Retrofitted The Old MagLite

Above, my old MagLite flashlight and a retrofit kit. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

It had been several years since I last used my old 2-D Cell MagLite flashlight. I had no spare bulbs left and I could not find them at any store around (when I happened to remember to look for any). I wanted to use the flashlight for camping.

I bought a cheap flashlight for The Beast, but it is limited in the amount of lumens it puts out. I also have a camp lantern. But I liked my old MagLite flashlight. (It is also useful as a mini baton.)

I checked R.E.I., Target, Walmart and other stores who carry MagLites, but none had replacement bulbs.

Then, I thought of looking online and, presto(!), I found replacement bulbs. I checked MagLite's website and found that they no longer carry the old bulbs but now have "retrofit" kits for the older model flashlights (the kind that I have). The retrofit kit contains parts that, once installed, will allow the old flashlight to accept new Xenon LED bulbs. I bought two of them (always good to have a spare!).

As you can see from the top photo, the retrofit works!

If you happen to have an older MagLite flashlight, don't toss it away. Instead, get a MagLite retrofit kit.

To view MagLite's website, go here.