Too Small To Crack Skulls But Powerful Enough To Light Up The Night!
Written: May 05 '03
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Small size, easy to use, inexpensive, adjustable coverage area, durable.
Cons: Some might consider the light a bit too dim for their needs.
The Bottom Line: The perfect size for the kitchen, garage, bathroom or in your vehicle, the Mini Maglite is a must have item!
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| Freak369's Full Review: Mini Maglite Flashlite 2-Cell AA M2A81C |
Flashlights are something that most people take for granted until you go to reach for one in an emergency. Then you have to pray that the batteries are still working until the lights come back on or you figure out which circuit you blew out. Until I had the kitchen rewired, I could only use two appliances at a time or risk blowing a fuse. This meant that I needed to have a small but powerful flashlight within arms reach when I went to make a full breakfast. I had the larger Maglite for the garage and one in the livingroom but needed something small for the kitchen. I opted to pick up the smallest sized Maglite and years later, it is still working perfectly. This has been dropped, kicked, tossed around and fallen down a set of concrete steps more times than I care to admit – and it is still working as good as the day I picked it up. In fact, the only noticeable marks on it are where I attached a key chain to the end of it and the metal parts rubbed against the flashlight. Other than that, if you placed this next to a brand new one I doubt you would be able to tell the difference between the two or tell them apart.
The Baby Maglite
We have several Maglites in our house but this one gets the most amount of use. Often called “the baby maglite” by everyone in the family, it is the perfect size for the boys to use and gives me just enough light when I need to run outside and check the doors on the garage or vehicle. Since it is small and thin the boys have no trouble holding it or turning it off or on. Powered by two AA batteries, I haven’t had any trouble with this and if I remember correctly I picked this up about three years ago. The only thing I have had to replace are the batteries and that is to be expected with the amount of use it gets. On average two batteries last about two months but in the summer when the boys use this for hunting bugs at night, I do have to change them about once a month.
Measuring out at about six inches in length, this makes it a great size to keep in the glove compartment, trunk or even your purse or backpack. If you take walks at night the small size makes it easy to carry and since it is powered by two AA batteries, it is light enough to tote around or slide in your pocket. This will give you enough light power to light up a few feet in front of you but if you are walking on a street or road without street lights or lamps, you might want to invest in a larger more powerful one so on coming cars will be able to see you. As I mentioned above, I attached a metal key chain to the end of it with the house keys and garage keys attached to it in case I needed to leave the house in a hurry. The small metal hole that is built in to the screw off battery case is small but you can attach a metal ball chain or key chain to it to hang it up or use it to carry keys or pepper spray.
Replacing the batteries is easy but most of the time I unscrew the wrong end. The back portion of the Maglite is where you open it to replace the two AA batteries however there are no illustrations to show you which way they are inserted. Always put the positive side in first [the side with the small head on it] and make sure that you place the cap back on securely and evenly. This will prevent the threads from getting stripped and ensure that your flashlight will last for years. On the body of the Maglite you’ll find a textured grip area so you won’t have to worry about this slipping out of your hands or sliding around when you are using it. This was a feature really helped my boys in the summer when they were looking for bugs and often had wet or muddy hands. All I had to do was wipe it off with a wet paper towel and it looked as good as new. I’m not completely sure if this is a waterproof unit but it has been dropped in puddles and covered in mud and showed no signs of wear from it.
Things To Know
The front part of the Maglite features an adjustable lens so you can change the size of the light beam, you can also do this when you turn on the flashlight by turning the dial until you get the amount of light you need. More often than not, when I go to change the batteries I find myself unscrewing this end instead of the battery side. The front dial does come off if you need to wipe out the lens or get out dust or dirt that might find its way inside the chamber. I suggest using a Q-Tip to do this rather than your finger or blowing in to it but make sure that the Q-Tip is free of any lint or stray pieces of material that could get stuck inside or wrapped around the light bulb. I have never had to replace the light bulb so I can’t comment on how easy or hard this is to do but after a few years I’m impressed that it has put up with all the use and abuse that has been tossed at it.
This sized Maglite is available in several different colors but the one I own is the basic and boring black model. Other colors include red, camouflage, blue and several shades of silver. Your Maglite is backed with a lifetime guarantee against defects however this doesn’t cover burned out bulbs or dead batteries. Be sure to read the package and insert when you purchase your Maglite to know all the specifics about the warranty as well as how to get it replaced if need be.
The Bottom Line
Providing that you check the batteries in a regular basis, this Maglite will give you years of service. The small size and ease of use makes it great for in your vehicle, kitchen, bathroom or garage. It’s bright enough to light up your path or when you need it to make a quick auto repair and easy enough for any member of the family to turn on and off. I can’t honestly remember if this came with any type of carrying case or sleeve since it was purchased several years ago but I can say this, it has taken a beating and is no worse for wear.
To view all the different sizes and models available, read about the warranty or order replacement parts, please visit the official website at www.maglite.com.
As always, thanks for the visit …
^V^ Freak ^V^
© 2003 Freak369
Recommended:
Yes
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