# Maglite high-intensity bulb **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 31, 2013, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maglite-high-intensity-bulb/654456 "2013-03-31T19:35:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2013, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maglite-high-intensity-bulb/654456/1 "2013-03-31T19:35:23Z")
About a decade ago I bought a replacement lamp for my Maglite 3 D-cell flashlight. It’s a high-intensity lamp that is whiter than the original. (You might say it’s almost blue.) At about $14, it was expensive at the time. Does anyone know what this lamp is called, and where I might get some more? ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2013, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maglite-high-intensity-bulb/654456/2 "2013-03-31T20:03:03Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > About a decade ago I bought a replacement lamp for my Maglite 3 D-cell flashlight. It’s a high-intensity lamp that is whiter than the original. (You might say it’s almost blue.) At about $14, it was expensive at the time. > > Does anyone know what this lamp is called, and where I might get some more? This ? > **[Maglite Replacement Lamp for 3-Cell C & D Flashlight, 1 pk (LMSA301) - Basic...](https://www.amazon.com/Maglite-Replacement-3-Cell-Flashlight-LMSA301/dp/B00004U4N7)** > > Product Description Maglite Replacement Lamp for 3-Cell C & D Flashlight, 1 pk (LMSA301) From the Manufacturer This 3-cell, D replacement lamp will get you back into those dark, confined areas that are calling your name.... As an aside short of busting skulls there’s nothing a maglite can do that newer LED models can’t do 10X better. Here’s one of my faves. > **[Fenix Flashlights, Headlamps & Lighting Gear Retailer | Fenix Store](https://fenix-store.com/)** > > Shop the official Fenix Store for premium flashlights, headlamps, and lighting gear. Explore durable, high-performance LED lights for camping, hiking, tactical use, and more! [http://www.amazon.com/Fenix-LD22-Lumen-Flashlight-Combo/dp/B007O0FLK8](http://www.amazon.com/Fenix-LD22-Lumen-Flashlight-Combo/dp/B007O0FLK8) ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2013, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maglite-high-intensity-bulb/654456/3 "2013-03-31T20:09:25Z")
> [@astro](#): > > This ? > [Maglite Replacement Lamp for 3-Cell C & D Flashlight, 1 pk (LMSA301) - Basic Handheld Flashlights - Amazon.com](http://www.amazon.com/MAGLITE-LMSA301-Replacement-Lamp-Flashlight/dp/B00004U4N7) Can’t really tell, but it looks like one I’ve tried that was not as high-intensity as the one I have in one of my flashlights. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2013, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maglite-high-intensity-bulb/654456/4 "2013-03-31T20:19:03Z")
I’m thinking this board could give you a definitive answer very quickly. [http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/forumdisplay.php?4-General-Flashlight-Discussion](http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/forumdisplay.php?4-General-Flashlight-Discussion) ---
**Author:** ![Terry\_Kennedy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c57346/32.png) [@Terry\_Kennedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terry_Kennedy)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2013, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maglite-high-intensity-bulb/654456/5 "2013-03-31T20:51:54Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > About a decade ago I bought a replacement lamp for my Maglite 3 D-cell flashlight. It’s a high-intensity lamp that is whiter than the original. (You might say it’s almost blue.) At about $14, it was expensive at the time. > > Does anyone know what this lamp is called, and where I might get some more? Just about [any place](http://www.maglite.com/replacementlamps.asp) that sells Maglite products. Consult [this link](http://www.maglite.com/highintensity2_new.asp) for part numbers. The top 2 items on the page are the brighter bulb styles. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2013, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maglite-high-intensity-bulb/654456/6 "2013-04-01T03:34:14Z")
> [@astro](#): > > As an aside short of busting skulls there’s nothing a maglite can do that newer LED models can’t do 10X better. He could always get the best of both worlds with one of these: [2-3 D/C Maglite LED upgrade kit.](http://www.terraluxportable.com/product/tle-6exb-cnc/) ---
**Author:** ![bluezooky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e8c25b/32.png) [@bluezooky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bluezooky)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2013, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maglite-high-intensity-bulb/654456/7 "2013-04-01T05:02:34Z")
It was a massive improvement at the time however side by side I can’t see any difference between my three year old TerraLUX upgraded Maglite and the latest LED Maglite. ---
**Author:** ![Isilder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@Isilder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isilder)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2013, 8:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maglite-high-intensity-bulb/654456/8 "2013-04-01T08:49:10Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > About a decade ago I bought a replacement lamp for my Maglite 3 D-cell flashlight. It’s a high-intensity lamp that is whiter than the original. (You might say it’s almost blue.) At about $14, it was expensive at the time. > > Does anyone know what this lamp is called, and where I might get some more? halogen is usually yellow, but brighter yellow white to blue implies HID ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2013, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maglite-high-intensity-bulb/654456/9 "2013-04-01T13:59:50Z")
> [@bump](#): > > He could always get the best of both worlds with one of these: > > [2-3 D/C Maglite LED upgrade kit.](http://www.terraluxportable.com/product/tle-6exb-cnc/) I believe that’s the one I got. Very nice. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2013, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maglite-high-intensity-bulb/654456/10 "2013-04-01T14:28:42Z")
> [@Isilder](#): > > halogen is usually yellow, but brighter yellow > > white to blue implies HID It’s definitely ‘very white’. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2013, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maglite-high-intensity-bulb/654456/11 "2013-04-01T19:42:00Z")
> [@bluezooky](#): > > It was a massive improvement at the time however side by side I can’t see any difference between my three year old TerraLUX upgraded Maglite and the latest LED Maglite. Either still beats your un-upgraded Maglite, I’ll bet. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2013, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maglite-high-intensity-bulb/654456/12 "2013-04-01T21:14:00Z")
> [@Isilder](#): > > halogen is usually yellow, but brighter yellow > > white to blue implies HID HID requires a big and expensive power supply. You’re can’t just plug an HID lamp into a regular incandescent lamp socket. ---
**Author:** ![Michael63129](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3da27b/32.png) [@Michael63129](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael63129)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2013, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maglite-high-intensity-bulb/654456/13 "2013-04-01T22:23:36Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > HID requires a big and expensive power supply. > You’re can’t just plug an HID lamp into a regular incandescent lamp socket. If the circuit on [this page](http://wvsp.tripod.com/light1.html) is any indication, a HID ballast can be made for about the same cost and size as a CFL or CCFL ballast (which often use a very similar circuit), small enough to fit in a flashlight (although obviously a real ballast would use much better parts than RadioShack parts; e.g. real high-speed transistors instead of obsolete 2N3055s). [Here’s a HID ballast for $9](http://www.amazon.com/Xenon-Super-Slim-Ballast-35watt/dp/B008RUIT1W/ref=pd_rhf_dp_p_t_1_PM67) (for automotive use). Of course, the part about using a HID bulb in place of an incandescent stands, unless you are willing to do some work and the ballast can fit. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2013, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maglite-high-intensity-bulb/654456/14 "2013-04-01T23:42:06Z")
For the people that think a LED is always better, I’m happy for your lack of visual problems. A LED does not however come close to letting me see in the dark like the krypton Maglite I sought out 3 months ago. Keep using your LEDs I’ll stay with the krypton bulb that actually lets me see correctly in the dark and it’s not a power hog as I get hours of use before recharging. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2013, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maglite-high-intensity-bulb/654456/15 "2013-04-02T13:34:53Z")
> [@Harmonious\_Discord](#): > > For the people that think a LED is always better, I’m happy for your lack of visual problems. A LED does not however come close to letting me see in the dark like the krypton Maglite I sought out 3 months ago. Keep using your LEDs I’ll stay with the krypton bulb that actually lets me see correctly in the dark and it’s not a power hog as I get hours of use before recharging. Out of curiosity, what was the vintage of the last LED flashlight you took for a spin in the dark? They’ve improved incredibly over the last 5 years or so. The early ones that I have were a cluster of 3mm or 5mm diffused LEDs that didn’t really put out any more light than a comparable halogen flashlight bulb, and their main attraction was their really low power consumption. Nowadays, they’ve come out with crazy bright LEDs- as in my 2 D cell LED Maglite puts out over 274 lumens from a single LED, and can do it for 12 hours or so. It’s considerably brighter than any other flashlight I’ve ever had- I can light stuff up a block away in the dark, and no other flashlight I’ve had can do that. If there’s a flaw with the light, it’s that it’s too bright up close and messes up my night vision. ---
**Author:** ![old\_joe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/58956e/32.png) [@old\_joe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/old_joe)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2013, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maglite-high-intensity-bulb/654456/16 "2013-04-03T02:09:16Z")
[quote=“bump, post:15, topic:654456”] ## Out of curiosity, what was the vintage of the last LED flashlight you took for a spin in the dark? They’ve improved incredibly over the last 5 years or so. I use several more pocketable led lights however I love the Fenix TK60 [http://www.fenixtactical.com/fenix-tk60.html](http://www.fenixtactical.com/fenix-tk60.html) same form factor as my old maglight and at 800 lumens its 10 times as bright. I normally use it on medium which gives me 111 lumens and 40 hours runtime. I can use it camping on a long weekend with the grandkids playing around and not kill the batteries. My old maglight was only 80 lumens or so and ran for a couple hours max, there is simply no comparison at all. I gotta agree though its way too right on high ---
**Author:** ![GaryM](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garym/32/241_2.png) [@GaryM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaryM)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2013, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maglite-high-intensity-bulb/654456/17 "2013-04-03T02:19:05Z")
I’ll mention that many highend Led lights can be had in tints ranging from cool white through neutral to warm white. Many people find that a slightly warm white gives better vision in the woods.