. You'll find lots of examples of people with lives as short as mine.But I have bought another MagLite (there's an appropriate quote from Forrest Gump here). LED this time, and yes, it's very bright. It will never hold an alkaline battery - I'm going for Lithium - and I'll keep the batteries out except when I need to use it; that should provide for a lot of fun in the wet on a dark night on the moor. (According to Energizer's website their "Lithium AA/AAA Batteries are GUARANTEED NOT TO LEAK." We'll see.)And MagLite, if you're reading, I have a suggestion for a design improvement for your torches which, according to Business Insider Singapore "are perfectly designed and can't be improved any more".They could. Get back to me.

This is a high-powered, high end Mag-Lite torch from their "pro" range, offering very high performance at a reasonable Amazon price. It is simple to operate by twisting the head of the lamp which also provides the adjustment for the beam intensity, plus, you also have a choice between the maximum power and the power safe mode, which provides for a perfectly usable illumination plus longer battery life. The packet comes with a pair of Duracell batteries and a simple belt holster. The rather modest holster is not much of a giveaway with the torch, but the torch itself is of very high quality and will serve you well.

I was initially happy with the quality of this torch, the brightness is good for its size.However, after just one year of irregular use it stopped working. Given the premium price tag of Maglite products I was expecting a significantly longer lifetime than this, especially given that this is an LED based torch. Very disappointed!