Thread 64057941

>The MX-991/U Flashlight (aka GI Flashlight, Army flashlight, or Moonbeam) from the TL-122 military flashlight series of 1937-1944 and is a development of the MX-99/U flashlight issued in 1963. In use since the Vietnam War, the MX-991/U has been made by various contractors over the years, including GT Price, Bright Star, and Fulton Industries. MX-991/U flashlights currently issued to the United States Army and United States Marines are produced by Fulton Industries.

Why is an incandescent bulb flashlight powered by D Cell batteries still being issued when compact and powerful LED options are available?

>>64057941 (OP)
No idea. I thought it was obsolete back in 2006 when I got issued one. Literally the only time I used it past basic was in air assault school where it was mandatory.
On deployment everyone had a combination of small LED handhelds, headlamps, and those little keychain lights. All of these supported color filters if you wanted, and you could do the dumb Morse code stuff with them so yeah no idea. I've literally never seen somebody bring one of these lights on a combat deployment.

>>64057941 (OP)
Big Flashlight has deep connections.

It looks cool.

>>64057941 (OP)
I replaced mine with a surefire survivor

>>64057941 (OP)
I used to have one of these in the cub scouts in the 90's. It had some extra lenses in the cap.

>>64057941 (OP)
I've never served or anything like that but I bought one of those a while back for like $10 and used a drop in led kit and now it's one of my favorite lights. Yes it's fuckhuge but the led and the thicc batteries make it last fucking forever. I could probably leave it on for a month

>>64057941 (OP)
I was only ever given one in boot camp. I know they are included on the SL-3 equipment lists for some vehicles and probably generators and shit like that but they never have batteries in them.

Basically it's a tough simple light that lasts forever and you can throw them in a tool bag in the back of a tank with a giant impact wrench and pliers and wire brushes and it won't break. it's in the system and cheap. Individually, I was issued a streamlight flex head LED light that ran on AA batteries but I never actually used it and pretty much everyone buys their own flashlight.

they sell a led conversion kit for them
as to why it's not military standard beats me, guess nobody bothered to certify them

>>64058074
What's the difference between this and the MX-991/U with LED conversion? Looks like their outputs are comparable.

>>64058327
It basically the standard of what firefighters use
I got the 90545 model it's rated for 175 lumens and a 405 meter distance, this one is a wide angle beam with 3 different modes high output, strobe and moonbeam. Aside from that it's impact rated/waterproof, and a simple button to turn on and comes with a few lens buttons for different scenarios like heavy smoke.

>>64057941 (OP)
>Why is an incandescent bulb flashlight powered by D Cell batteries still being issued
Why are we seeing yet another thread about non-weapons on a board dedicated to weapons? Same reason, thirdies with cell phones and jannies not doing their fucking job.

>>64058074
those are so fucking heavy why would you buy one for personal use?

8th amendment on all overcharged crimes!

>>64057941 (OP)
But why does it bend? Why is it shaped like that?

>>64059757
>points forward if it's in a pocket or pouch
>can set it down to point at something
it's obvious if you would've thought about it for more than a second

>>64057941 (OP)
If I still have mine I actually need it because of the red light : (

>>64059737
It's the same size if not smaller and a little lighter. Is there some xboxhuge model I'm not aware of?

>>64057941 (OP)
>still being issued when compact and powerful LED options are available?
By who? I've only seen them for sale at the px or at surplus stores. I think I've seen them in vehicle kits actually, like the signaling lights for people to waive vehicles around are this but with a different head.

Anyway, when I was in the infantry I bought one because you can take the fag out the larp, but you can't take the larp out the fag. They're hard to break and cheap, and because of their size they're also hard to loose. I had a tendency to loose the nicest small gear items I'd buy for myself, but somehow never loose the cheapest decent gear.

>>64057941 (OP)
Related, Mil-Tec actually sells a 2xAA scale version of this and it's pretty decent. The plastic wings do not protect the switch (lol) and the switch button for intermittent use does not function (no press to use) for whatever reason. It does, however, come with a complete assortment of lens colors in the base and features a spare bulb compartment under the spring with a nice plastic caddy unlike the cheap crap foam-inside-spring I've seen in old maglites. The bulb, however, emits the most awful high pitched sound I've ever heard out of an LED and it has zero branding. However, my local surplus shop had them for a price that appears to beat every online price I can find (including decent batteries!) and while I can usually resist cheap made-in-china junk at the surplus store (my store sells actual surplus for a change rather than airsoft quality junk) I had to have it just to see if it was useful. It's alright but I usually have a headlamp that's starting to chew through batteries weirdly quickly and a retardedly bright flashlight.

>>64057941 (OP)
because having a extremely bright flashlight isnt always desireable

>>64057941 (OP)
I got this MX-99 clone as a free gift when I bought some stuff online. Didn't want to buy D Cells I found a file that convert AA to D cell.

Here is the 3d file

https://www.printables.com/model/518536-aa-to-d-cell-battery-adapter

>>64060928
On the plus side it is light weight and I'll upgrade to the LED bulb once the incandescent bulb burn out. It came with a spare incandescent blub in the cap too.

>>64060928
>those black screws and painted switch
I think that's what Mil-Tec rebrands lol. Does the little button above the switch do anything or is it just there for show? Mine on >>64060738 presses but doesn't turn it on, switch only to make it light up.

>>64060738
>Be me
>buy small miltec angled flashlight
>says it takes 2 C batteries on the site I bought it from
>says it takes AA batteries on the box
>open it up, too small for C batteries and seemingly too wide for AA
Am I retarded or is it supposed to come with an insert to place the AA batteries in? I just wanna larp with my alice gear without having to rock a huge moonbeam that makes night walks through wooded areas feel like a horror game

>>64057941 (OP)
cheap, still works, has LED retrofit. this is a convenient tube that can have LEDs shoved in it, and economy of scale going back to basically the 40s is a hell of a thing to beat

>>64061107
It's a little loose but it has 4 fins/rails to guide the batteries on the inside. Unless they also make, like, an 18650 lithium battery version or some shit and you accidentally got sent one of those? Also the bulb makes a horrible screech if you have any of the top end of your hearing left. (ie. Can you hear CRT TVs? Can you hear the high pitched bird scarers in parking garages?)

>>64058074
>surefire survivor
Did you mean Streamlight?

>>64057941 (OP)
They still make those? I used to play with one when I was a kid in the 80s.

>>64061241
Yes

>>64059737
>>64059804
This is some severe autism. Just buy a cheap Chink one, like a Sofirn, for $25.

>>64060821
But 99% of LED flashlights that aren't complete garbage have controllers that let you adjust the brightness, including levels even lower than you might achieve with any kind of incandescent.

Love my moon beam
Used it to hose wasps under the deck at night. Got to tunnel rat larp

Unironically red light filter is nice

>>64061828
Flashlight tism is one I've become aware of lately

>>64060953
The switch/button does what it does -

Top = Always on
Middle = momentary on when you press the button that's how they do the Morris Code
Bottom = Off

I think you are right it might be a re-brand. I see the model number TL-122 on the side.


>>64061107

See >>64060928 >>64060933

It should be using D Cell, post pic to confirm.

>>64062876
>Middle = momentary on when you press the button that's how they do the Morris Code
Holy shit anon, you're right. It didn't even occur to me there might be a safety and two positions on the switch, it just felt cheap and crunchy lol. Yes, middle position allows you to press the momentary button. I'm just so used to vintage flashlights with no safety on the switch; plenty of them, especially the really old ones, just make the switch itself run the button over and crush it down to make it on/off (the "newer" 50s/60s ones seem to have gone to the Mil-Tec style of switch that does not interact with above button). I'm way too used to those lol.
>I think you are right it might be a re-brand. I see the model number TL-122 on the side.
Mine is a TL-142 and sites claim that is also a Mil-Tec product. Oddly mine looks the same as yours so what the difference is, who knows.

>>64062876
Wait, shit, I thought you were the anon having battery issues as well. Disregard the lower part.

>>64057941 (OP)
I thought pic related was a meme at first, but then I used one and it's actually really handy. No one uses the issued piece of shit unless they're forced to.

Here mine from boot camp

The on/off switch doesn't even work, and the push button barely works.

I liked to use the blue lense instead of the red one, and I'm surprised I didn't get annihilated for it.

My dad gave me his one when he was in the army (it has ferret nibbles in its head part lol)