MagLiteML300L LED 3-Cell D Flashlight, Black

This is a very good flashlight if the large size is desirable. If you are reading this review, you know this thing is large and you are OK with that.Pros:Brighter than the Standard Maglite 3 D-cell LED flashlights and can light up objects at a great distance.Three brightness levels... low is perfect for getting around without blinding everyone.Same Maglite ruggedness as always.Beautifully smooth texture Maglite owners love.Large enough you won't lose it as often.Just a touch smaller than the Standard Maglite 3 D-cell LED flashlight.Cons:It's Large and heavy when the 3 D-cells are in it (for me this was a positive because my kids lose all my other flashlights).Too big to just keep in your pocket around the campfire at night.Focus isn't as accurate as I'd expect.It will take awhile to get used to the new "1/4 turn focus" and not the old "unscrew-the-head style focus" that was kind of signature of MagliteNo hanging clip (not really a fault since I knew that when I bought it). But it would be a cool addition to the end cap.It doesn't have the standard "screw off head" like the standard Maglites and the focus is completely different... it's not bad, it's just a nostalgia thing.This flashlight gets 5 stars because it is what I expected and wanted... a super bright LED flashlight that is BIG and HEAVY. It is just a touch smaller than the Standard Maglite 3 D-cell LED flashlight. I'm not sure how they did that, but it is. Yet, it is still big and heavy enough that had my wife been carrying this Maglite instead of the two AA style when the tweaker attacked her with a metal stick in front of our garage, he would have ended up in the hospital.So our family values carrying a super bright flashlight that functions like a police baton when going outside at night. If you don't value those things, this isn't the light for you. There are brighter flashlights, smaller flashlights, cheaper flashlights, and much more expensive flashlights. This one is like a happy medium. It's rugged and good quality, a realistic price, bright enough to light up the whole tent or the top of a Giant Sequoia, and has a great run time thanks to three large D batteries.What I want to focus on, though, is the difference between this $40 - $50 ML300L Maglite and the $30 standard 3 D-cell LED flashlight, because if you're even considering this flashlight you probably fell in love with Maglites as a kid like me. So is it worth the extra $10 - $15 to get this one? Yes, I think so. At first I was skeptical, because we own 3 of the regular 3 D-cell LED Maglites. Could it really have that many more lumens than the standard one? So I got them out at night and put fresh batteries in all of them.It's not necessarily the spot focus where this light is better. When focused small, the standard Maglites are plenty bright in that tight area. But it's the surrounding light... the overall light that is brighter. I have included some photos that demonstrate the difference. The first picture is with both flashlights focused as tightly as possible (ML300L on the left). The second is with them focused as wide as possible. You'll notice the ML300L isn't much different. On the Little Caesar's box you don't see much difference... up close like that is where they are the most similar. But look at the flower painting with the flashlight aimed at the ceiling not the painting. The ML300L lights up the whole room noticeably more. I also thought my standard LEDs hit the trees behind my shop pretty well (the dark photos), but you can see the ML300L does a better job at that, also, with a brighter and larger spot. The final photo is just so you can see the slight size difference.In conclusion, I would say that yes, this newer design of the 3 D-cell LED Maglite ML300L is a bit better than the older style. Though I miss the feel of the old button, I appreciate the dimmable settings. Though I miss the way the head used to unscrew, the "hole" in the wide focus is gone. I think it was worth my extra $10 just for the added brightness and dimmable settings.

Dependable , bright, and solid. Don't think you'll go wrong getting one or more of these. Amazon has a very good price on these, and they come pretty quick.

My work often has me arriving alone, at poorly lit areas, hours before daylight. I have had a few encounters that left me wanting for more than a paper lunch bag and a small tactical flashlight, not much bigger than a hot-dog, in my hands. That was was led me to finding the ML300L / 3D.The beam on this is a 'narrow to medium' focused beam with a nice, 'outside the circle' wide area that is dimly lit at any focus, all perfectly circular. I love that. You are able to see your subject in a good tight spot while still having enough light in the outside ring to detect things happening out of the main focus. The 3 D does throw a lot of light. My 800(ish) lumen tactical light is brighter but its beam is so tiny, when you widen the beam the light drops way off. The Maglite's beam is more like a car headlight at about 100 feet, way more actual light where I need it.For the record, I pointed this at some computer paper hanging in my wall, in a well lit room, about two feet away, and am still a little 'snow blind' from the reflected light. I would never want to be a person who had to look into this beam from the other end. Use with caution.I tested this with D alkaline batteries and some D cell NiMH that I had. The brightness levels were about the same for my poor eyes on both. For my use, I prefer alkaline batteries. I have seen NiMH batteries go from real bright, to no light, in less than a minute. Alkaline batteries fade out slowly, over tens of minutes for this type of device. Sometimes that battery fade time is important.Added: The 3 cell model impressed me so much that I did purchase a ML300L 2D cell model also. After using these a while, my only wish would be for a mode that starts out on medium and transitions to high / low with the clicks. With the 3 D cell model, the high mode is too bright for average use around the house, so you usually turn it on with two or three quick clicks for the lower power settings. The 2 D model is 'almost' too bright for average use on high. Other than that, I am so happy with these lights. The run times for the amount of light are hard to believe.