Maglite
Encyclopedia
Maglite is a brand of flashlight
manufactured in the United States
by Mag Instrument, Inc. located in Ontario, California
, and founded by Anthony Maglica
. It was introduced in 1979. Constructed principally of anodized 6061 aluminum
, they have a variable-focus beam. Maglites are produced in several colors such as black, silver, blue, and red and different finishes. Originally Maglite flashlights used krypton
or xenon
incandescent bulbs. Current models have LEDs
.
Accessories include belt holsters, mounting brackets, colored and glass lenses, attachable fiber optics
extensions, higher-powered incandescent bulbs, and LED conversion modules. The Maglite was an improvement over the Kel-Lite
, after which the Maglite was patterned.
and Streamlight
.
Maglite flashlights have been known to be used as mêlée weapon
s. Security and police personnel often carry Maglite flashlights as they can be employed as a defensive weapon, especially at night or in dark locations. Police officers will often use Maglites during traffic stops or suspect confrontation, as the beam can disorient an attacker and the flashlight can be swung as a baton as a measure of last resort in self-defense.
On March 30, 2007, the Los Angeles Police Department
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.
Flashlight
A flashlight is a hand-held electric-powered light source. Usually the light source is a small incandescent lightbulb or light-emitting diode...
manufactured in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
by Mag Instrument, Inc. located in Ontario, California
Ontario, California
Ontario is a city located in San Bernardino County, California, United States, 35 miles east of downtown Los Angeles. Located in the western part of the Inland Empire region, it lies just east of the Los Angeles county line and is part of the Greater Los Angeles Area...
, and founded by Anthony Maglica
Anthony Maglica
Anthony "Tony" Maglica is the owner and founder of Mag Instrument Inc, the company that manufactures the Maglite flashlight which was designed by Maglica...
. It was introduced in 1979. Constructed principally of anodized 6061 aluminum
6061 aluminum
6061 is a precipitation hardening aluminum alloy, containing magnesium and silicon as its major alloying elements. It has good mechanical properties and exhibits good weldability...
, they have a variable-focus beam. Maglites are produced in several colors such as black, silver, blue, and red and different finishes. Originally Maglite flashlights used krypton
Krypton
Krypton is a chemical element with the symbol Kr and atomic number 36. It is a member of Group 18 and Period 4 elements. A colorless, odorless, tasteless noble gas, krypton occurs in trace amounts in the atmosphere, is isolated by fractionally distilling liquified air, and is often used with other...
or xenon
Xenon
Xenon is a chemical element with the symbol Xe and atomic number 54. The element name is pronounced or . A colorless, heavy, odorless noble gas, xenon occurs in the Earth's atmosphere in trace amounts...
incandescent bulbs. Current models have LEDs
LED lamp
An LED lamp is a solid-state lamp that uses light-emitting diodes as the source of light. The LEDs involved may be conventional semiconductor light-emitting diodes, organic LEDs , or polymer light-emitting diodes devices, although PLED technologies are not currently commercially available.Since...
.
Accessories include belt holsters, mounting brackets, colored and glass lenses, attachable fiber optics
Optical fiber
An optical fiber is a flexible, transparent fiber made of a pure glass not much wider than a human hair. It functions as a waveguide, or "light pipe", to transmit light between the two ends of the fiber. The field of applied science and engineering concerned with the design and application of...
extensions, higher-powered incandescent bulbs, and LED conversion modules. The Maglite was an improvement over the Kel-Lite
Kel-Lite
Kel-Lite was the first heavy-duty aluminum bodied flashlight, which became popular with law enforcement agencies due to its heavy construction...
, after which the Maglite was patterned.
Sizes
A list of the sizes of Mag Instrument flashlights, and the years they were released:- 1979: DD batteryA D battery is a size of dry cell. A D cell is cylindrical with electrical contacts at each end; the positive end having a nub or bump...
and C batteryC batteryThe C battery is a standard size of battery typically used in medium-drain applications such as toys and musical instruments.As of 2007, C batteries accounted for 4% of alkaline primary battery sales in the US...
models are put on the market; targeted to the public safety and industrial sectors (the 7D, 5C, 6C, and 7C 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 NiMHNIMHNIMH or NiMH may refer to:*Nickel-metal hydride battery, a type of rechargeable battery*National Institute of Mental Health, a part of the United States National Institutes of Health...
battery pack. - 1984: Two AA cell batteriesAA batteryAn AA battery is a standard size of battery. Batteries of this size are the most commonly used type of in portable electronic devices. An AA battery is composed of a single electrochemical cell...
(Mini Maglite) Maglite's first personal size flashlight - 1987: Two AAA cell batteriesAAA batteryA triple A or AAA battery is a standard size of dry cell battery commonly used in portable electronic devices. A carbon-zinc battery in this size is designated by IEC as "R03", by ANSI C18.1 as "24", by old JIS standard as "UM 4", and by other manufacturer and national standard designations that...
(Mini Maglite) A smaller version of the original Mini Maglite, to be used in industrial, scientific and medical applications - 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.
- 2006: Mini Maglite LED 2AA and 3AA.
- 2008: MagCharger: Upgraded Nickel/Metal Hydride (NiMHNIMHNIMH or NiMH may refer to:*Nickel-metal hydride battery, a type of rechargeable battery*National Institute of Mental Health, a part of the United States National Institutes of Health...
) 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.
Law enforcement use
Formerly, many police officers carried Maglites, as they are durable, focusable, and generally produce better output than inexpensive mass market flashlights. However in recent years police departments have been adopting more expensive, higher performance "tactical" LED flashlights from companies such as SureFireSurefire
SureFire, LLC. is a Fountain Valley, California company whose primary products are flashlights, headlamps, weapon mounted lights and laser sights. In addition, Surefire also manufactures knives, sound suppressors, Picatinny Rails and batteries. The company is a major supplier of flashlights to the...
and Streamlight
Streamlight
Streamlight is an ISO 9001:2000 registered company located in Eagleville, Pennsylvania that manufactures flashlights powered by various rechargeable and disposable batteries. Streamlight flashlights are often used by public safety professionals such as police officers and fire fighters, and they...
.
Maglite flashlights have been known to be used as mêlée weapon
Mêlée weapon
A melee weapon is any weapon that does not involve a projectile — that is, both the user and target of the weapon are in contact with it simultaneously in normal use...
s. Security and police personnel often carry Maglite flashlights as they can be employed as a defensive weapon, especially at night or in dark locations. Police officers will often use Maglites during traffic stops or suspect confrontation, as the beam can disorient an attacker and the flashlight can be swung as a baton as a measure of last resort in self-defense.
On March 30, 2007, the Los Angeles Police Department
Los Angeles Police Department
The Los Angeles Police Department is the police department of the city of Los Angeles, California. With just under 10,000 officers and more than 3,000 civilian staff, covering an area of with a population of more than 4.1 million people, it is the third largest local law enforcement agency in...
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.