Maglites - great but....

HootOwl

HootOwl

Well-known member
Fuck me, this is gonna sound like one of Perry's posts ... :eek:

I have a number of Maglites around the house, great and reliable torches should the need arise, I have different sizes in different places.

I was told many moons ago by a copper I knew well, that having the baseball bat ( I had) alongside my nest-bed in case of a break-in was a bad idea - he theorised that if I twatted someone with it, I could be seen as going prepared as (obvious deviant options aside lol) there are not too many reasons to keep baseball bats alongside beds or nests (or in cars).

The best thing to use is a 6 cell Maglite he says - cos of course you would use the light to see where you are going, and when you part the burglars hair then - it was in self defence :D

They are pretty weighty and make excellent clubs ..which is why security guards often have 'em

I did just that. and left a Maglite alongside my nest in the tree for years ..UNTIL, I came to switch it on last week and it was dead.

No problem, change the 6 batteries and good to go.

Erm, no actually. :mad:

I got 3 cells out eventually - the remaining three were well stuck.

I asked Mr Google and its a common issue, the batteries swell up and stick in the tube after a period.

I did manage to strip the Maglite down, a task far more difficult than it sounds, as the switch should come out the bottom end, but in my case - that was full of stuck batteries.

I managed to do it however and then took a hammer and drift to shift the remaining batteries ..they would not give. Bigger hammer then ...nope, they would not give.

I put the tube on my mate's hydraulic press. Two tonnes of pressure and still would not give - fuck me, I gave up at that point as I thought the ali tube might burst and shoot off like a bullet. Instead I bought another 6 cell torch -- kinell - they aint cheap either :)

So morale of the tale, if you have torches lying about, especially Maglite's, take the batteries out every few months, even if ya dont use the torch, cos otherwise, you may not be able to ever get 'em out ;)

Oh yeah, and swap that bat for a heavy torch of course .... even in the car.

Follow the owl, for he is wise 🦉🦉
 
You can get LED replacement bulbs, well whole heads actually.
If you buy a quality battery it will come with a warranty that it will not leak or swell.

.... But then, what do I know?
 
HootOwl said:
Fuck me, this is gonna sound like one of Perry's posts ... :eek:

I have a number of Maglites around the house, great and reliable torches should the need arise, I have different sizes in different places.

I was told many moons ago by a copper I knew well, that having the baseball bat ( I had) alongside my nest-bed in case of a break-in was a bad idea - he theorised that if I twatted someone with it, I could be seen as going prepared as (obvious deviant options aside lol) there are not too many reasons to keep baseball bats alongside beds or nests (or in cars).

The best thing to use is a 6 cell Maglite he says - cos of course you would use the light to see where you are going, and when you part the burglars hair then - it was in self defence :D

They are pretty weighty and make excellent clubs ..which is why security guards often have 'em

I did just that. and left a Maglite alongside my nest in the tree for years ..UNTIL, I came to switch it on last week and it was dead.

No problem, change the 6 batteries and good to go.

Erm, no actually. :mad:

I got 3 cells out eventually - the remaining three were well stuck.

I asked Mr Google and its a common issue, the batteries swell up and stick in the tube after a period.

I did manage to strip the Maglite down, a task far more difficult than it sounds, as the switch should come out the bottom end, but in my case - that was full of stuck batteries.

I managed to do it however and then took a hammer and drift to shift the remaining batteries ..they would not give. Bigger hammer then ...nope, they would not give.

I put the tube on my mate's hydraulic press. Two tonnes of pressure and still would not give - fuck me, I gave up at that point as I thought the ali tube might burst and shoot off like a bullet. Instead I bought another 6 cell torch -- kinell - they aint cheap either :)

So morale of the tale, if you have torches lying about, especially Maglite's, take the batteries out every few months, even if ya dont use the torch, cos otherwise, you may not be able to ever get 'em out ;)

Oh yeah, and swap that bat for a heavy torch of course .... even in the car.

Follow the owl, for he is wise 🦉🦉
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Useful post.

That has prompted me to look for a big Maglite, when I am next out. It should be OK if I use it with good quality batteries that I se up regularly, so replace them reasonably often.

My experience is that rechargeables are crap. You get about five minutes use, for a week of recharging!
 
PerryL said:
Useful post.

That has prompted me to look for a big Maglite, when I am next out. It should be OK if I use it with good quality batteries that I se up regularly, so replace them reasonably often.

My experience is that rechargeables are crap. You get about five minutes use, for a week of recharging!
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Has Sir considered a Garmin torch ? Great with Ford, Ducati, KTM.............

 
Is it only me that has one of these as a garden tool? I use it for dead heading err....deadheads.
K.webp
 
AirCon said:
You can get LED replacement bulbs, well whole heads actually.
If you buy a quality battery it will come with a warranty that it will not leak or swell.

.... But then, what do I know?
Click to expand...
Maglite's 10 year warranty no longer warrants damage caused by swollen battery damage. They withdrew it after several successful claims and apparently when Duracell removed that form of damage claim from their warranty procedures

I already have an LED bulb, but that did not have any bearing on the likely 10 year old (Duracell alkaline) batteries swelling, leaking and welding to the inside of the aluminium case via chemical reaction

Entirely my fault to be fair. But all alkaline batteries will swell and expand left long enough. The brand only makes a small time difference. Maybe rechargeables could be better, but I only know that in hindsight. ;)
 
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You can get them as USB rechargeable.

Rechargeable Flashlights

Maglite's rechargeable flashlight systems are great for every user. Whether using them as a professional or in an emergency, these rugged and reliable flashlights get it done. With updated battery chemistries and quick recharge times, Maglite's rechargeable flashlights feature an ultra-bright...
maglite.com maglite.com

No more battery swell.
 
Fair point, and I do have one for my workshop, they are not really long or heavy enough to drop scroats at arms length tho ;)

That is the primary purpose for this particular torch :) The light just dazzles 'em while I swing it ....
 
Changing tack slightly it is worth bearing in mind that even scrotes and scumbags prefer an empty house and a soft target. Much better to have visible security and they walk on by.
7 years ago we were burgled not long after moving in and prior to fitting much in the way of security. We were out and a young man used a crowbar to smash his way in . I was at the time 53 and no longer in my prime and no matter how absolutely fucking furious I was, me with a maglite against a younger, fitter bloke with a crowbar and who knows what else, possibly off his face on drugs was probably not going to have a happy ending. Stopping a crime being committed is better than dealing with the consequences.
 
Dukesox said:
Changing tack slightly it is worth bearing in mind that even scrotes and scumbags prefer an empty house and a soft target. Much better to have visible security and they walk on by.
7 years ago we were burgled not long after moving in and prior to fitting much in the way of security. We were out and a young man used a crowbar to smash his way in . I was at the time 53 and no longer in my prime and no matter how absolutely fucking furious I was, me with a maglite against a younger, fitter bloke with a crowbar and who knows what else, possibly off his face on drugs was probably not going to have a happy ending. Stopping a crime being committed is better than dealing with the consequences.
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A good friend of mine in the drug sqad of all things gave me some great advice put the first one in the scrote and 2 in the ceiling then call the guards 🤷‍♂️
 
Dukesox said:
Changing tack slightly it is worth bearing in mind that even scrotes and scumbags prefer an empty house and a soft target. Much better to have visible security and they walk on by.
7 years ago we were burgled not long after moving in and prior to fitting much in the way of security. We were out and a young man used a crowbar to smash his way in . I was at the time 53 and no longer in my prime and no matter how absolutely fucking furious I was, me with a maglite against a younger, fitter bloke with a crowbar and who knows what else, possibly off his face on drugs was probably not going to have a happy ending. Stopping a crime being committed is better than dealing with the consequences.
Click to expand...
Agreed. As much as we all think we could still dance with the devil we are mostly unfit and slow and would probably trip over our own espadrilles.
 
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