2 through 4 C-Cell Frequently Asked Questions

Are Mag flashlights waterproof?
We consider our flashlights to be extremely water resistant but we don't advertise them to be waterproof.

Every time I put a new replacement lamp in my Mag-Lite® flashlight, it burns out. Why?
It sounds like you may be using the incorrect replacement lamp for your flashlight. D & C Cell Mag-Lite® flashlights have different numbers of batteries or cells and therefore operate at different voltages, so each size Maglite® flashlight needs its own unique lamp size. For instance, if you have a 4-Cell Mag-Lite® flashlight and you put a 2-Cell or 3-Cell lamp inside, it will burn out very rapidly because the 4-Cell flashlight runs at a higher voltage than the lamp of a 2 or 3-Cell flashlight was designed to handle. For our personal size flashlights and your information, we manufacture a 2-Cell AA Mini Maglite® flashlight, a 2-Cell AAA Mini Maglite® flashlight and a Single Cell AAA Maglite® Solitaire® flashlight each of which require its own unique lamp.. If you use the single cell Solitaire® lamp in a 2 Cell AA or 2Cell AAA, the lamp will burn out immediately. Make sure to buy the correct lamp for your flashlight. It's marked on the packages of our replacement lamps. If you are unsure of which lamp to use in your flashlight do not hesitate to contact us at 1 800-283-5562.

After I turn my Mag® flashlight on, it doesn't stay on continuously unless I bang on it, or hit it. What do I do, and where do I send it?
It sounds like you are only getting intermittent electrical contact because your contacts need to be cleaned. Try this before you do anything else: Remove the tailcap and the batteries from your flashlight. Look inside the tailcap end of the barrel and you'll see that most of the inside of the barrel is the same color as the outside of the barrel -- black, or red, or blue, for example. That's because the inside of the barrel is anodized to help guard against corrosion. But part of the metal near the tailcap end of the barrel is shiny, bare metal. This is a point of electrical contact. Sometimes it can get covered with dirt or grit or corrosion, which can cause your flashlight to flicker on and off due to poor electrical conductivity. Cleaning these electrical contacts is simple: Just go over the shiny, silver rim of the barrel, the rim of the tailcap that contacts with the rim of the barrel when tightened, and the silver area inside the tailcap where the spring sits, with a piece of emery paper or steel wool. Now put a small amount of petroleum jelly or liquid silicone on the threads of the tailcap, making sure that the large end of the coil spring is snapped into the tailcap. When the flashlight is put back together, the small end of the spring will be pressing against the negative side of the battery. Put your batteries back in with their positive ends pointing forward, screw the tailcap firmly back into the barrel, and your "flickering flashlight" problem should be solved. If your flashlight still doesn't work after you have cleaned the contacts, call us at 1 800-283-5562 or email us back at this same address.

I can’t remove the tailcap from my Mag® flashlight. I have even put pliers on it and tried to twist it off, but it's absolutely frozen or stuck. Is this problem covered by my warranty?
When you cannot remove the tailcap to change the batteries, it almost certainly indicates that the batteries have leaked and sealed everything inside the flashlight. Unfortunately, Mag does not warrant against battery leakage, however, we do have agreements with Duracell, Eveready and Ray-O-Vac. If one of these brands of batteries has leaked in your flashlight, send the flashlight to us and we will repair or replace it at no charge to you. We recommend that you ship the flashlight UPS or Postal Insured for tracking purposes. Please send to; Mag Instrument, Inc., Attn; Warranty Dept., 1721 E. Locust St., Ontario, Ca. 91761-7769. You pay the freight to us and we pay it going back. Please also include a letter with your name, address, phone number and description of the problem. Don’t forget to indicate what brand of battery is inside if you know. Once we verify it is Duracell, Eveready or Ray-O-Vac, we will send you a new flashlight at no charge. Occasionally we open the flashlight and we find it contains leaking batteries that are not Duracell, Eveready and Ray-O-Vac. In cases of "off-brand" battery leakage, we can replace your flashlight for a charge of -- $12.00 plus your state's sales tax for a ‘C’ or ‘D’ Mag-Lite® flashlight, or $8.00 plus tax for a Mini-Maglite® flashlight. If you are not sure, send the flashlight to us, with the batteries inside, and we will check to determine the brand. If we find that they are "off-brand" batteries, we will contact you and arrange for payment before sending you the replacement flashlight.

I can’t get the batteries out of my flashlight. They're stuck inside. How do I change them? Is this covered by my warranty?
When this happens, it almost certainly means that the batteries have leaked and are stuck inside the barrel. Note: Batteries normally swell before leaking causing them to get stuck inside the barrel. Mag Instrument does not warrant against battery leakage, however, we do have agreements with Duracell, Eveready and Ray-O-Vac that allow us to replace your flashlight. If one of these brands of batteries is stuck (by leaking in your flashlight), send the flashlight to us and we will repair or replace the entire flashlight at no charge to you. We recommend that you ship the flashlight UPS or Postal Insured for tracking purposes. Please send to; Mag Instrument, Inc., Attn; Warranty Dept., 1721 E. Locust St., Ontario, Ca. 91761-7769. You pay the freight to us and we pay it going back. Please also include a letter with your name, address, phone number and a description of the problem. Don’t forget to indicate what brand of batteries is inside if you know. We will check to verify that it is Duracell, Eveready and Ray-O-Vac; and if it is, we will send you a new flashlight at no charge. Occasionally we open the flashlight and we find it contains leaking batteries that are not Duracell, Eveready and Ray-O-Vac. In cases of "off-brand" battery leakage, we can replace your flashlight for a charge of -- $12.00 plus your state's sales tax for a ‘C’ or ‘D’ Mag-Lite® flashlight, or $8.00 plus tax for a Mini-Maglite® flashlight. If you are not sure, send the flashlight to us, with the batteries inside, and we will check to determine the brand. If we find that they are "off-brand" batteries, we will contact you and arrange for payment before sending you the replacement flashlight.