Batteries Reviews

3 weeks ago, I contacted Maglite for a replacement switch for my 4-D flashlight, in which the switch failed. The customer service rep asked me for my serial number, which I gave her and she assured me that I could get a replacement switch. I gave her my name and address and she said that a shipment had just gone out, and it would be in the next shipment. That was fine with me. Days turned into weeks. Still no part. More days went by. STILL no part in the mail.

Hmmmm. Is this how long time customers are treated? I previous owned a variety of their flashlights, from an AAA Solitaire to a 5-D flashlight, at least 5 in total. My dad has purchased in the neighborhood of 15 or more himself, starting in about '86 when someone else turned him onto Maglites.

Customer support is as important to me as the product itself. Has customer support become a casualty of a tough economy?

This long-time customer will have to look at alternatives the next time he's buying a flashlight.

Mag Instrument S6D016 Black 6D Cell MagLite Flashlight. Over the years, I just needed and "HAD TO HAVE" that bigger flashlight! It's a guy thing. This is the one light that lots of law enforcement carried. It was effective as a flashlight and as a tool if the use of force needed to be escalated in subduing a BG (Bad Guy) - Orders given with confidence and with commanding voice, physical force including night stick or Mag Light, side arm, shot gun).
There is a lot going on within the technology of flashlights recently. LED, Lithium batteries, focus bezels, etc. The Mag has fallen from grace a bit technologically, but is still a great flashlight for police / emt INCLUDING looking for and if need be using the light defensively as a weapon on criminals, cockroaches / terrorists or signalling for a chopper pick up. The Mag Instrument S6D016 Black 6D Cell MagLite Flashlight is very durable and they are proven reliable. But even the police and emt and military are switching over to more tecnologically advanced products and techniques to go along with the new equipment.. They have to. Their lives and the lives of others depend on the best equipment available. And for a long time that was Mag Light.
Don't get me wrong. I've depended on Mag lites of all sizes for years. But head to head , theSurefire brands have quickly surpassed Mag lite in every important aspect of flashlights - usable light power, smaller size and lighter weight.
TheMag Instrument S6D016 Black 6D Cell MagLite Flashlight is a good value and I have several in the house and the larger trunks of some of my vehicles. But they're being replaced by Surefires as they wear out.

John Row

You could use this thing as a baseball bat and it would still shine bright and strong EVERYTIME. Hands down the best flashlite, period.

This unit is quick and extraordinarily simple to use: put in the battery, plug it in. That's it. The indicator glows red for "charging" and green for "charged." There is nothing else to it. The prongs fold away so you can carry it in your camera case without worrying about them scratching anything. The only improvement I could suggest is that it have space to charge two batteries simultaneously.

This little charger is great. There are no wires to deal with or ways to screw up your battery. Just pop in the battery plug it in and your set! So small I even lost it!

This charger came with my Canon Powershot S200 camera, and I've been using it very frequently (taken close to 10.000 pictures with 3 different batteries in the last 12 months). I've been using it with 2 Canon brand batteries, and one generic battery, all of them without a single problem.

I've taken it abroad and used it with 240V without any problems. All you need here is a pin converter (cheap at any travel store) and not a voltage converter.

It's plastic and hence very lightweight, which kind of gives a cheap feel to it, but it's been amazingly durable. The prongs fold into the charger and out of your way, so it's very portable. It's a bit big - about the same size as my camera.

It does sometimes make a very high pitched continuous sound when charging, something that can often be remedied by giving a bit of a nudge, or by just adjusting it in its socket.

It charges my batteries in about 2 hours. A red light goes on when inserting a battery for charging, and it turns green when the battery is done charging.

Pros:
* Built in voltage converter - runs on both 120V/240V (with a pin converter).
* Lightweight (plastic)
* Prongs fold into charger
* Has turned out to be amazingly durable.

Cons:
* A bit big
* Sometimes you'll experience an annoying high pitched sound when charging.
* Does not feel very durable

All in all, I would highly recommend this charger. It's come in very handy at home, and when traveling abroad.

I bought these batteries on what was writen on their packaging. It was not true to what was said. These batteries died after only 25 minutes in my digital camera. And a set of Duracell Ultras, that are not rechargeable, lasted longer. Do not always believe what you read. Make sure you have the ability to return items. And is with this case, they went back. I went with a set of energizers. And they last much longer, with the power being the smae as these 1800mah monster brand.

a 4 pack of rayovac 1800mah (probably higher capacity sold now) AAs is $8.97 at walmart. if you get them mail order add 1.44 for shipping. 1800 mah is now the low end for AA nimh batteries, there are 2000, 2100 and 2200mah ones out now. I have bought 4 lenmar 2000s for $6! (wish I had stocked up during the sale)

I have tried the Energizer Accu-Rechargeable which are rated at 1200 mAh. The Monster Cable batteries blow them away. They last MUCH longer and the Energizers have started to leak after only a few charges!
Technology is getting better, will try the Kodak batteries next. They are cheaper and have a better mHa rating. Even so, I would recommend these.

We've owned a dearly departed rechargable Braun toothbrush for years. I'm bothered that they welded the case together so completely that it's impossible to replace the now worn-out NiCd battery with a new one without destroying the case. Then I saw this AA-powered model for really cheap. "A good solution!", I thought, especially for the international travel that I do. (AA- NiMH cells run my world.) So now I've had time to evaluate this little machine.

1. It really brushes your teeth and gums, just like it's big brother. No complaints there. Brush with this and you're shiny clean.

2. It really rattles your head! It appears to run at a much higher motor speed than its rechargable big brother. The old scrubbing oscillation of my first Braun is now a blurry buzz. I'm considering making up a "dummy" AA cell, just a piece of metal, so that it runs on only one cell instead of two. Maybe that will slow it down enough to be more comfortable.

The Oral-B toothbrushes are great. The vibrating action really does clean your teeth and gums better, with less abrasion and bleeding. My dentist got me onto them, and once you use them going back to regular toothbrushes just doesn't feel right again.

With that said, there is no reason to buy the battery powered brushes instead of the rechargable 3Ds. The price difference is neglible if you take into the account the cost of batteries, and if you shop around the toothbrushes may be available at a discout elsewhere for much less *coughCostcocough* There isn't even a reason to buy it as a travel toothbrush. I regularly spend 2 month deployments and only bring the toothbrush and a travel case, and it hasn't run out of battery power yet. Yes, this is with daily brushing.

Anyways, buy the 3D, forget the battery powered toothbrush unless you spend more than 2 months away from the charger.

I had a plug in deluxe Braun and I've also owned a Sonicare but this baby works just as well as either (and better than the Sonicare!). With a good set of rechargable AA NiMH batteries, this baby will run for weeks on a pair of AA's. In fact, I use a solar powered AA battery charger so it costs me nothing to recharge.

So now when I travel I just take this baby and since I also carry a bunch of NiMH AA's (for my digital camera, CD player and gameboy) anyway, I never have to worry about running out of juice. And there's no annoying charger and chord to take up space in my luggage or on the bathroom counter.

It works much better than a manual toothbrush, but you mustn't use it like a manual for best results. Work each tooth one at a time as if you're buffing it, not the up and down or round motion you're used to with a manual brush. The newer model comes with a timer that tells you when you've brushed for 2 minutes (I guess that's what dentists say is a good length of time to spend brushing).

Yes, it's louder than a manual brush. Duh. It's electric. But it's not as loud as my electric razor or my old Sonicare (I hated that thing, the replacement heads were so expensive!).

This item broke after 6 months. This is a very handy item to have especially since you can charge batteries while you are using the camera. You have to be very careful plugging and unplugging into the ac outlet or the unit breaks easily.

This charger is speedy and compact -- necessities for effective picture-taking.

But the plug (which pivots out from the unit to plug into a wall) is flimsy. After only five months of occasional use, the pivot came loose and now the plug doesn't carry power into the charger. So I can waste time getting warranty service, or I can spend $80 for a new charger.

I love this item as you just plug it in, no extra wires to mess with. The plug is connected to the battery charger.

I have owned a PC 12v drill for several years No problem at all with the product itself. It has become the one tool I reach for constantly in my workshop. However I have had trouble finding this battery--in fact this is the only place I have found it since PC went to their new postless battery. I am a big PC fan mainly due to this product.

Drill has been in use for 5 years with same battery packs. Used nearly daily in work\home applications. Just buying a new battery now istead of replacing whole drill. Good hand fit and balance

I have had this unit since 1997 or 98. At the time the batteries were rated as having the most power (milliamp hours) available. I used it all this time in commercial carpentry, on & off, and have not one complaint. It's powerful and will do any job I've required and it's not heavy like the 18 or 24 volt units available now.The batteries are now getting weak and need to be replaced. Nicads like to be used and if you don't use them periodically, no matter what they are in, you are going to have trouble with them. If you want to buy a tool, first check out the ratings on them (consumer reports or elsewhere)and give VERY serious thought to the new units coming out with NIMH batteries. These are some fantastic batteries and should make a much better product, since the same size battery has 3-4 times the power of a nicad and other features.

3 weeks ago, I contacted Maglite for a replacement switch for my 4-D flashlight, in which the switch failed. The customer service rep asked me for my serial number, which I gave her and she assured me that I could get a replacement switch. I gave her my name and address and she said that a shipment had just gone out, and it would be in the next shipment. That was fine with me. Days turned into weeks. Still no part. More days went by. STILL no part in the mail.

Hmmmm. Is this how long time customers are treated? I previous owned a variety of their flashlights, from an AAA Solitaire to a 5-D flashlight, at least 5 in total. My dad has purchased in the neighborhood of 15 or more himself, starting in about '86 when someone else turned him onto Maglites.

Customer support is as important to me as the product itself. Has customer support become a casualty of a tough economy?

This long-time customer will have to look at alternatives the next time he's buying a flashlight.

Positives:
* built like a tank
* reliable
* Well designed switch

Negatives:

* extremely poor beam quality (full of holes and rings, yellow-brown beam color)
* old technology (doesn't use a Luxeon star LED bulb)
* Very little usable sidespill

Overall: For a $20'ish light, its fine for the average person that is satisfied with a mediocre flashlight. However, the excessively poor beam quality (yellow beam that turns brown as the batteries dim, plus rings and holes in the beam) and mediocre sidespill really take lots away from this outdated flashlight.

What else can I add to the growing great reviews for this product?

All I can say is that this is one of the best flash lights I have ever used. I like it so much that I bought two of these: one for work and one for my car.

I work the night shift. I use the work one often. It is bright and very solid. The size is just about right. It is not too big like its larger brothers, but just big enough to feel secure while holding it.

A great value! If you are looking to buy a flashlight, look no further. This is the perfect one for the home consumer.

Didn't last that long when use in digital camera!!!

These batteries last as long as Sony says they do in my Walkman. A great value!

What more can i say! Batteries are something we use everyday and I think these are the best. Great value too!

Please note, despite the editorial review description, this watch does not have a countdown timer. Indeed it's the only flaw. I don't know why the description is in error, but beware!

Even though I lead a life of leisure, knowing my watch is correct to the second is important to me. I find this watch very comforting in that respect. I would like to address the problem of picking up the atomic signal that a couple of previous reviewers mentioned. I wonder if they set up the watch as the instructions dictate, laying it flat, near a window, away from electronic interference, etc. I live in an area of poor radio reception, far from the signal in Colorado, but the watch successfully receives the signal overnight if I follow the instructions. It's true, however, that it can be difficult or impossible to get the signal manually or if I haphazardly leave the watch lying around overnight. I have found that if the watch misses the signal one night it's still on perfect time the next day. Therefore, I'm very happy with its accuracy. I can't give it a five-star review because I find the function buttons don't work well. The way they're recessed makes it hard even for slender fingers to push. I like to use the stopwatch function for cooking, but it's rather annoying to start and stop it.

I love knowing that my watch is ALWAYS in perfect time. My workplace uses the atomic clock for it's network time so I know that my time is in perfect synch with every PC, network server and timeclock, as well as every clock in my house! If all of your friends have one, your will always know exacly what time everyone has! I am also VERY hard on watches. I can hardly ever keep one for more than a few months before I manage to break them, but I plan on having my G-shock for many years.

I bought one of these lights to work underwater and the seals failed filling the battery compartment with water. Streamlight replaced it, but when dropped from 4 feet to a carpeted floor it failed..replacement LED is 37.95 with shipping and replacement Streamlight 3C LED can be had for $39.00 so...I am tossing the Streamlight 3C LED in trash can and taking the loss...Sorry, but this item is not reliable, durable, or dependable..such a surprise for a company with such a good rep

Everything said about this flashlight is spot on except for the fact that after using underwater in less than 10 feet, the battery compartment leaked and the batteries turned to rusted mush. So much for the claims of being waterproof!!! Otherwise a really nice flashlight but not the rugged competitor it claims to be...
So far have not heard from the manufacturer about servicing the warranty...will let you know

This thing puts out an amazing amount of light and the batteries last forever. I keep one in the trunk of every car I own (3).