>> Are the "D" cell mags any good? <<

Kenneth,

Here we go again... I'm again going to offer a different answer on the question. Yes, D cell [email]M@gs[/email] are OK. Sure, there are better torches available in terms of light output, quality of beam, etc - whatever one's criteria for "better" may be. Back to that in a moment... and before I forget: I despise how that company allegedly bullied another company a couple of years ago. Peer inside most large companies and there is some sort of unsavory mess. Pity.

I stopped buying [email]M@g[/email] torches for personal use a long time ago, although I will continue to buy replacement 2-3 D cell ones for my folks at work. They are still very useful and a great value for what my folks need to do their jobs.

IMHO there is no reason to go beyond a 2 or 3 D cell [email]M@g[/email] torch. Many folks like the 2 cell C [email]M@g[/email] but it's not as good a club and run time is less.

The throw on a 2-3 cell [email]M@g[/email] is good and it uses commonly available batteries. Overall, they are very rugged torches (disclaimer: they are incandescents, so if you drop on while it's on, the filament will break. Have a small spare torch and carry more than one spare bulb - good advice in an case). The color on the bodies will get scratched up because they are not finished with type III hard anodizing. <shrug> HA type III costs more; I love it on my personal torches that are finished that way. For what a [email]M@g[/email] costs I really don't care about the finish getting scratched from hard use.

BTW, I strongly suggest that your backup torch be an LED, with a Dorcy single AAA as the absolute low end. IMO your back up torch should be especially resistant to going dark from being dropped. The high end depends on your wallet... plenty to choose from.

If you can easily obtain lithium CR123A cells at a low price you have a huge selection of potential torches, LED, incandescant, and combination. Prices run from a little more than a [email]M@g[/email] to a whole lot more than a [email]M@g.[/email] The CPF folks can be a huge help - AND as a group they can also drown you with too much info and too many flaming personal opinions. Sorting all that out takes time and patience - I've found great advice there everytime I've made an effort to find it. Proceed with caution and a good dose of salt... we're all fanatics about something.

A lot depends on how much you're willing and able to spend on both the torch and the batteries. The 2 - 3 D cell [email]M@g[/email] torches are relatively low cost initially and will give you a great benchmark to measure other torches against later. I find myself almost always using LED torches these days - the color, beam quality, and beam type suits my needs and desires extremely well. When I want tight throw, I usually prefer 2 cell CR123A incandescents. All those are pretty small and light compared to D cell [email]M@gs.[/email]

Anything "better" than a D cell [email]M@g[/email] light costs more. As a practical matter - not "gee whiz" - only you can decide if the "better" torches are worth the additional cost to meet your needs. For me, the answers are "Yes!" for personal use and "Not presently" for routine use by my employees. You decide for yourself.

HTH,

Tom