Maglite (also spelled Mag-Lite, stylized as MAG-LITE) is a

brand A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's good or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create an ...

flashlight A flashlight ( US, Canada) or torch ( UK, Australia) is a portable hand-held electric lamp. Formerly, the light source typically was a miniature incandescent light bulb, but these have been displaced by light-emitting diodes (LEDs) since the ...

manufactured in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

by Mag Instrument, Inc. located in

Ontario, California Ontario is a city in southwestern San Bernardino County in the U.S. state of California, east of downtown Los Angeles and west of downtown San Bernardino, the county seat. Located in the western part of the Inland Empire metropolitan area, ...

, and founded by

Anthony Maglica Anthony "Tony" Maglica (Croatian: '' Ante Maglica'') (born 1930) is the owner and founder of Mag Instrument Inc, the company that manufactures the Maglite flashlight which was designed by Maglica. The Maglite is a powerful and durable flashlight t ...

. It was introduced in 1979. Constructed principally of

anodized Anodizing is an electrolytic passivation process used to increase the thickness of the natural oxide layer on the surface of metal parts. The process is called ''anodizing'' because the part to be treated forms the anode electrode of an electro ...

6061 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 Krypton (from grc, κρυπτός, translit=kryptos 'the hidden one') is a chemical element with the symbol Kr and atomic number 36. It is a colorless, odorless, tasteless noble gas that occurs in trace amounts in the atmosphere and is often ...

xenon Xenon is a chemical element with the symbol Xe and atomic number 54. It is a dense, colorless, odorless noble gas found in Earth's atmosphere in trace amounts. Although generally unreactive, it can undergo a few chemical reactions such as the ...

incandescent bulbs. Current models have

LEDs A light-emitting diode (LED) is a semiconductor device that emits light when current flows through it. Electrons in the semiconductor recombine with electron holes, releasing energy in the form of photons. The color of the light (cor ...

, although the older models are still widely available. Accessories include belt holsters, mounting brackets, colored and glass lenses, attachable

fiber optics An optical fiber, or optical fibre in Commonwealth English, is a flexible, transparent fiber made by drawing glass (silica) or plastic to a diameter slightly thicker than that of a human hair. Optical fibers are used most often as a means to ...

extensions to bend light output into a cramped space, higher-powered incandescent bulbs, and LED conversion modules. The Maglite was an improvement over the

Kel-Lite Kel-Lite was the first heavy-duty aluminum bodied flashlight, which became popular with law enforcement agencies due to its heavy construction. They were designed to be carried in place of a police baton and also provide light. The eponymous comp ...

, after which the Maglite was patterned.

Timeline

A list of the sizes of Mag Instrument flashlights, and the years they were released: * 1979: D and

C battery The C battery (C size battery or R14 battery) is a standard size of dry cell battery typically used in medium-drain applications such as toys, flashlights, and musical instruments. As of 2007, C batteries accounted for 4% of alkaline primary ...

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 NIMH may refer to: *Nickel–metal hydride battery (NiMH), a type of electrical battery *National Institute of Mental Health, an agency of the United States government *National Institute of Medical Herbalists, a professional organisation in the Un ...

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 Lumileds is a lighting company that develops, manufactures, and distributes LEDs, light bulbs, and related products for automotive lighting, general lighting, and specialty lighting. Lumileds operates as a private company, having funds affili ...

. * 2006: Mini Maglite LED 2AA. * 2008: MagCharger: Upgraded Nickel/Metal Hydride (

) 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. * 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 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.

Models

Law enforcement use

Maglite flashlights have been known to be used as a ready substitute for a

baton Baton may refer to: Stick-like objects *Baton, a type of club *Baton (law enforcement) *Baston (weapon), a type of baton used in Arnis and Filipino Martial Arts *Baton charge, a coordinated tactic for dispersing crowds of people *Baton (conductin ...

. 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." 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. On March 30, 2007, the

Los Angeles Police Department The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), officially known as the City of Los Angeles Police Department, is the municipal police department of Los Angeles, California. With 9,974 police officers and 3,000 civilian staff, it is the third-large ...

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.

Gallery

Image:Mag-tailcap.jpg, 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. Image:Maglite LED Closeup Detail.jpg, Closeup view of a 4D Maglite with the factory-installed Luxeon LED module. The inset shows the LED module with the reflector assembly removed. Image:4xcolor mini maglite 20050614.jpg, The 2xAA Mini Maglite in four colors Image:Belt holster mini maglite 20050614.jpg, Mini Maglite and belt holster

References

External links

* {{Official website, http://www.maglite.com/
Complete disassembly of a 2D Maglite flashlight with a xenon bulbMaglite's Tony Maglica: Torchbearer of the American Dream
American brands Flashlights Goods manufactured in the United States Lighting brands Manufacturing companies based in California Products introduced in 1979