Product Description

High-intensity light beam. 1/2 turn, twist focus, spot-to-flood. High-strength aluminum alloy case. O-ring sealed for water resistance. Vented tailcap reduces chance of gas buildup. Compact, lightweight construction. Limited lifetme warranty in the Western Hemisphere and Japan. 10-year limited warranty elsewhere. All Mag flashlights are designed, patented, and manufactured in the U.S.A. May contain some imported components. Requires 3 "D" batteries, not included. Color: Black.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #36 in Home Improvement
• Color: Black
• Brand: MagLite
• Model: ST3D016
• Number of items: 1
• Dimensions: 1.10 pounds

Features

• 3 D-cell flashlight with 3-watt LED
• Aluminum alloy case
• Water and shock resistant
• Efficient power usage
• Durable and reliable

Amazon.com Product Description
Like many other manufacturers, Mag Instrument has expanded its line of flashlights to include models featuring LED-type bulbs. Why? LEDs are virtually unbreakable, and they are far more efficient than incandescent bulbs. As the product name suggests, this Maglite runs on 3 D-type batteries, which will take a while to run out thanks not only to the LEDs but also to Mag Instrument's "Intelligent Energy Source Management," which balances high brightness against extended battery life. The bright, powerful beam adjusts from spot to flood simply by rotating the head. The case is made from a high-strength aluminum alloy that has been anodized inside and out, which gives you water- and shock-resistance in a lightweight package. High-quality O-rings at both openings keep water away from the batteries. In other words, this energy-efficient flashlight is almost indestructible--a good quality when it comes to the tools. Limited lifetime warranty. Batteries not included.--Josh Dettweiler

From the Manufacturer
Maglite brings LEDs into focus. The Maglite three D-battery LED flashlight, well known for its quality, durability, and reliability is now available with New MAG-LED Technology. Designed for professional and consumer use, benefits include: A powerful projecting beam that focuses simply by rotating the head. Balanced optics, combining a highly refined reflector with a quality LED, for a brilliant adjustable beam. Intelligent Energy Source Management (patent pending) balancing high brightness with efficient power usage. Water and Shock resistant. Limited lifetime warranty.

Customer Reviews

Classic Light Leaves Much to Wish For
****REFER TO THE CUSTOMER IMAGE I UPLOADED****


The 3-D LED Maglite is indeed an improvement from the traditional krypton Maglites that were used by police in the past. Nowadays police prefer xenon or LED models, especially the Streamlight Stinger or Pelican 7060, especially after allegations that these lights were being used with excessive force.

However, the LED Maglite left much to wish for, especially when compared to other LED lights.

PROs:
*Much brighter than the krypton Maglites
*Has spare krypton bulb in the tailcap should you ever manage to break the LED module, something that rarely happens.
*The focus ability of this light allow you to decide whether you want to use a lot of "sidespill" to light up the room, or to focus all the light into a tight beam to get a lot of "throw." Unfortunately the "throw" only allows you to see things up to 2-3 blocks away.
*Solid construction, the flashlight looks nice in any color, and it is a good self-defense tool. You can either blind an aggressor and if that is not enough it is a nice impact weapon. You do not need the 4 cell, or 6 cell Maglite to defend yourself, a 6 inch light will do if you know how to use it.
*Runs on 3 D cells, which are relatively cheap, and easy to find as opposed to CR123A's. The big batteries do add to the weight and strength of the light if you ever need to use it as an impact weapon.
*You can purchase a separate "Bust A Cap" device to attach to the tailcap of the flashlight. This little device will allow you to break car windows in case you need to get yourself or anyone else out of a vehicle during an emergency. Without the device, you will struggle to break the window, and you might damage your flashlight.
*The LED drains batteries slower than incandescent models.
*The 3-D Cell Maglite IS the BEST of all the other Maglites (2-D cell, 4-D cell, 6-D cells, etc) because it is the brightest and lasts the longest time on a fresh set of batteries.
*Momentary on, or constant on click-switch on the neck of the light. Some folks might prefer a "tactical switch" on the tailcap of their light, so if this is an issue, this light is not for you.

Now that I reviewed the PROs you might be wondering why I only gave it 3 stars. Here is the why: I expected more out of this light now than it has been promoted to LED status, especially since it is a Maglite. However, it failed in the following areas:
*POOR REFLECTOR. Maglite allows us to focus our light by rotating the head, but in doing so, it sacrifices the smooth beam that characterizes other LED flashlights. As a result you are left with "dark spots" and a "black hole" in the middle of the beam. These areas of darkness prevent you from seeing thins you need to see in the dark.
*The LED itself is not as bright as you would expect. I've seen many more LED lights, and my cheap Dorcy 3AAA 80 lumen light valued at $17 is WAY brighter. I am being fair in using a Dorcy within the same price range, you can't say I'm comparing the Maglite to a Surefire or Pelican.
*The LED has a "purplish" tint to it. Other LEDs offer a very white light. Others emit a somewhat bluish tint. This one emits a purple tint, and although it is bright, the weird tint is somewhat disturbing.
*The flashlight DOES get a bit dimmer as the batteries die down. Then it suddenly dies on you. This means if you intend on using this light for emergency preparedness, you better have fresh batteries so you won't be left with a dead light.


It's good that Maglite finally realized that LED is the future of flashlights, but they still have a lot to improve so that their products are high quality. The problem is not with the body of the light, all they need to fix is the reflector and the LED module. Police departments throughout the nation have seen these weaknesses in Maglite flashlights, so they have switched to Streamlight, Pelican, Inova, and Surefire. In order for Maglite to keep up, they need to work on their small blemishes.

The only exception is the AA LED Maglite, which is perhaps the best light they've made. The LED is smooth, with no dark rings around it.

Best LED Flashlight for the Price
After doing exhaustive research on the web for LED flashlights, I decided to give this one a try. I have owned other LED flashlights and have NOT always been happy with these products. Some reasons why I like this one more than the others include: 1) price, 2) quality, 3) adjustability of the beam (small bright dense center or wider softer light), 4) includes an extra bulb in the base just in case the first one breaks, 5) you can purchase other types of bulbs, like Xenon, separately if you need them, 5) has good battery life (some lose brightness intensity very fast after a few minute of continuous use. Other LED flashlights have smaller multiple light bulbs and you can't adjust the beam intensity as you sometimes need to do on search and rescue missions. Of the 4 LED flashlights I own, this one is my favorite. It works great in a power outage, for hiking/backpacking (only when using out of the car, a little too heavy for a few night loop), and for search a rescue missions. For the price and quality you can't beat this powerhouse flashlight.

I bought 2 and use one for a polyanna gift exchange we do a Christmas with my husband's family this one was stolen the maximum number of times per our rules (3 times) early on in the game.

Durable but Lacking Performance
Maglite has been known for decades for a quality powerful light with a terrific warranty. Unfortunately their attempt at quality LED lighting is far from terrific. The LED lights if left on for more than 5 minutes sees a significant decrease in the brightness of the light. This is due to a failure to provide a proper heat sink for the LED light. The longer the light stays on the dimmer and dimmer it grows. To say the least this is really disappointing. Improper heat removal from the LED will significantly reduce the life of the bulb as well.

Second, the power derived from the 3D batteries is not properly circuited or managed to provide a powerful beam that you would expect from the power that it is given. The biggest disappointment to prove this came when I recently ordered a Fenix key chain light that ran on 1 AAA battery. To say the least the light was as bright as my Maglite. After 5 minutes of operation the AAA Fenix light was brighter than the 3D Maglite because of the missing heat sink to effectively dissipate heat. Really disappointing.

Third, the adjustable focus is worthless as the light only provides quality lighting when completely focused for the greatest throw of the light, which due to its poor power management does not give the 3D batteries justice. The light is completely unusable in the flood focus as a big black dark spot appears in the middle of the projection. The light to say the least needs a better focusing system. Not to mention that the reflector is made of plastic. Aluminum would be far better and could provide a nice heat sink.

After about 6 months of light use my Maglite switch failed. This was after Hurricane Ike moved through my area and we were without power for 10 days. To say the least this was disappointing because of the quality that Maglite has been known for. I contacted Maglite via the internet as soon as my power was restored explaining my problem and they immediately sent out a replacement part, instructions, and tools necessary to change out the switch. I received the part within 10 days. It was an easy install and the correspondence was hassle free. In a time when corporations try to get out of warranties or force you to go through a long drawn out process it was refreshing to see Maglite honor their warranty with no hassle.

The durability of the light is not in question. It is made from quality components and should offer a long life of use.

Summary: The attempt at LED technology by Maglite is quite poor. The light is durable and Maglite does keep there word on their warranty. Still I do not recommend this light because inefficient power management, inadequate heat sinking, and poor focusing mechanism are all big problems with this light.