Rechargeable Maglites?
 

Does anybody know where i will be able to pick up a rechargeable maglite in the states? I am headin to the west coast fairly soon and would like to pick one up. i tried the websites of Sears, HomeDepot and other places but no luck. They dont seem to stock the rechargeable one, only the standard battery ones.
Any help will be appreciated,
Cheers
Celtic Mech

What you might find useful are the LED conversion kits for Maglites, which will give a life so long you might not worry about the rechargeable bit. Great if you are using them for close work or standby on the flightdeck maybe. If you want power and distance, then there are far better options than Maglite anyway. Hope this helps. PM me if I can assist.

Conan

Warning . . Warning ! US ones will be 110v and of little practical use to you !

I use the standard Maglight torch with NiMH rechargeable batteries. Any AA/AAA charger then keeps them charged but, I must admit, screwing the back on and off the torch is a bind.

Be very careful if using NiCads in equipment that was not designed for it. A standard dry battery cell has a high internal resistance which means that even if you short directly across the battery terminals the amount of current that flows is relatively small. With NiCads they have a low internal resistance which means that in the event of a short circuit in the equipment there can be very high currents flowing, which can cause things to get hot and possibly catch fire.
I'm not sure about other types of rechargeable cell, but I imagine that they may present a similar hazard.

Righbank - I believe you are quite correct and this too is a very good reason to be a bit careful. I remember well, shortly after the first ACE Hardware opened in Dubai, their first " sale " was a mountain of rechargable maglights of varying sizes, and all direct from the US - 110 volt. Seemingly, someone had forgotten to check the local power rating which is 240 v before stocking the store.

Your best bet is to Google the area you're going to visit. I'd recommend an outdoors store. It will come with the 110vac charger and a car charger adapter. I bought a 220vac charger from www.burton-mccall.co.uk (UK maglite franchise). I think it was about 20 quid, or you could buy a transformer from Maplin with the right output and crimp it in! I'd recommend you buy some spare bulbs in the US. They're about half the price. I find they last very well as long as the torch isn't dropped!! Hope this helps.:ok:

Like Conan the Librarian, I've fitted an LED conversion kit into my AA maglite and it's improved it no end. Batteries last months, the light is bright and white and best of all it's solved what I called the curse of the Maglite. You know, you've just changed the batteries, switch it on - and bang, the bulb (filament for the leccys) blows.:eek:

No such problems now. Try here;
http://www.ultraleds.co.uk/product_i...479bdcc0632e10
It's probably better than a rechargeable Maglite then.

Re earlier replies:
I have used Ni-cads in Maglites for about 15 years with no problems and I find it also avoids any corrosion problems too.

Whatever you say about the varying Mains voltages may be correct, but a mains rechargable maglight gives a very much brighter light than 'normal' ones and is very much more useful tool for engineers/mechanics work.

Last price for a rechargeable checked at about $140 (US) but I believe it is available from the UK distributors.

There is a very large hunting/fishing chain in the USA, called "BassPro"
They sell them for $100 + tax. They usually stock spare bulbs and battery packs as well.
The Basspro shop in Orlando sometimes stocks the 240v model, so you might be lucky with the shop you try.
http://www.basspro.com/servlet/catal...=SearchResults
From this link, you will be able to find store locations.
As to the voltage difference, one of these:
http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?...19413&doy=10m9
will be ideal. There are various sorts available, sometimes cheaper. As the maglite uses very little power to charge, there's no problem

celtic tech

I was, and still am, a big fan of the Maglite in all its forms having used them for years, but I have to say that the new LED technology is the way to go. Follow the link to Tektite LED torches if you are interested. I bought the Expedition 1900 with 19 very bright LED's and it is excellent, I'm still running same set of 3 conventional C cell Duracell Alkali batteries since I bought it and I use regularly for extended periods. However, if you need spotlight beam then then it might not be the best choice, it gives a very even diffuse light to about 10m. Take a look anyway.

http://www.tek-tite.com/src/product_info.php?id=11