All I know is that I have been carrying a XL50, in my pocket, for 7 years and it's the best flashlight I ever owned. I worked for 42 years as a railroad engineer and have always carried a light. If you are going to store it for long periods of time, take the batteries out. If you are using it every day, it can't be beat.
I know it's an older video, but thought I'd mention a couple things... Many of the newer flashlights have electronic switches which all have parasitic drain. This is like how your TV is off, but it can still read your remote inputs since it's not completely off. What might have been a good test, is if you could "lockout" the flashlight by loosening the tailswitch 1/3 turn, thereby eliminating the battery drain. With the significantly larger capacity of the Li battery options (Olight, Fenix, etc.), some might not notice as much with those lights. Also, any alkaline batteries risk corroding/leaking, even if stored in the original packaging. If you use Lithium AA's or NiMH AA rechargeables, you should not have this issue.
I just got done troubleshooting one of these -- the output capacitor on the power supply failed as a short -- somehow the thing still worked fairly well, but drained power like crazy, killing batteries overnight. I measured 300mA of constant drain on the batteries. After replacing the capacitor, works great - no drain.
My issue is the switch, if I screw it to tight it doesn't work. I have to tighten and back off a 1/4 turn for it to work normally. Waiting on my streamlight 1LAA ,then maglight goes bye bye...
It's a fair review and I've had this issue too. I've had three XL50s and they do leak. There are two good things about this flashlight, one is that it's cheap and second, the brightness is great. However, the battery leaking issue is unacceptable and I finally upgraded to a Fenix flashlight, which cost me $100 but it's rechargeable and more reliable.
That Fenix still treatin you right? My XL50 just died and I’m tired of my mag lights dying from corroded batteries. I’m ready to check out some diff brands.
@@souperdooperman Yes, the Fenix is absolutely treating me great. It's rechargeable, which is a huge plus. And it doesn't leak. It's pricey but you only buy it once and never get mad. My Mags are gone.
@@timsummers870 Awesome, I was looking at a bunch of options on Amazon and it definitely is looking like the Fenix is the way to go. Thanks for bringing it to my attention!
Like you say. Nice size. Nice weight. Great light when working. My problem is that after using one set of batteries and replacing them with new ones, the light does not work at all. Yes, I know how to change the batteries properly. I have purchased several of these XL50's at Lowe's and Walmart for gifts and kept two for myself. All of them seem to have the same problem. Don't know if it's in the button switch, or the bulb burned out. the replacement bulbs are not cheap either. I'm bummed to have spent so much for several and have problems with every one of them.
Weird. I own 2 one I bought 3 years ago the other about 2 years ago. I use them almost daily for short time periods as a signal to co-worker across a noisy plant. Any ways the button on my 3 year old one is going bad and will switch modes at will if it's on and tilted or bumped. The tail cap is the issue. I wonder if the newer versions have new issues. Either way I won't buy this style again when my 2 totally die. Batteries I change weekly so they always work. Never had your issue with my older ones...
Just bought mine today. Opened it, put batteries from package in, didn’t work, verified polarity on batteries was correct, it was. Put in Brand new batteries, same result. Checked the lockdown function, doesn’t change anything. Simple flashlight that somehow can’t do its one intended purpose straight out of the box.
i have a acebeam x80 and its parasetic drain, kills my 18650's in like 2 weeks lol. Thats why i bought this one, great. honestly just want a good flashlight.
Good video I have another issue with them. I use it daily at my job and therefore get "free" batteries from work weekly so that drain isn't an issue. However after about 3ish years of daily use the tail cap is messed up and will switch settings if it's on and then shook or tilted. The button feels normal but clearly isn't right. I bought 2 and my other is newer by a year and doesn't have any issues....yet. Changing the batteries weekly keeps it bright and I have never had it leak in THIS light. What junk though. Being cheap I thought the 30 bucks would be better but if I had to buy batteries weekly it would be extremely expensive.
TJ Jones for reliable yet affordable try streamlight, i have had a tail cap fail on one before (same is true with surefire lights of mine) but in both examples the company sent out a replacement within 1 email at no charge
@@EDC_Tactical quick update after you saying that I called maglite. They gave me a new tail switch for free but didn't cover shipping so I had to pay $8 not huge but definitely not as nice as you got. Anyway great video thanks for the info
I've got the XL200 and I've used energizer and currently Asda alkaline batteries and it's been fine up to now. I had 5 maglite led Solitaires, 4 of which have energizer batteries and one with a duracell. I gave my wife and son one each with energizer batteries in and are still working fine, but of my 3 i had to throw the one away with the duracell in because it had leaked and was locked solid inside. My other 2 are still working fine with energizer batteries
I've got the same problem with my ML 50LX that I got from Marlboro rewards codes. Except my flashlight only drains one of the two C-cell batteries to the point that the flashlight turns on and just dies without warning of getting low, one of the batteries checks @ 1.485v and the drained one is always around .445-.465v. Mag-Lite warranty claim cost $15.00 for shipping & handling ? They're totally worthless as far as customer service or standing behind their product!
Hi, thanks for the videos. I was concerned about reports of current drain in this flashlight and found out that it is a known consequence of the versatile QuickClik tail cap switch, though it's not disclosed on the Maglite product information page (maglite.com/products/xl50-3-cell-aaa-1). This review (www.led-resource.com/2010/10/maglite-xl50-led-flashlight-review/) from 2010 says, "The main disadvantage of the electronic switch used in the XL50 is the presence of a standby current drain. The XL50 has a measured standby drain of 33.1 µA (or 0.0331 mA), similar to the XL100. A typical quality alkaline AAA has a capacity of about 1000mAh, which means that a set of brand new alkaline batteries will be completely drained after three years." My XL50 lost power very quickly, but I found out it was because 1 of my 3 batteries was dead, though the other 2 were at full capacity, so replacing the 1 dead battery brought it back to life. I may not be a fan of the current drain, but I am a fan of the way the tail switch works, and this at least this confirms and explains the reason for the current drain. Hope that helps!
According to youtube, its been 2 years since this video came out.
You ever going to show the results?
Been 5 months - how are things looking?
All I know is that I have been carrying a XL50, in my pocket, for 7 years and it's the best flashlight I ever owned. I worked for 42 years as a railroad engineer and have always carried a light. If you are going to store it for long periods of time, take the batteries out. If you are using it every day, it can't be beat.
Where's your follow-up video for this comparison , wasn't able to find on YT ?
I know it's an older video, but thought I'd mention a couple things... Many of the newer flashlights have electronic switches which all have parasitic drain. This is like how your TV is off, but it can still read your remote inputs since it's not completely off. What might have been a good test, is if you could "lockout" the flashlight by loosening the tailswitch 1/3 turn, thereby eliminating the battery drain. With the significantly larger capacity of the Li battery options (Olight, Fenix, etc.), some might not notice as much with those lights. Also, any alkaline batteries risk corroding/leaking, even if stored in the original packaging. If you use Lithium AA's or NiMH AA rechargeables, you should not have this issue.
I just got done troubleshooting one of these -- the output capacitor on the power supply failed as a short -- somehow the thing still worked fairly well, but drained power like crazy, killing batteries overnight. I measured 300mA of constant drain on the batteries. After replacing the capacitor, works great - no drain.
My issue is the switch, if I screw it to tight it doesn't work. I have to tighten and back off a 1/4 turn for it to work normally.
Waiting on my streamlight 1LAA ,then maglight goes bye bye...
Any follow up video to this?
It's a fair review and I've had this issue too. I've had three XL50s and they do leak. There are two good things about this flashlight, one is that it's cheap and second, the brightness is great. However, the battery leaking issue is unacceptable and I finally upgraded to a Fenix flashlight, which cost me $100 but it's rechargeable and more reliable.
That Fenix still treatin you right? My XL50 just died and I’m tired of my mag lights dying from corroded batteries. I’m ready to check out some diff brands.
@@souperdooperman Yes, the Fenix is absolutely treating me great. It's rechargeable, which is a huge plus. And it doesn't leak. It's pricey but you only buy it once and never get mad. My Mags are gone.
@@timsummers870 Awesome, I was looking at a bunch of options on Amazon and it definitely is looking like the Fenix is the way to go. Thanks for bringing it to my attention!
Like you say. Nice size. Nice weight. Great light when working. My problem is that after using one set of batteries and replacing them with new ones, the light does not work at all. Yes, I know how to change the batteries properly. I have purchased several of these XL50's at Lowe's and Walmart for gifts and kept two for myself. All of them seem to have the same problem. Don't know if it's in the button switch, or the bulb burned out. the replacement bulbs are not cheap either. I'm bummed to have spent so much for several and have problems with every one of them.
Weird. I own 2 one I bought 3 years ago the other about 2 years ago. I use them almost daily for short time periods as a signal to co-worker across a noisy plant. Any ways the button on my 3 year old one is going bad and will switch modes at will if it's on and tilted or bumped. The tail cap is the issue. I wonder if the newer versions have new issues. Either way I won't buy this style again when my 2 totally die. Batteries I change weekly so they always work. Never had your issue with my older ones...
Just bought mine today. Opened it, put batteries from package in, didn’t work, verified polarity on batteries was correct, it was. Put in Brand new batteries, same result. Checked the lockdown function, doesn’t change anything. Simple flashlight that somehow can’t do its one intended purpose straight out of the box.
Would like to know the results
What happened with the follow up
i have a acebeam x80 and its parasetic drain, kills my 18650's in like 2 weeks lol. Thats why i bought this one, great. honestly just want a good flashlight.
Good video I have another issue with them. I use it daily at my job and therefore get "free" batteries from work weekly so that drain isn't an issue. However after about 3ish years of daily use the tail cap is messed up and will switch settings if it's on and then shook or tilted. The button feels normal but clearly isn't right. I bought 2 and my other is newer by a year and doesn't have any issues....yet. Changing the batteries weekly keeps it bright and I have never had it leak in THIS light. What junk though. Being cheap I thought the 30 bucks would be better but if I had to buy batteries weekly it would be extremely expensive.
TJ Jones for reliable yet affordable try streamlight, i have had a tail cap fail on one before (same is true with surefire lights of mine) but in both examples the company sent out a replacement within 1 email at no charge
@@EDC_Tactical thanks I definitely will! I heard they had good products but didn't realize how good the customer service was!
@@EDC_Tactical quick update after you saying that I called maglite. They gave me a new tail switch for free but didn't cover shipping so I had to pay $8 not huge but definitely not as nice as you got. Anyway great video thanks for the info
@@EDC_Tactical what is the result of your experiment? i have looked on your channel and there is nothing. thanks in advance!
My XL50 has battery drain issue. Then I never leave batteries idling in this light.
I've got the XL200 and I've used energizer and currently Asda alkaline batteries and it's been fine up to now. I had 5 maglite led Solitaires, 4 of which have energizer batteries and one with a duracell. I gave my wife and son one each with energizer batteries in and are still working fine, but of my 3 i had to throw the one away with the duracell in because it had leaked and was locked solid inside. My other 2 are still working fine with energizer batteries
I've got the same problem with my ML 50LX that I got from Marlboro rewards codes. Except my flashlight only drains one of the two C-cell batteries to the point that the flashlight turns on and just dies without warning of getting low, one of the batteries checks @ 1.485v and the drained one is always around .445-.465v. Mag-Lite warranty claim cost $15.00 for shipping & handling ? They're totally worthless as far as customer service or standing behind their product!
Hi, thanks for the videos. I was concerned about reports of current drain in this flashlight and found out that it is a known consequence of the versatile QuickClik tail cap switch, though it's not disclosed on the Maglite product information page (maglite.com/products/xl50-3-cell-aaa-1). This review (www.led-resource.com/2010/10/maglite-xl50-led-flashlight-review/) from 2010 says, "The main disadvantage of the electronic switch used in the XL50 is the presence of a standby current drain. The XL50 has a measured standby drain of 33.1 µA (or 0.0331 mA), similar to the XL100. A typical quality alkaline AAA has a capacity of about 1000mAh, which means that a set of brand new alkaline batteries will be completely drained after three years." My XL50 lost power very quickly, but I found out it was because 1 of my 3 batteries was dead, though the other 2 were at full capacity, so replacing the 1 dead battery brought it back to life. I may not be a fan of the current drain, but I am a fan of the way the tail switch works, and this at least this confirms and explains the reason for the current drain. Hope that helps!
Yeah, what a piece of junk. Just stopped working for no reason. Had virtually no use.
how to replace the bulb sir