Available from Flash-Lights.com

The Diamond brand LED replacement bulbs are designed to be direct drop-in replacements for 2 cell (C or D) Maglights. Reviewed were two regulated Luxeon I models, both in white. These use a Zetex or TerraLUX driver and will work in 2 cell (C or D) Maglights, and will work with only 1 cell if needed. Both models are safe to use with 3 cell lights per the seller, but that defeats the purpose of the boost circuits that are built in. For 3 cell lights it is recommended that you use THESE modules instead.

The units simply replace the stock bulb and bulb holder and utilize the Mag reflector, lens, and head with no modification necessary.

Body: The bulbs themselves consist of a metal collar in which the bulb is built. The collar screws into the Maglight bulb receptacle, taking the place of the stock Mag bulb holder and creating a positive thermal connection to draw heat away from the LED. Inside the collar is the rest of the bulb, which looks like a standard PR base bulb. Inside the Zetex bulb is the driver to power the LED, while the TerraLUX version has the driver perched on top of the bulb just under the LED.

Bezel/Head: Installation is a snap - remove the stock bulb and retaining collar and throw them away. Screw in the Diamond bulb and reattach the head. That's it! Just make sure to use no larger than a 3 cell C or D Maglight for any of the bulbs.

Output: Output is in the form of a beam similar to the stock Maglight. It can still be focused, and if you focus the light outward you get the familiar "rings and holes" typical of using a smooth reflector.

The white light produced by the LEDs is a higher color temperature than the stock incandescent bulb and produces good color rendition weighted more toward the blue end of the spectrum.

The outlandishly high "throw" numbers in the table below are the result of the excellent job that the Maglight reflector does of focusing most of the light from the LEDs into a concentrated beam. However, once you widen the focus to create a more diffuse beam, you wind up with the typical black hole in the center.

Note that with only 2 cells driving these modules, the Zetex produces more overall output (per my readings) than the stock 3-D mag bulb. The TerraLUX produces about 1/4 the overall output.

   
Beam at one meter, Narrow focus, wide focus

So what about using these modules in 3 cell lights?

Personally I don't recommend it for the Zetex module. Here are the numbers:

This shows that the 1 Watt Zetex module is being pushed at levels generally reserved only for 3 and 5 Watt LEDs. Not good. The reason this could be a problem, in my opinion, is HEAT. The Maglight bulb post is really a poor conductor of heat due to the fact that it is only loosely attached to the rest of the body. This means that the LED doesn't have a really good thermal path. However, this is the only place for the heat to go from these modules inside the sealed head of the Maglight. It is likely that damaging levels of heat will collect in the module when driving the the 1 Watt Zetex module with 3 cells. Sure you'll get lots of light, but you are sacrificing the LED, probably rather rapidly. Personally, I would suggest that if you want a this bright of a regulated light, you purchase one designed for it and not try to make due with pushing a retrofit this hard.

The Terralux module, on the other hand, should be just fine - in fact it looks like that on 3 cells it is running just a little brighter than the Minimag 2-cell Terralux TLE-5 module. I suspect that it was purposely designed to do this to avoid damage when driven with 3 cells.

Runtime Plot: Zetex Module: Runtime plot completed with 2 cells, as this is the intended use of these modules. Note that 50% was not reached during the testing period.

Runtime completed with Rayovac brand batteries. More information on runtime plots is available HERE.

Runtime Plot: Terralux Module: Runtime plot completed with 2 cells, as this is the intended use of these modules. Note that 50% was not reached during the testing period. This is the Terralux version of the module, which does produce about 65% less light than the Zetex module on 2 cells.

Runtime completed with Rayovac brand batteries. More information on runtime plots is available HERE.

Let's compare them side by side to give these graphs some perspective of the output of one relative to the other. This graph is calibrated to the Zetex's 100% by using the overall output readings from each light:

Switch: Same as standard Maglight.

Seals / Water Resistance: Same as standard Maglight. If it gets wet inside, just disassemble as much a possible without tools and let it dry before using again.

Ergonomics: Same as standard Maglight.

Batteries: These modules should only be used in 2 cell Maglights with 1 or 2 cells for power. They will work in 3 cell Maglights without damage, but this really defeats the purpose of using modules with boost circuits.

Accessories: In case your light takes more than 2 cells, you can get dummy cells from the supplier to run the modules with only 2 cells. If you really want to lighten your load, you can run the modules on only 1 cell in a 2 cell Maglight using these dummy batteries.

What I Liked: Simple installation, Maglight retains all functionality, Practically indestructible, Produce almost the same throw and a bit more overall output than stock Mag bulbs, Won't burn out.

What I Didn't Like: Nothing.

Picky Little Things:

Conclusions: The Diamond Luxeon LED bulbs are an excellent upgrade for a Maglight. I can't find a reason not to buy one. The price is very reasonable and the output is fantastic. Do I like them? Yes! Would I recommend them? Absolutely! Personally I'd go with the Zetex version for more output with the same cells, but I would expect the TerraLUX to give more output over time. Again, both models are safe to use with 3 cell lights per the seller, but that defeats the purpose of the boost circuits that are built in. For 3 cell lights it is recommended that you use THESE modules instead.

Quick Facts Table: