Maglite's ML150LR LED Rechargeable System: 1082 lumens on a LiFePO4 pack built to live on charge
This one is sold as a system rather than as a torch because the charging arrangement is half the product. It charges from 230 V AC and from 12 V DC, so it can sit in a cradle at a base and in a vehicle, and the battery chemistry underneath is chosen specifically to tolerate being treated that way.
Why LiFePO4 rather than ordinary lithium ion
Most rechargeable torches use lithium ion cells. They are energy dense and inexpensive, but they dislike two things: heat, and being held at full charge indefinitely. A torch that spends its life sitting in a charging cradle is doing precisely the second of those, which is why duty and fleet lights on standard lithium ion tend to need new cells every few years whether they have been used much or not.
Lithium iron phosphate behaves differently. It survives far more charge cycles before capacity falls away, it is markedly more stable thermally, and it tolerates sitting at full charge without the same degradation. It gives up some energy density in return, which is part of why the torch measures 271.5 millimetres and weighs 794 grams rather than being smaller.
For a light that is always in a cradle and grabbed on the way out, that is the correct compromise. The chemistry has been chosen around how the torch is used rather than around a headline runtime figure.
Charging from two sources
The 230 V AC and 12 V DC options mean one torch covers a wall socket at a station and a vehicle on the road. In practice this is what makes it work for services, security and emergency use. The torch charges in the vehicle between callouts and returns to a wall cradle at the end of a shift, never passing through a period of being flat and waiting.
ML150LR output and focus
Luminous flux runs up to 1082 lumens with a beam reaching 458 metres, the longest of the three Maglite models here. Focus is the familiar twist action, a quarter turn of the head sweeping from a wide flood to a tight spot with nothing to press.
Five operating modes are provided, High, Low, Eco, Momentary and Strobe, grouped into four function sets. The function sets are worth configuring rather than ignoring. They decide which modes the switch cycles through, so a torch used mainly on high and momentary need not present strobe and eco on every press.
On eco the torch runs up to 79 hours. That is a different order of endurance from the alkaline models, and ample for the way a rechargeable light actually gets used.
The 458 metre beam
Four hundred and fifty eight metres is a long way for a handheld torch, and it comes from the combination of a 49.1 millimetre head and a focusing system that genuinely concentrates the output. Twisted to spot, the beam holds together well past the point where most rechargeable torches this size have given up. Twisted open, the same output becomes a wide close range flood for working on something at arm's length.
Weight and balance
At 794 grams with the battery fitted this sits between the two alkaline models, lighter than the three cell version and heavier than the two. The 30.2 millimetre barrel is noticeably slimmer than the 39 millimetre D cell bodies, which makes it easier to hold for long periods and easier to fit into a vehicle door pocket or a duty belt loop.
What the system includes
The LiFePO4 pack is supplied with the torch, along with the 230 V AC and 12 V DC charging provision that gives the product its name. There is no separate battery to source and no proprietary charger to buy later on.
Buying it as a system rather than as a torch plus accessories also means the charging hardware is matched to the chemistry. Lithium iron phosphate wants a charge profile of its own, and a pack fed by something designed for ordinary lithium ion will not last the way it should.
Heat, and why it matters at this output
Patented heat sink technology carries heat away from the emitter into the body. High output LEDs lose both efficiency and lifespan as they warm up, so a torch that cannot shed heat either dims after a few minutes or quietly shortens its own life. Building the heat path into an aluminium body is the reason this one holds 1082 lumens rather than quoting the figure for the first thirty seconds.
Where it belongs
Security patrols, emergency services, roadside assistance, plant and facilities teams, and anyone whose torch needs to be charged and to hand at the start of every shift without a person being responsible for remembering to plug it in. It is a fixed asset with a cradle rather than a torch in a drawer.
Switch and build
The switch is a side mounted QuickClik electronic unit. The body is high strength aircraft aluminium in a black gloss extra hard anodised finish, 30.2 millimetres at the barrel and 49.1 at the head. Water resistance is IPX4 and impact resistance is 1 metre. The unit carries CE and RoHS compliance.
Features
- Ultra bright 1082 lumen LED
- Patented heat sink technology for superior performance
- Fast charging LiFePO4 rechargeable battery
- 230v AC and 12v DC charging
- Multi-mode electronic switch
- 5 lighting modes
- 4 function sets
- Adjustable beam, flood to spot with ¼ turn of the head
- IPX4 water resistant
Specifications
- Type: Rechargeable Hand held LED torch
- Operating Modes: High / Low / Eco / Momentary / Strobe
- Luminous Flux: Up to 1082 lumens
- LED: Ultra bright LED
- Focus: Twist action; spot to flood
- Beam Range: Up to 458 m
- Batteries Required: LiFeP04 battery pack (included)
- Run Time: Up to 79 hours (on eco setting)
- Length: 271.5 mm
- Barrel Diameter: 30.2 mm
- Head Diameter: 49.1 mm
- Weight: 794 grams (including batteries)
- Body Colour: Black gloss
- Body Material: High strength aircraft aluminium
- Body Finish: Extra hard anodised
- Switch Type: Side mounted QuickClik™ electronic switch
- Impact Resistance: 1 m
- Environmental: Water resistant to IPX4 standards
- Regulatory Compliance: CE / RoHS
