Short Description:

The MiniMag is a Product of Mag Instrument Inc. The Minimag is one of their smaller lights which runs on 2 AA batteries. The Minimag is a general all-around use light and is very popular due to its design and versatility.

The body of the Minimag is anodized aluminum and is grooved for grip around the body and bezel. The finish is available in a variety of colors and usually comes with a nylon belt sheath. Other accessories may come with the light depending upon packaging. The light is sealed with O-ring at all access points to the case to give it good water resistance. The tailcap is flat, allowing the light to stand on its end, and has a hole for lanyard attachment.

The bulb is a krypton bi-pin. A spare bulb is found under the spring in the removable tailcap. The reflector is smooth silvered plastic. The bezel is focusable allowing the beam to go from a wide flood to a narrow spot. The beam produced has rings, holes, and blotches, but is acceptable for general use.

The bezel also serves as the switch. Rotating the bezel turns the light on and off, and changes the focus of the beam. This means that every time you turn on the light you need to adjust the focus. The bezel can be completely removed and if placed face down, the tail of the light can be placed in the bezel opening, creating a stable base for the light. This is commonly called "candle mode" (see pic. below).

The Minimag uses 2-AA alkaline batteries. Unscrew the tailcap to change the batteries.

Accessories can be purchased separately both from Mag and from other manufacturers. Accessories include but are not limited to: color filters, stands, upgraded sheaths, clips, bite caps, etc.

Reviewer's Impressions:

As stated earlier, the Minimag serves as the "Benchmark Light" for a 3-Star rating on FlashlightReviews.com. This means that a light that rates 3 Stars will have the same general features and/or general quality as found in this light.

Mag Industries hit a "home run" when they came out with the Minimag. It is very versatile, very useful, and its size allows it to be carried easily on the person.

Fit and finish are quite good with no blemishes in the anodization. There are machining marks available here and there, such as on the tailcap, but no sharp edges.

Quality and durability are both quite good. It's generally tough, able to withstand drops and bangs and mild abuse. I have never heard of any reports where the Minimag just "fails" for no apparent reason.

Output is OK. Good for close tasks. It won't light up the side of a barn at 100 yards, but it'll help you find that loose 1/2" socket that fell under the car.

The runtime plot shows one of the Minimag's major failings. Sure it can produce light for almost 5 1/2 hours, but the majority of that time the bulb is producing less than 50% of it's starting output. The initial "wow, that's pretty bright" impression disappears quickly leaving the user with a sickly orange beam for most of the life of the batteries.

Runtime completed with new Energizer batteries. More information on runtime plots is available HERE.

Beam quality is rather poor, but usable. It's full of rings, holes and blotches no matter how it is focused.

Water resistance is good. Use it in the rain with no worries. Don't take it diving. Shake it off if it is dropped in a puddle. I would call it "very water resistant".

It is important to note that in addition to the numerous accessories available for the Minimag, replacement LED bulbs are available such as the Opalec Newbeam and the InReTech.

UPDATE: A high quality replacement glass lens is available for this light from FlashlightLens.com. These replacement lenses are not subject to melting from high intensity lights, are very scratch resistant, and allow more light to pass through than plastic lenses. See our write-up HERE.

+ + + Pluses: Water resistant, Impact resistant, OK Brightness, Easy battery change, Lightweight, Stands up

- - - Minuses: Poor beam quality but usable

Quick Facts Table: